Cheating is often described as one of the worst things you could ever do to another person. But is it really so bad when you're actually getting the first breath of fresh air in nearly twenty years?
He's got a good life.
The man was simply a role model for all fathers out there, and would travel oceans for his wife, Lori. He'd do just about anything for his son, Carl. And he'd do everything in his power to make sure his family is protected. Rick Grimes was the perfect picture of what a father should be for a family in the deep Georgia south; the breadwinner, the protector, the provider, and a man of faith. They were a family who went to church on Sunday, and one that hosted a neighborhood barbecue every few weekends during the summertime. When the snow would fall in the winter, though rare, he'd suit up Carl and himself to help shovel the elderly's homes around their neighborhood. He was a good man.
Rick had a beautiful wife, too. Lori Grimes was a woman of love, and the mother of his child. He knew it was a good woman when his best friend, Shane, had approved of her. She'd first fell in love with Rick nearly twenty years ago at a party when she'd admittedly had a little too much to drink and found herself talking to him. Rick had been sober, not having anything to drink but that damn water bottle he was carrying around when she'd walked over with a red cup in her hand and whatever forbidden hairstyle she'd had back then. Rick just wouldn't stop talking about how much he loved Lori until the day they got married; and even the days after, he still brings it up often. How the hell could a man love so much? He felt exhausted, but she gave him all his energy. It was a good mix.
They were married by 23, and he was well on his way to becoming a police officer with his best friend. It first started with them living with Lori's parents for a few months until Rick got a good enough pay to afford a small apartment. It was a dingy, old, run-down place that made both Rick and Lori wince at how they could have lived there. But at the time, it was good enough for them. Lori, numerous times, offered to get a job and start saving money so they could afford to move but Rick insisted that she not get a job.
Time moves on and they're 26, and Rick's been promoted to their town's department. Rick and Lori both celebrate over a big bottle of wine and start talking about children. God, children. Rick isn't fond of the idea at first, but Lori is so damn adamant about it that he caves. He lets her know that he's ready to start a family, and the process of getting to step one was a process in itself. Months pass and after a whole CVS-worth of pregnancy tests go into the trash, Lori finally gets a positive followed by another, and another.
She's pregnant.
Jubilant, they celebrate and begin planning for the next 9 months. Rick's got big plans and he isn't staying another minute in the old apartment longer than he has to; besides, it's only got one bedroom and they need a nursery.
He buys the house.
Every time Lori and him drove by it there was something she pointed out about it. The freshly stained wooden deck, or the finely chiseled quartz columns on the porch. The bright blue exterior, or the rough bricks that laid the foundation. When Rick bought the house, he'd surprised her by taking her to it. She was nearly 3 months pregnant and she's jumping up and down when she finds herself in the driveway of the house. It's so beautiful, she thought. Rick, are you sure we can afford it? If we need to I'll get a job — I swear! We can take a bigger mortgage or finance it a different way...
She begged him like he hadn't already bought the house. About 5 months later, Carl's born and they're even happier.
Rick settles into the father role quite well. He's a great father, great police officer, and has a best friend that is right at his side with work and life. Through the nights where he wished that he'd gotten more sleep, to making sure he was well-fed, bathing him in the extravagant new tub they had in the master bedroom, and to the first day of kindergarten when Rick and Lori help Carl onto the school bus, he feels like he's a good father. He wakes up in the morning, has breakfast with his family, goes to work, goes home and has a dinner with his family, and goes to bed. He's an adult and he knows that he's got a good life.
Time flies yet again and Carl's in the third grade. Lori can't take being at home anymore, and she applies for a job at the school's office and lands the secretary job. It's not for income, but for the sake of getting out of the house. Rick doesn't object and figures that it's good for Lori to get out and about. Things begin to take a strain at home and he starts to wish that Lori didn't have that job but it's not for him to say. Carl's started soccer, and they become the parents of a kid that plays sports. Everyday practices, weekend games, and all the joys that come with it.
