Chapter 8
They stayed in the same position until they heard Declan cry and painfully tore themselves away from each other, knowing it was the last time they would ever hold one another like that.
Linda wiped her eyes, "I'll go and get him," she said with a sigh.
Vince watched her leave and got up; if he held his breath and closed his eyes he could recall nearly every moment they shared in this room, their bedroom. They had some of their most passionate moments and ferocious arguments in this room. He slowly opened his eyes and came back to the present, Declan was still crying. He walked slowly over to the nursery where Linda held him in her arms, she was crying with him. Vince walked out of sight and went down to the kitchen to make Declan's bottle up. He walked back upstairs and through to the nursery where he handed the bottle to Linda who was still silently crying.
A wordless thank you passed from Linda to Vince and they both looked down at their grandson.
"He looks so much like Shane." Vince whispered. Declan was suckling on his bottle and was nearly asleep in his grandmother's arms.
Vince studied them both, Linda had always been good with children, she had no other choice, it was her who basically brought up Shane and Stephanie single handedly. Vince had always been on the road or too tired to get them when they cried at night. Linda was always the one who'd sleep beside their beds after one of them had a nightmare and didn't want to be left alone. And now it was her again, only this time it was their grandson who she went to when he cried.
He watched as she placed Declan gently back in his crib and pried the bottle out of his hands. She covered him with a blanket and kissed him on the forehead and smiled. She looked at Vince and they gently walked out. They stood in the hall for a few seconds and avoided each others gaze.
"What now?" Vince asked.
Linda shrugged. "I'll move out as soon as I find somewhere to go, I'll get an apartment or something. I'll try and make it quick for both our sakes."
"Well you can stay here if you want, I don't want to live here on my own, too many memories." Vince looked around, he was trying to be brave, trying not to be weak but it was hard.
Linda let out a sigh, "tell me about it. So what then, we both move out and sell this place?" It was painful, yes the past few years had been bad but overall the memories were good and it seemed a shame that both had arrived at the point where they couldn't live there without the other.
Vince nodded. "I guess." He sighed. "I suppose you'll want the divorce as soon as possible."
Linda looked at him, startled by what he had just said. "Well, there's no rush, we've got a lot to sort out first."
Vince looked at her and held her gaze. "I'm not going to screw you out of anything don't worry. You deserve half of everything; you won't get any fight from me."
Linda shook her head. "Why?"
"Why what? Why am I willing to give you a fifty per cent share of the business? Because you worked as hard as I did to get it where it is. Why do I want you to stay as CEO? Because nobody else could do the job better. Why am I willing to give you a fair settlement? A fifty per cent share of everything? Because you deserve it and if it wasn't for you we wouldn't have half of what we've got." He held her stare again. "We built all this together and we're going to share it out equally, it's only fair."
Linda nodded, astounded at his speech. "Vince, I know we've been through a lot but I want you to know and I know it's a cliché but I still want us to be friends. I don't know about you but I could never just cut you out of my life like that. You've been a part of me for so long now and I still want you in my life, I don't want to just think of you as the father of our children."
Vince exhaled deeply, looked at her and nodded. "I know me too. We've been through too much together to just divorce and never speak again, like most people do. I'll try and change because these past few years, lets face it, I haven't even been treating you as if you're a friend have I?"
Linda shook her head, "It doesn't matter anymore, it's done, it's in the past, all we can do now is move on and try and regain our friendship that we once had. It'll be difficult at first I guess but we've never done things the easy way anyway, why change now?"
They both looked at each other and laughed a little.
"Can I ask, what would happen if in the future I did change and things were like they used to be, would you come back to me?" Vince took a deep breath and waited for her reply.
"Vince..." She moved closer and took his hand. "I thought we both believed in never going back?"
Vince didn't reply, he thought of Shane's words earlier that night; "she is going to walk out of your life and once she's gone Dad, you know as well as I do, she'll never come back." The words rang in his ears; he'd lost her for good.
"Vince, hello, Vince?" Linda waved a hand in front of his face and Vince slowly came back to the moment.
"What were you thinking of?" Linda asked.
Vince shook his head and looked at her, tears shining in his eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore." He quickly put his arms around her and drew her in for a hug.
Linda smiled and hugged him back. She knew he didn't believe in going back and neither did she, they were both clear on where they stood. In Linda's eyes maybe all the pain they'd been through had been worth it and they'd be a happy ending to this story after all. Unbeknown to her Vince was silently crying, for his wife whom he'd now lost forever.
