Chapter Text
Frank Heffley woke up distressed already. He sighed, wiping tears from his eyes as he yawned and gave a massive stretch, his tired bones creaking with the effort. Another day of pretending… he thought, stepping onto the floor and kicking on his favorite, worn down, fuzzy slippers. The floorboards creaked underneath him as he made his way towards the door, glancing behind him to look at the disheveled bed sheets which had been thrown astray carelessly twice already that morning: once by Frank himself, and the other by his wife, Susan.
Frank turned to face the door once again, clutching the doorknob tightly as he lost himself in his thoughts. Frank was going through a rather rough patch of life. He had been struggling with marital problems for a while, and recently, they had become much worse than they had ever been in the past. It seemed Susan would rarely talk to him and would attempt to avoid him if at all possible. Which, to be perfectly honest, was fine by Frank. He had long since fallen out of love with his once beloved wife, which actually was the catalyst that led to the downfall of their marriage. One day, Frank simply woke up and realized Susan just wasn’t the one for him. He was looking for something fresh, someone that could excite him, and Susan just didn’t meet those standards. Of course, this wasn’t Susan’s fault whatsoever, and Frank did feel bad for her, but he couldn’t help that he felt this way. He still loved Susan in a sense, but no traces of romantic love remained. It was strictly platonic. Frank had never said any of this to Susan, but he knew that she had picked up on it. She was a smart woman, after all, and was not oblivious to the changes in her husband’s behavior. Although she seemed betrayed by the revelation, she kept quiet, likely to try and keep some semblance of a normal life throughout all the confusion and hurt feelings.
Something good came out of their marriage, though. This came in the form of Frank’s favorite people: his three glorious children who he loved with all his heart. Rodrick, his eldest, Greg, the middle child, and of course Manny, the youngest of the three. His children meant the world for him, and he knew he would never regret his marriage with Susan considering that it was the only reason his children were here at this point. He was nervous, however, for how the declining state of his marriage would affect the children. He didn’t want to make them pick sides, and he definitely didn’t want to lose any of them. He was willing to stay with Susan, despite the toll it may take on him, to keep his children happy and living normal lives.
Although he knew he had to pretend for the sake of his family, he couldn’t help but hope that one day, he’d meet someone who would change things for the better. Someone who would brighten up his life. He just didn’t realize it would happen so soon.