Promises Made- Promises Kept

by Jaclyn Rosamond

  By mid-morning I felt marginally better. Dad had to head off to court. Mum called work, gave her college students a study day and stayed with me. Together we bundled all of Eddie’s remaining belongings, stuffed them in boxes and stuck them on the lawn. The rain had stopped but the boxes outside overnight were in ruins, their contents leaking onto the lawn.

  I felt no guilt, only bitter pleasure.

  Mum cooked lunch, urging me to eat. With no-nonsense efficiency she gave me painkillers for a relentless headache, and by early afternoon my headache had eased and we began making plans.

  Dominic arrived with a briefcase of divorce paperwork for me.

  ‘Thanks, Dom.’ I glanced at the papers. ‘This is overwhelming, you know. Yesterday I knew my marriage sucked, today I’m applying for divorce. It’s surreal.’

  ‘Divorce on the grounds of adultery and unreasonable behavior, that’s what we’re going for.’ He smiled dourly. ‘All this money spent on another woman – that’s financial misconduct. Not reporting to you his increased income. Improper adulterous liaisons while married – that’s unreasonable behavior. Knocking one of them up and using your home to continue his illicit liaison – again, unreasonable behavior. All of these are excellent grounds for the judge to see you’ve been wronged. Anything else?’

  I explained about the gym, my job change and his growing cruelty. ‘He bragged last night my shift work meant more time with her.’

  ‘He doesn’t have one redeeming quality,’ Mum murmured.

  Dominic nodded curtly. ‘Damn straight that’s unreasonable. Bastard. We might use that as further proof of unreasonable behavior, if we need it. There’s enough already in what you’ve given me. The fact he’s got her pregnant is proof of sexual misconduct.’

  ‘Yeah, and the photos you haven’t seen yet.’

  His gaze sharpened. ‘The other women?’

  Nodding, I said, ‘Yes. But there’s more, but I don’t want this publicly aired.’

  He gave me a shrewd look. ‘Spill. I’ll decide if it’s relevant.’

  ‘I took her to an STD clinic a few years ago, for Chlamydia.’ I looked away, embarrassed, hands clasped tight. ‘Now I’m worried he could have passed an STD from her to me.’

  Livid, Mum picked up my hands, turning to my brother. ‘Better to keep that private. Rose is already going through hell.’

  He nodded.

  Mum and Dad hadn’t looked at the photos this morning.

  Eddie’s photos of his penis provoked shocked gasps from Mum. Bianca’s naked body, legs apart, shocked her so much she left the room, leaving Dom to see Mona in her middle-aged birthday suit.

  ‘He’s a nasty little fucker,’ he said, lips white with anger. ‘This is pornographic.’ He swung round to me. ‘Put these on a USB. When he tries to get in, and he will try, consider giving it to him. We’ll only use that if he makes a fuss about division of assets. He won’t have a leg to stand on.’

  We joined mum in the living room. She’d made strong black coffee. She handed me a mug in grim silence.

  ‘Sorry. I hope you don’t have nightmares from my ever-so-charming husband’s gutter life.’

  ‘There are no words.’

  Dom shook his head and picked up his pad again. ‘Back to business. Did he do any household chores?’

  I shook my head. ‘Nope. Not after he joined the gym. We didn’t even have meals together most of the time. I could count the hours I saw him every week on both hands. Just.’ I held up my hands, fingers numbering nine.

  ‘My God, Rose. What the hell did you see in him?’ Fury fueling the speed of his pen, he scribbled at top speed.

  I shrugged, feeling stupid. ‘It sounds pathetic, but he changed. Almost as soon as we got married. I still don't know why he wanted to marry me. He said he loved me. He may even have meant it at the time. I don’t know.’ I shrugged again.

  Tears threatened, but dried up smartly when I saw his car pull up on the now vacant drive.

  ‘He’s here.’ My heart picked up speed. Part of me wanted to hide. The other part wanted confrontation.

  Easier with my family here.

  And I really wanted to see just how angry he’d be.

  Dominic smiled, eyes pitiless. ‘Good. Showtime.’

  ‘Hang on a moment,’ I said. ‘Let’s see how he reacts to his stuff on the lawn.’

  ‘His reaction at being locked out should be priceless,’ Mum murmured, eyes hard.

