Angie loved the school she was at…It was expensive, but her daughter loved it, and she was excelling at it, really shining brightly. She had received 4 distinctions in the recent tests and was 2 years ahead in mental age according to her teachers…And Mikey?…Although he was not her biological child Tina loved him as if he had been born from her own flesh!…He was such a sensitive, kind boy…If she left Henry it would mean abandoning Mikey also…And she couldn’t do that, it would break her heart….

Even if Mikey chose to come live with her…Run away with her, Henry would never swallow it…he’d hunt her down and make her life even worse than it was presently…He’d be in her life forever…

She wondered how they got here…For seven years they had a good marriage…Granted nothing like the passion and fire she felt when she was Bette’s wife…But, none the less, a good, stable, quite content union…

But their idyllic existence had changed really when Henry’s law firm started to run into trouble…After one of his partners died and his family pulled the money he had invested in the firm…

Her husband had started working all the hours God sent after his death to make up the shortfall…To ensure their family were kept in the manner they were accustomed too…To continue to make it feasible to pay the hefty school fees, and the extra curricular activities their youngsters enjoyed etc…

Henry had started to drink then…Just to relieve the stress…

Tina didn’t think anything of it at first…She didn’t see the harm…But then again she didn’t realize either the amount Henry was actually consuming…As he was mostly drinking at work…

But regardless…To his credit Henry pulled the business back from its knees and became the most sought after lawyer in all of Vermont…But then they were served another curveball…Another cruel blow…Henry’s parents were killed in a car crash 3 months ago…

That’s when his drinking got progressively worse…That’s when his consumption really sky rocketed…

“When you get out of here…You have my solemn promise…I am going to make everything the way it used to be…I will check into whatever treatment facility I need to…I will do everything, and anything I need to do, to get better…To fix us…To fix our family…Anything you want Tina!…I love you so much…I want our life back, and I want to make you all happy again…Make you all proud of me again…I want to prove to you all that I’m worthy of your love…Please Tina?…Just give me one more chance?…I won’t let you or the kids down again I promise?”

Tina’s eyes filled with tears…She did love this man…As strange as it sounded, she knew he wasn’t all bad…But she wasn’t IN love with him…Although she held deep feelings for him…

She had a bond with him…But more like a best friend than a lover…

“Promise me you’ll sort out your drinking problem, and you have to apologize to the kids!”

“I-I swear Tina…You and the kids are my life!…I couldn’t survive without you all”

“Okay…But Henry?…If it happens again? – I-I swear on Angelica’s life…I w-will leave you…”

“Oh honey!…Thank you!! – I swear I’m gonna be a new man! -.I’ll be the man you married!…The man you love, and I’ll make you so proud of me again!…”

Henry gently leaned over and kissed his wife’s forehead ever so gently…

He squeezed her hand so lightly…No words were spoken, just love and forgiveness between the two of them…

Henry closed his eyes…And thanked God for allowing Tina to forgive him and give him one more opportunity, one more chance…

He was truly determined not to fuck it up…From now on he would be the perfect husband.

They both opened their eyes and Henry put his hand to his mouth as the tears of relief and remorse came pouring out….

“You’ll not regret this Tina Morgan…I swear you wont…”

Tina smiled…But inside she was thinking to herself…Her and Mikey would still start to save the money they had discussed…Just in case he fell off the wagon again…Just incase this promise turned out to be no different than his previous ones…..

Just in case they had to pack their bags and run….