The Ride Home

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I put the top down for the ride home. I wanted to hear the engine rev up, shift gears, and rev up again. I wanted to see the tree’s branches swaying with the wind as I rode under them. I wanted to feel the cool air swirl around the car and chill the back of my neck. I wanted to smell the leaves burning. But, most of all, I wanted to clear my mind and think about what Frank had told me at work.

Frank and Sally had decided to get divorced. That’s not earth-shattering news in this day and age. But Frank and Sally? If any two people were perfect for each other, it was them. What hope do the rest of us have? I can still recall every word he said.

“Me and Sally are getting one of those no-fault quicky divorces,” Frank said.

“What.” I stood staring at him, holding a coffee pot in one hand and an empty mug in the other.

“Yeah, it should be pretty easy. We kept our money separate, and neither of us wants the apartment or most of our crap.”

“You’re getting divorced. You and Sally?”

“Yep, me and Sally. Can’t really divorce anyone else. She is the only one I married.”

“You and Sally?” I set the coffee pot down, but my mug was still empty.

“Yep, how many times are you going to say that?”

“I could see it if it was Donna and me. But not you and Sally.”

“Just so you know, I’m keeping count, and that’s three times you said, ‘You and Sally.’ And for the record, you and Donna are never getting divorced.”

“Me and Donna fight all the time. You and Sally never fight. You are perfect for each other.”

“You and Donna argue, not fight, big difference. And yes, you do it a lot.”

“When did you fall out of love?”

“We still love and care for each other. We’ve just grown bored. Like you said, we are perfect together, and perfect gets old.”

“I don’t get it. What am I missing?” I tried to take a drink from my empty mug.

“You and Donna argue over every single thing in your life. You spent a month giving me the daily update when you two bought a new kitchen table. ‘Donna wants maple because of how it looks, but I want oak to represent us as a strong family unit.’ There were days when I would hide from you because I couldn’t take it anymore.”

“It was important, and we ended up getting the oak for the kitchen and maple for the dining room.”

“Whatever. The point is everything in your life is the two of you working it out. If Sally wanted a new kitchen table, she would just order it. I couldn’t care less if she got maple, pine, or whatever.”

“Oh, don’t get pine. Not for the kitchen. It marks up to easy.”

“Really, that’s what you got from what I just said. Look, it’s easy for us to go our separate ways. We have nothing invested in our lives together. We can cash it in and move on to the next thing. But you and Donna are fully invested in your family and each other.”

“I don’t think you’re right. I mean, all that arguing takes a toll. If you and Sally can’t make it work. I don’t think we have a chance.”

“Just so you are aware, you’re an idiot. Go home to where you belong.”

I pulled off the interstate and onto a country road. Me and Donna had grown up in a nearby small town. We met in high school and used to travel these country roads. One of them — Twitchell Road — was the local lover’s lane. One night, parked on that road, we got carried away. That led to our first big decision.

We knew nothing. One minute, we thought we were in love. The next, we were fighting. We were too young to know what love was. Hell, I’m still not sure what it is. But we decided to get married and start a family. We didn’t know any better. Had no idea how hard it would be. Maybe we would have had a better chance if we had started later. And wouldn’t end up like Frank and Sally.

The car rumbled down the road, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. There had been so many chances for us to do things differently, so many chances for an easier life, so many chances to tip the scale in our favor. Was it all for nothing? Are we next?

When we started out, we had nothing. Both of us working, barely making enough to pay the bills. Living in a small, shitty apartment. But, I have to say Donna got us through those early years. She always had a positive attitude. When I had a bad day, I would head straight home. She had a way of making me feel better. Strange how you look back, and even though you had nothing, it felt like you had it all.

Our friends went out every night. We wanted to join them but couldn’t; we were working second jobs or had to care for our baby. Maybe we wouldn’t argue so much if we had gone out more. I mean, we can’t be like Frank and Sally. They are lucky they never argue. Arguing is just part of me and Donna’s nature.

I passed a large cornfield where a farmer was busy finishing his harvest. It was a bumper crop.

Somehow, me and Donna survived, and slowly, things improved. I kept getting better jobs with better pay. Soon, we had a second, then a third baby. All beautiful little girls. We missed a lot of nights out with friends, but neither of us would trade it for what we have now.

I pulled off onto a side road that led to our house. We had purchased an old farmhouse that was in awful shape. Everything needed to be repaired. We spent countless hours replacing the plumbing, fixing the wiring, scraping, painting, and hammering.

Frank and Sally hire people to do their repairs. They even hired an interior designer to furnish their place.

I had enough money; maybe I should have bought a better home near the city. I wonder if Donna resents me for not spending more on the house. I should have followed Frank’s lead and just bought everything new. Now look, Frank and Sally are breaking up despite having a beautiful place. What chance do we have in an old farmhouse?

But In the end, it turned into a beautiful home. Everything is exactly how we want it, even if we had to argue about every nail. Each girl has her own room, and we have a large yard for them to play. We even have a small patch where Donna loves to garden. She grows the most amazing vegetables.

I pulled into our driveway and turned off the engine. How would I tell Donna that Frank and Sally’s marriage was over? That they couldn’t make it work. That maybe we need to think about our future.

As I sat there, the girls’ laughter echoed through the cool evening air. I closed my eyes and could see them running and laughing. Their cheeks flushed red, and their eyes twinkling as they played.

I walked to the backyard, where Donna was picking some vegetables. The evening light shone through her hair, giving it a warm glow. We weren’t perfect, far from it. But as Frank would say, “Who wants to be perfect.”

My wife saw me and headed for the house.

“I was thinking we should take an evening drive,” I said. “Maybe, head over to Twitchell Road.”

Donna gave me a small smile and headed to the kitchen. “I’ll ask my sister to watch the kids.”