Learning to Live: Justin and Gabbie Davis's Story

One

L eaving the courthouse on a chilly Fall morning in Salem, thirty-two year old Gabriella (Gabbie) Davis hung her head feeling a bit overwhelmed. In her right hand, she held a packet of five papers stapled together telling her what the future held.

Walking through the parking lot to her 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix, she folded the papers and vowed not to take another look. To her surprise, it didn’t work. She sat down in her car and opened them again. Her eyes fell on the bright red letters FINAL stamped across the page. Below was the present date October 17, 2006. This date would be life changing for her.

Justin L. Davis petitioner vs. Gabriella L. Davis in dissolution of marriage. She read the remaining four itemizing pages what was granted to each of them. Ten years of marriage summed up in a total of five pages. She couldn’t believe everything they had worked so hard for and accomplished were able to be put on these five pages she held in her hands.

With tear-filled eyes, she gazed around at her surroundings. Gift shops were opened around the courthouse square. Women with shopping bags in hand, going to and fro with smiles on their faces, laughing and enjoying the fresh aroma of Indiana’s Autumn breeze. How she wished she could be in their shoes that day, just living a normal life. What she wouldn’t give to enjoy a peaceful day of shopping with her happy home and family patiently waiting for her return.

She hadn’t asked for much in the divorce. Justin had always been the materialistic one. Therefore, Gabbie didn’t receive much. What mattered most to her was that the judge granted her full custody of their two children Tyler age 8 and Emma age 6. She didn’t really care about anything else.

The attorney Justin had defending him was a close friend to his boss of seven years. If there were any strings he could pull for Justin, he pulled them. Justin got away with only having to pay a hundred dollars a week total for child support and a year of spousal maintenance to Gabbie. He kept the house and almost everything in it, his 2004 Dodge Ram, and all the recreational items they had accumulated throughout the years of their marriage.

Along with custody, Gabbie received the heirloom furniture passed down from her side of the family, her car, and the home office furniture since that was her means of income.

For the last nine years, Gabbie had contracts signed with local doctors. She was hired to do their accounts payable and receivable out of her home, which kept her extremely busy throughout the day while the children were in school. Her business had been a success but recently she had been thinking of adding a few medical transcription jobs. More income, at that stage of her life, was a necessity since she and the children were going to have to start over. It was going to take a lot of money to find a place to live, buy new furniture, dishes and everything else to make a house into a home for her family of three.

The judge awarded her two more weeks in their home then she and the children were to move out and Justin would take over occupancy. The last few weeks she had spent moving their personal belongings out. She was storing them in her dad’s old storage building behind her mom’s farm house. Some clothes and pictures were the only things left to get.

Justin had been staying at his cousin Cory’s house on the other side of town while the divorce proceedings were taking place. Meanwhile, Gabbie checked into a few different apartment complexes but only one and two bedrooms were offered at that moment. She was on a waiting list for a three bedroom as soon as one became available. The managers at all three complexes agreed it may take a while. Gabbie and the children had no choice but to move in with her mom until one came open.

Gabbie read the final agreement. They had one thing left to do. Divide the photo’s amongst themselves. She was to meet Justin at their house that morning to go through them. She was certain it wouldn’t take very long. He was adamant about the divorce and the material items. Pictures were just things with little meaning to him. It was more about the house, the furniture, and the recreational items. That is what made him look successful and worthy. That’s what made him happy.

In reality, even if Gabbie would have wanted to keep the house, she couldn’t have. The house payment and utilities, all together, were over two thousand dollars a month. She questioned in her mind how Justin was going to afford it on his own.

Things didn’t matter to Gabbie anyway. She was raised by two loving parents, Joe and Lena, who taught her good values. Joe always told her It isn’t what you own that makes you who you are. It’s how you treat people. You can be the poorest person but treat people right, and they will always think of you as a loving person. You own a mansion, treat people rudely and they will always see you as an ugly greedy person. It’s the legacy you want to leave to the next generation, Gabbie. I want people to remember me as the ‘caring ol’ Joe’ who did his best to help people in need. I want people to see Jesus in me. And until my last breath, they will."

Joe did just as he said, until the day he died. And still, his memory lived on in the hearts of the community around her. He passed away the winter of 2002 seven days before Christmas from a heart attack. The heartache that lingered around her and Lena made it feel as if it was just yesterday.

Joe was a very wise man she admired greatly. He never had a harsh word to say about anybody. He would occasionally remind her while she was growing into an adult, Money and things can be taken away in a blink of an eye, but no one can take away Jesus and His Words, your morals and the values that you store in your heart. Throughout the years Gabbie had tried teaching Justin the same but as it turned out… she had no success.

