Chapter 8: Happy Holidays

Kids are amazing. They can pick up on things that you don't realize without anything ever having been said to them. In our case, the idea that I might leave the home again and not live there was off the table. I guess it was our body language that made it obvious. Diane and I never said anything to give them that assurance, but they knew. They knew and they quit worrying about it.

Little Sandy, now in kindergarten, knew. She knew Daddy wasn't going anywhere except on his big silver bus and he would be home when he was finished his trip. Debbie automatically expected I would come to her school play if I wasn't on a trip. Billy knew I would be at every Pop Warner game if I were home.

"Diane, if I got down on my knee and proposed again, would you marry me?" I asked her one night as I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yes," she said immediately, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, I will marry you again. I love you, Doug. I can't imagine my life if you're not in it. You and I ... we're perfect together. It's magic, my love. You and me ... we're magic."

"Is city hall and a civil ceremony okay?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes. I don't care where or how. I do want it, though. I want it to be official. I want everyone to know that we are married."

"Well ... I'll see what we have to do to make it happen then."

"No need," she smiled. "I have already checked it out. We can do it tomorrow afternoon. I'll let them know we're coming."

"You've been waiting for me, haven't you."

"Yes. I didn't want to rush you or push you into anything you weren't ready for, but if you are ready ... I'm more than ready."

I could tell by the look on her face that this was what she truly wanted and it would make her happy.

"Tomorrow afternoon it is, then," I grinned, wrapping her up in my arms and kissing her. It felt good. It felt like a big weight had been lifted off me. I was back. We were back. We were going to be a proper family once again.

By Thanksgiving I had logged a lot of miles as a Silver Arrow driver. It was football season and we were often using two or more coaches to transport teams from one school to another. Some were high school and some were college teams, but the routine was the same. Get them to the game, hang around Friday or Saturday, then bring them home. One night wonders, I called them.

Diane loved football season. Not because she loved football, but because I was seldom gone for more than the one night. The winter tour season had not yet begun and my longer trips were fewer and further between. It didn't matter because I was doing what I loved and getting paid very nicely for it. In fact, with the success of Diane's business, we were socking away quite a nice little nest egg.

"Sweetheart, what do think if we took the kids to Disney World during spring break?" I asked her one night while we were in bed.

"I think they'd think you were the best dad in the whole world," she said, kissing me soundly.

"I thought I would sign us up for one of the Silver Arrow Disney World trips and we could all go as a family."

"You wouldn't be driving, would you?" she asked, a little concerned.

"No. I want to be with them when they have all the fun and I want to be with you to watch as you enjoy it too."

She rolled on top of me and kissed me again, this time even more passionately than before.

"I love you, Douglas Hansen. I love you to pieces," she murmured into my neck as she reached for my manhood.

"I love you too, Di. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am. Married to you again, together with our children once more. I don't know how it could ever be better than this."

We made love and this time it was slow and sensuous. There was no urgency or demand. It was two people, man and woman, perfectly in tune with each other.

Our parents came to visit us over the Christmas and New Years holidays. I could sense the relief in all of them that we were back as a family unit once more. They spoiled the children with presents, of course. It's what's expected of grandparents. When they left to return to their homes, we looked at each other and hugged. I had my Christmas present. It came with a document telling me that I was married to Diane once more.

Our parents left on January 2^nd and were hardly out the door when Christie appeared on our doorstep. One look at her and we could tell that something was seriously wrong. Her eyes were red and she looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Come in, Christie, dear," Diane said, taking hold of her hand. "What's wrong? You look awful."

That started the tears and we led her gently to the living room sofa and let her sit with Diane on one side and me on the other.

"It's Paul. He's gone. I mean, he hasn't come home."

"Whoa, Christie," I said. "Tell us what happened."

"We went to a New Years Day party at somebody's house. I didn't know them. Paul did. There were about twenty people there. Everyone was very friendly and welcomed us. I had a drink and circulated, meeting and talking to some people. Later on, I notice some of the guests had gone somewhere. And Paul had disappeared.

