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It is not often that a stranger’s story can affect you beyond words, but we discovered one person’s story that did just that – and we had to share it. We won’t reveal too much, other than ask that you read this story with an open heart and an open mind. Let us know what you think in the comments. 

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.  Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?  I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

 

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.  She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.  When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions.  She didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month, we both try to live as normal a life as possible. Her reason for this conditions were simple.  Our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.  She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.  On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.  Suddenly it hit me. She had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last-minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy.  I drove to office and jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind.  I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.  At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The sales girl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, “I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart”.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed – dead.

My wife had been fighting cancer for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce. At least, in the eyes of our son— I’m a loving husband.

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16 comments on “It’s the Little Things”

  1. michele

    Exvellent read, it goes to show lives can change before your eyes. Listen to your partners it isimportant all you can lose all the precious time you had with each other

  2. Cornel

    Thank YOU for the reminder. It is so touching!

    Reminding me to precious every single moment and the present.

  3. Stephen Haller

    Yesterday, I had a small budgie die in my hands. He was young and I had underestimated how weak or strong he really was. This event at another time and place I would have dismissed but on this occasion, it reminded me how fragile life really is. Each morning we kiss our loved ones good-bye and think that there is a guarantee that they will return in the evening. This isn’t always so . . .

    I personally encourage each of us, to reach out to those you love and just remind them one more time, by text, by email, in a letter, with a hug or via voice, regardless of how much we know it, its worth hearing it one more time.

    Thanks for sharing this story Michael it’s just a good reminder to make sure ‘the main event’ is ‘the main event’

  4. Maria Delange

    Hello Michael,

    It is ALWAYS best to LISTNEN to your current partner,thats if you have chosen to commit to her,as when a woman knows the commitment has been made,and is treated with the respect she deserves,she will do anything to better your life and make you the hero in front of your kids.Regardless whether this has been from a previous marriage or not.
    It is all about WHO you are committed to as an adult !!!!

    Hence the importance of only being committed to one partner.

    Maria

  5. Maria

    Providing ofcourse that her children will not suffer either,give and take all the way.You do for eachother what you would for nobody else,thats how it should be anyway.

  6. Meredith Jane Blaikie

    I truly believe you never marry the wrong person, I also know some people take alot for granted and some are unaware they dont show the love and appreciation for their loved ones that they have inside for them. It’s always the strongest people that suffer in silence and in the midst of the hardest suffering they endure they still put their loved ones first. A touching tale of heartbreak but maybe a lesson for money.

  7. Azita

    In all relationships communication is the key. This statement is often repeatedly thrown around however in my experience it is not often practiced. I have a useful technique that I implement in all my relationships- I ask how that person feels our week has been 1=worst ever, 10=perfect. Anything less than 10 means there is something to work on. It allows opportunity to find out how the other person really feels and more importantly what u can do to make the situation a 10! This couple clearly lacked the wonderful technique of communication, thier last week, month, year together may have been a truely magical one if they has given this a chance

  8. Raymond

    I really admire this touching story. This reminds me in a way and touched me in a different sense. My ex-wife did ask me what intimacy was before our divorce. I did answer her about some simple action like holding hands and let her lean on me and so on. But we hadn’t had any hand holding moments for a very long time. Some simple action speaks louder than words. She then left me and went back to her ex-boyfriend. Now when I looked back, apart from intimacy, we did have another problem – communication. When I tried to hold her hands when we were dating, our hand holding period didn’t last long. This was an indication that we have an issue here. At time, I felt she tried to avoid to hold my hand. I think this starts a chain of reaction for the next 10 years since our wedding day, we didn’t have the right communication. We did have a chemistry in the beginning but I guess it died down after some years.

    That was really a good lesson for both of us. I am single now, at least I know how to make my next marriage better if I ever find the right lady. Better communication and intimacy for a couple will make marriage lasts a life time. Brilliant story. Thanks for sharing Michael.

  9. Beverly Clero

    Thankyou for sharing this couples story ,if we just slow down for a while and be still we can hear each other and be close .

  10. Joy

    this is my second reply, after thinking about the story a litle more, have to say what an amazing women she was, she put the future of her child above all else, but what kind of person is a man who does not even know his wife is dying of cancer, certainly not one i would want to be having an affair with,( apart from the fact affairs a just another form of dishonesty) let alone be married to him.

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