The fork in the road.

Well, I can't say it honoured my marriage or did anything for me or my wife's chances at reconciliation but damn it felt good, I think we both revelled in it, it definitely picked my ego up and dusted it off, and that's about all I intend to say about that. We talked and talked at first mostly about the early years after we broke up and then about our kids, she had a boy, teenager, like Leigh, also about Leigh's age.

My intention to get involved with the event tonight negated itself with the revelations I heard from my Wife, so the pretense of being here for that disappeared. Instead we talked about her divorce, the why's, it was an amicable split they fell out of love, for that I said I was sorry to hear about because he'd sounded to me to be exactly who she needed when they first met.

We kind of both danced away from my marriage and Liz until Ginia bought it up, “So, I see your wife on occasion what with her working next door, she really is quite beautiful.”

“Yes Gin, She is.”

“M, do you trust me.” Err don't know where this is going. “I mean really trust me Mike.”

Looking her straight in her eye's, “Implicitly Gin, yes.”

That caught her off guard, “M, you need to take care of her, I see what goes on down there, I don't snoop but I hear what they talk about, and more to the point I see some of the things that go on. Mike, be wary of the people she works with, they're controlling and manipulative from what I've seen and heard. I also met them at the monthly administration meet and greet and I can tell you Devon comes off as a nice, pleasant, young man but what he really is, is a player, smooth, but a player all the same.”

Okay, so there it was in living colour. So I came clean on the whole story. I had just started the explanation when Ginia got up went to her office windows closed them, She paused for a moment obviously looking at Liz, “Sorry, I should have done that before, sound travels in both directions round here.”

I continued on and told her everything right up to when she had arrived an hour ago. Yeah I decided that everything else could wait, I wanted her in my corner, I knew she'd have a women's take on the situation and I did trust her. When she met her husband-to-be she became conflicted, held off doing anything with him till she found how I felt. If I'd said I wanted something serious she would of gone with me in a heartbeat. I told her I really didn't, I was a young poor Lecturer living in a one bedroom bolt-hole in the middle of the CBD, he was a well paid business manager with a condo, yeah if nothing else I'm a realist.

So seventeen years on here we were. By the time I'd finished, Gin sat listening as I reeled it all off, we sat silent, I wasn't lost I'd just got to the fork in the road, which way did I want to go, at this point – Fuck knows. I wasn't lowering myself to living with a cheating slut if that was what she wanted, even though she wanted to end it, god knows if she wanted to meet other opportunities.

“What's your immediate plans M?”

“Ah, confront her, seperation, she can go live with her Father in the mean-time, then I'll deal with the others.”

“Dare I ask what that means M?”

“No I don't know right off, **** of some kind would be preferable.” We both laughed. And as if life couldn't get any more ironical my phone 'pinged' a text, I looked at the i.d. I couldn't help myself I stood and walked to the window and moved the blind enough to peek a look. Ginia was up now standing off my shoulder paring over my shoulder first at the text and then at Liz sitting at her desk looking at her phone.

Her text read, Mike we need 2 talk, I'm very sory.

I replied, Time to talk was B4 u acted. Too L8.

Ginia and I looked up to see what Liz's reaction would be. I sensed Ginia was agreeing with my text by her silence, a second later I felt her hand rubbing up and down my forearm. As Liz's phone received my reply we watched as she stared at the screen, for ten or fifteen seconds she sat like stone then we watched as her head and shoulders slumped forward in defeat and her hand holding her phone slowly fell to her desk. Her back shuddered and her head fell forward more as she cried, the other two were unaware.

Ginia's hand gripped my forearm and I felt her face softly rest against my shoulder, “Oh Mike, she just realised what she's lost.”

It was sobering to watch, but I wasn't sorry, I actually didn't even feel sad, given that I was with Ginia must of helped a lot. She sat back at her desk, contemplating something, she tried to start a sentence three times, it never came out, after the third attempt she finally sat back and started to chuckle.

I had to ask, “Tell me, go on, what is it?”

“Nope, on second thought I've decided, well it's stupid and I know you're gonna hate the idea, so...”

I interrupted her, “So. Tell me, I'm not going to know if its worth trying unless you tell me.”

“Well, Has Liz got any friends other than those two.” She pointed at the two dropkicks Liz chose as workmates.

“Yeah, old college friends, but all but one of the three have moved away, and they only get together irregularly.

Actually no she doesn't, oh there's the odd one but no, I'd have to say friends aren't that common.”

Ginia had a lop-sided, kinda half smirky smile on her face, I looked at her, at her face and then it clicked, I knew what she was thinking, what her plan involved. What came into my head was a little retort one of my students had let out a few weeks ago. It all but fell out of my mouth, “HELL TO THE NO!!”