Exodus

So, back to the events of February 9, 2009. While I was at work that day I decided that I just couldn't stay at the house anymore. After dropping my little bomb that morning I was afraid of seeing him. Actually I was more uncomfortable than afraid. You see, I had expected one of two reactions from him when he got home from work that evening. One would be anger and disbelief, the other being sadness and remorse. I foolishly thought that there might even be a little begging not to do this thrown in for good measure. I didn't want to deal with either option, or him in any way. I thought that if he was nice to me and asked me not to leave I would lose my resolve and not follow through. So, I spent the afternoon packing my clothes and other essentials to take with me to my parents. They had told me that when I was ready, I could stay with them. Just as I was finishing up I got a phone call from Dick. My mind raced as to what he would say. Was he going to beg me not to leave him? Would he want to talk and try to work things out? I answered, "Hello". "Hi...So, how do you want to do this thing?" was what he said. "Excuse me" I said "Do what exactly?" I knew exactly what he was talking about. I know him. I know how he thinks and how he phrases things, but I persisted. "Could you be a bit more specific about this 'thing'?" "Well, this morning you said you wanted a divorce. I'm just wondering how you want to proceed with it?" Wow, I thought, so much for my fears of how he would react. There was no emotion in his voice at all. He might just as well have been a bagger at the food store asking me if I wanted paper or plastic. I had to ask again what he meant by that. The answer was should we do it with lawyers or do mediation? "Oh...I already have a lawyer" I told him "...and I dropped off a retainer check at his office this afternoon. So I guess that is how we are proceeding with 'this'." His response..."Oh....guess I better get one too then." After agreeing with him that it would be a good idea, I told him that I was going to go stay with my parents for a while until we sort things out. I didn't think we should or could be under the same roof under the circumstances. Since I knew he had no place to go and I did, I thought it was best that I leave for now. And he said...wait for it..."Oh...whatever." Such emotion!!! Man I really turned his world upside down! It became increasingly clear that he was done with this marriage long before I was even aware that there was a problem. Before we hung up I asked him if he knew anything about the house phone. I had tried to call my mom to tell her I was coming but it was dead. When I used my cell phone to call and check the line I got a recording that the number had been changed. Changed? The new number was...his cell phone number. "What's up with that?" He told me that he had the phone service shut off that morning. When I questioned him as to why, he said he did it because he didn't need it anymore, why pay for it. I had nothing to say. I was stunned. Who are you, I thought, and what did you do with Dick? I thought I knew him so well, but as they say...I don't know Dick. But this would turn out to be only the first of many situations that just left me shaking my head in disbelief. With the end of that conversation I gathered the rest of my stuff and left my home of 25 years to return to my old room in the house I grew up in. After I had all my things unpacked and put away something funny struck me...funny, odd. Not funny, Ha Ha. I remembered moving out of my parents house when I got married. I walked out the front door and thought.."FREEDOM". Twenty five years later, here I was walking back in the same door and thinking..."FREEDOM!!"