Often married couples confidently refer to their unions as destiny or fate…but in reality, can any mystical power supersede divorce if it’s written in the cards?
At a Catholic elementary school, there was a student named Robert…he went by Bobby…except for when a
or
needed his attention…then Robert was beckoned…well, this Bobby had a crush on a classmate, Roberta…she also preferred to go by Bobby…mirroring both name and affection of her young suitor…their stomachs were usually full of
…and they had a repeated classroom correspondence
…as well as daily exposure to the schoolyard chant, Bobby Squared sittin’ in a
…K-I-S-S-I-N-G…first comes
…then comes
…then comes
…most would construe the juvenile song as teasing…on the contrary, Bobby Squared welcomed predictions from miniature soothsayers…hoping they’d prove accurate…which they did…but let’s back up a little to the wedding…the weather was
…and the ceremony brought witnesses of the twelve year courtship to tears…especially Uncle Nick
…brother to Roberta’s mom…a country guy through and through…he had a small cattle farm not far from the
…even still, nobody thought he would come…Nicholas had been keeping to himself over the past year since his wife Nicole died…Aunt Nick was hit by a
while
…she was just 46…her and Uncle Nick were also sweethearts from school…happily married 25 years…with two kids and a
…all of whom were struggling to come to grips with the loss…but none more than Uncle Nick…family tried unsuccessfully to console him…similarly, Nick Squared had been the couple’s mantra…now he felt hopelessly incomplete…standing in back of church by the
…he waited for Robert and Roberta to kiss…then he disappeared…shortly thereafter, the newlyweds hustled out the same exit to cheers and applause…trying to avoid a barrage of
…seeking safe haven in back of the classic
…the clumsy escape landed Roberta right on top of a
…a wedding gift…it was lying on the back seat…plain and simple…no wrapping or
…Roberta squealed, What the?…the driver immediately, Oh, I’m sorry…Uncle Nick, I think he said…can’t make the reception…he left his gift…honestly, I doubt you’d want him there anyway…he smelled like cows…or maybe
…you know, like when you go to a petting zoo…Roberta was quick to defend, Well, he smells like sheep ’cause he’s a farmer…and I wouldn’t mind if he sat near me…smell or not…then she turned to Robert, What can this be?…inside was a note
…also in the box were 2 smaller boxes…size and shape that would typically contain these
…upon closer inspection, they were actually playing card boxes like this
…but someone had painted them with a white
…and there was a piece of masking tape on each…one box was labelled
…and the other
…and that appeared to be it…the rest of the main box was filled with pieces of blank white paper…cut to the size of a standard playing card…the newlyweds were puzzled…then Robert opened his little box…Honey, there’s a card…he read aloud
…Roberta then opened hers and recited
…she continued, And there’s something else written on the back of mine
…Roberta started to cry, Oh my God!…these were theirs…I recognize my Aunt Nick’s handwriting…then she peeled back the tape from her box and confirmed
…smearing eyeliner, Roberta pleaded, Bobby…we must do it…I’ve never seen a more loving couple than my Aunt and Uncle Nick…promise!…and promise, they did…for three years everything was great…boxes had only temporary concerns…but things changed after Baby #2
…Baby #1 was now a toddler and apparently couldn’t wait to have a little brother…well, that was until she realized there was only so much attention to go ’round…she was having no parts of sharing the
…even prior to their second child being born, Roberta had addressed Robert’s spoiling of his little girl…but now things were getting out of hand…motivated by frustration over the daughter’s temper tantrums…Robert’s solution was to buy her
…and allow extra
…Roberta would call him on it…and for a little while it worked…Robert would resist the daughter’s hysterics…but then, he would fall back on old ways…Roberta complained to Robert, Hun, how many times am I gonna have to put this card back in my box?
