Three is a crowd: Kenneth throws his hat back into the ring 

(Continued from last issue)

David and Diane have been married for years; then there is Julie, the young secretary whose axis collides with the couple’s in ways none of them saw coming.

DAVID

Diane was pretending to be busy scrolling through her phone when I entered our bedroom, and she looked up only briefly.

“Welcome back,” she said coldly, her tone far from welcoming.
“Thank you,” I answered guardedly.

She set down her phone then, and turned to me, her eyes flashing in a way I recognized all too well; she was gearing up for a fight.

“So, how was your weekend?” she asked bitingly. “Fine.”
“Is that all you’re going to say? Fine?”
“What else do you want me to say?” I answered coolly.

“How about ‘sorry’ for starters? I can’t believe you ran off for a weekend with that whore! I thought you weren’t seeing her anymore!”
“She has my son.”
“So? We have three kids! I’m your wife! She’s nobody! So, what if she has your child? Send her a cheque every month – don’t run off for a weekend with her!” she spat, now fully engaged in her fight mode.

“He is my son, not an item on my budget list! I am going to be a part of his life, the same way I’m a part of Daniel’s and the girls’ lives,” I answered, my tone low but firm.

“And you think I’m going to roll over and just accept that? How dare you compare that bastard to our children?”
“They are all my blood, and frankly speaking I don’t care whether you accept that or not; he’s my son and I am going to be part of his life,” I repeated firmly.

For a few seconds she just stared at me wordlessly, her eyes blazing, probably too furious to speak, but then she found her voice.

“In that case, I think you better take that bag into the guest room, and while you’re at it, you might as well move the rest of your things in there as well.”

After the weekend I had just had with Julie, being banished to the guest bedroom did not really bother me, but remembering the discussion I had had with Julie, and my subsequent decision to put my foot down more with Diane, and remind her of who the boss was in our home, I answered evenly, “This is my house, and my room, and I’m not moving out of either one; if you have a problem with that, feel free to move your stuff wherever you choose.”

If looks could kill, I would be dead. Diane glared at me, but this time she did not respond and instead, standing up, stormed off into our adjoining bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

DIANE

I knew my marriage was in trouble when David did not respond to my calls or texts all weekend, but I had not realized just how much trouble it was in until he returned and not only admitted to indeed having been with that whore and their bastard, but went on to declare that he was going to continue to see them.

I had never seen David so defiant, unapologetic or unthreatened by me, and it left me feeling totally powerless. I was not ready to walk away from my marriage, but I was not sure I could settle for this version of marriage either, and if I could not punish or threaten him into behaving, where did that leave me?

How could I proudly call myself his wife when he was blatantly running around with not just another woman, but a bastard son as well? And if I tolerated this, what would he do next? Just how far would he take this affair if I could not do anything to put a stop to it?

The way things stood, the doctor was my only hope. I just prayed he would respond to my ‘visit’ the way I hoped he would, and that he would do so sooner rather than later.

I was cooped up in our bedroom’s en-suite bathroom trying to pull myself together when I heard Samantha at our bedroom door; “Mummy, Daddy, dinner is ready,” she called through the closed door.

“We’ll be down in a minute,” I heard David call back from the bedroom, and a moment later, he knocked at the bathroom door.
“Dinner is ready,” he relayed the message.

The last thing I wanted to do was go and sit down for a meal with David, and have to act like everything was fine, but I knew there was no avoiding it without raising suspicion.

In that respect, although she had been a tremendous help, I was glad my mother would be returning to her own home the next day; there was no doubt I was a great actress, but I did not know how long I would be able to keep up the pretense of a perfect marriage, with David right there.

Taking one final steadying breath, I put on my ‘everything is fine’ face, and opened the door.

JULIE

My first day back went by quietly; after Sandra had thrown her mini tantrum, she had spent the rest of the day locked up in her room, which was just as well.

Not in the mood to cook, especially since David was not going to be coming by that evening, I was fixing myself a cup of coffee, preparing for a quiet evening in front of the TV, when my phone rang.

I was more than a little surprised to see Kenneth’s name on the screen. We had not spoken since he had effectively ended our relationship; so, I answered his call hesitantly.

“Hello.” “Hi,” his voice came across the line quietly. I also had not expected the sound of his voice to have the effect on me that it did; my heart skipped a beat, and then settled into a much faster rhythm than it had before his call. “How are you?” he went on.

“Fine thanks; you?”
“I’m alright thank you; how’s Junior?” “He’s good thanks.”

With the greetings done, we fell into an awkward silence, before he said: “How was your weekend?”

I was taken aback by that; had he somehow heard about my weekend away with David? But how, and who from? Had he come to the apartment and been told I was away by Sandra? That didn’t make any sense, for he always called before coming, and in any case, Sandra would have mentioned it.

Maybe he was just making polite conversation, I tried to assure myself, even though his query and its timing seemed to be too much of a coincidence.

“Fine thank you; how’s work?” I smoothly changed the subject with feigned casualness.
“Busy – I miss you,” he added quietly after a brief pause.

This time, he completely took my breath away, and I remained silent, unsure of how to respond to that.

“I just got off work; can I come see you?” he went on at my silence.

Now not just surprised, but panicked as well, I found my voice; “I don’t think that’s a good idea; I’m pretty tired, and in any case, my sister is around.”

His disappointment was clear in his voice when he answered, but thankfully he didn’t push the matter.

“Alright; maybe some other time. Take care of yourself,” he replied. “You too,” I answered softly, but he had already hung up. Trembling slightly, I slowly put down the phone.

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