Author's notes:
1. This is a work of fiction. The activities and practices described in this story are not necessarily either condoned or recommended. If you choose to do anything described in real life with real people you do so at your own risk.
2. All characters are fictional and any likeness to any living person is purely coincidental. The story is purely imaginary and, to the author's knowledge, bears no relationship to any occurrence in real life.
3. Please note this is a revised version of the story in response to readers' feedback.
***************************
Marilyn walked confidently through the impressive doors of one of the top legal firms in the city, unfazed by the size and grandeur of the reception area. As the top marketing executive for a large multinational company, she was very familiar with the trappings of quality and expected nothing less.
"Good morning Mrs Hudson," greeted the middle-aged legal secretary/receptionist. "Humphrey told me you'd be calling in this morning and he just needs your signature on the forms here for us to proceed. If you could just sign here and here," she pointed to the spaces marked with a small tag, "Then it will all be done."
"I'll need to read it all first," replied Marilyn, "I never sign what I haven't read."
"Oh, alright, if you insist. Most people just sign the form and trust that it's all legal and above board, but if you wish to read it first then feel free to do so. There's a comfortable chair and desk over against the far wall. Can I bring you a cup of anything?"
"Thank you. Coffee please, white with no sugar."
Marilyn left for the chair while the receptionist pressed a bell push on her desk.
As Marilyn settled into the overstuffed chair she noticed Steve had already signed the forms. She placed her hand over his signature, emotions welling up as she thought of all the other forms they'd signed together over the years. She placed the forms on the desk and took out her favorite pen, the one Steve had given her as part of a set for her last birthday a few weeks ago. She thought it ironic that she was going to be using that pen to begin divorce proceedings.
She thought back through time, how they had attended the same high school, and how gracefully he had danced with her at the graduation ball, their first date. She thought how young and carefree they'd been back then, the world at their feet, the bright endless future ahead, and compared it with how she felt now. Her eyes teared up as a young intern brought her a cup of coffee and some plain biscuits.
"Is there anything else you need, Ma'am?" she asked politely.
"Yes, do you have a box of tissues please? I seem to have a runny nose all of a sudden."
"Yes, Ma'am," she replied, returning a few seconds later with a small box. "You may keep these," she informed her. No wonder legal fees were so expensive, she thought. She took one and patted her eyes gently before blowing her nose.
She remembered how they attended college together, he studying the sciences and engineering, she focussing more on people skills and social aspects, exploring what made people tick, what their motivation was for doing the sometimes idiotic things that they did. They both graduated top of their streams from college and attended the same university, he studying engineering, she psychology then marketing.
They were officially recognized as an item by their peers from the start, neither even looking at another as a potential partner. The joy in their eyes when they were together was plain for all to see. Those were wonderful days, full of interesting academic challenges, the days of carefree youth. She remembered her 18th birthday party with all her friends on the lawn of her parents' large house on the beach, the warm breeze off the calm sea, the waves lapping on the beach as they partied the night away. Then the surprise weekend away shortly afterwards when Steve took her to a beautiful resort, in wonderful, peaceful surroundings where, on a blanket under the stars, she lost her virginity as they made love for the very first time. She relived the fear of possible pain, the relief when it was trivial and the joy of mutual love fulfilled for the first time. She remembered the glorious ache after making love again and again, five times the first night, three the second. She unconsciously hugged herself at the memories.
She remembered their marriage, again on their parents' lawn, overflowing onto the private beach. The joy, the speeches, the commitment to each other, forever, as she became Mrs Stephen Hudson. Nobody could have been happier than Steve and Marilyn at that moment. Then their honeymoon, the beautiful Caribbean resort on the beachfront, walking along the beach, watching the moon, a few days past full, rise out of the ocean into a cloudless sky, its reflection shimmering on the water amongst the reflections of thousands of stars as wavelets lapped at their feet. They had taken a blanket with them and laid that on the sand and made love under the vast expanse of the heavens as husband and wife. Oh the joy of those blissful, carefree seven days of honeymoon.
Marilyn remembered their graduation with masters degrees, Steve in structural engineering, herself in marketing. Then the hunt for work, the hopes, the rejections, the persistence and their support for each other. She remembered their first jobs, her working as an advertising agent for a local newspaper, him as a junior structural engineer for a construction company, both so proud to be considered worthy of even these relatively low paid positions.
She remembered how they struggled to buy a home, mortgaging themselves to the hilt, borrowing money from parents to pay for the basic furniture they needed, their biggest luxury being a large comfortable bed. She smiled as she thought of the long, lazy Sunday mornings lying in bed together, honouring and caressing each other and making love gently and sensuously several times before eating breakfast in the early afternoon.
