Finally, the first chapter of my sequel to Love Never Dies. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter to kick start this story, but here you go! I know little about the legal processes, but I did my best.
Lets Review...
Charles and Elsie were married to Alice and Joe, but on vacation, they dug up feelings that they buried inside them for years. Now they are in the middle of two divorces. This chapter picks up shortly after Beryl finds out about their new relationship.
Pelting rain drops drowned out the radio playing from her car speakers. The damp and stinging drops seemed to seep through the roof and into her skin, yet she felt nothing. She wanted to cry, laugh, and run in the opposite direction all at the same time.
But no, not here. Not in the middle of the parking lot of her attorney's offices. She would wait until she returned home and this day, filled with mixed emotions, was behind her.
Readying her umbrella, she stepped out of the car and moved towards the door as quickly as her heels would take her.
This was her second meeting with their attorney and she expected it to be much different than the first.
Almost a month ago, Elsie filed for divorce from her husband, Joe Burns. It took him until the previous week to file a response, agreeing to the divorce. This was the day they were to meet with their lawyer to cover their assets and divide their property.
This was the day Elsie had dreaded most. She hadn't even clapped eyes on her husband since the day he left their house claiming his ability to 'fill his needs elsewhere.' She hadn't heard one word from him directly, although she knew from Bill Mason that he had been back in town for some time. Joe's business trips, and often extended business trips, kept him away and she was surprised he was able to be in town for this meeting.
She shook out her umbrella once inside the doors and dropped it by the umbrella stand. With a glance at her watch, she could see she was early. Making the most of her time, she ran to the bathroom and reapplied her lipstick and ran a comb through her slightly damp locks. She wanted him to see how well she was getting along without him.
Satisfied, she walked into the lobby and found a chair.
It seemed natural for both of them to use the same lawyer, Bill Murray, a friend they both had known for years. Both communicated through him, but Joe never called her directly and that was more than fine with her.
Frankly, she was scared as hell. Never in her life had she thought she would divorce. Her 18 years of marriage was not a path lined with roses, but she managed. She managed until recent events showed her what she was missing.
It was 10 minutes before Bill greeted her.
"Elsie, how are you?" He took her hand.
"I am well, Bill," she spoke with confidence. Outwardly, she was the picture of self assurance in her shapely skirt and blouse. "I am ready for today to be over, but up until this point I can't complain."
"That's good to hear." He released her hand. "We will try to make today as simple and painless for you as possible."
She knew he was just spewing words. He could make no promises.
He lead her into the small conference room. There was a large oval table and five chairs. The walls held a few unimportant photos and two large windows facing the parking lot. She removed her overcoat and placed it over the back of the chair closet to the door. She set her oversized purse on the table and removed some documents and a pad of paper. Though she was going into this process blind, she planned on acting the part and taking notes as they went along.
She knew Bill Murray would not want to begin any discussions without Joe, so she inquired about his family. He had three children, 2 boys and one girl, all in their teens. The oldest son was looking at universities for the next year. The second oldest son was captain of his school football team. His daughter was the youngest and still the apple of her father's eye. He showed her some pictures from his phone.
She listened and commented appropriately, but only comprehended half of what he said. She kept glancing out the windows, waiting to catch a glimpse of her current husband. How awkward would this be? Would he be civil? Would he despise her?
At this point, she just wanted out. She already moved her things out of their house. The rest of the things he could take. She hoped to receive some money from their house and joint assets, to be able to contribute something to her new life. And there was of course some alimony since Joe was their sole source of income. But she knew she couldn't count on Joe being all too generous.
There they sat for half an hour. Elsie felt her stomach rise into her chest when she saw Joe's car finally pull into the lot. She had been preparing for this for days, but was still not ready.
Joe confidently strolled passed the window to the front door. His chest and shoulders were held high and he dressed in a smart suit. His face, neatly shaved, showed neither anger or sadness. He didn't bother with an umbrella as the rain was only a light drizzle.
Elsie held her breath during those moments before he walked into the conference room.
"Bill! Nice to see you again. Our next meeting will be under better circumstances, I'm sure." He shook his friend's hand and gave him an indifferent smile, one that countered the implication of his words.
"Elsie," he acknowledged her with the nod of his head.
"Joe." She took his lead, her back held straight against the back of her chair.
He assertively sat himself at the head of the table, a seat away from his wife. "Shall we begin, Bill? I'm afraid I have a flight to catch this evening."
Elsie rolled her eyes away from his gaze. For all the times she'd heard that line…
"We will be efficient." Bill assured him sitting on Joe's other side. "And the length of this depends on many different factors." He glanced between the couple.
