Page 103 of Cry For You

Is that all?” Trigg yells to me from the door.

“Pretty much,” I say jumping out of the back of the truck I rented.

He jumps off the step, carrying the last box past me. “All right, then.”

I can’t believe that’s it. I did it. Everything I own is in the back of that truck, minus a few things that I wouldn’t really need. “Thanks, man, for all the help.”

“I’ll send you my bill, along with the other ones for all the mental health counseling. Don’t worry, I trust you enough for a payment plan.”

“You’re full of shit,” I say, laughing.

He laughs too. “Seriously though, I don’t mind.”

I look back and see Bree standing in the open door. I remember when we bought this house. The first day we moved in, she was ecstatic. Yeah, life’s sometimes hard. Back then I wasn’t thinking this day would ever come. And it’s sad. Moving on is harder than I thought. We shared a life together, and it wasn’t bad, but it sure wasn’t enough for either of us. It’s sad, but I’m doing what needs to be done for me, her, and Jackson.

I go up the steps, standing in front of her. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

“Sure.” She walks in, and I follow into the living room. “You have everything you need?”

“Yes.”

I watch her brush her hair away, looking around. She hasn’t been around since I came with Trigg. I realize this is hard for her. That’s the reason we made sure Jackson wasn’t here when I did this.

“This is really it, huh? You’re leaving?”

“I’m only leaving this house.”

“And our marriage, don’t forget that.”

There was no way this was going to be easy for either of us. I don’t want it to get worse, either. I take her hand, the one she’s still wearing her wedding ring on, to say what I believe is true for us. “People and things happen and are put for a time in our lives. I don’t regret us, Bree.”

“You regret marrying me and getting me pregnant. It was a one-night stand… a couple of them.” she sniffs, eyes blinking. I squeeze her hand because I don’t want her to go there.

“How could I regret you, Bree? In a way, you saved me from myself. This life we had together saved me. Look what you gave me. You gave me something no one else could. He’s the best thing that could have happened to me, even though I didn’t know it or appreciate it at the time we found out about him.” I was scared of messing up and being the worst kind of father there was—one who wasn’t there emotionally.

“I remember you weren’t thrilled, but you stepped up. You are a great father.”

“Thank you. I love you and respect you as his mother. You are his mother. No one else. What we say concerning our son will always come first, but I will always take into consideration what someone else has to say if it’s in the best interest of our son. Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Hopefully without screwing it up.” I smile.

“You’re moving on, leaving what we had behind. Got it.”

“It doesn’t change what we had. We had some good times—”

“Not enough.” She looks down at our hands. “You’re moving on with someone else who is not me, and I’m left with memories; they can’t hold.”

I tell Trigg to drive my stuff to my new place for me. I hold her hand while she cries, then give her a hug before she fixes her makeup. She wants to make sure she’s okay before we get Jackson.

When she’s done, she meets me in the truck and trying for a smile says, “Let’s go talk to our son.”

A few days later, Ithink things are going well with the move, after Bree and I had a talk with Jackson. We took him over to my new place, and he saw his room for when he comes to spend the night next weekend. I’m surprised when I get a call from his school telling me he was in another fight at recess with Garrett.

When I get to school, Principal Kramer explains everything to me, and they let me take him home for the day. I sit him in the back seat of my truck, with his feet hanging out the side, and ask him what happened. I’m not angry; I already know, but I want him to tell me so we can talk about it.

“Everyone was talking about what their dad did. Jacob said he didn’t have a daddy. Garrett and Andre said everyone has a father. Jacob said he didn’t. Garret told him he did, called him a dummy, and said his mother was a liar, then he pushed him in the shoulder.”

Mmm…that Garrett is some kid. “How did you end up fighting with Garrett?”

“I told him to shut up and leave him alone.”

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