The right time

Chapter ten

Charlotte left early in the morning to get home as soon as she could. No music playing on the radio or happiness in her to entertain herself.
Nadine looks at the recent photos she had printed, especially from the night of the family reunion. James walks into the house and looks around.
"Where's your mother?" He asks.
"Home," she replies and grabs the empty frame, pushing the photo in.
"Here you go," Janet says, carrying the box with frames in to her. She puts it on the counter and goes to stand next to her sister so that they can share the photos.
"Home?" James asks.
"She didn't greet you?" Janet asks him innocently.
"No," he shakes his head. Nadine looks at her father, who immediately catches the emotions in her eyes. "You know."
"Duh," she replies. "I really wish you two could work out your shit."
Janet looks confused at her father, then her sister. James nods his head and looks behind him at his mother, who came in. Tina fixes her red blouse and look up at them.
"Where's Charlotte?" She asks and starts moving around to look for her. "I need to show her this pretty blouse. I've finally approved of her favorite colors."
"She left," James tells her. Tina stops and just stares at him. With a heavy heart, she looks at the girls. He takes a seat and stares blankly in front of him. "Emma and I are... we're getting a divorce."
"Who's idea was that?" Tina asks.
"It's mutual," he replies and looks at Nadine. "And I told Emma everything. I told her what happened between...me and Charlotte."
"She must be shattered," Nadine mutters unhappily. "So what's going to happen now?"
"Well, as soon as the divorce is finalized, I'm going to take a break, and as soon as I'm ready, I will go after your mother," James tells them and nods his head for sure. "If she moved on by then, I'll be okay."

All in her own thoughts, Charlotte stands outside in her yard, watering her garden. She's wearing a sun hat and a short brown dress. Her attention goes to Tammy, who came running over with a bottle of wine in her hand. She giggles and turns off the water.
The two women sit relaxed on the front porch, each settled with a glass of wine. Tammy looks worried over at her friend and sat closer.
"You good?" She asks her.
"Yes," Charlotte nods with a sweet smile and looks at her friend. The woman is waiting patiently for her to open up. "My ex's mother finally decided to soften up towards me."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Tammy says, looking happily at her friend. "And did you see him?"
"See him?" Charlotte asks and chuckles uncomfortably. "Darling, I slept with him."
Tammy gasps and sits forward. Charlotte laughs uncomfortably and sits forward as well. "We had dinner, got a little emotional, and then he booked us a hotel room which we spent the whole night in. We never had that much sex or fun in one night our whole life together. It's like we couldn't get enough of each other. It pains me to think of how much Emma gets of him. So when he was finally asleep, I took my things I went completely invisible."
"First of all, I'm glad you finally got some. Second of all, I'm so sorry, Charlotte," she says, looking worried at her. "Did he phone you at least or anything?"
"No, he didn't," she replies and clears her throat. "I'm not answering my phone either. He's married, and I'm... his ex-wife. That's all I'll ever be."
"This must hurt you deeply," Tammy whispers and shakes her head slowly. Charlotte nods and grabs the bottle to fill her glass.
"I think if this had to happen eight years ago a month after the divorce or something, it would've hurt less. Yes, I loved him, but I was more relieved to have gotten out of it. Things didn't go well, and we didn't really have a marriage," Charlotte tells her and sits back, holding her glass closer to her face. "If it happened perhaps five years ago, I'm sure we could've gotten back together, but he got married and... that's why I couldn't go to his wedding. I would look at pictures they posted on social media, and all I could do is stare at him. I'm just looking at his face and missing him. Now, it hurts like a bitch. He was never mine, and I was never his."
"Somewhere in your life, you were his," Tammy whispers and inhales. "Somewhere in his life, he was yours, right? Maybe even before you got married?"
"I gave everything to my girls. I gave them my time and effort. In return, I gave up on my husband. I gave up on our marriage because I was a busy mom who had things to do and was too exhausted to be a wife. I think it's unfair that I gave up my marriage to be a mother, and then my kids don't even show appreciation or anything."
"What do you expect? A golden star saying how proud they are of you?"
"No, I want them to understand," Charlotte says and starts to cry. "They're grownups, and they should know about this. Not only for me, but for themselves. So that they don't make the mistakes I did."
"You know, I'm sick and tired of you blaming yourself," Tammy says and leans forward, grabbing her arm to get her attention. "He should've been a better father and husband. If he gave just as much as you did, you would have done things together, and this wouldn't have happened. He had a duty to help you raise the kids you both made."
Charlotte nods and uses her shirt to dry up her tears. Tammy sighs and takes her into her arms to hold her.
"I wish we met now," Charlotte cries and puts her glass down. "Then we can start over and do it right."