Good for you! I thought as I entered the consignment shop. I found a purple, leather purse and matching wallet to purchase. It felt good to support this little store that was standing up to Sam’s company’s bullying tactics.

That is exactly what he is doing, I thought sadly as I left the store with my purchases in tow. He’s being a bully. I didn’t want to be with a man who bullied others, and I didn’t want Peanut growing up with a father who set that kind of example. I also didn’t know if I had the strength to give up Sam. I sent up a silent prayer that Sam was right, and we could figure out a way to resolve this to everyone’s satisfaction.

My thoughts were interrupted as I walked past the nearly-empty art gallery. Hanging in their window was one of the most stunning paintings I had ever encountered. It was of a simple brown teddy bear with a peach ribbon, but something about its sweet eyes spoke to me. Even at half-off the regular price, the picture still cost over a week’s worth of my salary from Eck Meck & Dreck, but I decided to splurge on it for Peanut’s room.

The gallery owner agreed to have it delivered to my house later that afternoon, and I left the store with a lighter step than I’d had all day. Teddy bears would be a great theme for Peanut’s nursery, and peach was the perfect warm, but gender-neutral color with which to accent the room. It felt great to have a solid plan for my baby’s space.

Shortly after Court got home from serving the lunch shift at Joe’s, the delivery driver brought the painting. We tipped him extra to carry it upstairs to the nursery for us, since it was so large. After he left, we ran back upstairs and I ripped the protective paper off it. Courtney beamed at me, clearly loving it as much as I did.

I tried to spend the rest of the evening focusing on the positive, rather than fretting about the obstacles Sam and I were facing. I also steadfastly ignored the fact that we hadn’t contacted each other all day.

29

The next day at work, Annie seemed almost nervous to show me the “Going Out of Business Sale” poster that she had made. I had been expecting this, so my reaction was carefully measured. “I’ll help you hang it up.” I smiled at her as I made the offer, working to keep any sign of sadness out of my eyes.

“You’re sure?” she asked, still unconvinced.