The atlas hidden behind the wedding gifts held 32 years of places Adriel and I had meant to visit. Then he raised his glass and announced he was leaving me. Juliette crossed one dance off the program, placed the atlas in my hands, and asked why he\u2019d needed every guest watching before he could leave.<\/p>\n
Twenty minutes before my husband destroyed our marriage in front of nearly a hundred people, I caught my daughter hiding an old road atlas behind the gift table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Juliette jumped and hugged it against her white dress.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom! You\u2019re not supposed to see this.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
The atlas was older than she was. Its blue cover had faded almost gray, and one corner was held together with yellowing tape.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you even find it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn your hall closet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen whatever surprise you\u2019re planning, don\u2019t trust the binding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The atlas was older.<\/p>\n
She grinned and shooed me away.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t think about the atlas again until my husband stood to give his toast.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Adriel looked handsome in his dark suit. Older than the man I\u2019d married, obviously, but still unmistakably him.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
My husband stood to give his toast.<\/p>\n
For 32 years, that face had been across breakfast tables, hospital waiting rooms, parent-teacher conferences, Christmas mornings, and arguments about whether the thermostat needed to be set at 72.<\/p>\n
He lifted his champagne glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Juliette and Denzel. Congratulations to both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone quieted.<\/p>\n
He lifted his champagne glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur daughter has always known what she wants. And today, she found a man smart enough to recognize what he has.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laughter moved through the room.<\/p>\n
Denzel kissed Juliette\u2019s temple.<\/p>\n
Adriel smiled at them.<\/p>\n
Laughter moved through the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay you have a long marriage. May you build a good life. And may you never forget to actually live it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That last sentence caught my attention.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d heard versions of it for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day, when Juliette is older\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the mortgage isn\u2019t so ridiculous\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen work settles down\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019d heard versions of it for years.<\/p>\n
And, most often:<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe when Juliette has a life of her own, I can finally start living mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019d always heard exhaustion.<\/p>\n
I never heard a warning.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
People applauded.<\/p>\n
Adriel didn\u2019t sit.<\/p>\n
I never heard a warning.<\/p>\n
Instead, he turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd since everyone we care about is already here, there\u2019s something else I need to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled because I honestly thought he might thank me.<\/p>\n
Maybe he was going to make some sentimental joke about surviving the hard parts.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cTyra, I\u2019m leaving you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something else I need to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
A woman somewhere near the back dropped a fork.<\/p>\n
Adriel kept going.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur marriage is over. When we get home, I\u2019m moving out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
He still had his champagne glass in his hand.<\/p>\n
That detail bothered me afterward.<\/p>\n
Adriel kept going.<\/p>\n
Not the announcement.<\/p>\n
The glass.<\/p>\n
As though he had rehearsed where to put his fingers while ending my marriage.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sound barely made it past my lips.<\/p>\n
He looked at me with an expression I couldn\u2019t read.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Tyra. We\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had rehearsed where to put his fingers while ending my marriage.<\/p>\n
My daughter shoved her chair back.<\/p>\n
The legs scraped hard against the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every head turned toward Juliette.<\/p>\n
Adriel blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay?\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette looked at him.<\/p>\n
Her new husband\u2019s hand settled around hers, but he said nothing.<\/p>\n
Every head turned toward Juliette.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to leave Mom, I\u2019m not going to ask you to stay married to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette, this isn\u2019t about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, you announced it during my wedding reception.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel looked around as if he\u2019d only just remembered the room existed.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette, this isn\u2019t about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette turned toward the DJ.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you take the father-daughter dance off the program?\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent again. Even the DJ stopped with one hand over his controls.<\/p>\n
Adriel stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo father-daughter dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette, don\u2019t be ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo father-daughter dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel lowered his voice. \u201cDon\u2019t do this because you\u2019re angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked straight at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just told everybody you\u2019re done doing things because they\u2019re expected of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel\u2019s jaw snapped shut, locking before another sound could spill out.<\/p>\n
Juliette continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not making you do one more tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do this because you\u2019re angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody clapped.<\/p>\n
Thank God.<\/p>\n
That would have made it unbearable.<\/p>\n
Denzel stood beside my daughter and quietly nodded to the DJ.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Music started again, low and awkward, the kind of song nobody could possibly dance to while pretending they hadn\u2019t just watched a marriage explode between the salad plates and wedding cake.<\/p>\n
Nobody clapped.<\/p>\n
Juliette came to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom. Come with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to ruin your reception,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not ruining anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut your guests\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDenzel can handle them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not ruining anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
My son-in-law nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been married for approximately 40 minutes. I\u2019m already highly qualified.\u201d<\/p>\n
A startled laugh escaped me.<\/p>\n
Then I covered my mouth because laughing seemed insane.<\/p>\n
Juliette kissed Denzel quickly.<\/p>\n
A startled laugh escaped me.<\/p>\n
As we passed the gift table, she retrieved the atlas, tucked it beneath her arm, and led me toward the bridal room.<\/p>\n
I looked back once.<\/p>\n
Adriel was still standing beside our table.<\/p>\n
