Page 6
Story: Eight Years, No Us
Then he took out his phone and called me.
I didn’t answer.
A message came through a little later.
He believed I was still mad, so he spoke softly and sweetly.
[Where are you and our daughter staying? I’ll come see you both tomorrow and bring your favourite dish.]
I blocked him.
I could see his face go darker on the screen.
Break!
The cup fell to the floor and broke into sharp fragments.
He must have realised that I had blocked him and taken him off my contact list.
Then, as if he suddenly understood, he called Nolan and put it on speaker.
When the call went through, he enquired right away, “Why didn’t Ivan join the last livestream?” ”
Nolan was visibly sleepy; he’d already been asleep. When he woke up suddenly, his voice was slow and unclear. “Speak,” Albert yelled, raising his voice.
Nolan woke up this time. “She quit. She gave her notice a while ago.”
Albert’s eyes became wide with shock.
“She quit?”
Nolan sighed and said, “Yeah. I tried to get her to stay, but she was determined. She said she was going to find her husband, and I had no reason to stop her.”
Albert’s face turned dark, like spilt ink, and his eyes were full of wrath. The veins on the back of the hand that was holding his phone were very clear.
Then he laughed in a chilly way.
“Oh? And when did she get married to someone else?”
Nolan couldn’t say anything.
“How could you let her quit?” Albert said, his voice getting louder. “I am the boss, and I need to sign off on resignations.”
A lovely, clear child’s voice came over the line before he could finish.
“Who are you talking to, Daddy? Why aren’t you in bed?”
Albert stopped moving.
Nolan said softly, “I’m almost done. Be good and go to sleep.” His tone was very different. There was a faint sound of him stroking his child’s back in the background.
Albert stood there, shocked.
He slowly hung up the phone after a few seconds. Then, as if a light had turned on inside him, he said to himself, “I had a family too… but I guess I let it slip through my fingers.”
He sat on the floor that night without saying a word. His face was hard to decipher since it was weighed down by more than just regret. There was confusion, strife, and something deep inside that wouldn’t come to the surface.
He didn’t move till the sun came up.
He finally got up and saw a parcel on the shoe cabinet. He stopped.
He opened it because he was curious.
His face changed slowly, going from blank to pained.
It was the papers for the divorce that I had mailed him.
He got the package days ago and threw it away like it wasn’t important. He had my resignation letter the other day, but Tania interrupted him and he never read it.
The folder fell out of his hands and onto the floor.
The words “Divorce Agreement” were big and plain in front of him. There were our autographs right there.
He slipped down the wall, like if it was too much for him to handle. Before the tears could flow, his eyes went red.
He muttered, “Ivan, you really… you’re really leaving me.”
I was astonished to see him like way. He must have stopped loving me a long time ago. Why did he look like he was gutted from the inside now of all times?
Maybe… He never thought I’d really go.
He might have imagined I’d always be there. Like an echo, like a shadow. Like real estate.
He didn’t know how to live without me now that I was gone.
Of course. I had been with him for years. He didn’t notice me anymore; I had become part of the background.
At that moment, the front door opened. Tania went inside.
She ran over in a panic when she spotted Albert sitting on the ground and tried to help him up.
“What’s wrong, Albert?”
He pushed her away and stared her in the eye.
He said firmly, “Tania, I don’t like you anymore.”
She looked at him in shock. There was anguish all over her face.
“You’re kidding, right? I know you’re mad at me,” she said, her voice breaking as she cried. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry during the stream. I know I was wrong. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”
“Last night I stayed up talking to a friend,” she said, sounding frantic. “They told me I crossed the line. I get it now. I do.” But Albert only shook his head.
He took a big breath.
“I’ve been dreaming about her and our daughter walking away ever since Ivan left. That image…” He stopped.
“It hurts like hell, and I regret it so much. These last few days, I’ve been thinking about her face a lot—when she was unhappy, when she was happy, and when she was sure of herself.
“Every single thing you do, every tiny habit. And now I know that I love her. My wife is her. We have a daughter named Ginny. We were just keeping it to ourselves. Over the years, we’ve all changed. You have. And so have I.
He was standing there, ready to go.
But Tania got in front of him and blocked his way. She was crying so hard that she couldn’t stop. “Don’t go!” Please tell me you’re lying! Please tell me this isn’t real! ”
Albert’s face was stern, and his eyes were keen and frigid enough to lock her in place. He pronounced each syllable like it was the last one.
“I’m not lying to you.” I love her. “I’m going to look for her.”
He pushed her aside and left after that.
I turned off the monitoring feed. My whole body seemed numb and locked in place, but then I unexpectedly let out a faint, surprised laugh.
It’s true that feelings are odd.
I never would have thought that the one who couldn’t let go of me was him.
He was the one going to another nation. He was the one who came to locate me.
He didn’t value me when I was there. It wasn’t until I left that he realised what he had lost.
But what good does that do now?
I was already in Norway.
As usual, I dropped Ginny off at school one morning and then went home to take care of the flowers and veggies in my garden.
I really should thank Albert for being so kind with money. Because of that, I now have enough money saved up to retire early and live well without having to work again.
A towering guy suddenly appeared in front of me while I was watering the plants.
My body stiffened. I didn’t even have to look up to see who it was.
“Ivan.”
The way he pronounced my name in a familiar, personal way made my whole body shake.
Albert was there.
I turned back and stared at him. He looked tired. His hair had some grey in it, and his beard was messy and covered his chin.