A few others entered with documents and papers that Elsie knew nothing about. She gave them a smile to cover her nerves.
The meeting began. They went over their joint assets, mainly a few stocks and bonds. When the matter of the house came up, Joe had more than a few things to say.
"If you will look at the deed, mine is the only name mentioned."
There was some shuffling of paper before Bill nodded his head. "That seems to be the case." He looked over at Elsie.
Elsie was baffled. "Now Joe, we were legally married. What's yours is mine and vice versa. I've lived there for almost half my life. Surly I deserve some portion."
She looked at Bill's lips drawn together and asked for guidance.
"You could fight it Elsie, but his name is on the deed."
It never occurred to her to make sure her name was included. Without her name on the deed, she would have to fight back, but she was not prepared to battle. She wanted out. With a sharp nod at Bill and Joe, she gave up her house.
A brief pause took place while Bill made a few notes. "The stocks and bonds are in both your names," he confirmed.
"Half and half," Joe spoke directly to Bill.
Bill looked towards Elsie for her reaction.
Elsie swallowed. "That seems fair."
More notes. As it turned out, Joe's car was in his name but Elsie's car was in both their names. Joe decided she could have it and pay him back his half. They exchanged some heated words before she surrendered.
During the meeting, Joe was the ever prepared business man. Elsie knew he was good at his job and this was just like another board meeting. He was calm, cool, and convincing.
"On the subject of alimony," Joe began, sitting back in his chair. "We have no children to support and she is perfectly capable of getting a job, so I don't see the need to discuss it any further."
Bill spoke before Elsie could strike him with her temper. "Joe, you've been the financial support for years and continue to make sufficient money. Elsie certainly is entitled to a percentage. 40% is typical in cases like this."
Elsie was glad for some support. She waited for Joe's response.
"I will repeat. We have no children to support. And, I will quote my wife on this," he finally looked over at Elsie. "'I will find a job and support myself.' She told me 'I don't want your money.'"
Elsie couldn't deny those were her words. And they were true. She didn't want his money. It was just much easier to start anew with a portion of what she'd once had. But she also had her pride and that was worth more than gold.
She thought of her life as it was today, the manner in which she woke up that morning compared to the 18 years she was with Joe. When she looked at the positives, the negatives seemed infinitesimal.
"Fine."
As the meeting came to a close everyone packed up their papers. Bill and his employees exchanged a few words and organized some things into folders. He gave them some directions and they left. Joe was also quick to exit, off on his flight.
Elsie was absolutely exhausted and breathed a sigh of relief. She knew she was getting the short end of the stick and not fighting for what was rightfully hers, but she was eager for these proceeding to terminate as quickly as possible.
"Elsie." Her and Bill were the last two in the room. "Do you want to join my family for dinner? We planned on getting some take-out and eating in."
She gave him a genuine smile. It felt good to know there were friends looking out for her. "Thank you Bill, but no. I have dinner plans with my… a friend tonight and I really must be off."
She turned quickly and jumped when she found Joe standing directly behind her. He paused, staring her up and down for a moment. "I forgot my keys." He swerved around her and grabbed the keys from the table. "Say hello to Alice for me, Elsie." With that, he left.
Elsie started the motor and began her journey. She pressed all thoughts from her mind and focused on driving and the tune of the song playing over the radio. She tapped her fingers to the beat and sang along. It was at least 40 minutes before she reached the restaurant where they were to meet. It was already half six and she was ready for a meal. She skipped lunch due to the sick feeling in her stomach.
She pulled into the parking lot. She parked close and made her way into the restaurant.
"How many?" the waiter asked.
"I'm actually meeting someone and I believe he is already…"
"Els."
She turned over her right shoulder to meet the adoring gaze of her dinner partner. He wore his work suit without a tie. She was sure the tie was rolled up in his inside pocket, that was where she always found them. A lock of his hair, loose from the day's toil, curled over his forehead. He offered her his hand and a reassuring smile.
She took his hand without any thought.
He lead her to a back table where his coat already hung over a chair and two glasses of red wine stood at the ready. His hands moved to her shoulders as she shrugged off her jacket. He slipped it over her chair.
She made to sit down, but he placed a hand under her chin and raised it to meet his lips.
"Charles, we're in public." She was only partially serious.
"We are over an hour away and, frankly, I don't care." She knew he did care.
"Thank you though." She gave him a loving smile before finally settling in her seat.
She picked up her wine glass and swirled it around before taking a sip. Red wine was now her favorite.
Charles sat across from her and took his own glass in hand. He held it with a bit more force than usual and took a much bigger swig than his normal small sip, swirling it in his mouth to enjoy the flavor. She could tell he was conflicted. He wanted to know everything that happened at her meeting, yet he was trying desperately hard to give her space.
