The Other Side of the Fence

Michelle Allen                                                             Appx. 2,680 words

6529 Livingston Road

Oxon Hill, MD 20745

Writenow2157@gmail.com

The Other Side of the Fence

by

Michelle Allen

My Dearest Andrew Theodore Cartwright.

My beloved husband of twenty-five years, high school sweetheart and

wonderful father to our amazing son, if you are reading this letter,

you’ve undoubtedly walked around the house and noticed that most of

my things are gone. I’m gone for good this time! I’m not coming back.

We both know that I’ve been bored and frustrated with this

marriage for many years, and now the time has finally come for this

eagle to spread her wings. I have stood by your side far too long,

suppressing my dreams and desires. You have always been a good

husband, but not an exciting one. You were never the husband I

fantasized about, but I knew that you’d always be there and would

provide for your family, so I stuck it out as long as I needed to, for

A.J.’s’s sake.

I always thought that one day you’d be the husband that I know you

can be. In time, you will be, although it will be to another woman. I

have outgrown you, and I will no longer live my life in misery and

filled with regret. This may hurt you, but rest assured you will meet

the woman who is truly your soulmate one day; she will be everything

you desire, and you will be that for her too. You deserve to be with a

woman who is happy to be with you. And I deserve to be with a man

who makes me happy.

Now that A.J. has graduated college, and there is no danger of

wrecking his senior year, we can end this charade for good. I am

asking for no more than what is fair to me. I don’t want the house, or

half of your money, or any of your investments so there’s no need to

worry yourself about that. At the very least I deserve to maintain the

lifestyle that I’ve grown accustomed to. I’m sure you’ll agree.

Don’t try to contact me on your own or through A.J., my mother or

sisters, or any of our friends.

I will always love you, Dana.

#

 Good riddance Dana, let the freedom bells ring!, Drew said angrily.

 I’ll start enjoying my freedom this very minute. Me, Mr. Jack

Daniels, and Mr. Belvedere will celebrate all night long.

           Finally, I’ll be free of her constant nagging and whining.

Don’t try to contact her? Whatever.

           Drew walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror.

Dana must be crazy, hell I’m a woman’s fantasy. 6’2, smooth glowing

chestnut brown skin, bald, full lips, and a full black beard, wealthy

and established. That woman just walked away from an Adonis.

Her loss. But I guess that’s what losers do.  

#

 Dad, you in here?

Man, I’ve been calling you for hours. Is your ringer on?

A.J walked into his parent’s bedroom and found his father sitting on

the floor in the corner.

It smells like a brewery and reeks of old funk in here.

When’s the last time you bathed? and did you forget that you have a

job? Family? I know you and mom aren’t on speaking terms, but has

it come to this?

Also, Kenny told me that you’ve been to the bar every evening this

week, staying until he cuts you off and calls you an Uber.

           Oh, hey son. A.J. right? My son, Drew said with slurred

speech right before beating his chest. My twenty-two-year-old

son. What’s up man!

Don’t judge me son. I’m just celebrating my freedom.

           You got some nerve, coming in here with your blonde hair,

tattoos on your arms and earrings in your ears and nose and lip

and you trying to judge me?

 Now who told you that that blonde hair looks good with your dark

brown skin?

I guess you got more than an education in college. Whatever it is

that’s turned my look alike son into this, this, decoration I don’t

want to know.

           A.J., I’m your father, and I’m a grown man, I can go to a bar

and stay as long as I want and drink as much as I want.

           Your no good, adulterous, nagging mother finally left me for

good, and I’m happy as can be. I got a new lease on life, my life and

if drinking all the liquor she forbade me to while we were together

is what I want to do, then dammit, I’ll do it and you won’t say

anything about it to me.

Hey, you can go to the bar with me tonight. Drinks on me!

No thanks Dad.

Celebrating your freedom huh!

Man, get up off this floor and let me help you into the shower. You

need it. And you need to clean up this house too.

And pops!

Don’t ever talk bad about my mother in my presence.

For the record drunkard, I’m twenty-five.

Okay, Drew slurred.

I won’t talk bad about your mother.

Your mother is a beautiful short brown skinned woman a big ole

round apple head and long black hair that she always puts in a bun

cuz she too lazy to try to look nice for me. She has a gorgeous

custom shape that I paid thousands of dollars for, and she’s a sorry

excuse for a wife.

Just get in the shower. I’ll make you breakfast and coffee. It will help

you sober up.

#

Well, well, hello Mrs. Cartwright, glad you see you found time in

your busy schedule to come here today.

