Lisa twisted the hospital wristlet around and around her hand. Henry’s dinner was getting cold but he had insisted on completely a task in their bedroom as Lisa ate. The high of the meth she took was wearing off. The situation started sinking in that something wasn’t right. Brushing her short, brown hair out of her face, Lisa collected her plate, throwing it in the sink, then made her way up the stairs. Things were being thrown about in the bedroom. But it was all Henry’s things. His suites, ties, baseball caps, shoes, shampoo bottles.

Everything that was his was being thrown into whatever suitcase he could get his hands on. Lisa giggled from the door. Henry jumped surprised that he had not heard her climbing the stairs. She looked over the scene displayed in front of her. “Why are you packing those?” she inquired, pointing to the shampoo bottles spilling out of a backpack they used for hiking at one point.


Henry turned his back to her. He picked up all of his knickknacks off of his side of the dress. “I’m leaving,” he answered matter-of-factly. Last week, while Lisa was too drugged to even move, Henry raced downtown to a condo that was for sale. He bought it with three months’ rent in full. Later that day he called their one and only son and told him it was too much for Henry’s old heart to take. His son, John, understood. John took care of the rehabilitation for Lisa while Henry searched for a lawyer. Now, this was the difficult part. This was the part he never wanted to happen. He turned back to face her completely. “I’m leaving you.” It almost sounded as though he was trying to believe in it himself.


“But you’ll be back.” Lisa walked over to the suitcases nonchalantly. She began picking things out of it placing them on the bed. Henry grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. Dull grey eyes looked up at him. Henry remembered when those greys were stormy and full of spark. Now they were burned out. Taken away from him like everything else he loved. He heaved a sigh, missing those times when she had her store to work. He drifted off into a memory for just a few seconds. Picturing her coming home to tell him about what happened in their bookstore. How the teenagers she had hired reminded her so much of their grown son, John. Then the bills piled up. Henry tried working two jobs so Lisa could keep her store. But their debt was too much. They close down. And since that day Lisa has taken any and every drug she could get her hands on. He longed for the days they shared before the drugs had taken her away from him.


“I’m not coming back.” He turned away from her gaze. He couldn’t face the person she was now.


“You said that last time.” Henry turned his back to her. With his wedding ring in his right hand, he placed in on top of their dresser. The metal and gold rang out in the small bedroom.


“This time it’s different.”

He could almost hear the low creaking as the wheels turned in her head. There was a gasp then he felt her delicate hand gripping his elbow for dear life. She made him face her. “No, you’re coming back.” She gripped it tighter as she voice rose. “You’re coming back. You always come back. You can’t just leave me!” Lisa screamed at him. Henry pulled her into a bear hug and petted her hair. She covered his blue shirt in her tears.


“I have to, my love. Ever since you lost the store you haven’t been the same. The LSD. The meth. You can’t expect me to sit here and watch you destroy yourself! I’m your husband! I want to be here for you but-“ his words broke off as tears spilt down his face. “That’s asking too much from me, Lisa. I love you. But I can’t go down with you.” Henry pulled her away from him and forced her chin up with his big, meaty hand. She looked up into his green eyes and pictured him when he was younger, when his gray hair hadn’t taken over his head. He turned away from her and zipped up his bags.

His shoulders were tense as Henry carried his bags out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out to his pickup truck. Lisa watched from their bedroom window. Henry walked back into the house. He placed the files pulled from his truck. Sobs could be heard from the master bedroom as Henry walked to the front door. “The divorce papers are on the table,” Henry called out. He didn’t want to see how hysterical Lisa was. He walked out of the house.
Lisa stared on as Henry pulled out of their driveway and down the street. The ecstasy pills were already down her throat before Henry’s red pickup truck turned the street corner. The taste was bitter-sweet sliding down her throat. Lisa breathed, “You’ll be back.” She walked over to her bed and rested on top of the comforter clutching Henry’s pillow against her. “You always come back.”