47 comments/ 58262 views/ 12 favorites That Highway 60 Drive By: CarterCounty Copyright February/2011 I wasn't sure which genre to put this story in. I chose Loving Wives because, well you'll see if you read the story. There are no long drawn out sex scenes in this story. For those of you who want that type of story I suggest you read another author's work. Comments and emails with constructive criticisms or critiques are welcome, requested, and appreciated. Of course accolades and praise are welcome and requested too. Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I hope you enjoy the story. ********* I knew it was coming; in my heart I knew it. My mind tried to alleviate my feelings of dread but I knew. I had seen it coming for the last three months; maybe longer. Robin set down across from me at the kitchen table and I knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth to speak. "Will, there's no easy way to say this," Robin began. "We've just been going through the motions for the last year. Neither of us is happy and the only thing we have in common is little William. I think we should separate and get a divorce." Maybe I should have been angry to go along with the hurt of my marriage imploding. But I knew she was right; our lives revolved around our son not each other. What I felt most was a terrible sadness. Sadness for little William that our family was about to be torn apart. Sadness that I was going to be alone for the first time in five years. And sadness that someone I once couldn't live without was now just someone I saw every morning and evening. ********** Robin Adams and I met when her family moved in next door to mine. She was 17, the same age as me and just about the cutest girl I'd ever seen. My mother and father drug me over to help welcome the new family to the neighborhood. "Ralph and Judy, this is our son William," my mother said. I had been taught manners and I stepped forward to shake Mr. Adams' hand. "Will Stewart, it's a pleasure to meet you sir," I said just like I'd been taught. Turning to Judy I added, "Mrs. Adams." The perfect little gentleman I was. "Robin come meet our neighbors," Mrs. Adams called up the stairs. "That's our daughter, she'll be right down." My parents and I turned expectantly toward the stairs. Robin came bouncing, that's the only way to describe it, down the stairs and into the living room. Her smile lit up the room so much I actually turned to see who had turned on the lights. I was 5' 10 and she couldn't have been more than an inch shorter. Her auburn hair flowed around her shoulders like some kind of commercial on TV. As she walked toward my parents, I could see that her eyes were a deep green. I was totally lost and in love. "Hi, I'm Robin," she said to my folks. Having shaking both of their hands she turned to me. "Robin," she said. I could only nod, I was speechless. Finally when my mother nudged me with her elbow I said, "Will." That was the extent of my witty conversation. What an idiot, I thought to myself. She thinks you're a moron. Robin smiled again and stepped closer to me as our parents began to talk. "Meeting new people can be the pits, can't it?" She asked trying to make me feel better. I had to laugh. "Yeah, especially when you get tongue tied," I answered with a smile. The parents went into the kitchen for coffee. Robin snagged a couple of sodas and we sat in the family room. We found that we'd both be juniors at the same high school and we even had a couple of classes together. From that evening on we were an item. Being the new girl and being so pretty, Robin got the rush from all the jocks at school. Every time one of them asked her out she turned them down. If they persisted she turned them down loudly, embarrassing them. Robin told them all that she was my girl. Ralph my best friend and until then my constant companion asked, "What does she see in you? I mean she could have any guy at school but she hooks up with you." He was only half kidding. I think he was jealous because I spent all my free time with Robin now instead of running with him. "She's a sucker for my long dark hair and blue eyes. Robin craves my athletic build," I replied laughing. It was bull at least about my build. I was thin weighing 140 pounds. "Yeah, well I think she was dropped on her head as a baby if she wants you," was his comeback. Strange but after that day, Ralph and I didn't hang out very much. Of course, I didn't hang out very much with any of my old friends. I was always with Robin. She'd tell me to go run with my buddies if I wanted to; I just didn't want to. I preferred to be with her. Robin did develop a strong friendship with two or three girls, but those friendships didn't interfere. We were devoted to each other for our whole senior year. Just before graduation we had two important dates in front of us. Our graduation was in one week and our child would be born in about eight months. Apparently using some form of birth control only 95 percent of the time was not the best way to prevent pregnancy. Robin was terrified until I told her I wasn't going to leave her alone. I told her that whatever we decided to do I would be with her. We told her parents together and then rode over to my house and told mine. As we finished telling my mother and father, the door bell rang. It was the Adams; they had followed us to my house. For the rest of the evening our parents debated, argued, and made suggestions about we should do. Robin and I