Chris sat on the porch, waiting for Stephanie to come back. It had been
two days since she had left and he hadn't heard from her once. He had
tried calling her parents, but they had no idea where she was. They had
told him if she called they would call him immediately.
He hadn't slept or eaten in those two days. He just sat on his porch, hoping, praying that Stephanie would come back. This was ten thousand times worse than when Jessica had left him, and during the previous two days it had hit him how much of fool he had been when Jessica left, and how that wasn't even pain. This, here, now was pain.
He sat there, staring down the long paved road, hoping to see her car. But it never passed. The night turned to day, then day back to night, but still no car. He was worried out of his mind, and he knew that he looked horrible.
And Jessica had been no help either. She acted like she was running the place. The little girl she had brought with her, was very quiet and shy, but Chris thought you would have to be with Jessica as a mother.
"Christopher, you're going to have to eat sometime you know?" Jessica said, walking out onto the porch.
"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, his eyes still on the road.
"She's not coming back, face it," Jessica said nonchalantly.
"Go away."
"I told you she would give you nothing but trouble. I mean, the girl itself was trouble. You're actually fortunate that she left you."
"Shut up," Chris snapped.
"No need to get touchy, but come on, I'm here, Adri's here, we're your family, we'd love you have you."
Chris got up and got in her face, "I don't want you, and I don't want her, the only people I want are Stephanie and Carter."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but they're gone, vanished, left you," she said bluntly.
"They are not, don't say that," Chris said painfully.
"Christopher, are they here? Because I don't see them here. Face it, they left you, just like I predicted they would."
Chris sat down and watched the road again, "You don't know that they left, they'll come back I know they will."
"You keep believing that. And when she doesn't, don't come crying to me."
"You fucking left me too you know," he said, turning back to her.
"That wasn't my fault."
"It was your fault, and it's your fault the love of my life left me now. Because you had to come back."
"I had our daughter!"
"I don't even think that kid is mine!"
She slapped him, "Don't you dare say that again."
"I'll say whatever the fuck I want to!"
Jessica stormed in the house. Chris sighed and rubbed his cheek. Then he went back to sitting on the porch, and watching the road. If he stared long enough Stephanie and Carter were bound to come back, they just had to. Right?
*************
Stephanie sat in her hotel room, playing with Carter who was lying on the bed. She hadn't talked to Chris in two whole days and it was killing her. But she couldn't talk to him, she was so afraid to hear what he would have to say. So she took the safe route and stayed hidden.
She had registered under a fake name, and hid out in a hotel room for the past two days. She just didn't want to go home to find Jessica there, and Chris being happy with her and their daughter. There would be no place for her and her son.
She dreaded calling him. He might tell her that he had fallen back in love with Jessica and that he was leaving her. And that would just break her. She had already suffered so much loss in her life, she knew she couldn't take any more.
Carter started crying and Stephanie picked him up, "What's the matter baby boy?"
He just cried harder. Stephanie instinctively knew that Carter could sense the tenseness of the situation they were in. Not to mention the fact that she knew that he missed his Daddy.
"Shh, it's ok baby boy, we'll see Daddy again someday. And even if we don't, it'll be ok, you and me will get by just fine."
Stephanie sighed to herself as Carter dozed off. She knew what she had to do. She had to be the one to break it off, because she knew she could never be the one to have their heart broken. Strike first lest ye be stricken. She called up her lawyer's.
***********
After the fourth day of waiting for them to no avail, exhaustion finally claimed Chris. He left his post and went upstairs and slept for about fourteen hours. When he woke up he was so famished he ate anything and everything he could find. After getting cleaned up, he went out to his neglected horses and tried to get some work done, or at least get his mind off of his departed family.
As he finished up, he went back to his post on the porch. After a few hours he saw a car coming down the road. He got up, hoping against hopes that it was Stephanie. The car slowed down as it approached his house, but he realized that it wasn't, but they were still slowing down, then came to a complete stop. A man in a suit came out of the car.
"Can I help you?" Chris called out, figuring he needed directions.
"Are you Mr. Chris Irvine?" the man asked.
"Yeah, I am," he answered.
The man came up the steps and gave Chris a sheet of paper, "Sign here please."
Chris signed, "What is this for?"
The man gave an envelope to Chris, "Consider yourself served."
"Excuse me, served with what?"
"Divorce papers from a Mrs. Stephanie Irvine," he said, "You have a week to protest. Have a nice day."
Chris sat down heavily on the steps. Divorce papers? What the hell was this? He opened the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. There they were, signed and everything. This just couldn't be happening. A week ago, his life had been great, better than great, spectacular. And now it was in shambles.
"Oh, so the bitch is divorcing you?" Jessica's voice said from behind him.
"Get the hell away from me," he said in a low, dangerous voice.
"Come on Christopher, you couldn't have realistically expected it to last," she said laughing.
"That's ENOUGH!" he shouted, standing up, "I'm tired of your shit Jessica."
"Don't you dare yell at me," she told him.
"I will do as I damn well please. So help me God Jessica, if I lose my wife and child because of you, you will live to regret the day you ever met me."
