Love is Like the Wind, Love is Gone Without a Trace

I was severely injured in a car accident.

Claudine, who vowed to love me forever while kneeling in front of my parents, didn't even give me a glance. Her eyes were filled with affection and adoration as she assisted her childhood sweetheart in tightening his seat belt.

"What a lame trick! Did they want to take advantage of this to steal a kiss?” I said.

My life was spared in time by a bystander who called for an ambulance.

***

A week later, Claudine’s childhood sweetheart, Edgar Grant showed up to show me his one million-dollar watch.

"Archie, you told me you always wanted this watch, right? Claudine just gave it to me. Do you want it?

I gave him a cold stare and said, "No."

Even my six-year wife, Claudine Fowler, wasn't someone I wanted.

I packed my bags that evening and headed to the beach for a half-month getaway. I got a lot of calls from Claudine, who hadn't spoken to me in over ten days.

"Where have you gone, Archie? You agreed to go with me to undergo IVF yesterday, didn't you?” From the telephone, came Claudine's fiery voice.

Without a word, I simply took a bite of an ice cream.

Hearing the sound, Claudine on the other end of the line appeared to frown.

"Archie, are you eating ice cream again? The doctor advised both of us to avoid raw and cold foods throughout the pregnancy preparation phase, so we are no longer permitted to eat them!"

I scowled as I took another large bite. "No need to avoid it."

I was injured in a car accident half a month ago and was bleeding heavily, so I asked Claudine to drive me to the hospital. She didn't even glance at me, though. Her eyes were exclusively focused on Edgar, her childhood sweetheart, who was sitting in the nearby car. She gently assisted him in tightening his seat belts, her brows full of tenderness and ambivalence. And I stared in anguish as they drove away while I laid in a pool of blood.

Afterward, I spent seven days in the hospital.

While Edgar spent seven days in a row posting on Snapchat Moments.

“I went skiing with the little princess today! I have no idea how to ski, but this little princess was eager to show me step by step. She is really patient. Does anyone realize how skilled she is at this?

"I went mountain climbing today with the little princess. Kissing on the summit of the mountain felt amazing!”

***

When I mentioned I didn't need to skip eating, Claudine didn't seem to care.

From the phone came her agitated voice.

"Stop being angry. I just thought of calling you at night because I couldn't recall the date yesterday. It's not a huge problem. It's all my fault that I'm so busy. I'll take tomorrow off and go with you to the hospital for IVF, at the very least."

"So, where are you now? I'll come get you."

I hung up the phone, ignoring her. She contacted me several times after that and I became irritated and shut off my phone.

As soon as I exited the airport after returning from the beach, I noticed Claudine's car parked on the side of the road. Her gaze landed on my face as she rolled down the window.

"Oh, so now you still remember to return home? This is the longest you've ever been away from me and you didn't even say a thing! No one has cleaned the house while you've been gone for so long. Did you know that?"

Taking the effort to sit in the back seat, I put on my headphones and got into the car.

After a long moment without the car starting, Claudine scowled a little and turned back to face me.

"Why did you sit in there?"

"What did you say?" I said, taking off one of my headphones because I couldn't hear her properly.

The lighting obscured Claudine's face as she said, "You only sat in the passenger seat before."

I looked down and chuckled, remembering the old days. I assumed that the passenger seat was reserved for the spouse, like most guys who want to show that they were loved.