I also watched Marcus look at the clock.

I thought he would stay.

Instead, he zipped his suitcase and said, “A chance like this comes once in a lifetime.”

So I smiled through tears and told him to send pictures.

I am not proud of that smile.

It was the expression I used when I had already asked for something important and could not bear to hear him refuse again.

For four months, I waited.

When the girls were born early, tiny as dolls, I sent him photos with shaking hands.

He replied, “CUTE.”

Then nothing that resembled the conversation I needed.

He kept posting happy photographs online while my messages sat unanswered for hours, then days.

When he did reply, there were questions that required no effort to ask and received little interest when I answered.

How are they?

You okay?