Rebound
Authors: Nikki Mathis Thompson
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Women's Fiction, #Contemporary Women, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Contemporary Fiction, #Humor, #Romantic Comedy
Contents
Rebound
Copyright © 2013
Published by Nikki Mathis Thompson
All rights reserved.
For Millie and my mom.
“A woman is like a teabag; You never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”
Elleanor Roosevelt
Prologue
Katrine was reading in her favorite chair when she heard him call her name. She finished the page and sighed, reluctantly closing her book. He wasn’t usually home to interrupt her daily ritual, but since he had a rare morning off, she would forgive the intrusion. Humming softly, she made her way towards the living room. The morning sun was streaming through the windows down onto the plush tan couch where her husband waited. She leaned against the door frame for a moment and couldn’t help but smile.
“You know Dr. Foster, you are a very handsome man.”
As she passed the heavy oak coffee table, he raised his head. The look on his face stopped her mid-step.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” she asked with concern.
“Come, sit down, ” he said softly, patting the cushion beside him.
He took a deep breath and said,“I don’t know how to say this, so I am just going to come right out with it. ”
Despite his declaration, he didn’t come right out with it. He just looked down at his hands and fanned out his fingers, then started to slowly rub his thighs. She caressed his shoulder and hoped it would give him comfort. Katrine noticed that her husband’s eyes were shining with moisture. Her heart started to flutter and pound in her chest. The news was bad, but for the life of her she had no idea what it could be.
“You’re starting to scare me. Just say it, please. I can take it,” she assured him.
A few more minutes passed and she started to wonder who had died. That had to be it. What else would have him so distraught.
“I want a divorce.” he said finally.
She furrowed her brows, and gave him a wary look.
“That’s not even remotely funny, David.”
“I’m serious, Katrine. I find nothing amusing about this scenario, not in the least. I’ve been waiting for the appropriate time to talk to you about this, but I don’t think it exists.” He rubbed his hand roughly over his face.
“You are the mother of my son, the last thing I want to do is cause you pain. But…life is short, too much so to go through the motions. And that is exactly what I’ve been doing. You too, Katrine. Don’t bother denying it. It hasn’t been good between us for a long time. I want a wife, not a roommate.”
He paused and looked at her, his eyes softened. “When I met you, I thought you were the love of my life. You were unlike anyone I had ever met. But maybe we both changed. We just grew apart.”
He watched her for a few moments waiting for a reaction, but she didn’t speak.
“Katrine, are you listening? Katrine!” he said a little louder and touched her shoulder.
“What? Sorry, yes, I was listening. You were just giving me the amazing reasons why you want to end our thirteen-year marriage. Life is too short, grown apart and going through the motions. When in doubt, use clichés.”
He gave her a look, one that said her sarcasm was not appreciated. She hated when he gave her that look.
“David, why am I just hearing about this? I didn’t know you were so unhappy. Sure, you’ve been distracted and we don’t get to spend much time together, but I just thought you were busy with the new practice. Come on, you can’t just give up without trying.”
She put her hand on his arm. “I know! Let’s take a romantic vacation. We haven’t been anywhere in ages. A little sand, some frozen drinks, doesn’t that sound nice? We just need to reconnect and relax, that’s all. Everything will be okay, I know it.” She paused to gauge his reaction. When he didn’t object, she joked, “Unless your replacing me with someone else.”
Katrine chuckled. That was unfathomable. When would he have had the time? But when he looked down at his hands again, her stomach dropped.
It always surprised her that some of the most irrefutable truths were delivered by silence.
“I can’t believe this is happening...How did I not know? I should have known, right? I am so stupid,” she whispered to herself.
She sat still as a stone for several minutes and watched the tiny specs of dust drift slowly in the light. What emotion was she supposed to be feeling right now? Anger? Despair? Panic? All she felt was numb.
She put her hands to her forehead and dropped her chin to her chest. Her toes were freshly painted in a deep crimson. David loved red. Just beyond her feet was a large rug and her eyes were drawn to the pattern. The colors began to swirl and blur, as her vision went in and out of focus. He gently pulled her hands away from her face and she was forced to look into his eyes. Katrine blinked her eyes several times, then gazed at the face she knew better than her own. She was trying to remember him, as he was. The man she trusted and committed herself to. If she could tap into the love she had for him, maybe she could get past all of this. But there was nothing, nothing but a feeling of disgust and betrayal.
“For what it’s worth, I haven’t slept with her. I respect you too much for that.”
She was not expecting that either and his declaration left her a little confounded.
Ahhh honey, that is so thoughtful. As far as cheating pricks go, you get a gold star.
Would you like a pat on the back, or perhaps a celibacy cookie?
Well wasn’t this a morning full of surprises, the kick you while you’re down, thank you sir may I have another kind. Divorce was bad enough, but he was seeing someone else. There was no fixing this, not now, not ever. The numbness started to dissipate and the anger kicked in.
