Chapter 4: A Voice in the Darkness

I must’ve tapped something by accident, because in the silent night, a gentle female voice came through:

"Jack?"

My heart skipped a beat.

I picked up the phone.

"Sarah... Winters?"

Sarah Winters was a fellow patient.

Three years of treatment in the hospital. My aphasia had gotten much better.

Only when I was really down or nervous did I lose my voice.

The two years I was married to Shawna, I was almost cured.

Feeling good and with free time, I joined a patient support group.

My assigned support partner was Sarah Winters.

For two whole years, I’d thought she was a guy—

an abstract superhero avatar, Messenger name "Spider."

At first, "he" barely responded to me.

But people with aphasia—we get each other.

Most have deep psychological trauma.

They might not be able to talk,

but they need company.

I kept sharing my daily life with "him,"

from texts to voice messages,

from photos to videos.

Eventually, it felt like we were old friends.

So the first time I called and heard her voice—a woman—I almost had a relapse right then and there.

"Sor... sorry."

I held the phone. "Didn’t mean... to bother you..."

"It’s fine," Sarah said. "It’s only nine p.m. here."

She spoke so fluently now. I almost didn’t recognize her.

This was only our second call.

After realizing she was a woman, I’d tried to keep my distance.

That day was pure coincidence.

I hadn’t contacted her for almost a month.

It just so happened that when Shawna handed me the divorce papers, she asked what I was doing.

My mind went blank at the words "divorce papers."

I just replied: [Getting divorced.]

After signing, I hid outside Shawna’s office, shaking all over.

[Sarah, I think... I’m about to lose my home.]

My home. Gone.

No dad, no mom, no sister, not even my beloved puppy.

Now not even Shawna.

What should I do?

I didn’t expect her to reply with:

[Then why not just marry me?]

The laughter from inside got even louder.

"Come on, if Jack Quinn really divorced Shawna, he’d probably be too tongue-tied to say a word! Like he’d ever actually get a divorce decree!"

"Yeah, if he really had to go through with it, he’d probably cry so loud he’d bring the whole courthouse down!"

"Really?"

Shawna let out a mocking laugh.

She set her coffee cup down on the table. "Even if he’s ugly-crying, he’ll still be my lapdog."

"If I say jump, he’ll jump!"

I stared at the woman beyond the door. She was a stranger now.

[Okay.]

Sarah sent me a list.

Things to get done in a month.

Visa, lawyer—those went without saying.

But she’d also listed a ton of must-try restaurants.

[American food abroad isn’t good. Trust me.]

[Seriously.]

I gladly accepted.

I worked my way through her list, eating at each place one by one.

Living alone didn’t seem so hard anymore.

Eat, shop, pack my bags.