When Molly heard, as she returned to work having confronted George, that Charlie was at home because Muriel had just given birth to their fourth baby, her heart leapt into her throat. How could she expect Charlie to mention divorce to his wife at this juncture?
And now it might be too late for her. She had already come clean to George. He hadn’t spoken to her since - just packed his briefcase and headed off to his factory without comment, calling to say that he was staying in a hotel that night while he mulled things over.
Molly didn’t have Charlie’s issues when it came to a divorce. She wasn’t Catholic, for a start. She and George didn’t have children. On paper, it would seem that Molly’s separation from George should prove to be much more straightforward.
But now there were four children involved, and the ever-increasing chance that George might just refuse to cooperate.
When Charlie didn’t show up for work for a second day, Molly made the excuse of being ill – she certainly felt sick - and went home. She planned at first to drive past Charlie’s house, but then realised that, with four children under four years old, there was a high likelihood of someone being out front playing with one of them.
She headed home with a knot in her stomach that underlined what an idiot she’d been. How could she have been so foolish as to act in haste, with no guarantees for the future? She felt every bit as adrift in life as she had when her mother had died, all those years ago.
The twisted stomach worsened when she saw George’s car in the driveway. It was unusual for him to be home earlier than six pm, but then, these were unusual times. She put her key in the lock carefully, half-expecting the locks to be changed, but it clicked open as always, and she stepped into the hall.
‘You’re early,’ said her husband from the dining room.
‘I wasn’t feeling well,’ she said, offering him a peck on the cheek.
He accepted it gently, then motioned to the table. The surface was covered in documents, neatly packaged into files with George’s steady hand-writing, so different to Charlie’s impassioned scrawl in his love notes, topping each pile of papers with a title: House, or Will, and Retirement.
‘I’ve been to see Gerald Lassiter,’ he said. ‘I’m not one to abandon my wife, even if she is leaving me to be with another man. I want you to be supported in the future.’
‘You’re agreeing to the divorce?’
George nodded slowly.
‘Oh, George. You don’t need to do anything else for me.’
‘I want to,’ he said sincerely. ‘We’ve spent nearly ten years being happily married, and you faithfully gave me your unconditional love. We never had a cross word between us, and you must admit that we’ve enjoyed each other’s company.’
‘Of course.’
‘It’s been a wonderful adventure, Molly.’ George spoke sadly but with a determination she hadn’t heard the night she’d broached the idea of divorce. ‘This last decade has been the best period of my life, by far, spoiled only by my impotence. But even that hasn’t been an issue. You never complained, or made me feel embarrassed or inadequate. Quite the contrary, in fact. You’ve been a wonderful wife to me, and I will always love and respect you.’
‘And I you,’ whispered Molly, close to tears.
George sighed, then straightened his back. ‘I can see that Charlie really loves you, and I want you to be happy. Of course, he is leaving a wife and three children.’
‘Four, now,’ said Molly. George’s eyes widened. ‘But he’ll always support them – I’ll make sure of it.’ She wasn’t sure she’d be with him while he did it, or even if he could leave Muriel now, but that was something for a later discussion.
‘He’s … he’s a decent man,’ said George. ‘I always liked him. And I hope in time that we can all remain friends.’
Molly was, quite simply, stunned. She went to embrace George again, and he allowed himself a brief moment in her arms as she told him that she didn’t deserve him, before angling her into a chair and passing her a cup of coffee.
He then proceeded to give Molly a rundown on what he and Lassiter had drawn up, for Molly to receive after the divorce decree. Firstly, his attorney would file for a non-contested divorce based on incompatibility due to their age difference. Next, George would give Molly an amount of money matching that in her independent savings account. That would mean her savings account would end up amounting to four times her present annual salary.