Page 88 of My Almost Ex

When Ethel and Dori cornered me at The Grind, I thought maybe old Lucy wasn’t as bad as I thought. She volunteered at a retirement center, so how selfish could she really be? But maybe I was wrong.

Mrs. Pierce shakes her head and sips her wine, leaving me in suspense. I’m about to grab that glass out of her hand and down it so she can fill me in on what the hell is going on.

“It took about a year before you trusted me enough to tell me. Your beloved didn’t come with you one night and that spurred our conversation. Sure, you’d compliment all my paintings, but we never really talked. Plus, Ethel and Dori can be possessive, you know? I want to say, ‘Hey, you have, like, thirty grandchildren between the two of you, ever hear of sharing?’”

My shoulders scrunch. Mrs. Pierce must not have any family around here.

“Right now, Ethel’s probably trying to figure out why you’re not back yet.” She glances at the door as though that’s a real threat.

“Okay, so why did I plan these nights if not just to be nice?”

She stares at me long and hard. “You did them for him.”

“Him?”

“Your beloved. Adam. You said he used to love to draw and it had slowly stopped once you got married. That you never wanted him to stop something he loved, and this was a way to make sure that twice a month, he did it, even if you had to drag him kicking and screaming.”

I pour myself a glass of wine and guzzle it. “Seriously?”

“Uh huh.” Mrs. Pierce pats my leg. “Oh, when I told my Erwin that, he put his hand on mine and said, ‘Those two will make it.’”

I agree, that’s what love is all about, wanting the other person to be happy above all else. Loving them so much to allow them to have the things they want no matter the sacrifice you have to make for yourself. “Why didn’t I just tell him that?”

I think of the pact I made with Adam that we’d be truthful with one another from this point forward. How could I not say to him, “Hey, you need to draw, so I’m setting this up?”

“Because you wanted him to love it and not feel obligated to do it. You were releasing his spirit, his talent. You know those of us in the creative world don’t like strict timelines to do what we want when someone else dictates. It’s a shame he never returned the phone call from my old partner.”

I’m so lost in thought, I almost missed what she said. “What phone call?”

“We sent a few of his drawings to my old partner in LA. Man, that horse sure did a number on you, sweetie.”

“And Adam never returned the call?”

She shakes her head. “No. He’s talented. I mean, I’m far removed from that world now, but I like his stuff.” She pours herself another glass of wine. “Now you need to go. I don’t need to hear it from Ethel in the morning.”

She nudges my feet with her cane, and I hop off the couch.

I walk around her glass coffee table and I’m about to leave, but instead, I walk over to her and hug her. “Thank you.”

She pats my back. “You’re welcome. Now go.”

I walk out of her room feeling lighter. She has no idea the gift she just gave me. I close the door and take a moment to take in exactly what she said. Maybe the old Lucy wasn’t so bad. She obviously loved Adam a helluva lot to endure two nights a month here. I push away from the door to walk down the hall and spot Adam standing there.

“I was just coming to find you,” he says.

“Sorry. Is time up?” We meet in the middle of the hall and his hands land on my hips and he pins me to the wall.

“I’ve wanted to get you alone all night.” His lips land on mine and he kisses me until I’m breathless. “That’s just an appetizer until later tonight.” He winks, takes my hand, and guides me toward the room. “What did Mrs. Pierce want?”

“Just to see her back.” I hate the way the lie tastes, but I need to soak this in some more. Allow me to see how much drawing means to Adam.

“They love you,” he says.

We go into the activity room and almost everyone is packing up, putting their paintbrushes in the sink and laying their artwork on the drying racks.

“I’m beat. Thanks, Lucy.” Dori hugs me.

Earl throws his canvas in the trash. “Garbage. Call me when you get the naked woman.”

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