The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg Read Free Book Online Page A

have, too. I guess I had more time to get ready than I’d thought. In the back of my mind, I think I’d resigned myself long ago to our not staying together.
    “Look, down the road, I can see us all having dinner together, you and Sandy, and me and Fred, and the kids… and the grandkids! Things will all work out. But, Pete, you have to listen to me, now. You have to hear me. I don’t want to live with you again. It wasn’t good for me, as it turns out. I’m happier now.” She sighs. “I’m sorry, pal.”
    “Aw, Christ. Don’t call me ‘pal .’”
    “I always call you that.”
    “Yeah, but now it means something different.” He stares miserably at the table, where the sun has come through the window to illuminate his hands. They are clenched so tightly together his knuckles are white. He separates them and clears his throat. “Hey, Nora? Did you get the invitation to our fortieth high school reunion?”
    “Yes. I threw it away.”
    “You’re not going?”
    “When have I ever gone to one of our reunions? I didn’t RSVP, but Pam will figure it out. Not that she was the brightest girl. Nice , though. And always so cheerful! She always said hi to you every time she passed you in the hall, remember? ‘Oh, hi !’ in that real excited way, even if she’d just seen you. She’d say hi and wave. Once she started to wave to me and she dropped all her books. I helped her pick them up and we bumped heads and it really hurt . And then we couldn’t stop laughing, we were just sitting on the floor and laughing and then we were late for class.” Nora shakes her head, smiling. “God. Pam Pottsman. I haven’t thought about her in years. Maybe I will call and tell her I’m not coming. I’ll catch up with her a little bit.”
    “Don’t call!” Pete says, so loudly that Nora jumps.
    “Sorry,” he says, and smashes down the hair at the back of his head, a nervous habit he hates. “Don’t call her,” he says again. “Or do call, but say you’re coming. Say you’re coming with me.”
    “But I’m not coming with you!”
    “Will you? Please? It’s the last one!”
    “Pete. No.”
    He gets up and stands before her. He holds her familiar face in his hands—oh, God, look at her. “Nora. I fucked up big-time. I know it. I fucked up for years. I’m sorry . I heard you, when you said we were done, I heard you, okay?”
    She starts to respond and he talks over her. “No. No. Listen to me. We were married for a long time, Nora. A long time, you know? Why don’t you just think about going with me? That’s all I’m asking. Just think about it. I know it wouldn’t necessarily mean anything. But if you’d go with me, I’d be so—”
    “Pete, I can’t. Fred and I are going on a trip that weekend.”
    He can’t speak. He stares at her and feels again that terrible ripping sensation in his chest.
    “We’re going to the Grand Canyon,” she says.
    Oh, for fuck’s sake. The Grand Canyon . Which she’s already seen, she went with a couple of girlfriends not two years ago!
    “You know what, Nora? I’ll take you to Paris. I will. No strings attached or anything. First class! You can have your own hotel room, if you want. If you need to. We can go—”
    “Okay, Pete, enough. Listen, I made a mistake with you this morning, and I am fully prepared to take responsibility for it. I think you should do the same, though I recognize that it’s not really my business anymore what you do. But now let’s just move on. Let’s not see each other for a while. If anything with the kids comes up, I’ll tell you. Or, you know, anything else you really need to know about. But let’s not see each other for a while. Let’s look upon what happened today as a final goodbye, and get on with our lives. Okay?”
    “Nora,” he says. “I’ll do whatever you want. I will. But let me just ask you something. And don’t answer yet! Don’t answer yet. I want to ask something very important.” He sees her mouth tighten and