Trust the Timing - Chapter 6
Oliver just stood there, dumbfounded.
"May I come in, Oliver?"
"Of course, please." He opened the door wider and moved out of the way. He noticed she didn't have any luggage. She entered and looked around the room. "I see everything is exactly as I left it. You haven't changed anything."
"No, I haven't." He pointed to the couch. She sat down.
"How are you, Holly? How long have you been in the country?"
"I'm well. I just arrived and I came here directly from the airport."
Oliver nodded. "Would you like something to drink, a cup of coffee or tea perhaps?"
"A glass of water, please."
Oliver soon returned with the water. "Thank you", she said.
He stood in front of her, his legs spread apart and arms crossed over his chest. "So, what brings you back here, Holly? After 3 years without a single word?"
"I always thought I knew what I was going to say to you, but now I realise it's a lot harder than I thought."
"You can start from the beginning. Start by telling me why my wife ran away to Paris and then never called, never wrote."
"I was confused, Ollie? I needed to discover who I was."
"How's that working out for you, Holly?"
"Are you angry, Ollie? Do you want me back?"
"Excuse me, do I want you back? Is that it?"
"Well, you did write to me saying if I chose to come back, you'd try to see life through my eyes. Did you mean it?"
Oliver pulled up a chair and sat down. He felt all his energy leaving his body. Suddenly, he felt as if someone had pulled the rug out from under his feet. He felt as though he was drowning and there was no lifeline anywhere nearby for him to grasp.
"I wrote that letter so long ago, I can barely remember what it said."
"Have you changed your mind then? You don't want me anymore?"
Oliver sighed. Whatever he said here, at this very moment, would seal his fate. No, he didn't want her at all, ever again. But was it the right thing to do, to leave his marriage, even though it was as one sided as it could possibly be? He needed to pray about it. Serious praying! Praying is something he didn't do when he first married her; he was simply carried away, allowing her to call the shots. He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.
"Where is your luggage?" He asked, trying to buy himself some time. She let it go and went along with it.
"At the airport. I wasn't sure you'd let me stay here."
"Of course you can stay here, but I think you should use the guest bedroom until we figure things out."
"Of course. I will call a cab and go get my things."
"No! You stay here. I'll go get your things. I have to run an errand anyway. What's the locker number?" Holly told him and he left without another word.
Oliver got into his car and felt like driving to the end of the world, not stopping until he fell off the edge. He remembered how badly he felt when Holly left, but those feelings paled in comparison to what he was feeling now. He literally wanted to die. "Oh Lord, please help me." He cried out in utter agony. He wanted to disappear, never to be seen again by anyone. If he thought his life was in shambles back when she left, what condition was his life in now? He was completely in love with Shane and now Holly, his runaway wife, was finally back, wanting to reconnect. He had waited, prayed for and desired her return for so long, now he was appalled with himself for wishing her away.
He had to see Shane right away. He wasn't looking forward to it. How on earth was he going to survive telling her that their new budding "friendship" would be put to an end even before it started? He regretted most bitterly now sending that letter to Holly. She didn't deserve to have everyone just give in to her demands whenever she felt like it. Just jumping to do her bidding at a moment's notice. Unfortunately, that's exactly what everyone had always done for Holly and would keep on doing; giving in to whatever she wanted until she got bored and demanded something else.
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Shane was in the middle of writing a letter to Becky. She had so much to share with her. She laughed at the idea that she was actually writing a letter. She would have never even considered writing one, if it hadn't been for Oliver in her life. That's what emails were for, right? She chuckled, but she had to admit Oliver was right about it. There was something special about receiving and opening a real letter, holding in your hands the same pages that somebody had carefully put together just for you.
She was contemplating this when the front door bell rang. She checked her cell phone for the time. It was almost 3 o'clock. She could do with a little distraction as the day was dragging on, so she headed to the door.
She opened it.
Leaning forward, holding both sides of the door frame, stood Oliver. He didn't look happy.
"Oliver? Please come in. What's the problem?"
It was freezing outside but he was only wearing a sweater, he was coatless, as if he had left his house in a hurry. He walked in and turned to her. He stood in the middle of the lounge, looking like a lost boy. Shane shook her head, mystified.
"Oliver, what's the matter? Are you ok?" He pursed his lips together and shook his head.
