We are set to leave the country.  House is gone. We sold our cars and released our nanny.   Half of our stuff had been placed in storage when we moved into the corporate housing.  The other half was on a slow-moving ship to Ireland.  By the beginning of September, we had nothing here in the US, other than friends.  Nothing.  The journey of our life was about to begin!

The plan was as follows.  We were to stay in the Marriott at Worldgate near the airport for our last night.  The next day, we were to get on a plane bound for Hilton Head, South Carolina.  From there, we were to spend a week with my family at the beach.  And finally, off to Ireland.  Little did I know we were a traveling house of cards, ready to come crashing down.

On Friday night, our final night, we went out for one last dinner in Virginia.  At dinner, I talked about how I thought Ireland would be so great for our marriage.  Heck, I even talked about how the beach would be great for us.  I look back now and realize I was fairly desperate for something to resonate with him.  I also realized that I talked.  And talked.  While he quietly seemed to agree, and certainly didn’t argue.  But, as I now realize, that old path of least resistance can mold any response.  I knew things weren’t rosy, but I still held hope that we could somehow work through it.  I held hope that a less-complex financial situation would enable us to focus on the important things.  I held hope that communication was not something beyond us.

Nicole Drapeau Gillen, Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved