Brock's head hung lower than it'd ever. Lower than when he moved into the condominium. Lower than when he found out that Barbara Jean was pregnant. Still lower than when the tip of his pen released from his and Reba's divorce papers. How had he let this go on for so long?
Reba spoke first, pulling out a chair for her to sit in while wiping a few stray tears from her face. "Well, I never thought it'd have to come to this, Brock. But I guess I can no longer influence your decision, so I wish you both the best of luck as you go your separate ways in life."
Brock fiddled with the hem of his shirt, trying to slow the stream of tears falling down his face. Head still hung, he nodded and cleared his throat.
"Um, yeah, thank you. So, I'll see you around Reba?" looking up to catch her line of vision. A sad smile formed on Reba's face, "Yeah, Brock. See you around."
Just like that he was gone again. Walked straight out the door like he had the day of the fight. The only difference was in the manner he left. 7 years ago, he left angry. Fuming and furious, he stomped out of the house to find comfort in the arms of another woman. But today he left ashamed. Humiliated in his actions and embarrassed in the lack of attention he paid towards Reba's mental state. With no resort to turn to, Brock made his way back to he and Barbara Jean's house to retrieve his car, packed to the rafters with his stuff to move to the condo.
Reba pressed her back flat against the chair that she was sitting in and closed her eyes, an attempt to relieve the pressure of stress in her temples. Jake, who was now a sophomore in high school and the only child still living under Reba's roof, skulked into the kitchen after hearing the ruckus between his mom and dad. Seeing the state in which his mom was in, he revealed himself, asking, "Hey mom. You okay?" Reba's eyes shot open, seeing her baby boy with a look of concern plastered on his face.
With a small, reassuring smile Reba replied, "Yeah baby, I'm fine." Pulling herself up from the chair she was occupying she made her way over to Jake, accepting him in a warm hug. "Now that I have you trapped, will you go and put on your church clothes please?" Reba could feel Jake's laugh vibrate against her chest. Jake pulled away, slinking away and rebutting her as he walked, "Yes, warden." With a hearty laugh, which she'd desperately needed, Reba followed Jake out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.
Reba entered her room shutting the door behind her. As she walked up to the closet made for two, her own willpower did not present a strong enough presence to prevent itself from being taken over by unwanted thoughts. The undesirable feelings had a way of dictating everything that Reba thought and did, lending her to complete tasks she'd never free from influence.
Her hand gravitated to the back left portion of her closet, a side that rarely was touched anymore. Feeling around, her hand grasped a hanger holding a dress made of soft polyester fabric in a shade of sapphire blue; Brock's favorite.
Better judgement had long left her mind and Reba slipped into dress, making her way over to the full length mirror. Having stood there many times before in this very dress, memories came flooding into Reba's mind, replaying without notice.
"Brock, honey, are you about ready to go?" Reba asked while smoothing the soft lines of fabric that graced her body, giving herself one last look over in front of the full length mirror. Brock had bought Reba this dress specifically for a night like this. A night for just the two of them. No toddlers screaming and crying, no stress of work or schooling, just romance.
The dress was unlike anything Reba ever would've bought for herself. Straps just over 2 finger lengths in width held up the low cut, skin tight, knee length, rich blue dress. It hugged Reba's body in every beautiful curve, it's slight shimmer creating an essence of angelic splendor.
Brock exited the adjoined bathroom, finishing off the task of buttoning his shirt when his mouth fell agape due to the sight in front of him. His legs needed no orders to carry him over towards his stunning wife, he seemingly just gravitated to her. Behind her, Brock pressed his body tight against hers, his hands finding a nice resting place on her hips.
Making eye contact through the reflection in the mirror, Brock whispered in a husky tone, "You look so beautiful, baby." With his mind cleared of the only thought formed, he tilted his head to the side some, leaving him in the prime place to place gentle kisses along Reba's jawline.
With a giggle and a low moan, Reba turned in Brock's embrace, capturing his lips with hers.
As quickly as this memory had started, it fleeted from her mind. Still looking at herself in the mirror, a tear ran down her face and soaked into the indulgent fabric of the dress. This dress no longer held the magic that it owned in those nights. The only purpose that the dress served now was as a reminder. A reminder of how she was once beautiful and elegant and alluring; Brock's one and only love.
The dress burned on Reba's skin. The lost meaning seeped into her skin, searing off the top layer of skin, leaving her with all of her sentiments out in the open for all to see. The tough woman was gone; her steel armor absent. All that was left to do was rip off the dress and put on a sheath of makeshift armor, something emotionless that portrayed how she felt, ugly and unwanted.