But I knew that, for them, it would feel like the floor was dropping out from underneath them.
The cabin I rented was right outside a sleepy little town, complete with a small deck overlooking a lake.
When I woke up that first morning, the clock read 7 a.m. out of pure habit.
My body tensed up, waiting for the blare of the TV, the kids screaming for their backpacks, and Vanessa complaining about her schedule.
But there was nothing but silence.
A deep, healing silence.
I got up, threw on some comfortable clothes, and walked out onto the deck.
No one was demanding a single thing from me.
There was no laundry to sort, no to-do lists plastered on the fridge.
I took a deep breath of the crisp air and physically felt the weight lift off my shoulders.
Around 10:00 a.m., my phone lit up.
The screen flashed Julian’s name.
I let it ring until it went to voicemail.
5 minutes later, Vanessa’s name popped up.
I didn’t answer that one either.
I made myself a cup of tea, curled up in an armchair, and opened a book.
By noon, I figured it was time to check my messages.
Vanessa had left a voicemail.
Her tone was this wild mix of disbelief and barely contained rage.
“Lorraine, I am standing at the checkout line at Whole Foods, and your card was declined. Do you have any idea how humiliating this is? And we saw your little letter. You can’t just shut off the Wi-Fi. The kids need it for school, and we don’t have time to deal with customer service. Call me back immediately.”
I cracked a small smile and deleted the audio.
Julian had sent a much more cautious text message.
“Mom, please just tell me you’re okay. We’re really confused. What is all this about? Vanessa is freaking out.”
I didn’t reply.