A Solution Called “Nothing”

A Solution Called “Nothing”
A short story by Diana Weeks

The phone started ringing just as I finished my second coat of kiss me red summer nail polish. I waved my hands walking towards the telephone answering machine…to see who was calling …9:30 on a work night.

“Oh Aunt Josephine…This is Ted…my wife has left me for a woman. I need to talk to you. It’s terrible…deserted for a woman…and she’s not even that pretty. And after you gave us such a beautiful wedding in your home”.

I pick up the phone. “Hi Ted what’s going on?” I blew softly on my finger tips and listened to his rant…I wasn’t surprised. I felt something was going on the last time I went to Pearland to visit my favorite cousin, a preacher…and his family… Son Ted and his wife Mary and both grand daughters came over for lunch after church.

Shortly after we ate and settled down to talk…the doorbell rang and a tall woman came in for a few minutes but never put her purse down. Mary left with her. It’s unusual for family members to leave family parties to go have coffee with a friend…who was told she was welcome to stay. We had pie to go with our hazelnut coffee.

Ted has tears in his voice. “Mary filed for divorce. I even went to counseling with her and wanted to save our family. Mary sez she just wants to be happy. She even stopped wearing a bra. She claims she’s in love”.

I remember the way Mary’s eyes sparkled when she kissed my hand and told me to come back soon. I knew there was more than Starbucks coffee pulling on Mary and she wasn’t coming back that day for family games and jokes.

Ted cried. “She told me before we married that she’d had an affair with a college room mate because she was curious. I believed her… we have children...I still want her back. We just need more counseling.”

I had to interrupt. “Back up Ted, counseling can’t cure this situation. This is one you can’t control. Let go. Be her friend and your family will be okay”.

“How am I going to tell dad? What’s his congregation going to say?

“Nothing, his church has women priests”.

“But the pious don’t practice what they preach.”

“Acceptance is the kind solution. You’ve inherited a whole bunch of that’.

“Won’t they talk about me?” And say I’m a bad husband”.

“No, they’ll be talking about her… and she’s now just your first wife”.

“I thought Mary was my soul mate.”

“You can have more than one. Maybe she did you a favor. Buck up! Why I’ve meet several single women in your church that are probably already lacing up their track shoes to chase you”.

“Really Aunt Jo? Who are they?”

“I’m not telling, I don’t want to spoil your surprise”.


THE END
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