I jumped, the fork slipping from my hand and banging onto the desk.
“Nana! You scared me!” She smiled, completely unbothered by nearly giving me a heart attack. “I love when I get to see you, but you know you can’t come barging into my office every day, right?” I said, trying to clean up the mess.
“How else am I going to see you? You’re always here.” She shot back. She wasn’t wrong. I was always at the office. After the divorce, this place had become my hideout. Work was predictable, and I could hyper-focus away. My kids were busy with school and every extracurricular under the sun. Carol was off being her social butterfly self. And me? I was trying to keep the pieces from falling apart. If I could excel at work, at least I had something to feel good about.
I sighed and snapped my computer shut. Then I got up and walked around to help her into a chair across from me.
“It’s lunchtime. You’re supposed to be on a break.” Nana said, raising an eyebrow at me as I sank back into my seat.
I rubbed my temples, letting out a small laugh.
“My mind’s working extra slow today, Nana. I couldn’t get much done this morning, hence the working through lunch…” The truth? I’d been scrolling social media for at least two hours, trying to muster the energy to focus. Even when I finally started, I almost threw my laptop across the office after reading the emails full of ridiculous questions from colleagues who should’ve known better by now. I hadn’t answered a single one because I knew if I did, it’d probably land me a trip to HR. Instead, I stuck to brainstorming slogans for a new campaign.
Nana gave me a look. “Sure, sure,” she said, dragging out the words. “Any particular reason your mind’s working against you today?”
“Not enough sleep,” I muttered, filling my mouth with food, hoping it would be enough to stop the interrogation I could see coming behind her eyes.
“Mmmhmm…” She kept quiet. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she studied me like she always did when trying to get the truth without saying a word. It was like she had a Jedi mind trick where her silence alone made me want to confess everything. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, trying not to crack.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
She shrugged.
“Ugh!” I groaned, leaning back in my chair, arms crossed like a petulant kid. “Okay, okay… I’ll tell you everything. Just stop with the eyes!” Her lips twitched like she was trying to hide a smile.Mission accomplished, Nana. I took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to word this without making it sound worse than it was. Screw it. Rip off the Band-Aid. “I spent the night with someone.” I blurted out.
She didn’t even blink. “It’s nice to hear you’re moving on from that slack.”
I froze, my jaw practically hitting the floor. Nana had never said a word about George. Good or bad.
“Come on, Nana, George was a good husband,” I said defensively. “I was the one who ruined us…”
She leaned forward, her eyes softening.
“My darling, you’ve always been too quick to blame yourself for everything. No one person is fully responsible for the end of a marriage, trust me. It takes two people to make it work and two to break it apart.”
I let her words sink in. She was good. She always knew what to say. But in this case, she didn’t know the whole story, and even if she did, she would never side with theslackover her favorite granddaughter.
Then Nana, being herself, leaned back in the chair, crossed her arms, and gave me a mischievous look.
“But go on… tell me about your new lover.”
I nearly choked and cringed so hard I was surprised I didn’t pull something.
“I’m not going to talk about this with you, Nana.” I shot back.
“Oh, come on! I’m a modern Nana. We can talk about sex!” She teased, grinning and clearly enjoying every second of my discomfort.
“Oh my God!” I buried my face in my hands. She was absolutely loving this. I could hear it in her laugh. I sighed, dragging my hands down my face and trying to collect myself. “I don’t think it’ll work out, though,” I said, my tone quieter now.
She tilted her head, watching me closely. “Oh no… and why’s that?”
“We’re just… from different worlds,” I mumbled, barely able to force the words out because it felt too real, too final.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen. Another text from Chris. That made five now. Five unread, unanswered messages sitting there like tiny grenades waiting to blow up. My thumb hovered over the screen, but instead of opening it, I flipped the phone face down like that would somehow make it all go away.
Nana was, of course, watching me. After a moment, she finally asked, “Are you sure you can’t find a world where you both fit perfectly?”
Oh, sweet, sweet Nana. I couldn’t help but wonder what she’d say if she knew the whole story. She wouldn’t call me crazy. Her unconditional love for me was way too blind for that, but I was pretty sure she would stop with the encouraging looks.
