Happily Never After

Jane use to believe in happily ever after stories. Her parents have been married for over eighteen years, but they were together even longer then that. Her parents met in their freshman year of high school, and even though they went to different colleges far away, they still stayed together. They even work two very different jobs. Her dad is a doctor, who works mostly at night, and her mom is a teacher and works till four thirty. They spend as much time together as possible.

“Hey honey guess what, I got a promotion!" My father said as he called up the stairs. It was almost time for dinner and my father had just gotten home from work.

“That’s great," my mother said. I was sitting at the kitchen smiling about the good news. “So are you working more or less hours?"

“Just a little bit more," he said " But not much more, I guess about five more hours. Maybe finally we'll get to go on that vacation you and Jane wanted to bad." He added right after the smile had faded from mom’s face. I was still smiling, but I didn't see what was coming. I didn't know that, that would probably be the last smile I there would be with all three of us.

I noticed a lot of change in my parents. My mother became more stressful from the kids at school and my dad worked all the time now. When he came home he would say 'hello' and 'goodbye' till he went up to sleep. I also noticed that they weren't as close as they use to be. When they sat together on the couch there would be space between them like they didn't want to be together anymore. They didn't talk as much as they use to either. I said nothing trying to keep out of their business and pretend nothing was wrong. I didn't want my parents to get into an argument and I really didn't like it when they fight because they never make up anymore.

It was around eight o'clock at night and the three of us were sitting on the couch watching TV eating popcorn. It wasn't always that mom let us eat popcorn for dinner but tonight was a special night. It was family night and all was going well till dad's cell phone rang.

“Hello?" I heard my father say, “I can't come in tonight. It's family night." Dad said. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he would be happier in the hospital then being here with us. “Emergency surgery? I guess. I’ll be there in the next half hour. Goodbye." My dad hung up his cell phone and turned around to face mom and me.

“Honey I got to go into the hospital. They have an emergency surgery and I'm the only doctor that is available. I'm sorry but I don't know when I’ll be back," dad said. Mom said nothing. She kept on staring at the TV with the same look on her face and she didn't say a word. After a short pause dad stood up, left the room to go change to his work clothes, grabbed his long white jacket and his car keys and headed for the door. Before he could get to the door mom finally spoke.

“That’s all you ever do now is work. You work, come home and sleep and go right back to work. When was the last time we had a family dinner together all three of us? When was the last time you looked at me and said ‘I love you?’ When was the last time we went and did a family activity?" mom asked there was a tear going down her cheek. Dad turned around and he had a look on his face like he knew that this fight would happen next.

“I’m sorry this promotion has changed how we use to be but you just wait we'll have the time of our lives on vacation in five months. I promise," He said. He wasn't smiling. He was just trying to get her to stop from crying and not fixing the problem.

“I don't want a promise or a vacation. That's not going to fix the problem. The problem is, is that I don't have the man I met in high school, I don't have the man I marred after college, I don't have the same man I had two months ago. That man I use to have and love is gone and I don't think he'll ever be back. I don't think we'll ever be the same," Mom told him. Now she had tears flooding both her cheeks. I wanted to cry too but I wouldn’t. I couldn't. I had to be strong for mom.

“I know it seems like we've both fell apart like we're not suppose to be together anymore," Dad said not looking at the both of us on the couch. He was looking at the floor as if something interesting was about to happen.

“I think we should get a divorce. That'll probably be the best for the both of us," mom said. At the word divorce, I no longer held back the tears anymore. Dad said nothing as he saw the tears going down both of our faces. I jumped off the couch and ran upstairs to my room and slammed the door shut. The only noise that I heard was the rumble of the starting of a car and a rumble of the garage door closing. Dad left for work and in the bottom of my broken heart I knew that he wouldn’t be coming back home tonight.