right between the eyes...

very little good comes out of a divorce. hurt feelings, child raising questions, property division - not lots of comfort in the whole event. but when my marriage ended, there was one unquestionable positive from my perspective - distance, both physically and emotionally, from her parents...

i should say that my ex's parents aren't bad people. as a matter of fact, i'm sure they're inherently good people. but, my goodness - if there were ever two people built less suited to my personality, well, those people are my former in-laws...

from day one, i could tell that life would be difficult with k's dad. unlike my father - who is quiet and deliberate and, well, fatherly - my former father-in-law has the emotional capacity of a 4 year old. no matter the topic of conversation, he's always got to be the focus. he not only wears his emotions on his sleeve, but leaves them dripping down the sidewalk in big pay-attention-to-me puddles. i'm considering petitioning webster's to include his photograph next to the term "ego-centric" in future dictionary editions. i have never, ever had a comfortable moment with this man...

the only saving grace is that they live across the country. so, save for three or four week-long bouts of full immersion a year, i could go along with life comfortably. and then we got divorced and - hey - i didn't have to participate in any of those uncomfortable moments. amidst all the weight piled on by divorce, one weight was removed. ahh...

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for a year or so, the ex in-laws have been talking about moving to colorado to be closer to their kids and grandkids. and while it's not the ideal situation for me, i understand their reasons. after k and i separated, the moving talk began ramping up and they've been here several times to check out different housing markets. and, in fact, they've been out this week with the intent of signing a contract...

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so at the gym last night i sat down on the bike next to k. as she was finishing up her ride, she asked if i'd like to come to her house afterward for a beer. apparently, there was something to talk about. i politely declined, and told her that she could tell me right there. not expecting a bomb...

imagine the scene in the movie where the bullet is coming in slow-motion at the unsuspecting victim. i mean, the victim knows a bullet is coming, but he expects that it's aimed at the brow of someone else and, inexplicably, it misses and nails him square between the eyes...

my parents signed a contract today, says k with a slight grin on her face. where, i ask. no answer, just more uncomfortable grin. not stapleton (my neighborhood), i say. yes, stapleton. we're talking a stone's throw from my house. we're talking same grocery store and same coffee shop and same parks. we're talking drop-in-with-no-warning close...

we're talking bullet, right between the eyes...