The Darkest Days

131. The Red Carpet

"Kristen. Come on."

"Shay, please. I have decided."

"It's a little too sudden and-"

"It's not. Look, you're my friend and I don't expect you to understand everything I feel but you have to trust me when I say that I understand how I feel. All this has been on my mind for weeks."

Kristen's friend sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Don't look at me like that." Kristen said.

"Like what?"

"Like you've lost hope in me."

"That's because I have."

"I'm not killing him. I'm just leaving him."

"He's your second husband. Do you think you can keep leaving your man's side whenever he causes inconvenience?"

"Inconvenience is forgetting to pick up your child from school and asking you to instead. Not forgetting that you have a child and when asked to take your turn, getting mad and yelling at your partner. Paul is the latter and worse."

"You knew this when you married."

"I was a single mom with three kids, emotional imbalance and debts."

"Divorce is too extreme-"

"Am I only to run after my kids, Shay? Do I not have a life of my own? I used to see just my kids and everything was for them but now they're on their own. I can live my life now, can't I?"

"You can..."

"Traveling back and forth between my children and husband taught me things about me. It sparked meaning into me. I met a woman last month who has thirty years older than me and working. She didn't take a cent from her children and was proud of it. When even I have the opportunity and the resources to be something, why shouldn't I take it?"

"Take it but don't give back something in return. Why leave Paul?"

"He'll hold me back like he always does. He won't like me being independent. It'll hurt his pride and ego."

Shay looked down at the newspapers on the table. Kristen followed her eyes.

The headlines were filled with the news of Vanessa and Audrey's parents splitting up.

"What about them?" Shay asked. "They didn't ask for this."

Kristen's eyes softened. "The only people I owe an apology to are Audrey, Vanessa, Jake and Kylie."

"Have you spoken to any of them?"

"Vanessa and Jake."

"Kylie? Paul is her father."

"She is with him right now."

"You all should try to get together soon to talk out your feelings."

"The girls are on the road. It'll be hard."

Audrey strummed her guitar softly as they passed the border between states. She adjusted herself and rolled her window down.

Vanessa was sleeping in the backseat and Jeff was driving.

"How far?" Audrey asked.

"I have no clue. I'm just following the staff in front of us."

Audrey looked at the rearview mirror when the car behind her flashed its lights.

"Does he want to say something?" Jeff asked.

Audrey smiled. "No. He's just playing."

The lights continued to blink and Audrey laughed. "Idiot."