He gets promoted again, to Sheriff's Deputy and the demands from his job begin to increase. He's home less, sometimes misses dinner, and is sometimes up and driving to work before Lori has a chance to even hit her first alarm on their clock. He's making more money for sure, and Lori's income is a nice addition to the checkbook. But things become tense at home. Rick's starting to come home later and Lori is staying up just to see him so she could talk to him.
Why are you always getting home late? Rick? We never spend any time anymore. You never speak to me anymore. How are we supposed to do this? He heard it all too much as of late, and that's when he starts talking back. You know I work late, Lori. How am I supposed to provide for the family if I'm home more often? You're happy, aren't you? Things are just fine! And then Lori would start to cry; she feels so distant and broken. So alone. Fights begin to escalate to shouting, and even screaming. Carl's at the top of the staircase, eavesdropping and listening to the destruction of his parent's marriage.
Rick, why don't we get a divorce?
She's the first to mention it and it takes his breath away. His first word is NO, because they're not there yet. Not yet. Rick begins to fight for a solution because god damn, he needed to fix his family.
He buys another goddamn house.
At first, Lori's reaction is pure anger. They were still paying off their current one, and had to save for Carl's future. Rick says that they've got a good thing going with both jobs, and can afford it. He's sure of it. So, they move. Lori quits her job at the elementary school and Rick gets transferred to another department. The suburb is just outside of Atlanta and he feels like he can give his family a better life here. Carl's got a better school, a better neighborhood, and the opportunity to play his favorite sport, soccer, for a bigger school.
Lori breaks and thinks this will be a good thing for their marriage. Just maybe. It's a newly built neighborhood, and there's empty houses being filled daily. She wonders how the hell Rick found this place but goes with the flow. She swallows every worry and just goes with it. Everything gets moved into their new house and she starts working for the school department in that suburb as well, too. Life, and their marriage, seems to start picking back up again. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.
It's a Sunday afternoon, and church was pretty busy. Rick's got a suit on, Lori her white dress with matching sandals and Carl's got a dress shirt. It's July and the air conditioning in the car doesn't even do squat anymore. Lori's fanning herself as Rick drives into their neighborhood, and Carl's half asleep because he had a game the night before and was up early for church. Rick eyes the road and sees a moving truck drive by. Lori glances back, confused.
"Someone moving in again?" Lori sits back, adjusting into her seat. "That's the fifth one this month."
Rick stays quiet, turning onto their street. He glances to Carl in the rear-view mirror and looks back at the road. "Popular place." Of course it was, this place was a great neighborhood. He couldn't ask for anything better. The new house was better than the old one and he thinks of the old, dingy apartment. Anything was better than that place.
"Carl, did you make sure to get your math homework done like I asked you last night?" Lori asks, and Rick slows to pull up to their driveway. Rick can hear a mumble from Carl, but he's more focused on the stacks of boxes in the driveway diagonal to theirs. Two women picking them up, moving them closer to the front door. Lori's eyes fixate on the two women. "Oh," Lori has a small smile. "New neighbors."
Rick pulls into the driveway and stops the car in the garage. "It's been a while since we've had that." Rick says sarcastically, and Lori looks over with an eye roll and a smile.
"Funny," she says before opening the car door where she feels the humidity in the air begin to cover her skin. Goddamn, Georgia.
Carl gets out and doesn't even hesitate to go inside. Rick and Lori both look at the two women across the street. Any husband? Boyfriend? It's almost as if Lori reads Rick's mind, and she shrugs her shoulders before looking at her husband. "Lesbians?"
Rick shrugs, no evidence to rule out that accusation before walking to the door to go inside. Lori follows, and starts to think of ways to welcome them to the neighborhood. How the hell was she supposed to do so? Bake a pie? So unoriginal, Lori! She sets her purse on the counter, and Rick tosses the keys to the little dish on the same counter. Sunday afternoons were relatively just a relaxing day for the family, unless Rick had to work. But today? Just another relaxing day.
A/N: So I hope you guys liked the intro to this. This was more or less just a prologue, and I will jump more into the actual story in the next chapter. Please bear with me!