"Well, I guess that about wraps it up," Bruce said, as he began to collect the papers spread out on the table. "You can stay on in the house as long as you need to. I'll be down next week sometime to collect my stuff and take care of the legalities. In the mean time I'll be staying on here at Crossroads. I can do my work anywhere, and I sort of like the wildness up here in the mountains."
Janie stacked the cups and took them to the sink. "I'll do the dishes before I leave. That's the least I can do, I guess." She turned to Bruce and smiled sadly.
"You've been civilized about all this, Janie," he said. "I think it's for the best the way we've done it."
"Yes, for the kids, especially." Janet ran hot water into the sink. "If we are going to have joint custody, we are going to have to get along."
Bruce stuffed the papers into a briefcase. "No need to get lawyers involved. They would be the only winners. There's no reason two reasonable people can't divide up their belongings fairly. We've proved that."
Janie looked out the cabin window. "The snow is coming down pretty steady now - It's beautiful."
"It should have stopped by now." Bruce joined her at the window. "You best wait until it does - then we can call before you go to see if the roads are safe."
"I need to be going soon. The kids are expecting me back tonight. Besides, Linda has plans tomorrow. If I'm not there to pick them up, she'll be left in the lurch." Janie was anxious to get on the road -- anxious to get on with her life. They had done what they needed to do and she was ready for a clean break.
"You don't want to get caught out there if the roads are not passable," Bruce warned. "I know you don't want to stay, and frankly I have work to do myself, but you have to be practical about these things."
"I suppose you're right. " Janie sighed as she dried the cups and placed them in the cabinet. Bruce was always practical - to a fault, she thought. It was one of the sources of conflict that had led to their breakup. There was no spontaneity in their lives, never had been. And when the kids came, life was even more predictable. Schedules and routines had taken the place of a marriage.
Well, at least we are not at each other's throats, Janie thought. She moved to the small living room, groaning as she sank into an overstuffed chair next to the fireplace. It could have been a lot worse. She was the one that broached the subject of divorce first. There just wasn't any reason to continue the charade; he didn't love her any more.
Janie had expected him to protest, if only because he hated change; and he did a little, but even he could see that their marriage was over. They never talked anymore unless they were angry. They both deserved better than the kind of relationship they had. The kids would adjust and probably be better off. Still Janie dreaded telling them. It would have to be soon - before their father came for his things.
Bruce wiped the steam from the kitchen window and peered outside again. "It's not getting any better," he called over his shoulder. "In fact, it's a lot worse than it was five minutes ago. I don't think you'll be going anywhere today."
Janie sat silently in front of the fire while Bruce called the authorities.
He'd been right: they were closing the roads. She would be staying the night. Janie looked around the familiar rustic cabin. Bruce loved the place. Janie had, too, once.
"Funny, I've hardly changed a thing since we bought Crossroads." She looked at the faded blue plaid curtains at the windows and the threadbare rug beneath their feet. "I wonder why. I've redecorated the house three times."
"I'm glad you didn't," Bruce said, joining her by the fire. "I like it this way."
They bought the place a year after they married. The first few years they came to the cabin every time they had a decision to make. That's why they called it Crossroads. They had come to consider the pros and cons of buying a house. Tracy was conceived there when they came to discuss moving to New Jersey for a new job. They decided to stay because they both loved the Pacific Northwest -- more than the extra money a promotion would have meant. They came to the cabin when Janie was laid off in a corporate downsizing and that was where they decided she should stay home with the kids instead of finding another job. Their life changed in so many ways, but the cabin was the one constant. Janie didn't understand how things had gotten so out of whack. Sure, they had differences, but they had loved one another once and that had been enough to hold them together.
Janice glanced at Bruce while he stared into the fire. She thought about the way it had been for them in the beginning. He'd been her rock, responsible and strong. Funny how the things that attracted her to him had been the things that eventually drove her crazy. Now his strength seemed unyielding, and his dependability seemed predictable and boring. She wondered if he felt the same way about her. Had the spontaneous free spirit he fell in love with become fickle and unreliable in his eyes? Was that the reason he quit loving her? It would be easier if she didn't still care about him, but she did. Still, there had to be more to a marriage.
Janie watched a spark snap and drift upward from the glowing log. "When did we fall out of love, Bruce? Do you know?"
"Did we? I didn't know it if we did," he answered softly. "I thought we just -- I don't know what I thought. We just quit trying to get along, I think."
Janie looked at Bruce. Was it possible? "Are you saying you still love me? It hasn't seemed that way for a long time."
Bruce tilted his head and studied Janie's face. "Do we still have something to talk about?"
Janie raised her eyebrows. "I don't know, do we?"
"Maybe it's a good thing you've been snowed in," Bruce said, reaching out his hand to her.
"Maybe," she said as she took his hand. "We've made some good decisions here at Crossroads - maybe we need to think about this one a bit longer."
THE END