An Unwanted Guest

by Shari Lapena

She reminds herself that she’s not in Afghanistan anymore. She’s home, safe, in New York State. Nothing bad can happen to her here.

But one person can’t be responsible for another person’s happiness. She is responsible for her own. He can’t make her happy.

She can’t just throw everything aside and do what she wants so that she can be happy. Women don’t get to make fools of themselves like that. Society won’t let them. But men do it all the time.

He’s learned that people will believe what they want to believe. And it’s truly frightening how easily they’ll believe it.