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12     5IVE- O M agazine| F eb 2018                                                                                                                                                         5IVE- O M agazine | F eb 2018         13




           What’s It Really Like To Find Out



                             Your Husband Is Gay                                                                                "Yesterday, Jeff and I told        three most incredible kids         look back and I underesti-
                                                                                                                                our children that we are
                                                                                                                                                                                                      mated the importance of
                                                                                                                                                                   we could ask for.
                                                                                                                                divorcing, after more than                                            what it was. I was so pre-
                                                                                                                                17 years of marriage and           “Love is love is love is           occupied. He made many
                                                                                                                                23 years of togetherness.          love...”                           sacrifices to support me.
                                                                                                                                We also told them that the                                            But this one vital part of
                                                                                                                                impetus fort he divorce is         Now she’s answering some           our marriage was missing
                                                                                                                                the fact that Jeff is gay,”        deeper questions, like
                                                                                                                                she wrote on her site.             how long she knew Jeff ’s           He was supportive for the
                                                                                                                                                                   secret, and what sex and           most part, my blog, my
                                                                                                                                Without getting into too           dating are like post-split         books. When you’re in the
                                                                                                                                much personal detail,              (hint, it’s really fun.)           trenches of little kids, it’s
                                                                                                                                this is a reality which                                               easy to just try to work
                                                                                                                                we have faced together             PS: You met your husband           together.
                                                                                                                                for many years. And for            Jeff when you were 18.
                                                                                                                                a very long time, the              When did you get an                So, why now?
                                                                                                                                deep love we had for               inkling that he was maybe
                                                                                                                                one another sustained us           gay?                               Well, we ran out of
                                                                                                                                through the more difficult                                            excuses as to why not
                                                                                                                                moments that our increas-          Jill: We met at 1 8,               now? How long are we
                                                                                                                                ingly diverging sexuality          married at 20, kids at 23.         going to keep doing this
                                                                                                                                created.”                          I was several years later          for? I’m turning 40 this
                                                                                                                                                                   he told me he thought              summer. I always worried
                                                                                                                                Jill adds that the two have        he was bisexual. But it            that we’d be 60 and had’
                                                                                                                                been inseparable for more          was the last five or so he
                                                                                                                                than half their lives, and         felt it had evolved to the          Come to me and say, ‘’I’m
                                                                                                                                are proud of the family            point where he no longer           in love with a man,” so I
                                                                                                                                they have built together.          identified as bi and could         feel very relieved that we
                                                                                                                                They now live 1 0 minutes          be gay.                            actually did it.
   Now the two, who met                                                                                                         apart and share their kids’
      at 18, married at 20,                                                                                                     pick up schedule from              Were you trying to work it
      and share three kids                                                                                                      school.                            out all those years?
      together, are divorc-                                                                                                                                                                           I knew the situation, but
         ing. But Jill is in a                                                                                                  “We have been true part-           Obviously, we were, are,           for 15 years we’ve been
   good place, and in her                                                                                                       ners and friends; we are a         I feel we are soul mates,          not telling anyone, it’s
       hysterical style, she                                                                                                    kick ass team,” she writes.        he’s my favorite person,           affected my relationships.
    explains to Personal S                                                                                                      “And while we will no              we’re a reaIIy good team,          I feel so amazing now. I
   pace what the process                                                                                                        longer love each other as          we’re super invested in            think I knew that for the
     of divorcing your gay                                                                                                      husband and as wife, we            the kids. He’s my favor-           past 1 0 year.
            husband is like.                                                                                                    remain deeply committed            ite person. It was always

                                                                                                                                to one another as part-            sort of every other area
                                                                                                                                ners and co-parents to the         in my life was good. Now
                                                                                                                                                                   that I’m out of it I can          Story by: Warren o ‘grant
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