We finalized our divorce a month ago. Have you forgotten anything?
“Nick, remember this is your last day in my house, right?” asked Lucy.
“What do you mean already?”
“Yes, are you surprised? We agreed you’d sort out your accommodation by the 26th of May. Meanwhile, you’ve been staying here.”
“Time has flown by…”
Nick and Lucy split a month earlier. However, Nick had nowhere specific to go. He struggled to find a suitable place to live. Or was he even trying to? That’s a different story.
“Don’t try to sweet-talk me. Tomorrow, you’re out!”
“But where?”
“I don’t know. That’s none of my concern anymore.”
Nick jumped up from his chair.
“How could you, Lucy? We were family.”
“We? There’s no ‘we’ anymore. We divorced a month ago. Have you forgotten already?”
“I’m telling you, time flies.”
“Once again… spare me your stories.”
In reality, Nick truly had nowhere to go. He had lost touch with friends over time, and some old acquaintances weren’t really pleasant. His family lived in another region, and staying over at acquaintances was definitely not an option. What now? His only hope was to persuade Lucy.
And while he could potentially crash at a train station, there was another reason Nick didn’t want to leave the apartment.
“You know, I was really hoping…”
“For what?”
“That we’d get back together.”
Lucy burst into laughter, which clearly upset Nick.
“Did I say something funny?”
“Isn’t it amusing to you?”
“Not at all.”
“But it is to me. Listen, enough with the charade and playground antics. We’re adults, after all.”
“Exactly! That’s why I want to talk like adults. Lucy, we split for such a trivial thing.”
His ex-wife raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“In your world, constant lying is trivial?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“I understand you perfectly!”
“No, that’s not it! We acted rashly; it happens. Lucy, we can start anew. Please!”
Lucy was taken aback. But she couldn’t understand if Nick had lost his mind or truly had nowhere else to go.
“I’ve said enough; stop spinning stories. Pack your things. You’re leaving tomorrow.”
Yet, Nick couldn’t stop. He kept trying to make his case with more and more arguments. One of his was beyond absurd!
“Don’t you see, I’ve been faithful to you!”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Since our separation, I haven’t been with anyone.”
Lucy held her head. Clearly, Nick was starting to lose it.
“Why would I care? Honestly, I’m not concerned who you’re with!”
“But it matters to me. I can’t be with anyone but you, Lucy. And right now, not even with you… Because…”
Lucy interrupted him.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
She gathered her things and decided to go for a walk. Anything to avoid seeing Nick.
In reality, this is how it was. She had planned to divorce him for a while but kept putting it off, feeling guilty. After all, they’d spent five years together, and making such a decision wasn’t easy.
But Nick’s perpetual dishonesty was unbearable, especially about work. He would concoct tales about getting a promotion, claiming he held a prestigious position, when in truth, he remained a low-level manager earning £20,000 annually. That was the final straw.
Why lie? It was incomprehensible!
Lucy pondered this throughout the evening. She had no desire to return home, opting instead to stay at a friend’s. Nick, of course, overloaded her with calls, but she refused to answer, feeling no obligation to report to him.
“I don’t get it, Lucy. You’re like some kind of Mother Theresa.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your Nick. You brought this on yourself. Now he doesn’t want to leave.”
“Yes, I see I’ve made a mistake. But I can’t just throw him out on the street…”
“You’ll do it tomorrow anyway, right?”
“I will. I always keep my word.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No, there’s nothing to regret. I’m not kicking out a child, but a grown man who should sort out his own life.”
The next day, when Lucy returned home, she didn’t see Nick’s suitcase by the door.
“You’re still here?”
“Lucy! Where were you?” Nick exclaimed.
“It’s none of your business now.”
“Did you stay at a man’s place?”
“I’ll repeat: it’s not your business! Pack your things and get out!”
Nick started to pace around his ex-wife.
“Lucy, please, I really can’t handle this. I was worried about you!”
“Enough! I said get out.”
But Nick acted as if her words didn’t affect him or pretended not to hear.
“I’m being faithful to you; how don’t you see?”
Lucy realised that this conversation was futile and leading nowhere.
“You have 5 minutes. Or I’ll call the police.”
Nick didn’t believe her, so Lucy did as promised. Her ex-husband was promptly escorted out with his belongings. He had no claim to the apartment, nor was he registered there.
Fortunately, Lucy inherited the flat. She dreaded the thought of what might have happened if they owned it jointly.
Under such circumstances, Nick would never leave. After all, he always had his steel argument: he was a devoted ex-husband.
