Chapter 21

By the time Monday arrives, I’m very much ready to head back home. The plan was to get on the road mid-afternoon so that we could miss rush hour traffic both in Boston and in New York. But considering nobody is packed at the time Nancy is making us sandwiches for lunch, I suspect our plan is going to fall apart. I’m not looking forward to dealing with Ben in traffic.

Leah and I are in the living room, watching one of her inane shows on television. I hate to admit that I have somehow gotten sucked into the plot. I don’t know how I can get drawn into a storyline involving a duck, a hamster, and a turtle trying to save a baby elephant in distress, but somehow I can’t take my eyes off the screen. This baby elephant is in deep trouble.

Ben wanders into the living room, still unshowered, wearing the T-shirt he slept in and a pair of sweatpants. He blinks at us. “What are you watching? ”

“Some stupid show.” I look him over. “You really ought to shower. Didn’t you say you wanted to get on the road by three?”

“Yeah.” He scratches his head, making his hair stand up. “About that. Listen, Jane, I was thinking…” He takes a deep breath. “I thought maybe I’d stay another couple of days.”

I stare at him. “What? You know I’ve got to be back at work tomorrow!”

“I know.” He tugs at the hem of his T-shirt. “I thought maybe… I’d stay here myself. And you could go back with Leah.”

I get this sinking feeling in my stomach. He doesn’t want to go back with us?

“I feel like I’ve had difficulty focusing on my work at home,” he says. “I just think… it’s so quiet here. I’d kind of like a couple of days to myself.”

I don’t even know what to say. It doesn’t feel like the right step in our marriage to be leaving him behind when I go back to New York. But at the same time, don’t they say that time apart can help?

“How am I supposed to get back without the car?” I say.

“You can take my car,” he offers. “Or take the train back. Or catch a flight.”

He clearly desperately wants to be rid of us .

“I don’t think I can deal with Leah by myself in the car for that long,” I tell him.

He raises his eyebrows. “Seriously? She’s one kid. You really can’t manage one kid?”

“Are you kidding me?” I shoot back. “On the drive here, you acted like you were going to snap and murder us all!”

“No, I didn’t. Come on.”

I let out an exasperated breath. “And what am I supposed to do with her alone for two days?”

Ben throws up his hands. “Are you really this helpless? You can’t manage your own daughter alone for a couple of days?”

“If it’s so easy,” I say, “why don’t I go home myself and leave her here? Then you can bring her home if it’s so easy.”

It’s not a real threat. I’d never leave Leah behind.

“Look,” Ben says, “I need a few days to myself. Please, Jane.”

“A few or a couple?”

He sighs. “What’s the difference?”

“A few is three,” I explain. “A couple is two.”

“Jane…” He lowers his head. “Please. I need this.”

So when it comes down to it, what choice do I have?