were sitting together listening to the conversation. After almost an hour, I'd had enough. I stood up and said rather loudly "Quiet". Actually it was more a yell. "The first thing that's gonna happen is that Robin and I will get married." Turning to Robin I added, "If you want to that is." Remember the good manners I'd been taught growing up? Well, another thing my Dad taught me was to face consequences of my actions. "Maybe we were dumb not to take more precautions but that's past now. I can get a job at the auto plant and support Robin and our child." I stopped for a few seconds. "We'll have our family and make a life together." The Adams resumed talking, both at the same time. My Mom joined in with her ideas. My Dad just looked at me and nodded. Later, after Robin and her parents left, he pulled me out onto our front porch. "I'm facing conflicting emotions about your little bombshell tonight," he said. "On the one hand I'm surprised that you'd be dumb enough to forget what we talked about. On the other I'm proud of you for standing up and doing the right thing." He put his hand on my shoulder. "Of the two, I think the pride outshines the other." He patted my shoulder and went back into the house. Our parents threw together a quick little wedding. The only people there were Robin and I and our parents. Robin's mother was sort of her matron of honor and my Dad was my best man. I guess the two sets of parents thought the damage had already been done and now that we were married it was okay for Robin and me to sleep together. They paid for a weekend at a fancy resort for our honeymoon. Our son was born healthy and right on schedule with a minimum of fuss. According to Robin and her mother it was about as easy a birth as possible. Of course by this time I'd been working at the auto plant for over eight months. Jobs at the plant were hard to get but thanks to my Dad's contacts they hired me. I worked hard; first because Robin and I needed the income and mostly because I didn't want to let my Dad down. He'd called in a lot of favors to get me the job. I must have been doing okay because I got a raise after three months and a promotion to the assembly line after six. We were now renting a two bedroom condo instead of being stuffed into a studio apartment. Robin waited until son was two before she went to work. William's hair had a reddish tint at his birth and his eyes were blue. Now his hair was dark, almost black like mine and his eyes were big and brown again like mine. Robin's mother or my mine watched the little guy for us. They both said it was just to help us out but I think it was just an excuse to spend time with their grandchild. Sometimes I had to work with a computer at my job and found I had a knack for it. Robin and I discussed it and I went to school three nights a week to learn about computers, both hardware and software. The classes were a lot of fun but they took time away from Robin and William. After two years of study I got a part time job working for a new computer consulting firm. I worked mostly late afternoons after my factory shift, evenings, and weekends. Again more time away from my family, but the money was good. It was the middle of our fifth year of marriage when I noticed that Robin and I were living more as roommates than as husband and wife. We would kiss each other on the cheek before going to work or when coming home to the condo. No more warm hugs. No more Love You special endearments; just bye Honey see you later. Our sex life dwindled down to two or three times a month but even then the old passion wasn't there. It was almost like we were doing something that was expected of us. There were no big arguments or disagreements or even harsh words but the love that we'd had before and after William's birth wasn't there either. The sad part was that neither of us did anything to make things better. We just drifted on. I knew we couldn't continue like we were for much longer; Robin knew it too. ********** "Did you hear me Will?" Robin asked when I didn't respond to her. "I said I think we should separate and get a divorce," Robin repeated. "I heard you," I replied, sad that it had come to this. But I knew she was right. Still I couldn't let it go without at least trying. "We could get counseling," I suggested. "I could cut back on my hours so we'd have more time for each other." Robin had tears in her eyes and she shook her head no. "Counseling won't help because you've done nothing wrong. All you've ever done is take care of first me and then William." She took my hands in hers, the tears now trickling down her cheeks. "I love you for taking care of me, for not running away when I got pregnant. I love you for working as hard as you do to provide for us but....I'm not in love with you." Robin paused for a few seconds. "We should be a couple but we're two individuals sharing a love for our son. Looking me in the eye, she continued, "I know it sounds strange but do you understand what I mean?" I nodded and squeezed her hand. "I saw this coming, because I feel the same way. I love William, I love that you are such a good mother and take care of me too...but I feel if it wasn't for William we wouldn't have gotten married. Or if we had, we wouldn't have stayed together this long." We stared at each other for a minute and then I pulled her onto my lap and hugged her. She put her arms around my neck and her head on my shoulder. I held her as she cried; I shed tears of my