Page 61 of His Loving Wife

He stops talking, looks down at the table.

Andrew reaches out a hand and gently taps Vincent’s arm, a calming gesture. “You don’t have to continue, if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s good for me. You know it’s good for me.” He looks up at us again, a glimmer in his eyes. “It was a dark time for us. It forced me to really look inside myself and do the work. I had to figure out what would make me happy again, make us all happy again. Second Chances helped me do that. I’m telling you, in the midst of that dark place, I felt like the loneliest person in the world. When I found the group, it made me realize we all have dark periods in life. We all have greater desires for the future. They helped me find my way out of it when no one else could.”

“That’s comforting to hear,” I say, feeling like it’s my duty to say something. This man is a practical stranger yet he’s pouring out his soul.

“The group was a huge comfort to me.” He smiles, wiping under his eyes with his thick knuckles. “Now, I can honestly say I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’m not held down anymore with all those negative feelings. All that darkness. None of us are. We’re exactly where we’re meant to be in life, and it’s all thanks to guys like Andrew who helped me see my way out of it.”

Vincent leans to the left and claps Andrew on the shoulder.

“Vincent’s story was really inspiring to me,” Andrew says, his voice quiet. “I remember having some of those same thoughts after… what happened. To know that this guy had gone through the same emotions and made it to the other side gave me hope.”

“And your wife. Is she still sick?” Willow asks.

“She’s healed. My girls have never been happier.” He closes his eyes, tilts his head like he’s listening to a distant melody. “I can almost see them now. We’re back to the good ’ol days, and life has never been better.”

“I’m happy the group has helped you,” I say, reaching again for my wine glass.

“We all have issues we have to face, but as men we’re told to hide those emotions. Be strong. Be the provider. Be the protector. As you can imagine, being a cop really hammers that message. Once I started expressing what I was feeling, my life changed for the better.”

I look over to Andrew. He’s watching Vincent as he speaks with bated breath, clinging to each word as it leaves his lips. It’s like Vincent’s words are a sermon, and Andrew is the sinner who needs to hear them. And yet, Andrew has failed to master the message. He’s become more aware of his own desires, but he’s having trouble voicing them. He’s keeping them to himself instead of sharing. That’s the last hurdle I’d like him to overcome in order to feel like we’re going to be okay.

“Mom makes me talk to the counselor at school,” Noah says, a desperate attempt to add to this very adult conversation. I would have asked the children to leave the table had I known how open Vincent was going to be. His emotions were so raw.

“That’s good, little man.” Vincent looks over at me and winks. “You should do what your mother says.”

“I have to go, too,” Willow says. “We all started talking to someone this year, after what happened.”

“What happened that night changed you. It changed you as individuals. It changed you as a family. It’s important you learn to look deep inside yourselves, pull out what really matters to each of you. So many people never do that in their lifetime, and I think it’s the greatest tragedy of all.”

I’m starting to feel uncomfortable, now that this conversation has circled back to our family and that night. Vincent has no qualms about opening up to strangers, but I remain guarded. I reach for my wine glass, but it’s empty.

“Well,” I say, standing. “I’m going to grab more wine and start clearing the table.”

“Dad, can Willow and I rent that newAvengersmovie?” Noah asks.

“Sure.” Andrew smiles and sips the last of his wine.

“You sure do have a beautiful family,” Vincent says, taking one more look around the table before we go our separate ways. Our eyes lock, and for a moment, even though he’s rosy-cheeked and smiling, a shiver of fear shudders through my body.

Chapter 30

Now

I got in bed early but found it hard to sleep. My mind revisits Vincent and his story. Last night he preached about the importance of speaking your truth, and that’s what he did, but something about his words haunt me, leave me with a bad aftertaste I can’t quite describe.

When I do wake, I’m alone. The sun is shining in, and I can hear the unmistakable footsteps of people moving around the living room. I roll out of bed, grab my robe and wander into the kitchen to make a coffee.

I jump back when I see Vincent standing beside the stove.

“Did it again,” he says, chuckling. “You’re an easy one to spook.”

I pull the sash of my robe tighter. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. Back so soon?”

“Yeah, Andrew invited me over.”

Vincent left last night after dinner. It ended up being an early night for all of us. Willow and Noah fell asleep on the sofa while watching theirAvengersmovie, and I went to sleep not long after. I remember Andrew climbing beneath the covers sometime late in the night.

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