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More silence.
Ben’s voice comes patient and cautious, “You get a place in Atlanta and go meet people. There are a lot of guys who could give you the life you want. You know I’ve never been that guy. You’ve been just as miserable as I am in this.”
More silence.
Finally she says so quietly I almost don’t catch it, “What about Jonny? Men don’t want a woman who already has a child.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s true!”
Silence.
In a measured tone, Ben offers, “I’ll take care of Jonny and you can have visitation rights. As often as you want.”
More fucking silence.
I am waiting with bated breath!
I hear pacing, lighter footsteps than his ever could be so it must be her who’s doing the ruminating. “Would he hate me?”
He spells it out for her. “A child needs to see their parents happy. We’re his guide. We haven’t been happy for years. He feels that. If you do this, but you make sure to keep him in your life — take the time, come up and visit, have him there to visit you — then he won’t hate you. He’ll get to know a mother he can respect.”
She shouts, “Are you saying he doesn’t respect me?”
“I’m saying no one respects you.”
A loud gasp reaches my ears. Then sobs. Real wracking sobs that melt my heart and force me to peek outside the curtains. As she cries. “I want to be respected,” Ben reaches for her and pulls her weeping body into his strong arms.
“You need to do what will make you happy, Shelby, and make room for Jonny to be a part of that new life. You need to build yourself up into what you believe you can be.”
Weeping gasps. “New…life? I want…a…new life!”
I watch him inhale and tighten his hold on her, saying with patience and gentleness, “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“I could visit him whenever I want?”
“I’ll even drive him to the city anytime you wanna see him.”
“Can I have the Jeep?”
“No.”
She laughs into his shoulder, and he smiles. I step back before I’m seen, feeling like I just witnessed a miracle here tonight.
Something broke.
Often that’s a bad thing.
But this was for the better.
TWENTY-NINE
Ben
Thunderstruck, I watch Shelby leave until the taillights disappear around the bend. Walking inside, I find Willow on the couch. “How much did you hear?”
She pauses. “Everything.”
