Four months earlier, his return would’ve been everything I wanted. I’d cried myself to sleep for weeks, wondering whether he’d ever regret leaving.
But something had changed.
I’d begun taking accounting classes, redecorated the kitchen, and discovered that living alone wasn’t nearly as frightening as I’d imagined.
Most importantly, I’d learned that my happiness didn’t depend on Gary choosing me.
“Debbie, I just want things back to normal,” he insisted.
I smiled.
“You want a proper welcome home?”
His expression brightened.
“Now you’re talking!”
“Give me five minutes.”
I stepped inside and called my neighbor Linda.
“Remember what you promised to help me with if Gary ever came back?”
She laughed.
“He’s actually there?”
“With two suitcases and his golf clubs.”
“Oh, Debbie. This I have to see.”
When I returned to the door, Gary was still smiling.
“I knew you’d come around.”
“Actually, I packed the rest of your belongings. They’re waiting in two boxes in the garage.”
His smile faltered.
“What?”
“Everything you left behind. Linda offered to stand with me when you came to collect it.”
He stared at me.
“I thought you were letting me move back in!”
“I never said that.”
“You’re seriously making me leave?”
“You said you wanted a fresh start. I’m simply helping you finish it.”
Gary’s face reddened.
“Can we not do this in front of the neighbors?”
“Oh, is being embarrassed suddenly a problem?”
He lowered his voice.
“Debbie, I’m sorry. We can work through this.”
“You haven’t even asked whether I want to.”
He glanced over my shoulder and noticed the kitchen.
“You painted the cabinets?”
“Last weekend.”
“Blue? You know I hate blue.”
“I know. That’s why I finally chose it.”
Then he spotted the new lock.
“You changed the locks without telling me?”
“You haven’t lived here for four months.”
Gary looked offended, as though I’d redecorated something that still belonged to him.
Eventually, he asked for a glass of water. I went inside, leaving him on the porch.
While filling a glass, my phone rang.
It was Linda.
“Debbie, why exactly did Gary come back?”
“His girlfriend kicked him out. Apparently, I’m his backup plan.”
Linda became unusually quiet.
“That’s interesting. My sister Carol told me something yesterday.”
“What?”
“Her friend Rachel just threw her boyfriend out after discovering he’d been lying about their relationship. He claimed he’d been divorced for two years.”
I frowned.
“Lots of men lie about being divorced.”
“True. But the timing seems strange. Rachel’s staying with Carol right now. I’m going to ask for a photograph.”
“You think they’re talking about Gary?”
“I don’t know yet. Keep him outside until I check.”
She ended the call.
I stood in my kitchen, suddenly feeling uneasy.
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