Page 130 of Grown-Up Second Chance

With tears in my eyes, I opened the box and stared at the earrings. The light glinting off them made them even more beautiful than I remembered. I undid the earrings I had on and replaced them.

He nodded, his smile broad. There was a glint of moisture in his eye as well.

“Thank you,” I said and reached for his hand.

His fingers grasped mine, and he rubbed his thumb lightly on my skin. For a while we sat quietly like that, savoring the moment, one of the remaining few we had left as life edged further into its second half.

That was the thing with being older. Time became more precious than it had ever been in our spendthrift youth. The right decisions had to be chosen carefully, but not so carefully as to leave no time for their enjoyment.

“Am I interrupting something?” the waiter asked as he stood there with our burgers.

We released our hands like giddy teens, and he put the plates down.

~ ~ ~

We sat on a bench watching the stars appear in the night sky before taking the drive home. Joe had his arm around me, and I was comfortable with my head on his chest.

“I’ve thought all day about how to tell you this. I haven’t admitted it aloud to anyone before.”

I put my hand on his chest, to reassure him. The warmth of his skin comforted me as well.

“Patti and I had a good marriage. I thought it was a great one. Right up until the time I found out.”

Realization was starting to dawn.

“Patti lost her way,” Joe said.

I stayed still.

“Apparently, she resented marrying so early. She felt she’d never had a chance to see what other relationships were like. She hated being tied down with kids so early. But she never expressed any of this to me.”

I began to dread what he was going to tell me.

“One day at church, the marriage banns were read for one of the parishioners, a banker who’d been divorced ten years before he proposed to a young woman in his bank. He was a very active member of the church, serving as a trustee.” Joe swallowed. “I thought he’d be single for the rest of his life. I suspected he was a player, fooling around with anyone who would take a chance. I just never realized he’d do it with my wife.”

A sound like an injured puppy came from his throat.

“Patti was in tears when we came home from church that day. It took me hours to get her to tell me what was wrong. And then … and then … I was so angry … I got in the car and drove away. I drove for hours. No idea where I went.”

“They had an affair?” I supplied.

He nodded.

“Several years long.” A tear made its way down his cheek.

“I’m so sorry, Joe. So very sorry.”

We sat like that for a long while, deriving comfort from our nearness and the silence.

“I forgave her,” he said. “I had to. For my sake and the kids. But it was never the same. And as much as I tried, I could never make love to her again.”

“Oh my god, Joe. I’m so sorry.”

We sat like that for a while, just holding each other, letting the night sky and each other’s touch ease the agony we’d both experienced.

He shifted so he could look directly at me. “Making love to you is a hurdle I need to get over because you deserve it. And I’m determined to give it to you. I promise.”

As he lowered his head to kiss me, both of us cried quietly for the pain we’d had in the past. Pain that needed to be released before we could step freely into the future.

---