She looked at the car as it disappeared in a cloud of dust and knew that things would never be the same again. There she stood inside her house, no their house, watching the vehicle as it moved away from her, in it was the man she loved and with him was her heart. When the car was a mere dot on the horizon, she let herself go. She broke down, let her emotions flow into her tears as her mind was flooded with memories of him.
She remembered the days when they were still in the early stages of their relationship; merely holding hands or stealing a kiss or two from the other. Anyone that knew them would not, could not, deny that they were in love. She thought of the days when he would surprise her with lunch at work, sometimes even dinner if she was on overtime. They were comfortable enough with each other to sleep on the same bed but they never took it farther than that, at least, not until they were married.
She slumped down on the floor, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at their house, no not anymore. It was only her house now. It had been a home to a happy couple but now it’s just a house, nothing more. She looked around and even in the dark she could see the smiling faces of the couple in the picture frames. One particular picture caught her eyes; it was their wedding photo. The woman whose auburn hair was pulled up in a bun was looking up at the man with green eyes that shone with love. Her face radiated with the joy of finally being joined, no united, with the man she loves. Her beautiful smile lit up her face as she looked at her man. The man was looking down at the woman with tender brown eyes, his lips turned up into a graceful smile that heightened his handsome face. He too, was happy to be promised to the one he loves.
She remembered that day as if it was yesterday. It was the day she became Mrs. Allison Chase. She was also reminded of what she and her husband Robert had been doing at the time the photo was taken. They were in the middle of the dance floor swaying to the gentle music; their bodies flush against each other as they moved to the soothing sound of the song. They didn’t speak and yet their eyes conveyed their love for their partner in a language of their own.
Allison felt as if she was once again back in his arms on the dance floor wearing her white gown while he was wearing his black tux, his wild black hair splayed upon his head as it framed his handsome face. She could hear the music, the soft voices of the audience and sometimes rambunctious laughter as they celebrated the occasion. She knew that they were taking pictures but she couldn’t care less. They were in their own world where only the two of them existed and she never wanted to leave. And, judging by the protective and possessive position of his arms around her waist, it was safe to assume neither did he. He bent down just as she looked up and their lips met in a passionately sweet kiss which led their audience to applaud but they never noticed.
She was broken out of her reverie when a warm nose nuzzled her side. She turned to Robbie, her golden retriever who was only four months old. She had named him Robbie as a joke but somehow it stuck. Robbie was a Valentine’s present from Robert and it was almost uncanny how alike the master and the dog were. Robbie would be the wake up alarm for both of them in the morning and then master and dog alike would go do their 'businesses'. When Robert would come home from work, he would take off his shoes and Robbie would stow them away in the closet, much like what Robert does for Allison when she gets home late. On weekends, the dog would be the reminder as they wait for their favorite television show then the three of them would watch together. Robbie nuzzled her stomach as if he could sense the life that was growing there. She patted his head then stood up ready to face the world.
That day, she had come home early to surprise him. June 28 – it was the day of their marriage a year ago, the same date of that fateful day. She’d cooked up his favorite food and set up the table for a candlelight dinner as she wondered how he would take the news. It was their first anniversary and she was sure that it would be a night for celebration.
When dinner was ready, she prepared herself. She took a long bath then she wore his favorite scent, jasmine, his favorite dress which was lime green with a halter top, a V-neck that shows off a generous amount of cleavage and a skirt that ends just past her knees. The bodice hugged her curves in all the right places showing her fit lifestyle. For effect, she even wore his favorite set of lingerie, just for the special occasion. Five minutes before his time of arrival and she was ready. She heard the car on the driveway and lit the candles not bothering to turn any other light in the house. She sat at the dining table, waiting for him to come.
She heard the front door close, followed by footsteps and then things were falling from their shelves, she even heard the scratching of the furniture on the floor as if they were being pushed from their positions. A particularly loud crash sent her running to the living room, her heart pounding in her chest as she was overcome with panic. In her confusion, she turned on the light only to be blinded by it. After taking a moment to get used to the illumination of the room she looked around and what she saw rocked her to the core.
There was her husband, his hair disheveled, his shirt open, his pants pooled at his feet as he lay on the floor with a woman on top of him, a broken vase about a feet from them. The woman whose dress was off her shoulders, her skirt hitched up to her waist was straddling Robert as she worked on his boxers.
She was at a loss for words and yet she managed to say, “Get out!”
She high-tailed it out of there and ran to the guest room. He tried to talk to her, to explain, pounding on the door, pleading, begging, coaxing her to come out to see him but she wouldn’t. She was blinded by the searing pain in her heart, the terrible sound of his voice breaking her tender heart into a million pieces. The scene she saw kept replaying in her head, shattering her heart like a crystal ball that had been dropped from the top of a ten-storey building. She stayed inside the room even as he packed, not leaving until she heard the car leave.
She stood up from the floor, dusting herself as she did so. She walked into the dining room where the candles were still lit but had melted. She blew them out and with Robbie still following her, trudged up the stairs to her room. She lay down on the cold bed and caressed her stomach. She was pregnant, he was gone. Things will never be the same again.
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