Mrs. White

During the nine years Melvin and I were apart I grew. I always knew that I could make it alone, my childhood prepared me for that. Yet, after I left Melvin and the boys, I was secretly forlorn and openly bitter.  One friend gave me the name "the Rock". This was to insinuate that I was mean and my heart as hard as a rock. I found it difficult to allow a new relationship to flourish, no one met the unattainable criteria of being Melvin.
I immersed myself in education as a teacher and as a student. I bought a home and and settled into a life of independence. Still in the intervals Poo was there; When ice covered my drive way, he came to pour the sand; when I saw water bugs, he was pest control; when grief struck my heart, his shoulder was my pillow and we always conversed and made mutual decisions about the boys when and if a problem arose, as they do with growing children.
I can not recall how, but during the course of our hiatus I came across an old college chum. One whom I knew liked me from afar. We struck up a relationship and before I knew it, I was Mrs. White. My mother always said our relationship was more like a business. From the outside it seemed we had it all, but within the confines of home, it was just a house of two people sharing space. When I told Melvin I was getting married his advice was, "Poo I just hope you're happy and you know you got to share with him, that means money too." (I am frugal). he wished me well. I later heard a female friend moved in with him and my first thought was, he better not marry her, he never did.
I was Mrs. White for almost three years. We trudged along, a monogenestic routine, then one night I dreamt his sister was telling me that he was having an affair, I really couldn't blame him, to be honest, but I woke up and asked him if he wanted a divorce, he said he didn't know. Psst, that's code for yes, but let me tell ya when I get fully dressed in case you go nuts. We left it there. We both went to work, he forgot his way to the house for a few days, when he did come home, he slept in the other room, with a barricade at the door. After two nights if this I confronted him. "Are you afraid of me, what's going on?" he says, "I am going to see an attorney tomorrow, I want out and I want you to respect my wishes." I asked all of the questions one asks when they are being tossed aside, "Are you having an affair; do you want children, are you gay?.." Every answer was, "No." With my head hung low I am thinking, man, I 've got to go through this again another divorce, what will people think and so on. So, I was not prepared for what he said next, we had never discussed my life with Melvin and the boys. He said, "I think I have been a good husband to you, but you have never been a wife to me, you will forever be married to Melvin and mother to those boys, you will not let anyone else in and I don't want to compete with them anymore."
I was floored. Mrs. White was no more. We had an amicable divorce and though I have not seen or spoken to him in many years, I know there are no hard feelings. In hind sight, I thank him for releasing me, without it I would have missed out on the best years of my life. I am forever grateful to him for his insightfullness.
In the recesses of my mind, I knew he was right, the divorce was final December 31, 1999. What a transition into the new millennium with Melvin and the boys still safe in my heart.

tomorrow...