A Trial Separation

I'd like to thank Wolf Vixen for all her help in catching my errors and helping me improve the quality of my stories. So sit back with the beverage of your choice and see what unfolds when his bride blind sides him.

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They say, there is a fine line between our two strongest emotions, love and hate.

On one end of the spectrum, you have a love so strong that someone would willing give up their life for the one they love. Isn't that what they refer to as undying love?

On the other side though, you have an individual who would do anything in their power, to satisfy or act on their burning hatred of another. Even to the point of causing themselves harm.

Pretty intense wouldn't you say?

However, most couples go back and forth in their marriage between the two, but not to that extreme in ninety nine point nine percent of the cases. We do however slip over the line in times of stress and especially if there is an ensuing argument. I now can attest to that. For me, I call it going to the dark side.

My name is Steve Moore and I'm a business manager for Atlas Plastic. I just turned thirty-two last month and have been married to the love of my life, Kay, for the last eight and a half years. We've got two boys, Danny who is six, and Kenny who is seven and we live in a huge box of a house in the suburbs just outside of Atlanta.

We've got a shit load of friends who live in our same neighborhood and most weekends are spent going over to someone's house for either a party or BBQ. Where we used to live, when we first got married, I also had a ton of friends but Kay didn't care for most of them. They weren't quite as refined as our current ones and could care less what kind of car you drove or how big your house was. They were a burly group that loved to party but would give you the shirt off their back is you needed it.

When Kay made the decision we needed to upgrade to, as she put it, a nicer area we had our first big fight. Our house was only fifteen minutes from where we both worked and had been a fixer upper so our house payments were pretty low.

I'm what you'd call a lay back kind of guy and could care less about the finer things in life, unlike my wife who was always looking for something better. So when Kay said we needed to move I put up a fuss for about a week and then thought, "what the hell."

You see most things really aren't worth arguing about. A car, a house, clothes, they're just material things that in the end don't mean squat. So when Kay dug in her heels I just let it roll off my back. It just wasn't worth the energy it would take to argue with her about it. You may call me a wimp but I can count on one hand the number of fights Kay and I've had over the last eight years.

That is until last night.

Kay works at an interior design studio owned by one of our neighbors. She works from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm, so she can get the kids off to school in the morning and be home when they get off the bus. I on the other hand work from 8:00 until 5:00. Depending on traffic, I get home usually about 5:45 now. When we lived in our last place, I was home and had a beverage in my hand by 5:15.

Tuesday night there was an accident on the road and I didn't get home until almost 6:15. I was a little stressed by the time I got to my driveway but thought what the hell, at least I was finally home and could relax with my bride. I snuck in the back door and went upstairs to change into a pair of shorts and an old tee shirt. I was walking down the stairs towards the kitchen when I heard Kay on the phone.

"Don't worry Peg you know Steve. He'll go along with anything I say," I could hear Kay tell her sister. "No, he won't get mad and I think I know my husband a little better than you do. I've got it all worked out and I plan on talking to him tonight after dinner. Yes I'll call you and tell you what he says. Well got to go girl, I've got dinner to finish. Talk to you later," Kay said hanging up.

"What do we need to talk about?" I said as I walked around the corner.

"Steve, you startled me," Kay said as I came into view.

"Let me ask again, what do we need to discuss that has to wait until after dinner," I asked getting a beer from the refrigerator and sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Let's wait until after dinner when the boys are upstairs."

"Alright, what did they do this time? I talked to them about the go-cart and not hitting golf balls in the backyard, what else could they have done since Saturday afternoon?"

"It's not about the boys, its us."

"Well, I haven't done anything bad, since grabbing your ass at Frank's Grill last Friday night. And the only reason I did that, is because you looked so hot in those new jeans so it must be you. What did you buy this time?" I asked trying to add a little levity to our conversation.

"I'm not talking about that. Its about how we feel about each other," she started to say.

"Well babes, you know I love you and I know you love me, so what's the problem?"

"Steve, you know I love you," she said holding my hands in hers. "But I'm not sure if I'm still in love with you any more."

