Chapter 16 - David Came Back to the Kitchen
Three years after our separation, David asked whether he could visit.
He had never returned to the house.
I said yes.
When he entered the kitchen, his eyes immediately found the repaired mug.
He stopped.
“You kept it.”
“Yes.”
We sat.
He told me he was moving to another state.
His sister was ill.
He wanted to help her.
“I wanted to say goodbye.”
“You could have called.”
“I thought some things should be said face-to-face.”
We talked for nearly two hours.
No lawyers.
No accusations.
No attempts to rewrite history.
Finally, David looked at the granite island.
“I think about Thursday every day.”
“So do I sometimes.”
“I keep wishing I’d called 911.”
“I know.”
“If I had…”
“You didn’t.”
He nodded.
There was no cruelty in my answer.
Only truth.
“I forgive you,” I said.
He stared at me.
“Susan…”
“Forgiveness isn’t reconciliation.”
“I know.”
“It doesn’t mean what happened was okay.”
“I know.”
“It means I don’t want to carry it every morning.”
He cried.
So did I.
Then the man I had loved for most of my adult life hugged me goodbye.
May you like
When the door closed behind him, I did not feel abandoned.
I felt finished.
