She looked at it for a long time.
Then she turned to the last page. To the photo slipped in later. The barbecue. The picnic table. The blond woman with her hand on Mark’s arm. Us & the Carlsons. Labor Day 2019. Best neighbors ever!
Vanessa made a sound. A small sound. Like something breaking inside her.
There was one more thing in the album. A card. Cream-colored, with little blue flowers around the edge. Just like her invitation. I’d bought it at the same store. I’d slipped it inside the back cover.
She took it out with shaking fingers. She opened it.
I’d written it three times before I got it right.
Vanessa,
I know what he said to you. In your kitchen. When you came home early. “Men get bored after that many years. You should have seen it coming.”
I know because you said the exact same words to me. In my kitchen.
