People who grow up in a small town together get to know each other pretty well by the time they reach marriageable age. Often this seems to lead to good matches, with the incidence of surprises greatly reduced by familiarity. Unfortunately, this was not what happened to my friend, Rita.
Rita came from a prominent family in the area, and in her high school years her parents sent her to a boarding school. Since she had been away during those crucial years, and she was a bit shy to boot, she wound up relying on her brother’s groups of friends for dates. Eventually she started going around with Phil, one of her brother’s circle of buddies. Phil was certainly considered a good catch – he was handsome without being too attractive, he had a winsome personality, he was easy to get to know and made friends easily. Pretty soon Rita and Phil became an item, and within a normal amount of time they were married.
As time went by, Rita kept up with her girlfriends from boarding school days – often they visited back and forth. Sally was especially her “best friend”, and the two young women were like sisters as they started making their way through adult life, marriage, children and all the things that went with them. Eventually Rita had her first child, a boy, then shortly another. She and Sally were still friends, but they were getting busy with their lives. Phil was busy also with his business, and his winning personality was a great asset to him.
Rita doesn’t remember when she first noticed the passing glances between Phil and Sally. She actually chided herself for being suspicious when the glances were becoming more obvious. When Phil announced to her that he was seeking a divorce, she was crushed. When she found out that it was because of her best buddy Sally, she was incredulous. She wondered when they had had time to get to know each other so well that they were willing to betray her in such a horrendous way. When Phil was out with they guys, supposedly drinking beer, was he really with Sally? Were they conspiring against her? In the midst of family life and with two lively boys to raise, she was bewildered more than outraged by how this could happen to her. And the betrayer not only her own husband, but her best friend as well!
Rita cried for weeks, it seemed. Somehow she just couldn’t pull herself together. The sense of betrayal was too monstrous for her to deal with. Eventually, though, all pain becomes dulled and one learns to live with it. Rita raised her boys as best she could with a broken heart. Then she went to work in sales and amassed a fortune. She remarried and is still in a relationship that is friendly and comforting, but the pain one sees in her as she tells her story is still there.
