Now that it affected him, he was finally hearing me. “Most of the time, yes.”
“But I’m home every night, if not for dinner at least for dessert.”
I scoffed. “It doesn’t matter what you think. I’m telling you how I feel.”
“It isn’t my intention to hurt you,” Ronnie said.
“I never thought it was . . . but you do. The truth is that I no longer feel like your partner or best friend. I feel more like the hired help you occasionally sleep with.”
He looked off into the distance for a moment and then turned to face me. “I had no idea you felt that way.”
I looked down at the water washing over my feet and shook my head in disappointment. He hadn’t paid any attention to a word I’d said in the past six months.
He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to make it up to you starting tonight.”
“Part of being separated means that our bodies don’t entangle. But aside from that, do you really think that one night of sex will magically make all our problems disappear?”
Ronnie saved a seat for me in the theater while I stood outside, chatting up more parents. I slipped in next to him and noticed two small gift bags at his feet.
“What’re those?”
“I bought a bracelet for Hazel with a comedy/tragedy charm, and one for Zelda with a basketball charm.” I could tell he was impressed with himself.
“How’d you come up with the idea and know where to buy them?”
He reddened. “Actually, Jana and I brainstormed and then she picked them up for me.”
I’d been hearing quite a bit about Ronnie’s assistant Jana. “I’m sure the girls will be thrilled. I’ll have to call Jana to thank her.”
Genie stepped out from behind the curtains dressed in black. She introduced herself and with the biggest smile said, “Welcome, Woodlands families, to our version ofGrease!”
The curtain went up to applause as the music started and the singing began.
Hazel’s hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She wore a pink satin bomber jacket, a poodle skirt, and saddle shoes, and she was grinning from ear to ear.
Whenever Hazel was front and center, Ronnie squeezed my hand.
When it was over, the cast came out and bowed to thunderous applause.
From stage left, Connor appeared with a bouquet of flowers and presented them to Genie. Her dimpled smile lit up the humid theater. She had chosen her first summer love well.
We found Hazel outside standing in a group with the other pink ladies, having their picture taken. When Hazel saw us, she ran to her father and jumped into his arms. It made my heart swell. My family. I loved them. Things weren’t perfect, but if Ronnie and I put in the work together, we could make it better.
But the kiss I shared with Teddy last night had broken, no smashed, one of my rules: If any of my flirtations crossed a linewhere I felt uncomfortable sharing the encounter with Ronnie, I’d immediately stop. But we were separated, so was I technically guilty of anything?
“You were the star of the show,” Ronnie told Hazel. He handed her the gift bag. “I bought you a present.”
She tore the bag open and was excited to see the bracelet. I helped her put it on and she ran off to show her friends. Ronnie handed the other bag to Zelda, who jumped on him and gave him a big hug.
“I have to go to the parking field to say goodbye to the parents,” I said. “Why don’t you go to my room? You can shower and take a nap.”
“Good idea. This day’s been exhausting. How do you do it every day?” Ronnie asked.
“Practice.”
“I hate coming home to an empty apartment. No one at the door to greet me. I really thought I’d walk out of here with you today.”
“The fact that our expectations haven’t aligned for quite a while was one of the reasons we decided to give each other some space. But if we can work out our issues, you will be taking me to Greece, and I’m not talking about the play.”