Justin was brought up differently. Completely opposite than her, as a matter of fact. His family based who they were on their belongings and clubs they were in. They believed, if one didn’t have money or state of the art things, they weren’t worth the Davis’ time. Justin was born into that belief and he carried it into his adulthood and worked hard to win the approval of his parents. But quitting college and settling for a construction job just made things harder on his relationship with them.

His family had plenty of money due to Justin’s grandfather being involved with oil rigs in the south. His parents didn’t have to work hard for their money. They inherited large monthly installments of his grandfather’s wealth for the rest of their lives.

Gabbie’s mom and dad, on the other hand, lived comfortably but it hadn’t always been that way. Both her dad and her mom worked hard for what they accomplished. Lena didn’t have a job of her own outside of the home, but she was always by Joe’s side helping him with his landscaping business when she wasn’t tending to Gabbie.

Besides his landscape and lawn care business, Joe was a great furniture maker. He made dining room table and chair sets, bedroom furniture, and many other pieces of furniture to sell as a side job.

Everyone around the community always said he gave away more than he sold. He was one who would keep an eye out for those in need. When one suffered a house fire or another disaster he would load up his old rusty ford pickup with furniture to help refurnish their home with things they had lost. That was Joe. He lived God’s Word not just read it. He believed that if one does the Lord’s work here on earth, the Lord would meet their needs. His life proved God’s Word to be true. God always met their needs and more.

In contrast to Gabbie’s family. Justin’s family attended church not to worship their Heavenly Father. They went to hang out with their high society friends and show off their wealth.

Gabbie’s family went because they loved to spend time worshiping and praising the Lord of their life. Thanking Him for all He had done for them; all He was going to do.

Even when Gabbie married Justin and moved out of her parents home, she still continued to attend their family church. Justin, on the other hand, was glad to get out of his parents church and didn’t give Gabbie’s much of a chance. To him, churches were all the same, just a place people went on Sunday’s to hang out with friends. He was never taught about God’s love and kindness, that healing powers were the same as they were when Jesus walked the earth, nor the power of prayer. He believed the Bible was full of rules and demands. Justin was borderline atheist, just afraid to admit it.

Gabbie left the courthouse to meet Justin at their house to divide pictures. They lived in a beautiful three story log cabin a quarter of a mile off the county road. As she drove slowly up her gravel drive she glance at each end of the house. Two dogwood trees planted on each end represented the births of their two children. Her eyes fell on the full length front porch as she walked up to the door. She would line the eaves with gorgeous ferns every summer and icicle lights during the Holidays.

The porch was furnished with two swings her dad made for them as housewarming gifts, and two rockers he made when each child was born. She quickly recalled the many nights she would sit outside and rock her children to sleep. She would watch complete contentment fall on their tiny face as they drifted off. Many nights she would sit for hours just watching the expressions of a pucker or two, then maybe a little smile light their face and she’d wonder what her little infant could possibly be dreaming about. In their minds, what made them dream sad dreams or happy dreams.

The interior was decorated primitive style as if it were made in the early 1900’s. The decorations complimented who she was. Gabbie was simple, elegant and old fashioned. She had an old kindred spirit much like her grandmother and mom.

They built the kitchen of her dreams. Black appliances, black granite countertops and natural pine cabinetry that her dad spent endless hours building. He was so joyful to have had the God given talent he could use to help his daughter and son-in-law with their dream home.

In the living room were a pile of framed pictures and a few boxes of snap shots sitting on the floor by the creek stone fireplace. Gabbie walked over and started gathering pictures off the shelves to add to the pile. She only had a half an hour before Justin was to arrive and wanted to get as much done as possible.

She stumbled onto a picture of her grandmother on her mom’s side. Gabbie, her mom and her grandmother all three resembled each other. They had beautiful long wavy brown hair. Their sky blue eyes were piercing and all three were of dainty build. She believed Emma was going to be the same way. At six years old now, she already had long brown hair, bright blue eyes and the same petite build. But it was too soon to tell if she was going to stay that way or grow her daddy and Tyler’s long legs.

Just as Gabbie was gathering the last of the photo albums and putting them into the pile, she heard the entry door open. Her heart began throbbing and she choked back her tears. She looked at Justin without saying a word and sat down on the floor by the pile. Justin, with the same greeting, walked over and sat on the coffee table in front of her.

Breaking the silence, Here’s some pictures of your mom and dad. she handed him a couple photo frames. "I thought you may want to put them back on the shelves. I will gather pictures of my family to keep and you can keep yours. Then we will separate us as a family and go from there. I can get copies made if I need to."

Justin nodded in agreement.

Gabbie just wanted to hurry and get it over with. It had been a long hard six months. She was ready for the pain of the divorce to be over even though she admitted to herself time and again the pain would probably linger a lifetime. She swallowed hard. She could feel the lumps in her throat wanting to give way to all the anguish that had darkened her soul.