I didn’t answer.
A message came through a little later.
He believed I was still mad, so he spoke softly and sweetly.
[Where are you and our daughter staying? I’ll come see you both tomorrow and bring your favourite dish.]
I blocked him.
I could see his face go darker on the screen.
Break!
The cup fell to the floor and broke into sharp fragments.
He must have realised that I had blocked him and taken him off my contact list.
Then, as if he suddenly understood, he called Nolan and put it on speaker.
When the call went through, he enquired right away, “Why didn’t Ivan join the last livestream?” ”
Nolan was visibly sleepy; he’d already been asleep. When he woke up suddenly, his voice was slow and unclear. “Speak,” Albert yelled, raising his voice.
Nolan woke up this time. “She quit. She gave her notice a while ago.”
Albert’s eyes became wide with shock.
“She quit?”
Nolan sighed and said, “Yeah. I tried to get her to stay, but she was determined. She said she was going to find her husband, and I had no reason to stop her.”
Albert’s face turned dark, like spilt ink, and his eyes were full of wrath. The veins on the back of the hand that was holding his phone were very clear.
Then he laughed in a chilly way.
“Oh? And when did she get married to someone else?”
Nolan couldn’t say anything.
“How could you let her quit?” Albert said, his voice getting louder. “I am the boss, and I need to sign off on resignations.”
A lovely, clear child’s voice came over the line before he could finish.
“Who are you talking to, Daddy? Why aren’t you in bed?”
Albert stopped moving.
Nolan said softly, “I’m almost done. Be good and go to sleep.” His tone was very different. There was a faint sound of him stroking his child’s back in the background.
Albert stood there, shocked.
He slowly hung up the phone after a few seconds. Then, as if a light had turned on inside him, he said to himself, “I had a family too… but I guess I let it slip through my fingers.”
He sat on the floor that night without saying a word. His face was hard to decipher since it was weighed down by more than just regret. There was confusion, strife, and something deep inside that wouldn’t come to the surface.
He didn’t move till the sun came up.
He finally got up and saw a parcel on the shoe cabinet. He stopped.
He opened it because he was curious.
His face changed slowly, going from blank to pained.
It was the papers for the divorce that I had mailed him.
He got the package days ago and threw it away like it wasn’t important. He had my resignation letter the other day, but Tania interrupted him and he never read it.
The folder fell out of his hands and onto the floor.
The words “Divorce Agreement” were big and plain in front of him. There were our autographs right there.
He slipped down the wall, like if it was too much for him to handle. Before the tears could flow, his eyes went red.
He muttered, “Ivan, you really… you’re really leaving me.”
I was astonished to see him like way. He must have stopped loving me a long time ago. Why did he look like he was gutted from the inside now of all times?
Maybe… He never thought I’d really go.
He might have imagined I’d always be there. Like an echo, like a shadow. Like real estate.
He didn’t know how to live without me now that I was gone.
Of course. I had been with him for years. He didn’t notice me anymore; I had become part of the background.
At that moment, the front door opened. Tania went inside.
She ran over in a panic when she spotted Albert sitting on the ground and tried to help him up.
“What’s wrong, Albert?”
He pushed her away and stared her in the eye.
He said firmly, “Tania, I don’t like you anymore.”
She looked at him in shock. There was anguish all over her face.
“You’re kidding, right? I know you’re mad at me,” she said, her voice breaking as she cried. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry during the stream. I know I was wrong. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”
“Last night I stayed up talking to a friend,” she said, sounding frantic. “They told me I crossed the line. I get it now. I do.” But Albert only shook his head.
He took a big breath.
“I’ve been dreaming about her and our daughter walking away ever since Ivan left. That image…” He stopped.
“It hurts like hell, and I regret it so much. These last few days, I’ve been thinking about her face a lot—when she was unhappy, when she was happy, and when she was sure of herself.
“Every single thing you do, every tiny habit. And now I know that I love her. My wife is her. We have a daughter named Ginny. We were just keeping it to ourselves. Over the years, we’ve all changed. You have. And so have I.
He was standing there, ready to go.
But Tania got in front of him and blocked his way. She was crying so hard that she couldn’t stop. “Don’t go!” Please tell me you’re lying! Please tell me this isn’t real! ”
Albert’s face was stern, and his eyes were keen and frigid enough to lock her in place. He pronounced each syllable like it was the last one.
“I’m not lying to you.” I love her. “I’m going to look for her.”
He pushed her aside and left after that.
I turned off the monitoring feed. My whole body seemed numb and locked in place, but then I unexpectedly let out a faint, surprised laugh.
It’s true that feelings are odd.
I never would have thought that the one who couldn’t let go of me was him.
He was the one going to another nation. He was the one who came to locate me.
He didn’t value me when I was there. It wasn’t until I left that he realised what he had lost.
But what good does that do now?
I was already in Norway.
As usual, I dropped Ginny off at school one morning and then went home to take care of the flowers and veggies in my garden.
I really should thank Albert for being so kind with money. Because of that, I now have enough money saved up to retire early and live well without having to work again.
A towering guy suddenly appeared in front of me while I was watering the plants.
My body stiffened. I didn’t even have to look up to see who it was.
“Ivan.”
The way he pronounced my name in a familiar, personal way made my whole body shake.
Albert was there.
I turned back and stared at him. He looked tired. His hair had some grey in it, and his beard was messy and covered his chin.