9
<
Jason was smart.
He had another chance.
After two years, he got back on his feet.
He started a tech company.
He suffered more than he had last time.
By thirty, his hair was gray.
Brittany went back to Jason. They got
married.
My mom said: “I don’t know what he’s
thinking, marrying a sl*t.”
L
0
I said: “They’re in love. She’s the mother of
his child. He can’t give her up.”
My mom said: “She was dressed like a
hooker, trying to show off. She said she
wanted to see you, the military officer. She’s
obsessed with you.”
I knew why Brittany was asking about me.
At a reunion, Jason had had too much to
drink. He started talking about high school
and how sorry he was.
Brittany didn’t like it.
7
She started to spread rumors about me.
She said I couldn’t get Jason, so I joined the
military to become a nun.
She said I had been calling Jason for years.
Jason denied it.
He told Brittany to stop it or they were
getting a divorce.
Brittany depended on Jason. She couldn’t do
anything.
But their perfect image was ruined.
At thirty–five.
I left the military and became a judge.
I handled every case fairly.
I became known as a tough judge.
0
く
People were afraid to bribe me.
But people were still breaking the law.
When Jason’s mom came to me, she was
carrying a bag of gold.
She was there for Jason.
“You and Jason grew up together,” she said.
“You know what kind of person he is.”
“Brittany tricked him. He wouldn’t have done
this otherwise.”
“Help him. It’s a small thing. You can fix it.”
“We’ve gotten Jason and that bi*ch divorced.
If you want, Jason…‘
11
O
<
Jason’s dad was there, too.
He was worried about his son.
Their son was a successful businessman.
They wanted to help him.
I understood.
But I couldn’t do it.
I arrested them for bribery.
Jason found me.
He looked tired, but calm.
“I haven’t been able to see you for years,” he said. “But now I’m here.”
I stared at him.
**You joined the military,” he said. “I thought it
was strange. But then I heard you were a
judge. That’s when I understood. You’ve been
waiting for me.”
He started to cry.
“I ruined your life. I ruined your parents‘ lives.”
“I deserve this.”
He confessed to everything.
I just listened and took notes.
When he was done.
He asked: “If it wasn’t for Brittany, would we
be here?”
1 stared at him. “There’s no ‘what if‘.”
I had thought about it, too.
If it wasn’t for Brittany, maybe Jason and I
would have gotten married and had a family.
But what if there was someone else?
Jason wasn’t meant for me.
He would have left me anyway.
“We’re going to MIT together,” he said.
“We’re going to be together forever.”
It was just a joke.
But I had taken it seriously.
His promise was beautiful.
And empty.
