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"You're right," I say. "Maybe I will go back to being boring old me, Mrs. Hathaway the science teacher."
"I thought you went back to using your maiden name."
"Um, yes, I did. But not at school. I didn't want to confuse my students by telling them they now need to call me Ms. Stendahl."
He crosses his arms over his chest. "Did you change your driver's license to say 'Stendahl'?"
"No."
"Why didn't you do that?"
I wish he would stop asking me questions. I could just tell him to buzz off, but I have an annoying habit of being honest and forthright. "I never got around to doing it, that's all."
"Why not?"
"Does it matter? I was busy, I guess. You know what the lines are like at the DMV."
"Uh-huh." He narrows his gaze on me. "But I think you're sidestepping, Vanessa. Why is it so hard to admit you wish we hadn't split up?"
"Why?" His question has ignited a spark of anger and pain that I'd tried to douse over the past three years. Now, it bursts into a bonfire. "Maybe I don't like to admit that because it's humiliating. You left me. That's not something I like to dwell on, and I sure as hell don't want to admit that I wish we hadn't divorced."
Craig lets his arms fall to his sides, and his expression has softened. He shakes his head slowly. "I know it was all my fault. I explained the reasons why I ended our marriage, and I can't think of any other way to say I'm sorry."
"I don't know what I feel right now. Please, just give me some time."
"Please, Vanessa, don't run away."
"Why not? You did." I hug the zip lining brochure to my chest more tightly, making the paper crinkle. "You abandoned me, and I don't know if I can ever move past that."
I whirl around and walk away.
Chapter Sixteen
Craig
As I watch Vanessa stalk off down the corridor, I experience a strong urge to beat myself in the head with a miniten thug. Why do I keep screwing up and making her feel bad? I want to make her happy. How a discussion about zip lining turned into a painful argument about our divorce, I don't know. The situation spiraled out of control. That seems to happen a lot since I tricked my ex-wife into vacationing at a nudist resort.
Maybe I should have brought out the big guns, but that's one thing I've desperately tried to avoid discussing. Mentioning that might crack her shell open so we can have a real conversation, or it might send her running back to America. The risk is too great.
No, I can't bring up the fact that she moved out of our house before I even considered filing for divorce.
Vanessa had never cheated on me, and vice versa. I lost her because I was miserable in my work life and let that bleed into our family life.
I shuffle up to the poster board that rests on an easel.Come join us for a zip lining adventure like no other, the poster says.Experience the adrenaline rush of soaring through the forest canopy. I can see why Vanessa might like to try this extreme sport. She loves nature, and she seems to want to try new, exciting adventures. I do too---since I landed on this island.
Emilio walks up to me. "Want to join the zip-lining tour?"
I study the photos in the poster that depict naked adults having a great time, soaring through the forest, grinning and laughing. Vanessa wants to try zip lining. The least I can do is go along with her and show that I'm not a stuffy, middle-aged computer geek anymore. I can't change my age, but I can break out of my shell---for her.
"Yes, Emilio, I want to sign up for the zip-lining tour."
"Brilliant! I can fit you in for the three o'clock tour."
"Sounds perfect."
He gives me the same brochure Vanessa had been holding and instructs me to read everything. When I show up for the tour, I'll need to sign a waiver. Basically, I have to swear that I have no heart conditions or other medical issues that might endanger me during a zip-lining adventure. The waiver also includes a lengthy statement in which I absolve the resort of any liability if I should die or become injured while zip lining. Maybe that should bother me, but I've signed plenty of waivers in my life. I don't think twice about it anymore.
Back in my bungalow, I read the brochure to make sure I understand how the zip-lining thing will work. We will all be nude, sitting in a harness that's connected to the zip line. The resort recommends that we wear shoes, though that's not required.
