THE CASUALTIES OF DIVORCE

Last night I picked up the ringing phone and was greeted with a small voice.

"Hello."
"Who is this?"
"Sam."
"Sam who?"
"Sam Yourexhusband'sneice" *

She's eight years old. I have not spoken to her in almost two years. We chatted for a little while about school and sledding and her new house with her very own room. After I talked to her, I talked to her older sister and then her mom (my ex-sister-in-law). She told me that Sam, not completely comprehending the whole divorce concept, asked about me. And when her mother told her that I probably wouldn't be coming around or spending the winter holidays with their family like I used to, she started to cry. In an effort to console her daughter, she had Sam call my ex-husband to get my phone number. He aparently gave her my old number and then coolly said, "I don't know if she lives there anymore." Which I don’t. So next they called my other ex-sister-in-law whom I've seen a few times since the divorce. She gave them my current contact information. I was very happy to hear from Sam, this child, so smart, so sensitive and willful. I have been thinking about her all morning.

* That’s not her real last name. You silly goose.