Hard Choices Read Online Free PDF

don’t.”
    We both stood for a moment, staring in opposite directions, lost in our own thoughts. I had no idea what he was thinking, and sadly, I realized, I honestly didn’t care. Our marriage had run its course. And it was ending not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a handshake and an honest expression of “best of luck on your new adventure.”
    “So, do you need to pick some stuff up, or…?” I finally asked.
    “Well, I wanted to talk to you because – I’m sure you already know this, working for an accountant and all – but a divorce in Idaho only takes about a month. I’d like to get the ball rolling as soon as we can,” he said tactlessly. Oh well. It was what I wanted too, so no use in pretending.
    “That’s a good idea. First step is for us to list all our assets. Let’s do that separately. Just list the things you want to keep – “
    “You can have the house,” he said suddenly. “I just want all my, you know, toys,” he chuckled nervously.
    I shrugged. “That sounds fair to me. We’ll each keep our own car, we can split the furniture and stuff like that.”
    “Oh no. Sarah wants our own stuff. I – “ he stopped suddenly, looking terrified. I couldn’t help but laugh.
    “Scott, if you say her name in front of me, I will not put a hex on her. Promise.” He laughed nervously again. “It’s fine. I promise. Look, tomorrow, I’ll find the name of a good divorce mediator here in town. No need for us to piss away good money on lawyers’ fees,” I waved my hand dismissively. “We can figure this out, and be fair. I trust us to do that . Do you?”
    He nodded. “Yeah, we’ve always been reasonable, haven’t we?”
    “Yes.” I stuck out my hand, “Let’s shake on it. We agree to be reasonable through our divorce.”
    “Deal,” he shook my hand back. I noticed an utter lack of any electrical current. Shaking hands with my husband of twenty-two years, I might as well have been grabbing the bannister. Yeah, we were definitely making the right decision.

Chapter 3
     
    For the next few months, I adjusted to my new, independent life. Truly having my own space. Constantly reassuring my kids that yes, I really was OK. Mostly, though, I just enjoyed being alone.
    I realized something I had never given any thought to before: I really didn’t need a man around. Scott used to plow the driveway. With him gone, I just hired a neighbor to plow and shovel me out. When my sink stopped up, I watched how-to videos online and fixed it myself. I found that ridiculously empowering.
    With the help of Alan, Robert, Molly and J.J., I re-decorated the house to my tastes. Not girlie-girl, but me. My room and my bathroom were truly officially mine now, although Scott had moved out of them months before he moved out of the house (claiming that he was worried his snoring was keeping me up). New towels, new paint, new everything, and it finally felt like mine .
    New linens and new paint in the bedroom weren’t quite enough: I bought all new furniture and a new bed. I carefully stored all the furniture in the garage, though. It was good quality, and I figured it was possible that my kids might want it someday.
    Scott had been sleeping in what had been Kyle’s room, but I left the kids’ rooms alone. I also left the family room downstairs as it was. I wanted to claim my space, but I didn’t want to bulldoze over my kids, either. People kept asking me if I was going to sell this big house (four bedrooms is a lot for one person), but I was in no rush. We’d owned it so long, it wasn’t expensive, and in the back of my mind, I saw it filled with grandchildren at Christmas one day. I liked that thought.
    Despite Scott’s declaration that Sarah wanted all new things for their new place, I had prevailed upon him to take his hideous recliner. He’d resisted until I’d finally said bluntly, “If you don’t want it, I’ll just take it to the dump.”
    I discovered something else really interesting: