End of a Nearly 20-Year Relationship

On Valentine’s Day of ‘96, we went out for a ‘Valentines’ dinner, just she and I. We went to NightTown in Cleveland Hts. (I think). It was very nice, drinks good food and soft jazz piano. I enjoyed it and thought she did, too. But when we got home, after the kids had gone to bed, she informed me that she wanted a divorce. There was nothing to talk about or do other than me moving out.

It was a terrible night. And I’m sorry to say, I made it as terrible for her as she was making it for me. This is not an excuse. There is none, but an explanation. That all my efforts over the previous few years to improve our relationship had gone for naught, hurt me more than I could say or could cope with at the time. So, unfortunately, I lashed out. And no, I didn’t use my fists on her in any way.

I guess it wasn’t that unexpected. She hadn’t shown me any affection since we lived in Little Italy. She had her ‘chanting room’ across the upstairs hall from our bedroom. She almost always slept there. If she did dain to slip into our bed, it was long after I’d fallen asleep (probably just so she could say that she HAD slept with me; but perhaps I’m just being cynical). It’s something I’ll never know, nor do I care anymore. We just grew in diametrically opposed directions. And who knows when that started? She was very young when we got together, after all, only 22. I was already 30… But that was the end of an almost 20-year relationship, other than what was necessary for our children’s sake.

To be Continued

–LE