"Would you like to sit down? Can I get you something? Truly Oliver, you're scaring me."
"I'm sorry, Ms. McInerney, it's not my intention to scare you. But I… I have something to tell you."
"Ok…"
"unfortunately…" He started, but he couldn't continue. He stopped, looked at her and his eyes filled with tears.
"Oliver?" She approached him and gently touched his arm.
"What is it?"
"Ms. McInerney, unfortunately we won't be attending the ballet tonight."
"What? Why?"
He shook his head again, trying very hard to compose himself.
"Holly!"
"Holly? What about Holly?"
"She's back!" He spoke softly. "She just arrived. She wants to reconnect… and…"
Shane covered her mouth. She tried to control herself, but she was unable to stop a sob from breaking free. Once the first sob slipped out, the dam burst. Oliver grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. They were both crying. They stood there in each other's arms with their hearts breaking into a thousand pieces. Neither one wanted to let the other go. Eventually they parted just enough to look into each other's eyes without stepping out of their embrace. Oliver dropped his gaze to her mouth and he was a goner the moment he looked at her lips. He grabbed her face and took her mouth in an intense, desperate kiss. His passion for her was all consuming. Years of pent-up, repressed desire rose to the top, demanding to be set free.
They kissed desperately and passionately, drinking each other in; holding on to each other so close, it was as if they feared if they let go, they would surely perish. When they parted their lips to take a breath, they went back into each other's arms staying in the tight embrace.
"I love you." She whispered in his ear.
"I know... And I love you, Shane." He said, brokenly. They started kissing again. They realised this would be the last time. The kisses tasted of goodbye. They eventually let each other go.
"You know I can't stay in Denver anymore, right?" She said.
He reached out and wiped her tears while she wiped his.
"Yes, I know." He said, totally heartbroken. "How am I going to live... to survive without you?"
"You know, Oliver, we've had this conversation before. You're going to have to sacrifice your heart for the sake of doing what you think is right."
"I remember it. I don't know if I can do it now. The only thing I know for sure is I don't want to do it." He pulled her into his arms again. She clung to him.
"You know, I'd run away with you in a heartbeat, Oliver. However, I wonder if you could live with yourself, knowing you treated her the same way she treated you."
He took in a deep breath of her scent. He kissed her again one last time, and then let her go. He nodded. "I will miss you, my dear Ms. McInerney, most dearly. I wish you all the best. God bless and keep you."
"And I'll miss you, Mr. O'Toole."
He then kissed her hands and left without looking back.
###
Oliver left Shane's house crying. He was not only heartbroken for his loss of her, but he knew she'd have to relocate, leaving her house behind, which he knew she loved. She'd have to leave behind her friends Norman and Rita, who had become like family to her. Last, but not least, she'd have to leave him. He knew she loved him. She gave her heart so freely and she was so easy to love back. No matter what happened with Holly now, he knew he would never forget Shane McInerney. She'd forever be the woman who stole his heart right out from under his nose. God only knew how much he had resisted her, but in the end, it had all come to nothing. He ended up loving her in spite of his own efforts to keep her at arm's length. He realised that, until this very moment, he had never actually experienced this kind of heartbreak.
He was devastated!
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Holly moved back into Oliver's life, expecting them to pick up where they left off. Oliver was having none of it. He kept her at a formal physical distance away from him. After drilling her with questions, he discovered she'd been serially unfaithful, having several extramarital relationships during the 3 years plus that she'd been away. It slowly became quite obvious to him why she had returned. She had run out of money. He was forced to recognise she had no more affection for him now than when she left.
However, she was trying to be sweet, sometimes overly so. Oliver suspected she wasn't being genuine. She needed him for something and Oliver was determined to figure out what she wanted from him.
Physically speaking, Oliver had not allowed her back into his life or his bedroom. For almost 4 weeks now, she had been sleeping in the guest bedroom. They hadn't even kissed properly; just quick slight pecks on the lips when he arrived home from work. And even that tiny bit of "apparent affection" made him feel weird. He would recoil from her instinctively as if kissing her was a betrayal of Shane and his own heart.
One Saturday evening, Oliver said good night and retired early to bed to read a book. He was reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë because it reminded him of Shane. As he was making himself comfortable and getting immersed in the story, Holly opened the door and walked right in.
