Chapter 28

Penelope Hardy answered the door buzzer and stared. “Glory!” she said, in a very surprised voice. Surprised because the man standing beside her was not her husband Lee Wyatt.

“Yes, can we come in?” said Glory. The look on the face of Penelope Hardy said no, but her voice said okay.

“Okay,” said Penelope.

The trio settled into seats in the living room and kinda stared at each other. “Pen, I will get right to the point. Lee asked me not to advertise what I am about to tell you, but we broke up months ago. Our divorce was final just last month. He and I have what I guess I can claim to be a friendly situation if not exactly a wonderful one. And yes, he has met Ian here.

“Ian, this is Penelope Hardy, Lee’s first wife and the mother of Lee’s daughter Zoe. Penelope, Ian Longstreet, late of the U.S. Air Force. Pen, Ian and I will be married in just a couple of weeks, and yes, Lee knows about it.

“This visit has a two-fold purpose. One to let you and Grant know about the divorce. And two, to ask if you would like to come to the wedding which I hope you won’t,” she said.

“Huh? What?” said Penelope.

“Your husband gave me back my face. He did so with Lee’s okay. I know it and I know it because Lee let it slip in one of our conversations in the past. Hence, I see him and you and yes Zoey too and Ronald as family. That said. you coming to the wedding would kinda be rubbing Lee’s nose in it. I mean...” she said. “I don’t want to do that, but I never could not invite you; well, for obvious reasons.”

“I see,” said Penelope. “But first off, Ian, it’s nice to meet you—I think.”

“Thank you, nice to meet you too,” said Ian. Penelope nodded her acceptance of his response.

“But, just looking at the two of you, I can see you are in love, and that’s good, very nice. But I also am fully aware how Lee must feel about things, especially, like me, Glory; because you are a mother to one of his daughters. He is likely seriously bitter about that reality.”

“Actually, he’s not,” said Glory.

“He and I have worked out an amicable agreement that he has absolute say so in regards to. In fact, we are getting along quite well. He is, to be totally honest, hurt that I asked him for a divorce. But that said, and so am I that I had to, and he understands the reasons why,” she said.

“Can I ask why? I mean is it only because you met this very handsome gentleman or... ?”

“No, that was an element in the mix. But the main reason and Ian knows this, and believe me we’ve talked about it; was because Lee has never gotten over you and likely never will. A woman, a wife, has to be certain of her husband’s undivided love and attention. Lee has never been able to grant me those two things; and they are not negotiable,” said Glory. Penelope was nodding.

“Well, okay...” started Penelope, but at that moment all eyes turned toward the entrance way to the kitchen.

“Honey,” said Penelope. “Meet Ian Longstreet. Glory’s soon-to-be husband.”

“Huh? What?” said Grant Hardy.

“Yes, Glory and Lee are no more, but they are still getting along okay, I guess,” said Penelope. She looked toward the other female for confirmation.

“Yes, Grant, Lee and I have an understanding and for lack of a better term; we are still friends,” said Glory. Grant nodded and turned his attention to the stranger.

“I’m Grant Hardy,” said Grant, offering his hand to the man sitting across from his wife. They shook.

“Ian Longstreet,” said the visitor.

“So, what happened if I dare ask?” said Grant, looking back toward Glory.

“The short version: Ian and I met casually a long time ago. Lee was, and still is, unable to get by being divorced by your now wife, and it was, well, too much for me. Ian proposed and the timing was right, I guess you might say,” said Glory. Grant was nodding.

“Okay, sorry about your break up with Lee; but congratulations, I suppose—too?” He said.

“Yes, and thank you,” said Glory.

“Glory and Ian came to invite us to their wedding and hope that we won’t come,” said Penelope.

“Because of the obvious conflict that attending would cause per our relationship with Lee,” he said, figuring it out almost immediately.

“Yes,” said Glory.

The conversation and further extrapolation of the breakup with Lee went on for some time. But then came the visitors time to leave.

“Pen, Grant, I owe you guys for well, my operations, my life really. But I need to tell you; Lee misses Zoe. We haven’t talked about her much for a while now; but when we do, it is clear that he is bitter that she doesn’t see her way clear to visit hardly ever,” said Glory. “I mean just a heads up in case there is any chance...”

“Oh, okay, and thanks for that. I will talk to her,” said Penelope. “It’s been a while for us too. Schedules don’t match too well with his, but we could make more of an effort, and we will.”

“Yes,” said Grant. “And he does have a gripe. The man saved my life, and Zoe’s. It was a long time ago now, I guess, but that’s no excuse for neglecting the man. It’s not.”

“Okay, we’ll be going then,” said Glory.

“Nice meeting you,” said Grant, offering his hand once more to the new man in Glory’s life.

“And nice meeting you as well,” said Ian.

“The man can’t buy a break,” said Grant, shaking his head.

“I guess not, and I do wish he would just forget me. Frankly that’s at least part of the reason I’ve neglected him as I have. It’s been kind of unconscious neglect, but real nonetheless. And, I have to say, that I feel so bad for him every time I see him. I mean his legs, he and I, our history...” said Penelope.

“Yes, and I have to say it’s part of the reason I’ve neglected him too, his legs,” said Grant, “that and the fact that our schedules really are at odds with each other.”

“Yes, and that is so true. I mean I have the same schedule as you. I do know what you’re talking about. I guess the good news is that he is busy too. Lance has mentioned that he’s really hunkering down getting the law degree thing done as soon as he can. Him having something else to focus on, apart from his love life, is a very good thing to my mind,” she said.

“My God it is,” he said. “And now, with Glory leaving him after so long a time. I just know he must be going nuts emotionally.”

“Glory did say that they are at a good place, a pretty good place, in dealing with each other and the breakup and everything. Thank God for that small favor,” she said.

“Yes, yes indeed,” he said. His wife nodded.

October 15th 2011: a day that will live in infamy. Well, maybe that’s a little too something. I wasn’t invited to the wedding, but I knew it was going on, and that right at that very moment.

Grant Hardy had fixed her face; I wondered if the Hardys had been invited. It’d be kinda rubbing my nose in it, so I was guessing not, but well, I really didn’t know nor have the balls to ask.