Ken wiped away a tear as he absorbed Maddy's heartbreakingly genuine revelations. It sure was a relief to know she still thought of
him, and more importantly, that she didn't hate him. He'd been plagued
with so many residual and conflicting emotions over the years-love,
guilt, concern, desire and regret-never quite knowing exactly how
Madeline's life had been affected by his decision to marry another.
He'd assumed she was doing well, though he'd come up short on
every online search he'd conducted recently. He had a vague idea that she
was writing, based on the articles she used to contribute to The Good News
Gazette, though that had been way back when Bonnie was an infant. And
their brief email correspondence from a few years ago had revealed she
lived in Boca Bayou.
But aside from that, there was very little he knew. And it went far
beyond her career and place of residence. In spite of staggered moments
of euphoria (which included the births of his daughter and son), and a
purposely hectic schedule over the last several years, he'd never once
forgotten about her. On the contrary, while he remained a faithful
husband to Erin and a devoted father to Bonnie and Brian, within the
sacred boundaries of his heart, he still harbored intense feelings of love
and desire for Madeline, as well as an abundance of regret for what might
have been.
In the tranquility of a tropical evening, he'd oftentimes lie awake in
bed while Erin slept, as visions of Maddy's smiling face haunted him.
Later, when he'd moved into the sanctuary of the spare bedroom
following his marital separation, these visualizations took on new and
uninhibited life as if now fully free to come into expression without fear
of reprisal.
Of course, he'd done everything in his power to make his marriage
work, mainly for the sake of his children. Occasional tensions
notwithstanding, Ken had always appreciated growing up in a stable home
with two parents who'd instilled traditional values. In fact, one of the
many things that attracted him to Maddy initially was her similar
upbringing. True, her dad was a professional who made a helluva lot more
money than his own father. However, when it came down to the things
that really mattered-close relationships, religious faith, love of country
and an abiding passion for life, the Rose family and the Lockheart family
were more alike than different.
But when Ken had stupidly abandoned all hope of him and Madeline
ever making it to the altar, Erin entered his life, bringing with her the
desired background, along with something else-a willingness to relocate
to Florida. And though ashamed to admit it, it hadn't hurt that Erin had
possessed no qualms about giving herself to a man before marriage. As a
young man, he would've gladly waited for Madeline; but when he'd also
grown to love another with whom he could satisfy his physical needs as
well, lust had won out, at least for a while.
Months of pleading with Maddy on the phone to move down here
with him, endless conversations during which he'd be moved to tears out
of a persistent longing for her, had accomplished nothing. Though
frustrated with her job and her life, Madeline had remained vehemently
opposed to leaving her family for sunnier skies and a real chance at
happiness. Erin, on the other hand, relished the thought of kissing Philly
goodbye. And it hadn't hurt that she was a beautiful woman, too, though
her statuesque frame, platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes were a
striking contrast to Madeline's petite build and china doll looks.
In the beginning, Erin held true to her Catholic upbringing, having
been raised in a humble household in southwest Philadelphia. As an only
child, her parents had doted on her, nurturing her creative talents with
piano lessons, art classes and even a private acting coach. As she grew,
Erin also discovered a passion for business, leading her to combine a fine
arts degree with courses in marketing, advertising and management. By
the time she'd graduated from Drexel University after successful
completion of a five year co-op program, she'd garnered several lucrative
job offers.
She began her career with a prestigious firm in Center City, before the
Trump Corporation wooed her away by doubling her salary and
enhancing her already impressive resume. That move would impact her
life in more ways than one as it soon led to her meeting with Ken
Lockheart one evening, at the behest of a mutual friend. Ken had resisted
the idea of a blind date at first, still reeling from his mishandling of the
Madeline situation.
He remembered how they'd reconciled just before Christmas,
prompting Maddy to invite him to attend the Eagles-Vikings game with
her and Lori, for which they'd had an extra ticket. Since it had been a
spur-of-the-moment decision, suggested by none other than Monica Rose,
Ken had to do a lot of persuading to get someone to cover for him at the
plant before officially accepting her invitation. And though Madeline
hadn't formally apologized for writing him a Dear John letter several weeks
prior, when he'd called her on the phone, he sensed the regret in her
voice. He'd contacted her that evening to let her know he'd accepted her
decision and harbored no bitterness.
Awhile later, she'd called him back out of the blue to ask him about
driving to her house in Pennsylvania for the game, pointing out the irony
that the Eagles' opponent that week just happened to be Ken's secondfavorite
football team. And lingering resentment aside, he'd been ecstatic
about hearing from her again. No matter how much her rejection had
stung, his heart and soul still exuded nothing but unconditional love,
along with the indistinguishable hope of marrying her someday-once
he'd completed his education, of course.