Oh, yeah…how I look? It’s exactly how I felt reading this one. All crazy inside. So, here I go…admitting stuff. This Life Crash Moment completely shook me. Thanks for taking me there, Madeleine! I’ve tried to limit my comments, but come on!
Divorce sucked. Madeleine knew she would survive but worried about the children. The path back to a tolerable new normal would be a long process, but with the love and support of friends and family, all would work out. That’s what her therapist said. And she’d been right. It required a year or so, but Madeleine kept the kids busy, and for her own recovery, she began to read a lot. Getting lost in worlds other than her own was soothing…valuable moments when her mind was not constantly drifting to her ex, Tyler.
Enter Meridian Stone: The Transition. (Yay!) The novel was a different genre for Madeleine, but she felt drawn to the idea of finding her magick. She felt Tyler had taken her personal power with him when he left, even though she knew your ‘you’ could not be stolen. Only relinquished. At least, that’s what her therapist said.
And she wanted that ‘Boom, baby!’ again. That’s what Tyler said. Or used to say. Just writing about it gave her shivers. That man was one hell of a lover. Bold and beautiful. Every morning, “It’s time for the Boom, baby!” Every night, “Come give me that Boom, baby!” He’d even speed home during lunch some times. “Boom, baby!” It was so goofy, but she’d loved it. And frankly, two years later, she couldn’t even remember why they’d split. Yes, there were memories of the squabbles…about dirty dishes, clothes on the floor, weeds in the garden, parenting stuff, one or the other not wanting to attend certain social functions, but it all seemed so petty now. Besides, during their most intense periods of squabbling, their lovemaking never suffered. In fact, it intensified. (Huh. Am I sensing a little break up to make up action?) Even destined mates, perfectly designed for each other by the universe argued. A bunch. And that was some serious loving. Meridian Stone: The Transition said that. (Damn right!) Read that? Oh, well…nothing good would come from moping over the past. She and Tyler were over and she must move on. Her therapist said that too. (Whatever…ooops, so not nice, right?)
Sooo, after reading Meridian Stone: The Transition for the third time (you go, girl!), Madeleine was determined to get out into the world again. Find the one. Obviously, it had not been Tyler. Several months passed until Madeleine was courageous enough to accept a few invitations to lunch and dinner. It felt good to put on makeup, get dressed up, do something with her hair, teeter on high heels again. But the dates? She summed them up, all three of them, very succinctly. No. No! Hell No! Now what?
Well, she couldn’t just lay in the bed all day, eating Klondike bars, and reading Meridian Stone: The Transition. Over and over again. (And why not? Sad face…) But she needed some recuperation time from Tyler’s torture campaign. For the last two months, he’d insisted on joining them for dinner, three nights a week. For the kids. (Uh huh) And, he’d planned ‘spontaneous’ family outings every other weekend. To the mountains…a cozy cabin. To the beach…a bungalow on the water. (Torture?) He was very sly about it too…proposing each to the children first, knowing she could never deny them, all teary-eyed and sniffling. It was extraordinary for the kids, excruciating for Madeleine. She could see those two words in his eyes. “Boom, baby!” Maybe. Or it could have just been hormonal. But to give in to it? Capital “D” disastrous! So…she’d clench her jaws and thighs, take deep breaths, and see him to the door after meals or rush to her room, alone, during their trips. Speaking of their personal lives was akin to the plague, so who knew what he was up to? And dwelling on those things was poison and needed to be avoided. Always. This was a super critical point from her therapist. Like…repeat in the mirror, every morning, critical. (Really?)
Desperate times called for desperate measures. The dreaded…online dating. Her friends armed her with a few hundred tips for efficiency, effectiveness, and safety. Then…one day, she just did it. And wow! Twenty-seven days later, he contacted her. David. Definitely attractive, not Tyler attractive, but close. And that thought? An absolute no-no. Avoid comparisons. No man would be Tyler, and she did not want him to be. She must remember that what Tyler and she shared did not work. All of the above…yepper…her therapist said. Every visit.
David was working. And for the first time since Tyler, Madeleine felt a genuine connection with another man. He seemed so perfect, she often wondered if he was real or for real. Too good to be true? There was only one way to find out. They’d decided to take it slowly, step by step, hadn’t even spoken over the phone yet, but if he was truly all she believed him to be, it wouldn’t matter. Hopefully. So…she texted him an invite to meet in person. Dinner. In a restaurant she knew would be bustling with people. Safe. When her phone buzzed thirty-two seconds later, she’d almost lost her nerve. He’d accepted. Holy, Hades! (Watch who you call, girl) She was really doing this!
And…on with the makeup, new black dress, hair and high heels. Oh, crap! Was she really ready for this? What if she hated him? What if he hated her? Choking back the fear, she handed her keys to the valet and walked on shaky legs into one of the most terrifying and exhilarating moments of her life. The host informed her that her companion was waiting. Early. (Punctual. Good sign.) Walking behind the pretty young escort, her composure nearly frayed, but by the time she’d convinced herself to turn and flee, they’d rounded the corner to her table. And that bullet train slammed into her chest, center mass.
Madeleine was in a full-blown Life Crash Moment.
“Hello, Maddie. You take my breath away.”
They were the words he’d spoken to her on their first
date, twelve years ago. The ones that had sealed the deal. (I’m so sobbing right now) Now, they left her speechless,
paralyzed, and thoroughly confused.
