I went to surprise my husband at work — but his colleague asked me with tears in his eye…
“You accepted a job in Oregon?”
“I brought you your favorite sandwich and apple pie because I thought you were exhausted. Meanwhile, you’ve been packing up your office.”
He set the coffee down.
“I haven’t finished packing.”
“That’s supposed to help me, Ben?”
“No.”
“I haven’t finished packing.”
“When were you planning to tell Olive?”
His mouth tightened.
“After I told you.”
“And when were you planning to tell me?”
“Tonight.”
“After you applied?”
“And when were you planning to tell me?”
He nodded.
“After you interviewed?”
Another nod.
“After you accepted?”
I stared at him.
“When did this start?”
“After you interviewed?”
“Four months ago.”
“Four months.”
“I didn’t know I’d get it. It was a long shot, Chels.”
“But when you did, you kept going without me. You never even told me it was an idea.”
“The position has fewer overnight calls, actual weekends, and better hours. They want me to lead part of the department.”
“It was a long shot, Chels.”
“And you thought that gave you the right to decide where we live? You thought you’d uproot our child and everything would be okay? What about my job, Ben?”
“I thought it gave us a way out of this. We’ve barely had time together.”
I stepped closer.
“Then why wasn’t I in the conversation?”
His jaw tightened.
“We’ve barely had time together.”
“Because I thought you’d reject it before hearing me out.”
There it was.
He’d decided what I would think before I ever got to think it.
“So you didn’t want my opinion,” I said. “You wanted me to approve the plan once there was nothing left to discuss.”
“Chelsea, I’m trying to save us.”
“No. You’re trying to solve us by doing everything yourself. As usual.”
“So you didn’t want my opinion.”
I picked up the lunch bag.
“I’m not moving. And I’m not messing up Olive’s school year.”
His head snapped up.
“What?”
“I’m not saying never. I’m saying you made this decision alone, so right now I’m making my own.”
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