Four months, one week, and a few days after I caught Mr. and Mrs. Asswipe having sex with my wife, the divorce was final. I packed up all my feelings ...nd memories from the destroyed marriage, locked them up behind a door in my mind labeled “Faye—Do Not Open,” and got on with the next phase of my life.Christmas that year, not too long after I got the final decree in the mail, wasn’t really that bad. I spent it with Mom and Dad. It was quiet, but very good for the soul. We exchanged gifts, had an. He ran down and bought a couple bouquets of roses and dessert. A mix of pinks and whites. And a single red. Why not? He set the table up with the flowers and put the red in a tall glass by the bed.He set some chicken in a teriyaki marinade for a stir fry and made a salad. He let the cheesecake sit on counter in the bakery box.He whipped out candles. He showered, thought about the situation earlier and showered again.His apartment was small but clean. It was 5:20 when his doorbell rang. He. Scanning the crowd, I barely manage to sidestep you as we cross. Our eyes meet briefly, nothing more. I’m not even sure if it is really a smile I detect on the lower half of your face through my peripheral vision, but it makes me stop and turn my head around—just like you do too.Our second visual encounter is slightly longer. Still, we do not indulge in more than a friendly exchange of looks between strangers, a renewed flash of our teeth bared of the habitual social awkwardness—maybe slightly. "I tried not to breathe. My face was only inches away from the tree, I wished there was some way I could see if she was still looking in my direction or how far away she was."You think this is really funny, don't you, Thalia?" she said. "Well, I'll show you funny!"I screamed as her fast hands darted around the tree and grabbed my toga. A quick tug and I was as naked as she."You're not Thalia," she said, looking at me with a puzzled expression.I tried to hide my nakedness behind my hands. "Give.