Now and Forever
Chapter 2
Mike stared at the letter in his hand in disbelief. His wife and daughters were alive. They were only a few hours away from him. He sent an email in, saying he was taking time off and a text message to a couple of his friends, explaining where he was going. He stopped at his apartment, packed a bag and got headed to the address Hannah had given him.
He knew his marriage was a disaster. He knew Christine had filed for divorce but it was never finalized, so they were still married. He didn't know why she had hidden herself and the girls but he didn't care. They were alive. That was what mattered most.
He got to the little town late that evening, so instead of waking his 'wife' and daughters, he checked in at a small hotel and settled down, hoping the next night; he would be under the same roof as his daughters. As for Christine, he wasn't sure.
He still loved her and that made him a fool. He still wanted their marriage to work. In the years that had passed, he had done a bit of messing around. He had to be much more discreet. Part of it was loneliness. Part of it was anger but now that he knew Christine was alive, that part of his life was over. He just hoped she would give him another chance.
After a sleepless night, he went to a small diner for breakfast. An older lady got him a menu and a cup of coffee and Mike was reading it when a young woman's voice filled the air.
"Dad?" The young woman asked and Mike looked up. He immediately recognized his oldest daughter.
"Katie!" Mike exclaimed. He stood up and pulled her into a hug. She was wear a waitress's uniform but he didn't care. He had his oldest girl back in his arms.
"We missed you so much. You must have gotten Hannah's letter?" Katie asked as they sat down at Mike's table.
"I did. Is she alright?" Mike asked.
"She is. She's just at school." Katie said.
"And your mom?" Mike asked.
"She's at work. She works at the doctor's office here." Katie answered.
"Good." Mike said.
"Look, Dad…Mom was…mixed up after Lucas died. She should not have kept us from you and we didn't know how to contact you. I know you two had problems but Hannah and I have missed you." Katie explained.
"And your mom?" Mike repeated.
"You know Mom. I'm sure she's missed you in her own way." Katie said as she stood up.
"I hear that. So, I'm sure you have to get back to work. Can I have two eggs, over easy, two pieces of bacon, two sausage links, a biscuit and gravy and hash-browns?" Mike asked.
"Sure." Katie said as she wrote out the ticket. She kissed his cheek before heading into the kitchen. While Mike waited for his breakfast, he remembered back, six years before, to just before he left for the Arctic.
Mike was able to get off work early and wanted to take Christine out for lunch but as soon as he saw his driveway his heart sunk. There was an expensive sports car parked where he usually parked. He parked his beat up truck in the neighbor's driveway and let himself into his house.
The house was quiet except for unmistakable moans coming from his bedroom. He thought about walking back out, but he had known Christine was having an affair for a while. He just hadn't confronted her. That time was now. He opened the bedroom door and cleared his throat.
"Mike! What are you doing home at this time of day?" Christine asked. She had jumped off the bed and threw her robe on, the same one he had bought her the year before for Christmas. He made eye contact with the man and glared at him.
"Get out of my house!" Mike yelled at him. Christine had the good sense to grab his clothes and threw them at the man.
"Go! He could hurt you." Christine insisted. She pushed Mike out of the room while the other man got dressed.
"Funny how you're worried about him." Mike remarked.
"Mike, what are you doing here?" Christine asked again.
"I took the rest of the day off. I had secured babysitting and wanted to take you out for the day." Mike explained.
"Oh." Christine said. The other man snuck out, not that Mike cared.
"That won't be happening now. I suggest you clean yourself and our bedroom up. Or…your bedroom rather." Mike insisted.
"Here you go, Dad." Katie said as she put his food down in front of him.
"This looks good. Thank you, honey." Mike told her.
"So…are you dating anyone…or have someone?" Katie asked as she sat back down across from him.
"No. Never felt right." Mike admitted.
"Mom hasn't either." Katie said.
"That's surprising." Mike remarked, and then remembered that he had resolved that his marital issues would not touch his children years before.
"Yes, I suppose so. So, what's going to happen?" Katie asked with a touch of fear in her voice.
"I don't know, honey. You're eighteen and can choose what is going to happen with you but your sister is still underage. I need to speak with your mom to figure out her trajectory. And Hannah has an opinion in it too." Mike said.
"She's really missed you. I have too, but…we were different. Hannah has missed you." Katie remarked.
"I missed both of you girls." Mike told her. He and Katie had more of a complicated relationship and he did wonder why she hadn't reached out but none of that mattered anymore. They would need to rebuild their relationship and hopefully Christine allowed for it.
"Maybe you and Mom will get back together?" Katie suggested.
"I doubt it but you never know." Mike said. He didn't want to give Katie false hope but he also understood where she was coming from. A part of him had the same hope.