BACON BLUES

She was still in bed but could smell bacon cooking through the open window. He was at the grill on the deck. They were renting a cabin, on a small lake not far from the city but enough space to give them both a little vacation time. What is it about being outdoors and bacon sizzling in a pan? She inhaled deeply savouring the bacon smell and the freshness of the morning.

“I’ll be right with you, honey,” she called out.
She padded to the bathroom and hurriedly freshened up whilst donning a t-shirt and shorts. And there he was – the love of her life cooking up breakfast, as well had coffee ready.
“Ah, this is the life,” she said smiling at him.
He returned her smile while glancing appreciatively at her legs. Cabin dress was a long way from their everyday city clothes.
“How about a walk through the forest after breakfast?” he asked.
“Sure and then a swim later.” she responded.
They ate leisurely and sipped their coffee in a companionable silence. She was thinking back to when they were much younger and he came calling on her wearing black leather shorts, a short sleeved beige shirt and a black beret perched smartly on his head to cover his pre-mature baldness. He met her parents for the first time then and she was remembering her father being taken aback by his attire. She knew she would marry him one day. And she did.

The years flew by and here they were in their mid-forties enjoying their togetherness. They had decided to be childless and concentrate on their careers, the arts and travels. Many places had beckoned and their home was filled with artworks and travel reminders. He was a successful lawyer and often worked evenings to facilitate their expensive out of country travels. As a registered nurse, she worked nights when scheduled and often picked up an extra shift, thus adding to their travel funds. They had an idyllic lifestyle.
They were now nude, swimming in the lake and laughing. He suggested they dry off and go back to the cabin for some wine. The air was cooler now so he lit the small wood stove. The wine cork popped as did a can of beans. Their planned dinner was beans with bacon sandwiches but first a toast to each other, the warmth of the stove and the stars coming out. A perfect ending to their day. He poured them both another glass of wine. She was feeling mellow and a bit sleepy thinking of making love with him later.

Suddenly, he said tersely, “We need to talk.”
What had caused this reversal from romance to his serious stance? She waited.
“I want a divorce,” he declared.
“What? Are you serious?”
“Never more so, I thought this little getaway would revive old feelings but it’s not happening for me. I hate to hurt you but we are both young enough to move on.”
“You can’t mean this. Is there someone else?”
She thought back to his countless evening meetings, her convenient away from home night shifts. Was marriage not love and trust?
“Yes, I have met someone but I don’t know where it is going only that I want to be free.”

They left for home the next day. He went to his office and she packed up some clothes and went to her parent’s place for a few days, while she thought things over. Her mother was sympathetic and held her while she cried out her misery. Her father was home and beside himself to see his daughter so distraught. He didn’t know what to do.
“Mother will make us some lunch,” he said. “We will have some tea with honey and maybe a little nap.”
Her mother soon arrived with a tray of sandwiches. They were a combo of cooked bacon and tomato slices.
The bacon offered her a flashback to the cabin and her then innocence watching him cooking it.
She went into a new upheaval of weeping, excused herself and went to her room. Holding her head in her hands, she tried to dispel the image of him cooking at the cabin. When would this nightmare end?  The smell of bacon frying permeated the room.