"What? I don't understand Kay?" I told her not liking were this conversation was heading. "If you've got something to say, just spit it out."

"You're the best and most thoughtful husband in the world and a great father," she said touching the side of my cheek. But I'm just not sure I feel the same way about you as I did when we got married," Kay said with this concerned look on her face. "I'm thinking about a trial separation so I can get my feelings sorted out."

"Kay I don't understand. When in the hell did all this happen? Before or after we kissed goodbye this morning," I said now getting a more than concerned where she was going with this.

The shift from love to hate had now started.

"I've been thinking about it for a while but didn't want to say anything until I was sure what I wanted."

"I don't understand, where do you want to go?" I asked.

"Well, I thinking about you moving in with your mother for a while. Since your dad died she's been bouncing around that big house by herself. Maybe she'd like some company for a little while?" Kay said like she was talking to a little child.

Now I was starting to get angry but held it inside.

"How are you going to pay for the house and every thing else if I leave?" I asked, fully knowing what was coming next.

As you can see, I am now edging towards the dark side.

"Well, you'll still have to make the payments but it won't be forever. Just until I have a chance to sort out a few things," she said in her most loving and caring voice.

I stood up. "No."

"What do you mean, No?" a surprised Kay replied.

"Kay, what the fuck about No don't you understand? No I'm not moving in with my mother. And No, I'm not leaving my house and two sons. If you need to leave and get your head and ass wired together, go for it. I don't want you here either if you're, 'not in love with me' any more, as you so eloquently put it. So, since I'm this great fucking guy, I'll even help you pack," I said slamming my beer down on the table and walking up the stairs to our bedroom.

It shocked the heck out of Kay when I came back downstairs with an arm full of clothes from her closet.

"Put these in your car, and I'll be down with the next load in a minute," I said tossing them on the living room couch and running back up the stairs. When I came down with the next handful Kay started yelling at me to stop. "I thought you wanted a separation? I'm just helping you move your stuff out, that's all," I told her in a calm voice.

At this point, I'd crossed the line from love and was moving into the hate category in my feelings for her, or as I like to now call it; the dark side.

"I want YOU to leave Steve," she now yelled at me.

"That's not going to happen Kay. This is my house and I've done nothing to either you or the kids to warrant you kicking me out. Now, if you want to move down into the basement, I can put your stuff down there," I told her as I dumped my second armload clothes on top of the others.

This was not going as Kay had planned.

"Steve was suppose to tuck his tail between his legs and move out without saying a word," she said to herself. "He wasn't supposed to put up a fuss, now what the hell do I do?"

"Let's talk about this like two adults Steve."

"Kay, I think you've said enough. At least I now know how you really feel about me. So make up your mind. Where do you want your clothes? Because you're sure as hell not staying in my bedroom any longer," I said trying my best to stay calm.

When our sons Danny and Kenny walked through the door they wanted to know what was going on.

"Mom's just moving some of her stuff, that's all. How about if we go out and get a few burgers and let her finish?" I didn't have to ask twice. We were gone and back within forty-five minutes with the food. However we came back to a few extra people, two policemen.

"Evening officers. Can I help you?" I asked getting out of the car and telling my sons to go inside.

"We got a call about a domestic dispute and need a word with you," the big one told me while keeping his hand on his gun.

Looking at his hand I said, "officer you won't need that," as I explained what I had come home to.

"I haven't raised my voice, threaten her nor my kids but told her I wasn't leaving my house. My names on the mortgage, I pay all the bills and unless there's a court order floating around, which I strongly doubt, I think I'm well within my rights to be here. I told my wife if she wasn't happy with me, she could move out and I'd even help her pack." They both snickered and got a kick out of my dilemma.

Kay was hot to say the least when the policemen told her there was nothing they could do. However, they did say that they would file a report stating that I was calm and presented no danger to either my family or myself. But that Kay was ranting and raving and using profanity in talking to us about her husband. Finally, that I had only wanted to help my wife load her personal items into her car. That was all they witnessed. I thanked them, shook their hands and they wished me good luck.

Kay was now fuming that she hadn't gotten her way.

