He trashed the room, smashing his old guitar
to pieces.
“You know what? If I’d gone to college with
Sarah, like she wanted, I wouldn’t be living
like this!”
“I regret being with you.”
He stopped playing guitar soon after, lost the
And those words, “I regret being with you,”
kept me up at night.
I tried one last thing, held him close and
whispered, “Tom, I want to have a baby.”
He shoved me away, disgust written all over
his face.
“Can we even afford a kid? And I told you, I
hate kids! I don’t want one with you!”
Those words shattered any hope I had.
That semi–truck during our last holiday was a
mercy.
I pushed the check back. “I don’t take money
from strangers. Thanks, but no thanks.”
く
Chapter Two
He frowned, his jaw tight. “Strangers? What is
that supposed to mean?”
“I can buy my own clothes. Whatever job I
have, I find it rewarding, and I think that I
would describe my work as something I would
be proud of. This money? Give it to someone
who needs it.”
He clenched the check in his fist, just
standing there.
Sarah sidled up, saw the check, and seemed
to put two and two together.
Her eyes flashed, but she plastered on a
smile.
く
“Ashley, why turn down our generosity? We
can do better than that.”
“I’m opening a nail salon on Main Street. I’ll
get you a job as an apprentice. It’s not much,
maybe six grand a month, but you’d learn a
skill. If you’re ever down on your luck, you can
open your own place.”
“What do you say? It’s gotta be better than
whatever you’re doing now.”
I kept eating, trying to ignore them. “No,
thank you.”
Sarah’s smile never wavered, but her eyes
were pure ice.
Tom balled up the check, his voice dripping
with contempt.
L
“You’re a lost cause, Ashley! I can’t help it if
you just want to be miserable forever!”
After that, a bunch of the old football team
guys started swarming, trying to get me to
take a shot.
“Hey, Ashley, look like you are having a hard
time. Drink this, and I’ll Venmo you a grand.”
“If you’re really hurting…I’ll throw in some
extra.”
