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I understood why James was angry. In the past, whenever he came home late from work or some social event. I’d ask him to share his location so I wouldn’t worry. I decided to give James a ride if he drank too much. But he took it the wrong way every time, accusing me of being controlling. This time, though, I didn’t bother calling him out on his lie about the cake. I knew he didn’t even like sweets.
Instead, I just lifted the trash bag in my hand and gave it a little shake. “Don’t overthink it. I’m just taking out the trash.”
Maybe it was the string of
misunderstandings finally catching up with him, but his tone softened as if offering a truce. “After you throw the garbage, let’s grab something to eat. That barbecue spot is pretty good.”
Thinking this might be our last dinner together, I nodded.
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Twenty minutes later, James dropped me
off on the side of the road in front of a rundown barbecue stall. Before I could even look around, he floored it, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. The dirt splashed right onto my face. I quickly covered my eyes and turned away, realizing the stall wasn’t open tonight.
Nearby, two other food stands cluttered with greasy tables caught my eye. Shirtless, middle–aged men with bloated bellies sat around, casting lecherous glances my way. I hadn’t realized how quickly I’d rushed out. I was still in my nightgown. Then, I found myself huddled on the steps by the road, feeling vulnerable and alone.
It was nearly midnight.
This deserted alley wasn’t exactly buzzing with available taxis. I felt a cold sweat starting to form. Just as I was about to
reach for my phone to call the police, a drunk man staggered toward me, swaying with a beer bottle in hand.
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I noticed a wedding ring on his finger as he slurred, “Hey girl, how about a drink? Out here alone this late? Two hundred bucks,
come with me.”
My face went cold as I stepped back. “Get lost! Stay the hell away from me!”
Fueled by the alcohol, he got angry, lunging at me and smashing the beer bottle on the ground. Luckily, the noise caught the attention of a passing car. The driver stopped and offered to take me home. I couldn’t stop shaking from fear the whole.
ride back.
As soon as I got home, a sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I downed a glass of hot water, trying to calm myself, just as James stormed in, slamming the door. “How could you come back without telling me? I circled that alley a dozen times, scared out of my mind that something had happened to you! I almost called the cops! Do you think this is some kind of game?”
I froze, gripping the glass tightly, my
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expression going cold. If James had been looking for me, he would’ve seen that the barbecue stall was closed.
Clutching my stomach, I shot back with a mocking smile. “Worried about me? You left me in a place like that. Were you scared something might happen to me, or scared nothing would?”
“And you expect me to tell you? I tried, but I guess I’m still blocked, so that was impossible, wasn’t it?”
God knew how often I’d tried calling him while stranded, rehearsing my last words in case something went wrong.
His lips pressed into a thin line, realizing his mistake.
Frustrated, he threw the cake he had brought down on the table. “Kindness. wasted!”
James stormed off to the bathroom, and I could faintly hear him laughing as if he were finding the whole situation
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ridiculous.
The pain in my abdomen became unbearable, and I collapsed onto the sofa, my face turning pale. I glanced over at the cake he’d thrown. A piece was already missing. With shaking hands, I opened Lindsay’s latest post on social media. In the picture, two shadows were reflected in the floor–to–ceiling windows of a river–view mansion. A strawberry cake with a single candle sat in the corner.
Her caption read: ‘For every birthday from now on, we’ll be by each other’s side. The ultimate expression of love is in the ritual.’”
I fought back tears, trying to stay calm for the sake of pregnancy. I couldn’t cry, not now. Gripping the sofa for support, I threw the cake into the trash.
James came out of the bathroom just in time to see what I had done, his face darkening with anger. “What’s your
problem now? You’re the one always going on about ‘rituals‘! I drove across half the
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city to get you that cake, and you just toss it away?”
“I’ve explained this a hundred times, and you’re still not satisfied? All I did was give an employee a house as a reward. Are you ever going to let this go? Have I ever brought up how you insulted her? Since I got home, you’ve treated me like crap. First, you ditch dinner, and now the cake! What do you think I am? Made of patience?”
I closed my eyes, too frustrated to even look at him anymore. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. You’re right, it’s your money, and you can spend it however you want. I’m not as free as Lindsay is! I’ve got my work-”
Before I could finish, he cut me off, shouting, “Enough! You say this every time. Ever since Lindsay joined the company, you’ve been acting crazy every day! No. wonder the baby didn’t make it. With a
mother and a family like this, it’s a blessing he wasn’t born!”
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Before I could register his words, my hand flew up and slapped him across the face.
