How can you be “pretty sure”?
By the time the two days were over, it no longer mattered to me. All that mattered was that Cal slept with someone else.
He was not the man I thought he was.
My first order of business was to take a shower. I reeked.
Once I was scrubbed, shaved, and squeaky clean, I went out into the house in search of food. My dad was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper and drinking tea. Judging by the darkness outside, it was nighttime. I looked at the clock and was surprised to see it was eleven o’clock.
“What are you doing up?” I asked my dad as I opened the refrigerator door.
“Hey, Bell,” he said, grinning at me from around the paper. “It’s good to see you up.”
“It’s late, why are you up?” I asked again.
“I figured you’d have to get up eventually, and I wanted to be here in case you needed to talk.”
I put the carton of eggs on the counter, then walked over and kissed him on the head.
“That’s sweet, Dad, but you should get some sleep.”
“Nah, I’m retired. I can sleep whenever I want.”
“Alright, do you want some eggs?” I asked.
“No, I already ate,” he responded.
He continued to read his paper as I made my eggs, and I found his presence comforting.
When I sat down at the table next to him he said, “Cal’s called a few times.”
“I don’t want to talk to him right now,” I spat out. Just the sound of his name made me
lose my appetite.
“That’s what I told him,” my dad replied. “Gaby and Sasha have also called a few times, I guess Cal told them you were here. They were worried because they haven’t been able to get a hold of you.”
“I turned my phone off,” I explained as I pushed the eggs around on my plate.
“Well, you should give them a call, let ‘em know you’re okay.”
I nodded. Sasha and Gaby were probably exactly what I needed right now. Great friends.
“You need to eat those eggs, not just play with them.”
“I’ll try,” I said softly.
My dad stood up and gathered up his empty cup, then he kissed me on the head, mimicking my earlier gesture.
“You’ll get through this, sweetheart. You’re a strong woman, just like your mother.”
“Thanks, Dad. Goodnight.”
I sat there staring at the plate in front of me, wondering what I was going to do. I guessed that I’d have to go back to work; now was not the time to get fired. Plus, I needed to start thinking about money. Cal and I had always kept our money together and paid our bills. Now, we’d have to decide who was going to get the house and pay the bills, and divvy everything up. I was always the one who paid the bills, so Cal was going to have to start worrying about that on his own now.
I’d already decided that we would have to get a divorce. There’s no way I’d be able to stay with him after what he did.
I picked up my plate and threw out my uneaten food, then went to find my phone.