My December

Never Again

Never Again
I hope the ring you gave to her
turns her finger green
I hope when you’re in bed with her
you think of me
I would never wish bad things
but I don’t wish you well
Could you tell
by the flames that burned your words
I never read your letter
'cause I knew what you’d say
Give me that Sunday school answer
tryin' make it all okay

Does it hurt
to know I'll never be there
Bet it sucks
to see my face everywhere
It was you
who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
And don’t say
you simply lost your way
She may believe you
but I never will
never again

If she really knows the truth
she deserves you
A trophy wife Oh, how cute
Ignorance is bliss
But when your day comes
and he’s through with you
and he’ll be through with you
You’ll die together, but alone
You wrote me in a letter
you couldn’t say it right to my face
Give me that Sunday school answer
repent yourself away

Does it hurt
To know I'll never be there
bet it sucks
to see my face everywhere
It was you
who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
And don't say
you simply lost your way
They may believe you
but I never will
never again

Never again will I hear you
Never again will I miss you
Never again will I fall to you
Never
Never again will I kiss you
Never again will I want to
Never again will I love you
Never!

Does it hurt
to know I'll never be there
Bet it sucks
to see my face everywhere
It was you
who chose to end it like you did
I was the last to know
you knew
exactly what you would do
And don’t say
you simply lost your way
They may believe you
but I never will
I never will
I never will
never again
-----------------------------------------------------

Word Count:851

Prudence sat impatiently in rush hour traffic, in a hurry to get home.

Jeremy was going to be so upset. He was always talking about how he hated her long hours, and how he couldn't stand that she constantly put work above their marriage. She worried that this might be the last straw.

When she finally pulled into her spot at the apartment building that evening, she tried to feel optimistic. Jeremy was her husband; he loved her. How mad could he truly be?

She opened the door to their apartment and knew immediately that something was wrong. It was cold and empty. She flipped on the light, and although everything looked as it always did, she knew the truth.

And when she spotted the letter on the coffee table, she let her keys fall from her shaking hand because she knew what the letter would say before she even touched it.



~*~



When Tera arrived at Prudence's apartment after sundown and put her hand on the door, she was almost too afraid to open it.

Prudence had called, saying nothing more that she needed to see Tera. As Prudence's best friend, Tera knew Prudence would never withhold details unless it was too much to say over the phone.

She finally pushed open the door to find Prudence curled on the couch, staring at a piece of paper on the coffee table.

Prudence didn't look up, only said in a cold, monotone voice, "I don't want to read it. I can't."

Tera closed the door and stepped closer. Picking up the letter, she recognized Jeremy's handwriting. She read the letter, wiping any emotion from her face to keep from upsetting Prudence. When she was done, she set it back down on the glass coffee table without a word.

"Tell me," Prudence whispered. "Is there another woman?"

Tera sat down on the leather couch next to her friend. "Yes."

Prudence shot up from the couch. "I knew it!" She shouted. "I knew he was screwing someone else. He probably has been since we got married."

Tera shook her head, trying not to react to the tears she saw forming in her friend's eyes. "He said she's the first and that he only dated her at first because he was lonely since you were always working."

Prudence's eyes met Tera's. "Do you believe that?"

Tera sighed. "I don't know, Prudence."

Prudence made a sound not unlike a whimper and fell onto the love seat that sat beside the couch. "I can't believe this. Eight years! We've been married for eight years!"

Tera tried to soothe her. "Look on the bright side!"

Prudence threw her a shocked look.

"You don't have kids," she went on. "You can forget you ever married him and move on with a clean slate and nothing to tie you to him."

Prudence grimaced. "Except for my heart."

Tera walked to the love seat and brushed Prudence's long brown hair from her face, where it stuck to her tears. "Prudence, he doesn't even deserve you, much less your heart." She leaned over and snatched the note from the table. "Look at this! What a coward! He left you note, Prudence! What kind of pig leaves his wife a note?"

Prudence's green eyes landed on the note. "You're right." Her eyes lit up. "You're right!"

Uh-oh, Tera thought as Prudence bolted from her seat. She ran through the apartment, disappearing into her room and returning with a lighter in her hand. She took the letter from Tera and held the lighter under it.

Tera stood and watched the flames reflecting in Prudence's eyes as the letter began to burn.

The phone rang.

Tera wasn't sure if Prudence heard it at first, but when the answering machine kicked in and Jeremy's voice rang through the apartment, the burning letter fell to the floor and Prudence raced for the phone, picking it up with a breathy, "Hello?"

Tera didn't hear the first part of the conversation; she was too busy putting out the flames. Prudence was lucky she had hard-wood floors. But when the screaming started, Tera couldn't ignore it. To Tera's ears, Prudence's voice sounded strong, confidently mad, as she yelled into the phone.

But then it was quiet, and Tera could hear Jeremy's voice on the other side of the apartment. And even as Jeremy lectured on, Prudence pulled the phone from her ear and hung up.

Tera made her way to where Prudence stood in the kitchen and watched as Prudence's shaking hands set the phone in the cradle and grabbed a hold of the counter.

Prudence slumped over the sink and let out a cry loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

Tera wrapped her arms around her best friend and choked back tears. She knew better than anyone that Jeremy meant the world to Prudence, and that it would be impossible to let go.

"You can do this," she said in Prudence's ear. "I know you can."

"I know," Prudence sobbed, wrapping her arms around Tera in a death grip, an embrace that would keep Prudence from floating away.