A while later, John called. “Honey, are you really
going to be this cruel? We have over a decade
of history together. Is it all gone, just like that?”
It was raining heavily. I was standing at a
crossroads, the wind whipping around me.
“John,” I said quietly, “you’re the one who threw
our history away.”
Hé hung up.
John finally showed up to sign the divorce
papers. He came alone, without Melissa. He looked haggard. I heard his trading company was practically at a standstill, with no liquid assets. He still had to pay his suppliers and his employees. He must have been tearing his hair
out.
11
As he was leaving, he stopped me. “Sarah, let’s grab lunch.”
I was about to refuse, but he added quickly, “Even if we’re not married anymore, we can still
be friends, right? Can’t we even have lunch
together?”
I knew him too well. This sudden humility wasn’t
<
about nostalgia; he had something to say. I
nodded.
We went to a diner near the courthouse. He
kept fiddling with his glass, looking like he
wanted to speak but didn’t know how.
I didn’t want to waste time. “John,” I said, “just
say what you want to say.”
He hesitated, then said carefully, “About the
hundred thousand…could I have a little more
time? I’ll give it to you, I promise, it’s just-”
“Sure,” I interrupted.
“Sarah!” He reached for my hand, but I pulled it
back subtly.
“I’ll give you a year, but I’ll charge you ten
percent interest, based on the market rate.
Also, I want to buy wholesale from your
company, at the premium distributor rate. Don’t
<
worry, I’ll pay on time.”
Sarah had been complaining about finding
reliable suppliers with good quality products at
reasonable prices. David had overheard and,
with a mischievous glint in his eye, had said,
“Aunt Sarah, I know just the place.”
Talk about perfect timing. I was still figuring out
how to bring this up with John, and he handed
it to me on a silver platter. Becoming a
premium distributor usually required a minimum
order value of over a hundred thousand dollars.
John looked stunned, then chuckled wryly.
“You’re different now. You used to—”
