The Epilogue to the “Dirrty Series.”
Two Years Later…
Brian picked up the stack of mail that sat on the counter. As he flipped through, he took a quick glance into the living room where Christina Aguilera napped quietly on the couch. Smiling, he returned his attention back to the mail in his hand.
Bill, bill, junk mail, bill. Sighing, Brian sat down at the table and began opening the mail. As Brian reached the bottom of the pile, he noticed a familiar return address that did not belong to any billing service he was affiliated with. He pulled the envelope from the bottom of the stack and looked it over. It was a letter from Leighanne.
Brian’s palms suddenly felt clammy as he carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter, not knowing what to expect. As he took a deep breath, he began to read silently.
Brian,
You know who this is, so I will just skip the introductions. Now that our divorce has been final for awhile now and you are remarried (happily, I hope) I only have one question that I need to ask you before I can properly move on with my life. I hope you will show me some kindness and answer my question.
Why did you do it? That’s all I want to know. You never really told me while the divorce was being carried out, so I hope that you will give me a straight answer this time. You owe me that much.
Leighanne
Brian reread the letter a few more times before it sunk in. Looking back, he realized that Leighanne was right. He had been very quiet and unforgiving of any information during the divorce. He read the letter a couple more times before he went to the counter for a blank sheet of paper. He sat back down at the table and began to write.
Leighanne,
I have just received and read your letter and I agree; you deserve to know why things ended the way they did. The answer to your question may not be the most pleasant thing you’ll ever read, but it’s the way I feel and I hope that my answer will provide you with whatever closure you’re looking for with it.
In the beginning, our marriage was wonderful. I thought I would be happy for the rest of my life. I loved you so much, but as the years moved on I began to feel that I was only getting half of what I put in. I began to wonder what happened to the days when you used to be compassionate and I began to feel like you were just taking advantage of me. Soon, your shopping sprees (with my credit card, I might add) became more important than our life together.
For awhile, I took it. I thought we could work it out and be happy again, but as time went on, I began to realize that the more I took it, the farther we drifted apart. For three years, I kept taking it, hanging onto that stupid thought that you would come to your senses and remember me. It’s funny how things changed after a few years of commitment.
The night that it all came to head was the night that we were supposed to meet at a movie theater in Los Angeles to see “2Fast, 2Furious.” Maybe you remember that night, but probably not. Anyway, I waited there for an hour, just standing around in the 100-degree weather inside of a smelly trench coat. I was about to give up and go back to the hotel when someone came up and changed my life. Yes, it was Christina who showed me a little compassion that night and it was that night that our affair began.
At first, that’s all it was. Just a meaningless affair. You found out about us before I could see her a second time, but I convinced you that you were overreacting and that you had nothing to worry about. While you let me off the hook, I knew you were still suspicious and with good reason because I was cheating on you. I went to see Christina again shortly after, meeting at the same movie theater. I told you I was going out with the Boys to celebrate our album going triple platinum, but that was just a lie. I was going to see Christina. My intentions were to break it off, because I thought that maybe the whole infidelity scare would make you come to your senses and realize what you had.
When I got to the theater and I saw Christina again, I felt something that I hadn’t felt in a long time. When I told her about my promise to you to never see her again, she looked hurt and in that moment, I felt that she cared for me, even if she wasn’t willing to admit it that night. I also realized that I cared for her, the way I had cared for you once. If you remember, I didn’t come home that night and my excuse was that the party had lasted until the wee hours of the morning and that I was too tired to drive home. It was yet another lie, but I didn’t care anymore. I had found someone who cared for me in the way that I wanted you to care for me and I was happy. I felt bad for lying to you because that’s not in my nature and I know that I’m a horrible liar, but I was willing to risk it.
On the day that you caught us (how could you forget?) I knew it was over but I didn’t care. I didn’t feel hurt or anything. To be perfectly honest, I felt relieved. Relieved that it was all out in the open and relieved that it was over between us. I didn’t have to live a lie anymore. I was happy with Christina in the way that I had hoped to be happy with you. While I have no regrets, I do have an apology to make to you.
I’m sorry that I didn’t break it off sooner. I should have told you that I was living through my own personal hell every night I spent alone while you were out spending my money. You have no idea how much it hurt when I got my credit card bills and saw that you had spent our two-year anniversary at Bloomingdale’s with my credit cards rather than with me. It tore me up inside, but I always thought it would get better and when I met Christina, it did get better and I was happy again. Yeah, happy.
I hope that my answer is sufficient enough for you. Maybe it wasn’t what you wanted to hear, but these are my true feelings and the real reasons why our marriage ended. After everything you put me through, you’re right. You deserved to hear the truth.
Brian
Brian read his letter over and shoved it into an empty envelope. As he addressed it, he felt someone standing behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and glanced at Christina’s face smiling down at him. He smiled back and quickly finished addressing the envelope.
“Closure,” Brian said, holding up the envelope that contained his letter. Christina only smiled and nodded. Brian pressed a stamp onto it and tossed it lightly on the table. He stood up and took Christina in his arms, kissing her on the tip of her nose. She giggled.
“Do you think you’ll be happy with me?” she asked with a grin. Brian stared at her quizzically and Christina laughed. “I mean, happy enough to start a family and live forever with me? You know, all that stuff.” Brian smiled and leaned in to kiss her again.
“Until death do us part, these three words I promise to you…” he paused, “Yes, I will.”