True Friendship

Sean and Allen were born in the same hospital, one five minutes after the other, and to an even larger coincidence they were neighbors, they had been best friends through their teen years and in university, they went to war together and came back together.

Sean was a football player until he was injured and told he could never play again, but Allan, as he usually did, took the safe path and became a lawyer, and still practices law to this day. Allan liked being a lawyer, helping people with their problems. He was good at it and because of that; he was highly regarded and well paid.

Allan was surprised one morning when Sean placed three urgent phone calls to his office within 15 minutes of each other. After the last call, Allan interrupted an important meeting and called back,

"Sean?" Allan began. "Are you all right?"

"Al, I have to speak to you right away!"

"Can it wait till later? I'm in a meeting until lunch, and then I have to be in court all day for a murder case."

"No, Allan. It can't wait"

"Well, in that case, can you wait until lunch?" Allan joked.

"If I have to," Sean replied, missing the joke.

"I'll meet you at the coffee shop at 12, okay?"

"Fine, Noon then," Allan agreed.

Allan hung up the phone, surprised by the urgency in his best friend's tone. He returned to the meeting and forgot his appointment until half past noon.

"I thought we said noon?" Sean said angrily, looking at his watch.

"And how are you, too?" Allan said, offering his hand.

"Horrible," Sean said, shaking his hand quickly. "Sit down. I already ordered drinks."

"Nothing with alcohol for me. I told you I have to be in court this afternoon."

"Fine. I'll drink your beer, you drink my water," Sean said, moving the glasses.

Allan watched his best friend down the beer in one quick gulp.

"So what is so important, Sean?"

"I want a divorce!" Sean blurted out.

"What?"

"You heard me. If I don't divorce that woman, I'll kill her."

"Samantha?"

"I don't recall being married to anyone else" Sean said, nodding to the waiter, who hurried off to get more drinks.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you having your anniversary in two weeks? I received an invitation to a 20th wedding anniversary, didn't I?" Allan asked.

"We mailed them out a month ago, when I could still tolerate her. Now, I hate her."

"Sean, come on. You can't hate Samantha."

"Allan, if I don't get a divorce soon, like tomorrow, I may kill her, or worse, myself. Is that enough hate for you?"

"What did she do?" Allan asked as the waiter arrived with two more drinks.

"She showed me her true self!" Sean said, grabbing the drinks from the waiter before he could take them off his tray.

"What did she do, specifically?" Allan asked, taking one of the drinks from Sean.

"She does nothing, that's what she does."

"What do you mean by nothing?"

"She does nothing for me. Nothing around the house. Nothing in the kitchen, Nothing in the bedroom. Nothing."

"What do you argue about?"

"Nothing. Everything. Little things, mostly."

Allan looked at Sean for a long time without saying anything.

"What?" Sean asked.

"I was just thinking, if you hate Samantha so much, don't you want a little revenge first before you set her free?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how much satisfaction will you get by divorcing her right away? She hates you, you hate her. You'll be giving her peace by letting her go."

"Yes, but I will get peace too."

"Maybe too much peace."

"The kids will be angry you abandoned their mother and broke up the family."

"But it was her fault!"

"They won't see it that way. Either will your friends."

"What about our friends?"

"Your friends are couples, mostly. The wives probably know about your constant fights with Samantha, all from Samantha's point of view. You know how women talk to one another about those things. The wives will avoid you because they'll think you'll poison their marriages. They'll keep their husbands away. You'll be known as 'the prick that left Samantha right before her anniversary'."

"Okay, Allan. You obviously think you have a better idea. What is it?"

"Well, I think you should do the reverse."

"Reverse of what?"

"I think you should be the perfect husband, not the ass. You should do everything you can over the next two months to make Samantha fall in love with you again."

"And then what?"

"And then, when Samantha least expects it, and needs you desperately, then you ask for a divorce. Everyone will blame Samantha because you were the picture of a loving husband."

Allan waited for a reaction from Sean, who was lost in thought.

"Allan,