Page 18 of Yes to The Holidays
“Not excited about that? You’re always welcome at our house. Lottie loves you, ya know?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I love her, too. Thanks, but I need to get this over with.”
He tilted his head.
“It’s the first single one. Plus, it’s all so new. The chickens will be squawking.”
“Ah. I see. Well, the invitation to ours is open if you change your mind. Maybe they won’t be so bad.”
He stood, then came around my desk, so I stood as well. He pulled me into a fatherly embrace. “Are you sure you don’t want me to fire him?”
I laughed, then pulled away to see his warm face. “No. It’s fine. But thank you for the sentiment. I need to get going, so I’m not late to my own divorce.”
Eddie squeezed my arms gently then turned to leave. At the door, he stopped and looked back. “Enjoy your holiday. Got some meetings lined up next week, okay?”
“Sure thing. Hug Lottie for me.”
He nodded then left. I shut the computer down then, grabbed my bag, and headed out. I was climbing into the car when my phone chimed. Looking down, I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt.
Odin: Good luck! Let me know when you’re done. Back at the hotel now.
Me: Thanks. I’ll let you know when I’m officially a free woman!
I put the phone back in my bag and drove off, thinking of the ways I could celebrate later.
The attorney’s office wasn’t a long drive, but traffic was already hellacious. The day before a major holiday, everyone would be trying to cut out of work early or headed to the airport for out-of-town travel. Luckily, the building I was at had a parking deck, so I didn’t have to deal with finding a spot on the street or a shady pay lot. Later I could walk to the hotel from my apartment, and we could rideshare anywhere else we needed to go.
“Janie, how was the trip over?” my attorney asked.
“Atlanta traffic, ya know. How's the family, Tom?”
He gave a tight-lipped grin. “Good, good. Let’s go. They’re waiting in the conference room for us. You ready?”
I nodded. Even as recent as an hour ago, I was fine, but an eerie sensation was washing over me. I swallowed hard and shook it off. Nerves.
Tom opened the door to the conference room, and I took a deep breath, trying to shake the odd feeling I had. Donald and his attorney stood, as did another man I hadn’t met before. I only knew who Donald’s attorney was because I did a search once Tom told me who he hired. Not that it mattered since we were splitting amicably, but at the time I wasn’t sure how he would handle it.
“I’m Judge Johnson. You can all be seated.” We took our seats, and Tom passed me a folder. Donald had one as well.
“Janie, how are you?” Donald asked.
I grimaced at his voice, and Tom gently placed a hand over mine. “Mr. Tanner, it’s best that you two don’t speak until asked direct questions by the judge or your attorney.”
Donald cleared his throat, and my shoulders relaxed. The judge asked us to open our folders so we could review the terms. Besides the rustling of paper and the booming voice of the very Southern judge, the room was quiet and still.
Every so often, Donald would shift in his seat, but I was careful to not look up. I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye, even though as I stared at my papers, I could feel his stare on me. It was invasive. Raw. I had been with that man for over ten years. He’d seen every part of me, been there through tears fallen, and seen my face as I orgasmed while naked beneath him. There had been a time he made me fresh pots of coffee as I burned the midnight oil on special projects at the start of the business. All the trips, concerts, plays, movies, date nights, and of course, all the holidays with each other’s families.
It finally hit me. The feeling was mourning. I had been mad, sad, petty, then indifferent, and just ready to be done. But I hadn’t considered letting go of such a huge part of my life would be such a tragic and very final end. It was the death of the life I had thought would be mine forever, regardless of the issues that it held. Struggling to keep my composure as we neared the end of the folder, I swallowed hard, shifted in my seat, then sipped the tepid water that had been sitting in front of me the whole time.
After an hour of going over everything, Donald and I both said we understood and agreed. We also confirmed the pending sale of the house, and there was a form for the real estate attorney to be sure the funds were allocated evenly once the bank was paid what was still owed. The judge passed the packet of forms we had reviewed together to my attorney for everyone to sign. It took an eternity for all five of us to sign, date, and initial, then the judge sealed it.
“I’ll have my assistant get these copies over to your offices, and you can share them with your clients sometime next week. You’re my last meeting before the holiday,” the judge said as he stood. “Good luck to you folks. Ma’am, gentleman,” he said, nodding to us before exiting the room. I grabbed my coat from the chair next to me, and Tom was trying to corral me out the door when Donald stepped in my view.
“Janie, I’m…”
Gritting my teeth, I turned to Tom. He not so politely pushed past Donald while guiding me out. “So sorry about that. Take a damn hint, man.”
“It’s fine. Thanks, Tom.
