Chapter 1

I suppose that Laura thought that she would shock the hell out of me, but the opposite turned out to be true. She certainly expected me to be more upset about her affair and decision to leave me than I was, but I found it to be a welcome relief. When one is released from a prison sentence, particularly a life sentence, who doesn't wish to celebrate that? On the surface, however, I didn't even show happiness. I just acted as numb as ever.

Perhaps I should back track a little, at least to our initial confrontation, when she told me that it was over. I was busy reviewing my students' theses from my History class, noting mistakes in both grammar and content, when my wife entered my office in a rather rude and abrupt manner. I didn't bother to ask how she got past my secretary. Becky was intimidated by Laura and knew that she was married to me.

My wife was dressed to kill. She had a short, slit skirt and a blouse that didn't hide her cleavage in the least. Laura had never bothered to find out that breasts were only a secondary attraction for me. I had a greater interest in a woman's derriere, preferably a larger one, and long legs were also important to me.

"Hello, honey, this is a surprise! You haven't been here in weeks!" I spoke without looking too closely at her. That in itself annoyed her, but it was meant to do so.

"Well, I won't be back. I want a divorce. I'm leaving you for Nathan Jones. I believe that you know him, since he's my boss at the UN," she sneered.

"The diplomat from that corrupt African regime? Which one was it, Tanzania?" I deliberately needled her, wanting to sound more interested in punch lines than the end of my marriage.

"Yes, he's from Tanzania. If you're wondering why, it's because he's fun-loving and practical, not a silly academic like you. I can't remember why I ever loved you," Laura taunted me.

"Well, if you can't remember, I'm certainly not going to remind you. That's not my responsibility. I gather from what you've said that you're having an affair with Mr. Jones. Incidentally, when did this relationship of yours begin?" I casually inquired, making it seem as if I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity.

"It's been two years. It started when I became a member of the Secretariat staff and he was my immediate supervisor. He has risen since then and taken me up the ladder with him. I wanted to be sure that he was marriage material before leaving you. Otherwise, it was just a fling that wouldn't be worth the trouble of a divorce. It has become more serious, however, so I decided to go for it.

"I guess that this is something of a jolt for you, dear, but I imagine that you'll recover from it. If you want to cry, once you get over your shock, I would advise you to go ahead and do so. It's not healthy to bottle it all up, you know," she rambled, frankly losing my attention with her self-absorbed drivel.

"Will you get on with it, already? I need to grade these research papers, Laura," I deliberately made myself sound impatient, as if I intended to dismiss her, now that I had toyed with her a bit.

"What, don't you have time for your wife? Is work that damned important to you? I'm telling you that our marriage is over, and you make it sound as if I'm announcing a shopping trip. Isn't this the kind of event that requires more of reaction than that? What are you, a robot?" Laura fumed, subconsciously reacting to my psychological warfare.

"Well, you told me it's over. That's the big part. Everything else is just the fine print. If it's over, it's the past, and I don't have time for that. I certainly can't let it interfere with my duties as a member of this faculty. I have tenure. I am the chairman of the History Department. I have a reputation to uphold and expectations to fulfill, Laura. I can't postpone these papers to chew the flab with my estranged wife, can I? Our marriage is dead, by your own admission. There's no sense in being nostalgic about the happier days, is there? Now, run along, Ms. Jimenez. I have work to do," I replied, as cool as a cucumber.

"I am not 'Ms. Jimenez' yet, honey. I am still Mrs. Daud. I'll probably be Mrs. Jones very soon. I don't appreciate you treating me like some student in need of tutoring. You're goading me, I think. Well, I won't rise to the bait. I'm leaving this office for good. Expect to hear from my lawyer soon. You're clearly too angry to handle this well. Either that, or you just don't give a damn and your calmness is more than a façade to hide your feelings. Either way, you need a shrink, hon. I can see that I made the right decision. I can't spend the rest of my life with a man who lacks emotional maturity," she stormed off, which had me laughing as soon as the door slammed behind her.

Becky probably wondered why I wasn't furious, since Laura had dropped her wedding ring on my secretary's desk. However, I stopped laughing long enough to call her into my office. I had to cover a few bases, now that Laura was out of earshot. She didn't need to see how pleased I was, but (I hoped) my assistant could be trusted with such information.

The truth was that I wouldn't miss Laura at all. She wasn't much of a wife lately. Perhaps that was due to her affair with Mr. Nathan Jones from the UN Secretariat. However, I suspected that the affair was simply the last step in her shrewish path. She had been difficult to live with for a while now, so life without her might be more pleasant than lonely for me. I wouldn't ever have to compromise with her, which she often tried to turn into my surrender, instead of an equal partnership. Getting my way in anything was like pulling the proverbial teeth.