own. After several minutes Robin stood up. "Please get a lawyer and I'll agree to any division of property that you want. The only thing I insist on is primary custody of William." Robin paused and added, "I think a boy his age needs his mother but I'll agree to almost any kind of visitation rights for you." "I don't want to get a couple of legal sharks into this," I replied. "They'll want us to do things that will hurt each other. All they care about is their fee. Make a list of what you need and I'll look it over. If there're any problems we'll find a compromise. Then we can get one attorney to draw up the paper work." We both went in to look at our 5 year old sleeping. As we stood in the doorway of his room, Robin leaned up against me and I put my arm around her. "I'm so sorry Will," she said sadly. "I know, I am too," I replied. Taking a deep breath I added, "I'm not sorry about having William though." Robin smiled for the first time that evening. "No, we can't be sorry to have him in our lives." The next day I postponed my evening meeting with a client and went home early. Maybe if I'd done this more often we wouldn't be splitting up, I thought. No, it would have just put off the ending and made things harder on William. Robin gave me a timid smile when I got home. She fixed dinner and I played with William; something I hadn't done enough over the last two or three years. After dinner Robin put William to bed and I tucked him in. When he was sleeping Robin handed me her list. We sat at the kitchen table and I read it. I finished reading and looked up at her. She was sitting with an expectant look on her face. "I can't agree to this," I said shaking my head. I could see the surprised look on her face and she started to speak. I held up my hand to stop her. "Let's go over this item by item and reach a compromise," I suggested. She sort of slumped back in her chair and nodded. "Okay. You didn't ask for any of the savings or checking accounts. I won't agree to that. You'll take all of the savings and half of the checking account." She opened her mouth and I added, "No arguments please." Robin smiled, leaned forward and asked. "Any other changes?" I nodded and continued. "You'll take my car; it's newer and has fewer miles on it. I want you driving something I can trust not to leave you two stranded somewhere. As far as child support," I began. She leaned even farther closer, waiting for a zinger. "Three hundred a month isn't acceptable." Hesitating for a couple of seconds I said, "I think five hundred a month is closer to what's fair." I didn't wait for her response. "You haven't suggested anything about visitation." Robin shook her head. "I thought you could see William as often as you want to. As long as it doesn't interfere with school, I mean." "Thank you for that Robin." I smiled at her. "It's one of the things the courts will demand be spelled out. So lets' say this. I'll get William two weekends a month and three two week stretches every summer. School vacation is usually 2 and half months, that's ten weeks. I'll take him the first two weeks and we'll alternate for the rest of the summer." I sat back, finished with my adjustments. "Do you agree to my changes?" "But the child support, that's too much," Robin said. "You can't afford that." "I had something to tell you last night too," I replied. "I've been promoted to full time with a bigger salary at the consulting firm. I'll have to quit at the auto plant but it's a big step forward. I was worried about putting in more hours with the new job but now I'll be on my own so it's not a problem." ********** My Dad had a friend, Richard Kline, who is an attorney and we used him for the divorce; it was so cut and dried he only charged us $250.00. Court was a formality and in three months our divorce was final. Every other weekend I picked up William and played Dad. I know it was hard on the little guy but between Robin and I we made sure he knew we still loved him and that he had two parents that needed him; just not two that lived together. Robin and I would have coffee and talk when I brought William home. Once in awhile I stayed overnight with Robin and William, sleeping in a spare bedroom. I don't know long we would have gone on like that but it was bound to come to an end. Robin met someone she became interested in, a guy named Clifford Sims. I was hurt but realized that she, and probably me too, needed to move on. We still had coffee most of the time when I brought William home but I stop having overnights at Robin's place. Robin dated Clifford for a year and then told me that she was going to marry him. She said he was really good with William. "Clifford said to tell you that he wasn't trying to take your place with William but would only give him another person who loved him," Robin told me. It had been two years since our divorce. "I guess this means no more coffee," I said smiling to hide the way I was hurting. "Hope you'll be happy Robin. You deserve it." I hugged her, kissed her cheek and left. Shortly after they married Clifford, as he demanded to be called, was transferred by his employer to a town about two hours drive away. Robin and William of course moved with him. It made my weekends a little more difficult but I didn't mind, I still got to see and spend time with my son. ********** Things went good for a year after Robin moved. I would make the Highway 60 drive for two hours and pick up William on Friday afternoon. I would spend the