Page 78 of The Husband Diet
‘It’s a big secret,’ Zia Maria said. ‘We’re not supposed to know.’
As if love were a shameful thing that needed to be hidden. Boy, did I know a thing or two about that.
*
As I walked into my kitchen at home to retrieve my Christmas shopping list, Ira came out of the spare room with another suitcase. He’d been packing like a madman since I’d discovered him with his lover. One more week and he’d be out. One more week to prepare the kids and I still didn’t know how I was going to do it.
‘I’m leaving now,’ Ira said, his voice barely audible.
My whole body was traversed by icy claws that racked my legs, ripped into my stomach and my lungs, squeezing real hard while my entire world, which was already pretty much off its axis, started to spin drunkenly.
Now? He had no idea how much pain and unhappiness he’d caused me during all our years together, but leaving us on the day before Christmas Eve? What the hell was wrong with him? Wasn’t he thinking about his children at all?
‘We’ve already had this conversation. You’re supposed to wait untilafterChristmas,’ I said.
Ira lowered his eyes and sighed. ‘We open the gifts after dinner tomorrow and then I go.’
‘Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. You can’t abandon them on Christmas Eve – you’re going to scar them for life. You owe it to Maddy and Warren.’
He only shook his head. ‘I can’t. I already don’t know what to tell them.’
I shrugged, feeling numb. ‘The truth. That you’ve found someone more important to you than them.’
‘Erica, let’s at least be civil, OK?’
Civil? For years he’d treated me like I didn’t exist, sighing in frustration at the mere sight of me, and now he wanted to be civil? I pushed my chin out and straightened my hair. My messy hair that he’d used to put behind my ear. But that was long gone. Gone too were the caresses, the laughs, the evenings we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. That was a long, long time ago. Now, we were two total strangers hardly able to look each other in the eye and who couldn’t wait to go separate ways.
‘Are you picking up the kids from your mom’s?’ he asked.
I sighed. ‘They’re at Paul’s. He’s bringing them back later today.’
He nodded. ‘OK. I have to go now,’ he said. ‘I’ll be back tomorrow.’
‘Yeah, whatever.’
I waited for him to clear the driveway, then I drove to the supermarket, determined to cook the best meal ever, so that years from now the kids would remember this Christmas for the amazing turkey, sweets and gifts and not because their dad had left them. I’d protect them from the pain, the heartache.
As I ambled through the bright red-and-white aisles lit like Santa’s sled, through the merry music, the colors, the bright lights, happy snowmen and Santas climbing chimneys and Rudolphs jumping over roofs, I wished we’d officially told the kids about us so we could spend this Christmas all together. But hopefully, there would be more Christmases ahead of us.
29
Jingle Bell Hell
Paul and I made it back to the house at the exact same time, the kids dancing around me like I were a campfire.
‘Alright, you two. Go wash up and change.’ I forced a laugh as I gave them both a quick peck.
Paul took a few bags off me and followed me into the kitchen.
‘Well? Did you do it? How was he? Tell me!’
‘Thanks for picking up the kids,’ I said as I put the food away.
Paul waved his hand in the air. ‘Never mind them. Spill!’
‘First things first. I caught Ira and his secretary here the other day.’
Paul’s jaw fell open. ‘What? Screwing here?’