  Arms crossed, we watched from the living room window as Eddie paused in shock at the ruined boxes. He knelt and grabbed scraps of clothes in disbelief, his face white with rage, then red with anger as he glanced at the house. He’d think I was cowering inside. He stormed up the path and tried his keys with increasing frenzy.

  Furious, he howled.

  ‘He sounds like a dog.’ Mum said, eyes wide. ‘Better be careful who opens the door.’

  We could hear his curses as he pounded on the door.

  Dominic strode out to the hall, Mum and me trailing him, and yanked open the door.

  ‘What the...? Who the...?’ Eddie spluttered to a stop as he took in Dominic’s cold anger. He saw me, arms crossed, expression stony, then my mother’s withering contempt. His puffed-up bluster came to a standstill.

  ‘You won’t be coming inside.’ Dom stated, face implacable. ‘I’ve heard about your sexual indiscretions, your neglect of household chores, your refusal to spend time with your wife, your expensive gifts to yourself and a woman who is not your wife, your endless lies about money, your secret credit cards.’ Eddie blanched at this. ‘And other aspects of your behavior that make a divorce a crucial necessity. I’m her divorce lawyer. You’ll find I won’t be generous about what you think you can claim from a division of assets after divorce. I strongly suggest you think before you open your mouth and say something you might later regret.’

  Dominic’s tall burly frame and solid stance blocking the door were enough to make Eddie think twice about trying to force his way into the house. He stepped back, hesitating.

  ‘No. You can’t do that. I want to get into my house.’ He pushed forward, chin up, prepared to force his way in.

  Dominic held firm, no doubt employing his gimlet-eyed stare.

  ‘Nope. You left the marital home with a clearly stated intention of living with another woman. Rose has every right to deny you access and to make sure you take nothing from this house that doesn’t belong to you. This house is now a matter for the law to decide.’

  Eddie stepped back, stunned, eyes shooting resentment. ‘I want my stuff.’

  ‘It’s all on the lawn, you fuckwit,’ I said, tone glacial.

  ‘You bitch! It’s all in pieces.’ He flung an accusing finger at me.

  ‘So it is. Just like the useless marriage we had.’

  ‘You’re going to replace it all.’ He yelled. ‘That’s a lot of money you owe me.’

  I stepped forward, exuding triumph. ‘I don’t think so, asshole. All the money spent on Bianca for the ring, the car and everything else cost a damn sight more than your ruined clothes.’

  Eyes wide with panicked comprehension, he reeled, dirty secrets exposed. With a last blazing look of hatred, he stumbled back.

  ‘One more thing.’ I tossed my head. ‘The photographs you and your whores left on the computer: do you want them on Facebook?’

  Shocked, his face blanched dead white. ‘You wouldn’t dare.’

  I shrugged, skin prickling with something akin to hatred. ‘Maybe I would. Or maybe I’ll just send it to your bosses.’

  ‘My advice? Find a lawyer.’ Dominic slammed the door in Eddie’s face. He clapped his hands together, mentally dusting him off. ‘That went well. I don’t often have the satisfaction of taking sides like that.’ He gave us both a shark-eating grin. ‘As for you, little sister, your tactics weren’t classy, but he deserved everything you said.’ He hugged me. Mum joined the hug.

  ‘Thank God he’s gone. You’re as pale as a ghost.’ Mum put her arm around m
e. ‘A brandy is called for after that nastiness.’

  ‘I’m in.’ I turned to Dominic. ‘That was great. I wouldn’t have answered the door if I’d been alone. This was so much better. Did you see his face when I mentioned all the stuff he’d given Bianca? Priceless.’ I laughed a bitter laugh. Priceless it might be, but the cruel fact remained – he’d given his mistress more gifts than he’d ever given me. And it hurt.

  I downed the brandy in one quick swallow, slapping my glass down for another, eyes watering from the fiery fumes.

  ‘Another.’ A few sips and I pushed the rest away.

  ‘Now what?’ Mum asked. ‘What do you want to do?’

  I pulled a face. ‘Get out of this marriage quick smart. That’s what. We’ve not been married more than eight months, but cohabited for a few months before that. It shouldn’t be too hard, should it?’

