The Bright Side of Disaster

by Katherine Center

The end began with a plane crash. Just before midnight on a Tuesday in February.

“Some cats are just cats,” she said. “And some cats are people.”

She’d been with him for three months, but we were still calling him the Waiter. She was ending it for this reason: He did not like to read.

“Anyway,” she said. “You know the rule about weddings: better fat than pregnant.”

Months later, it would occur to me to wonder if a person should thank another person for something she’d had to beg for. Wasn’t the begging itself thanks enough?

it’s funny to think how easy it is to be sure of yourself when you have no idea what you’re doing.

(you don’t get knocked up like this by reading a book at the library),

“I’ve ruined him!” I said. “He’s ruined because I couldn’t hack it.” “Darlin’,” she said kindly. “He’s not ruined yet. You’ve got his whole childhood to ruin him.”

“It’s not how you wanted it, but it’s how it is,” she said in her tenderest voice. “In truth,” she added, “much of mothering is that way.”

“Are you going to stay with me?” I whispered. And then, before she could answer: “I don’t want to be alone.” “You won’t be alone. You’ll have the baby.” “Okay, that’s worse than being alone.”

You haven’t seen outrage until you’ve seen a pack of breast-feeding women hear about one of their own getting abandoned.

These people were too perfect. Kind, nurturing, stable, not-sadistic people who would get married and raise cheerful, high-scoring, polite children who would grow up to have jobs as urban planners or famous chefs. They were going to live in the best-looking house on the block and have the best lives.

Gardner watched me with a kind of awe. “Did you just tell me to look both ways before crossing the street?” “I’m not sure,” I said. “It’s possible.”

“I don’t know what to do with a nice man. Nobody’s this nice. I keep thinking he’s a serial killer.”

“I’m heartbroken. I’m weak. I may not be ready.” “Everybody is heartbroken,” she said. “It doesn’t matter. That’s life. Get out there and shake a tail feather.”

How dare he come into my house with bad facial hair and act like he had any right to be there? Tomorrow, I was changing the locks.

“You need to pack up your stuff and go.” “Can’t we talk?” “No.” “I need to talk to you.” “Write it in a letter, chief.”

The truth is, once people have been in your heart, it’s hard to keep them out. It was like he had a key. Even though I hated him, I couldn’t seem to treat him like other people.

“It’s easier to be with Dean and have low expectations than to have high expectations of your neighbor and be let down.”

“Hey, kiddo,” he said. “Here’s the best advice I’ll ever give you: Lose the idiot on the sofa.”

Dear Gardner, I want to let you know that I asked Dean to leave, mostly because I realized that after everything, amazingly, I didn’t like his personality. Now Maxie and I are back to our real life, which has a hole in it with you gone. We miss you. I miss you. Love, Jenny P.S. I went to see your house with your realtor. I really liked it. Especially the porch. That is one hell of a porch.

she’d be telling me not to let one wrong thing ruin everything else.