Chapter 5: Fraying Edges

Rachel really did keep trying to set me up.

One weekend, she suggested we all go to a barbecue in the suburbs. She asked Marcus to bring me, saying there’d be some single women there for me to meet.

That afternoon, the three of us drove out. On the way, Marcus and his wife started arguing for some reason—Rachel even cried.

Marcus said, "Forget it, we’re not going."

At the next intersection, he turned the car around and drove home.

Rachel shouted, "If you dare go back, I’m not done with you!"

Marcus said, "You two go. I’m going home."

I was caught in the middle, awkward and helpless.

I tried to mediate. "Rachel, don’t fight. I actually have something to do tonight, so I can’t stay late. Maybe let’s just skip it."

Rachel lay across the seat, crying.

Later, I found out the reason: it was about Marcus’s job.

After losing his job, he’d been sending out resumes, but got no replies. A company in Texas offered him a position.

He discussed it with Rachel, but she refused—she didn’t want a long-distance marriage and insisted he look for work locally.

I also advised him not to work so far away, but he was determined, saying the company paid well and offered stock options. He’d only be gone two years at most.

In the end, he took the job down south.

Before leaving, Marcus asked me out for drinks and confided, "Bro, you think I want this? My wife spent all our savings and even took on debt to save me. As a man, I have to take care of my family. If I miss this chance, that’s it."

I sighed. He had a point.

Life is like that—sometimes you think you have a choice, but really, you don’t.

He added, "Please help take care of my family. Sigh... One wrong step, a thousand regrets."

I asked, "Marcus, be honest. Are you running away from someone?"

He fell silent, drank, and finally said, "There’s a woman who keeps pestering me. I’m really annoyed. Bro, don’t let Rachel know."

I sighed. "Handle your own mess."

At that moment, I felt sorry for Rachel. She was always kept in the dark—too pitiful.

I paid the tab, and we parted ways outside the bar, streetlights flickering on as dusk settled over the city. I watched Marcus disappear into the night, feeling the weight of his secrets.