weekend entertaining him and being entertained by him. Then I would make the four hour round trip to take him home. The first weekend of the month I would give him an envelope with the check for child support to give to Robin. We'd found that my walking William to the door sometimes caused a little tension in their household so I didn't' go to the door anymore. Robin would come out onto the porch of their house and wave at me when I dropped William off. A few times she wouldn't look up she would just wave. I never thought anything about it until the end of that summer. The last two week session of the summer with my son was just about over. I had bought a little summer place on a lake and William and I were getting in one more day of fishing before I took him home. "Dad, do I have to go back to Clifford's?" "Don't you want to see your mom?" "Well...yeah. But I don't want to see Clifford," he replied. "Why's that William?" "He told me I have to call him Dad. He's not my Dad, you are," William said in an angry voice. "When did he say you had to call him Dad?" "For the last month, he's told me I should and just before you picked me up this time he said when I came back I had to call him Dad. He said that if I didn't I would be punished." "What does your mom say about it?" I asked trying to mask the anger I was feeling. Threaten my son, not a good move on your part Clifford, I thought. William hesitated as if afraid. After a minute or so he said, "Mom doesn't say much to Clifford." William was sitting on the front bench in the small boat and turned to look at me. "Mom cries a lot and sometimes she has marks on her face and arms. She tells me the marks were caused when she walked into something or fell down but I know Clifford is hitting her." I was...shocked is the word I guess. Robin had never been the type to back down; she'd always stood up for herself. "The last time you gave me the envelope for Mom, Clifford grabbed it out of her hands," William continued. "When she said that it was for me, he slapped her and said he'd decide who it was for." "Damn," I said softly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner about Clifford hitting you mother?" "I didn't want to cause trouble between you and Mom. I thought you might be mad at her for letting Clifford take the envelope." "Listen William," I said as I turned him completely around to face me. "The envelope's not important. Clifford hitting your mom is." He nodded and sort of hung his head. "Look at me," I softly ordered. William raised his head, "You did the right thing to tell me about it. You did good son. William's smile lit up the whole lake and he jumped into my lap hugging me. "Take it easy son, you'll capsize the boat," I chuckled but hugged him right back. "Let's plan on you staying with me a little longer, at least until I've had a chance to talk to your mom." William nodded so hard I thought his head would fall off. We took turns rowing the boat back to my dock with William smiling the whole way. I'll take care of this, I thought as I took my turn rowing. You can be damn well be sure I'll take care of this. Instead of heading for Clifford and Robin's, first I took William to my parent's house. I pulled my Dad aside and explained what William had told me. "What are you going to do Will?" My Dad asked. "Do you think it's a good idea for you to get involved? Maybe you should call the police or Child Protective Services." That Highway 60 Drive "Dad, I won't wait for them to do an investigation while he's still beating on Robin. What's worse he threatened William. If he wants to beat on someone I'll give him another target." "Be careful son," Dad warned me. "You come between a man and his wife and you could end up in jail." "I might, but he won't be hitting Robin for a while or William either." Dad looked at me hearing the anger in my voice and seeing the hard look in my eyes. He nodded and repeated, "Just be careful son." "I won't stand by while he beats on Robin. I won't put up with him threatening my son. And I'll be damned if he's going to use my child support payments for his own purposes." "Well...I'll be here if you need me," Dad told me. As I was leaving, my Mom stepped over to me. "Will, you have to get Robin out of there. I know she's not your wife anymore but she's still your son's mother. Don't let that ass keep abusing her." I almost smiled. My mom never said an unkind word about anybody. For her to call Clifford an ass showed how upset she was. "Okay Mom, I'll bring Robin back with me. Can she and William stay with you until we get this settled?" "Of course they can stay with us. Bring her home Will," Mom ordered. I started the two hour drive on Highway 60. Thankfully there didn't seem to be any Highway Patrol troopers on the road that evening. My big Ford truck ate up the miles and I pulled up in front of Robin's in just over an hour and a quarter. Walking up to the door I tried to calm myself. I was just going to offer to take Robin with me, I told myself. But I almost hoped Clifford would try to stop her. I knocked and Robin opened the door. She was surprised to see me standing there. I was surprised to see the black eye she was sporting. "Where's William?" She asked. "He's at my folks place," I answered. "After what he told me today, I won't bring him back here." From back in the house I heard Clifford yell, "Who is it Robin. If that's William tell him to get his butt in here." "Robin, get in my truck," I ordered softly so only she could hear me. "I'll take you to our son." "But my things, William's things," she protested. "Leave them. We can replace them." Looking her in the eye I said, "I won't leave you here with that piece of crap. Get in the truck." She gave me a small smile and scurried to the truck. Clifford came from back in the house and saw Robin get into my truck. