Pain in Finding Happiness: The Misunderstanding

Christy was in the middle of packing, overwhelmed with emotions as she prepared to leave her home and attempt to start over in a new house. Frank was keeping his distance from her and all the household troubles and Christy felt betrayed by her husband. It was beyond her comprehension how Frank could be so cold to the woman he supposedly loved, chose to marry, and professed to spend the rest of his life with.

Frank was defined by alcoholism and Christy didn't understand the slightest bit of what he was going through inside. When they found a house and began to move Frank had been sober for only a few months and was still unsure of his worth in this world. Christy was left in the dark regarding his emotions, left alone despite his presence. She didn't know the mind of an alcoholic nor did she know how "normal" it was for Frank to act this way as he learned to live life for something other than the bottle.

It was a combination of Christy's lack of understanding and Frank's lack of communication that was breaking their bond. Frank didn't know why Christy had changed so much, she was not the same woman he had fallen in love with. Christy didn't know how to be that person when she was so unhappy; Frank couldn't see that his behavior created the monster Christy had become. Frank truly thought he was trying to be better and she was pushing him away, it was the very same thing Christy thought in reverse.

Just before they finished moving into the new house Christy decided to tell Frank how she felt again. She promised herself she would hold nothing back this time; it was only fair if she was going to leave Frank he should know all of her reasons. It was a hard discussion for both of them and started out ugly, after a few minutes they had both calmed down and began actually discussing what they would do with the rest of their lives.

Frank was noticeably upset when Christy told him everything she had been thinking and feeling, it was as if he hadn't realized what he was doing to her and the boys. It was just before Christmas and Christy told Frank she could no longer live as a stranger to the man she loved. She had gathered the strength to tell him she would rather he leave than to keep going on the way they had been. Since Christmas was under a week away they decided that making a life shattering decision that day would be a bad idea, they should try and maintain until after the holiday.

Christy told Frank she was dropping the discussion and was leaving the ball in his court. She had said all she could, done everything within her power to save their marriage, now it was Frank's turn to make a choice. He would have until Christmas to decide whether or not he was willing to put the necessary work into their relationship and honestly try to make things better.

Christy knew that this would not be an easy decision for Frank but hoped he would take the opportunity to think about it all. He was going to have to make some difficult changes in order to keep his family together, Christy wasn't sure if he was willing to do so. It really would be easier for Frank to just walk away from it all and Christy knew that. He had no true ties to her, the children were not his and they owned nothing together.

The easiest solution would have been to give up and walk away with everything he came into the relationship with. The only thing he stood to lose was a couple years of his life and that really wasn't even true because it had probably been the best couple years he had ever had. Christy wondered if Frank loved her enough to face the challenges she had set forth, it sure didn't feel like it.

Both of them laid in silence that night, the events of the day heavy on their souls. Although they were thinking silently it seemed as though they were more connected than ever, stuck in the middle of each others thoughts. Christy had no idea what was at the center of Frank's thoughts, but hers centered around one poem; Robert Frost's words were running ramped through her mind;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.