Not without a very good reason. Nora didn’t know what even counted as a good reason to a woman like her.
Soraya set her wineglass on the table, her hand trembling slightly. “We were ... We were at church. We were at church, and he went into the bathroom during the sermon, and I was sitting there, and my phone vibrated. I thought I should check it, even though you’re notreally supposed to have your phone on during the sermon, but I always think it might be one of the kids, so I pulled my phone out to check, and it was a picture of ...” She looked around and lowered her voice to a near-imperceptible whisper. “Of his penis.”
“What?” Nora gasped. “You kicked your husband out because he sent you dick pics during a sermon?”
“No.If he’d wanted to send me ... I ... If he wanted to do that, then I’d have been okay with it.” Soraya didn’t look okay—she looked perturbed—but Nora didn’t comment. “It’s that it was a penis photo that wasn’t meant for me.”
“How did you know it wasn’t for you?” Nora asked.
“Because he’s just never done anything like that before, and there’s something to be said for trying new things, but usually you don’t try new sexual things during the Lord’s Prayer.”
“Everyone has kinks,” Nora pointed out.
“Well, not David. Or at least I didn’t think so.”
Daisy put her hands flat on the table as if bracing herself. “Your husband misdirected a picture of his—”
“His cock.”
“Thank you, Nora,” Daisy said dryly. “He sentthatto you from the church bathroom?”
“Yes.” Soraya spun her wineglass in a circle. “I don’t ... I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I’ve never had a job. I’ve never had a job, and he’s not supporting me. The kids won’t talk to me, and they’re my whole life.”
“Why won’t they talk to you?” Daisy asked.
“I’m the bad guy,” she whispered. “I’m the one who kicked him out and broke up our family.”
“How didyoubreak up the marriage?” Nora asked.
Soraya looked down at her hands. “I’m supposed to forgive him. It’s supposed to be not that big of a deal. Our pastor said because David repented, I ... I need to forgive him. He was supposed to install some software on the computer to keep him from going to websites heshouldn’t be on. I don’t want software to keep my husband from looking at other women or trying to hook up with other women. I just think it’s wrong. Shouldn’t it be enough that I don’t want him to?”
Silence fell around the table. Nora took a sip of her beer.
Daisy looked like she was about to vibrate apart. “Jonathan left.”
Soraya and Nora turned to her. “What?” they said at the same time.
Daisy nodded. “Just ... just like that. My high school sweetheart. Suddenly it’s ...You don’t know me, not really. We haven’t been happy for the last ten years. Whohasn’t been happy for the last ten years? I’ve been perfectly happy. I ... I thought we had everything. He said he needs more, that people aren’t meant to just meet someone and settle when they’re as young as we were, and he met her and found out he wanted all these different things.”
“Her?”
“He moved into a new house with his new girlfriend.” Daisy picked her fork up and set it back down, then did it again, like she was trying to find the perfect place for it on the table where it might help ease her nerves.
“Hold on.” Nora pinched the bridge of her nose. “I haven’t heard rumors aboutanyof this. About either of you.”
“Alexandra’s divorce and accident have been enough for the rumor mill,” Daisy said. “No one’s that interested in me.”
“We’ve still been going to church together as a family,” Soraya mumbled.
“Oh, Soraya.” Nora groaned.
“I’m an Enneagram Type Two.”
“I don’t know what that is,” Nora said.
“It’s—”
“Oh, I’m not asking.” Nora turned her focus to Daisy. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why haven’t you told anyone?”
