A new term, "empty nest divorce," has cropped up to explain the recent increase in separation and divorce among couples ages 55 and older. In years past, when married couples lived shorter lives, the norm was to stay together throughout life. But as the average life expectancy has dramatically increased, so has the percentage of divorce for older people. Experts now state one in four marriages are now ending.

Traditional family groupings struggle to maintain normal relationships as social pressures increase. But this story is about much more than these trends; it is about strong family relationships that survive generations. It is also about quirky habits family members share, for good and, sometimes, to their detriment.

Allegra, a married woman, abruptly learns her husband is having an affair.
Her husband leaves her, and she must continue her caregiver responsibilities to her mother, Anita, as she struggles with her feelings of rejection.
She escapes reality by exploring her youth, but discovers the sadness there motivates her actions in the present.
A mysterious man arrives on the scene at her mother's nursing home, complicating Allegra's concerns for her mother's care.
Allegra must face the quirky habits passed on for generations and overcome the significant problems it causes, with a strange yet positive ritual.
Anita eventually dies, leaving Allegra to face her husband and her fears about living a new kind of life alone.
Allegra embraces the habits and rituals that make her family unique.

What happens to Allegra's marriage? What habits and rituals does Allegra enact? Who is the mysterious man, and what happens to him? What significance does Anita's life give to Allegra and her children?

Short Story Press publishes short stories written by everyday writers.

Judy Greenless

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