AN's: Much thanks to Sapphiremind, Simonne, and Storm O for letting me use them as bouncing boards for this fic. O - Thank you for giving me ideas for the title. It gave me a good starting place to work from.
Alison, thank you for beta-reading for me again! I hope that covers it. Enjoy!
The News
There was an eerie silence that encompassed the two-story, suburban house that sat at the end of a cul-de-sac. Conrad had just returned from taking the children over to their grandfather's house for the weekend; he didn't want them around when he told their mother about the letter he retrieved from the mailbox earlier that day. He paced their family room floor, checking the time displayed on the wall clock after every couple of laps. 'She should be home from the dojo anytime now. How am I going to tell her about this?' he muttered as he tried his best to shut out the pictures running through his mind.
Conrad picked up the photographs, studying every little detail, and read the letter again for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon. He considered shredding both the items; doing that would destroy the potential they had of breaking up his family and ruining the life he loved. He stopped right before the shredder's blades grabbed the evidence. His conscious stopped him. He had always been completely honest with his wife; he wasn't about to stop now. Conrad tried to convince himself that they could work through this together. She's my wife and deserves to know. If I don't tell her, she'll find out sooner or later anyways. Better it come from me. He heard a car pull up in the driveway as he felt his knees start to give out.
Outside, a pretty, red headed lady pulled her blue car into the three-car garage. She entered the house and dropped her duffel bag in the mud-room.
"Hey, class go well?" Conrad asked from inside the kitchen. There was something about his voice that told his wife something was seriously wrong.
"Except for Sean's hurting his leg while trying to show off, everything went just fine," Shana answered. "You okay?" She asked, looking into his worried blue eyes. "The kids?"
"The kids are fine. They're spending the weekend at your dad's. We... uh... there's something we need to talk about," Conrad responded and then suggested, "but first, why don't you go take your shower?" He wanted to postpone the inevitable as long as possible.
"Conrad?" Shana asked with concern, wrapping her arm around his neck. "What is it, dear?"
"I'll tell you after your shower. It can wait," he said, leading her upstairs to their bedroom. "You know I love you, don't you?" He asked turning his head back and looking straight into her warm, sapphire eyes and brushing his lips up against hers.
"Of course, I know, and I love you also," Shana replied as she gathered a set of clean clothes from their dresser. She leered back at her husband, "You sure it can wait? It's not like I haven't had to wait on a shower before."
Conrad nodded his head and laughed, "Get in there!" as he physically guided his wife into the bathroom, shutting the door between them. The hot, steamy shower running down her hair, back, and then her legs felt wonderful after teaching a beginning children's class and an advanced class at her father's dojo. Shana rushed through her shower, curious about what her husband needed to tell her. When he did stuff like that in the past, it usually meant a huge change in their lives - more recently, his retirement from the Army and later, the decision to move their family to Atlanta.
Conrad went back to his den and picked up the envelope. He went to the family room and sat down in his recliner, placing the letter on the end table. His mind replayed what he would say to his wife and her reactions. Conrad turned on the television and flipped through the channels, desperately trying to find something to take his mind off the news.
Shana, now dressed in a pair a cotton tan shorts and a blue T-shirt in place of her gi, sat down on her husband's lap. "So, what was all that about?" She asked in a playful, but concerned voice.
Conrad took his wife's hand and started to explain, "Hon, I love you and the kids more than anything and I would never intentionally do anything to hurt any of you."
Tears began forming in Shana's eyes. What is this about? After all we've been through, what could be so difficult for him to tell me? She thought to herself as she eagerly listened for the next words to come out of her husband's mouth. We can work through anything, just don't tell me you want out. Oh God, please, don't let it be that.
"I don't know how to tell you this," he said, solemnly, lowering his eyes. With his free hand, Conrad reached behind him and picked up the envelope, which bore a St. Louis, Missouri postmark. In a near-zombie like state of mind, he stated, "Maybe you should read this." as he handed the item to his wife.
"St. Louis, huh?" Shana mumbled as she inspected the envelope. Not recognizing the addresser's name or return address, she raised her head and looked questioningly into her husband's baby blue eyes. All Conrad could say was, "Go on." He motioned his hands as if giving her a signal to see what was inside. Shana removed the contents, and her eyes widened at the sight of the picture. She knew immediately without even having to read the accompanying letter; there was no question about it.
TBC...