JAMS

Joe felt a hand on his shoulder slowly bringing him out of a very profound and realistic dream.

“Sir . . . Sir!  Sorry to have to wake you.”

WOW!!  WHAT A VIVID DREAM!  Joe’s emotions were turned upside down.  It had been a long time since he had experienced such a distinct vision of the happiest day of his marriage.  He had hoped that the recurring dream would have stopped by now.  How many times did he have to walk down the aisle with Helen before it faded from his memory?  Maybe, just being on an airplane brought the dream forward.  Did the dream have some kind of profound meaning?  He had never placed much emphasis on the significance of dreams before.  Why would he start now?  Then again, maybe he had the dream because of what was going on now.  It certainly was on his mind a lot lately.

“It looked like you were sleeping very soundly.  The captain has just illuminated the seat belt sign.  You need to raise your seat.  We’re on our final approach to Tampa International Airport.  We’ll be on the ground in approximately twenty minutes.”

“I don’t know what happened?  Guess I just dozed off.  Hope I didn’t bother any of my fellow passengers?”

“You were no bother at all.  You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you.  You’ve been out for over an hour.  Is everything all right?  Is there something I can get you?”

“No thanks, everything is fine.  I just need a moment to collect my thoughts.  Thanks for asking.”

Joe sat up in his seat and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.  Getting his thoughts together was the least of his worries.  Everything was not fine.  He felt dreadful about everything that had happened.  Reluctantly, he reached into the inside pocket of his sport coat and pulled out the thick white envelope.  It was still sealed, and there was no need for him to open it.  Joe knew exactly what was inside.  Helen had informed him recently that she had filed for divorce.  They had talked about divorce, but he didn’t think that she would actually follow through.  He was still hoping they could work through their problems.  She told him a few weeks ago that she had contacted a lawyer.  Joe was hoping that they could give their marriage one last chance.  Obviously, Helen didn’t feel the same.  The final papers rested inside the envelope in his hand.  It was just a simple white envelope. How harmful could this envelope possibly be to him?  It just lay there cradled in his palm, just resting motionless.

Why?  What could possibly have gone so wrong in such a short period of time?  Joe and Helen had only been married for four years.  It started off as most relationships do; two people deeply in love.  For the first two years of the marriage, they were extremely happy.  Everything began to change during the third year.  It would be difficult for him to pinpoint the exact time that the relationship went off track.  Somewhere, along the way, they just began to drift apart.  Even the experts don’t agree on how this occurs within a marriage.  One day they woke up and realized that they had become two strangers living together.  Maybe they were working so intently on their own careers that they left each other behind.  As he looked back, Joe knew he was guilty of putting his work above his personal life . . . but . . . why?  That’s a mistake he’d never make again.

Joe learned one very important lesson.  Marriage must never take a backseat to other important matters in your life.  It must always come first in a successful relationship.  It was a hard lesson for Joe to come to terms with, but one that he knew he’d never forget.

The reunion could not have come at a better time.  Hopefully, it would help to get Joe into a better frame of mind.  After weeks of despair and rejection, he was ready for a change in venue.  It had been some time since he had seen most of his graduating class.  What he was really looking forward to was having a good time with his three best buddies.  He hadn’t seen his three best friends since his wedding.  He and Adam Connors had managed to stay in touch, mostly by phone and e-mail.  Unfortunately, he was not able to stay in close contact with Mike Watts and Sam Block.  They seemed to have drifted apart.  There was only an occasional phone call and a pledge to get together soon.  He was looking forward to seeing all three . . . find out what they have been up to lately.  Right now the camaraderie of his friends was just what the doctor ordered.  Maybe go