We finalized our divorce a month ago. Haven’t you forgotten?
“James, do you remember today is your last day living in my house?” asked Lucy.
“What do you mean? Already?”
“Yes, why are you surprised? We agreed that you would sort out your living arrangements by the 26th of April. Until then, you could stay here temporarily.”
“The time just flew by so quickly…”
The thing was, James and Lucy parted ways a month earlier. But her ex-husband had nowhere to go. He was struggling to find a suitable place to live. Or perhaps he wasn’t really trying? That’s another story altogether.
“Stop trying to distract me. You’re leaving tomorrow!”
“But where will I go?”
“I don’t know. That’s not my problem anymore.”
James suddenly jumped up from his chair.
“How can you be like this, Lucy? We are a family.”
“We? There’s no ‘we’ anymore. Our divorce was finalized a month ago. Don’t you remember?”
“I told you, time really flies.”
“Once more… don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes.”
In reality, James truly had nowhere to go. He had lost touch with friends over the years, and some turned out to be unpleasant company.
His family lived in another area, and staying with acquaintances was out of the question for an overnight stay. So what should he do now? His only hope was to persuade Lucy.
While he could crash at a station for the night, he had another reason he didn’t want to leave her flat.
“Do you know, up until the last moment, I was hopeful.”
“Hopeful for what?”
“That we might get back together.”
Lucy burst out laughing, and James was clearly hurt by it.
“Did I say something funny?”
“Isn’t it funny to you?”
“Not to me.”
“But it is to me. Listen, stop the drama and these childish games. We’re adults at the end of the day.”
“Precisely! That’s why I’m trying to talk like an adult. Lucy, our divorce was over something trivial.”
His ex-wife raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Do you consider constantly lying to someone trivial?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“I understand you perfectly!”
“No, no! We were just hot-headed; it happens. Lucy, we can start fresh. Please!”
Lucy was taken aback by this. She just couldn’t figure out whether he had lost his mind or really had nowhere else to go.
“I told you to stop playing with my head. Pack your things. You’re out of here tomorrow.”
But James refused to give up. He kept arguing his point, bringing up increasingly nonsensical reasons.
“Can’t you see? I’ve stayed faithful to you!”
“And what exactly are you implying?”
“I’m saying that since our divorce, I’ve been with no one else.”
At this moment, Lucy grabbed her head. Apparently, James was really losing it.
“Why should that matter to me? To be honest, I don’t care who you share your bed with!”
“But it bothers me. I can’t be with anyone else but you, Lucy. And now I can’t be with you either… Because…”
Lucy interrupted him.
“Stop, I don’t want to hear any more.”
She gathered her things and decided to take a walk, just to get away from James.
The truth of it was this. She had planned to divorce him for a long time. But she kept delaying it because she felt sorry. They had been together for five years, and it weighed heavily on her to make such a decision.
However, her husband’s constant lies were gnawing at her. Especially lies about his job. He would always make up stories about receiving a promotion, claiming he held a prestigious position when in reality, he was still just a regular employee earning £1,000 a month. That was the final straw in their relationship.
Why lie about it? It was beyond her understanding!
Lucy pondered this throughout the evening. She didn’t feel like going home, so she chose to stay at a friend’s. Of course, James blew up her phone with endless calls. But she was in no mood to answer or report back to him.
“I don’t get it, Lucy. Are you some sort of Mother Teresa?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your James. It’s your fault. That’s why he doesn’t want to leave.”
“Yes, I know I messed up. But I can’t just throw him onto the streets…”
“But you’ll still kick him out tomorrow, right?”
“I will. Because I always keep my word.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No, there’s nothing to regret. I’m not kicking out a child. It’s an adult man who should sort out his own life.”
The next day, Lucy returned home only to find no suitcase by the door.
“You’re still here?”
“Lucy! Where were you?” exclaimed James.
“It’s none of your concern.”
“Did you stay with a man?”
“For the last time, it’s none of your business! Pack your bags and get out!”
James began circling around her.
“Lucy, listen, I really can’t cope without you. I was worried!”
“Enough! I told you, get out!”
But her words seemed to have no effect on James, or he pretended not to hear her.
“I’m still loyal to you, don’t you get it?”
Lucy realized this conversation was meaningless and wouldn’t lead anywhere.
“You have five minutes. Otherwise, I’ll call the police.”
James didn’t believe her, so Lucy did what she promised. Her ex was quickly ushered out with his belongings. He didn’t have any claim to the flat, nor was he registered to live there.
Luckily, Lucy had inherited this property. She couldn’t even imagine what might have happened if they had owned it together.
If that were the case, James probably would’ve never left. After all, he always had that ironclad excuse. He was the faithful ex-husband…
