25-minute court hearing brings end to soap opera

All it took were a few unrevealing moments in Family Court and, just like that, South Carolina no longer has a first lady.

Sanford v. Sanford was mostly remarkable for how sadly typical it was.

In the hour before Jenny Sanford walked into the courtroom, Judge Jocelyn Cate dissolved five marriages and had another half-dozen scheduled for termination.

This happens every day. Over and over, Cate listens to the stories of love gone sour, of people drifting apart. The Sanfords are no more or less important than those folks, but most other break-ups hurt only a few people -- they don't drag an entire state through the mud for the better part of a year.

On the stand, Jenny briefly repeated the story we've all heard a million times, of how she discovered a letter that revealed the governor's infidelity with "a woman he believed to be his eternal love, his lover," as she said.

It was nothing new, but that didn't stop the cameras and scribes from following Sanford through the Judicial Center, desperate for undiscovered nuggets. Jenny thanked them for stopping her there instead of hanging out in her driveway.

Here's hoping it will be the last cattle call in this drawn-out soap opera.

A long nightmare

When Gov. Sanford revealed his affair in June, it put the state in a downward spiral of tabloid headlines and late-night jokes. It was the kind of tale the national media loves: Couple climbs through the ranks, reaches the pinnacle of power and fame and whispers of presidential bids, only to be pulled back to Earth because of all-too-human failings.

Since then, the Sanfords and their four sons have paid the price for the governor's actions, but so has the rest of this state. The national media are predisposed to make fun of little Southern states -- the last thing we need to do is give them ammunition. But the governor supplied an entire arsenal before his aides told him to shut up.

And just when it quieted down, Jenny's book came out, and it all started again.

For several excruciating months, it's seemed like the state's nightmare might never end.

The end of the story

Now that the divorce is pending, maybe South Carolina can get back to what passes for normal around here. There are bigger problems -- unemployment, unbalanced budgets -- than the all-too-common end of a marriage. As Jenny told the press corps after the hearing, "Today is the end of a 20-year marriage. ... It is not cause for celebration."

No, but when it's the first time in state history that a sitting governor and first lady divorce, it is certainly news.

Maybe now this will die down and South Carolina can leave the tabloid stuff in the supermarket line. Because this is unquestionably the end of the story.

During the 25-minute hearing, Cate asked Jenny, "Is there anything this court can do to reconcile you with your husband?" It is a standard question, one she asks all the people who have the misfortune to stand before her.

Jenny, who has told her story in print and in front of the cameras many times in the past month, did not hesitate long before offering the obvious answer.

"No, ma'am."

After that, there's nothing left to say.

Reach Brian Hicks at bhicks@postandcourier.com or 937-5561.