When the week was over, I came home with the kids, ready to start our new chapter. But what I walked into was nothing short of a nightmare.
The wallpaper – gorgeous floral wallpaper – was gone.
The living room walls, once covered in the beautiful floral paper we’d picked out together, were peeled back. Torn pieces of drywall peeked through, as if the house had been skinned alive. My stomach churned as I followed the trail of destruction into the kitchen.
And there he was – Dan – tearing down another strip of wallpaper like a man possessed.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ I shouted.
He turned around, completely unfazed. ‘I bought that wallpaper. They’re mine.’
‘Dan,’ I finally managed. ‘You’re destroying the house your children live in.’
‘Mum?’ Jack’s voice shook. ‘Why is Dad doing this to our walls?’
He burst into tears. ‘I loved the flowers! They were beautiful! Why are you tearing up the wallpaper, Daddy?’
I knelt down on my knees, trying to shield them from the sight of my father methodically destroying our house. ‘Hey, hey, it’s okay. We can pick out new wallpaper together. Something even prettier. Would you like that?’
‘But why is he taking them away?’ Emma hiccupped between sobs.
I didn’t have an answer that wouldn’t hurt them more. I threw Dan a glare, sharp enough to melt him.
He just shrugged and said: ‘I paid for it. And I have every right to destroy it!’
As Dan continued to tear up the wallpaper, I noticed children peering out from around the corner, their little faces bewildered and frightened. My heart burst with pity for them. I didn’t want this to be a memory for them of their father in this house.
So I took a deep breath and said: ‘Okay. Do whatever you want.’ Then I took the kids to the car and drove away.
When I got back that evening, things were even worse than I expected.
Dan had become completely petty. There were no dishes in the kitchen, no toaster, not even a coffee maker. He even took all the toilet paper out of the bathroom…and pretty much everything he bought with his own money.
‘You’re just INCREDIBLE!’ muttered I.
This was crazy. But I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had hit a nerve with me.
A month later, I joined a book club. At first it was just a way to get out of the house and feel like myself again. But the women there quickly became my support system.
One evening, after a couple of glasses of wine, I told the story of the wallpaper. I described every absurd detail, from the peeling walls to the missing toilet paper.
‘Wait, he took the toilet paper too?’ Cassie, one of the women, gasped with laughter.
‘Yes!’ I said, laughing in spite of myself. ‘I can’t believe I married a man so ridiculous I don’t even want to say his name.’
‘Girl,’ Cassie said, wiping tears from her eyes, ’you dodged a bullet. Who does that? A grown man ripping wallpaper off the walls? He looks like an overgrown toddler. God, please don’t reveal his name or we’ll start despising every man with that name!’
The entire table erupted into laughter. It was cathartic. It was the first time I had ever truly laughed at the whole mess.
‘You know what was the worst part?’ I admitted to the group, my wine glass nearly empty. ‘Trying to explain it to the kids. How do you tell kids that their father cares more about the wallpaper than their happiness?’
Betty, another book club member, reached out and squeezed my palm. ‘Children are resilient. They’ll remember who stayed and who put them first. That’s what matters.’
‘I hope so,’ I whispered, thinking of Emma’s tears and Jack’s confusion. ‘God, I hope so.’
I didn’t know karma was just beginning.
Six months had passed. Life had taken a new direction. The kids were thriving and I had put the chaos of divorce behind me. Dan barely crossed my mind – until the day he called me out of nowhere.
‘Hi,’ he said in a smug tone. ‘I thought you should know – I’m getting married next month. Some women really want to be with me. And I’ve found a gorgeous hottie!’
‘Congratulations,’ I said, keeping my voice even. Then I hung up the phone.
I thought that would be the end of it. But a few weeks later, I was strolling through the city centre, enjoying a rare solitary stroll, when I spotted Dan across the street. He was holding hands with a woman.
At first, I didn’t pay much attention. I assumed it was his fiancée and kept walking. But then they crossed the street and walked straight towards me.
As they got closer, my stomach cramped. It was Cassie-my friend from book club.
Her face lit up when she saw me. ‘Oh my god, hi!’ – She said, nudging Dan towards me. ‘It’s such a small world! I have so much to tell you! I’m engaged, this is my fiancé, his name is…’
I smiled strainedly. ‘Yes, Dan! I know.’
Cassie blinked, her smile fading. ‘Wait…you two know each other?’
Dan looked like he wanted to disappear. He gripped her hand tighter and clenched his jaw.