She decided to lay the most humorous bit out first. "Joe said to say hello to Alice."
Charles looked confused from across the table. "Alice? Why?"
Elsie looked up at him with a wry smile. "He heard me say I was meeting a friend for dinner. He assumed Alice."
Charles immediately saw the irony. "Oh, was he wrong."
While Joe had been elusive those past months, Alice had been anything but. Charles heard from her at least every day. Their conversations were short and extremely one sided, always ending in Alice asking him for more money, which he handed over. Charles tried to bring up their sons, Alfred and Jimmy, to find out how they were doing, but Alice had a way with pushing things off as not a part of his responsibility.
Alice had reached out to Elsie for some support, they had been best friends for years, but Elsie tried to politely brush her off. Beryl became Alice's biggest female supporter.
"Yes, he was." Elsie reached for Charles' hand across the table. "Would you mind terribly if we just ordered some starters and then headed home? I'm afraid I'm drained."
"Of course, Els. Whatever you need."
They ate quickly and walked together to Elsie's car. Charles took a cab to the restaurant, so he rode with Elsie on the way home. She handed her keys over to Charles and let him drive.
They did not need deep conversation between them on the ride home. Elsie hummed lightly to the music and Charles tapped his hand on his knee. They had become very comfortable with each other.
Charles pulled into a parking spot along the street. Elsie managed to lug her body out of the car and up the stairs into their flat. Charles trudged behind, unsure what to do next.
Elsie took out her key and opened the door to their little one bedroom flat. She flipped the switch to bring light into their corner of the world. Everything was tidy, just how she left it that morning.
She unloaded herself of her purse, coat, and shoes. Charles helped with her coat, but was then clueless about what to do next.
Elsie guided him. "Bath and then bed I think."
"Alright. Let me make you some tea." He felt better with a task and plan.
"Thank you." She patted his arm and went through their bedroom and into the bathroom.
He took a moment to himself while fixing their tea. It was a long emotional day for her. He knew her sour feelings about divorce in general and he knew this would not be easy for her.
With two mugs in hand, he entered the bathroom. She was already soaking is a mass of rose scented bubbles. Her eyes were closed, seeping in the comfort.
"Here you are." He handed her a full cup and brought the other to his own lips.
"Thank you." Elsie took a few sips before handing her mug back to Charles. "Care to pull up a stool?" she asked with a smirk.
He returned her smile, glad to see her playful side. "We don't have a stool, Els." He lowered himself to sit on the floor beside the bath tub. "I may never be able to get up again and I'll have you to blame."
She giggled. "Oh, what I make you do for me. You poor man."
Charles played up the pitiful part.
Once Charles was settled, the mood turned serious again. Elsie began. "Joe was over half an hour late, as I suspected."
"If I remember correctly, you guessed he wouldn't show up. I presumed he would be at least half an hour late."
"Alright Mr. I'm sleeping on the couch tonight." Their humor kept the growing atmosphere from manifesting.
"I'm sorry, my dear, I'll never oppose you again." Charles set the cups of tea by the sink.
"Well that's better." She focuses again on her day. "It was odd. He was very calm and wore his usual commanding presence. After being married for so many years, I would have expected some sort of emotion from him. Some crack in his formidable structure, but no."
She took a pause to swirl some bubbles. "He wants the house, his car, half of my car if you can believe it. Everything that he can legally get. I know he will eventually win in the end, so I let him have it."
"It doesn't seem fair. You've been involved with him for 18 years and have little to show for it." He was surprised she backed out so easily. Elsie was usually more of a fighter. "What about alimony? Did you cross that bridge yet?"
"We not only crossed it, he burned it. I'm 'perfectly capable of making my own salary' he says. And my pride and self worth are more precious than any monthly alimony paycheck."
He felt like he had to defend her. "But Els, that's preposterous. Of course you're entitled to a portion of his earnings. Why Alice has asked for the bulk of my paycheck and I intend to give her what she needs for the boys…"
"But this is Joe we're talking about." Her voice raised. "Conceited, pompous man that he is will not give me anything other than what the law requires. And he will fight it if he has to."
"Let him fight it. You deserve better."
She sat up. "Charles, I don't want better." She rephrased her words. "That is I don't want to fight it. I'm through with him and the damage he has caused. I want out, for good. And if this is how it has to be, so be it."
Her point was made and she lowered her defenses. "I want this divorce over with so we can move forward, together. And not hide in this apartment and take dinner an hour away in fear of hurting someone's feelings."
He had no answer for her, except to take her hand in his and bring it lovingly to his lips.
