IC:
The divorce had been difficult...not surprising considering that Tim Hallenbeck and his wife Cassie had been high school sweethearts, and married for nearly twenty-five years.
What had been surprising to Tim, was the fact that, up until his wife had left him, he'd thought that everything had been fine. Looking back, there had possibly been warning signs, but apparently his love for his wife and his busy work schedule had made him obliviously blind to them.
He had been on a book tour, promoting his newest novel. He wrote stories of the horror/thriller genre and although he was no Stephen King or Dean Koontz, he had a fairly loyal following and his works were generally well regarded and for the most part got good reviews. He had a fairly loyal fan base of his work, and although he wasn't rich, he made enough to live comfortably from his work.
When he had come home after the last stop on the book signing tour, he came home to find the house looking like it had been ransacked. Everything belonging to Cassie was gone...along with anything else she had wanted as well.
He found a note left by Cassie, calling him an "absentee husband." She claimed she no longer wanted to be in a "loveless marriage" and that she wanted her freedom.
He tried to call her cell phone, but he was blocked. He called the friends of hers that he knew, but no one had a clue why she would suddenly leave.
However, it suddenly became apparent what might have happened and why she'd might have left, when he contacted his daughter Elena, who was currently at college, and told her what had happened.
"When I called home the other day, a man answered the phone, Dad," Elena had told him, "Mom said that it was a friend, so I didn't think much of it at the time, but...well, she did sound weird on the phone...like she was nervous and out of breath."
This put dark thoughts into Tim's mind. Had Cassie been having an affair? If so, how long had this been going on?
He later found their joint checking and savings accounts had been cleaned out, and all the credit cards they'd shared were maxxed out as well. She had obviously been planning ahead for this exodus.
This left him with only the money he had in his wallet, and two credit cards he carried on him, which he rarely used. He had ended up getting a hotel room, not wanting to stay at the house. There were too many memories there.
Months went by, lawyers got involved, and Tim learned the truth...his wife had been involved with another man for quite a long time. Against his lawyer's advice, rather than fight over assets, he gave Cassie whatever she wanted, just so things could be over more quickly.
So now, here he was...forty-five years old, newly-divorced, standing in a nearly empty apartment, his few belongings packed up in boxes. His furniture would be delivered tomorrow, so tonight he would be sleeping on the floor with a pillow and sleeping bag.
Scanning his new home, he felt more depressed than he'd ever had in his entire life. He wondered if, moving forward, his life would be as empty as his apartment currently was. Is this what his life would consist of?
The apartment complex he lived in seemed to have residents much younger than himself. Mostly people in their twenties or early thirties. He hadn't seen anyone his own age, and doubted he would be able to relate to anyone, much less make friends or find eventually find romance...or sex.
Although he wasn't unattractive, he wasn't exactly young anymore. The toned and muscular body he'd had when he was young was now a typical average "dad-bod." His dark hair was beginning to show gray at the temples. In short, he looked his age.
Now that he was divorced, he was free to date. However, his wife had been the only woman he'd ever been with...he'd never been apart of the dating scene. He would have no clue how he'd even start going about meeting women, much less start dating. Besides, it was too early to think about that anyway...the divorce had just been finalized.
At least he still had his work...during the chaos of the divorce, he'd begun another novel. However, staying focused on work had been a struggle. Writer's block had been a problem the past few weeks...and he wasn't sure how to fix things...how to get the creative juices flowing again.
OOC:
This is an open thread. I am looking for at least one female writer to join in. The female character would actually be a fan of Tim Hallenbeck's novels, and recognize him when he moved in.
I am willing to add more people, both females and males who live in the apartment complex as well.
I do ask that anyone who wants to join in, please keep in mind that spelling and coherent writing are important, as well as progressing the story. One sentence posts don't really help the flow of a story.
Anyway, if anyone is interested, feel free to send a PM. Thanks!