  ‘That’s right.’ Dom nodded. ‘Cohabiting followed immediately by marriage makes it more than a year. We can start the divorce proceedings straightaway. We’ll file the Divorce Petition in court next week and then wait for a judge to consider the evidence.’ He tapped his briefcase. ‘No problem. Adultery, unreasonable behavior and lewd photos will get the judge moving and your decree nisi will be granted.’

  ‘After that the decree absolute. A few months?’ I looked down at my hands, held tight in my lap. ‘It sounds so simple.’

  ‘An emotional roller-coaster, though,’ Mum said.

  ‘You know what he wants, don’t you?’ My tone was sardonic. ‘He feels entitled to this house.’

  They both started grinning.

  ‘Does he know?’ Mum asked.

  ‘Nope. I’m looking forward to seeing how he reacts to that. He has no idea you and Dad co-own this place with me.’

  ‘He won’t even see a quarter of this house’s value. I’ll make sure of it,’ Dom said. ‘He married the wrong person if he thought he could get away with a fifty-fifty share. Did he even consider that Dad’s a high court judge and I’m a divorce lawyer?’

  I shook my head. ‘Who knows? He wouldn’t guess I’d be clever enough to expose his dirty secrets. He thinks I’m stupid. I bet he planned on insisting we do the divorce ourselves without lawyers. After walking all over me since we got married, he must have thought I’d be a dumb pushover.’

  ‘He’s a dumb…’ Dom glanced at mum, saw her frown and checked himself, ‘…idiot. Seems he’s underestimated you at every point.’

  ‘True enough.’ I paused as a thought settled in my brain. ‘You know, I bet it’s Bianca who wants the house. He just wanted to sell it and have the money. If that’s true, do you think he’d even get a bank to finance a mortgage with his credit card debts so high?’

  ‘He might. Banks aren’t always scrupulous in their lending,’ said Dom. ‘His problem, not yours. Do you want to keep this house?’

  I frowned, thinking about it. ‘Probably not,’ I said slowly. ‘Every room is tainted by association now. Bugger it!’ I flung my hands up. ‘It’s not fair. I’ve loved this place over the last five years, decorated it, created a garden, entertained here and it’s been a sanctuary after work. But now….’ I trailed off. ‘But now, it’s become an unbearable burden.’ I shrugged. ‘Now it’s a poisoned Eden.’

  Sympathetic, Dom squeezed my shoulder. ‘This feeling won’t last.’

  ‘Maybe not, but right now it sucks. Big time.’

  ‘A year from now you’ll look back on this time and laugh, wondering how you could possibly have married him,’ Mum said. ‘But this is your first day towards that, and it doesn’t seem like there’s light at the end of the tunnel, does it?’

  She hugged me, stroked my hair, I relaxed against her, soothed.

  ‘Right,’ Dom said. ‘Let’s get this process under way.’

  ‘The sooner, the better,’ I murmured, sitting with him at the dining table.

  ‘What if Eddie refuses to acknowledge the Divorce Petition?’ Mum looked anxiously at both of us.

  ‘He won’t.’ Dom’s grin was feral. ‘There’s the little matter of incriminating photos he won’t want bandied about.’

  ‘And,’ I added, with great satisfaction, ‘while Dom can’t threaten that, I certainly can.’

  We began preliminary paperwork. After that, I handed him a cheque to pay the court cost along with my marriage certificate as proof. He placed the completed papers in his briefcase, and stood to leave for afternoon appointments.

  ‘This will be before the court next week. Is it okay for me to tell Serena?’

  His wife.

  ‘Okay, but no-one else. Not yet. I’m still trying to adjust.’

  Serena is also a divorce lawyer. The day they celebrated their engagement, they decided never to face off against each other in court. She wouldn’t be representing Eddie.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Friends and family rallied around me.

  ‘I’m gobsmacked,’ Shona said from thousands of miles away. ‘Oh my God, what a mess. I can't believe Eddie would do this to you.’

  ‘You know something,’ I said, when she’d finished her fireworks. ‘I can’t see why we all had blinkers on. The more I think about it, the more obvious it was. Of course, he had help from Tony and Lisa. They must have known for a while, especially Tony. He helped to hide all the extra money.’

  ‘What money?’

