My stomach dropped so hard I actually pressed my palm against it…
“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you. I’m Elliot’s new wife. I know this is strange, but I need to ask you something. Elliot asked me to reach out. He said it would sound better coming from me. I didn’t want to, but… I’ve been feeling weird about how he’s acting. It’s just one question. Can I?”
I stopped cold, wondering what to do.
I considered trying to get a hold of Elliot, but remembered we’d blocked each other.
Then I worried about what Claire, or rather my ex, might ask. That is his new wife’s name, Claire.
“I’m Elliot’s new wife.”
I read the message three more times. Not because it was confusing, but because I was stunned.
I imagined her compiling the message, probably while sitting next to the man it was about and who’d instigated this whole thing.
The message itself was inoffensive, neutral, and kind.
I felt a strange pressure behind my eyes, not tears exactly, but the effort it took not to laugh.
I didn’t answer right away. I knew that whatever I sent back would become part of something bigger than a late-night Facebook exchange.
I read the message three more times.
When I couldn’t sleep because Claire’s looming question kept playing in my mind, I whipped out my phone and texted back tentatively.
“Hi, Claire. This is definitely unexpected. I don’t know if I have the answers you want, but you can go ahead.”
I guess Elliot’s new wife was either anxious about my answer or just glued to her phone because she responded almost immediately.
“Thank you. I am just going to ask you, honestly. Elliot says your divorce was mutual and kind, and that you both agreed it was for the best. Is that true?”
…I whipped out my phone and texted back tentatively.
I didn’t know then whether Elliot had really put her up to it, but the wording felt familiar.
