Trust Me

They sat on the bench, watching the children slide down the dragon’s tongue, then climb back up the rope ladders. It was a sunny day, with not a cloud in the sky.

“It’s not going to be easy,” the man said.

“Yes,” the woman said. “But it’s for the best.”

The gate creaked open as more children and their parents walked in. The woman smiled at a couple of the mothers there, then turned back to the man.

“It’ll be fine,” she said. “Trust me.”

“I can’t help but think of the children, and what this is going to do to them. They won’t understand, Carrie. They’re too young.”

“They’ll get over it.”

“But what if they don’t? They’re so young….”

“You know what your problem is? You think too much. Everything will be fine. Stop worrying.”

He fidgeted on the bench, turning to face her. The children were still laughing, now pushing each other on the swings.

“But what if…?”

“No, Roger. Don’t start again. The judge made the decision last week. If you want to talk anymore about it, contact our lawyers.”

“But the children…”

“Will be fine. Like you said, it might not be easy. But we’ll all get through this. We brought our children up well, Roger. They can handle this.”

“I just think..”

“Once again, you think too much. Drop it, please? You’re making me nervous. And put a smile on your face. Everyone’s staring.”

“You’re wrong, Carrie. I seriously think you should reconsider this. Think of the children. And the dog! What’s going to happen to the dog?”

The woman sighed. “What does the dog have to do with anything?”

“Well, we bought the dog for the children last Christmas, remember? That was a fun Christmas. The children were so happy. We were all so happy.”

The man stared at the ground, smiling for the first time that morning. A slight breeze blew a few stray strands of hair onto his forehead. He pushed them back, turning to the woman.

“But you don’t like dogs, do you?” the man said.

“No.”

The man retrieved his wallet from his pocket, and took out a picture.

“There they are. The children and the dog. See how happy they look?”

The children sat in the sandbox, flinging sand into their buckets and onto each other. The man and the woman still sat on the bench, watching.

“Everything will be fine,” the woman said.