~Wyld
The divorce had been difficult...not surprising considering that Tim Hallenbeck and his wife Cassie had been high school sweethearts, and married for nearly twenty-five years.
What had been surprising to Tim, was the fact that, up until his wife had left him, he'd thought that everything had been fine. Looking back, there had possibly been warning signs, but apparently his love for his wife and his busy work schedule had made him obliviously blind to them.
He had been on a book tour, promoting his newest novel. He wrote stories of the horror/thriller genre and although he was no Stephen King or Dean Koontz, he had a fairly loyal following and his works were generally well regarded and for the most part got good reviews. He had a fairly loyal fan base of his work, and although he wasn't rich, he made enough to live comfortably from his work.
When he had come home after the last stop on the book signing tour, he came home to find the house looking like it had been ransacked. Everything belonging to Cassie was gone...along with anything else she had wanted as well.
He found a note left by Cassie, calling him an "absentee husband." She claimed she no longer wanted to be in a "loveless marriage" and that she wanted her freedom.
He tried to call her cell phone, but he was blocked. He called the friends of hers that he knew, but no one had a clue why she would suddenly leave.
However, it suddenly became apparent what might have happened and why she'd might have left, when he contacted his daughter Elena, who was currently at college, and told her what had happened.
"When I called home the other day, a man answered the phone, Dad," Elena had told him, "Mom said that it was a friend, so I didn't think much of it at the time, but...well, she did sound weird on the phone...like she was nervous and out of breath."
This put dark thoughts into Tim's mind. Had Cassie been having an affair? If so, how long had this been going on?
He later found their joint checking and savings accounts had been cleaned out, and all the credit cards they'd shared were maxxed out as well. She had obviously been planning ahead for this exodus.
This left him with only the money he had in his wallet, and two credit cards he carried on him, which he rarely used. He had ended up getting a hotel room, not wanting to stay at the house. There were too many memories there.
Months went by, lawyers got involved, and Tim learned the truth...his wife had been involved with another man for quite a long time. Against his lawyer's advice, rather than fight over assets, he gave Cassie whatever she wanted, just so things could be over more quickly.
So now, here he was...forty-five years old, newly-divorced, standing in a nearly empty apartment, his few belongings packed up in boxes. His furniture would be delivered tomorrow, so tonight he would be sleeping on the floor with a pillow and sleeping bag.
Scanning his new home, he felt more depressed than he'd ever had in his entire life. He wondered if, moving forward, his life would be as empty as his apartment currently was. Is this what his life would consist of?
The apartment complex he lived in seemed to have residents much younger than himself. Mostly people in their twenties or early thirties. He hadn't seen anyone his own age, and doubted he would be able to relate to anyone, much less make friends or find eventually find romance...or sex.
Although he wasn't unattractive, he wasn't exactly young anymore. The toned and muscular body he'd had when he was young was now a typical average "dad-bod." His dark hair was beginning to show gray at the temples. In short, he looked his age.
Now that he was divorced, he was free to date. However, his wife had been the only woman he'd ever been with...he'd never been apart of the dating scene. He would have no clue how he'd even start going about meeting women, much less start dating. Besides, it was too early to think about that anyway...the divorce had just been finalized.
At least he still had his work...during the chaos of the divorce, he'd begun another novel. However, staying focused on work had been a struggle. Writer's block had been a problem the past few weeks...and he wasn't sure how to fix things...how to get the creative juices flowing again.
OOC:
This is an open thread. I am looking for at least one female writer to join in. The female character would actually be a fan of Tim Hallenbeck's novels, and recognize him when he moved in.
I am willing to add more people, both females and males who live in the apartment complex as well.
I do ask that anyone who wants to join in, please keep in mind that spelling and coherent writing are important, as well as progressing the story. One sentence posts don't really help the flow of a story.
Anyway, if anyone is interested, feel free to send a PM. Thanks!
~Wyld
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