1. Taking Chances


    Date: 9/22/2015, Categories: Mature, Author: Sisyphus, Rating: 13, Source: LushStories

    looked up to see if the waiter was nearby then turned back to her. “So, you said you’re happily married.” “I am,” Catherine replied, nodding. “Very happy. I have a wonderful husband. We just celebrated our thirty-fourth anniversary two nights ago.” “Nice, very nice, I don’t meet many happily married people.” “Well, we are,” Catherine repeated, wanting to believe what she was saying, but knew she was polishing an old apple and hoping it would still taste delicious. “Were you married?” Catherine asked. “Yes, I was married for twenty-nine years to a smart, talented woman who unfortunately died a little over two years ago. Actually, she was in a serious car accident and was killed instantly. Thank God she didn’t suffer.” “Oh my, that’s terrible. That must have been a shock.” “It was, though I have to admit, ours was not a happy marriage.” “Too bad.” Catherine nodded, her eyes and scrunched eyebrows expressing sorrow. “Yes.” Tom shrugged. “It was one of those unhappy marriages where neither of us could make a move to divorce, so we existed in the same house, though not the same bed. Still, when I got the news she was killed it was such a shock. I felt terrible, sorry that she was gone, her life ripped away and out of my life without the chance to resolve our problems, not that they could have been resolved. Then I felt ambivalence. I was suddenly free, and yet, a part of me missed her. I had a hard time with so many confused, mixed feelings. Twenty-nine years is a long time. I ...
    think that underneath our problems, I loved her more than I realized, but bitterness made it impossible to feel anything like love while she was alive.” He took a deep breath and looked down at his notebook and touched the cover. “Sad, isn’t it?” Catherine nodded and was about to respond when the waiter came over and asked for their order, which Tom gave to him quickly, frowning and seemingly irritated at being interrupted. When the waiter left, Tom continued. “I have to admit I cried at the funeral and felt sad and lost for days. You know, the suddenness of the change, the emptiness in the house, so many mixed feelings, her clothing and remnants of her life everywhere around me, photographs of us when we were younger and madly in love, but within a week or two I was fine. In fact, I felt relieved and happy to realize I was free and life had other possibilities now that I was no longer married.” He paused and leaned back in his chair, sighed deeply then smiled. “But that was then and this is now.” “Right.” Catherine nodded and looked at the smile on Tom’s face, the twinkle in his blue eyes. “Still, it must have been hard losing someone after all those years together. I can’t imagine how I would feel if something like that happened to Martin. That’s his name, my husband. We’re very close. He’s my best friend.” “Well, it sounds like your situation is a lot different than mine. Like I said, it felt like I was starting a new chapter of my life. I sold my house about a year ago, made ...
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