“Yeah?” slurs a gruff voice.
The wrong voice.
Not the one I wanted to hear.
That bastard isn’t usually home at this hour.
“Who the fuck is this?” Ray demands.
I disconnect quickly, fingers fumbling on the screen.
I’m angry at him for robbing me of her.
I’m angry at myself for still being afraid, even now.
His voice still holds power over me.
Here I am, a grown confident man. Shaking like a leaf.
Such a stupid idea to call.
What on earth was I thinking?
It takes me a while to calm myself.
Then the phone buzzes in my hand.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
But it isn’t Ray.
It’s Beth.
Probably calling to wish me luck on my big day.
“I'm in the fourth row, love. Wanted to surprise you.”
That’s all it takes to make me sob like a baby.
I wish I could see her before the curtain rises.
I wish I could hold Olsen’s hand.
I can’t though.
But we’ve been instructed to line up in alphabetical order.
It’s almost time.
“Trying to make me cry?” I whisper into the phone, hiding it inside my sleeve.
“Darl, you know I wouldn't miss this for the world. See you after the ceremony.”
My love crosses the stage a few minutes before me.
“Olsen Abbott,” the dean announces.
Abercrombie, Abrams, Ackerman.
