I decided to take a lover that Spring out of sheer boredom. Because the town we live in is small, or perhaps just fate, my had taken a lover as well. The same person. It did not end well for that one.
After the kids had left the house, alone in our togetherness, I decided to leave Sheila. I plopped my self into the breakfast nook and told her as much.
She burst out laughing and then pointed the tear stained letter she had shoved under my poached eggs. Her note asking me for a divorce. We laughed until we cried. Then we fucked like bunnies.
What to do with the years we had left?
She kissed me once on the lips, then puttered around the kitchen. She
kissed me again and leaned for upstairs but leaned back and kissed me on
the nose.
I walk our dog, Marmoset before bed.
This was a life in a nutshell. She provided love and nurturing. She made our place a home. I did what need doing.
After circling the block and letting Marmoset pee on every other lawn, I
brought him in, took off my baseball cap and hung it on the back of the
kitchen door. I didn't like working with things on my head.
With my hat in its place, I feel free. I pulled my shotgun from the hall
tree, and slung over my shoulder with the knowledge that every man
prostitutes himself just a little. My form was no worse or better than
scraping coal from a whole in the ground.
I drove our little VW bug to corner of MLK and 5th and went over the plan once more in my head.
Come in from east side of the Circle K. The light will be in their eyes.
Shoot low so as to wound, the screams will make the week lemmings leave
the pack. Shoot high to get the camera hanging on the storefront. Grab
the bags. Don't look in the bags till I get home. It's the same routine,
but I always repeat it to myself.
I was home before eleven and I was up before dawn the next day. We all have a routine. That saves the years from ourselves.