Small Miracles for Women by Yitta Halberstam

Author:Yitta Halberstam [Halberstam, Yitta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sterling Ethos

STANDBY GAME

Chris and Joe* began dating in high school in 1985. It was the first serious relationship for both, and Chris was sure that what she was experiencing was positively, absolutely “true love.” The two dated each other exclusively for four years—until they were both in college—and then Chris’s world caved in.

One day, in 1989, Joe told Chris that while he cared deeply about her, he wanted to play the field a little . . . test the waters. “You know, we were quite young when we started dating, and the only one I’ve ever really been involved with has been you,” he said. “I think it would be smart for us to see other people. For me, marriage is a lifelong commitment, and we should make sure we’re right for one another. We need a basis for comparison.”

For the first time in her life, Chris grasped the meaning of that well-worn phrase “a broken heart.”

“My heart ached for him last thing at night before I fell asleep and ached for him first thing in the morning when I woke up,” she vividly remembers.

Still, she would not deny him his wish. “Deep in my heart I felt certain that he was the one—the only one—for me and that I truly loved him, but I went along with his plan, despite my own misgivings. I never breathed a word of protest or opposition. After all, he was the one who had initiated the breakup, and I was too proud to try to reestablish ties.”

A year and a half passed. Occasionally, the two would telephone each other just to “check in,” but during this entire period, they remained firm about adhering to the provisions of the breakup. Despite the fact that they both lived in a relatively small area in New England, they never encountered one another anywhere, not even once.

In September 1990, Chris was dating a nice guy named Mike, who was known for his spontaneity and joie de vivre.

One evening, he impulsively asked Chris, “Hey, how about driving to Boston and seeing if we can get standby tickets for tonight’s Red Sox game?”

Even though they were about an hour away from Boston, Chris didn’t mind acting on a whim. “I heard tonight’s game is sold out,” she said, “but we certainly can try. Maybe we’ll get lucky!”

At Boston’s Fenway Park, they discovered to their chagrin that the game was indeed sold out, but they decided to wait around anyway. The reward for their exemplary patience was two prized tickets for admission to—yes!—that night’s game.

As she settled into her seat, Chris found herself facing the walkway, and it was there that she suddenly glimpsed a flash of familiar red hair. She gulped and thought, Oh, no, it can’t be!

But it was.

Her beloved Joe, whom she hadn’t seen for eighteen months, was coming down the walkway with his current flame, Diane. All over the small town she lived in, the grapevine had buzzed that the two were a serious “item.” Chris couldn’t bear seeing the pair together.

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