Chapter Text
The room is tidy and clean. Documents placed in different folders on the shelf. There is a large table placed in the centre of the chamber and some chairs are put next to the table. None of these has intrigued Carol. She felt bored. She has been waiting in this room for almost an hour, no one showed up during the past hour.
She strolls around the room, noticing almost every object was dark in colour even the folder is dark red and there is a deep blue curtain. Maybe it's best to describe a law firm. She thought. Dull, boring and depressing.
Carol looked at the clock on the wall. 2:00 p.m. And she's still waiting in Fred's office alone. The silence that filled the room made her extremely annoyed. She even thinks that she's being stupid, waiting for the men who are expected to arrive half an hour ago.
The door opened. Harge Aird and his attorney came in. Carol nodded to Harge as a greeting and the two men sit on the chairs next to Carol's. Once they sat down, Harge's lawyer started to talk to him. He spreads some papers on the table, fingers pointing at different areas of the paper as if he is explaining something.
Fred came in after a short period of time. He is holding a file in his hand. He begins to talk once he reaches the table.
He is explaining the terms and processes of selling the house in New Jersey. The house which Harge and Carol have been living for 10 years. She is beyond happy when Harge and she have reached an agreement that they were selling the house. Too much unpleasant memories happened in the house and she can hardly enjoy them whenever she thinks of those memories or the house. When Harge and she were divorcing, when she was in the house alone she couldn't help but kept thinking the leaking pipeline. Maybe her marriage was like the pipeline. Harge could not get it fixed and she would not bother to fix it.
Now her mind wanders back to the leaking pipeline in the kitchen. Waterdrops came out from the crack, it wets the cabinet, wets the floor and finally wets her feet.
The flat voice of Fred makes the explanation section became more intolerable. Carol does not interested in listening to the long, redundant clause so she just stares blankly at the curtain, wishing the monotonous voice can stop as quickly as he can.
Carol couldn't remember how many hours has passed until she was finally asked to sign the document. It feels like the eternity as if she would have to listen to the toneless voice for the rest of her life. It was certainly a relief for her. She smiles for the first time since she entered the room. Thank god. It eventually ends. She thought.
Fred and Harge's lawyer leave the room after both of their clients have signed the paper, leaving Carol, and her former husband in the room.
"Carol, I... I appreciate you come by today," Harge begins. "And It.. it was ..." He was not able to finish the sentence. His voice fades. He looks embarrassed.
Carol keeps staring at the curtain as if there is something worth inspect to. The curtain was closed, no lights can enter the room. "Are you trying to apologize to me?" She sneered, doesn't look at Harge.
"I guess so. I feel sorry about what happened before." Harge muffled.
Carol laughed as if Harge just told her a joke. She was amused by Harge's confession. She turns her gaze from the curtain to Harge and saw his face turned red.
"Is it the first time for you to apologize? I mean, truly apologize."
Harge doesn't answer. He looked down at his feet. His body wiggling in his chair.
"That was very generous of you, Harge." She smiles. "Honestly, I don't blame you." Carol's smile grows wider.
She turned her gaze back to the curtain. "Do you know what shapes a person?" She asked as if it is an interesting question.
But Harge did not say a word. He was completely in shock when he heard Carol said she doesn't blame him for what he's done.
"It's not about the money or how successful you've become in the business sector," Hearing no response from Harge, Carol continues. "It's love. That's what shapes a person."
"Obviously, hiring a private inspector to follow your wife could not be considered as an act of love. But I really don't blame you for this. It happened and I had no intention to struggle in the past."
Carol gets up. She walks towards the table and stopped in front of the curtain. She opened it letting a ray of sunshine enters the room through the narrow gap.
"It's never about control. You will not have to control someone or force someone to stay with you. It isn't love when you need to compel it."
Harge looks at the rear view of Carol. He felt like he doesn't know her anymore. Carol is so strong and she always has been. He looks at Carol standing in front of the window and he remembered Carol stood in front of the door in the same room of the same law firm. He feels so familiar, yet so strange. He had to admit that he has done something wrong. A sense of guiltiness began to rise in his heart.
"It sounds like you are the expert."
Carol laughed again. "I am not. But I am learning from somebody else."
"Is that the shopgirl?"
"Therese. Her name is Therese."
She said the name so softly as if it is something need to be cherished. As if it will collapse if she raises her voice.
"Believe me, Harge. I know what it feels like to be unable to love. It was painful. I had suffered from it and I don't want to see you suffer."
Harge did not give a response but he gets up when Carol walks to the door. She takes her coat from the coat rack, hand placed on the door handle to open the door. Carol turned and smile to Harge.
"Goodbye, Harge."
She closed the door behind her.