2003-06-23 - 9:17 p.m.

I was brushing my teeth and Amber was in the shower when she asks �Daniel, do you still want a divorce?� And that was the way the day began. When I replied that not only did I still want it, but I had already bought a do-it-yourself divorce kit, she told me �Fill out the paperwork and I�ll sign it.� Simple as that. I didn�t think it was going to be.

Amber had driven up from Santa Cruz the night before in order to go to her parent�s twenty-fifth anniversary. We met at Jess� apartment, but the tension was thick between Amber and me, so I left the girls to talk and I went home to sleep. I�m glad I did. I�m sure that Amber�s been doing a lot of thinking about the future of our relationship on her own, but whatever she and Jess talked about that night seemed like the impetus needed to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

After the brief bathroom discussion about the now ensuing divorce, we spent the day at our stoic best � pretending that the whirlpool of thoughts and feelings that now engulfed us individually was nothing to be bothered with. But since there was nothing else, we just didn�t talk. We even managed the three hour drive up to Quincy with nothing but a few words said between us. The tension had dissipated, only to be replaced by muted introspection.

The anniversary party was a welcome diversion to my thoughts and I had a good time seeing and talking to so many people I hadn�t seen for ages. Of course the Vicodin, wine and THC cocktail I consumed earlier probably played some small part in the evening�s pleasures. I even got hit on by my brother-in-law�s wife. No shit. When we arrived, she made a point out of telling me how good I was looking and then later in the evening, she told me that she�d been thinking about kissing me all night. It went even further when she commanded me to grab her ass to see how she was wearing a thong under her clothing. While I was flattered and continuously amused by her attentions, the whole episode lent a rather surreal feel to an already awkward day.

As we were leaving the party, Amber broke down in tears, sobbing and awakening my inner-nurturer. We hugged and I asked her to talk to me, which she did, thereby initializing an honest and caring conversation about our thoughts and feelings regarding the divorce and the future of our relationship. In the end, I was happy to see that the foundation of friendship that our relationship was built on is strong and flexible enough to survive the most strenuous tests.