Part of Your World

I’d been with Neil seven years. I thought Neil would be the last man I’d ever be with. Then I’d broken up with him and I told myself that I was done. No more men. I didn’t need one. I didn’t need the hassle. I completely rejected the idea of dating ever again. I’d bought a very nice vibrator and I’d retired myself from the pool at thirty-seven. Zero interest.

The trees rustled in the wind, and petals floated down around us. They hovered in slow motion for a second time. The universe had dipped its snow globe again, just for us.

And we stood there in the magic, knowing full well what it was

“Are you telling me that you, a woman of science, believes that God had nothing better to do than trap you in Wakan?”

She shrugged. “Maybe she didn’t. And the town gets what it needs, doesn’t it?”

“I can’t really think of a better way to spend the next fifty years. And anyway, we sort of have to. Doug bet me a hundred bucks that we wouldn’t live happily ever after.”

I peered up at him with tears in my eyes. “I love you so much. I made the biggest mistake—”

I knew from experience that sometimes when the wake-up call is big enough, you do, in fact, wake up.

“Do me a favor and let Neil know the house is his. I’ll be moved out by the end of the week. I’ll go ahead and disown myself to save you the trouble. Now excuse me. I have to go deliver a speech.”

My whole life I’d always felt a little fractured and scattered. Probably because it was always someone else trying to decide what I needed to be. I was a mosaic of someone else’s design where none of the fragments were put in the right place. And now I had finally put myself together and I recognized myself for the very first time.

When you don’t care, everything’s on your terms. They can take it or leave it. It doesn’t matter to you, so ask for whatever the hell you want

My dad was my abuser.

He was no different than Neil.

And my mom was his enabler.