"Then some guy came over and introduced himself to me and asked me if I'd like to go upstairs. I thought he wanted to show me around so I went with him. When we got there, he opened a door and there was a couple on the bed ... having sex. He apologized and led me to the next door. That room was empty.

"He turned to me and said, 'Good, we have this room all to ourselves.'

"I didn't realize what he was suggesting for a moment until I caught on. He was expecting to have sex with me. I told him there was no way and he looked at me funny. 'What do you think this party is for?' he asked. I told him I didn't know, but I was going to find my husband and leave.

'"I think you'll find he's a little busy right now, ' he said. Again, I asked him what he was talking about. He pointed to a room across the hall. I walked over and opened the door. I almost fainted. There was Paul, naked, fucking some woman on the bed. I screamed at him and he looked at me and then just went back to doing what he was doing."

"Oh my God, Christie," Diane cried. "That's awful. What did you do?"

"I had a set of car keys in my purse. I grabbed my coat and was out the door in ten seconds flat. I sat in the car for a while, trying to compose myself. Then I drove home. I haven't had a moment's peace since. I couldn't sleep, I can't eat ... I don't know what to do."

"And Paul didn't come home," I confirmed.

She shook her head. "He's still not home. Maybe he drank himself into a stupor ... again. Or maybe he's still banging that slut he was in bed with."

I let my breath out. "You didn't know these people who held the party, did you?" I suggested.

"No. I didn't know anyone there."

"I have a feeling you were taken to a swinger party. Why Paul would think that's a good idea, I couldn't guess, but by the sounds of it, that's what it was."

Christie couldn't have gotten any whiter. It had just dawned on her what the party was all about and what her husband thought she would be willing to do.

"Did you have anything to drink there?" I asked. I could see Diane was paying close attention to me and my questions.

"I had one drink, but I didn't like the taste of it and I nursed it. I never did finish it."

"That's probably what saved you. If Paul didn't have the guts to tell you what the party was about, I wouldn't be surprised if that drink had ecstasy or some date-rape drug in it. It would make you more susceptible to someone trying to take advantage of you."

"Paul got me that drink. Do you think he tried to drug me?"

I shrugged. "How else could he get you to go along with what he wanted?"

That brought on more tears and Diane got up and put the kettle on to make some tea.

"That's it, Di," Christie finally said, wiping her eyes. "I've had enough. Too many times he's made a fool of me. This time it's over. I'm filing for divorce."

That caught me by surprise. Christie was saying this wasn't a first and she was also saying that Diane knew about her problems. I decided to shut up and listen.

"Christie, we've talked about this a number of times," Diane said. "You can't go on letting him treat you this way. You know he's out seeing other women. Now you have the proof. You saw it with your own eyes. You don't need any more than that."

Christie nodded. "I know. This was the last straw. I'll call a lawyer in the morning and get the paperwork started. For the first time in my marriage, I'm glad we don't have children."

"If there's anything we can do," Diane offered, "please don't hesitate to come and see us. We'll do anything we can to help you."

"I know. I'm so envious of you and Doug. I wish ... I wish ... oh, never mind. I'll get over this ... somehow. I just hate that it's six years of my life down the drain for a guy who didn't respect me. What a waste," she moaned.

We drank our tea and talked about inconsequential things before Christie got up and decided to go home. She looked terribly tired and heartbroken and Diane promised to look in on her later.

When we closed the door after our neighbor and friend had left, I looked at Diane and took her gently into my arms. I was heartsick for Christie and yet thankful that it wasn't us. I had the love of my life in my arms and anyone around us could see how we felt about each other.

Christie did file for divorce, but it wasn't that easy. Paul fought it, using his lawyer to bog down the process. In the end, the judge ordered counseling and while Christie knew it wasn't going to change anything, she had no choice. She was visiting us regularly while she was living alone. She had dinner at our house more often than she did in her own. That was all right. She needed the support. Paul was being a real asshole considering he'd brought this all on himself.

"How was the session today," Diane asked Christie one afternoon while we waited for supper.