I’d never noticed that her smile hadn’t quite dazzled for me the past couple of years. We’d both turned 30 this past year, she in October and me...in May. We’d been together for 10 years, six of them as husband and wife.I don’t know how long I cried over the slow, pathetic death of my marriage, but eventually, calm stole over me. I knew it was the Valium kicking in and I was grateful. I looked at it calmly, the drug starting to make me drowsy, but soothing my misery to a dull ache that was. .. As is her wife. Katie and Laurenwill be thrilled by the news too... As will their boyfriend and fianc?respectively. And everyone at work will be happy for me, and very happythat I can get them an exclusive interview with my dad... Never mind thefact that I am the only single person who works there.That's not to say that I haven't had any first dates since the Philfiasco at Christmas. I've even had the occasional second date. Butabsolutely no third dates, and none of the first or second dates. I came home only during the holidays and whenever I encountered my mother, I was struck by her beauty. She treated me with all due respect and cooked for me and asked me questions about my studies and how I maintained myself etc. She washed my clothes, including my dirty underwears and I felt extremely ashamed. So whenever I gave my clothes to her to wash, I didn’t give her my underwears which I washed myself. But after a few days she asked for them and I had to hand them over to her which she. "Shut. Your. Mouth. Joel could walk inhere at any moment and you want to spoil my fun before it's even begun?!Don't talk again unless I ask you to." Yes--" Karen caught herself. She nodded and averted her gaze.Joel strutted casually into the foyer. He wrapped his arms aroundVictoria, who feigned being started. "Don't talk about what, Vicki?"Victoria bristled. She loathed that nickname now. It used to be cute,but had gradually worn thin on her, much like everything about Joel. Hisswagger. His.