…seriously, the corners are rounded…she said it sort of tongue and cheek…she even thought he might laugh…but his reaction went the complete opposite direction, Oh yeah!…you think you’re so perfect…he pulled out his box and dumped nearly a dozen cards on the
…Roberta was caught off guard, What’s all this?…she grabbed the closest card
…Roberta smiled and explained, Hun, I told you I’m trying to lose this baby weight…and plus, takeout’s like a waste of money…but…if it’s that important to you…I’m ok with an occasional
…Roberta thought the takeout complaint was no big deal and went back to the pile, So, what else do I have to work on?…she had no idea the cards were about to get hurtful
…Roberta’s voice weakened as a lump developed in her throat…still she continued
…tears streamed down her face
…completely deflated, she collapsed onto the pile…head in her arms…and with a muffled voice declared, That’s enough…I…I…just can’t take anymore…it was quiet and still, except for the sound of sniffling…then she stood up straight and reached for the
…drying her tears, she looked him in the face, How can you…all those horrible things…where’s this coming from…do you mean all that?…but she didn’t wait for an answer…she had one of these
…a switch that would suddenly flip when she felt mistreated…cornered…she instantly regained composure…her voice strengthened, How the f*ck…were you f*ckin’ drunk or somethin’?…Robert started rifling through a drawer for a
…Roberta questioned, Now what are you doing?…Robert answered as he was writing something, Hold on, I forgot one…he finished and slid a new card in front of her
…Roberta countered, You’re an a**hole!…and headed upstairs…crying again and screaming, a f*ckin’ ignorant a**hole…and before she slammed their bedroom door closed, she threw down the steps his
…and finished with, you’re on the couch tonight…and for your information…I’m a f*ckin’ awesome mom!…the next morning, Roberta asked a friend to watch the kids and headed to Uncle Nick’s
…she brought some
…she figured if Uncle Nick was busy, she could treat the
…so there she was…leaning over the rail…lost in a daydream of what was her marriage…she didn’t realize Uncle Nick had been standing next to her for ten minutes…when she did, she fell into his arms, crying…after a moment, he said, Come inside…I made a pot of
…Roberta took a seat at the
…Uncle Nick poured two cups and headed down the hallway…Roberta loudly, I’m real sorry Uncle Nick…popping in unannounced and all…but…Uncle Nick interrupted while reaching the top shelf of the coat closet, I have something to show you…he returned with a
…it was yellowed from age and worn from use…he instructed, Bobby, watch your coffee…then he opened the lid and dumped a pile of used cards on the table…Roberta was astonished…she grabbed a random card
…and another
…and another
…Roberta stopped and smiled, Uncle Nick…these are…they’re like easy, almost cute stuff…you have no idea what…Uncle Nick cut her off, Just keep reading
…Roberta slowly lifted her head and squinted her eyes, Really?…even Uncle Nick chuckled at that one
…Roberta, Finally!
…Uncle Nick quickly, Alright…I think we can stop there…Roberta replied, Uncle Nick, I had no idea…Uncle Nick’s face turned
…he cleared his throat, No, no…I listened…and worked on it…your Aunt Nick was quite satisfied…believe me!…Roberta laughed heartily, Oh stop…not that…I’m referring to everything…I always thought you and Aunt Nick had the perfect marriage.
Uncle Nick gulped his coffee, then began, Bobby, perfection isn’t real…in marriage, you need to make mistakes to learn how to limit mistakes…be each others support system…stay open minded…talk all the time, but listen just as much…have honest conversations about feelings…and sometimes, when you gain a true understanding of why someone said or did what they did…it’s time to forgive…move on…work harder on the present.
I love you, and I want you to stay true to who you are…but you also have to have a willingness to make adjustments…that goes for the both of you…and someday you’ll have a big box full of cards like this…BUT proudly, two small empty boxes with your names on them.
Roberta questioned, You mean…with all these…decades worth of discussions…you and Aunt Nick had it all figured out?
Uncle Nick’s eyes welled up, All except one
I hope you’ve enjoyed this Callemonit story…I know that taking time and effort to write out marital concerns on Callemonit Cards is unrealistic…however, I bet you can recall an argument with your husband or wife when you pulled out your imaginary cards and rattled off a whole list of things that bothered you…catching your spouse completely by surprise.
A successful marriage isn’t destiny or fate…nothing’s guaranteed…repeated heated arguments, separation, and even divorce might be from avoiding a whole host of issues…and when they pile up too much, recovery and repair become exceedingly difficult…so don’t ignore…don’t let it be written in the cards…have healthy Callemonit Conversations now!
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