IT'S COMPLICATED

By Michael D. Butler

Discover DATING, LOVE and ROMANCE all over again!

 

 

Do you still believe in love?

 

·       Is finding love possible?

·       Is finding your soul-mate over 40 possible?

·     

• Language: English
• Publisher: BEYOND PUBLISHING
• Release date: Feb 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637920084

Michael D. Butler

As a single parent of 4 sons Michael takes the reader on a hilarious and emotionally charged journey of divorce, single parenting, avoiding the money traps, dating again and helps single dads everywhere navigate the choppy waters of divorce court, child support, custody, and creating emotional health for optimally well adjusted and whole kids to make your next remarriage a rocking success. The reader will uncover resources and find nuggets of gold to help during one of life's most treacherous transitions - the tragedy of divorce. Butler has authored a number of other Best-Selling Books as well including Best-Seller Status Becoming a Best-Selling Author in the Digital Age and published a number of authors through his publishing company BeyondPublishing.net

Book preview

Chapter One

A car drove by outside. The house creaked in that way that older homes do. Some dog barked. Lindsey was aware of these and so many more sounds as she lay awake, staring up at the popcorn ceiling, which she had now been doing for several hours. Her mind had wandered from the man snoring beside her to matters of work, which brought up her political anxieties, leading to an ill-fated attempt at silent meditation that devolved into speculation about who would win the current season of Amazing Cake Cooking before her mind inevitably turned to the envelope she had waiting for her at home. Whew. A mouthful.

She hated that envelope.

The letter was something that she had been expecting for some time now. She had dreaded its arrival, but when it had been late to appear, it only made her feel worse. It contained a series of legal documents, settlement agreements, and a binding decree that Lindsey Long and Daniel Artell were no longer married, as decided by a state court. After fourteen months of separation, their divorce had at last been finalized.

In the months leading up to this official declaration, Lindsey had gone through quite the spectrum of emotions.

It’s been over for a while now, she’d told her mother. It’s just a piece of paper.

I can’t move on with my life until I know it’s completely over! she’d declared to her therapist.

I kinda forget that I’m still married, she lied to her best friend.

Is your dad seeing anyone? she occasionally asked her daughter.

Then it just showed up… anticlimactically.

And so, she ignored it.

Lindsey had gone about her day as intended right up until she’d accidentally kissed Dale from Work. She didn’t really know Dale from Work. In fact, the only reason his name was suddenly Dale from Work was because she didn’t even know his last name. They had been at their colleague’s birthday party. Drinks had been poured and over poured. Now, he was kind of hogging the covers.

Her phone buzzed quietly nearby, and she winced. As quickly and quietly as she could manage, she slipped out of bed and searched for the phone. She found the damn thing underneath Dale’s dresser of all places. Her alarm clock had informed her that it was now 5:45 and that she needed to get up to pick her daughter up for school. She silenced the alarm and tried not to make a sound as she dressed. Her phone, bag, and heels in hand, she slipped out of the dark bedroom and into the pre-dawn light of the house.

Dale’s master bedroom was off the second-floor hallway of the house, and the stairs that led to the front door creaked noisily as she stepped on each one. Every sound elicited another wince from Lindsey as she inched toward the front door. And just as she reached the last step, a sound from the kitchen made her stop. Horror suddenly shot through her. A moment later, a very small person came around the corner and nearly bumped into her. It was a little girl, no older than six.

The little girl froze, her big eyes going wide and her mouth falling open. Lindsey stifled a gasp. Hi! she whispered as she threw on the best smile she could rush onto her face. She looked to Dale’s room and back. I’m a friend of your-,

DADDY!!!!! the little girl let out in a piercing wail.

No! Lindsey cried out in panic. Dale’s daughter backed away in terror and began to cry. Loudly. Oh, no! No, no, no, it’s okay sweetie! Her attempts to quell the young child were utterly in vain. A moment later, Dale came running down the hallway, dressed in a pair of boxers.

What’s wrong?! he asked before taking in the situation. Then, he saw Lindsey and his daughter on the stairs and his look of confusion was replaced by one of embarrassed understanding. He came down the stairs, moving by Lindsey, and picked up the crying child.

Anna, Anna, it’s okay. This is my friend, Lindsey.

Lindsey waved an embarrassed hand as Anna looked at her skeptically. She buried her head in her dad’s chest and looked away from the stranger in her home. Dale continued to soothe her, but gave Lindsey an apologetic look.

Lindsey quietly pointed at the door. Should I go? she mouthed, conveying complete understanding and compassion that was at odds with the litany of agitation she actually felt.

He winced, but nodded reluctantly. Sorry, he mouthed back.

She shook her hand, dismissing it as unnecessary. Dale awkwardly moved out of her way and she walked to the door at what she hoped was a polite speed. It may have been her imagination, but she thought Anna wailed a little louder as they passed by one another.

It wasn’t until she reached her car that Lindsey realized she was still wearing the same clothes she had worn the day before. Now what? Surely, folks at the office would notice, and there was no time to go home first. Then she remembered, she had picked up some dry cleaning that morning. She pulled open the back door and opened a plastic bag. She found a fresh blouse at least. She’d have to wear the same skirt though. Guess I’m doing the walk of shame, she thought.

Lindsey changed her blouse in the car—a trick she had learned in high school. Her first day as a divorced woman had not gone well.

She drove straight to her old house, the one she lived in for twenty years. Millie, her daughter, had spent the night with her dad. The pair were a study in contrasts. While Lindsey had rounded cheekbones and a cute nose, her daughter was made up of right angles and sharp edges. Lindsey’s silvery blonde hair was full-bodied and wavy, as opposed to Millie’s naturally curly and frizzy locks. Today, a bored silence hung between them as Lindsey moved through traffic.

Mom, you know environment stuff, right? Millie asked suddenly, looking up from her phone.

Lindsey was an environmental attorney. The question was a rhetorical one. Uh-huh, she answered in a manner that suggested understatement.