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked. "That's my wife." "Not for long asshole. I'm taking her out of here and she won't be back," I told him. "Damned if you will. I'll kick your ass first," he said. "I'm not a woman that you can slap around," I said as I motioned for him to come ahead. "C'mon let's party." Clifford was about 6' 3, five inches taller than me and he outweighed me by at least 30 pounds. I guess he thought with his size he could bull his way over me. But when he threw a punch and tried to push past me, I hit him with a short right hand. He fell backwards into the house and went down holding his nose as blood sprayed all over him. "Get up, I enjoyed that," I taunted him. "Let's dance some more." He roared, stood up, and charged me. A left jab to his chin followed by a fist into his gut put him down. And this time he was slower to get up. I motioned for him again and he approached me more cautiously. I let him grab my shirt and pull me in close so he could use his height and weight to his advantage. I rammed the top of my head into his chin and I put a knee into his crotch. Clifford let go of my shirt and started to slump. I stepped to the side and bounced a punch off his chin. Clifford went done hard and I stepped toward him. Stop it, I told myself. You'll kill him if you keep this up. Instead of doing more damage, I bent over him. "If I ever see you around Robin or William, this will be like a love tap. You leave them alone He spit some blood and said, "I'll have the cops on you before you get out of town." "Maybe so but think about this," I suggest and tapped the side of his nose. "Who'll believe that a little guy like me beat the hell out of a big guy like you? And if they do and I get arrested, I'll get out of jail sometime. I've got no police record, not even a parking ticket so I might even get probation. Either way I'll be back for you. And the next time I'll put you down for good." "If you kill me you'll get life or the death penalty," he whined. "It won't matter much to you, now will it?" Grabbing his hair I shook him. "Do you hear me Clifford? Do you understand?" He nodded as all the fight went out of him. "Say it, say you understand," I ordered and tapped the side of his nose again. "Oh hell, stop please. Yes I understand," he cried. I bounced his head on the floor and walked to my truck. Robin was huddled in the passenger seat. The big Ford started with a roar and I spun the tires as I floored it. I took a little longer getting back to my parent's house than I had on the trip to Robin's. The whole way I watched in my rearview mirror for the police. I never saw a one; I guess Clifford took my warning to heart. When I pulled up in front of Dad's place, William came running out. Robin jumped out of the truck before it came to a full stop. Dropping to her knees she pulled William to her. I stood and watched them with tears in my eyes. "Have any trouble son?" My dad asked. "Nope, I persuaded Clifford that Robin should come with me and that was that," I answered. My dad looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "I think the broken nose I gave him may have helped him with his decision." Robin and William were so involved with each other that they didn't hear me. My dad gathered Robin and William and took them into the house. Mom was at the door waiting and took Robin in her arms. "You poor baby," Mom said and led Robin into the kitchen. I knew that Robin and William would be okay with my folks so I told them I would see them after work tomorrow. "We can discuss what you want to do and how we can get it done." Robin looked at me in surprise. "But we're divorced, I left you. Why would you help me?" I smiled at her. "I won't leave my son or you in that situation. You can decide what you want and I'll, I mean we'll, help you," I told her pointing to Dad and Mom. I kissed Robin's cheek and said, "See you tomorrow evening." The next evening I entered my parent's house. Dad met me at the door and handed me a beer. "You might need this when you hear Robin's story," he said and pointed toward the kitchen. Robin and Mom were seated at the table. "We have already eaten so sit down sonny and I'll get you some dinner," Mom told me. I nodded, smiled at Robin and sat down. Mom slid a full plate of food in front of me. She'd made my favorite; meatloaf with grilled onions, mashed potatoes and milk gravy. A big freshly baked biscuit with butter spread in the middle. Good thing I don't eat like this every night, I thought. I'd be so big I'd have to use a wheel barrel to push my belly around. "Where's William?" I asked as I dug in to the plate with enough food to feed a small city. Mom sighed and then laughed. "Your father decided that the boy needed a new Xbox 3 something or other and took him out to get one this afternoon." "We haven't been able to pry William loose from it; nor your dad," Robin added. "In fact when your dad brought you that beer is the first time he's been away from it." "You should stop by for meals more often," Mom suggested. "Every evening would be good." "Thanks Mom but I've got my