When She Returned

by Lucinda Berry

But I wanted him to grow and change, experience new things too. His contentment with sameness was more maddening the older I got.

The problem with having a fairy-tale relationship story was how much other people were invested in keeping the fairy tale alive. It wasn’t just our story—it was everyone’s.

Dad knew Meredith was going to want the trash cans emptied in all the rooms before company arrived. She asked every time, and each time, without fail, he made some comment about it. Why not just empty the trash cans and avoid the drama?

Yeah, why the fuck not, Scott?!

I’d asked her to tell me the truth, so I had to be open to hearing what she had to say even if I didn’t like it.