Where were you?

A marriage ends abruptly

John Peterson lives on Long Island; he travels one hour every day to and from work. John works in a button factory that has been in his family for seventy years. His wife Gloria is a home maker; she stays at home and takes care of the children and the daily chores of the house. Every night at 7:00 she has dinner ready because her husband has been home promptly at 7:15 every night of their marriage, except for times that he had to meet with clients. One night 7:15 came and went and there was no sign of John. He had not phoned to tell Gloria that he would be late. Gloria watched the clock, it was now 8:30 “Where the hell is he” she shouted with anger. She calls the office there is no answer, she calls his cellular phone it goes to voicemail. Now Gloria’s anger turned into fear, maybe he was in an accident or mugged coming home? She paces the floors all evening praying for the phone to ring with an explanation. The phone remains silent and Gloria falls asleep from exhaustion. She is awaken by a car door close in the driveway, she looks out the window and sees her husband. Gloria is relieved; she makes her way toward the door. John Strolls in, it is now 9:00 AM and he looks tired and haggard.’’ Where were you last night? Gloria shouts at John,” There was no response. He walked past her with his head down and went into the bathroom. Gloria follows him like a ravaging dog after their owner. “I said, where you were last night?’’. John pauses for a minute to collect his thoughts, he begins to sweat but he knows he must come clean. “Gloria, I have been unfaithful to you, and I was with her last night’’. Gloria is stunned and doesn’t know how to respond, she feels her heart sink into abyss. John puts his hand on her shoulder and quietly said ‘’Gloria, it’s over I don’t want to be here anymore, I want a divorce.” With her pride in tact she walks away as the tears of 15 years of marriage goes down the drain with her dreams.

© 2016 Pasquale Lorina

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Fahmida Mehreen

Short and touchy.

The story of so many, which remains untold.
The best part: "With her pride in tact she walks away as the tears of 15 years of marriage goes down the drain with her dreams."
...because if someone failed to value your love and affection and efforts after 15 years of togetherness, then that person was never really worth it. It's a regret. But, even regrets are part of life.

Thank you for sharing this piece with a reality check.