As they divided pictures of their life together, she ran across one taken of the family a year ago at Panama Beach. It was then, after they arrived home from their last family vacation, that she found out about Justin’s affair with his boss’s daughter. She held the picture in her hands and recalled the day that led to her divorce.

She was downstairs in the basement starting laundry. Turning socks right side out and going through pockets, as usual, when she felt a piece of paper in Justin’s back pocket. The note was folded but she was able to see through it. It was a woman’s handwriting. Curiously, she opened the letter and immediately was taken back when she read the words:

Sweetheart, I have missed you so much this week! I didn’t think you were ever going to get back in town! I’ve missed your touch and your sweet lips. I am glad to see you are back. I can’t wait to spend some time with you. When can you get away? I’m sure dad can plan another business trip. We can go away for the weekend. What do you think? Call me later when you get a chance.

I love you, Melody

She dropped the letter to the floor and put her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. Questions flooded her head. ‘Who was Melody? It couldn’t be the boss’s daughter! How long had they been having an affair? How many so called ‘business trips’ have they been on together? How old is she anyway? 15!? What does she look like? Is she married, too? Does she have kids? Have I seen her out somewhere and not known who she was? Does she know me? When did this start…when!? How could I have been so blind to not know this was going on? The nerve of this woman having an affair with my husband!’

Gabbie knew her marriage was on the worse side of For better or for worse for the last couple years. She couldn’t do anything to suit him, especially financially. Even though her income was substantial, he didn’t realize how hard she worked to get it. He didn’t see the endless hours she put in or the stacks of paperwork on her desk.

He didn’t see the checkbook or pay the bills. She was in charge of the accounting part of the marriage. Justin carried a debit card from their account and got what he wanted, even if they really couldn’t afford it.

But eventually, with both incomes, she was able to double the payments on their vehicles to get them both paid off early. She was truly grateful for not having a car payment at that point in her life. One less payment to worry about.

They were also ahead on the house payment by three months. They owned a couple four wheelers, a camper and a Jeep they enjoyed in the summer time. But it wasn’t by his income alone. He always said everything was his and he bought it all. Justin didn’t bother giving her recognition for any of it. To him, she made pocket change.

Justin blamed her for laying around the house all day and doing nothing. He didn’t pay attention to the clean house, clean clothes or that supper was on the table every night. Most of the time, it was one of those nights of ‘working late’, he wasn’t home to eat anyway. He degraded her cooking, her looks and her actions. She was a worthless wife and mother and he let her know about it every chance he got.

Gabbie suggested marriage counseling to him a few times in the past but his reaction was always "You need the counseling not me! I’m not the problem here! You are! You need to learn how to be a better wife and mother." The words ripped gashes Gabbie’s heart. She thought she was doing her best but it still didn’t please him. And that’s what she desperately wanted and needed. She needed to know she was a good wife to him and mother to his children. She didn’t feel their problems were all her fault. Yes, maybe she did need some counseling and advice but he needed it also. No one’s perfect nor would they ever be.

Even through all their problems, Gabbie still trusted him and believed in him. She felt that in time, things would get better. Divorce wasn’t an option for her. She was brought up to believe marriage was forever. Gabbie chose to stick by him and see their problems through.

But after finding the letter, she was face to face with her worst nightmare. Infidelity. She wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. She knew what she wanted to do. Drive straight to his job site, throw the letter at him, demand answers and maybe even hit him in the head with his hammer. But instead, she picked the letter up off the floor and tucked it in her pocket.

Gabbie jolted back to reality with the ringing of Justin’s cell phone. She watched as he glanced at the caller ID and turn the ringer off.

Go ahead answer it. Tell her you’ll be done here in a few minutes. There’s nothing to hide now, Justin. You’re a free man. A little anger mixed with hurt shown through her words.

Justin didn’t reply. He just looked at her and went back to separating the pictures.

You know Justin, if you two continue on with what you’re doing, we are going to have to tell the kids about her… and soon. Before long, this whole town is going to know. I don’t want them to be the last to find out. Her voice was soft spoken but trembling and on the edge of bitterness.

Still no reply from Justin.

After another half hour of deafening silence, Justin had gathered the small pile of pictures he wanted to keep, leaving Gabbie sitting on the floor with her pile and a few to copy. I think I’m done here. Justin stood up and straightened his pant legs. I have to get back to the job site.

You can come back here tonight. It shouldn’t take me very long to gather the rest of our things. Me and the kids are going to start staying at mom’s from tonight on until I find a place to live. I will be back with dad’s truck to get the rocking chairs. She looked around, fighting back tears, at a house full of furniture and memories then back up to him. Everything else here is yours.

