The woman and her father were spending the day together at the park.
Her father's name is Charlie Ford and he's been married to her mother, Diana Ford, for over thirty years. He and Diana loved each other, but they weren't always an excellent example of a healthy relationship for their two daughters. But Charlie is a good man who loves his kids and granddaughter.
Once Charlie heard that the woman needed his help, he came over to her house right away. He even took off from work at the office.
The woman was already crying when her dad finally showed up to her house. She started screaming and wailing about her marriage and other personal reasons. "Honey, why don't we go to the park?" Charlie offers the woman as he soothed her in his arms.
"You know, the one on Cherry Lane. That one park I took you and your sister to when you were little."
The woman looked up at Charlie with her smudged wet mascara eyes. "I would love that, dad."
So he drove his daughter to the park.
They start to walk at one of the small hiking trails while absorbing nature and the birds' chirping.
After a few minutes of silence Charlie decided to talk about the woman's situation.
"So you and your husband aren't doing well?"
The woman shakes her head. "No. Not at all."
They begin to walk up a hill. Tall trees begin to fill their vision the higher they walk up the hill.
Charlie tried to match his daughter's pace, she was walking so fast. "Can you slow down a bit, hon? I'm not as athletic as I was twenty years ago."
The woman slows down and walks side by side with her father steadily.
"Sorry dad," She says, taking a sip from her water bottle. "I just got myself heated thinking about my family struggles."
They finally make it to the top.
Charlie pats his daughter's shoulder. "I understand. I know what you're going through."
The woman laughs and kicks a pebble off to the side of the trail. "I don't think mom ever cheated on you, so I doubt you know what I'm going through."
Charlie stops in his tracks with his mouth hanging wide open. "Your husband is cheating on you? That bastard, I'll kill him!"
"Dad, calm down."
Charlie shoots her a puzzled look. "Calm down? Honey, how can I calm down when I just got told that this scumbag is cheating on my daughter?"
The woman looks to her right and spots an old red bench. She then looks back at her angry father. "Why don't we sit down?"
—----------------------------
After the woman told Charlie about her husband seeing his ex, Claudia, she felt a huge pang of relief releasing from her soul. She felt good about telling her dad about her personal issues. He always was on her side no matter what.
"So you would always see your husband sneaking around at night?" Charlie asks as they sat on the red bench. "You said he would just drive off with her to go to bars while he thought you and Julia were sleeping?"
The woman nods and twists her wedding ring back and forth on her finger. "They've been quote hanging out for the past six years. Ever since I was five months pregnant with Julia."
Charlie snorts. "He's a piece of shit."
The woman smiles at her dad. "Yes, he is."
"So what's the plan after? Are you going to file for a divorce?"
The woman purses her lips and nervously looks off the side. "I don't know."
A blue jay suddenly lands on top of the bench. It looks at the woman with its beady eyes.
"Hello there." The woman says softly, trying not to make any movement so the bird wouldn't fly off. It continues to stare at her. He looked at her as if he knew all of her secrets.
"Wow, this is crazy," Charlie whispers. "It's like he wants to be your new best friend."
The woman smiles at the bird. "I wish I had my camera on me. This would be the perfect photo to frame."
The woman slowly puts her hand out to the bird. She wanted it to climb on her hand.
But the bird became frightened and flew off into the trees.
The lady sighs. "Well, that was fun while it lasted."
"Yeah, blue jays are one of the most beautiful birds. They represent new beginnings, you know." Charlie says.
The woman smiles and looks at her father. "Maybe I'll get my new beginning soon."
Charlie smiles back and hugs his daughter with his right arm. "Of course you will, sweetheart."
As the seconds went by as her father hugged her, the woman was ready to get what she wanted. His money.
"Dad," the lady begins using her best sad voice. "There's something else I need to tell you."
Charlie stops hugging his daughter and looks at her with concern. "What is it?"
The woman sighs and forces herself to cry. Hot tears begin to roll down her cheeks.
Charlie puts his hand on her shoulder. "Honey, what's wrong?"
"Julia has a brain tumor." The woman sobs.
Charlie's eyes widened with shock. "W-what? No, that can't be! She's only a little girl."
The woman hugs her dad and continues to fake sob into his neck. "I never expected my daughter to have cancer, dad. I'm so overwhelmed and heartbroken."
Charlie strokes his daughter's hair. "What stage is Julia at?" He asks softly, holding back his own tears.
"Stage 1, we're lucky we caught it fast. But dad, we don't have health insurance. I can't afford Julia's brain surgery."
Charlie looks at his daughter suspiciously. "No health insurance? But you guys had health insurance for quite a while."
The woman continues her fake sobs. "My husband lost his job recently. We can't afford insurance anymore."
"How much do you need for Julia's surgery?"
The woman pauses and twiddles her fingers. "Twenty thousand dollars."
Charlie lets out a big sigh but recovers himself and goes straight to business mode. "I'll write you a check when we get back to the car. I can't lose my only granddaughter. And you know I'll always help you with emergencies, sweetheart."
The woman smiles and hugs her father tight. "Thank you so much, dad. You're saving my little girl."
Charlie smiles and hugs the woman back. "Of course, baby. You know I'm always here for you and Julia."
As the two hugged in silence, the blue jay watched them up on a tall tree from a distance.
YOU ARE READING
The Divorce
General Fiction"You hardly talk to me anymore." She says. "And you hardly smile anymore." He says. The woman sighs and puts her red coat on. "Well...I guess this is it then?" The man nods and looks down at his shoes. "Yes, I believe so." A couple who have been m...
