“She’sleavingyou because of that?” I asked, shocked. “Are you fucking with me? Is there something else, like another man or something?”
He shook his head and blinked away a frown. “Nope. Not having kids is a deal breaker for her.”
“What about adoption? Or a sperm donor?”
“She wants biological kids.” He sipped his drink. “Bothneed to be the kids’ biological parents. And that’s kids, plural. She wants at least three. Even if one of the treatments or procedures worked, which they didn’t, it would likely result in only one pregnancy. So,”—he lifted his glass to me—“yeah.”
“Fuck, man. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say without offending your wife…”
He chuckled. “It’s okay. I don’t blame her. It sucked when the doctors told us a year ago, but I’ve come to terms with it. We spent the last year in counseling to see if she could cope with another path to parenthood. She can’t, so that’s that.”
He looked away, and we spent a moment in quiet. I needed to watch my tongue, because I was about to say some nasty shit about his wife. Like how she must never have loved him if that was the case. Or how superficial she must be to makethat demand. But Alec didn’t seem open to hearing that, or think that of the woman he married. And who the hell was I to inject my opinion on their marriage when I’d never met her?
After a moment, I said, “I’m sorry, man. I can’t say I know what that’s like, but I’m here if you ever need an ear to chew.”
Alec smiled at me in a way I hadn’t seen before. “Thanks, Mason. That actually means a lot.”
“No worries, dude.”
“Like I said, this was over a year in the making, so the end of my marriage was this slow, steady decay. Maybe it would’ve been easier if she cheated. A burst of white-hot anger and indignation to burn away lingering feelings. But we just let it suffocate. And as of yesterday, it took its last breath.”
“Why? What happened yesterday?”
“She officially asked me to move out.”
“Fuck that! Don’t they say not to leave the property? If anything, force a sale!”
“The house was her grandmother’s, and not considered a marital asset. So I’ve got to go. She’s given me time, but as of yesterday I have a hard date I need to be out. Don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do.”
“Is it soon?”
“No, I’ve known I had to go for months, but I’ve done shit all to look for a place. It's just like… I don’t know, man. It just sucks.” He looked at me with a smile so sad it broke my heart.
“I don’t know what to say, man. I’m sorry you’re going through that.”
“It’s okay.” His face brightened. “Life’s shit, and then you die, right?” His laugh rang hollow and he gulped down the rest of his whiskey.
After sucking the burn through his teeth, he said, “You’ve got the right idea about permanent bachelorhood, kid.” He exhaled and stared into his empty glass. “If you learn anythingfrom me, it’s know before you go. Know yourself, your guts. The deep-down shit you never look at. I’m talking metaphorically and physically. Get your shit checked, man. Better to know than have to start over at thirty-two.”
“Fuck, man. Yeah, I will. Thanks.”
The sorrow and darkness flowing out of him crushed me. I’m not a big hugger, but I wanted to reach across the table and hold him. Tell him everything would be okay, but I’m shit at comforting people. I gave it a shot, anyway.
“Permanent bachelorhood is the best, but reclaimed bachelorhood will be just as good. Promise,” I said with a smile and laugh.
Alec evaluated me. “You think I should stay single?”
“Yeah. At least for a long while.”
“Why?”
“You’ll be happier, man.”
He glared at me. Along with the smirk he wore, it made my heart beat faster.
“Don’t know about that.” His voice dropped an octave. “Persuade me. Sell me on permanent bachelorhood. Let’s see if those skills are real or bullshit.”
It sounded like he wanted me to entertain him.If it made him feel better, I was glad to. I took a few seconds to formulate my plan of attack. When I was ready, I gave him a wicked grin.
