Free To the Sea (Follow your Bliss) by Deirdre Riordan Hall

through with any of it, but when she saw all the women in
person, women with lives, feelings, careers, and families, she knew what she
had to do.
    “Excuse
me,” Kira called clearly. “Jeremy won’t be coming to meet any of you tonight.”
The girl in jeans and Viveca edged closer, the latter wearing a stony
expression. “I was Jeremy’s wife, but I didn’t come here to reprimand or
confront you.” She had their full attention. The one in stilettos sat.
    “I’m
sorry to do this, like this.” Kira motioned around the building. “But I didn’t
know what else to do. There are some things I have to tell you.”
    An
abrasive scratching echoed as they dragged chairs closer. When they’d all
settled, Kira cleared her throat.
    “Jeremy
passed away.” Tears nipped at Kira’s eyes. She looked to Nicole who urged her
on. “He died in a car accident. He was the driver and another woman, Courtney,
I believe also from the Ivy League Singles dating site, was in the car with
him. He had a couple dozen women tagged on his profile, but it seemed you six
and Courtney were the most actively involved with him. She didn’t die, but was
seriously injured. He’d had a lot to drink that night.”
    A
few of the women’s eyes moistened, one wringed her hands.
    “I’m
really sorry. He had some problems, namely honesty, which I didn’t allow myself
to see. I just wanted you all to know in case, like me, you cared about him.”
Viveca stood up.
    “Done?”
Seven heads turned to look at her in shock. “Yeah, I’m sorry and all that, but
I’ve got to go.” She strode out of the building.
    The
remaining women offered Kira awkward condolences. They knew he was married; he
probably sweet-talked them with stories of betrayal or other lies about Kira.
    “I
only found out about his infidelity recently so the funeral happened a few
weeks ago.” Kira went on, “I don’t really have anything else to say.”
    Nicole
put her hand on Kira’s shoulder. “Thanks for coming and listening,” Nicole
said. With that, they hurriedly exited, leaving the remaining women to sort out
their shock and emotions.
    The
strings that held Kira together loosened, she wondered if it was possible for
someone to actually fall apart. She needed to sit down. When the night air met
her face, she let out a loud, stilted, sigh of relief. “That’s over.” Then, she
let herself cry.
    “You
handled it so well. You left out the shameful parts and the parts that might
have hurt them. It was admirable. You could have gone ape shit you know.”
    Kira
let out a choked chuckle not knowing whether to let her tears turn into
laughter. A sudden sense of lightness hinted at the faintest glow, brightening
inside.
    Nicole
continued, “I would’ve. One hundred and five pounds of pure rage would have
been flying at them like mad fists of fury.”
    “I
suppose that would’ve been more appropriately directed at Jeremy.”
    “True.”
As they walked back to the car, Kira had hoped for a sense of closure, but
something still nagged at her.
    “Then
there’s Courtney. The final piece of the puzzle,” Nicole said.
    ***
    Before
crashing that night, Kira called the hospital to talk to Nurse Laura Ramirez,
hoping she could help.
    “I’m
not supposed to share this info,” Laura said.
    “I
think you understand the circumstances,” Kira said vaguely, hoping she picked
up her meaning. “I’m just looking for answers. Or maybe closure. I don’t know—”
Kira said trailing off.
    The
nurse hastily informed Kira that the woman who’d been in the accident with
Jeremy was indeed Courtney, last name, Lancaster. Kira scoured the internet to
find a match, but then she realized her number would be on Jeremy’s phone.
Neither Kira nor Nicole recognized it before because he’d saved it as Court L.
Kira overlooked it thinking it had something to do with a courthouse, not a
person.
    Kira
tossed and turned for the first two thirds of the night and then sunk into
sleep only for her