“Good morning,” replied Frances automatically.
There was an awkward pause. Fortunately, the kids helped by starting a squabble in the back over who sat where, so Frances was able to turn away from Anne to take care of it. By the time she was ready to pull away from the curb Anne had already gone back inside.
“Mommy didn’t say goodbye!” wailed Kate.
This was really A Thing. Kids who seemed mature and capable of many irritating things were thrown to the floor when their parents failed to say goodbye. To discover a parent had left the house without the correct handoff could ruin a whole day. Proof, if proof were needed, that children were masters of magical thinking. Frances knew better than to breeze through it. She started to dial Anne’s number but then just punched her seat belt and got out, jogging up Anne’s path to knock on the door.
Anne opened it, holding her phone and looking worried. “What?”
“You forgot to say goodbye,” Frances said, already turning and heading back to the car.
“Shit, sorry.” Anne followed her and there was a sweetly sentimental goodbye scene, as if she was putting her kids on the Kindertransport, rather than sending them to public school for a few hours.
Eventually it was done, everyone felt emotionally ready to face the day, and Frances was able to pull away. Ava had gone temporarily blind from excessive eye rolling, but apart from that, all was well.
• • •
Anne went back inside, determined to end the affair she’d been having for six months, and making a mental note to not forget to say goodbye in the future.
Charlie was still wandering around upstairs, so she took him a cup of coffee.
“Thanks, babe,” he said, pulling her close and smelling roses in her hair. “What are you doing today?”
“Not sure. Not much.” Breaking up with my boyfriend.
“Do you want to have lunch?”
“Sure, that would be nice. Where?” Assuming I stop feeling nauseous long enough to eat.
He named somewhere they’d been before, close to his office. She nodded, and went to get herself more coffee, too. I can barely see for panic.
Charlie watched her turn the corner of their bedroom door, and smiled all the way down to his toes. He was a lucky man. He turned around and sat down on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. Maybe he’d stop at the little hipster jewelry store Anne loved so much, and pick her up a gift he could give her at lunch. She was a sucker for pretty things, always had been. When they’d first met she’d not been all that interested in him. She was an art student, he was a law student, they couldn’t have had that much in common. She was a free spirit but, it soon became clear, a free spirit with a serious penchant for silk underwear and vintage jewelry. He blandished her with gifts until he could charm her into falling in love, and here they were, a decade later, still together.
Charlie tied his shoelaces, and stood, shaking his suit into place, satisfied with his lot.
• • •
It turned out that breaking up really was hard to do. Anne called Richard and explained the situation. As soon as she heard his voice she’d stopped feeling anxious and sick. She was going to end this, and she was going to be free of it. End of story.
“But nothing has changed,” he protested. Why had she never noticed how whiny he was?
“Yes,” she said, firmly. “You texted me the other night and my kid saw it and I suddenly realized I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s very simple, Richard, it’s over. Please just accept it.” She was in her underwear in the bathroom, choosing an outfit to have lunch in. She wanted to make an effort for Charlie. She needed to turn this ship around. She looked at her body briefly; it was still good. The best side effect of infidelity, it turned out, was improved core strength and muscle tone. Young men were so energetic. Her particular young man was still talking, so she dragged her attention back.
“I’ll be more careful. I won’t text you at all anymore. Please come see me. I miss you so much.” He was in his office at school, having gone in early in the hope of talking to her before his day began. He woke up thinking of her, went to lunch thinking of her, held his dick and peed thinking of her, washed his hands thinking of her. He knew it was getting dangerous, he could feel himself losing control, knew on several levels that payback was going to be a bitch. He just couldn’t handle it being over now. He needed more.
“No, Richard. I’m not going to see you again. It’s been fun, but you knew it was never going anywhere. I never wanted to leave my family. I never lied to you.” Everyone else, yes, but not you.
“I know.” Silence. “I’m coming to see you.”
“No.”
“Please. Let’s go to bed. We can talk about it after I make you come like a million times.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No. This is it, Richard. We’re done. Goodbye.” She hung up and went back to her closet. The celadon dress, which said elegant woman of a certain age, or the overalls, which said hip young mother who still gave blow jobs? Such a tough call.
Three miles away in his office, Richard put his head on his desk and sobbed.
• • •
It just so happened that when Sara walked into the restaurant where she was meeting her agent for lunch, the first person she spotted was Charlie, the guy who lived up the road and was married to that cool drink of water whose name she couldn’t remember right away. He saw her, too, because he was watching the door. He raised his hand in greeting.
“Hey, Charlie, how’s it
