In the end, they got divorced. What a pity — they were a beautiful couple. When they lived together, no one could have thought that something was wrong between them. And now, like wolves to fresh carrion, neighbors and acquaintances flocked to the rumors. Each of them “knew all along,” each of them “foresaw it all.” Clearly, the problem was with the husband… Although, if he had another wife… It was all her fault! She couldn’t keep such a man! Now, you can’t find one like him during the day with a flashlight. She missed her happiness! She missed it!!!
And they, each with their own pain, parted ways, moved away, scattered far and wide. They were far apart physically yet continued to live in each other’s thoughts. Each tried to convince themselves that they had made the right choice. Yes, for that, one needed courage, audacity, anger. But it has a way of accumulating and waiting for its release. And here it is — another quarrel, a volcanic eruption, and off they go “in the heat of the moment” to the registry office, before they change their minds.
— She never understood me. She wanted to make me someone else, to mold me into a superhero toy. It would be nice to become one, but it requires abundant, healthy nourishment… at least once a day, well, at least once a week. I need a happy woman by my side — beautiful, proud, just mine. And I don’t seem to be that bad myself. I often wanted to respond to her differently, but these constant complaints, complaints, complaints… They turned me into a rag. I don’t need a woman who will wipe her feet on me. I need one with whom I will find my wings.
— He turned out to be such a rude blockhead. I thought he was a hero, but he’s just an inflatable balloon: press it, and all the air comes out. I had a hard time; I couldn’t sleep at nights next to the crib, and instead of making me coffee, he silently left for work. I didn’t even have time to boil an egg and cut a piece of bread, and he never once thought to order pizza and feed the hungry mother of his child. He could have remembered that he is a father and taken our daughter out in the stroller for at least an hour… No, apparently, he has no strength! He thinks that since I’m home, I’m resting 24 hours a day.
Each of them had a mother. And what good did it do? The mother-in-law told her daughter-in-law that she didn’t know how to love her son properly, while the mother added fuel to the “perpetual motion machine.” And now each of them kept telling their child: “Well, what can you do, love is cruel — you fell in love with a snake, she fell in love with a goat. Forget it, relax, this is not your level.”
And the little girl? The little girl loved both her mom and dad. She tenderly reached out her hands to her father, rubbed her face against his stubble, and froze. Here it is — the secret of eternal happiness. The strength, reliability, and stability can be felt on dad’s shoulder. That smell will stay with her forever like the aroma of self-confidence, of her uniqueness. Such a scent only comes from a father returning from work. After inhaling it to her heart’s content, the girl crawled over to her mom. She smelled of warmth, love, and food. Mom was around more often, could even raise her voice, but those were trifles. Little ones can distinguish where the real mom is and where the deceiver-fatigue, who loves to slip into mom’s home clothes, is.
Soon she will start to understand, to ask questions. What will we answer her?
— If I tell her that dad is a bad person, she won’t believe it.
— If I tell her that mom turned out to be a foolish woman, she will cry. I won’t allow my little angel to cry. My grandfather used to say: “If mom scolded — dad should comfort, if dad got angry — let mom calm down.”
What to do? Should we do anything?
Once, a rabbi said: at the divorce of a married couple, the altar weeps. How can an object that sees raw meat and animal blood day after day weep? Even if it were alive, its feelings should have hardened from endless sacrifices. They have hardened, but not enough to not feel the immense soul pain — a wound made not on the body, but on the soul. Is there a remedy that can heal it?
Who to turn to? All friends and acquaintances have discussed them back and forth. Some even showed sympathy. And what good did it do? Each of them is floundering in their own puddle, if not to say — a foul pit. Maybe antidepressants? They can temporarily dull any pain. And then? And how did our ancestors live in peace and harmony, have many children, cope with wars and famine, and remain together until their last days? Is there anywhere an answer to all these questions?
He could no longer stay alone with his silent dialogue. He began to speak aloud to himself — there was no one else to talk to. He felt like his head was about to explode from the tension.
— Okay, I’m not going back to her. But I will go to the rabbi and ask him all these questions. Let him suffer in search of an answer! I haven’t done anything wrong — why have all these thoughts settled so firmly in my head?
Sitting in the cool office of the rabbi, he let his words flow. The more he spoke, the more it seemed to him that the rabbi was trying to hide a smile. This is outrageous: even here, his words are not taken seriously!
— Rabbi, why are you smiling?
— Don’t worry, my son, I’m not laughing at you. I listened carefully to every word you said. For the second time now.
— I don’t understand… Am I repeating myself?
— No, my dear. But I have a little joyful news for you. Quite small, like a ray of light at the end of the tunnel.
— What is it?
— Yesterday, with the same questions, your ex-wife came to me. And I thought: maybe you both will come here together tomorrow? After all, I have the same answer prepared for each of you.
With a strange feeling, the former spouses met at the rabbi’s office. They felt awkward looking each other in the eye. The rabbi did not delay them; he began to speak first:
— You took a serious step: you distanced yourselves from each other and even got divorced. That was the payment. You paid for the experience, for life wisdom, for understanding that you both need each other. And the good news is that you realized this very quickly. And now, my children, be obedient: sign up for family therapy. The Almighty will return to you every coin spent. You will invest in restoring the family, and then you won’t have to spend money on psychologists for the children. We will set the date for your new chuppah next week.