I’m Mariko (38). I’m back at the cursed spot where my husband, Yoshihiro (38), and his family left me behind ten years ago. Once again, we’re making our way to a restaurant after watching a sporting event. Every step down this path brings back memories of that day. But things are very different now. For starters, my son, Yuma, is older and walking on his own. My in-laws have aged, too. And I’ve gotten stronger. Ten years later, will I finally be able to put this trauma behind me…?
Honestly, who in their right mind completely forgets their wife and child just because they’ve had a few drinks? What kind of grandparents don’t even notice or care that their daughter-in-law and grandchild aren’t there? At the end of the day, my husband was 99.9% at fault, and I was 0.1%.
Lately, though, I’d been trying to convince myself that I shared some of the blame, or that expecting anything from my husband was my own mistake—anything to ease the constant frustration.
Then, standing in that exact same spot for the first time in ten years, a few sweet words from Yuma made every last bit of that built-up resentment completely vanish.
From now on, I’m going to say no when I mean no and speak up when something bothers me. I refuse to bottle up my feelings ever again.
END…