The Wives Quotes

“You did not need to let me essentially live in your house rent-free for the last few months, either,” I said. “I wanted to.” I thought the gift certificate was a small gesture, but Rachel looked flustered, even annoyed, as she placed it on the end table beside her, almost as though she were upset with me. Had I done something wrong? “I’ll miss you,” I said, and, to my surprise, she looked away. Rachel was usually so good at these kinds of heartfelt conversations, but maybe goodbyes were her Achilles’ heel. Maybe she was mad at me for leaving. Or perhaps just sad. Rachel could be happy for me and also a little bit brokenhearted. I could want to leave and stay. Andrew could wish he were here but want to deploy. Somehow, we all managed to hold these fragile paradoxes without breaking them.”
― Simone Gorrindo, The Wives: A Memoir

“For much of the deployment, I’d been distracting myself with slow walks around the park or downtown, but it was late June now, and too hot for that. So, I decided to stop by Hailey’s instead, where I found Chloe skipping around, chanting, “We’re going on a ghost tour!” Chloe was deep in a ghost obsession, and Hailey had promised her all the ghost tours she could handle on a weeklong trip to Savannah during post-deployment leave. Leaning against Hailey’s bar, I watched her aggressively scrub her dishes and wished I hadn’t come. I had the distinct feeling she was angry with me. I even asked her, point blank, if she was. “Boiling,” she said. It was her trademark sarcasm, but her voice had genuine bite. There were just a few weeks left of the deployment. The wives were frustrated and wrung out, and the air had become charged with these emotions.”
― Simone Gorrindo, The Wives: A Memoir

“Andrew is about to sign his papers,” I said. I took a breath, focusing on the blank TV screen across from me. “We have an option to go to Washington.” I felt the vise tighten. This was the first time I’d mentioned this to her. I felt her look at me. “You do? Oh my god, you totally should!” I turned to meet her eyes. “I should?” “Yes, it’s gorgeous. I actually dated this Marine who was stationed there. He was an asshole, but I loved it. He lived right on this beautiful lake surrounded by mountains.” “But what about how I’m not allowed to leave?” I asked. “Oh, Simone,” she said, and her eyes had a sudden shine. “It’s hard to imagine you not being a mile away. But it’s how it is, right? We won’t be here forever either.”
― Simone Gorrindo, The Wives: A Memoir

“In the last few days, a low-level friction had begun gnawing at my interactions with Rachel. “Can you please remember to turn the lights off?” she’d asked more than once, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. “I can’t find anything in this fridge anymore,” she’d complained the other morning. I had started adding groceries to it and it was getting full.”
― Simone Gorrindo, The Wives: A Memoir

“Rachel had texted from Florida not long after I woke up. I’ve loved having you, but, with the guys coming home soon, I think it’s time to have the house back, get it ready for Dan’s return. I’d known this was coming.”
― Simone Gorrindo, The Wives: A Memoir

“During the last pre-deployment validation, he’d even arranged an exercise in a way that had accidentally created a Polish Ambush, a setup that involved two friendly elements shooting directly at each other.”
― Simone Gorrindo, The Wives: A Memoir

“Low empathy,” Andrew had told me, was one of the primary qualities the Unit looked for.”
― Simone Gorrindo, The Wives: A Memoir