LISA AND BARRY "LUCKY" DAY---PART 3

PLEASE READ PARTS 1 AND 2 FIRST
       

                                   THE MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL


LISA AND BARRY "LUCKY" DAY--PART 3                               

When Barry came home from his office on the day Lisa and Steve had their first covert luncheon meeting, Barry immediately detected the unusual and delightful aroma of Lisa’s Dream Catcher fragrance. She received this perfume from an aunt in Santa Fe, NM. The aunt purchased it from a Native American sidewalk vendor who claimed magical and mystical results for the woman who wore this perfume. Lisa got a small bottle when she graduated from high school and another when she graduated from college.  

Barry inquired why she had chosen this day to wear his favorite perfume that had previously only been worn on special occasions. Lisa was now on the slippery downhill slope of changing half-truths into dangerous lies. She stated she chose this day because a group of Sioux Nation dancers performed at the day care. In fact, the dancers did perform at the day care; however, the real reason was she wanted to wow Steve on their inaugural long lunch hour hidden meeting. The perfume produced the desired effects. 

Fast forward four months later: Steve, in spite of his wife’s pleading for counseling with the base chaplain, divorced her. Ditto for Lisa and Barry. Six months later Lisa and Steve were married. Lisa and Steve found an off base apartment. Steve’s ex-wife took her daughter and went home to Kansas. Barry moved into the Bachelor Officers quarters. On two occasions, Barry was shopping in the Base Exchange when Lisa and Steve came in. On each occasion he put his items down on the nearest shelf and hastily walked out. How could Lisa look so happy and he felt so bad? Mercifully, Steve and his new bride were reassigned three months later.

Some retrospective might be helpful at this time.  It is the very nature of humans to attempt to find cause and effect for events, especially painful ones. Barry attempted many times to determine why Lisa was leaving him in favor of a man she had known for less than a year. Had he done or said something wrong? Was she unhappy in her work? Had she forgotten all of the good times they enjoyed in high school and college? Was Steve a better performer in the bedroom? Was the weather responsible for the divorce? Was she on drugs? Are you depressed? Have you grown tired of the Air Force? Did he promise you something I can’t provide? Do you still  love me? What about our wedding vows? I love you Lisa; even if you no longer love me just tell me why you are doing this. On and on the questions went. Each time she would generalize and say, “I can’t explain it.  I just know it is best for everyone.”

Barry quickly advanced from the early stages of Shock, to Denial, to Anger in the Grieving process. He felt unbelievable anger toward Lisa and Steve. He thought briefly of confronting Steve and duking it out---winner take all. He even thought of taking his own life. Time, reason, the base chaplain, a very challenging job, and a supporting mother and father helped him survive the midnight of his soul. To quote Robert Service “It’s the Hell served for breakfast that’s hard.” He later would recall he felt like the gut shot cowboys in old western movies. He didn’t want to live and he didn’t know how to die.


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