Page 67 of Forgotten Romance

Payne:

I have so many questions.

Me:

Well, put a pin in it. Hobbies, please?

Orson:

I like to dance. Ford has his cars he works on.

Griff:

I whittle.

Keller:

Work out, do crosswords, cook.

Me:

See? I don’t have any of that! Davey has his LEGO, and I cook because I like being the one to feed my family, but I hate the actual cooking part

Orson:

You like to read though, right?

The question catches me off guard. I’m not sure when I would have even mentioned that to him, or maybe Orson just picks up on things most people don’t.

Me:

I used to. It’s been a while.

My gaze runs over the rows and rows of books all around me.

Me:

With the kids, I’m always getting interrupted. So I sort of gave up trying. The thought of getting into it again is … intimidating.

Art:

Because you’re placing too much pressure on it. You’re not getting into it “all,” you’re picking up a book. One book. Then maybe opening the cover. This isn’t a fucking marriage, it’s a hobby, and for what it’s worth, I agree. You do need your own thing. Joey and I have separate lives outside of each other, and it means we always have stuff to talk about. Being apart makes us stronger together.

I’m stunned as I read over the message. Art’s managed to put into words exactly what I’ve been struggling with. I don’t want the same physical distance as before, but Davey always got to be his own person, and I think I resented that. I never asked him about his job, and when he tried to talk to me about things, I didn’t want to hear it.

Fuck, even when he said he had to go back early, I completely shut down.

While I was stewing at home because I was overworked, what the hell was Davey going through?

That’s it. No more. I’m fixing my shit and no longer blaming Davey for our relationship problems.

Payne:

I don’t know whether to be impressed by Art’s message, or make a call for a welfare check.

Art:

Penisssss.

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