He looked at me, his eyes filled with
disappointment. “You’re being so childish. No
<
10:42
wonder your parents abandoned you.”
I stared at him, my heart plummeting into my
stomach.
Three years ago, when he proposed, we were discussing wedding dates. He suggested my
birthday.
62
Hesitantly, I told him that my parents had abandoned me on my birthday. They’d taken me
to McDonald’s, promising a birthday treat, then
pretended to go get a cake and never came
back.
He’d held my hand, his eyes full of sympathy.
“Anna,” he’d said, “I know something bad
happened to you on your birthday. Let’s get
married then. A new, happy memory will replace
the old one. That way, you won’t think about
being abandoned, you’ll only think about us.”
I’d shown him my most vulnerable wound, and now he was using it against me.
Numbly, I asked, “Give me a timeline. When will you be able to focus on our own family again?”
He stammered, avoiding my gaze. “Well, I… you can take care of yourself. We don’t have kids yet. But Ashley and Zach, they need me.”
Seeing my expression, he added weakly, “Maybe when we have a kid, or when Zach’s a
little older…”
My heart sank. Exhaustion washed over me. “Fine. Go tomorrow. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Ethan’s face lit up. He hugged me tight. “Anna,
I knew you’d understand. You’re the best.”
Three seconds later, he released me and was
on the phone to Ashley. “Ashley, I’ll pick you
and Zach up in the morning…what time…”
<
The next morning, Ethan was up early, humming
as he picked out clothes, still grinning from ear
to ear while on the phone.
“Don’t worry, Zach, I’ll wear my best outfit.
You’ll be so proud! And Mom? Is she ready? I’ll be there soon!”
Watching him, I felt like they were the family, and I was the outsider intruding.
He hung up, saw me sitting up, and came over to appease me. “Anna, you’re so great. Take
my card, go treat yourself, okay?”
He took a card from his wallet and offered it,
then placed it on the nightstand when I didn’t
take it. He leaned in to kiss my cheek, but his
phone rang.
“Ashley? You guys all set? Okay, great, be right
there. Five minutes.”
He was already halfway out the door as he
spoke.
I didn’t touch his card. I didn’t feel like going
out alone. I got an egg and some spinach from
the fridge and made myself a birthday
breakfast.
As soon as I sat down with my food, my phone
buzzed with messages from Ashley.
Picture after picture, followed by a message:
“Hey Anna, Ethan told me it’s your anniversary.
So sorry about that, I didn’t realize he’d still
come even though it’s your special day. I’m
sending you some pics so you can share in the
fun…”
I clicked through dozens of photos. Ethan beaming, holding Zach. Ethan and Zach
competing in the field day events. In almost
every picture, Ethan was looking at Zach with
<
ま
There were a few photos of Ashley, too. Ethan
holding Zach, Ashley’s arm linked through his, her head resting on his shoulder. All three of them with smiles plastered on their faces.
If this wasn’t my husband, I would’ve thought, “What a beautiful family. So heartwarming.”
But it was. And the sight of it made my
stomach churn. I ran to the bathroom and threw
up everything I’d just eaten.
It was sickening.
I picked up the anniversary gift I’d gotten for Ethan. I looked at it for a long moment, then tossed it in the living room trash can. The trash bag had just been changed and the can was right by the door, impossible to miss. I wasn’t
going to give it to him directly, but I hoped he’d
notice, that he’d be observant enough to pick
up on my silent protest.
Eleven o’clock Still no Ethan He called
Eleven o’clock. Still no Ethan. He called.
“Anna, something came up at work, I’ll be late
tonight. Don’t wait up.” He paused, then added
unconvincingly, “Yeah, work stuff.”
He didn’t come home at all that night. I’d hoped
he might, that he’d see the gift in the trash. I
fell asleep on the couch, waiting.
At six a.m., a message notification woke me. It
was Ethan.
“Things got crazy at work last night. Didn’t
want to wake you, so I crashed at the office.”
“I’m on my way home now. I’ll bring you
breakfast. What are you craving? How about
that congee from that place uptown, the one
you love?”
That place was always packed, people lined up
around the block. It was a long drive, and hard
<
to get. I loved it, but the last time I’d had it was
when Ethan had been in that neighborhood for
work and brought some home.
The memory softened me. I texted back,
“Okay.”
Less than half an hour later, Ethan arrived,
carrying a thermos.
I rushed to the door, a smile on my face. “That
was fast! There’s usually a huge line.”
Ethan’s face flushed. He stammered, “The line
was insane. I… I got seafood congee from the
place next door. Try it, it’s pretty good. I had
some on the way, so there’s not much left.”
