How You Remind Me

1

"So this is it then." My husband of ten years spoke.

We were both seated on the couch in our living room of the house we built together. He was on one side and I was on the other, neither willing to look at each other as we made the biggest, hardest decision of our relationship.

"Yeah." I mumbled in a voice that was hardly audible. "I guess it is."

"Are you sure?"

His tone was flat, dry, it held no emotion. I snuck a glance and gulped.

"We could try counseling." I suggested as a last resort to holding onto what I knew we'd both already let go of.

"Will either of us really take the time to do that?" he asked.

No. I guess not.

"Ok then." I sighed, I glanced at my luggage sitting by the door and suddenly felt like I needed to bolt out of it. "I guess this is really it."

His eyes swept over the room. The big log exposed beams that he cut himself, the hard wood that covered the entire interior, the chiffon curtains that he protested but allowed me to put up regardless as long as he got his fishing valances. He let out a soft sigh of detest.

"Well I guess you can stay here until we split everything up."

"No." mumbled urgently, "No, it's ok. You love this place, I'll just... I'll stay at my house in town."

"I thought you liked this place too?" he frowned.

I did. I adored the place... we'd built it from the ground up, we'd combed over every detail, we poured our hopes and dreams into the place. But the thing that held those hopes and dreams was gone, it had crumbled into dust and there was no point any longer. It ached to look at the place any more... I needed some space from it. And he wasn't stopping me.

"It's just a house." I lied. I wasn't able to ignore the hurt in his eyes.

"So how are we doing this?" he asked.

"I'll have my lawyer get a hold of your lawyer."

He frowned as he thought about it.

"We have the same lawyer."

Oh, that could be a problem.

"I'll get a new lawyer, I know a few good ones." I said. Trying to make the mood light, however the way his eyes looked suddenly heavy I knew I hadn't succeeded.

"So you've been looking into this then." He stated the obvious.

I gulped.

"Are we going to do this again?" I sighed with frustration "You don't look all that surprised yourself."

"No." he back-pedaled "No you're right I'm...not. I just, I didn't know you went to that extent."

I gave him half a sheepish smile "You know I always like to be prepared."

"True." He returned the facial expression "That you do."

We both looked down at our laps. I fidgeted with my hands as the silence between us became more and more awkward as the seconds ticked by. I heard my luggage screaming at me, it wanted to go. And since he was making it so easy for me... I stood up, he did as well-as if it were a habit.

"Well I better go." I sighed, "It's time."

"Yeah." He smiled sadly "Well it was.. I... you were..." he struggled and ended his mangled sentence with a huff "I wish you the best."

"Yeah." I smiled back, trying not to make it a sad one "You too."

He went to lean in for a kiss on the cheek, it was also a habit. Halfway there he realized that maybe he shouldn't. He offered me his hand instead, I felt a sting as I reached and shook his hand. As if we were ending a meeting, a contract, something so menial and pointless. Yes... I guess this was time.

"Goodbye Meredith." He breathed my name as perfectly as he had the first time.

I held only my tears for dear life and tried like hell to stand my ground.

"Goodbye Derek."

❗️Disclaimer ❗️
I didn't write this story all credits goes to "aquariusmind" from the board "Surgical Language" site tapatalk.
Published 2010