An old song from years ago was playing on a loop in his head. "Autumn is here," he hummed softly to himself, "and the rain is tapping at the window pane."
Glancing through the open bedroom door, he watched his wife feverishly packing her suitcases. She was moving fast, as if terrified her jilted husband might snatch something away out of spite. It was painful to witness such greed from a woman he had once loved so deeply. He lay back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander.
"Twenty years together," he thought. "Twenty whole years. And now she's walking out without a single shred of regret."
His wife continued her noisy franticness, slamming closet doors and letting out heavy, dramatic sighs.
"She's nervous, poor thing. Probably thinks I'm going to start a screaming match and block the door. Well, let her pack. Let her take whatever she wants. I don't care about the stuff anymore."
Opening his eyes just a crack, he saw a massive trunk already sitting full on the bedroom floor.
"One down, and she's already starting on the next one. It's amazing how much junk she managed to hoard. I bet she's terrified of leaving a single sock behind. But that's life, I suppose. It's autumn, and the birds are flying south. Just like that. Autumn is here, and the birds are flying south."
"What are you mumbling over there? I can't hear a word you're saying!" his wife barked from the bedroom.
"Nothing, nothing. Just singing a song."
"Have you seen my silver earrings? The ones with the turquoise stones?" she asked, her voice sharp with irritation.
He smirked and stayed silent.
"Are you deaf? Where are my turquoise earrings? You remember, we bought them on vacation. They're always in the jewelry box right here on the vanity."
"Autumn is here, and the birds are flying south," the husband sang out loudly from the sofa.
"Are you mocking me? Real funny! I'm asking you a simple question about my jewelry," she snapped.
Sensing a full-blown argument brewing, he finally answered.
"You gave those to your friend last summer. Don't you remember?"
"Oh, right! Good thing you reminded me. I'll have to make sure I get those back."
The husband went back to his thoughts, feeling a sting of bitterness.
"Unbelievable. She's losing sleep over a pair of cheap earrings. She gave them away, and she still wants them back. What a piece of work. Just total greed."
In the beginning, things hadn't been so bad. They had raised a wonderful son together and sent him off to college in DC. They were both still relatively young. It had seemed like they had decades of quiet, easy happiness ahead of them. But a couple of years ago, the foundation had started to crumble. His wife had become combative, picking fights over the smallest trifles as if she were auditioning for a divorce.
And then, today, she finally said it:
"That's it. I'm leaving, and I'm filing for divorce."
That was the exact moment that old song about the changing seasons started spinning in his head.
"Autumn is here, and the birds are flying south. The last string of geese has pulled away from the earth..."
He lay there with his eyes shut, singing the lyrics internally.
But his wife wasn't finished.
"Must be nice, just lying there. You don't even want to know who I'm leaving you for?"
"You've decided to go, so go. I'm not asking any questions."
"See! I knew it! You don't even care. You never thought about me, never cared about what I wanted. Hello? Are you even listening to me? What are you humming now?"
"And the rain is tapping at the window pane, autumn is here..."
"Did you say something?"
"I said you never think about me. You never have."
"Right..."
"Autumn is here. And the birds are flying south."
"Are you seriously refusing to talk to me?" she shrieked.
"What is there left to talk about? Pack your bags and go to Mark. That's his name, isn't it?"
The surprise silenced her for several minutes. When she finally spoke, her voice was cold.
"So, you knew. How? Were you following me? I guess you do care enough to be a stalker. Acting all indifferent while you're playing private eye. You're pathetic."
"The last string of geese has pulled away from the earth, like a ship launching into the stars..."
"Stop mumbling! I can't hear you!"
"The autumn of life always comes too fast, so much left to do, so much in the past," he sang at the top of his lungs, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Stop acting like a lounge singer!" she yelled. "Tell me right now—how do you know about Mark?"
"Autumn is here, oh, autumn is here..."
"Stop singing! I asked you a question. Answer me!"
"Are you sure you want the truth? Fine. I wasn't following you. While you were visiting your parents, your precious Mark came over here himself and told me everything," he said with a sly grin before picking the tune back up.
"Stop it!" she screamed again. "He just... showed up? And told you everything? I don't believe you. That's impossible."
"Believe it or not, that's exactly what happened. Your new soulmate wasn't shy at all. He showed up at my door with a six-pack and explained that you two were an item now. Though, I wouldn't count on a 'happily ever after' if I were you. You're going to regret this. Deeply."
"Oh, are your feelings hurt? Go cry about it quietly then."
"I truly don't care anymore. Do what you want. You want to leave? Go ahead. I'm not stopping you. If it's true love, who am I to stand in the way? Your Mark told me he couldn't live without you. Said you were the best thing that ever happened to him and he'd never find anyone else like you. Said you two just had to be together."
"You see?" she said, her voice dripping with triumph. "At least someone appreciates me."
"Doesn't it bother you that he's that much younger? He's practically our son's age. You think that's going to last forever?"
"Don't worry about it. Unlike you, he's a real man," she declared proudly.
"Is he? You sure? I hate to burst your bubble, but at the end of our little chat, your passionate admirer hinted that for a certain amount of cash, he wouldn't mind disappearing from our lives forever."
"Nice try," she laughed loudly. "I'm not falling for that. Don't try to smear a good man just because you're bitter."
"He named the price without even blinking. Didn't even blush. It was pretty obvious he's done this before—a real pro at the shakedown. Just a fair warning: try not to get burned too badly."
"Enough! I'm not listening to another word," she snapped.
"Autumn is here, and the birds are flying south," he sang out.
"You're doing it again. Stop it!"
"Then don't listen. Take your bags and get out of here right now. I'm not holding you back. Goodbye! See you in court!"
She grabbed her things and walked out the door.
***
A month passed, then another. Eventually, she came back, her face streaked with tears. She begged for forgiveness, pleading to start over, to go back to the way things were. But he couldn't wrap his head around why she was humilating herself like this. She was the one who tore the house down. They could have lived their lives and been happy, but the past was gone, and there was no way to bring it back.
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