"Christopher, get a grip, you still have me and Adri."
"I don't want either one of you! I want Stephanie and Carter!"
"What does she have that I don't have?"
"Everything!"
"Please, we can make you happy Christopher, if you would just let us," she said, a smirk on her face.
"The day I ever get back with you is the day that hell freezes over," he said bitterly.
"Oh, you poor thing," she said sympathetically, "We'll help you get through this hard time."
"You won't help me get anywhere! You're the reason I'm in this mess in the first place!"
"Well, if you had kept your hands to yourself, then none of this would've happened."
"And maybe I should've just let you go fuck every guy in the state of Florida when we were together...oh wait, you already were!"
She was fuming, "Oh, Christopher, I only slept around because I wasn't satisfied by you."
"Good, I don't care, do you think I give a shit? Cause I don't. My wife and child are out God knows where, and I can't be bothered with a two-bit slut like you or your child who's father probably denied her."
"Don't you dare talk about my daughter."
"Oh, I'm not talking about her. In fact, I feel sorry for her, having you as a mother. You're the one who slept around."
"I hate you!" she said angrily.
"Good, because that's just how I feel about you."
Chris actually felt good letting all these feelings out. Jessica didn't deserve the slightest bit of sympathy from everyone. She tried to manipulate you into feeling sorry for her, but it was all just a charade. She just wanted the attention.
"I'm going inside, come back when you've cooled off."
"I'm not going to go inside."
"Oh, because you're the high and might Christopher Irvine, who can't be bothered to even get to know his little girl."
"I don't even know if she's my child, and until I do, I'm not going to treat her as one."
"Face it Christopher, she left...she left and your virtuous little Stephanie isn't coming back. She doesn't want you anymore face it."
"She does too, you don't know her Jessica and don't presume to."
"I know that she's a coward, she ran away at the first sign of trouble."
"Can you blame her? You've cause her nothing but misery, hell, you've caused me nothing but misery. We never wanted you hear in the first place."
"But you took me back?" she said.
"You know I was engaged to Stephanie when you came back and I let her go for you. I was happy with her, but it was you I thought I was pining over. But I found love with her. Someday Jessica, I hope you know what that feels like.
Chris started to walk down the stairs and away from the house. Jessica stood there, dumbfounded by what he had just said. She scowled. She hated being second best, especially to that wench.
"You don't deserve love Christopher."
"Whatever you say Jessica," he said, walking over to his car.
"Where are you going?"
"What's it matter to you?"
"Because I'll be stuck here."
"Good, make sure the horses eat?"
"Christopher, where the hell are you going?"
"I'm going to go find my family."
He hadn't slept or eaten in those two days. He just sat on his porch, hoping, praying that Stephanie would come back. This was ten thousand times worse than when Jessica had left him, and during the previous two days it had hit him how much of fool he had been when Jessica left, and how that wasn't even pain. This, here, now was pain.
He sat there, staring down the long paved road, hoping to see her car. But it never passed. The night turned to day, then day back to night, but still no car. He was worried out of his mind, and he knew that he looked horrible.
And Jessica had been no help either. She acted like she was running the place. The little girl she had brought with her, was very quiet and shy, but Chris thought you would have to be with Jessica as a mother.
"Christopher, you're going to have to eat sometime you know?" Jessica said, walking out onto the porch.
"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, his eyes still on the road.
"She's not coming back, face it," Jessica said nonchalantly.
"Go away."
"I told you she would give you nothing but trouble. I mean, the girl itself was trouble. You're actually fortunate that she left you."
"Shut up," Chris snapped.
"No need to get touchy, but come on, I'm here, Adri's here, we're your family, we'd love you have you."
Chris got up and got in her face, "I don't want you, and I don't want her, the only people I want are Stephanie and Carter."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but they're gone, vanished, left you," she said bluntly.
"They are not, don't say that," Chris said painfully.
"Christopher, are they here? Because I don't see them here. Face it, they left you, just like I predicted they would."
Chris sat down and watched the road again, "You don't know that they left, they'll come back I know they will."
"You keep believing that. And when she doesn't, don't come crying to me."
"You fucking left me too you know," he said, turning back to her.
"That wasn't my fault."
"It was your fault, and it's your fault the love of my life left me now. Because you had to come back."
"I had our daughter!"
"I don't even think that kid is mine!"
She slapped him, "Don't you dare say that again."
"I'll say whatever the fuck I want to!"
Jessica stormed in the house. Chris sighed and rubbed his cheek. Then he went back to sitting on the porch, and watching the road. If he stared long enough Stephanie and Carter were bound to come back, they just had to. Right?
*************
Stephanie sat in her hotel room, playing with Carter who was lying on the bed. She hadn't talked to Chris in two whole days and it was killing her. But she couldn't talk to him, she was so afraid to hear what he would have to say. So she took the safe route and stayed hidden.
She had registered under a fake name, and hid out in a hotel room for the past two days. She just didn't want to go home to find Jessica there, and Chris being happy with her and their daughter. There would be no place for her and her son.
