The Woman He Became

t finally broke me. It was our anniversary. I had made reservations at a nice ste

olly' s phone rang. It was Nate. I could he

for the new band just corrupted. It's a

k of concern. "Okay, st

ion. "Andrew, I am so, so sorry. This is a huge emergency for him. His whole

aid, my v

ean, no? This

is our ann

dinner! Nat

e set. She was gone in less than a minute, leaving me standing in our livin

t boil over. Instead, they cooled, hardening into a calm, clear r

om. She was a junior architect, sharp, professional, and

down until you hear the cl

by. I'm still figuring out the Texas essentials. C

help with the BBQ

t being a friend. I learned she was from Chicago, that she missed deep-dis

I had

rk are grabbing some BBQ this weekend. You and Na

e! Nate loves Franklin's. T

ing over Molly's plate, cutting her brisket for her because he knew "just the right way to slic

turned my atte

sauce with the fatty brisket," I said, sliding the bottle toward

about the different kinds of sausage. I made her laugh with a

olly. Her smile was tight, her posture rigid. She wasn't used to

were getting ready for

oday?" she asked

" I asked, feig

h her plate, making sure she had enough sauce. It w

. I felt a cold, satisfying calm spread through me. I rinse

words, her own logic. "If anything were going to happe

f on her face was almost wor