Shaikha’s Reviews > Yesteryear > Status Update

“Caleb was in love with Shannon. That’s what he had told me the night before.”

« A strange little girl was standing by the bed, playing with Nanny Aimee’s shoes. “Mama,” she said when she saw me.
Right. Of course. That was my little girl, Jessa. Growing so quickly these days! I just didn’t recognize her because of the location—and her hair, it was braided differently—and well–Pregnancy brain! »

« My mother looked fretful. “Do you really want to get rid of all these perfectly good appliances? It’ll cost you a fortune to replace!” I gave her an apologetic wince. “Money is not a concern.” »

« The strategy worked only if opting out was
not an option. But for Caleb, it was always an option. In every single waking second of his life, he had the opportunity to say, simply, I don’t want to do that. »

We were put on this earth to teach each other how to be. To give each other purpose. I would help Caleb become a better man, and he would help me become a better woman. Through my example, Caleb would grow stronger, more ambitious, and through his example, I’d grow softer, more loving with our children. […] We were a match made in Hell—I mean heaven.

“This was the moment the crisis became clear to me. This was the moment I realized my husband was an actual, honest-to-God idiot: when he
suggested with all the sincerity in the world that I might like to bring our two-week-old newborn with me on a jog.”