She kinda leaned back in her chair, but she got a smirk on her face like she already know what the deal is. Or—maybe I’m just a complicated case. Hell, I don’t know. “You certainly may.”

And then I tell her the whole thing. Afterwards, my throat is dry, so I ask for some water and she gets it for me and comes and sit back down. She looks dead in my eyes and says: “Let me get this straight. This is something that he did ten years ago and you’re going to leave him now?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, what’s happened over the last ten years? Have there been other affairs?”

“I don’t think so. No.”

“Does he have a gambling or drinking problem?”

“No.”

“Has he been a good husband?”

“Yeah, but I can’t trust him no more. I already filed for divorce.”

“How does that make you feel? I mean, do you feel better now that you’ve done that?”

“No. That’s why I’m here. I feel confused.”

“Well, you know what this feels like to me?”

“No, what?”

“It feels like you’re applying suntan oil today for a burn you got last summer.”

“What?”

“Think about that for a minute.”

I do, but, shit, a sunburn ain’t the same as a lying husband, so I say, “But he still lied. They took our income tax and everything.”

“Okay. But what if he had told you the truth, what would you have done?”

“Probably divorced him.”

“Then I can understand why he didn’t tell you.”

I sorta feel like slapping her, but then I remember what she said a few minutes ago, and I ain’t falling for that trap, so I just take another sip of my water and don’t say nothing but act like I’m all ears, which I am.

“Are you leaving him as a statement to society, or because you really don’t love him and don’t want to be married to him anymore?”

“It’s about my pride. I don’t want him to feel like he can walk all over me. He should tell me the truth.”

“This is just one incident that happens to be quite emotionally loaded. But trust is a very fragile bond that’s been woven between two people, Charlotte, one that sometimes has to be rewoven, and when it is, that reweaving can even be stronger.”

“Okay, but I gotta go.”

“Okay, but let me say this. If after almost twenty years of marriage you don’t think there’s going to be some secrets, or that your partner isn’t going to keep something from you, then your expectations are unrealistic.”

“You saying that everybody do this?”

She smiles at me, and now, for some reason, I don’t feel like slapping her and wanna take back the one I was gon’ give her. “What I’m saying is that sometimes people keep secrets to avoid causing pain to someone they love. That’s all.”

“Well, I guess that make some sense, but it don’t feel good when you find out the truth, that’s all I gotta say.”