Divorce

“I just don’t get it; what did I do that was so wrong?” Blake, a middle-aged man with a hint of desperation in his voice, asked his wife, Susan, for the tenth time.

“What’s to understand? I want a divorce,” Susan replied, her voice filled with a mix of deep sadness and unwavering determination. Then she added, “I can’t keep living this way, Blake. You can’t expect me to; it’s wrong.”

“I’ve been working on it for a year now, Susan. I'm trying so hard, can't you see? It's not like I’m not trying!” Blake pleaded, his voice trembling with desperation.

“It’s too little, too late!! I’m miserable! I didn’t sign up for this!!” Susan exclaimed.

“But our vows!! You married me for better or worse!” Blake reminded her.

“This goes beyond worse, Blake!! No one in their right mind would stay after all this!!” Susan’s voice rose in a crescendo of frustration, her eyes pleading for understanding.

“It’s not like I haven’t been trying, Susan!! Lord, I love you! Why can’t you see that?” Blake's voice was filled with desperation and love, his mind racing with thoughts of how to salvage their marriage.

“You don’t love me enough to do what’s right, Blake! It's been over a year, and we still have electrical shorts! You’ve done nothing to fix the issue, either. You always claim we don’t have the money to work on it.”

“We don’t, Susan! It’s not like we are rich or anything.”

“But we have the money for you to get a loan for another car we don’t need! Or how about the dirt bike parts you’ve been buying? You spend your money before you even have it! Then I’m left with all the bills while you run around broke and having fun! I’m not living through another summer without air conditioning! I’m tired of not using the fridge because you’re scared we’ll have an electrical fire! And taking the clothes to the laundromat is getting expensive when we have the machines here at the house!” Susan's voice quivered with the weight of her financial burden.

“Just let me get the electrician out to look at the wiring, then!! I’ll get the electricity fixed. Don’t leave me, Susan.”

“It’s all empty promises anymore, Blake! Empty promises! A year of this, a year! It’s ridiculous anymore. And I’m not sinking another dime into this hellhole. All I do is sink money into this house while you spend all your money on luxury items and junk!” Susan's voice was filled with anger and disappointment, her words pouring out in a torrent of frustration.

“Don’t leave me, Susan! I promise I’ll do better. Please stay.”

“We are through, Blake. Over. Done. Caput! I can’t even cook a proper dinner anymore! This electricity is the final straw. We’re getting a divorce.” Susan's voice was filled with a mix of finality and sorrow, her words hanging in the air like a death sentence.