The Fall Risk

by Abby Jimenez

It’s hard to process something like this when you did everything right.

“He has no record, by the way,” she said. “And his socials are clean.” “Good Lord, it’s only been five minutes—” “I only needed two.”

real

“Women solve entire murders on their podcasts, you think I can’t find out all I need to know about some rando I met on the lawn?”

“Three years. Dated for two, married for one. She cheated on me for most of it.” “Ouch.” “Yeah.” She shook her head. “I never understand people who cheat in relationships.” “You want to hear the worst part?” “Uh, yes.” “She cheated on me with her cousin.” Her mouth fell open. “Noooooo.” “Yeah. She met him on 23andMe.” “She didn’t . . .” “I swear to God. Second cousin, once removed. When I caught them, they were both wearing the purple T-shirts from the family reunion,” I said, talking around my straw. “Shut UP.” “Pecker Family Reunion 2023. It had a cartoon woodpecker on it, right here on the chest—”

I laughed too much at this 😭😭😭

I always thought of the famous quote: “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.”

“Red flag guys aren’t your type. They’re your pattern.” There was a long pause. “Why’d you have to come for me like that?” “Because I love you. I want to see you happy. I think you pick toxic men because it’s what you think you deserve. And then you chase them off, or they prove they’re exactly what you think they are, and they leave you, and you think you deserve that too. You don’t. You are very worth loving. And sticking around for.”

the society that told me my job as a woman was to smile and be nice to a man who gave me the creeps

“Sometimes the start of something good begins during something bad,” he said. “We don’t get to pick when these things happen.”

They say it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I wasn’t sure I agreed. Something told me I’d never get over the loss of this.

“If you ever come back here,” I whispered, “you won’t find her, you’ll find me. And then no one will ever find you.”

My forest. All three of them, really. Our roots intertwined to give each other strength.