The Friendship Affair

Not all long lasting marriages are happy. But what do you do if divorce is not an option?

University friends, Stephanie and Nick, meet again after twenty years. But life has not been easy or simple for either of them. Will this friendship affair stand a chance against reality?

CHAPTER 6

“Hey, Dad. What's up?”

Nick smiled at his youngest holding out a beer to him while she sipped her soft drink.

“I am good. So how was the last official day of school?”

“Surprising,” she replied. “I thought I would be ecstatic, but there is a lingering sadness too. Too weird.”

He nodded. “I get that. It is a phase of your life that will soon be over. I think it's okay to feel a little sadness about that.”

Lindie curled her legs up on the chair. “I guess.”

She took a long drink and pointed the bottle top at him. “So what are you going to do?”

“What do you mean? I will still be here.”

“You should get married again. Then you won't be so alone all the time.”

He almost snorted beer through his nose. Luckily most of it went down the right hole. After wiping his nose with a handkerchief, he eyed the young woman. When did she grow up on him?

“Did your brothers put you up to this?”

She grinned. “Nah, but we all agree.”

“Agree on what?” two more, deeper, voices echoed.

After a lot of hugging and teasing, the younger men settled down and popped their beers. Both having detoured through the kitchen on their way to the outside patio. Neither lived at home, but they always seemed to pop in at the right, or was it wrong, time.

“Dad needs to get married again,” Lindie supplied the belated answer.

The guys tapped their bottle necks together and took a long swallow.

Ñick swallowed around the tightness in his throat. He was so proud of them. Gary and Albert both went to university on scholarships for which they had worked their butts off, saying that he should save his money for their sister. Lindie wanted to go to medical school, and scholarships were rarely awarded to students right out of high school. The boys went into engineering, albeit different disciplines.

“Yeah, Dad. You have been taking care of us all this time. It is time to find someone of your own again.”

“I thought you should have done so years ago, but now you cannot use us as an excuse anymore,” the cheeky chirp came from his other side.

He coughed, even though he had nothing in his mouth. “Why this sudden matchmaking scheme?”

The three siblings laughed together, but it faded into the quiet Friday afternoon. “We know how tough it has been to raise us after our mother had left, but we thought to tell you that we are okay with you getting married again.”

Still trying to get over the shock, he stared at his children. They were laughing and joking about something else, but he simply watched their faces. They were all technically adults, but his eyes had opened to the incredible people his children had become.

Too bad their mother would never see that. Even though he had tried to make their marriage work, it had been clear that she had no interest in doing the same. Lindie had barely been a week old when Lena packed her bags and asked for a divorce.

He had never told them where she was, although they had only kept in contact out of necessity.

He smiled when the youngest and oldest conned the middle one into getting everyone another round. Yeah, they turned out more than just alright.

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