  I had to explain it all to Brigid as well. She was so enraged and her language so colorful I held the phone away from my ear, a little awed at her command of the foulest descriptions she could muster. I enlisted her help in telling Andy. I had no stomach for more phone revelations. He and Eddie were no longer friends, which gave me a sense of satisfaction.

  Emotionally spent, I reached the limit of my reserves by the end of the day. Mum bundled me into my car, taking me to my childhood home. I raised no objections.

  I spent the Friday night and all of Saturday at Mum and Dad’s place, but pulled myself together enough to go home on Saturday night. My sleep was fitful and nightmarish, but my crying jags were now about anger and not grief.

  And I was angry.

  Sunday morning perched on a bar stool, I sat staring sightlessly through the kitchen window, sipping on coffee, trying to be objective. I had a large box of tissues keeping me company. Just in case.

  I was angry with three people. Eddie. Bianca. Me.

  Why hadn’t I given Eddie an ultimatum months ago? Why had I accepted his abusive behavior? Why hadn’t I challenged Bianca every time she made a snide remark? Why had I chosen to be a doormat at the whims of a selfish bastard?

  And why had he married me in the first place?

  Had he been unfaithful before that, with another woman, who maybe hadn’t had porno photos taken? Or other women? I racked my brain for evidence and came up empty. But had to admit he fooled me on our honeymoon, and after, so why not before?

  In between showering the kitchen bench with sodden tissues, I wondered if couples ever really get over a partner’s infidelity. I was damn sure I wouldn’t. After all, when the trust is gone, what’s left? If I had the opportunity to forgive Eddie – how would I ever believe a word he said? How would I know he’d never do it again? I couldn’t think of anyone I knew who’d taken back an unfaithful spouse. Although, there might be an army of men and women out there who held a bitter, unspoken secret, too hurt, or too desperate, to reveal a flawed relationship.

  My day passed in a blur.

  Standing in the kitchen on Monday morning I forced muesli down, followed by hot coffee, before driving drearily to work. Better to work than wallow at home. This way my broken marriage allowed them to gossip, and let the whole drama unfold while I was in too much of a fog to care. My boss, Julie, gave me light duties not critical ones where lives were at stake. Slowly, achingly, hour by hour, the week passed. And the next week.

  Eddie made no contact. At the end of each work day, I sat grey-faced and listless in the ashes of my once happy home. In her spare hours Mum would call or come around. Brigid and And
y dropped in separately and together, urging me to put the whole sorry mess behind me.

  ‘You forget,’ I said, tucking greasy hair behind my ear, ‘what it’s like to be in a breakup. It goes at the speed you’re at, not at the speed everyone else wants. I’d prefer to feel better now, but I have to grieve in my own way. Don't try to hurry me up cos it makes you feel better. I’d just be faking it to please you and I’d end up feeling even more isolated than I do right now.’

  They both understood. A bit.

  ‘Sorry.’ Brigid hugged me unexpectedly. She wasn’t naturally touchy feely. ‘Don't feel rushed on our account. We both wish we could make time pass more quickly for you, that’s all.’

  Andy nodded and changed the subject.

  ‘Have you decided what you’re going to do about your holiday in Alaska?’

  In truth, I had given it some thought.

  ‘Yeah. Half the time I feel like cancelling the whole damned thing, then I feel furious I’ve spent so much time and money and booked things I can’t cancel without losing more than half of what I’ve already paid.’ I shrugged, always grouchy on the subject of finances. ‘I hate losing money.’

  Brigid smiled. ‘Yeah. You’ve always had a sharp eye on your money. You inspired me to live more carefully when I lived here with you. I still use your standards.’

  ‘I did? You do?’ I cheered up for a moment.

  ‘Yes. And you’re a legend in our gang. We’re all in awe of your frugal ways.’

  I snorted. ‘I might be careful, but Eddie loved spending. Just not on me.’

  They exchanged rueful glances.

  ‘Sorry, guys. It’s going to take me a while to get past Bianca being showered with gifts while he pretended to be penny-pinching around me.’ I gave a bitter laugh. ‘Do you remember, Brigid, you suggested last year we have romantic weekends away together?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Well, we didn’t. Of course, we didn’t. He was too busy bonking Bianca. So, when I hinted we do something romantic he pooh-poohed it. Said we couldn’t afford it, and didn’t I remember he needed to go to the gym on the weekends.’