She Told Me to Take a Vacation,I Never Came Back

This Easter weekend, my wife did something unprecedented: she told me to take a vacation and booked me a seven-day trip to Northern Europe.

I thought she'd finally learned to appreciate me. Then I overheard her talking to our son.

"Mommy, if you married Uncle Elwin, what about Daddy?"

Freddie Abbott's voice was small, confused.

"It's just a pretend marriage."

Melissa Summers laughed softly. "Be a good boy, Freddie. Remember, it's a secret. Don't tell Daddy, and I'll buy you that toy car you've been wanting."

My head went blank. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, and I stood frozen for what felt like an eternity before turning and heading downstairs to smoke a cigarette.

If she wanted to pick up where she'd left off with Elwin Fox, to mend whatever regret still lingered between them, then I had every right to chase the dreams I'd abandoned.

This trip to Northern Europe would be a one-way ticket.

——

I finished my cigarette and headed back upstairs, only to run into Melissa in the hallway.

She was wearing a red dress. I looked her over, puzzled. "I thought you hated red."

"That was then, this is now. Red's in this season. Besides, I'm going with my girlfriend to try on wedding dresses. I should look festive." The excuses tumbled out of her one after another.

But it hit me all at once. Elwin Fox's favorite color was red. And ever since he'd come back to the States, Melissa's closet had been filling up with red dresses and red handbags.

It had all been right in front of me this whole time.

"Wedding dress shopping? Let me drive you."

I kept my voice even.

"No, no!" She shook her head so fast it was almost comical. "You're a grown man. Why would you tag along for girls' stuff?"

"I'll bring back gifts for you and Freddie when I get home."

She threw her arms around me before I could say another word, then pulled away and hurried off without looking back.

A sharp ache twisted through my chest. I almost called out to her, the word rising to my lips, but in the end I just shook my head.

Everyone thought Melissa and I were the perfect couple, the kind people envied. A power pair in life and in business.

She hadn't looked down on my humble background. She'd married me without hesitation.

I'd worked nearly every day for a decade, pulling Summers Group back from the brink of bankruptcy more times than I could count. People called me a workaholic, a machine. In ten years of building something together, we'd not only had a beautiful son but restored Summers Group to its former glory.

And yet, only now did I realize that Melissa had been carrying Elwin Fox in her heart all along.

I walked through the front door.

"Daddy."

Freddie came running and threw his arms around my leg, holding on tight. "No matter what happens, you'll never leave me and Mommy, right?"

He seemed to sense something. His small face was tight with fear.

The ache in my chest sharpened. I crouched down and smoothed my hand over his hair. "If one day Mommy and Daddy had to be apart," I said quietly, "who would you want to go with?"

Freddie went still. Then his eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry."

I pulled him into my arms. "Let Daddy go make dinner."

Freddie was only eight years old.

Two adults' problems shouldn't be a child's burden.

We could've hired someone to cook, but Freddie and Melissa both loved my cooking. I knew every one of their preferences, every ingredient they avoided. Tonight I made Freddie's favorites: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, meatballs, and egg pancakes.

When Freddie saw the spread on the table, he burst into tears. He looked up at me.

"Daddy."

"You already know about Mommy and Uncle Elwin getting married, don't you?"

"Mommy told me it's just pretend. Daddy, please don't be mad, okay? Mommy loves you."

I let out a quiet sigh and gathered him into my arms.

I knew.

His little head couldn't hold all the tangled complications of the adult world. He simply believed what his mother had told him and hoped, with everything he had, that his parents would stay together.