Chapter X -The Announcement

The very next morning as I dragged my tired bones out of bed (I hate mornings!), and went through the routine of trying to figure out what to wear, I couldn’t get the ‘check’ out of my mind. It had been bothering me all night. Something about it just wasn’t ‘kosher’. It was double what it should have been. The lawyer’s first letter had stated that my share was to be half of a ten thousand dollar CD. Uncle Morris was supposed to get the second half. There must have been a mix up. Was I suppose to mail him half the funds? I decided to call the Law firm later that day and question its authenticity.
The dogs were sprawled across the bed in their usual position so I guess Jim had come early like he had been doing of late to take them out. He would come around five in the morning and take them for their walk which was really ridiculous, but typical. I guess he would do anything to avoid having to see or talk to me. On the night stand he had left some cash, his bi-weekly ‘contribution’ of $150.00.
While I searched for shoes, I happened to notice something that I had been oblivious of the night before. There was an empty space in the entertainment/bookcase in the bedroom. The VHS player was missing. I guessed Jim had decided to take it as one of the things he wanted from the house. Well at least he left the CD player and the TV! At least I had the DVD player downstairs in the living room. I guess I could do without it for now I just wondered what other items he had chosen to take to his new place and share with her. “What ever!” I would just buy all new things when I moved!
As I headed downstairs there were other things I found missing, the most obvious being a framed print of a painting by Lee Teter called ‘Vietnam Reflections’ on the wall in the living room. It is a very moving portrait of a business man standing at the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC touching the wall and reflecting on the comrades who did not return. I had given Jim this picture for Father’s Day one year. We had been to the memorial together. Jim was a vet and he had wanted me to see it. I was glad he had chosen to take it with him. At least he had something I had given him.
There were a few other items as well. A few DVD’s, and pictures of the kids and dogs including Abba, our great white Pyrenees whom we had for nearly twelve years and ruled the house. I guess the house still had some fond memories but right now I didn’t want to wallow in the past, I just wanted to start anew.
At work I was feeling pretty good about myself and the future and I was anxious to share it with my sisters. Joy and I sat in her office and I regaled her over coffee and Danish with a monologue of my trip. I then asked if she, Jan and Ann could come over for dinner the next night as I had important news to tell them. I had decided to get them all together so that I could get their input of my crazy scheme and to judge their reaction. We called Ann to ask if she would be busy and then Jan. I was relieved that they all said yes but not surprised. They had been my stanch supporters and allies since this had all begun and even before that they had been my closest friends.
I tried to call the Lawyer at his office but was told that he would be on vacation for the week, so at lunch I went to the bank and deposited the check along with the cash Jim had so ‘generously’ given me. At least while I was waiting to hear back from the attorney the money might as well earn some interest!
After work I went grocery shopping, took the dogs for a walk, then sat down to make a call to Elizabeth. I was sure that Jamie must have said something to her but I wanted to talk to her about it as openly as I could. Surprisingly Jamie had said nothing. What a good son. He didn’t want her hearing about it second hand.
Liz was amazingly excited for me. She had nothing but high praise for my decision and was completely in agreement with my resolution. She even went so far as to call me “a renaissance woman” in taking such a big adventurous step.
This was a surprise considering our first conversation after Jim’s announcement to her and her brother that he was ending it. We had talked on the phone at work where she said that she was not surprised by the news. She had been very direct saying that she knew it was coming, after all we rarely talked to each other any more and that we would be better off separating. Those words had stung at the time and the coldness with which she had spoken had hurt deeply. I had taken it as a reproach and that somehow she had felt it had been my fault for what had happened. It had taken me awhile to get over it but I had come to realize in some ways she had been right. I had taken things for granted and had put blinders on because I could not face the truth. Liz was so much like my mother, direct and practical. Mummy would never let me waddle in my own self pity nor let me put the blame on someone else. “Your life, your responsibility” she was fond of saying. Elizabeth was just reiterating that fact in her own words.
But now she was praising me for my spirit to take a leap and do something utterly unpredictable and different. And she was backing me one hundred percent.

The girls arrived the next evening. It was the first time they had all been to my house for dinner or for any occasion except Joy. As we sat down and passed around the food I told them I had an announcement to make. Jan gave a mocking look of uh oh ‘what happened now’? I told them of my trip and some of the things I had done, seen and liked. Then I told them of all the new construction of homes being built and how my Uncle had taken me around to some of the newest houses and how he was a real estate broker. Then I showed them the brochures I had brought back with me of some of the models I had seen. Finally I told them of my desire to move to Albuquerque within a year. “That’s terrific”; “Wow”; “you go girl!” These words all came without hesitation or reservations. They were really happy for me and very supportive. We then sat around discussing plans of selling the house, getting on with the divorce, and finding a job. Joy and Ann suggested looking into a transfer with the Company. We knew that we had offices in the Southwest and retail stores in Albuquerque but did they have a business services division in the region. I would have to check but all three were confident that with my skills and mind set I could easily find a position, but we agreed that I would have to have one in place before I moved.
The rest of the evening we just sat around and talked, taking pot shots at Jim, wondering what to do with the animals and how much work I would need to do on the house before trying to sell it. Most importantly was getting it in my name and what other compensations I would want from the divorce.

The next day I went to work invigorated and feeling very organized and determined. I searched our company web page to see if there were indeed any offices in New Mexico and was delighted to fine that we had a business division in Albuquerque. The best part…there would be a job opening up in the summer for an office administrator. They currently had a temp who would be leaving in August of next year because her husband was to be transferred to the East Coast. When the company budget was determined in June the job would then be posted. Here was clue number three that I was on the right track.
I breezed through the day feeling so good I was worried that I was somehow dreaming this whole thing. Could my luck be this good? Everything seemed to be coming together so well. This was the best birthday month I had had in a very long time.
I knew there would be a lot of things I still needed to do, after all there was no guarantee that I would be able to get the job, but I at least had an inside tip to go on, and a strategy to work with.
Ann called and said she would meet me at my house after work because she wanted to give me something. I didn’t have a clue of what she was up to. When she arrived on my doorstep I had to laugh. She was carrying a load of flatted boxes and bubble wrap all brand new. As we sat them on the table I made the comment “trying to get rid of me already?” to which she replied, “well, if we’re going to do this, we might as well do it right!” I had to agree. No procrastinations, no delaying, just forge ahead and get to work. We started with the dinning room.