Chapter 8
For thirty days and thirty intolerably long and lonely nights Gloria was alone, her mind continuously gnawed by the thought of what had happened to her once happy life. She avoided the Harpers, lay in bed most of the day, and drank too much.
At the start of her second month by herself she had a dream that she and Martin were back together and when she woke up her pillow was wet with tears.
That was the morning the letter arrived!
Gloria recognized Martin's hand writing and quickly she ripped open the envelope, positive that her dream had been a good omen-that Martin had changed his mind ... that everything would be all right between them.
Eagerly the beautiful young redhead began reading, and then her hands began trembling and the words blurred as her tears splashed down onto the paper.
It was all there-the end, the painful ultimate ending-words written by the only man she'd ever loved. The words of regret, expressing the shame he felt, and then, his disappointment in his wife. "I've had a month to think about it and now I'm doubly sure that the earlier decision was the right thing to do. What we had is no more, and it can never be resurrected."
Gloria continued to read although she could barely see the words. Martin wrote that he was sure that there was no love on either of their parts any longer, and he definitely had no trust in a marriage that had become nothing more than a constant round of sexual orgies. "Besides, Gloria, I've never needed more than one woman to make me happy ... and keep me content. I'm sorry about everything and hope that you'll find satisfaction in your quest for 'sexual liberation'."
"Oh God," she sobbed, and crumpled the letter up in her balled fist. It was all so unfair ... Martin wouldn't give her a chance to prove how much she still loved him. But she knew he was right about one thing. The beautiful love and marriage they had had for five years had been destroyed. It was no more! But maybe, if they worked hard, there might be some hope! Surely what they had before was worth trying again. She was still standing with the letter in her hand when the telephone rang. She ran to it, sure that it had to be Martin who'd had second thoughts about sending the letter. "Hello ... hello...." she sniffed.
"Hello, darling," she heard Aunt Beth's bubbling voice on the other end of the line. "You sound strange."
: "No ... no ... I'm all right...." the sobs were almost choking her, and the scalding tears were flowing harder than before.
"Are you still alone, honey?" Beth asked, having learned a week ago that Martin had left her.
"Yes, Aunt Beth ... he wants a divorce."
There was a long pause, then Beth's voice, sounding almost pleased, came over the wire. "Look, darling, I'm on my way to New York, and it would be fun to have you along. I can introduce you to some really fantastic people. You'll love them. Why don't you come with me?"
"I'm too upset, Aunt Beth. I can never be happy again."
"Oh come on, don't be a silly goose," the older woman teased. "We'll have more fun than you've ever had ... Happy? Happiness is relative, darling. You have a new life ahead of you. Excitement. Wonderful, entertaining friends, and lovers galore."
Gloria knew that she had to pull herself together, that unless she wanted to commit suicide and end it all, she would have to learn to live without Martin. Not being the type to take her own life, she abruptly decided her new beginning should be away from the place where she'd known such great happiness before. She waited only a second more, then closing her eyes in defeat, she said quietly, "All right, Beth. I'll come!"
"Look, darling, meet me at International Airport at four o'clock this afternoon. I'll have the tickets. Oh, this is going to be so much fun."
"I'll be there," Gloria promised, then hung up the receiver. She stood by the telephone stand and stared around the room where she and Martin had been so happy in the past. The room blurred again and she made a futile effort to wipe the tears from her reddened eyes.
As the beautiful young redhead stood there, swaying and staring almost blankly around the room, she remembered her dream Oh God, if only it could be true-could happen again! It was then she gave in to something she had wanted to do all day and night for the last thirty days.
She would call the apartment Martin had rented and beg him to give her another chance. She was positive that she could change his mind if she only had a chance to prove her love for him.
Trembling with expectation, Gloria quickly dialed the number, hoping that he hadn't gone to work yet. She crossed her fingers and held her breath as the phone rang ... and rang.
"Hello," she heard a female voice answer. "Is this the apartment of Mr. Martin Cot-ten?"
"Yes, it is, just a minute." Gloria heard the girl speaking, but not to her, "Darling, it's some woman. Wants to talk to you."
Accepting defeat, blinded by tears, Gloria slowly replaced the receiver and then, as she silently went to pack her belongings, she remembered a statement she had made to Dennis the night they'd so thoughtlessly taught him about swapping, "It may work for some couples, but I'm sure, it doesn't work for everyone."
Yes, time changes all things. And all things are relative. It was on the plane to New York that she met him. A writer, of all things. He was on his way to sign a contract with a publisher, his third published book.
"Look, he said as the plane was lowering into Kennedy Airport. "I'm going to be staying at the Essex House. Please call me. We can have dinner ... tomorrow night if you wish."
He was blond and he was handsome and he reminded her of Martin-One year later she married him, and as the Justice of the Peace said, "to love, honor and...." she added her own little pledge, "... and never make that mistake again."