Donny paced the kitchen; a scene eerily similar to the way he would pace a room while working on a big divorce case.
"Look Honey, this has got to stop! You're always going on and on about your so-called psychic powers and then into even longer stories about your family. I can't take it anymore!"
"I'm sorry that I was botherin' you so much." She said swallowing fresh tears that rose to the surface.
There was a tense silence before she spoke again.
"Donny, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why do we do this?"
"What?"
"This! Fight all the time! This isn't the way I pictured me marriage to be."
"Life isn't like a fairytale or your Disney movies, Daphne."
His comment stung as though he had slapped her hard across the face and her next words were out before she could stop them.
"Perhaps we should join Dr. Crane's couples' therapy group. Dr. Crane told me all about how his therapy has helped-."
"Are you completely insane?" Donny yelled. "I swear to God, I don't know where you get these crazy ideas!"
"What's wrong with it? If he can help us, then-."
"Are you listening to yourself? Niles doesn't know a thing about marriage. I mean, he's already ruined two marriages of his own!"
Daphne gasped, stunned to hear her husband speak about Niles so harshly.
"How can you say that? Dr. Crane is your friend!"
"Not anymore! Not since he proved what a jerk he really is!"
"But he didn't do any-."
"Like hell he didn't! Now I know why he was so desperate for a divorce!"
Her mouth fell open in dismay.
"That's a horrible thing to say! Dr. Crane was in a very unhappy marriage and his wife was treating him horribly. He was so grateful to you for helping him get a divorce!"
"And now I know why! He's a jerk, Daphne!"
"I'm not going to sit here and let you talk so badly about Dr. Crane!" He's a wonderful friend and he doesn't deserve your insults! Now why don't we stop talking about him and get back to the issue at hand? What about our marriage Donny?"
He sighed deeply. "I didn't want to have to do this tonight but I have no choice."
Daphne blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
Wordlessly he moved past her and went into his office, returning seconds later with something in his hand.
"What's that?"
"I'm going out." He said abruptly as she stared at the sealed white envelope he'd handed her. And before she could say anything more, he grabbed his car keys and walked out the back door, slamming it shut behind him.
When she was alone, the tears she'd been holding inside began to fall.
How had things gotten so bad?
She knew she shouldn't have mentioned Niles' counseling therapy. What was she thinking?
With trembling hands she carefully opened the envelope. Inside was a thick stack of papers, stapled together on the left hand side.
Tears blurred her vision as she flipped through the pages; having little idea what the massive amount of legal jargon meant.
But when her eyes landed on the bold print at the top of the first page, she knew exactly what kind of papers he'd given her.
For written on the first line were the words:
"Washington State Decree for Divorce."