2008

He forgot my birthday in October.  I could tell because at the last minute he stopped at Giant and bought a cake and card.  John was known for making birthdays and holidays a big deal.  Past gifts were extravagant: diamonds, a sky-diving trip and cars.  (Merry Christmas honey, I got you a Mercedes!)   I didn’t expect lavish gifts, but no gift was a sign.  That week of my birthday also held a new experience for me.  My first trip to the funny farm.  Seriously, I was admitted to York Hospital mental health ward, psych ward, whatever you want to call it.  The entire situation was blown ridiculously out of proportion.  John will always cause a bad situation to expand exponentially to the point that someone, Linda, calls 911.  After a verbal battle with John over his demands for me to do the yearly taxes but refusal to include the checking account records, had pushed me to the limit.

Now little did I know, John had filed for divorce on my birthday and stopped at Giant on the way home after signing the divorce papers and realizing how obvious it will be that he forgot my birthday because birthday’s are a big deal in the Delauter household and it is nearly unimaginable that he, the man, would forget his lovely wife’s birthday.  I didn’t get the papers that day.  He was withholding that information for the time being.  The divorce paper delivery needed to be at the right moment to create the most impact on my psyche.  It’s all about the throat punch in John’s world.

Just a wee slice of my memoir.  It will continue to grow.

~P