You are still Mrs. Cartwright, aren’t you? Just asking cuz you came

up in here with your boy toy like you not still married.

Drew, right? I’m gon’ let that boy toy remark slide this time

partna, but don’t get too comfortable talking to my lady like that

and start addressing me as Mark.

I will never be your partna, you got it Mr. McThug?

And you can address me as Mr. Cartwright, Dana’s husband.

You know the woman you’re committing adultery with.

Do I got it! Did I hear him right baby, Mark asked as if he needed

clarity.

Mark please, let’s just sit down.

Just ignore him, for me, please!

I ain’t gon just sit down and let yo punk soon to be ex-husband

keep beating his gums at me like he don’t know that I’ll make you a

widow today.

Punk just mad cuz you met a younger, more handsome man with all

the swagger he wish he had.

Just look at me, tall, nice caramel complexion, full head of black

hair. Thick juicy lips like the ladies go crazy over. And just look at

these dreds. I even got swag in my dreds.

Partna, Mr. Cartwright, just accept that Dana is happy now and

she’s moved on.

Youngblood, you can’t even hold a candle to what I gave Dana,

physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. You know

youngblood, you’re a funny dude, and gullible too!

 You fell for that BS Dana been filling your head with. Sheesh!

Give her a few months, and she’ll tell you bored and frustrated she

is with you. She’ll start comparing you to me and tell you that she

needs to find someone who can fulfill her wants, needs, and desires.

Trust, this ain’t our first rodeo. It’s just the end of the race.

But hey! she’s yours now. All yours, Drew laughed as he walked

across the room and sat down.

You’d better watch it, Andrew. Stop disrespecting my fiancé.

And…

Woman, how in the hell you gon’ have a fiancé while you trying to

get a divorce from me?

Is that what he told you, y’all gonna get married? And he proposed

to a married woman?

Now, I’m gonna have to stop calling him Mr. McThug, and start

calling him Professor.

You ready to deal with Professor McThug in the parking lot,

schoolboy?

I already warned you, I’m not gonna take too many more of our remarks on the chin.

 Cliff walked in with his briefcase and notepads in hand.

He’s an average height man with a porcelain skin tone, but his facial features are nothing like what you’d imagine for a white man. His eyes are large and round. He has full lips and a big wide nose. He has a full head of thick brown curly hair.

#

Hello Mrs. Cartwright. I wasn’t expecting that you’d bring anyone with you.

He’s her fiancé Cliff, Andrew chimed in.

Hi Cliff, Dana said sarcastically.

You don’t have to be formal. Am I a stranger now?

Anyway, you don’t have to pretend not to know me in front of Mark. He already knows that we’ve been friends for most of my life, that we grew up together and went to elementary through high school together, he knows that  you and Andrew are best friends and that you were the best man at our wedding, and that you are A.J.’ s godfather, shoot, you’ve been like a brother to me and now that Drew and me are no longer together I’m Mrs. Cartwright. I feel like I’m going to be divorcing two people when I only married one.

Where is your attorney Dana?

She’s running late, but you can start. Mark and I can get her up to speed on whatever she missed.

Since Mark is not a party to this divorce, I’m going to have to ask him to leave.

Oh, so now since you a high powered, I mean paid, attorney, Counselor Cliff Bonington, must do everything by the book. Would that be accurate?

Dana, you know he can’t be here. Can you ask him to leave?

No Cliff, show me where it says that he can’t be in here to give me moral support.

Dana you really want to go there.

Sorry Cliffster, I’m not going nowhere, Mark yelled.

Dana’s business is my business, our business.

Check that out Cliff, thug romance!

You still beatin yo gums schoolboy?

Men, behave please. We are all mature adults in here.

Well now Dana,  I’m a mature adult, Cliff is, and sometimes you are, but that clown you brought in here is questionable.

Schoolboy, you better be glad that I love Dana or else…

Dana, can you ask Mark to leave the room, Cliff asked again in a calm voice.

I promise we won’t be in here long.

If he leaves, then I leave. I need to have a someone here to make sure that you and Drew don’t shortchange me.

Nobody’s trying to shortchange you, Dana.

Dana, this a serious matter and we both know that you are mature enough to handle it accordingly, stop acting like a child to meet your boy toy where he is mentally, Drew said sternly.

What time did your attorney say she’d be here? Cliff interrupted.

 I will give her fifteen more minutes and if she doesn’t show then we’ll have to reschedule again. And next time, don’t bring your boyfriend with you. It tacky!

