Devil or Angel

Thanks to Thorsen I had already read all of them.

"That's everything."

"Everything?"

"I swear."

"I believe you."

"Oh, one more thing. When you came home I was trying to cut a deal with God. I swore I would be the most faithful, loving, committed wife ever if through some miracle I hadn't destroyed our marriage. I convinced myself all I had to do was tell one last series of lies and spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I knew you would be mad about the opera. I had no idea you knew I was a..."

"Whore. Slut. Cheat. Adulteress. Take your pick."

Michelle buried her face in her hands.

"What hurts even more than the lies the was the lack of respect. You betrayed me and made a mockery of our marriage. Why? What did I do to deserve that?"

"Nothing. You were the perfect husband."

"Then why?"

"It sounds so stupid now. At first it was like a game. You warned me about him the first time you saw him and I wanted to prove you wrong. I got a big kick out of the secret messages and him making me feel special. He pretended to care; to be watching out for me. And that son-of-a-bitch knew how to get into my mind; to drive a wedge between us. He convinced me you were trying to control me. The truth is you've always put me ahead of yourself. I don't deserve you."

I gently lifted her face up, looked her straight in the eye, and asked the question that had been burning in my heart, "After all the lies, all the betrayal, and all the sneaking around why did you choose our marriage instead of illicit sex?"

"To my eternal shame I was ready to do it. I got as far as changing my clothes and make up. It hit me when I walked out of the ladies room. I felt like everyone in the hotel was looking at me and they all knew what I was going to do. I panicked and ducked into the lounge. While I was sitting at the bar anguishing over what I should do I heard a woman shout, 'Another win for the angel.' I looked over and saw two older couples sitting at a table. They seemed to be very good friends and were enjoying each other's company. A couple of minutes later she shouted, 'The angel wins again.'"

"Suddenly I thought of that song you're always singing, Angel of the Morning. I kept repeating the line 'There'll be no strings to bind your hands, not if my love can't bind your heart' in my mind. That's when I realized I couldn't go through with it. Your love bound my heart and I prayed to God I hadn't destroyed us."

"As I was waiting for the valet to bring my car one of the women from the bar walked up to me and said, 'Your husband is going to love you in that dress.' Then she gave me a hug and said, 'Be good.'"

"I believe she was my guardian angel."

Michelle dropped to her knees and begged, "Brian, I can only pray you are a better person than I am. I don't deserve anything but if you give me a second chance, I swear I will never again let you down.."

"You made a fool of me, of our marriage. I still love you but don't know if I can ever trust you again?"

Michelle's face lit up, "You said you still love me!"

Then she did the unexpected. Michelle grabbed the divorce petition and signed it without reading a word. She handed it to me and said, "Let this be the Sword of Damocles hanging over my head. If I lied about anything or if I ever again give you reason to doubt my fidelity or my word take it down to the courthouse and record it. I'll leave with only the shirt on my back."

I was very impressed. "Get over here and give your husband a kiss."

WELL, THERE YOU HAVE IT. DEVIL OR ANGEL, YOU DECIDE.