20 Years
20 years can drip slowly down a drain, but the memories eventually cause a clog. I have had to grit my teeth through this entire day that would have been my 20th wedding anniversary. It stings more than I think it should. The divorce was 8 years ago. My story doesn’t feel real anymore when I tell it, but my brain’s muscle memory won’t let me forget. Every man that I have cared about since him has been nothing but a shadow of my ex husband. It’s like they all fell out of the same tree. Emotionally unavailable. Liars. Cheaters. Good CHRISTIAN men. The pattern is relentless and exhausting. That man took so much from me. He stole what my idea of marriage was and incinerated it. He took my youth and he wasted all of my trust without the slightest hint of remorse. There is no way to repair that. But he will never take away Marianna’s first two points in a basketball game. He doesn’t get to see Luca hit his first triple in baseball. He won’t get to see Anthoni graduate later this year and be