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When I called her my ex–wife, Linda’s expression immediately soured.
I thought she’d go off on me again like. before–accusing me of playing hard to get, throwing a tantrum.
But instead, she just sighed, took my hand, and said,
“Still mad at me? Honey, I admit I’ve neglected you before. I promise I’ll take better care of you from now on. Don’t stay mad, okay? Without me, where else. can you even go?”
I didn’t know what had caused the
sudden shift in her attitude, but that last line rubbed me the wrong way.
“The world’s a big place. Why would I have nowhere to go?”
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Linda frowned. “You know that’s not
what I meant.”
I didn’t feel like answering. I was sick of this.
It was obvious she didn’t want to split the assets. I couldn’t think of any other reason she’d be so against the divorce.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Henry, and redirected my fire. “Hey. Can you get out of my hospital room?”
Henry’s face flushed bright red. He rubbed his hands nervously and said,
“I’m sorry, Chase. I just wanted to stay and look after you.”
He turned to Linda, silently begging her to back him up like she always did.
Linda softened, but instead of defending
him, she said,
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“Henry, go home. I’ll take care of Chase.”
I scowled. “Great. You can both get out.”
Susie, who’d been peeling an apple for me, burst into laughter. She glanced at Linda’s darkened expression and boldly said,
“Wow. Some people really are hilarious. Now you care? Where were you when the baby died?”
Linda glared at her. “What does that
have to do with you? You can leave.”
Susie beamed at me. “Sir, do you want me to leave?”
She was clearly doing this on purpose to rile up Linda–and I gladly played
along.
“Susie, you can’t go. You said you’d take care of me, remember?”
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She handed me the peeled apple and grinned. “It would be my honor.”
Just as I reached for the apple, Linda snatched it away and threw it to the floor with a loud smack.
Her face darkened. “Chase, if this is your way of making me jealous, congrats- you win. But please, don’t use other women to spite me, okay?”
I looked at her, deadpan. “You’re giving yourself way too much credit.”
Susie nodded thoughtfully. “She really is full of herself.”
Linda looked like she was about to explode.
Henry, trying to play the tragic hero, said, “This is all my fault, Chase. If Andy and I weren’t sick, Linda and her parents wouldn’t have spent so much time with us. Your relationship wouldn’t have
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fallen apart. Please, stop punishing Linda. Forgive her. If you’ll just forgive her, I’ll leave. I’ll go away and never come back.”
Then–he actually dropped to his knees in front of me.
I did not see that coming.
They say a man’s knees are worth their weight in gold. His were made of dollar- store drama.
Before I could say a word, Linda rushed over and helped him up, her face written with concern.
“Henry, what are you doing? He’s the one who should apologize to you on his knees!”
Then she turned to me, furious.
“Chase, you’ve gone too far!”
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I shrugged. “Oh, you just figured that out?”
She opened her mouth to say something else, but Henry suddenly clutched his head and screamed,
“I’m trash! I don’t deserve to live! I should just die–I really should die!”
Linda panicked. She threw her arms. around him and cried,
“Henry, calm down, please! You’re the best man in the world. Don’t say that!”
A year ago, those words would’ve broken me. They would’ve driven me insane.
Now? I just felt like I was watching a low- budget soap opera.
It was absurd. Comical, even.
Linda suddenly remembered that I used to be the jealous type. She nervously
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looked over–only to meet a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.
The same look I had when I told her I wanted a divorce.
It made her heart skip a beat.
For the first time, she felt real fear–like maybe I truly didn’t care about her anymore.
Like maybe, just maybe, I didn’t even want to look at her.
That boy from the summer we were sixteen–the one who caught fireflies in a bag just for her.
The one who’d once promised her under a sky full of glowing light that they’d grow old together…
He was gone. He had let go.
Of the past. Of her.
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She wanted to say something–to explain.
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But before she could, Susie rolled her eyes and asked,“What’s he throwing a fit about this time?”
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