Chapter 34

Marriages and Divorces:

My wife and I split up, or more precisely she left me, about ten years ago. For me this was a fairly traumatic experience coming at the same time that the last of my children was finishing college and my company was dispensing with my services. It took me a couple of years to cope with all this. It was distressing to come home to an empty house, that is if I had ever left it, since I no longer had a job.
We had been married for ten years or so at the time and she had done an excellent job in helping me bring up my, and my late previous wife's, children. It had been obvious for several years that she was not happy. In fact, a couple of years earlier, after having tried everything I knew about attempting to be a good husband, I gave up. I decided to just be me. This involved spending more time with my friends and a lot more time indulging in my favourite sport, gliding.
The curious thing about all this was that when I talked to her about it some years later she just laughed and told me that she had not noticed the difference.

So anyway here I was planning my trip to Bangtao a few weeks ago when I had lunch with my wife. This takes a little explaining.
We have been separated for about ten years and yet despite having no wish whatsoever to live together we just never got round to getting divorced. I can only speak for myself, of course, but it seems to me that if I ever wanted to marry again then that would be as good a time as ever to get a divorce. We are still good friends. There is within me a lingering sadness even perhaps bitterness but that is to state it too strongly. It has been difficult for her to tell me why she left me. Perhaps it is my halitosis or my inept sexual endeavours. Who knows. Although these possiblilities cannot be ruled out I suspect that her comment on the subject is accurate.
"Why did you leave me?"
"I don't know."
During our lunch date Misha asked me when I was going to be in Bangtao. I told her and she replied,
"Well I'm working in Singapore for the first two weeks of November, could I come and visit you for a week then?"

I had decided years ago that "husbands were not just for holidays" so I was a little taken aback by this.

But….. I have booked her in at 'The Andaman Resort' in Bangtao where she will be able to hear the waves crashing, or more likely lapping, up the beach and see the sea from her bed, if she leaves her curtains open.

Some of my friends in Bangtao think that I am mad to allow my wife near the place. But that is to miss the point. I think she will enjoy a week here and I will be very happy to show her Laem Singh beach, Phrom Thep, the Jungceylon shopping mall, the gibbon sanctuary, Ao Po marina and all the other places which I enjoy. Oh and not forgetting Bangla street, Patong at night. I do rather wonder what she will make of 'Katoys R us' though.

I also look forward to introducing her to my many friends here though the stock joke amongst them is that "that's one week you will be celibate anyway!"

A last thought. As Misha dropped me at Heathrow for my flight here she commented,
"Oh by the way it will be our twenty first wedding anniversary while I'm there".

Hmm! I’m still think about that.