“Ready,” he answered, pushing back up off of the counter.
We drove in silence, and I thought over everything that had happened in the last eight weeks. It was pretty overwhelming. There had been tons of emotions, some good, most bad, and it seemed like a lifetime had passed since he’d come home from Vegas. That night, I never would have believed that we’d be where we are now. I was so certain that I would never be able to forgive what Cal had done, not only to me, but to our marriage. Yet, here we were, on date number seven, and the choice was not as easy as it had once seemed.
When the car stopped moving, I looked around, confused. I had been so caught up in my own thoughts that I hadn’t been paying attention to where we were going. I looked around the parking garage for clues, but it looked like any parking garage in the city.
“Where are we?” I asked as he took the key out of the ignition.
“The observatory,” Cal responded.
The observatory.
Cal had brought me here during our senior year of high school. We’d watched in silence as the different constellations were pointed out, and I’d been amazed at the vastness of the universe. It had been a magical night, and afterwards, rather than going home, we’d went and parked at a nearby lake. Cal had brought along a blanket and we’d spread it out on the grass by the water, and looked up at the stars, trying to find the constellations on our own. We’d lost our virginity to each other that night. Under the stars, on that black-and-red blanket.
His expression was blank as we got out of the car, but I knew he had to be remembering that night. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I was sure that him bringing me here on our seventh date was no accident. He wanted me to remember our history, and the love that we shared.
We walked to the entrance, but Cal stopped before we could walk inside.
“Let’s just enjoy the night,” he began. “I don’t want to talk about last Saturday, or what you’re going to decide after next week. Let’s just look at the stars and enjoy being together … Is that okay with you?”
I nodded with a smile. “That sounds perfect.”
And that was what we did.
We walked around, looking in telescopes and listening to experts talk about what we were seeing. We stopped in an open viewing area and sat, looking up and holding hands. It was a peaceful and magical evening.
There was no pressure, and no angst. We allowed ourselves to enjoy each other’s company, learn a bit, and remember simpler times.
It was a perfect night.
And when he took me back to my house, Cal leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips, then stayed in his car until I let myself inside my house, before driving off into the night.
Chapter 33 – Cal
I wiped my hands on my pants, my nerves causing my hands to sweat and my stomach to churn as I stood waiting on Shelly’s father’s stoop. I hadn’t seen or talked to him since Shelly had moved out of our house and into his, and probably a few weeks before that. I knew he likely wasn’t going to be too receptive to my being here, considering the fact that Shelly left me because I cheated on her, but I felt like I had to meet with him and assure him that I loved his daughter.
When the door opened, I looked up nervously and met Shelly’s father’s curious gaze. He opened the screen door and said, “Cal.”
“Hey, Dad…err, Chuck,” I amended, no longer sure I had the right to call him Dad. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Yeah, come on in.” He stood off to the side to allow me to pass. When I did he said, “And, son, you can always call me Dad.”
And just like that, my fear turned to relief.
I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, waiting for him to sit in his chair before looking him in the eye.
Shelly’s father and I had always had an amazing relationship; well, once we got over the initial dating phase and he realized that I truly loved his daughter. Being a single father, he was understandably protective of Shelly, and I’d always respected the job he’d done raising her on his own.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been by to see you before now,” I began, wringing my hands in my lap as I tried to work through everything I wanted to say to the man who’d been like a second father to me. “At first I was too ashamed, and then I was simply too embarrassed. I betrayed Shelly, but I also let you and my family down, and I’m truly sorry for that. I know you expected more of me… To treat your daughter with dignity and respect, and I failed at that, but I promise you it was never my intent. I love Shelly, I always will, and I’ve been doing everything I can to try and convince her of that.”
Chuck settled back into his chair and looked at me thoughtfully.
“I’ll admit when Shelly first came home that night, devastated, I wanted to string you up by your balls for what you’d done, but after she calmed down and explained things I settled down a bit. I still wanted to hurt you, but a little less maniacally. Once she told me that she wanted a divorce, but you convinced her to go on these dates with you, so you can prove her that you belong together, I realized that you were still the boy who loved my daughter implicitly.”
I nodded my agreement, eager for him to understand tha
t I was still that guy.
“I don’t know if you’ve convinced Shelly not to go through with the divorce; my girl can be stubborn when she sets her mind to things, but I do believe that you’re doing everything you can, and no matter the outcome, you can be confident that you have,” he paused and leaned forward, settling his arms on his knees. “When my Gina passed away, leaving me with a toddler and no experience in raising little girls, I didn’t know how I was going to manage. But, somehow, Shelly and I figured it out, and I couldn’t be prouder of the woman she’s become. You had a part in helping her grow into who she is today, and I’ll always be grateful to you for loving her the way you do, but, Cal, if she decides that she can’t forgive you and she wants that divorce, you’re going to have to let her go.”