My phone rang at 11:45 yesterday morning. It was my friend, Giselle. "What are you doing for lunch?" she asked.
"Right now?" I answered, peering at my computer screen bleerily.
"Yeah, right now!" she answered. "Can you meet me for lunch? I have some wonderful news to tell you!"
"OK," I said, standing up and stretching. "Where are we going? Cafe Francois?" Cafe Francois is her usual favorite.
"Yes! Or anywhere else you want," she said blithely.
"Cafe Francois, in 20 minutes," I said.
I hung up, changed quickly out of my workout pants and mini-tee into jeans and a designer shirt, slipped on some fancy sandals, and was in Cafe Francois within 20 minutes. Coming in from the bright Florida outdoors, it took a moment to adjust to the darkened atmosphere of the restaurant but I saw Giselle waving to me like a mad woman. I walked over and slid into the booth opposite her.
She was on the phone, rapid-fire chatting. Typical Giselle. She held her hand over the phone briefly and whispered "I'm having a drink to celebrate!"
I took that as a suggestion to have one myself and when the waiter came over, I asked him what she was having. "A margherita," he answered. "Good. Get me one too," I said decisively.
By the time the waiter returned with the margheritas, Giselle had just hung up the phone. "Sorry," she said. I waived it away. I knew it was business. "You are such a great friend," she said. "I call you last minute, and here you are." I smiled.
"What are we celebrating?" I asked as we raised our glasses to each other.
"The divorce is final, and I got everything I wanted," she said, triumphantly.
I almost dropped the margherita. "You're kidding!" I said, incredulously.
"Nope," she answered. "And it's all due to something he lied to, under oath, in discovery. Once he realized he'd been caught, he didn't have a lotta choice."
This was wonderful news. Her (now) ex-husband had been verbally abusive to both her and her son, as well as physically abusive to her son. When he had hit her child, that had been the final straw which began her very stressful divorce.
Giselle finally looked relaxed, although many months of tension had given her an edgy look. We discussed the settlement in detail, discussed our families, and two hours flew by quickly. As we were leaving, she suddenly grew very serious. "There's only one thing I'm afraid of," she said. "Not terribly afraid, but I think about it quite a bit."
"What is it?" I asked.
"What if he comes after me, now?" said Giselle, quietly. "You know he's capable of it. What will happen to my kids?" I'm not someone who pooh-poohs such things. I know they happen, and I know he's capable of it. I just looked at her.
"Promise me that if I come up missing or dead, you'll pursue that son-of-a-bitch to the grave," she said. "Please, promise me."
"I will," I said. "You know I will."
She nodded, and we went back to chatting about other things, and made plans to get together over the weekend with the kids.
"See you!" she hugged me, then walked away waving.
"Bye, hon! See you this weekend," I said, waving too as I walked away in the opposite direction.
It's not every day you get to celebrate a divorce.
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25 comments:
Geesh! Sound like the beginning of a Dateline murder mystery. I certainly hope the creep stays away from her.
I was too young to remember the details of my parent's divorce but I don't think there was much to fight over. My father simply up and walked away. Now over a quarter of a century later, I think it was all for the best.
Hope everything works out with your friend.
Mike, it IS sad, isn't it? The guy has sooo many problems, and as trite as it sounds, most stem from his childhood and poor parenting. That's often the case, actually. But it's his fault NOW. We all must take responsibility for our own actions.
Ed, she's very positive, overall, and anxious to put it all behind her. Let's hope she can! I think, ultimately, that he's too fond of his own hide to go after hers. *knock on wood*
Back from a rough couple of days.....zzzzzz~^~stretch~^~yawn~^~^....Good morning!
As for your post....Oh geez Saur. That's some situation she's in--but maybe that can be all in her mind? The most timid and introverted people are capable of a lot of things---beyond what one can expect...so you never know with anyone. It is a scary thought though.
I'm sorry your friend is going through this. You're a great friend to have rushed out to meet her like that and to be there for her.
Let us know how everything goes... I feel bad for your friend.
I'll have a drink this morning for breakfast to continue the celebration!
I'm with ya Uncle Joe---bring out the bloody marys!
I need AA....bad, don't I? ....*sigh*
Deb & Unca Joe, by all means, have one! Deb, we'll deal with the issues later. ;o)
Well, it would be nice to think it's all in her head, but he IS capable of it. However, he could've been MUCH more abusive than he was, she stopped everything the moment he hit her son, and they've done their best to be amicable throughout so I have great hopes that this will be the true end of it. But no guarantees.
I celebrate my divorce everyday! It's been about 15 years now!
~Mike
Well, never having been divorced, I cannot relate with personl experience, but know many men and women who consider it a blessing to be divorced.
It is nice that your friend shared this special moment with you, Saur.
Barb, I think so! Better than a birthday, truthfully!
Mike A, I do too! ;o)
I hated that feeling she had (I had it too when I got my first divorce) you never know how someone will snap. I wish her the best!
good for your friend. I am sorry she even has to worry about him snapping tho, that must be so stressful for her. I wish her the best, she is lucky to have such a supportive friend.
Wow...I hope she stays safe...some guys just go completely nuts in a divorce. Like what was mentioned earlier...to bad some men can't act the part.
Sounds like the happiest ending one could hope for. Best wishes to her.
Jessica, thanks! She'll do well, I think. She's a highly successful woman.
Mike, My experience may be more limited than I thought at one time, because I've continued to be very disappointed by men. So, I'm thinking that MOST men are immature and of poor relationship quality, although I realize there are exceptions. It's very sad to see the state we've come to as a nation.
KristieD and Some Random Girl, I never had it with my ex-husband (at least I don't recall it) but I've had it more recently. It IS a tough thing to live with.
Glad you could celebrate with her. I would think of it as toasting to her happiness, rather than to her divorce, even if it is the source of her happiness! It seems much more pleasant that way:)
I hope you're not saying YOU are worried "someone" might snap. Wishing you and your friend the best --
Not completely off topic, but you are a great writer!
Congrats to your friend. She's lucky he messed up under oath I guess.
I guess there's always restraining orders if her ex gets funky. Let's hope she doesn't need it, though.
Cheers,
Beav'
Hopefully she can move on with her life and build a great foundation for her and her son.
And hopefully the SOB is smart enough to stay away from her.
Luckily Giselle has Dr. Saur on her side. Good for you to be available for lunch, celebration, and a shoulder, and I'm sure you set her mind at considerable ease just with your promise. You are a good friend indeed!
Tell her that prayers are being said for ex-hubby to just fade into the background. He sounds like such an idiot.
I can not even imagine.....
The scary thing is that there are people like that who do seek revenge on their ex spouses. I hope your friend truly is scott-free of her ex. It sounds like she and her son have been through more than enough.
Cheers!
Saur,
Zoloft makes people celebrate events that Kool and the Gang didn’t intend to have celebrated.
I think all women should have to read Cosmo for a whole year before they make a commitment to marriage. Mainstream women seem to be turning their back on the importance of good food and sex to the longevity of marriage.
I see so many women who have experienced what you describe here turn to lesbianism. Unfortunately all too often the rebounding woman usually falls for a dominating butch type. It’s a phenomenon that the CDC continues to study and early indications relate it to damaged nerve impulses in the frontal and parietal lobes.
She’s lucky to have you as a friend.
Good news for your friend! *Here's to her divorce, and her new life, and your friendship!*
That is rather depressing.
R2K
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