U.S.S Hope
Chapter 26
The restaurant that Katie had picked them was one of Mike's favorites, but Maddie was enjoying it too. Mike was fairly quiet throughout the meal but he was not rude.
"Do we have time for dessert?" Mike asked. It surprised Maddie but she smiled.
"Sure. I left milk out in case Tallulah needed fed." Maddie said.
"One to share?" Mike asked as he scanned the menu.
"Yeah, that sounds nice." Maddie answered. The waitress approached and Mike ordered the tiramisu; Maddie's favorite dessert. A moment later, it arrived with two spoons. Maddie decided to bring up Katie's house while they shared the dessert. "Did Katie mention the house?" Maddie asked.
"No. Grant mentioned they put an offer in though." Mike answered.
"Did he mention the down payment?" Maddie asked.
"No." Mike said.
"They are hoping the offer is accepted so they can afford the down payment based on savings." Maddie explained.
"I hope its close." Mike remarked.
"It is. Katie is in love with the house. I hate to ask but I do know you had money set aside if any of them were found…could we help her or was it used for the funeral?" Maddie asked.
"I used some money out of it for the funeral but there's some left. I'll withdraw it." Mike answered.
"She doesn't want to ask." Maddie said.
"If things had been normal, I would have been paying for her college, so I suppose helping with the down payment on her first house is a good trade-off." Mike remarked.
"I think she's a little worried about being alone…or basically alone when Grant ships back out." Maddie said.
"I never was on that end. Always on Grant's end." Mike remarked.
"Yeah, I know. And while you've deployed, they've never been long deployments. A couple weeks at the most." Maddie said.
"Some of the fear maybe has to do with knowing my marriage with Christine was failing due to my being gone so much. We tried to shelter the kids from it, but the fights had to have been loud." Mike commented.
"And here I thought you had the perfect marriage with her." Maddie remarked. She meant to think it, not say it; but as soon as she looked up, she realized that she had said it.
"Not hardly." Mike said.
"Thanks for ordering my favorite dessert." Maddie commented.
"Yeah, I remembered." Mike remarked.
"Its been a nice night." Maddie said. Mike nodded and put his card in the folder to pay for their meal.
"Yes, it has." Mike answered after giving the folder to the waitress.
"Mike; thank you. You could have absolutely refused to come tonight." Maddie said. She reached over and squeezed his hand, glad he didn't jerk away.
"I enjoyed it more than I thought I would." Mike admitted.
"Good, I'm glad." Maddie said. The waitress brought the card and receipt back and Mike tucked it into his wallet. He helped Maddie out of the chair and they stepped out into the cold air. Maddie shivered and smiled as Mike put his blazer over her shoulders. "Thanks." Maddie said. Maddie made a decision and wrapped her arms around Mike and gave him a long kiss on the lips.
"I know its cold but do you want to walk down there by the water?" Mike asked.
"Sure…you aren't going to shove me in, are you?" Maddie asked and Mike laughed.
"No. I know you can swim and I wouldn't do that anyways." Mike said with a laugh. It was the first time in awhile that he had laughed. Maddie gave him her hand and they began walking down the path by the river. Finally, Maddie spoke.
"Mike; I know that you are struggling. If you really want the divorce, I won't fight you. I love you too much for that. My suggestion is…a trial separation in hopes that you change your mind. That you will realize how much you are loved." Maddie suggested. Mike had stopped walking and stared at the water for a moment.
"I…don't want a trial separation…or a divorce for that matter. I just have to wrap my mind around me deserving you and our kids. I suppose everything I've done in the past couple weeks is a way to push you away." Mike said.
"Mike; you are a wonderful father. And you've always been a wonderful husband. You made a mistake. A lot of wives would throw in the towel but I'm not ready to. Just don't give up on us, okay?" Maddie said.
"Thank you." Mike answered simply. He kissed Maddie's forehead and smiled down at her. Instead of saying anything, she took his hand and led him back towards the truck, feeling like there had finally been a breakthrough.