Spring City
In the living room, after dinner, I sit with a glass in hand, feeling an overwhelming urge to leave. Each sip of my drink only adds to the weight of my weariness.
Finally, I can’t take it anymore. ‘May I leave now?’ The words come out more desperate than I intend.
‘Why so soon, Aisling?’ My aunt Geneva questions.
I’m blunt in my response. ‘I shouldn’t even be here.’
My mother tries to intervene. ‘Aisling…’
But I’m past the point of consolation. ‘You made me cancel dinner with Duke. I can’t understand it, Mum. This is just another dinner. Why today?’
Her eyes meet mine, filled with a mix of concern and regret. ‘Are you still angry with me?’
I struggle to keep my composure. ‘I’m trying not to be. But you stepped into my marriage, and that’s not okay.’
Her apology is heartfelt. ‘I’m sorry, Aisling.’
Geneva tries to lighten the mood. ‘Come on, Aisling. Relax a little. Enjoy the evening.’
I’ve had enough. I place my glass on the table and stand up, feeling every eye in the room on me. ‘No, Aunty.’
‘Are you leaving?’ Kari asks, her voice laced with concern.
‘Yes,’ I say, my impatience clear. ‘Isn’t dinner over?’
My aunt is persistent, her eyes pleading. ‘Stay a little longer. It’s only eight-fifteen.’
I start to respond, but she cuts me off, leaving me standing there, torn between staying out of obligation and leaving to preserve my own peace.
I stand there, on the edge of leaving, when Aunt Geneva’s words halt me. ‘There’s a reason we gathered you here tonight,’ she says, and the seriousness in her voice is unmistakable.
I can’t hide my confusion. ‘A reason?’ My eyebrow arches in skepticism.
‘Yes,’ she insists firmly. ‘There’s more to this evening. Please, sit back down.’
I stop, a sense of foreboding washing over me. ‘What’s going on? Is it something bad?’
My mother and Aunt Geneva both shake their heads, assuring me it’s not what I fear.
My impatience grows. ‘Then what is it?’
‘Please, Aisling, sit down.’ Mum’s voice is heavy with concern.
I turn to Kari, looking for answers. Her nod, filled with sadness, only deepens my anxiety.
‘What’s happening?’ I demand, feeling a chill of dread.
‘You’re scaring me.’ My voice shakes as I say.
Aunt Geneva steps closer, her gaze intense. ‘Aisling…’
I brace myself, ‘Yes, Aunty?’
Her next words feel like a punch to the gut. ‘Duke is trying to have a baby with another woman…’
Time seems to stand still as her revelation sinks in. A myriad of emotions crashes over me, disbelief, betrayal, pain. My world, as I know it, begins to crumble, leaving me standing amidst the ruins of my shattered trust.
