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“No, did you?”
“Yeah. I ordered extra takeout from Winsome.”
“For me?”
“Yeah. Chicken salad. You going to bed early?”
Love you. Damn you.“Yep. Gotta get up at four-thirty.”
“’Kay, I’ll put on my headphones.”
I hovered in the doorway and waited for a pause in his typing.
He finally looked over at me, blinking.
“Hey.”
“I just wanted to wish you good luck. For your naturalization ceremony on Tuesday. I don’t know if I’ll see you before then—I’ll be gone early and home late all week.”
“Oh, right.”
“You’ll be in town all week, though, right?”
“Yeah yeah. I’ll be around.”
“Good.”
He looked like he was anchored to the floor, his feet flat, hands on his hips, contemplating something. Probably regretting everything he’d said to me that morning. Whatever. I didn’t even care what he was thinking right then. I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“So good luck.”
I pulled away before he even realized I was hugging him, and I was out the door.
“Thank you,” I heard him say quietly, as I shut the door behind myself.
I was wearing a sleep shirt and climbing into bed when he knocked on my door, asking if we could talk for a minute.
He looked all wound-up. I was not used to seeing him like this. He sounded wound-up sometimes when I called him if he was in the middle of something at work, but he’s Mr. Chill pretty much any other time. He stared at me for a few seconds, like he was ready to launch into some big monologue that never came. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
I waited.
I was waiting for him to tell me that he had reconsidered and that we should proceed with dissolving the marriage, as originally planned.
I was preparing to act relieved.
He continued to not say anything, while pacing back and forth.
“What?!”
“Okay, I’m just going to say it.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t think you should date that Ben guy. Or anyone else. I don’t think you’re ready yet.”
“Oh…And?”
He froze. “And that’s it. I don’t think that guy’s right for you…”