own place and I work a lot of evenings," I replied. Seeing her disappointed look I said, "Let's compromise on twice a week. I'll let you know which days I can be here each Monday." "Please come as often as you can," Robin said. "William would love to see you more." "Just William?" I asked. Then realizing the pressure I was putting on Robin, I said, "Sorry, that wasn't fair." I heard Robin say in a very soft voice, almost to herself, "Me too." Clearing my throat I asked Robin, "What do you want to do now? You want to go back to Clifford and get some counseling, or you want him arrested, or do you want out of there?" "I haven't thought that far ahead yet," she answered. "All I could think about last night was getting out of there before he could hurt me again." "Okay, you think about it for a day or two and when I come back for the next dinner we'll talk about it. I'm going to see William for a few minutes and then I've got work to do. See you guys on Wednesday." Mom tried to kill me with food again when I came to dinner Wednesday after work. I took a shower and changed into jeans and a polo shirt that I'd purposely left at my parent's. This time it was a pot roast with baby Red potatoes, fresh corn cut off the cob, and green beans cooked with bacon. After dinner Mom shooed Robin and I out of the kitchen. "You two go into the den to talk. William and your father are already back at that video game so you've got all night if need be. Robin be sure to tell Will about the pictures I took of all your bruises and black eye before they faded." Robin and I took our coffee into the den and sat on the sofa. Her black eye was now sickly green and yellow in color. I turned to her but before I could ask her plans, Dad came into the room. "Excuse me for interrupting," he said. "Just one thing and I'll leave you alone." We both nodded and he continued, "It's really none of my business but Robin if you decide to leave that asshole you can stay with us until hell freezes over if you want." Robin started to protest but Dad held up his hand and stopped her. "We've got five bedrooms and nobody to use them. You and William can have your own room without crowding us. Besides I'll get to spend more time with my grandson," he said. "Sorry, I wanted you to know you wouldn't be on your own." Robin got tears in her eyes, stood and walked to my dad. She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Thank you Dad," she said with a smile. Dad patted her on the shoulder. "Got to get back. William and I are about to defeat the Galactic Warlord." She chuckled and rejoined me on the sofa. Robin turned and nodded at me as if to say 'let's get to it'. "Why did Clifford start abusing you? Was he always like that?" "No, he seemed to be a good guy when we first met and when we were dating," Robin replied. "He was good to me and to William." She stopped looked down at the floor and said softly, "I guess it was my fault that he changed." "Why would you say that? It wasn't your fault. No matter what you did or said, it wasn't your fault," I responded with more than a little anger toward Clifford. "There's no excuse or reason for a man to hit a woman." Robin smiled and patted my arm to calm me down. "I think Clifford got jealous. He once said something about what a loser you were to have let me go and I sort of teed off on him." She looked at me with a grin. "He knew you and I had gotten married because I was pregnant with William. I told him that not many men would have faced his responsibilities like you did." I nodded and had to smile. It's always nice to hear that someone understands when you do something right and thinks highly of you. "We had a little spat about you. I told him you were a good man and a great father," Robin continued. "That evening I told him to never bad mouth you again. I think that night was the start of it." My mom knocked softly on the door and came into the den. "Thought you might like some more coffee," she said as she set fresh cups of coffee on the table in front of the sofa. She picked up the empty cups and left, closing the door behind her. "William would come home from his visits with you and tell me about the good time he'd had. Or he'd come back a little peeved because you wouldn't let him get away with anything. William would sometimes complain that it was like having me look over his shoulder." Robin grinned. "William complained but he was proud that he had two parents that loved him enough to make him behave. None of this set well with Clifford. Then he lost his job and things got worse. She stopped and sighed. "I offered to go back to work but he didn't want me too. When I tried to argue with him, he got really mad. That was the first time he hit me. Everything went to hell after that." "It's none of my business, but why did you marry him?" I asked. "After we split up I got scared. I'd never been on my own before." I started to protest and she put her hand on my arm again. "I know. You were always there if I needed you but it wasn't the same. I was juggling raising William and my job. I had to make all the decisions by myself and I was overwhelmed." Robin took a deep breath. "Clifford was nice to me. When we started dating he would do little things around the apartment and offer suggestions to some of the everyday problems that I was facing. When he asked me to marry him, I thought why not. I didn't love him the way I had you," when Robin said this she looked to see my reaction. "But I was fond