They stayed in the same position until they heard Declan cry and painfully tore themselves away from each other, knowing it was the last time they would ever hold one another like that.
Linda wiped her eyes, "I'll go and get him," she said with a sigh.
Vince watched her leave and got up; if he held his breath and closed his eyes he could recall nearly every moment they shared in this room, their bedroom. They had some of their most passionate moments and ferocious arguments in this room. He slowly opened his eyes and came back to the present, Declan was still crying. He walked slowly over to the nursery where Linda held him in her arms, she was crying with him. Vince walked out of sight and went down to the kitchen to make Declan's bottle up. He walked back upstairs and through to the nursery where he handed the bottle to Linda who was still silently crying.
A wordless thank you passed from Linda to Vince and they both looked down at their grandson.
"He looks so much like Shane." Vince whispered. Declan was suckling on his bottle and was nearly asleep in his grandmother's arms.
Vince studied them both, Linda had always been good with children, she had no other choice, it was her who basically brought up Shane and Stephanie single handedly. Vince had always been on the road or too tired to get them when they cried at night. Linda was always the one who'd sleep beside their beds after one of them had a nightmare and didn't want to be left alone. And now it was her again, only this time it was their grandson who she went to when he cried.
He watched as she placed Declan gently back in his crib and pried the bottle out of his hands. She covered him with a blanket and kissed him on the forehead and smiled. She looked at Vince and they gently walked out. They stood in the hall for a few seconds and avoided each others gaze.
"What now?" Vince asked.
Linda shrugged. "I'll move out as soon as I find somewhere to go, I'll get an apartment or something. I'll try and make it quick for both our sakes."
"Well you can stay here if you want, I don't want to live here on my own, too many memories." Vince looked around, he was trying to be brave, trying not to be weak but it was hard.
Linda let out a sigh, "tell me about it. So what then, we both move out and sell this place?" It was painful, yes the past few years had been bad but overall the memories were good and it seemed a shame that both had arrived at the point where they couldn't live there without the other.
Vince nodded. "I guess." He sighed. "I suppose you'll want the divorce as soon as possible."
Linda looked at him, startled by what he had just said. "Well, there's no rush, we've got a lot to sort out first."
Vince looked at her and held her gaze. "I'm not going to screw you out of anything don't worry. You deserve half of everything; you won't get any fight from me."
Linda shook her head. "Why?"
"Why what? Why am I willing to give you a fifty per cent share of the business? Because you worked as hard as I did to get it where it is. Why do I want you to stay as CEO? Because nobody else could do the job better. Why am I willing to give you a fair settlement? A fifty per cent share of everything? Because you deserve it and if it wasn't for you we wouldn't have half of what we've got." He held her stare again. "We built all this together and we're going to share it out equally, it's only fair."
Linda nodded, astounded at his speech. "Vince, I know we've been through a lot but I want you to know and I know it's a cliché but I still want us to be friends. I don't know about you but I could never just cut you out of my life like that. You've been a part of me for so long now and I still want you in my life, I don't want to just think of you as the father of our children."
Vince exhaled deeply, looked at her and nodded. "I know me too. We've been through too much together to just divorce and never speak again, like most people do. I'll try and change because these past few years, lets face it, I haven't even been treating you as if you're a friend have I?"
Linda shook her head, "It doesn't matter anymore, it's done, it's in the past, all we can do now is move on and try and regain our friendship that we once had. It'll be difficult at first I guess but we've never done things the easy way anyway, why change now?"
They both looked at each other and laughed a little.
"Can I ask, what would happen if in the future I did change and things were like they used to be, would you come back to me?" Vince took a deep breath and waited for her reply.
"Vince..." She moved closer and took his hand. "I thought we both believed in never going back?"
Vince didn't reply, he thought of Shane's words earlier that night; "she is going to walk out of your life and once she's gone Dad, you know as well as I do, she'll never come back." The words rang in his ears; he'd lost her for good.
"Vince, hello, Vince?" Linda waved a hand in front of his face and Vince slowly came back to the moment.
"What were you thinking of?" Linda asked.
Vince shook his head and looked at her, tears shining in his eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore." He quickly put his arms around her and drew her in for a hug.
Linda smiled and hugged him back. She knew he didn't believe in going back and neither did she, they were both clear on where they stood. In Linda's eyes maybe all the pain they'd been through had been worth it and they'd be a happy ending to this story after all. Unbeknown to her Vince was silently crying, for his wife whom he'd now lost forever.