for better or for worse

3

The phone was ringing.

I had sent the staff home a little early  so, if I didn't want the the ringing to wake the girls, I would have to get up.

" Hello?", I said.
I heard a chuckle. " Baby, is that you? Oh, baby, I missed your voice so much. I missed you! How are the girls? Is everything alight? How's school going for them? How's work going for you? I'm so happy I got the right number this time. Why did you change it, baby? You know what, it doesn't matter. How are you?"

How did he get the new number ? I had to change it because last time, one of the girls acids tally answered and he spoke to her. She wouldn't stop crying the whole night.

" Don't call here again, Jacob. I mean it." I took the phone away from my ear ready to hang up. I knew the more I listened, my heart would open for him again.

"No, baby, please, don't hang up. I-I need you. I need your help. I wanna get clean now. I'm ready, I swear it."

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against the wall. My head was telling me no. It'll just be like the last time. And the time before that. And the time before that. And so on and so forth. But my heart... My heart was saying yes. This could be the time he really was done and got cleaned. He would come back and we would be a family again .

They always say listen to your heart, right?

" Where are you, Jacob? "