Then why does it feel like you have? Because I'm not pretending your decision didn't happen. She breathed out slowly. I made a mistake. You might have.
What does that mean? It means you have to live with the decision long enough to find out. She didn't like that answer. I still think about you. That's your problem now.
There was a long pause. Then she said, "John wants me to move in with him. " I straightened and I don't know. Then figure it out. You make everything sound so easy.
No, I make it final when it needs to be final. She didn't say anything. I ended the call. That evening, Grant came by my apartment with food. He set the bag on the counter.
Marilyn? Yes. What did she want? To know if I'm waiting. Grant gave a short laugh.
And I'm not. A month later, I found out Marilyn had moved in with John. They rented a house together on the other side of the city. Pictures started appearing through mutual friends, dinner parties, weekend trips, smiling photographs. From the outside, they looked happy.
I didn't look twice. I had my own routine now. Work, gym, friends. I stopped checking what Marilyn was doing. Then, almost 3 months after she left me, Grant called me one evening.
You're going to want to hear this. What? Marilyn and John are having problems. I sat down. How bad?
Bad enough that she's been staying with her sister. I was quiet, Grant continued. Apparently, John isn't who she thought he was. I looked out the window. For the first time in months, Marilyn's name meant something different.
Not hope, not anger, just unfinished business. And I had a feeling she was about to come back into my life. I didn't call Marilyn after Grant told me I had no reason to. If her relationship with John was falling apart, that was between them. Two days later, Marilyn called me herself.
I was finishing dinner when her name appeared on my screen. I answered, "What happened? " She was quiet for several seconds. Can we talk about what about everything? I leaned back in my chair.
If this is about John, I'm not the person you should be talking to. I know. Then why call me? Because I don't know who else to call. That answer told me enough.
You have a sister. I don't want advice from my sister. Then what do you want from me? I want to see you. I thought about it.
Not tonight. When? Saturday afternoon. Okay. And Marilyn?
Yes. This isn't a reconciliation meeting. She went quiet. I understand. Good.
Saturday came. We met at a coffee shop near the waterfront. I chose the place because it was public, quiet, and far enough from both our neighborhoods. Marilyn arrived 10 minutes early. She looked different, tired.
She sat across from me and kept her hands around a cup she barely touched. "What happened? " I asked. She looked at me. "John isn't who I thought he was.
" I figured. She frowned. "You already knew. " "No, Grant told me you two were having problems. " She nodded.