My wife's lover and I shared the same birthday. So at dinner, my son asked, "Dad, are we celebrating your birthday a day early again this year?"
My wife picked at her food without looking up. "There's no time."
"Uncle Antony is turning twenty-five this year. He wants to go scuba diving in the Philippines, so he needs to take swimming lessons beforehand. There's just no room in the schedule."
I'd spent five years celebrating my birthday a day early. This year, I didn't even get that.
My son, Tommy Abbott, lit up with excitement. "I want to go diving too! Mom, can I come with you guys? Please?"
Annabel Cobb nodded, then turned to me. "Mason Stephens, just text me your birthday wish. Whatever you want, I'll make it happen."
What I wanted was a divorce.
...
I was clearing the table when Annabel called Antony Gilbert.
"Tommy wants to come too. Is that okay on your end?"
Antony's voice came through the speaker, playful and grinning. "Why wouldn't it be? Unless you're planning something naughty."
Annabel's cheeks flushed red. "Keep talking like that and see what happens." She laughed, fingers idly spinning the shelf organizer I'd just bought. "Don't come begging when you see me."
While they flirted, I looked at Tommy.
"You really want to go? You won't stay and celebrate Dad's birthday?"
Tommy didn't glance up from his phone. "Yeah. It's more fun with Mom and Uncle Antony."
I didn't say a word. I went to the bedroom, pulled out a suitcase, and started packing their clothes.
A memory surfaced unbidden. Our first trip together, Annabel and I. We were eighteen, and some vendor at a tourist trap had charged us five hundred dollars for a love lock. We'd been so naive.
Annabel had squeezed my hand. "When our company makes money, we'll buy every lock on that fence. We'll hang as many as we want."
The company did make money. But she stopped loving me.
I still remembered the day I found those texts on Annabel's phone. The flirtatious messages between her and Antony. I'd asked for a divorce, and Annabel had cried, clutching my arm, swearing through her tears.
"I was wrong. I promise it won't happen again. I'll make him leave the company tomorrow."
Later, Annabel gave Antony the official title of boyfriend, out in the open for the world to see. She stood before me in a crisp white blazer and said, "Mason, don't worry. I know how to keep things separate. He won't affect our life together."
I'd been so furious I smashed the matching mugs we'd bought for our wedding.
That night, I lay awake for hours. I thought about the promises I'd made when I first confessed my feelings. I thought about our wedding vows. I thought about how fragile she'd looked in that hospital bed after Tommy was born.
I looked at the baby sleeping in his crib. The next morning, I went out and bought two acrylic cups to replace the broken ones.
And I accepted Antony Gilbert's existence in my life.
Tommy's voice yanked me back to the present. He burst into the room.
"Dad, I'm not wearing any of these ugly clothes you picked!"
I caught his small hand. "Your lungs aren't great, buddy. It's going to be windy by the ocean. You need something that blocks the wind."
"No! I don't want to! No!"
His wailing brought Annabel in. She tucked her phone away and stepped through the doorway.
"Enough, Mason. The Philippines is hot. None of this is going to get worn. The three of us will go shopping tomorrow."
"You don't need to pack."
One sentence. That was all it took to erase an entire evening of effort.
I reached into the suitcase and pulled out the allergy medication I'd prepared for Annabel and Tommy.
If they didn't need me, then they got nothing.
When I took Tommy to his after-school class, he was already bragging to the other kids.
"My mom and dad and I are going scuba diving in the Philippines!"
One of the boys glanced up at me. "Your dad... knows how to dive?"
Tommy dropped my hand. "Not this dad." He scrambled to explain. "My other dad. The one who's cooler and younger."
"If you don't believe me, just wait after class. My dad's picking me up to go shopping for new clothes."