of him and thought we could have a good life together. Robin sighed again and hung her head. "Once the newness of the relationship wore off, I realized that I'd made a mistake. I decided to try and make the best of it. Not because I loved him but because I didn't want to be alone again." "You should have talked to me. You should have told me how close to the edge you were." Robin shook her head. "Maybe but I couldn't come running back to you. I, we'd, made our decision to separate and there was no going back. At least not in my mind." I nodded. "Okay, it's in the past. What do you want to do now? Robin shrugged. "Only thing I know is that I can't live with Clifford anymore. Guess it means another divorce because I won't put William in jeopardy." We were both quiet sipping our coffee. After a couple of minutes I decided what needed to be done. "Okay, we'll call Mr. Kline, that attorney that handled our divorce," I told her. "He'll draw up divorce papers for you against Clifford and see that he's served. Then you and William can stay with my folks until you get back on your feet or if Mom has her way you'll stay forever," I added with a grin. "Clifford will never agree to a divorce. He's too proud to admit he can't handle his woman." "This is a no fault state and he will sign the papers unless he wants be charged with spousal abuse." Robin raised her head at that statement. Will said, "We'll tell him to sign or you'll bring charges against him." Several days later I was in my truck on the way to Clifford's house. Robin was seated next to me. Following us in his patrol car was Deputy Sheriff Boyd Jenkins. Boyd and I had grown up together, gone to school together, and before he became the law, got drunk together. He was a close friend. Boyd was also 6' 6 and 265 pounds. When we arrived at Clifford's, Robin and I followed Boyd to the front door. Boyd didn't knock, he beat on the door with a big ham like fist. Clifford threw open the door but stepped back a little when he saw the giant lawman. "Are you Clifford Sims?" Boyd asked. Clifford nodded. Boyd handed him a large envelope and said, "You've been served." Clifford looked down at the divorce decree and when he looked up he noticed Robin and me behind Boyd. "You bitch," he yelled and took a step toward Robin. Before I could get involved Boyd put a big hand in Clifford's chest and pushed him back. "There is also a court order in that envelope. It states that you will allow Mrs. Sims to gather her and her son's belongings. It also says you will stay 500 feet away from her and William or face arrest. I suggest you go sit down until Mrs. Sims is finished." "I won't sign," Clifford almost shouted. "I'll fight it until you come to your senses." Boyd looked at me and shrugged. "Clifford if you don't sign Robin will have you arrested for beating her," I told him barely containing my anger. "We got pictures of her injuries and a sworn statement from William that he saw you hit his mother." I stopped and took a deep breath. "Just sign the damn papers Clifford." Robin spoke for the first time. "I'm not asking for anything much Clifford. You can stay in the house, keep the furniture and whatever money is in the bank. All I want are my things and out of this marriage." He looked at Robin and saw the determined look on her face. Clifford sort of wilted and stepped back away from the door. He went into the living room and sat down. Robin, Boyd and I packed the things she wanted to take with her and within an hour loaded them in my pickup. Clifford watched and stared at Robin with hate in his eyes. A couple of times he started to speak but didn't. Robin was already in my truck and Boyd watched as I brought the last box to the door. "Clifford," I called. He looked up. "Remember what I told you. If I catch you around Robin again, I'll....well you won't like the consequences." "You heard him Deputy. He threatened me." Boyd gave Clifford a small smile. "All I heard was some good advice Mr. Sims. I suggest you take it." Boyd shut the door behind me. ********** Robin and William lived with my folks for almost a year. I was over for dinner at least twice a week and spent several weekends there. I got to spend more time with my son, which was a good thing. Robin got her old job back and found a condo that she could afford. I helped with the down payment. After all William needed a nice place to live. Mom was very sad to see Robin and William move out. She was even sadder that they weren't moving back in with me. I got to spend a lot of time with Robin and we even went on a few actual dates. After a while we realized that the reasons we'd split up were still valid. Our marriage was based on William. We had loved each other but weren't in love with each other any more and couldn't force it. Robin will always have a place in my heart, but not as the woman I wanted to spend my life with. About six months after getting her own place Robin started dating again. I knew the guy very well. It was Boyd Jenkins. He came to see me before he asked her out saying he felt funny about dating my ex. I assured him that it would be okay. They've been dating for about six months now. I don't know if they'll get married but they both could do a lot worse. They're both good people and deserve to be happy. I decided that I needed to move on too so I've been dating a few different women. Nobody special but at least I've starting the recovery process. Hopefully I'll find someone to care for soon.