How did Anise end up here? Every damned time. It was time to stop lying to herself. She knew why. If you date cheaters, it’s only a matter of time before they cheat on you.
And here she was, looking deep into Chad’s eyes, knowing he hadn’t broken up with Merise yet. Anise was no better. She’d only left Rod a few days ago after walking in on him with Lily.
What was it her lab supervisor had said to her during her first year of university? Oh, yeah, “There are worse things than being alone.”
Terrified of that very thing, but determined to do better this time, to not walk into another disaster in the making, Anise pulled her hand from Chad’s and slid her chair out from the table. At least she had met him at this out-of-town restaurant, making sure she had her own transportation.
Chad’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Of course they did. They were always sure they had her at this stage. Not this time.
“I’m not doing this,” Anise said, holding her head high for the first time in what felt like decades. “I’m worth more than this. Than you.” Smiling and finally getting it, she added, “There are worse things than being alone.”
This story grew from a prompt and a memory. The prompt was to write a story about someone breaking a cycle. The memory was of a T.A. (teaching assistant—a graduate student) from my second year biology class who shared with me that she had left her husband after years of being controlled by him. She told me she had finally realized that there were worse things than being alone. I couldn’t agree more.
Absolutely!! My first husband taught me that and it was a lesson that served me well. I met myself, learned who I was and what I wanted out of life. I dreamed and laughed and cried and explored the reaches of my imagination and my strengths. And when I met my second husband, I was someone completely different than I ever thought I'd be.
There are definitely worse things than being alone