Lunch Break
July 18, 2011 in Life
There he was on the corner of Wall and Pearl. The only man who has ever left me crumpled up on the floor, begging him to stay. Twelve years had passed, but the sight of him still made me sick.
“Oh my gosh! Shorty! How are you?”
He opened his arms wide and gave me a crushing hug, but I couldn’t reciprocate. My arms were locked at my sides, busy trying to hold my body together. He noticed.
“Are you still mad at me?”
“Not really mad, more like surprised to see you. Or something.”
“Well how are you? What are you up to? I see you’re married.”
I fidgeted with my wedding band and scanned his hands. There it was. The ring.
“So. Are you still married to her?”
He laughed a nervous laugh.
“Yes, Sondra and I are still married.”
“Then it was worth it. Leaving me like that.”
“I suppose it was. I’m very happy.”
“Well, good for you. So if this little reunion is over, I have to get back to work.”
“Oh. Okay. Can I call you sometime?”
“What for?”
“I don’t know, to catch up. Maybe go to lunch. I miss you, Shorty.”
I thought about it for a second. He never called to make sure that I was okay. He just left me there, alone, and started a new life with a new woman. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes.
“I’m sure you do miss me, but no, you may not call me. Don’t call me, don’t email me, do not send me a Facebook friend request, and for fuck’s sake, don’t add me to one of your Google+ circles. Knowing me is a privilege that you no longer have.”
“Wow, okay. Well, maybe I’ll run into you again sometime?”
“I hope not.”
“Goodbye, Shorty.”
He headed up Wall Street and although I needed to go in the other direction, I turned down Pearl. The tears welled up immediately. I dove into my purse for my iPhone and scanned my list of contacts. Who would understand? Choking back the tears, I called Grace.
“You’re not going to believe who I just ran into.”
“Jeffrey.”
“How did you know?”
“Because you’re crying.”
“Fuck.”
“Drinks later?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll email you.”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For knowing.”
“Well, you should just be glad that there weren’t more options to choose from.”
“Goddamn you and your bright sides.”
