Chapter 5 #2
He missed nights around the kitchen table with his wife and his daughter more than he could say.
He missed the chaos of getting a kid through the evening routine, missed mopping up what always seemed like an impossible amount of water on the floor after bathtime.
He even missed scrubbing that dinged-up old baking pan that really, really needed to be replaced but which Cadence had an absurd attachment to.
Tyler had threatened to “accidentally” throw out that stupid pan more times than he could count. And now he missed it.
“Yeah,” he said wearily. “I guess I have been eating here a lot recently.”
Jared gave him a sympathetic look. The two had known one another when they were younger, but they hadn’t really connected until the past few months, when Jared had returned to Magnolia Shore after years spent dedicated to his culinary career.
Jared had cooked in all the great culinary cities, and now he had brought those talents home, much to the appreciation of the residents of Magnolia Shore.
“Don’t sweat it,” he said. “You’ve eaten your way through everything on my menu, so I’ve been using you as a tester for new recipes for the past few weeks. Didn’t you notice that I haven’t been charging you for any food?”
Tyler had not noticed, and his sheepish expression said so.
“Sorry, man,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your culinary skills…”
“But you’re hankering for something a little more home cooked,” Jared finished for him. “Listen, I get it. You know, if you don’t mind me saying it… I’m kind of surprised that you and Cadence haven’t worked things out by now.”
“No, I don’t mind,” Tyler said, half because it was true, half because he needed a minute to think through his answer. “And I guess… I’m surprised too but also not.”
Jared made an inquisitive noise.
“Okay, so… well, it’s hard to explain, I guess.
Because, yeah, when we decided to separate, I also thought we’d figure it out.
That the time apart would clarify things.
But also… the reason we separated in the first place was because we couldn’t find that clarity.
Couldn’t figure out how to connect. And it’s starting to feel really crazy that we thought that being apart would bring us together. ”
Jared nodded along sympathetically. “Well, I’ve never been married myself, but my parents did go through something similar when I was in middle school. I didn’t ask for all the details because, you know, they’re my parents, so I don’t exactly want to think about them being romantic…”
Tyler chuckled when Jared pulled a face.
“But,” the chef went on, “when they got back together fully and my dad moved home, they told me that they’d found a way to get back to their roots.
And then they joined a bowling team, but I think that was only eighty percent about recommitting to being a team.
The rest was just because they both really love bowling. ”
This time, both men laughed.
“All I mean is… maybe teamwork is the way to go,” Jared said. “Being a member of a team can really remind you how to love selflessly.”
Tyler paused to consider these words. His friend was making a lot of sense, but there was only one problem.
“I just don’t know when we’d practice being a team,” Tyler admitted.
“The only time we see one another these days is when we’re doing handoff with Izzy.
And we don’t want to work out any of our stuff in front of her.
We agree that we’re trying to present a unified front for her.
We don’t want to cause her any more worry than we need to. ”
He had found that it was becoming harder and harder not to discuss the issues that had fractured their marriage during those drop-offs.
This wasn’t because he was any less committed to making things as clear as possible for Izzy, of course.
It was just because every time he saw Cadence, it was hard to think of anything except for how much he missed just talking to her.
Behind him, the door to Riverstone Kitchen opened and a young couple entered, already mid-laugh at something one of them had said. It was almost too easy to picture himself and Cadence in their shoes, in the years before their troubles had driven a wedge between them.
The idea made him even more melancholy than he’d already been.
“I’d better take that order to go,” he told Jared. “Give me whatever you’ve got that you’re going to try out on me. I don’t want to wreck the atmosphere with my bummed-out energy.”
“Your energy is always welcome here, bummed-out or not,” Jared told him warmly. “But I’ll wrap something up for you. Try not to retreat too much though, okay, man? You’ve got friends who care about you.”
Tyler wrapped his knuckles against the counter in acknowledgment, then took the parcel of food that had appeared almost instantly when Jared had gestured to his kitchen staff. His friend ran a tight ship.
“Thanks, man,” he said.
He wasn’t certain, however, that he’d be able to follow his friend’s advice. Sometimes it was just easier to be alone with his sadness.