She dreaded calling him. He might tell her that he had fallen back in love with Jessica and that he was leaving her. And that would just break her. She had already suffered so much loss in her life, she knew she couldn't take any more.
Carter started crying and Stephanie picked him up, "What's the matter baby boy?"
He just cried harder. Stephanie instinctively knew that Carter could sense the tenseness of the situation they were in. Not to mention the fact that she knew that he missed his Daddy.
"Shh, it's ok baby boy, we'll see Daddy again someday. And even if we don't, it'll be ok, you and me will get by just fine."
Stephanie sighed to herself as Carter dozed off. She knew what she had to do. She had to be the one to break it off, because she knew she could never be the one to have their heart broken. Strike first lest ye be stricken. She called up her lawyer's.
***********
After the fourth day of waiting for them to no avail, exhaustion finally claimed Chris. He left his post and went upstairs and slept for about fourteen hours. When he woke up he was so famished he ate anything and everything he could find. After getting cleaned up, he went out to his neglected horses and tried to get some work done, or at least get his mind off of his departed family.
As he finished up, he went back to his post on the porch. After a few hours he saw a car coming down the road. He got up, hoping against hopes that it was Stephanie. The car slowed down as it approached his house, but he realized that it wasn't, but they were still slowing down, then came to a complete stop. A man in a suit came out of the car.
"Can I help you?" Chris called out, figuring he needed directions.
"Are you Mr. Chris Irvine?" the man asked.
"Yeah, I am," he answered.
The man came up the steps and gave Chris a sheet of paper, "Sign here please."
Chris signed, "What is this for?"
The man gave an envelope to Chris, "Consider yourself served."
"Excuse me, served with what?"
"Divorce papers from a Mrs. Stephanie Irvine," he said, "You have a week to protest. Have a nice day."
Chris sat down heavily on the steps. Divorce papers? What the hell was this? He opened the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. There they were, signed and everything. This just couldn't be happening. A week ago, his life had been great, better than great, spectacular. And now it was in shambles.
"Oh, so the bitch is divorcing you?" Jessica's voice said from behind him.
"Get the hell away from me," he said in a low, dangerous voice.
"Come on Christopher, you couldn't have realistically expected it to last," she said laughing.
"That's ENOUGH!" he shouted, standing up, "I'm tired of your shit Jessica."
"Don't you dare yell at me," she told him.
"I will do as I damn well please. So help me God Jessica, if I lose my wife and child because of you, you will live to regret the day you ever met me."
"Christopher, get a grip, you still have me and Adri."
"I don't want either one of you! I want Stephanie and Carter!"
"What does she have that I don't have?"
"Everything!"
"Please, we can make you happy Christopher, if you would just let us," she said, a smirk on her face.
"The day I ever get back with you is the day that hell freezes over," he said bitterly.
"Oh, you poor thing," she said sympathetically, "We'll help you get through this hard time."
"You won't help me get anywhere! You're the reason I'm in this mess in the first place!"
"Well, if you had kept your hands to yourself, then none of this would've happened."
"And maybe I should've just let you go fuck every guy in the state of Florida when we were together...oh wait, you already were!"
She was fuming, "Oh, Christopher, I only slept around because I wasn't satisfied by you."
"Good, I don't care, do you think I give a shit? Cause I don't. My wife and child are out God knows where, and I can't be bothered with a two-bit slut like you or your child who's father probably denied her."
"Don't you dare talk about my daughter."
"Oh, I'm not talking about her. In fact, I feel sorry for her, having you as a mother. You're the one who slept around."
"I hate you!" she said angrily.
"Good, because that's just how I feel about you."
Chris actually felt good letting all these feelings out. Jessica didn't deserve the slightest bit of sympathy from everyone. She tried to manipulate you into feeling sorry for her, but it was all just a charade. She just wanted the attention.
"I'm going inside, come back when you've cooled off."
"I'm not going to go inside."
"Oh, because you're the high and might Christopher Irvine, who can't be bothered to even get to know his little girl."
"I don't even know if she's my child, and until I do, I'm not going to treat her as one."
"Face it Christopher, she left...she left and your virtuous little Stephanie isn't coming back. She doesn't want you anymore face it."
"She does too, you don't know her Jessica and don't presume to."
"I know that she's a coward, she ran away at the first sign of trouble."
"Can you blame her? You've cause her nothing but misery, hell, you've caused me nothing but misery. We never wanted you hear in the first place."
"But you took me back?" she said.
"You know I was engaged to Stephanie when you came back and I let her go for you. I was happy with her, but it was you I thought I was pining over. But I found love with her. Someday Jessica, I hope you know what that feels like.
Chris started to walk down the stairs and away from the house. Jessica stood there, dumbfounded by what he had just said. She scowled. She hated being second best, especially to that wench.
"You don't deserve love Christopher."
"Whatever you say Jessica," he said, walking over to his car.
"Where are you going?"
"What's it matter to you?"
"Because I'll be stuck here."
"Good, make sure the horses eat?"
"Christopher, where the hell are you going?"
"I'm going to go find my family."
