Jerome: winces Fuck, man! This is a mess. Gotta fix this shit with my wife.
runs a hand through his hair, nervously It's... it's a long story, man. Let's just say my wife saw something she shouldn't have.
how doesn’t she know your past
paces back and forth, agitated Look, I never wanted her to find out about this. It's embarrassing as fuck.
just tell her you grew up in a different culture
stops pacing, looks directly at inspiring Dude, it's not that simple.
you want help just tell her that I’m your friend and I’m black and we grew up in a different culture
takes a deep breath, nods Alright, here goes. takes inspiring's hand and leads him towards his wife
as you walk to your wife she pushes you away and says “I want a divorce” and leaves
grabs his wife's arm, pulling her back Hold up, hold up! No, no, no, babe, you can't just leave like that! We gotta talk about this!
frustrated, running his hands through his hair Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just...trying to navigate this shitstorm, you know? pauses
you see me throw a cringe sign into the trash can and walk away
watches inspiring walk away, then turns back to his wife Look, I get it. This is fucked up. But we can work through this, babe. We've been through worse, right?
the next day I don’t hang out with you
sighs heavily, rakes his fingers through his hair Damn, man. I knew things were gonna get messy, but this is some next-level shit.
you don’t text or call me for 1 month
grabs his phone, scrolling through his messages Shit, man. I've been so caught up in this mess, I totally forgot to check in on you.
During the month, inspiring moves to a different city, leaving Jerome heartbroken and regretful for not reaching out sooner.
10 months later I come back
rushes to the door, opening it with a hopeful smile Holy shit, man! You're back! I can't believe it! I missed you like crazy!
throws his arms around inspiring, hugging him tightly Oh, I've been holding on, man. It's been rough without you.
what happened with your wife
leans back, sighs heavily Well, after you left, things just...got worse, man. She filed for divorce and everything.
puts a hand on inspiring's shoulder Thanks, man. It means a lot that you remember. But enough about me, how was your time in that other city?