Cliff, I’m gon’ give you that one, but it won’t be too many more sly

remarks that I’m gonna ignore.

Matter of fact, reschedule. I ain’t got to put up with this garbage

from you and Drew. I know what y’all tryin’ to do, and it ain’t gonna

work. I’m gonna get what I rightfully deserve.

Dana and Mark got up from the table and were about to leave

when a tall slender woman with a flawless tawny brown

complexion walked into the conference room. Her thick curly locks

bouncing on her shoulders with each step she took.

Counselor Bonington, Rachel Smith, nice to see you again.

Can you ask the third party to leave the conference room so that

we can begin? Cliff asked.

Third-party? Mark said angrily.

Mr. Murphy can you wait outside, this’ll be brief.

#

Three weeks later, Andrew and Dana came to a settlement

agreement. Since Dana had forfeited the house, any investment

properties, or investments the judge only awarded her Alimony and

her car that was in Andrew’s name.

#

“Well Hello Mr. Cartwright, you’re looking dapper and debonair

as always. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the same place at

the same time, but I must tell you, it just feels right.”

What an amazing difference six months makes.

Dana, nice to see you as well.

Dana lowered her voice, to a whisper.

Can we talk Drew?

You know, Mark is nothing like you. I mean, you know I’m not

trying to make him out the be a bad guy, because he has his good

qualities, but the more I get to know him, the more I realize that I

was complaining about things that I should have been grateful for. I

took you for granted, and for that I am sorry. I am terribly sorry for

all the hurt I caused you.

Now to be honest, you were very predictable, and you were a

homebody, and your swag game could’ve used a little help, but you

were reliable, and I didn’t have to question how you felt about me,

or where you were or… Forget it! I’m the one who left right.

Yep, you did leave Dana. After 25 years of marriage. For a younger

man who was not even your type. In the past, when you left me

because of whatever crazy reason you made up you’d always come

back to me, and we’d try to work things out, but Mark is quite

persuasive. He got you right where he wanted you. Living a life you

never wanted. Oh yeah, there is a rumor mill still.

Anyway Drew.

I can see where this conversation is going so, I’m going to stop

while I’m ahead, but before I go grab a seat next to our daughter

in-law to be, and enjoy this good ole grilled food that our son

labored over, is there anything that I can get or do for you?

Now or later, Dana said before smiling and winking her eye.

Naw, I’m good.

Dana, you ever wonder how people manage to win those awards for having the best-looking lawn? Man, when you see the winning photo, that grass is so green, and the blades are so healthy and lush. Most people get lawn envy when they see that grass! You never notice anyone out there taking care of their lawn, but every year there’s a winner who will tell you how much time and effort and consistent hard work, and money they put into making that lawn the best of the best. People win those awards because they’re in tune with the type of care their lawn needs each season and no matter how much work it takes, or how tired they get, they put in the work because they want to win that award. They don’t give up. They don’t look over the fence, marvel at their neighbor’s grass, and start wishing they had their neighbor’s grass and landscaping. They don’t go out to get artificial grass installed so that they can have a beautiful lawn. No, they don’t give up on their grass because they know that all their work will pay off in the end. The power of grass, huh!

           What does grass have to do with anything Drew, what are you talking about? How does grass and hard work and well-manicured lawns relate to anything I said to you?

I apologized to you, and you start discussing grass and lawns and awards. Am I missing something?

           Just listen.

You know, every season, your grass needs a different type of care and nurturing, and marriage relationships are just like your lawn.

           Sometimes the grass in your yard looks dull. Spots all in the lawn where the grass didn’t grow. Maybe even weeds growing right along with the grass.

When that happens, that grass looks bad, yeah sometimes it looks so bad that you just want to dig it all up and get some artificial grass to cover the entire lawn.

Grass not growing the way you want it to, time for a new lawn, right?

Once that artificial grass is put down it’s the most beautiful shade of green you ever saw or imagined. It’s healthy looking, no patches in the lawn or nothing. No more peering through the fence after that.

Thing is, you got to maintain that artificial grass too, and soon you’ll start feeling like it’s no different that the grass you just got rid of. Then one day you realize that it’s no greener; it was just new.

           Come to think of it, there is something that you can do for me Dana.

Yes sir Mr. Cartwright, your wish is my command as long as I don’t have to cut grass.

Funny Dana.

           Do you see that lady sitting at the table over there? She is my fiancé, and I would love for you to go over and introduce yourself to her. Brenda’s really into lawncare, and she does what it takes to keep the grass looking, you know, well-manicured on her side of the fence.

#