Alone.<\/p>\n
And for the first time in 32 years, nobody was asking him what he needed.<\/p>\n
She retrieved the atlas.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
The bridal room smelled like hairspray, roses, and the vanilla perfume Juliette had been wearing since college.<\/p>\n
She closed the door.<\/p>\n
Then she went to the couch and set the old atlas beside a garment bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette, what are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to give it to you and Dad after the dances.\u201d<\/p>\n
She placed it on the table.<\/p>\n
Adriel entered before I could ask anything else.<\/p>\n
Juliette didn\u2019t tell him to leave.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t welcome him either.<\/p>\n
He stopped by the door.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t welcome him either.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we please not turn this into something uglier than it already is?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou announced our divorce between the best man\u2019s toast and dessert.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette opened the atlas.<\/p>\n
Dozens of circles covered the pages in two different colors of ink.<\/p>\n
Blue.<\/p>\n
Red.<\/p>\n
Juliette opened the atlas.<\/p>\n
I recognized my handwriting before I recognized the places.<\/p>\n
Santa Fe.<\/p>\n
New Orleans.<\/p>\n
A stretch of coast we\u2019d once promised ourselves we\u2019d drive.<\/p>\n
A little mountain town Adriel had seen in a magazine before Juliette was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept this?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
I recognized my handwriting.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept it,\u201d Juliette said. \u201cI found it in your closet, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel walked closer.<\/p>\n
His fingers touched one of the circles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t seen this in years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette pulled a folded reservation printout from inside the atlas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI booked you two a four-day trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found it in your closet, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing huge. Just the route through Hill Country you always talked about doing properly. Denzel and I paid for the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at her father.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought maybe after the wedding, you could finally do one of the things you\u2019d been waiting to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDenzel and I paid for the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel went very quiet.<\/p>\n
Juliette gave a bitter little laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently I misunderstood what you were waiting for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette\u2026\u201d Adriel started.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Dad. You keep saying you\u2019ve sacrificed everything for this family. You said it my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel went very quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI paid for your school. This wedding. That house. Vacations when we could afford them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what it feels like to look up and realize three decades disappeared while you were being responsible for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not because he wanted to leave.<\/p>\n
Because of the word disappeared.<\/p>\n
Juliette looked down at the atlas.<\/p>\n
Then she pointed at one red circle.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember this place?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel glanced at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember this place?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom wanted us to go for a week when I was 12. You couldn\u2019t get time off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe took me for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
We had driven two hours with sandwiches in a cooler because the hotel prices were ridiculous.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe took me for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette got sunburned despite three layers of sunscreen.<\/p>\n
We bought peach ice cream from a roadside stand and ate it in the car because a thunderstorm ruined our picnic.<\/p>\n
Juliette pointed to another circle.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cFredericksburg.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette pointed to another circle.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom took me there too. Remember the Christmas market?\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Adriel said, \u201cI was working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never stopped either of you from doing those things,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n
Juliette nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody said you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was working.\u201d<\/p>\n
She ran her fingertip over the old circles.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, I\u2019m not saying you didn\u2019t sacrifice things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m saying Mom did too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
His shoulders relaxed slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Juliette said, \u201cThat\u2019s why I don\u2019t understand why you keep talking like you\u2019re the only person who paid for our life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
I stared at the atlas.<\/p>\n
At one circle I had forgotten completely.<\/p>\n
I stared at the atlas.<\/p>\n
A pottery town I\u2019d once wanted to visit because, for exactly six months in my forties, I had convinced myself I was going to learn ceramics.<\/p>\n
I had even signed up for a Saturday class.<\/p>\n
Juliette\u2019s soccer schedule changed.<\/p>\n
I canceled it.<\/p>\n
I had even signed up for a Saturday class.<\/p>\n
Adriel noticed where I was looking.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could\u2019ve taken that class,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He seemed surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never asked you to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are we talking like I stopped you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never asked you to quit.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe aren\u2019t.\u201d My voice sounded calmer than I felt. \u201cI made choices too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just never thought every choice I made became something you owed me for later.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked away first.<\/p>\n
Juliette\u2019s eyes filled, but she blinked it back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made choices too.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pressed one hand flat against the atlas.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying you waited 32 years to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think Mom and I were doing while you waited?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
Not immediately.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
When he finally did, his voice was quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t understand what I\u2019m saying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was responsible for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Dad. I want to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was responsible for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
I had seen that gesture after long workdays, bad bills, and funerals.<\/p>\n
But something about it looked different now.<\/p>\n
Like he had finally reached the part of the speech he hadn\u2019t rehearsed.<\/p>\n
Something about it looked different now.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
