Colleen left

I woke up to find Colleen missing; she had packed a bag and gone on a road trip to Colorado Springs, to be with a guy she’d met online. I figured this out only after his roommate reached out to me to share the news. She’d left a “dear john” letter on my computer’s desktop but I didn’t notice it until she told me about it later.

My friends and colleagues were very supportive. Her own family even brought me some cupcakes as a sort of apology and to assure me they were as confused by this as I was. Nonetheless, I was an emotional wreck for two weeks.

My recovery was accelerated by Colleen herself. We were having calls to discuss the logistics of separating, and during one she told me she’d made a mistake and was waiting for me to tell her she could come back home. I didn’t take the bait, and felt back in control of my life. Maybe she was being kind and bluffing, but it doesn’t matter.

In hindsight, of course, it was one of the best things to happen to me, and at the perfect time. I was not happy in our marriage but doubt I would have ever taken action to end it. I suspect she would not have, either, after my upcoming promotion or my father’s diagnosis.