“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? ALL OF THIS TIME BEHIND MY BACK. YOU ARE A CHEATER AND A LIAR!!! WE ARE A FAMILY! HOW COULD YOU THROW THAT AWAY?” she yelled, tears dripping from her cheeks. She forcefully pulled her hands from his grasp. Her fists were gripped so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms and her body began to tremble. In her mind she slapped him, clawed his face, and pounded him in his man bits, that he so graciously kept in his pants... But in reality, she did none of those things.
She slowly wiped the tears from her face. Miraculously, her legs managed to hold her upright as she rose from the couch. She took the deepest breath her lungs would allow and walked out of the room.
Chapter 1
“How are you feeling today?” Maddie asked as she tucked her long legs underneath the kitchen table. Her wavy brown hair was stacked on the top of her head and she was sporting her very classy “trust me I’m a virgin” t-shirt. “You’re looking really good, sis.”
“I’m good. And thank you, the depression-induced famine diet has worked wonders on my love handles.” Katrine smirked.
“I was worried about you there for a while.” Maddie said as she squeezed her sister’s hand. “I really need things to get back to normal. I’m supposed to be the emotional mess and you’re supposed to be the reliable rock to which I cling,”
Katrine grinned. The support from Maddie and her friends had kept Katrine from the three o’clock check in at the looney bin. Most of the time it wasn’t that bad. But some days it had felt like a yoga pants, straight jacket combo would have been appropriate attire.
“No worries Mads, I almost feel like a normal human being again. No more fetal position for me! Besides, I was starting to get tile marks on my ass. That bathroom floor is so not comfortable.” Katrine could not have joked six months ago, when just getting out of bed had been a struggle. Thinking back to those first weeks after David’s departure made her cringe. The memory of the pain was still palpable.
The alarm would go off. She would roll out of bed and brush her teeth. She would drop Teddy off at school, sometimes still wearing what she had slept in the night before. She would give him a kiss and tell him to have a wonderful day, a smile plastered on her lips. The minute he got out of the car the smile would vanish. She would drive straight home and crawl back into bed, finding solace in the warm covers. There she would stay, until it was time to pick him up. And that was her wretched routine for weeks. Ultimately it was her son that galvanized her to join the world of the emotionally stable. The poor kid needed her, not some pod person masquerading as his mom.
“I heard someone say that divorce is one of the hardest things to get over. It’s like a death in a way. I honestly wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy. With that said, I refuse to spend one more minute of my life wallowing. I have to put on my big girl panties and move the hell on!” She yelled and then let out a sigh. “You know, now that I have made it through the worst of it, I think I could handle almost anything. I’m gonna be okay.”
“I know you are.”
Her sister gave her hand a another big squeeze and smiled.
“What did you two decide about Teddy, now that it is all final?” asked Maddie.
“We agreed that Teddy will live with me. We’ll work out visitation between the two of us. David still wants to be a big part of Teddy’s life. And I want that too. He also wants to get remarried, so why drag it out? It just isn’t worth it, he doesn’t want me anymore… I’m letting him go,” Katrine said with complete sincerity.
“So, he’s going to marry that home wrecking whore of his? How convenient for him, from one wife to another. God forbid he has to do his own damn laundry!” Maddie seethed.
“Oh Mads, he wanted out and she gave him the motivation. I can honestly say it was wrecked long before she came along. I just didn’t admit it to myself. That doesn’t change the fact that he should have left me before he started a relationship with someone else. But, you want to know the worst part? I thought I was happy because I was content. But was I even content? I don’t even recognize that woman anymore. Ughhhh! I sound so pathetic! How did I let that happen?”
“Trine, you just stop right there, damn it! Don’t beat yourself up about any of this! You wanted to keep your family together, that’s why you stayed. That does not make you weak! You are letting him and
her
off way too easily!” She let out a growl, “I want to punch him in the face and slash her god damn tires! Come on, let me kick her ass for you! I’ve been taking kick boxing for a whole month.” Maddie got up from the table and threw some punches into the air and added a kick for good measure. Katrine knew her sister was only partly joking, but her outburst made her laugh.
“Easy my inept ninja, no need for violence. And don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to ask her to go to the spa with me or anything like that.” She tilted her head and thought for a minute and took a sip of her wine. “I will say this little sister, anger and hate will eat you up inside and hating him isn’t going to change the past. It will only keep me from getting on with my life. And that is what I want to do more than anything. I just needed some time to gain a little perspective, that’s all.”
“OH gaaauud Katrine! Do you always have to be so freaking mature about everything!”
“Believe me, I didn’t always feel like this. You heard some of the things that came spewing from my mouth over the last few months. Even the “f” word told me to watch my mouth. And hey, tomorrow I may not be feeling so mature. It comes and goes. Today, I am in a generous mood.”
Katrine smiled and leaned back in her chair, admiring her surroundings. She loved this place she now called home. Her decor was eclectically modern, yet warm. The two living areas were filled with wood furniture covered in soft white fabrics, accented with pillows in various shades of yellow and red. Her favorite art work adorned the walls. The kitchen had white granite counter tops with ash wood cabinets. Shiny copper pots hung over her island and a huge window over the sink gave her a view of her dainty patio. It was bright, airy, and it was all hers.