After graduation, we started a company together. To make sure he ate well, I spent every day coming up with new soups and packed lunches for him, rotating the menu so he'd never get bored.
He remembered that Queenie couldn't handle spicy food and preferred everything on the sweeter side.
But in four years of eating my cooking, he could never once remember that I didn't like scallions.
Four years together. What had any of it meant to him?
Right then, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and picked up immediately.
Queenie's voice came through, thick with tears.
"Barret, my stomach really hurts... I'm in the ER getting an IV."
"I'm all alone and I'm so scared. Everyone around me is a stranger. Could you come see me?"
"Am I interrupting your dress fitting with Maggie? If you're busy, I can tough it out on my own..."
Barret didn't hesitate for even half a second.
"Don't be scared. I'm on my way."
He hung up and turned to face me.
He walked to the curb, flagged down a cab, and pulled open the door.
"Go home and think about what you've done. Stop blowing things out of proportion."
Then he leaned toward the driver. "Take it easy on the road, please. My girlfriend gets carsick."
How laughable.
He was rushing off to be with another woman, and he still couldn't resist playing the role of the thoughtful boyfriend.
He slammed the cab door shut and headed for the parking garage to drive to Queenie himself.
I watched the streets slide past the window in reverse. My heart was strangely calm.
When I got home, I walked straight into the bedroom and pulled out my suitcase.
Everything that was mine, I was taking. I wouldn't leave a single thing behind.
The doorbell rang.
The building's concierge stood outside, holding a garment bag.
"Ms. Sullivan, this is a same-day delivery for Mr. Henson. It just arrived."
I took the package and opened it.
Inside was one of Barret's custom-tailored suits.
And a note that reeked of perfume.
"I had no idea you kept the clothes I gave you all this time. Thanks for spending the night with me the other day. You're so sweet."
The other day was my birthday.
I'd turned down Marcella Walker and the rest of my girlfriends for a night out. I'd bought all of Barret's favorite dishes and cooked an entire spread at home.
I waited for the birthday surprise he'd promised me.
Instead, I waited until midnight and got nothing but a phone call.