Indolent

The love affair hadn't yet ended. Suzanne was too lazy to do it, and Herman was too busy. He had four kids, a wife, and a boss who demanded nearly all of him. Suz had lost her job, the support of her family, and pretty much any and all motivation in life. Opposite problems, same short-term solution.

Someday he would look back on this as the dark period in his life. With khaki shorts and a greenhouse, Herman would be able to forgive himself while he pruned the weeds from his garden. The boys would call on weekends, and his wife would be happier with the real estate agent anyway. All he would need was the blue skies and pink roses, the daffodils and the hummingbirds.

At the same time, Suzanne would thank god she'd hit the bottom, because it was the only way she would ever have learned how to pick herself up. She would think of him occasionally, the man who loved her even when she didn't love herself, and she would smile. Then she would donate large fractions of her fortune to various charities, asking to be thanked in the brochures and on the plaques as S. Herman.

Someday these things would happen. For now, there was just the dirty little love affair, which neither of them were proud of, and both wanted to end.