He Comforted Another Boy, So I Divorced

Chapter 4

Over the next few weeks, Ethan started coming home earlier every night.

Cathy still refused to let him drive her to or from school, so he quietly helped her build the family model she'd been working on.

Saturday was the school's Family Open House, and also the craft showcase Cathy had been looking forward to for weeks.

I helped her carry the finished model to school.

The second floor had the pink bedroom Cathy had always wanted. In the little yard, there were supposed to be three figurines.

Dad, Mom and Cathy.

"Mom, is Dad coming?" Cathy held the "Dad" figurine tightly in her hand. "If Dad comes today, I'll put him in."

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "He promised you. He'll come."

Half an hour after the showcase started, Ethan still hadn't shown up.

I called him once. No answer.

Cathy sat beside me, her eyes constantly drifting toward the entrance.

I called again. This time, Mia answered.

"Ethan's teaching Luke how to brush his teeth."

"Put Ethan on the phone," I said.

"Ethan isn't coming today. At last semester's open house, everyone in Luke's class saw that he had a dentist dad who loved him. Stella, you can call me selfish if you want. But I can't let my son grow up being mocked as some fatherless kid..."

The call ended. My hand was shaking so badly I couldn't make myself dial a third time.

Beside me, Cathy had already picked up her model and walked onto the presentation stage alone.

Her teacher asked her to explain the idea behind it.

At first, Cathy's voice trembled. Then, little by little, it steadied.

"This is the home I used to want. When the light on the roof came on, Mom and Dad would both come home."

She reached into the yard and removed the "Dad" figurine. Then she moved the remaining two figures closer together.

"Now it's just Mom and me living here. Even with one person missing, the light still turns on."

My tears fell before I even realized I was crying.

The year my father left home, I'd stood onstage at a school performance hoping he'd show up and clap for me too.

Other kids had both parents sitting together in the audience. Neither of mine came.

I'd tried so hard to act like I didn't care. But when I got home, I hid our family photo under my pillow and prayed that one day, they'd stand beside each other again.

After becoming a mother, I'd convinced myself that if I could keep the shape of a complete family intact, Cathy would be protected.

Turns out Cathy knew better than anyone which lights in that house were fake.

Her model received the highest score at the entire showcase. But the whispers around us cut deeper than anything else.

"That kid's from a single-parent home, right?"

"No wonder. I heard she got into a fight as soon as she transferred here. That kind of temper... yikes."

"Seriously. And the kid she hit was Dr. Wood's son. Apparently, he felt terrible."

"Ms. Hayes's just too kind. She probably felt sorry for the mother and daughter and decided not to press the issue. Otherwise, how would that girl still be allowed at this school?"

Cathy clearly heard them. Her eyes filled with tears, but she held them back and asked me to take a picture of her with the model.

I took her hand and looked at her seriously. "What do you want me to do?"

Because at that moment, I really was considering going home, digging out our marriage certificate, and shoving it in those people's faces.

Cathy tugged gently on my hand. "Mom, honestly... this school isn't as great as I thought it would be."

Then she looked up at me. "I saw the transfer request on your desk. Are you going to leave me too?"

I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. "Of course not."

Then I asked, "Would you want to move to the Southwest with me?"

Cathy nodded hard.

That night, when Ethan came home, not a single light in the house was on.

He went to plug in his phone and spotted the divorce papers I'd left on the nightstand.

He immediately called me back. With every ring, the panic in his chest grew worse.