Enough is Enough

“I can’t take this anymore. You are truly pathetic!” Pierce’s best friend Patrick exclaimed.

Patrick flung open the curtains to allow sunlight to penetrate the dark and morose atmosphere. Patrick visited Pierce to get him out of the house but had no such luck.

Pierce turned into an absolute recluse after his divorce and retirement three months ago. Pierce would hardly ever answer his phone, and when he did answer it, it was only to immediately turn down all invitations to social outings. Patrick was aware Pierce was always a homebody, and it was his ex-wife Stella who would force him out of the house against his will. The problem was that she would consistently parade Pierce around like a show pony in their social circles.

Stella never treated Pierce like he was her beloved husband, more like he was her precious object. She was always obsessed with wealth and status, and Pierce had almost run himself into the ground to meet Stella’s covetous demands. And how did Stella repay him for his years of

devotion, patience, and love? She cheated on Pierce with his boss, who could provide her with bigger and better. Stella always had to have the newest, the biggest, and most of all, the most expensive things that money could buy. Still, it was never good enough to satiate her greedy appetite for the finer things in life.

Patrick recalled a dinner he attended at the White household six months ago and grimaced at the memory of him ducking out early due to Stella’s spoiled brat behavior. They were having a polite conversation at the dinner table when Patrick shared he was going to the dealership the following day to pick up his brand new custom-made 2021 Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Unknowingly, Patrick brought up a tender subject in the White household. The next scene was absolutely appalling to Patrick. Stella threw a tantrum about how everyone they knew was driving 2021s while she was stuck “slumming” it through the city in her 2020 Bentley Continental GT.

Patrick stared at Pierce, waiting for him to put Stella in her place; however, Pierce’s expression remained stoic while he humbly ate his roasted lamb chop as if Stella didn’t even exist.

It was then that Patrick realized his best friend had thoroughly checked out of his marriage and was familiar with Stella’s verbal and emotional abuse. Stella continued to rant and rave about how Pierce wasn’t good enough for her and what one man wouldn’t do, then another one would. Patrick wasn’t one to promote violence against women, but he wouldn’t have minded if Pierce had hauled off and slapped the taste out of Stella’s mouth. Stella didn’t deserve Pierce, and she sure as shit didn’t deserve the life Pierce provided her.

Pierce never asked much of Stella. He wanted a child, just one, but she was too selfish to give him that. She complained that a child would ruin her perfect figure and would be too much of a hassle. Patrick scoffed at that statement..he’d seen better bodies, and Stella knew Pierce would pay good money to get her a tummy tuck or a breast lift if she wanted it. Hell, Pierce already did several years ago for her birthday, and she had been hinting at wanting to get some work done to her face this year.

Patrick threw his napkin down on the table and excused himself. He couldn’t stomach the abuse any longer and had lost his appetite at the sight of the dead-eyed look that graced his friend’s face. Stella robbed Pierce of the man he used to be, and it was clear to Patrick that Pierce was sinking into a pit of despair that he may never be able to climb his way out of.

Patrick was elated when he received a call from Pierce a couple of months later, informing him of their impending divorce due to Stella’s infidelity. The shitty part was that Stella was the one who initiated the divorce. She attempted to hire Charlotte Scott, the best divorce attorney in Texas, to represent her. Mrs. Scott took one look at the case and vehemently declined. Being the best meant Charlotte could be selective about the cases she handled, and she didn’t have to compromise her morals to do it. In fact, Mrs. Scott reached out to Pierce and asked if he had representation and offered her services.

Like the cold-hearted bitch she was, Stella gunned for spousal support and half of everything; however, the prenup she signed was airtight, and Mrs. Scott made sure Stella didn’t get a single dime. Patrick was now making it his personal mission to integrate Pierce back into society before it was too late.

“You know...those were the same words Stella said to me before she served me with divorce papers,” Pierce drawled, taking a sip from his coffee.

“My bad,” Patrick mumbled. “Seriously, you need to leave the house. I’m afraid you’ll die alone in this house one day, and I won’t find out about it until several weeks later. It would be best if you had contact with the outside world. Our friends miss you.”

“Those people were never my friends,” Pierce spat. “They were Stella’s friends. I don’t claim them. Especially since none of them have bothered speaking to me since the divorce.”

“Okay, I agree with you there. Most of the people in our circle are stuck-up assholes, but there are some good ones.”

“I doubt it. Plus, I don’t want to be at a social gathering and run into Stella. Since she removed herself, my life has improved exponentially, and I’m afraid seeing her wouldn’t be good for my mental health. I was with the woman for 25 years, and it was a complete waste. I can’t get those 25 years back, so I should at least be able to live out the remaining 25 years that I have left on this Earth Stella-free.”

“You make a very valid point; however, as your nosy, overbearing best friend, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

“What did you do? Did you sign me up for speed dating or something like that? If you did, you might as well cancel because the last thing I’m looking for is a relationship. I’m perfectly content with dying alone.”

“That’s extremely morbid, but I’m not surprised. Have you heard of Elite San Antonio?”

“That new country club? Yeah, I’ve heard something about it. Why?”

“I scheduled us a tour tomorrow.”

Pierce lowly groaned in frustration. He knew his best friend had nothing but the best intentions for him, but damn, he just wanted to be left alone.

“I know what you’re thinking, but you really need to get out and get some Vitamin D. You can’t go to the old country club because Stella is still a member there, and you’re guaranteed to run into her. Check out the brochure,” Patrick insisted, tossing the colorful pamphlet into Pierce’s lap.

“They have everything you could imagine and then some. Some have described it as the adult version of Disney World.”

“I don’t know, man,” Pierce sighed.

“I’m not asking for a lot. All I’m asking is that you get out of the house and take a stroll. If you don’t like it, then no harm, no foul. At least I could say I tried.”

Pierce mulled the idea in his head. It wouldn’t hurt to give his legs a good stretch and to feel the sun on his skin again. It wasn’t until after his retirement that he realized he didn’t have many hobbies that he took a particular interest in. He was sad to admit that everything he did was to fit in with his wife’s vapid friends or colleagues. At that moment, Pierce realized he was nothing more than a puppet. Why it took him so long to realize this was beyond him. All the signs were there.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Patrick asked, impatiently snapping in front of Pierce’s face, jerking him out of his self-reflection. “Are you going willingly, or will I have to drag you out kicking and screaming?”

“What time is the tour tomorrow?”

“I scheduled us for 11:30 AM. We can catch lunch there as well.”

“I’ll be there.”