Starting At Goodbye

Marillyn and Wayne met at a country western bar in Lawndale during the "Urban Cowboy" craze of the '80's. She took him home that evening for what was to have been her last one night stand, but he stayed for almost thirty years. Theirs was a relationship defined by upheaval: the incomprehensible insanity of alcoholism followed by life affirming recovery. They married, divorced, and remarried, raising two children while hardly knowing how to raise themselves. After being together for twenty-four tumultuous years, a bomb shattered their illusions during Christmas 2003: Cancer. This would prove to be the final siege on their embattled lives together. Once so virile, handsome, and strong, Wayne was diagnosed with brain lymphoma at the age of 54. They were baby boomers who thought they were invincible. Devastating illness was something reserved for grown-ups, for those who had a toe hold on reality. From the beginning of their journey to the tragic ending, they had a deeply passionate and unbreakable bond. This is their rollercoaster ride through pain to redemption as they both learned the true meaning of love.

Marilyn Boehm has previously been published in an anthology “Spiritual Journeys." She also won First Prize in a writing contest sponsored by Silhouettes eyewear. She retired from a thirty one year career as a deputy probation officer with L.A. County Probation Department, State of New Mexico Corrections Department and Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Orange County Probation Department. She is remarried, has two adult children and two adorable dogs, and she lives in Huntington Beach, California.