“I don’t love you anymore,” he said.

She felt as if someone had reached inside her chest, yanked out her heart, thrown it on the floor, poured gasoline on it, and set fire to it. “But I still love you.” Her breathing was labored. “I’m not throwing out our marriage like a sack of garbage.” She stopped and blew her nose. “We can go to counseling and work this out. We can spend more time together now that Natalie is out of school.” Begging seemed so clingy, but this was her marriage, and she’d do anything to save it.

“It’s too late for that,” he snapped.

“Not for me it’s not, and now I’m hanging up so I can process this crap.”

Joanie slumped down on the sofa in her living room, and the memories of the last nineteen years washed over her like a hard-driving rain. She and Brett had been high school sweethearts from the time she was in the ninth grade and he was a sophomore. She’d lost her virginity to him just before he went to the army right out of high school. Then they’d married the next year when he finished his AIT training and she’d graduated.

Her phone rang, and she fished it out of her purse. Thinking it was probably Diana, she answered it without even looking at the caller ID. “Are you all right?”

“Good morning to you, too, darlin’. I knew today would be rough on you, so I had to hear your voice this morning before I left.” Brett’s deep southern drawl always helped her on a bad day.

“I’m sorry. I thought it was Diana calling. She’s having a rougher day than any of us,” Joanie explained. “I wish you were here, Brett. Leaving Zoe at that recruiter’s office was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve cried all morning.”

“It’s not fair that you had to do this alone,” Brett said. “I should’ve been there to support you. We just got our orders changed this morning. We had thought we’d be home by Thanksgiving, but we’ve got to stay a little longer. The new idea is that we’ll get to be there for Christmas. I’m hoping to arrive in time for Zoe’s basic-training graduation. Maybe we can go away for a week or two, just the two of us, after that. I can put in for leave, and we could spend a week on that little beach in Florida that we like.”

“Promise?” she asked.

“As much as I’m able to,” Brett said.

“Brett, I feel so guilty that I’ve still got you. Diana has no one now but us and Tootsie.” Her voice quivered as much as her chin.

“I heard a catch in your voice. Please tell me you aren’t crying. I wish I was there to hold you or that we could talk awhile longer, but I’ve got to go. I wanted to give you a heads-up so you’ll be there when the mail carrier comes. Eli’s lawyer sent out divorce papers to Carmen. They’re coming in the mail today.”

“Sweet Lord!” Joanie stood up so fast that it made her dizzy. “Why would he do that? Is it another woman?”

“It’s been a long time coming. He didn’t want to file until Natalie was through school, but it’s been a tough year on him having to wait this long. I’m glad that he finally got things going for the divorce,” Brett said.

“I asked you if it’s another woman.” Joanie fell backward onto the sofa.

“Just go be with her, Joanie. What goes on between Eli and Carmen is their business. He’s calling her before we leave to be sure the papers got there. I really do have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I can, and we’ll be together as a family right before Christmas. Love you,” Brett said.

“Love you,” she said, and ended the call.

Joanie tossed the phone on the other end of the sofa and began to pace the floor. Five years ago Gerald had divorced Diana for a younger woman. Now Eli was divorcing Carmen. In five more years would her marriage be on the rocks?

Her stomach clenched into knots, but she didn’t know if she was hungry or nauseated because of what was happening. This was simply too much drama, too fast, for her to take in. She went back to Zoe’s room, lay down on the bed, and let the aura of her daughter’s presence from that morning soak in for half an hour.

“Okay, enough,” she said out loud as she got up. “The mail will be here anytime, and we need to be there for Carmen when she gets that damned letter. I can’t procrastinate another minute.” She muttered to herself as she headed out the door, only to see that her mailbox was already stuffed. “Dammit!” She jerked her phone from her hip pocket and hit the speed dial for Diana.

“You finished crying?” Diana answered.

“No, but now it’s for a different reason. Meet me on the sidewalk. Carmen needs us,” she said. “And bring the rest of that bottle of wine she was drinking and the rum, too.”

“Good Lord, did Eli die?” Diana sounded out of breath.

“No, but it might have been better if he had.”

Diana met her halfway between their two houses with a bottle in each hand. “What’s happened?”

“Eli sent divorce papers, and I think they’ve already been delivered. Brett called and gave me a heads-up. The mail doesn’t usually come until after lunch, but it came early today. We should’ve already been there with Carmen.” Joanie charged on to the other end of the block.

“I should’ve brought more than two bottles,” Diana said, keeping pace.

Joanie rapped on the door but went on in before Carmen could answer. “Where are you?”

“In the living room,” Tootsie yelled. “I was just about to call y’all.”

They found Carmen curled up on the sofa under a fluffy throw with unicorns on it. Papers were strewn about on the floor, and her phone was ringing. Tootsie had pulled up a rocking chair and was holding her hand.

Joanie pushed the coffee table back a few feet so that she and Diana could sit down in front of the sofa and laid a hand on Carmen’s shoulder.

“We’re here,” Diana said.

Joanie held Carmen’s hand. “Brett called. We know.”

Diana took her other hand. “The sorry bastard picked the worst day in the world to have those damned papers delivered. Have you even talked to him about it yet?”

Carmen nodded. “He called a few minutes ago. I told him we need to give us another chance. We can’t throw out twenty years of marriage like it’s the garbage. We can go to counseling, and now that Natalie is out of school, we can spend more time together.”