Page 21 of Sassy & Sixty
“I've been thinking about it for weeks, and I just... I had to call. We were good together once, weren't we? Maybe we could be again."
Rosie's thoughts were a whirlwind. Images flashed through her mind – years of shared history with Derek, the pain of their separation, the newfound joy she'd discovered with her friends, the spark of possibility with Mike. How could she possibly make sense of it all?
“What are you suggesting?”
“I want us to get back together.”
“Derek, you had an affair with a friend of mine.”
“And I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am, and how much I regret that. I adore you. I miss you. Please, Rosie. I really want us to get back together.”
"I... I need some time to think about this, Derek," she said finally.
"Of course," Derek replied, sounding relieved that she hadn't outright rejected the idea. "Take all the time you need. I'll be here."
As Rosie ended the call, she turned back to her friends, feeling as though the ground had shifted beneath her feet.
“Everything OK?”
“Yes,” said Rosie. She didn’t want to burden them with the conversation she’d just had.
“You look worried. What is it.”
“It’s nothing, really. Let’s go and find Maria and check she’s OK.”
“They’re in The Albion on Bridge Road. We’ll meet them there.”
They began to walk towards the pub.
‘You look miles away,” said Emma.
“That was my ex-husband,” said Rosie.
All eyes turned to her, concern evident on every face.
"What did he want?" Trisha asked, placing a comforting hand on her arm.
Taking a deep breath, Rosie blurted out, " He wants to get back together."
The resulting chorus of exclamations was so loud that a nearby flock of pigeons took flight in alarm.
"After everything he put you through?"
"Oh, Rosie," Lisa said softly. "How do you feel about that?"
Rosie shook her head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know."
Across town,Derek sat in his sterile apartment, phone still in hand, heart racing after his call to Rosie. He gazed at the generic art on the walls, so different from the warm, lived-in feel of the home he'd shared with Rosie. What had he been thinking?
He remembered the day he'd left, convinced he was suffocating in the routines of married life. Pauline had been a spark, a chance to feel young again. But now, surrounded by the trappings of his "new life," he felt older and more lost than ever.
"You bloody fool," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his thinning hair. The excitement of his fling with Pauline had faded quickly, leaving him with nothing but regret and a deep longing for the life he'd thrown away.
He thought of Rosie, of the little things he missed – her laugh, the way she'd absentmindedly hum while reading, the comfort of simply sitting together in companionable silence. He'd mistaken that comfort for boredom, but now he recognized it for what it was – the deep, abiding love of a shared life.
Derek moved towards to the window. "I have to make this right," he said to his reflection. "Somehow, I have to show Rosie that I understand now. That I want to come home."
In the park,Rosie’s friends clustered around her, offering support and conflicting advice. She felt as though she were standing on the edge of a precipice. Behind her lay the familiar comfort of her life with Derek, flawed as it had been. Ahead stretched an unknown future, filled with both excitement and uncertainty.
