He finally told her the truth.
I had been paying for Marcel.
I had been paying her condo.
Then she asked how much Buffford earned.
$71,400.
She sat down.
She asked whether the condo she had thanked him for in 2021 had actually been paid by me.
He said yes.
Then she found the $4,000 boat withdrawal too.
She said almost nothing.
She simply put the dishes away.
That was Willadine.
Silence was how she handled truths that demanded too much from her.
The divorce itself became simpler after the disclosures.
My linen route had been mine before the marriage.
Buffford kept his retirement account.
His truck.
Half the value of the house.
And his boat share, by then worth around $1,900.
He did not ask for spousal support.
I still don’t know whether that came from decency or embarrassment.
Before the school hearing, Rolene came to my dock at six in the morning wearing courtroom shoes.
I was counting carts.
She held out a paper.
“I need you to sign something.”
Her attorney wanted a statement saying the school payments had been gifts and that I had never really been responsible for the account.
I looked at her.
“My name is on the responsible-party line.”
“You didn’t know what that meant.”
That almost made me laugh.
I had been running a business since twenty-six.
I had signed commercial leases, vehicle notes, hospital contracts, and bank loans.
I went to my file cabinet.
Pulled out copies of all three school agreements.
Handed them to her.