She was wearing a little red negligee designed specifically to seduce! Oliver looked up, annoyed. Once he saw her, he gulped and he knew he was in trouble.
"Holly, what can I do for you?" He tried to sound nonchalant.
She reached for the book and took it out of his hands. "It's time, Ollie. In fact, it's been far too long already." She said sitting on his lap with her legs folded, one on each side of him in a most provocative position. She leaned into him most sensually, pressing her breasts against his naked chest. She kissed him, using her tongue to pry open his lips. She continued her onslaught until Oliver could no longer resist her.
After they finished, he pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. He raked his fingers through his hair.
"Didn't you enjoy it, Ollie?" She asked, caressing his back.
He looked back at her. "Honestly, Holly? It was just sex, wasn't it? For a price, I could have that every night of the week."
Holly gasped. "What has happened to you, Oliver? You're not the same man I left behind."
"You mean, the man you used to use and abuse and never asked anything of you in return? Yes, I think you're right. I'm definitely not the same man."
As she got out of bed, she said angrily. "Well, I'm back, Ollie, you might as well get used to it and get on with it."
Oliver looked at her and saw in that instant, the old Holly. No masks, just her same nasty, calculating self. He knew eventually she'd turn up. It had just been a matter of time. That was all he needed to make his mind up.
"No! I don't think so, Holly. We're going to get a divorce." He said calmly.
Holly paled and went white in the face. She couldn't believe her ears. Wringing her hands, she said, "Wait, you don't believe in divorce. God doesn't approve of it or even allow it."
"Is that what you've told yourself, Holly? Since I don't believe in divorce, you can do whatever you like and get away with it? Here is what I really don't believe. I don't believe in remaining in a marriage where the wife has broken every vow she made again and again. God doesn't approve of adultery either. And as for allowing divorce, adultery is the only reason for which divorce is actually approved. It's even encouraged. You need to know your bible better, Holly." He said sarcastically.
Holly looked panicky. "Ollie, you can't do this to me."
"Why not? You don't love me and I certainly don't love you." He fixed his gaze on her trying to understand what her game was.
Out of desperation, Holly blurted out. "We need the money, Ollie… please... please!" She begged.
"We?" He asked her, blankly.
She looked down at the floor, all of a sudden appearing very vulnerable. "I'm sorry, Ollie. I'm pregnant."
His jaw dropped. He looked at her with such an intense enraged look she recoiled in fear. He then said with a voice saturated with contempt. "So let me see if I understand this situation. You had the gall to come here, lie to me, destroy my life, ruin my chances to be with a woman who I deeply love and who loves me back, to get me to pay for another man's child you're carrying?"
She looked at him, but said nothing. Tears started rolling down her face.
He continued with an ice cold voice, "Here's what we are going to do, Holly. I'm taking you to the airport first thing tomorrow morning. I'll buy you a ticket to Paris or any other place on earth you fancy. You will get on that plane and you will never hear from me again. You will however, hear from my lawyer and he will send divorce papers which you will sign. You're not getting a penny from me, Holly. You waived your rights to financial support when you walked away from our marriage almost 4 years ago. In that time, you've had endless affairs, gotten pregnant by another man, and then tried to trick me into taking you back." He glared at her. "Now, get out of my room."
She quickly recovered from her tears. She wiped them away with a quick brush of her fingers as if they were no more than just annoying. Her face hardened and she looked at him, disdain written all over her face. "Fine! Out of this diatribe of yours, you got one thing right; I certainly don't love you."
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Oliver waited for the next three months as the divorce was finalised. Since they'd been separated for almost 4 years, the judge expedited the filing without delay. As soon as it was final, he started to make plans to bring Shane back to Denver.
However, it proved to be harder than he expected, as her friends Becky and Rita were under strict instructions not to divulge her location to him or anyone else. But he knew Rita and Norman's wedding was coming up in a little less than a month and Shane was her maid of honour. He was bound to run into her more than once during the wedding preparations. He just couldn't wait with the anticipation of seeing her again.
On the Monday preceding the wedding, he arrived at work. He was still parking his car in the lot when he saw Rita and Shane walking towards Rita's car. He quickly got out of his car and literally ran towards them, but he missed them. He waved and Rita waved back. Shane just looked blankly at him. No smile, no sign of any emotion or reaction. All he saw was a poker face.