Thursday, September 22, 2011

Ignorance is Bliss

We were sitting in my room, he on the edge of the bed, me in the computer chair. It's not the biggest room to begin with, and it's a shared office/bed space. So we were knee-to-knee and he had to have known what was coming. It wasn't the first time he'd lied to me, nor was it the largest. But it was the last time he would.

I asked him a question that I already knew the answer to, and his lip started to quiver. He knew I knew, and he thought I'd forgive him and try again, as I had just a few short months earlier. After all, our wedding was only weeks away. He pleaded desperately that he had been bringing me and the children money. From his mother. I swallowed my rage and coolly asked him to leave. It wasn't about the money. It had never been about the money, or the home, or the job.

After he drove away finally, avowing his love, devotion, and desire to get it all back together and win me back, I returned to sit on the bed and stare into space. I felt numb. I'd told him at the end of the conversation I didn't have anything else to say. I did, but he wasn't worth losing my temper over. It was my own fault for not looking harder, for not seeing through his web of lies earlier. I wanted the happy times to be the truth, not the lies and laziness that he hid so well.

My weekly Indie Ink Challenge piece. I was challenged by Sadie with "I don't want to see the truth, I was happy with ignorance" and I challenged Hannah, and her response was brilliant!

8 comments:

Diane said...

Wonderfully written! How tragic. I'm dying to know more.

Liz Culver said...

This was written with such feeling I felt for her straight away. My stomach felt a little bad with the expectation at what the reveal would be.

Debra Gray-Elliott said...

Emotional...I want to know more.

Carrie said...

very sad. I'm curious what the deal breaker was.

visiting from indie ink

Sarah Cass said...

You definitely left me wanting more. Wanting to know what happened. Wonderful take on my prompt!!

Karla said...

We so often try to be "happy" with ignorance... Your piece captured this sentiment very well. Nicely done.

Unknown said...

Oh gosh - so emotional and touched a little too close to home for me! Amazingly written!

Cedar said...

I don't know the rest of the story yet. Check back with me in a year or so. This scene played out less than two months ago. He's really gone, I'm really lonely, but at least I know I'm honest with myself.