Everyone in this story is over eighteen years old. Thanks for reading. Please leave a vote and comment.
Las Vegas Surprise
Sarah and Jeff had been living together for just over six months and were planning a September wedding. With July 4th just a few weeks ahead, Sarah suggested they have a small get together so she could finally meet her future in-laws.
"Babe, tell me about your dad," she requested.
"Let's see. He's moving back from California in about a week and moving back in with Lori."
"Who's Lori?"
"His ex-wife. They were married for about twenty-five years. Then she shit on him."
"Cheated?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. One day about four years ago, she told him she was getting her own apartment and left. Dad was devastated. I saw it coming but he hadn't. Anyway, after the split, he divorced her and moved to California. He's retiring the end of June and coming back to Texas."
"So, they're getting back together?"
"Dad said they're going to see. She apparently realized; a bit late, how bad she fucked up. I don't think it'll work. She really hurt him. Besides, he's still in love with Heidi."
Sarah chuckled. "So, he was cheating on Lori?"
"No, dad wouldn't do that. Heidi was his wife from many years ago. He never got over her."
"Why did your dad and Heidi split up?"
"They were on and off for several years. They'd be together for six months or so, then she'd just leave. A year or so later, she'd show up again and pull the same shit."
"Why in heaven's name would he keep taking her back?"
"Dad loved her. We all do."
"Do? Not did?" Sarah asked.
"I stayed in touch with her over the years. Dad doesn't know that. When I told her that dad and Lori had split, she contacted him. They lived together in California for a few months when he first got there, then pulled her disappearing act again."
"Is your dad hard to live with?"
"I don't think so, but it's been thirty years since I lived with him. He's a great dad and an amazing grandpa. The kids adore him."
"What should I call him?"
"Dennis, Dad, Grandpa, he'll answer to about anything. Call Lori by her name though. The kids call her grandma, but to everyone else she's Lori."
"Okay."
*****
At the July 4th get together, Sarah got to spend time with both Dennis and Lori. They were both friendly, but as different as night and day. Dennis was outgoing and spent much of his time with Jeff's two kids, and Sarah's three preschoolers. He made quite an impression on them and was their new grandpa before the day ended. Lori was quiet and spent much of her time looking at her phone. Other than acknowledging the little ones when introduced, she paid them little attention. Sarah decided she'd have to be the one to get to know her.
"How did you and Dennis meet?" Sarah asked her.
"He was my teacher in college. My first impression was he was an arrogant asshole."
"From what I've seen, so far, that doesn't fit him."
"He's not like that at all. He took over for a teacher that our whole class just loved. Dennis was brilliant and essentially scared the crap out of us with his first lecture. It was about two months later before I saw the real him."
"What happened?"
"Our classes were taught in modules. One of them was interpersonal communications. The class was all women and pretty much all of us were divorced. We'd all been hurt one way or another. Someone, during the module, asked him why he was single. We were all curious, I guess. He was good looking, nice body, smart. He admitted being hurt by a someone, then told us the story. When he began talking about Heidi, we could see how much he still loved her. I think I fell in love with him that evening."
"When did you start dating?" Sarah asked.
"I started flirting with him, but it got me nowhere. After I graduated, I came back to pick up some papers. I stopped by just to say hi to him. He asked me out. We were married about a year later and stayed married until I screwed it up four years ago."
"But you're back together now," Sarah replied, smiling.
"Physically, yes. Emotionally, I'm fairly sure I've ruined it."
"I don't know. He seems happy to me."
"What you're seeing is the public Dennis. When we're at home he's different now. I married my first husband when I was still in high school. We divorced while I was in college. Dennis and I married a year after my divorce. I couldn't have asked for a better husband. Somewhere in the back of my mind I began wondering if I hadn't missed something by being married all my adult life. I decided that when the last of the kids moved out of the house I needed to find out. I started buying stuff to furnish my own place two years before I ever told him. I stored everything at my sister's house and planned to tell him when we sold ours.
"It was the day after the kids left, that he surprised me and asked what we were going to do since we didn't need the big house anymore. That's when I dropped the bomb. He was shocked. I really blindsided him. He could have talked me out of it, and I knew that. I asked him not to try. He agreed to respect my wishes."
"So, you divorced him?"
"No. I didn't want a divorce. I wanted to stay married. He moved out of our bedroom and into the guest room that day. I hadn't seen that coming. I guess I thought we'd just go along as we were. I had convinced myself he'd just go along with it. I was wrong. He never got angry. He just pulled away. He wouldn't let me do anything wifely. He cooked for himself, took care of his own laundry, everything. About a month before the house was to close, he asked me to go with him to New Orleans for a few days. When we got there, he told me that he wasn't trying to talk me out of leaving. He wanted us to do this to celebrate my new life. I spent most of the trip crying. I knew I'd really messed up. I should have tried right then to put things right, but I didn't. After I moved out, we went out to dinner every week. He would never come in my apartment. We'd talk outside after dinner. I always cried when he left. Three months later he presented me with divorce papers. It was my turn to be shocked. I asked him not to do it, but when he asked me for a reason not to, I couldn't give him one.
"We still went to dinner sometimes. Over the next few months, I learned that I hadn't missed a thing being single. The divorce went through uncontested. We were having dinner one evening. It had been one year, to the day since I moved out. That's when he told me he had bought an RV and was moving to California. I cried. He asked me, when he dropped me off, if I had found what I was looking for. That's when I told him that what I had learned was that I wanted my old life back. He didn't say anything in response. After he'd gone, I heard from one of our granddaughters that he and Heidi were seeing each other again."
"Jeff said that didn't last long," Sarah replied.
"No. I asked Dennis when we spoke on the phone. She just up and left again. Knowing I'd done the same thing to him, I didn't say anything."
"So, how did you get back together?"
"Dennis had to have surgery. I went to California to help him for a few days afterward. I asked him to come home and promised him he wouldn't regret it. He seemed surprised but agreed to think about it. The day before I came back home, he agreed. That was four months ago. He arrived last week."
"I'm glad."
"So am I, but he's not the same. What I did to him killed the love he had. I'm doing everything I can, but the Dennis I left is gone."
"Give it time, Lori."
*****
The back yard wedding was beautiful. Dennis and Lori sat together but otherwise it was the same as it had been on the 4th. He was in the middle of the kids and Lori was looking at her phone.
Jeff and Sarah hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Lori came to neither. He told everyone she was working both holidays. Dennis was quieter at Thanksgiving, and at Christmas was withdrawn, spending much of his day sitting alone on the back patio. Jeff and Sarah were both concerned and joined him.
"Why so quiet, dad?" Jeff asked.
"Just thinking."
"About what?" Sarah asked.
"I'm almost finished with my second book. Just contemplating how to finish it."
"You finally started writing?" Jeff inquired.
"I started in California and finished number one just before I left."
"What kind of stories are you writing?" Jeff asked.
"Would you believe it, romances?"
"I figured that you'd write Star Trek or something," Jeff chuckled.
"I'm as surprised as you are. The last few years have made me experience emotions I didn't realize I had."
