Alicia H
Joe Kane played five years in the NFL as a team captain.
And for five years, I waited for him in our home in Kansas City.
He said the season was too busy, the away games too brutal—no place for family to tag along. So I stayed quiet. I kept the house running, waiting for him to come back after every road trip.
Until the day I was cleaning and found a box buried at the very bottom of his nightstand drawer.
The moment I opened it, photos spilled everywhere.
On top was a family travel application. Applicant: Natalie Reed.
In the photo, Natalie stood beside him, wearing his jersey number, with red fireworks over Arrowhead Stadium behind her—grinning more boldly than she had on championship night.
On the back, in Joe's handwriting: You're my lucky four-leaf clover through the long season.
I laughed.
I looked around our empty house—and couldn't find a single photo of us together.
His social media was all games, training, teammates. No me. Not one.
That night, I sat in the living room, listening to the second hand tick, and opened the notes app on my phone.
Created a countdown.
30 days.
Starting today, I wouldn't pick him up from the airport anymore. No more messages that vanished into silence. No more breakfasts no one ate.
I quietly packed everything, ready to leave him.