"Steve, why don't you just leave and make it easier on all of us?" she shouted at me.

"As I said Kay, that's not going to happen. So decide where you want your stuff, in the car or the basement. It's your choice. The boys and I are going to eat out on the deck, so think very carefully about what you do next," I said grabbing the food and heading out to the deck where my boys were waiting.

"What's wrong with mom?"

"Who knows, maybe she had a bad day at work. Guys, lets give her some space. You know mom, she be back to her old self in no time," I told my boys but I didn't believe one word coming out of my mouth.

We ate and then watched a special about the 'X Games' that were going on in Atlanta. It wasn't until almost 8:30 before we finished.

"Why don't you guys go upstairs and let me see what's going on you're your mother," I told them. "I'll be up later to check on you." They went upstairs and I went looking for Kay.

She was gone and had left her clothes piled on the couch were I'd dumped them. I went upstairs and noticed a few drawers opened and two of her suitcases missing.

"Well, I guess that answers that," I said sitting on the bed wondering what was going to happen next. Hell I'd left a loving wife and family at 7:15 this morning and now at 9:00 tonight, I had my two boys but no longer had a loving wife. Life really sucks sometime.

"Mom I need a big favor," I said as I called my mother. I gave her the sort version and asked if she'd come over and see that the boys got off to school on time and to be here when they got home.

"Maybe Kay's hormones are just acting up. She'll probably be back as soon as she realizes what an ass she made out of herself, but I'll be over in the morning just to make sure." I thanked my mom but said I wasn't quite as sure as she was.

I was right. Kay didn't come back Wednesday or Thursday. She did call the boys Thursday afternoon to say hi to them but not to me though. I guess I was still the asshole. By Saturday morning I was concerned but pissed also.

"You've got no one but yourself to blame," I said as I started to beat up on myself. "If you hadn't been such a milk toast all these years, Kay never would have tried to kick you out of your own house. Now she's sulking at her parents and telling everyone what an insensitive louse I was for not considering her feelings. Screw her and this damn house," I said looking around. "I never wanted it and it's way too big for just the four of us anyway."

Peggy, Kay's sister, did come over Sunday afternoon to pickup a few things for her.

"Hey Peg," I greeted her at the door. "I figured she'd send you over to get some more of her clothes, how's she doing?"

"You know Kay, it's all about her. She still can't get it through her thick skull why you just didn't roll over for her and give her the house, kids and move out," she said with a smile. "I told her you wouldn't go along with it but she told me she knew you better than I did. Guess she was wrong."

"I should have kicked her in the ass a long time ago but I figured I'd keep peace in the family by not saying anything, guess I was wrong. Any idea when she plans on coming back?"

"Not a clue. She's still in the poor, poor me stage but moms ready to kick her out if she doesn't get it together. But you know dad, his little girl can do no wrong."

"You want to stay for dinner? We're having chicken on the grill, baked potatoes and corn on the cob."

"Let me get her stuff together and you've got a deal," she said with a smile.

The boys were happy to see Peg and we all had a nice dinner together. She did get two text messages from Kay asking her where the hell she was but she never responded back to her. We all cleaned up and it was close to 8:00 before she said that she'd better get going.

"Thanks for stopping by, it was nice to see a friendly face for a change."

"If you need anything give me a call. I told my sister she's screwing up a good marriage but her friends are all telling her to stand her ground and that you'll soon come around. I told her you wouldn't, am I right?"

"Right as rain girl. But you better go before you get in more trouble than you're probably in right now."

Peg gave me a big hug, a kiss on the cheek and was out the door.

"Married the wrong sister," I said to myself.

The next three weeks were hard. Mom took care of the kids and though Kay would call the boys she refused to talk to me. She did however send me two long e-mails about how bad she was feeling, that I wasn't being a supportive husband and a whole bunch of other bullshit.

The one thing that kind of surprised me though, was I was no longer invited to the neighborhood get togethers but Kay was. I guess they'd already taken sides.

The kids were the first to notice it and kept asking when their mom was coming back home.

"Not sure guys, it's really up to her. I'm not keeping her away she's doing that all on her own." I told them.

