"Nah, it's okay," I tell him, a little surprised to hear his reaction. What I usually get is a bit of sympathy and a whole lot of pity, the latter of which always rubs me the wrong way. Yes, it sucked, yes, it still sucks, but I don't need people to feel sorry for me. Mom and I got over it.

"He said he didn't love mom anymore." Simple as that. (Hah. As if love is ever that simple.) "And the dog was really his best friend, so we weren't surprised when he took him along when he moved out. That was a while ago, though."