The day came. The day when Donna no longer was married to John, the once love of her life.
She never in her heart even imagined this would happen. Theirs was a true love she thought but she learned better. Love can forgive much but they wanted no forgiveness. What they wanted was to take Donna out of the equation or on Deanna's part, she meant to push Donna out and she did. Donna thought to herself "Deanna you'd better have been glad that I didn't take you and John out that night like my poor dad did to my mother and her lover." I would still have my Dad and possibly my
Mother if Dad had just blown up, and kicked them both out. My mother had the nerve to let this man sleep in my dad's bed, so much disrespect for a good man who had to work so much on his job that my mother got bored and started going out with the girls
dancing and from there, the next logical step for her was to get attached to someone else who could give her what she craved.
Donna realized just how similar she and her Dad's story were and it saddened her for her dad but she was thankful that she had chosen not to walk in his shoes.
The phone rang and it was Don. Donna and Don were constantly talking on the phone these days since a person involved in a divorce was not to date until the divorce was final. Don asked Donna if they might go out the night of the divorce and she told him she just wanted a quiet place and a glass of wine to pass this time alone. "Donna would you trust me to take you somewhere like you're describing and I bring the wine but it will be your night to cry about the loss of your dreams with John, and all the pain. I promise you, we will have wine and I'll be there for you to deal with this night until it's time to take you home and I'll wait for you to get into your pajamas and tuck you into bed, turn on the alarm and turn out the lights and leave you to rest precious princess. "Don you are such a sweetheart." "I've been crying and I'm a mess but I'll slip on some jeans and a shirt and run a brush through my hair and be ready by the time you get here.
Don arrived about 30 minutes later and picked Donna up but not before he put his arms around her as though she were a very delicate piece of china and held her close to him, as if to say I got this for you Donna. Don smiled and said "There, that kiss was very selfish and just for me but the rest of the night is for you to talk to me, or cry or whatever you need or you can even ignore me and talk to yourself." "Whatever it takes, and I brought light food and your favorite wine so are you ready my sweet lady, your Jeep awaits you." Don had brought the Jeep but he left the top on since it was still a little chilly outside. Donna ran back in the house and grabbed her bluejean jacket and Don lifted her up into the Jeep. "Thanks Don! I think this lake house was starting to close in on me". "I kind of figured as much. Must have had a lot of memories here." "We did but I'm so glad that John and I agree on my keeping the lake house and either John and Deanna would stay in her house and we could take the rebuild house and sell it and split the cash when it's sold or if they wanted it, John would give me my half back so either way it seems to have worked out for now." "Donna do you think you'll want to live here permanently?" "I don't know yet Don." Things have been moving so fast for me that honestly I believe that the peace I find here will be as healing as anything and I've decided to check out the church where I used to go to when we were here. John never went, it was just my thing." "That sounds like a great idea Donna! I'd like to go with you sometime." "I'd like that Don!
Don stopped the Jeep and said we're here. Donna looked around and it was just an empty half cleared lot and there was some excavation at the front of the land for what looked like possibly a boathouse and a dock. "Where are we?," Donna said? Don smiled and said "You my dear are looking at the new lakeside home of Don Sanderson." "That's wonderful Don." Plans have been coming together for a while now," Don said lets leave everything in the jeep for a moment. "Donna do you feel like walking a little ways with me?" "Okay" she said. Don handed her a glass of wine and they proceeded to the edge of the embankment where they quietly sipped their wine and viewed the full moon and stars overhead. Then they started back toward the Jeep when they heard a rumble and turned around just in time to see whole edge of the embankment break off and fall to the ground! "Wow Don did you see that?" "I heard it and I saw it. We could have been killed in a instant, let's go up by the Jeep. You can bet one thing, Donna, a contractor is getting a piece of this old boys mind come Monday! They spread the quilt just to the front of the Jeep. Don helped Donna to sit down easily on the quilt taking care not to hurt her mending ankle. Let's have another glass of wine and eat a little something, then we'll start for home. "A penny fir your thoughts sweet lady?" Just then Donna turned her face but not soon enough to hide the tiny tear that had slipped quietly down it and showed in the moonlight." Don saw it and couldn't help himself. He was there at her side in an instant (He had already fallen in love with this lanky curly topped redhead with eyes bluer than the Texas skies on a clear day but he knew this was way too soon to bear his heart to hers and he was afraid that if he did, he would scare this philly away! "So much pain Don thought as he grabbed a napkin for her, put her glass down and then he just held her and let her cry it out. In a few minutes, the deluge was over and Donna was apologizing for ruining their night. "This night was for you Donna to do whatever you needed to, remember?" "I do but I wasn't expecting all this." Donna I wouldn't have expected anything less of you. It's not every day a person gets divorced. Being a lawyer we see everything but it's not hard to tell the one whose heart has really been broken.
A Donna do you feel like walking a few minutes, I want to show you something." "Okay." They walked down toward the water and stood on a piece of bank that jetted out and as Don showed Donna the view of the lake with the full moon illuminating it. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful, Donna?" How can anybody say there is no God and then look at a moon like this one?" You're right Don. It's beautiful! After the tears had dried up, Donna started shivering so they decided to pack up and start back. Oh the way back, Donna trips over a large dirt clod and almost falls when Don catches her and gently picks her up and carries her to the jeep. This time, it was Donna who kissed him on the cheek.