It was Saturday morning, while we were food shopping, that my life started to turn around.

I was walking down an isle with my two sons when someone grabbed me from behind and lifted me off the floor. "You're so pussy whipped you're probably ironing her shorts now too," came a voice out of the past to mocked me.

"If this is as high as you can lift me, you're still the out of shape piece of crap you've always been. What Carol sees in you I'll never know," I said laughing.

"I thought you dropped off the face of the earth. What are you too good for us any more now that you've got that big house," Randy asked letting me down.

"I've always been too good for you. You just never realized it," I said giving him a hug.

"Your boys are growing up fast. What has it been two, two and a half years?"

"Something like that. How are Carol and the girls?"

"Still riding rough shot over me like always. How's Kay?"

"I paused for a minute. Pretty good," I replied.

"That bad huh. Hey buddy, if you're not doing anything with your new high brow friends tonight I'm having a little get together and we'd love to see you guys."

"What time?" I said looking at the boys.

"Anytime after 4:00, and bring your own poison. That is, if Kay still let's you still drink beer," Randy ribbed me.

"It's a date. Anything I can bring?"

"Nope, just yourselves. Well I'd better get my butt in gear or momma will have my ass. See you guys later," Randy said walking back down the isle.

"Was that Uncle Randy?" my two wide-eyed boys asked.

"Yes, that was Uncle Randy and we'd better get a move on, this is one party I don't want to be late for."

We hit Randy's place just after 4:30. Carol came out and gave me a big hug and her girls grabbed my boys and headed for the back yard.

"Where's Kay?" Carol asked.

"That's a whole other story," I said.

"Well, I'm glad you and the boys made it. Everyone will be glad to see you," Carol told me.

And they were.

The group treated us like we'd never left. The kids and I had the time of our lives. At the end of the night, after most of the group had left Carol, Randy and I sat down. They wanted to know what happened between Kay and I. All I could do was shake my head and tell them I didn't have a clue.

"We never fought, hell we never argued," I told them. Maybe that's the problem. I let her do whatever she wanted to keep peace in the family. Hell, I was getting all the sex I wanted and I thought Kay was happy. Who knew?"

Carol said it was probably just a "woman thing" but I told her I thought it went deeper than that.

"You don't tell your husband that you love him, but you're not in love with him. That's a bunch of double talk. It never dawned on me that Kay might be fooling around but right now I wouldn't bet against it. I'm going to keep my eyes open, my mouth shut and see how it all plays out. No more Mr. nice guy. From now on, it's my kids first and me second and the hell with everyone else. Especially my fair weather neighborhood friends."

Every week Peggy would come over on Sunday to get a few more of Kay's clothes. She would always stay for dinner and I found myself kind of looking forward to her visits.

I would drop off my boys over at Kay's mom's house on Saturday mornings and hoped to talk to Kay. But after the first blow up, I found it easier just to drop them off and leave. In this way there would be no confrontations on the front lawn again.

I went from anger, to almost giving in before finally getting depressed. Hell, I felt like a damn alcoholic going through the seven-step program. I even tried to get answers from Kay by sending her weekly e-mail telling her how much I loved and missed her, but I got nowhere with her.

"Steve, please be patient my love," she wrote. "I just want to resolve these nagging issues so they won't crop up later on. I know it's been tough on you and the boys, but just hang in there a little while longer," she wrote. At least it gave me hope.

After three long months and while doing the Sunday dishes, Peggy shot a hole through my chest.

"Kay went out on a date last night, and it wasn't the first one," she said without looking at me. "I told her she was crazy but she went anyway. I thought you should know," she said still avoiding my eyes.

I didn't say a thing. I just stood there with a soapy washcloth in my hands while it dripped on the floor.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Peggy said now looking at me. "She went on a damn date. Say something God damn it," she yelled at me.

I was too stunned or shocked to say anything or even move. For the first time since Kay left I thought about my life without her. Sure I'd been angry and ranted and raved a few times but I always thought she'll be back and we'd be happy again. Now for the first time, I thought that might not happen.