My fingers ached from gripping the steering wheel so tightly and I forced myself to loosen my hold. Soft laughter came from the seat beside me and I glanced over to see Gayle staring at me.
“I can’t remember ever seeing you wound so tightly. Well, except for the night Brooklyn was born. You were so stressed out, I thought the doctors were going to have to sedate you,” she said.
“I wasn’t quite that bad,” I insisted, rolling my eyes.
“Uh, yes, you were. At one point, the nurses forgot all about me because they were too busy getting you a drink of water and a chair, so you could elevate your feet,” she argued.
“You have no idea what it was like. It was a very traumatic experience,” I explained. I tried to hide my smile, knowing I was getting her riled up and enjoying every second of it.
“Are you kidding me?” she gasped. “You don’t think it was traumatic forme? Try shoving a watermelon through a toilet paper tube and then we’ll tal…” Her voice trailed off when she saw my shoulders shaking and I burst out laughing as she punched my arm.
“You did that on purpose, jerk!” she exclaimed, but her own laughter took the bite out of her words.
I reached over and took her hand, linking our fingers together. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. You know I think you were incredible that night. I did panic for a little bit, but then I saw how calm and in control you were, and it helped to calm me too.”
“I was only able to stay calm because you were there.” She grinned at me when I gave her an incredulous look. “It’s true. You may have freaked out at first, but I knew you wouldn’t let anything happen to either one of us. It’s been that way throughout our entire marriage. You’ve always been my rock.” Her voice shook a bit at the end.
“Thank you for saying that. I never wanted to let you down,” I said sincerely.
“You never let me down, Sam, and I meant what I said. You have been the best husband anyone could ask for. You just were never meant to be mine.” She squeezed my hand then let go as we drove for several miles in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
I knew she was right. We weren’t meant to be together, at least not forever. I was glad that being honest about our feelings hadn’t damaged our friendship. Gayle had always been an important part of my life and I didn’t want to lose that. Plus, we had Brooklyn to consider.
We’d decided that for the time being, we wouldn’t mention our separation to our daughter. She was just beginning to settle into a new school, in a city far away, and we didn’t want to hinder her progress. We needed this time for ourselves as well, to figure out what it was that we each wanted in our lives. Once we knew that, we would sit down together and explain things to Brooklyn, so she’d understand that neither of us were hurt by the decision and that we would always remain friends. Most importantly, we would explain that nothing could ever change our love for her or the joy we shared over being her parents.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this? I know I kind of sprang it on you, but I didn’t mean to pressure you into moving too fast,” she offered, concern written all over her face.
“No, I’m sure. You didn’t pressure me at all,” I assured her. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her shoulders relax and I was glad. I knew if I told her how nervous I really was, she’d insist on turning around and heading back home, but that wouldn’t be right for either one of us.
“Who’s hosting the party?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Gabrielle Sinclair. We’ve worked in the same office for years and we’ve become pretty good friends,” she explained. Gayle had gone back to school once Brooklyn started kindergarten, quickly earning her degree and becoming a licensed attorney. She’d worked part time as our daughter grew but had recently begun working full time. Her enthusiasm was evident whenever she spoke about the work she was doing.
Checking to be sure the address was correct, I pulled into the driveway of a spacious home and parked behind a row of cars. I cut the engine but made no move to get out of the car. Gayle’s nerves seemed to have finally caught up to her because her face had paled, and she sat staring out the window. Her hands repeatedly smoothing over her black dress, a sure sign that she was nervous.
“You’re the most beautiful woman at the party,” I told her.
Her head whipped toward mine in surprise. “How can you say that? You haven’t even seen who else is here yet.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll always be the prettiest lady in the room,” I answered simply.
“Charmer,” she said as she bumped her shoulder against mine. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth and I was happy to see some of her earlier confidence returning.
“Hang on a second,” I said as she reached for the door handle. She turned to me with an expectant look. “Take this,” I said, pulling my wallet out of my back pocket.
“Thanks, but I’ve got money if I need to call a cab to pick me up.”
“That’s good to know, but this is something different,” I told her. Her eyes widened when she saw the foil square I pulled from my wallet.
“You got me a condom?” she asked, blushing wildly.
“Hey! Safety is important and it’s not just the man’s responsibility to be prepared. A woman needs to make sure she’s got protection,” I informed her, giving her a stern look.
“You’re absolutely right and that’s actually very thoughtful of you. Thank you for watching out for me, Sam.”
“Always,” I responded. She smiled at me and I smiled back.We are going to be just fine.
That became my mantra as I forced myself out of the car and into the house. I was surprised at how many people were there. I’d expected the party to be small and intimate, with maybe only a few couples. It was quite shocking to see nearly thirty people there, and I wondered idly if there were enough bedrooms for everyone.
