Page 59 of Seasoned
“Yeah.”
“So, all you have to do is pay attention to what she says. Think back to your marriage. What were the complaints that she used to have about you?”
“That’s the thing, she never complained. And then one day, she just asked for a divorce.” He hated the sound of bitterness that crept into his voice. Cracking his knuckles, he added, “She gave up on us, after twenty-five years and three kids.”
“Nah, I doubt that’s how it happened. Even if she didn’t outright tell you what her needs are, she let you know. Women are like that sometimes. She probably didn’t want to nag you, and so she let you know in other little ways what she wished you were doing. You just weren’t in the right frame of mind to listen. But now, maybe you should try.”
Hector expelled a deep breath as he recalled the conversation with Daniel in the driveway.
Come on, Dad, you didn’t know she wanted to spend more time with you?
“What did you say the name of this book was?”
His friend smiled. “The Five Love Languages. You can find it anywhere. In the bookstore or order it online. If you follow the steps, I promise it’ll change your relationship with Adelaide, and you might win back you wife—assuming that’s what you want.”
Hector didn’t reply, but he thought deeply about what his friend said. Maybe he should get the book.
After all, what did he have to lose?
9
Hector threw his head back and drained his second beer. Time to get out of there. He waved at the bartender, who was in the middle of taking another order but nodded his acknowledgment.
A couple of seats down, a woman with black hair held his gaze for a bit before looking away.
“Did you see that?” Martin asked.
“Yeah, I did.” Hector lifted off the seat and pulled his wallet from his back pocket.
“Nothing, huh?” Martin asked.
“Not a thing.”
The woman was pretty enough, but he wasn’t tempted to ask for her number. He’d had one hookup since the divorce and found it sorely lacking, evidence that he wasn’t ready to start dating again. The sex had been mechanical and lacking passion, devoid of the emotional euphoria he’d grown accustomed to. The complete knowledge of someone else’s body and their complete knowledge of yours had been missing.
Making love to Adelaide had been easy, seamless. Downright intuitive. During the encounter a few months ago, he kept comparing poor Rita to his ex, which was completely unfair.
Anyway, dating was different nowadays. According to Junior, everyone dated online, but Hector was turned off by the whole process of uploading his photo and writing out a list of his attributes. It was worse than trying to get a job. Like putting himself on the auction block.
“Hey, is that Adelaide?”
Hector swung his head in the direction of Martin’s line of vision and sure enough, passing by was Adelaide, strolling along the waterfront with another man.
He sat up straight. Time suspended and the air around him contracted.
Adelaide. With another man.
She looked so different, but in a good way. He hadn’t seen this side of her in years. Certainly not for him—walking with confidence in a pair of heels and a stunning red dress that opened at the back and showed off the lines of her body and clung to her hips, waist, and bouncing breasts. He sure as hell didn’t remember that dress. Had she bought it to impress that man?
Had she colored her hair, too? It was a subtle lightening, but he recognized right away that it was browner than usual under the lights.
And the guy…holy shit. He was good-looking with golden-brown skin, and younger. He had to be at least ten years younger than her.
Hector’s hand tightened on the bar top and his shoulders became rigid. “Who the hell is he?”
Martin touched his arm. “Listen, man—”
Hector shrugged him off and stood. Adelaide was out on a date. A damn date! How could she? How could she when they’d had such great conversations this week? This was the ‘plans’ she’d told him about? The reason she couldn’t spare a couple of hours with him tonight, because she had a date with another man?