“Tyler? I don’t understand. I’m meeting…”
“David?”
Since Madeleine had not moved, Tyler hesitantly walked toward her, gently grasped her hand, and showed her how to sit in the chair. After sliding her under the fancy white table cloth, he sat across from her and proceeded to nervously confess.
For the sake of avoiding TMI… Sorry, Maddie, but some of the things shared were super intimate. Like…wow. Here’s the skinny folks…
David’s photos looked familiar to Madeleine, because she’d briefly met him several years back. With Tyler. They’d bumped into him at one of those social functions she’d whined about attending. At the time, she hadn’t paid much attention to him. She’d been on Tyler’s arm. Apparently, David had stumbled across Madeleine on the online dating site and rushed to tattle to his buddy. Tyler had been frantic. He’d lost the love of his life, had tried everything to get her back. The dinners. The trips. Hint upon hint. Nothing had worked. And now…she was shopping online! So, the scheming began. David allowed Tyler to take over his account, posing as his friend.
Tyler was desperate. Madeline was furious. She’d really
liked David. Hoped for a future and was now faced with her past. Again. She
managed to make it through dinner, calmly listening, then when her plate was
empty…the food in this place was amazing…she
politely ended the date and left, crying the entire way home. Online dating
sucked.
But…something happened when she finally made it home, poured a glass of Cabernet, and stretched out on her sofa. It was so quiet. She had time to think. Why was she so disappointed? All of the interests they had in common, the way David seemed so in tune to her, so perfect, she’d wanted him to be real. Needed him to be. Because he was so much like Tyler. He was Tyler. The truth finally sank in and there was no way around it. Tyler was, is, and would always be the one. She glanced at Meridian Stone: The Transition, laying on her coffee table, and smiled.
Tyler called her relentlessly for the next three days, explaining, apologizing, begging. On the fourth call of the third day, she decided he’d suffered enough. After dropping off the children at her parents, she sped home for their first official date since the divorce. Well…as Madeleine and Tyler. No dinner. Just some drinks, his favorite…stingers, a bellini or two for her, and a few appetizers…tea sandwiches! (So cool. MS readers…you know!) The first hour was beyond awkward, but as they talked and loosened up a bit, Madeleine decided to get to the main course.
“I have a gift for you,” she told a surprised Tyler, pulling a new copy of Meridian Stone: The Transition from behind one of the sofa cushions. Several Post-it notes peeked out from the top. All were yellow, except for one…pale green. (Awww).
“What’s this?” Tyler asked, accepting the book and
placing his stinger on the table.
“Magick.”
His eyes widened in an adorable dumbfounded way, eyebrows high, but he decided to roll with it, “Ok. What kind of magick?”
“Open it to the green one and read.”
With a quirky smile, he did just that. Madeleine watched as his mouth fell open, his chest started to move in a different way, and his blue eyes sparked. She held her breath and hoped, insides going all gooey as his lids lowered in that way. Bellini about to swish over the sides of her glass. This particular magick was well beyond their previous things. When he closed the book and just stared at it for a while, she nearly hyperventilated…waiting for him to move…do something other than breathe. Heavily.
“And this magick? You want me to… Us to…” he stuttered out.
“Yes.”
A minute passed, then another, and he just eyed her. From her bare, newly painted, red toenails to her unintentionally fluttery eyes, then back again. She was about to combust, while he was probably wondering if she was real and not some saucy online replica. (Wait until he gets a load of what’s under that conservative cream dress.) But just as she was about to chicken out, claim it was all a joke, he placed the book on the coffee table, and shot her a smile, so wicked she had to cross her legs.
“It’s time for the Boom, baby!” he yelled and flew across the sofa, pinning her deliciously beneath him. (Abracadabra!)
The rest of the story…
It’s been three months since Maddie and Tyler brought it back. Tyler has read Meridian Stone: The Transition in its entirety, a few times,paying close attention to his ex-wife’s Post-it notes. Or should I say his fiancé’s Post-it notes?!! Yes, Maddie and Tyler are happier than ever, the children are ecstatic, and I’m… Well, I just keep bawling every time I think of them. Everyone is over the moon for the couple, except for the therapist. But hey…you can’t please them all. And should never try to. I said that.
Anyways… Maddie insists that Meridian Stone: The Transition brought the magick into their lives, but we cannot take credit for that. Magick lies within each of us. Waiting for us to tap into it. Unleash it. Maddie and Tyler always had it. They just needed the courage to flick the wick…or turn a page or ten…to set it aflame. Now and then, a squabble still sneaks in between them, but the fire is hot enough to burn right through it, never letting them forget what it was like to be without the other. And BTW… Maddie, you were so right about your man. Bold is one of the best brands of Beautiful. And I know what scene the green Post-it note was on! Fearless! Boom, baby!
Thanks again…so much, Madeleine, for sharing! You are an awesome fan (her word)! You take my breath away.
I look forward to hearing from you, too. Yeah…YOU…reading this post. You are invaluable, priceless, and your contribution is uber important. Plus, a girl can’t have too many fearless friends! Let’s hear from you today. If you want to remain anonymous, that’s cool. Just stop hesitating and share. 2019 is your year to be bold. Be MORE! You’ll never know what magick you’ll find or inspire…until you flick that wick.