I asked the question Juliette hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel lowered his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you do this tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the closed door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you. Everybody was here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTyra\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you do this tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have told me yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour months ago, when Juliette got engaged and you kept saying she was finally settled. Why did you wait until she was married and then stand up in front of everyone we know?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
Music thumped faintly through the wall.<\/p>\n
I suddenly knew there was an answer.<\/p>\n
And whatever it was, he had never intended to say it out loud.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He finally looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid if I told you at home\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid if I told you at home\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette went completely still.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you told me at home, what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel forced down a breath.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cI was afraid I wouldn\u2019t go through with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you used my wedding to make sure you couldn\u2019t change your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette went completely still.<\/p>\n
Adriel rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew if I told your mother at home, she\u2019d ask questions. We\u2019d talk. I\u2019d see three decades sitting around us, and I\u2019d probably tell myself to wait again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juliette\u2019s voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d probably tell myself to wait again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, you didn\u2019t make an announcement. You used my wedding to stop yourself from having to be brave tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adriel sat down.<\/p>\n
For once, he had nothing ready.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
I closed the atlas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish you\u2019d told me you were this unhappy before you started blaming us for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once, he had nothing ready.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You told me you were tired. You told me work was too much. You told me someday would be easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the man I\u2019d spent most of my adult life beside.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never told me someday meant without me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t apologize for leaving if leaving is what you want, Adriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made him look up.<\/p>\n
\u201cApologize for making me learn about it in a room where I had to worry about our daughter before I could even figure out what I felt,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought doing it here would make it cleaner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded once.<\/p>\n
That was the closest thing to honesty we\u2019d had all night.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Juliette picked up the atlas and handed it to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was supposed to be for both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought doing it here would make it cleaner.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ran my thumb over the worn cover.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want me to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d She smiled sadly. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s finally not my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
When we returned to the reception, conversations died one table at a time.<\/p>\n
Juliette walked straight to the DJ.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that\u2019s finally not my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall change.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Then she came back to me and held out her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette, this was supposed to be your dance with your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She waited.<\/p>\n
I took her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuliette, this was supposed to be your dance with your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Halfway through the song, she whispered, \u201cYou know you\u2019re allowed to be upset, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look terrifyingly calm.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced toward the cake.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, I\u2019ve been your mother your entire life. I can have a nervous breakdown after dessert.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know you\u2019re allowed to be upset, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed so suddenly she stepped on my shoe.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou started it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denzel appeared when the song ended.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease return my wife in roughly the condition I married her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo guarantees.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took Juliette\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou started it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time since Adriel\u2019s toast, the wedding became a wedding again.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Later, Adriel found me near the hotel elevators.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do we do about the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Normally, I would have answered immediately.<\/p>\n
Who sleeps where.<\/p>\n
When he collects his things.<\/p>\n
Which accounts need changing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do we do about the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
I had spent 32 years turning difficult things into manageable lists.<\/p>\n
Not tonight.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Adriel looked surprised.<\/p>\n
Then he nodded.<\/p>\n
Before the elevator closed, he said quietly, \u201cI loved raising Juliette.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had spent 32 years turning difficult things into manageable lists.<\/p>\n
I held the doors open with one hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t call those years waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
Upstairs, Juliette texted me.<\/p>\n
Where are you going first?<\/p>\n
I looked at the old atlas on the hotel desk.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
Thirty-two years of circles.<\/p>\n
Plans saved for someday.<\/p>\n
Places reached and places missed.<\/p>\n
I typed back:<\/p>\n
Breakfast.<\/p>\n
Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n
Mom.<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
Places reached and places missed.<\/p>\n
My husband ended our marriage during your wedding toast. I\u2019m not choosing a continent tonight.<\/p>\n
Her reply came instantly.<\/p>\n
Fair. Pancakes?<\/p>\n
I set the atlas aside.<\/p>\n
Definitely pancakes.<\/p>\n
Then I set the alarm for eight in the morning.<\/p>\n
My husband ended our marriage during your wedding toast. I\u2019m not choosing a continent tonight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The atlas hidden behind the wedding gifts held 32 years of places Adriel and I had meant to visit. Then he raised his glass and announced he was leaving me. Juliette crossed one dance off the program, placed the atlas in my hands, and asked why he\u2019d needed every guest watching before he could leave. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4788"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4789,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4788\/revisions\/4789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storydosee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}