That’s fine but you still have a few weeks before… his hand gripping the door handle.

Gabbie quickly interrupted I don’t feel like I belong here anymore. The house feels cold to me. I think…I think it’s better if we didn’t stay any longer. She stood up and walked over to stand in front of him. I would like to say something and I hope you will listen.

Their eyes met for a few seconds. Justin could see the hurt on her face. A tinge of remorse trickled down in his spine. He shook the feeling off just as he had done so many times in the past. This was what he wanted. His freedom. His exciting life that he’d found with Melody. Whatever hurt he caused Gabbie, it would eventually subside and she would get on with her life, just as he had. He was positive.

I want you to know that I still love you… I always will. The urge to break down was stronger than ever. When I married you, I made a vow that I would love you forever. I loved my life. I loved being your wife and mother to our kids. I loved this house. And some how, I know we could’ve worked through this. I’m sorry for not being the wife you wanted me to be or the mother you thought I should’ve been. I’m sorry I didn’t satisfy you. Her hands grew sweaty, her body trembled and she felt like she wanted to give way to the desire to fall to the floor and weep all the hurt away. She yearned for his touch of comfort she’d once felt from him. Instead, there was a blank far-a-way look in his eyes.

Justin turned and walked out the door with no comment.

Tears welled in her eyes as she watched his truck pull out of the driveway. ‘Where is the guy I married ten years ago?’ He has been replaced with a hard hearted man she didn’t know. The wedding vows they had taken together were shattered. Memories made in their home were going to be replaced with him and someone else. She was going to live the rest of her life alone.

In the kitchen she heard her cell phone ring from within her purse. Gabbie really didn’t want to talk to anyone but she saw it was her mom. Hi Mom.

Just the tone of Gabbie’s voice allowed Lena to know how her daughter was feeling without having to ask. Where are you at, honey? I thought you would’ve called by now. I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy but I was starting to get a little worried.

Gabbie fought back her tears and cleared her throat. I’m just finishing up out here at the house. Justin left and I’m gathering up the remaining things. she glanced at her watch. I should be out at your house in a little while.

I finished washing the sheets for you and the kids. And I ran to the grocery store to fill up my cupboards. I will be here when you get here.

Gabbie managed to smile, Thanks Mom, I could’ve stopped at the store for you, though. You didn’t have to go to all the trouble.

No trouble at all, honey. I can’t wait to see you guys. Lena didn’t like the situation her daughter and grandchildren were in but she was excited to have them stay with her. She had been lonely since Joe’s passing.

Gabbie put her cell phone back into her purse, gathered the remaining pictures, took one last look around at what use to be her home, then shut the door to her past.

Two

J ustin pulled out of the driveway and immediately his cell phone rang. A smile found it’s way to his face. Melody . How do you do that? You always know exactly when to call. He glanced at the clock display on his radio. I just left from meeting Gabbie. Everything is done. She’s taking the last of her things and staying at her mom’s from tonight on. I will be at the office in about a half an hour, I’ll talk to you then.

Sounds like I get The Grand Tour of your big log cabin soon, huh? Hmm, maybe tonight? Her voice was tender and sexy. He always knew what was on her mind when she spoke that way.

A grin curved his face. His eyes glistened. An electric shock ran through his veins. In his mind, he pictured a nice romantic night in front of the lit fireplace. Nights he and Gabbie only had a handful of times since they began their family. Gabbie was always afraid one of the kids would wake up and wander into the family room without their noticing. There was a place for romance, the bedroom behind locked doors. Well I just might be able to fit you into my tight schedule tonight. Just one rule.

What’s that?

That the tour guide gets to propose a toast with a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. They both used their seductive voices to let each other know what was on the other’s mind.

I’m sure the tourist would like that.

Yes, I’m sure she would. He clicked his tongue I’ll see you in a bit babe.

Ok, I love you.

I love you, too.

After nine long months the affair was coming to an end. He was finally going to be able to be with her day and night. She would move out of her parents home and into his. He was going to be able to move out of Cory’s apartment and away from Cory’s highly opinionated girlfriend, Beth.

He let his mind drift back to the day Beth found out about Melody.

Beth was at Cory’s. They were watching a movie together when Justin came through the door from a night out with Melody.

Wow, your getting home late Beth leaned over Cory to Justin’s direction with a little grin. Looking pretty spiffed up. You and Gabbie go out on a date or something? She held a few pieces of popcorn up to her mouth and popped them in, as a matter of fact like.

Or something. He quietly replied as he reached into his pockets and took out his wallet and keys to lay them on the dining room table.

Oh, you don’t have to be embarrassed, Justy. I think it’s good for the two of you to try working things out. I didn’t figure the break up would last very long.

He rolled his eyes. ’Justy! Grr I hate when she calls me that!’ Then her