Jack came to visit me today. There’s nothing I can say by way of introduction. Here goes.

When I walked into the visitation room Jack was already seated at a table in the center of the room. A huge smile on his face popped up the moment he saw me.

Jack. Sacha. You look wonderful.

Me. I don’t. I look a mess, Jack. It’s great to see you.

I sat down next to him and grabbed his hand under the table. He looked amazing. His brown hair was parted on the left side of his head, not a hair out of place. He was wearing his grey suit, my favorite on him. It was hard for me to look at his face, so I kept my gaze on his tiepin, a little blue gem in a silver setting.

Jack. Sacha, I have great news. I’ve been talking to your credit agency. They’re going to let me repay your loans if we get married. I’ve already made the arrangements. Next week Father McKormick is going to meet us here to arrange the documents. I have the first loan payment check all made out already. I should be able to take you home. Next week, Sacha!

Me. That’s great news.

Jack. There’s one little problem, though, something I’ll have to work out with the credit agency, it looks like they made an error collecting the numbers of your debt, it looks about twenty percent higher than we thought it was, but I’m sure it’s just an error. I’ll get it worked out this week. Everything’s going to be okay.

I couldn’t look at him. I knew why my debt was twenty-percent higher. It was my fault. Jack squeezed my hand under the table. I knew what was coming next. I braced myself for it.

Jack. There’s only one thing left to take care of.

He got stood up off his chair and got down on one knee next to me, my hands in his. I felt my stomach rise up into my throat. My head swam.

Jack. Sacha, will you marry me?

Everything after that seemed to happen in a blurred whir of activity. Before I could get out my meager reply, I looked up over Jack’s shoulder and saw movement. Tereza was standing behind Jack with a dour look on her face. A young man behind her was half-up from another table, calling to her.

When she spoke my heart dropped to the floor. She stepped on it, grinding it into pretty little bits under her cardboard hospital slippers.

Tereza. Why would you want to marry someone like Sacha?  You don’t know, do you? About the guy Sacha’s been cheating on you with?

Jack froze, my hands still in his. He looked up at me, searching my eyes, begging me to refute Tereza’s accusations. I looked at the floor.

Jack. Ah, what?

Tereza. That’s right. With a guy in the med building. His name’s Trevor. You should hear about the things they do together.

I glared up at Tereza.

Me. How…how could you?

Tereza didn’t answer me. She walked back to her table laughing. The young man waiting for her looked confused.

Jack. Sacha, is it true?

I didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything I could say. The damage was already done. I felt my vision of a perfect life with Jack evaporate like so much tap water.

Jack stood up, dropping my hands.

Jack. I…uh, Sacha, I gotta think this over. I…I can’t stay here.

Me. No, Jack, wait, I can explain, it’s not what you think.

But he was already gone.

So that’s that. My life is over. Everything is ruined. If only I had stayed resolute, true to Jack. God. Please. I can’t handle this anymore. This debt, this sickness.