Out of the Woods

by Hannah Bonam-Young

Caleb is taking a long enough shower that I know he’s either masturbating, avoiding me, or had turned the water on before realizing he needed to take a shit. Behold: the intimate knowledge held within marriage.

Is divorce shameful if you choose to give up your life and join a nunnery? No one could judge Caleb for being left for another man if that man was Christ, right?

“Welcome Libby!” Phil says brightly. “I’m glad there will finally be someone here with the same maturity level as me,” he teases. Libby doesn’t so much as look in his direction.

I am a simple creature, at my core. Give me books, sunlight, water, and a handsome man looking at me like I’m some rare jewel, and I’m all set.

Womanhood is just a trap of a different making.

“Often, we can find ourselves playing what-if instead of recognizing what we can do now to build the life we want. The truth is the past is one of the only things as stubborn as us humans. Unfortunately, it won’t change no matter how much you ask it to.”

“That everyone is a bit of a mess. Here or anywhere.” He shrugs one shoulder. “Anyone who says any differently is faking it or trying to sell something.”

“A lot of people will say relationships are fifty-fifty, but I think that’s a load of rubbish. We all have seasons and periods where we require more from our partner. The trick to a long, lasting relationship in my professional experience is not getting stuck at a set percentage.”

“If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.”