him to console me, in silence, and to hear me cry.
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
I dry my eyes and break away from him. I slide
to the side and rest my back on the wall, hugging
my legs.
“Because he has another woman, Patrick. He
fell in love with an American researcher who just
got here two months ago. There’s nothing I can
do.”
“What a fucker.”
“I just did the test. For the third time to be
exact. I was waiting for him at home to tell him. I
knew it would have been a shock for him just like
it was for me. We weren’t going through the best
period and now maybe I understand why, but I
thought maybe this would bring us closer … I
know, that was stupid. You can’t fix things like
that, but what could I do? By now, it’s done. But
when this thing came out … I didn’t feel like I
could tell him. What would be the point? He’s in
love with someone else, Patrick. Another woman
is already sleeping in our bed…” I burst out crying
again.
“Have … have you thought about what to do?”
I freeze up and look him right in the eye. Of
course I’ve thought about it.
“There are some alternatives,” he says
cautiously.
Alternatives. There’s only one alternative and I
don’t believe I’m able to make a decision like that.
