[This is a true story]
[So a lots goin on these days with my son and my X-wife. I found out that my X is questioning my son in an attempt to use his answers against me in court. I personally find it shoddy and unfair to my son. Despite all that I still find myself telling stories of my old family. I had to finally sit down and tell my son what was going on between us, stopping short of telling him why we are divorced. It was difficult on my son and me. Despite the hard times and anguish I still find myself telling stories about us.
This particular story I found myself telling to an audience at Sully’s high class wedding. To my amazement it kept people on the edge of their seats. This particular story is one of the most vivid memories of my divorce; I remember it like it happened yesterday. Everyone at the wedding enjoyed it and I for one hope you do too…]
I personally have been pretty damn sure that I was going to die before. Having served two tours in the Iraqi war in a tank had provided several near death experiences for me. That particular day in the gun shop was no different.
It was several months into my divorce and fully into the transformation of my wife. She had cut all her beautiful hair off and began dressing like a boy. I was still very much upset with the way events had -unfolded. To tell you the truth I think she was as well. I had my good days, a lot of days I was my usual non-sense spouting, gun selling fool. Other days I was less than optimistic about anything.
That particular day I was at my best. I was the assistant manager at a local gun shop and the manager was off that day. So we were blasting music and having a good time at work. The store had received a shipment that needed to be put on the shelves. I took on the task leaving Gordo and Lou-dawg to take care of customers while I worked.
I was happily in a far corner by the door unloading, pricing and shelving holsters listening to both the employees yell and pick on each other, in short I was thinking to myself “What a damn good day!” thankful that I wasn’t depressed that day. I then reached into the bottom of a deep box to recover product, my entire upper torso in the box when above Lou-dawg and Gordo’s banter I heard the tell- tale elk call door chime. Thinking I had both of the guys to cover me and service the customer I continued to remain half way in the box. As I continued grabbing items I began to notice that I could not hear talking anymore. Now if you are a parent you know that the first sign of trouble is quiet. To further the problem my back was to the door, and that’s just a bad combo. So I ripped myself out of the box and spun on my heels…
I gotta admit, I was prepared for a lot of things to be in front of me when I spun around. I however was not prepared to see my X-wife standing by the door. I had all kinds of sirens and alarms blaring in my head. My eyes shifted to the counter to her left and I saw an open mouthed Lou-dawg staring at her back in shock, Gordo standing by the back wall shacked as well staring. Everyone was in a state of shock.
She stood there staring at me, slightly bladed to the left. Her eyes never left me, I don’t even think she was blinking. She had an expression of stone and I thought to myself “Oh my God! This is it! It’s going down now!” My mind began to race with the thoughts that my X had come to kill me.
I then realized that I was trapped, literally cornered. I was in a small box like corner and she had my only way out. “Holy shit she’s here to kill me!” flashed through my mind. As panic began creeping up I began to look for her hands to see if she had a weapon. At the shop we were all armed with firearms, I was wearing an M9 in an open top scabbard. I noted the fact that I was armed but to tell the truth the weapon was the farthest thing from my mind. I realized that whatever she did, I would let it happen, I could not, would not stop her. Slowly my hands began to raise palms towards her and I realized that I could not talk. I was convinced that I was a dead man, that the woman I loved, that had broken my heart had come back to take my life. Game over man! Game over!
Just when I thought I was done for, her face suddenly softened and instead of drawing a weapon and leaping at me, she began to cry. She held out her hands and walked up to hug me. She threw her arms around me and hugged me despite my hands being up. I stood there being embraced by my X-wife in a state of utter disbelief…
Time comes and goes, if things don’t stay the same then they will change. What happened that day is one of the last markers I have in time of my beloved Shelly. Things are way different now. Hell we don’t even speak anymore as she harbors some kind of resentment for me. She had changed and become someone else leaving me a Ghost of Memory. I will never know why she came that day or any of the other days she sought me out. These days I have made a kind of truce with what has happened and I will continue telling these fond memories…
-B
