Taillights

Megan watched him drive away. 10 years of marriage fading away with taillights in the night. Just like that. No warning. No explanation. Jason just left. Leaving his five year old son, a crying heap in her arms. The man she loved had left a long time ago now the man she married was following suit.

She knew Jason was unhappy. She knew he was struggling with so many things; marriage, work, his faith and the loss of his parents two years ago. They had tried therapy, prayer, and constant arguing but nothing seemed to bring him back to her.

When Megan got home that night, she found him loading his car. The ache in her gut began immediately. There were no planned trips especially that would take that much luggage. What gave it away though was that he was loading up the Civic. He never drove that car. They had been trying to sell the car for over a year. It wasn't worth much, but she was sure it could get him where he needed to go.

Bruised

She didn't see it coming.  He wasn't the man she married.  He definitely wasn't the father he pledged himself to be. The sparkle he used to have in his eyes for life had dimmed so much that darkness spilled out.   The stress had overtaken him.  Keeping up with the big dogs at work, planning for a child, the loss of his dad, had over time eaten away at who he used to be.

She remembered the day they met.  Alex had such a zest for life, such an energy. Everyone who knew him couldn't stay away.  It was contagious.  He never did anything half heartily.  He poured all he had into whatever he had on his plate and never seemed to burn out.  The drive to see things through, to make magic happen, seemed only to empower him.  Hillary being a little more on the introverted side, found herself pulled towards him.

The day they found out they were going to be parents, Alex cried, yelled, laughed and even did a few cartwheels.  He made sure that anyone that knew him, friend or acquaintance, knew he was going to be a father to the best little boy or girl in the world