She brought a calendar.
“I’d rather arrange two weekends you can definitely manage than four weekends you might cancel,” she explained.
Normally, I would have taken offense.
This time, I nodded.
“That makes sense.”
We discussed my job search and agreed on visits that fit our existing parenting arrangements.
Before leaving, I looked at her.
“Can I ask you something?”
She closed the calendar.
“About what?”
“Paris.”
She sighed softly.
“What about it?”
“How did you afford to go?”
“I started saving after we separated.”
“And Daniel?”
“He paid for himself. I paid for myself.”
I stared at her.
All those years, I’d claimed we couldn’t travel because Helena had too many responsibilities.
Yet once we separated, she’d found a way to make the dream happen.
“Was it everything you imagined?” I asked.
She smiled.
“Not exactly.”
I looked surprised.
“It rained. We got lost twice. Daniel got terrible blisters from his shoes. And one of the restaurants we’d planned to visit was closed.”
