I Left Before They Got Home

in one hand, listening to my husband say, “It’s temporary. Once the sale clears, I can put it back before she notices.”

She.

Not “we.”

Not “us.”

Me.

I didn’t burst in. I should’ve, maybe. A better woman or a dumber woman would’ve.

I backed up quietly, took the groceries to the kitchen, put the frozen peas in the freezer and the eggs in the fridge, and then continue reading …