Three is a crowd: To each their own problems

(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.

JULIE

Kenneth must have been closer than the hospital when he called, for less than fifteen minutes after he hung up, he was knocking at the front door.

I had not dressed up for him, remaining in a long loose ‘stay-at-home’ dress, my toned-down look designed to ensure there was no misunderstanding about the nature and boundaries I was setting for this impromptu visit.

“Hi, come in,” I welcomed him politely as I opened the door.
“Thanks; how have you been? You look great,” he complimented me in return as he came in, stopping briefly to peck me on the cheek platonically as he did so.

“Thank you; so do you. I’ve been well; you?”
“Same old, same old,” he shrugged disinterestedly, then went, his tone suddenly dropping and becoming more earnest, more intimate: “I’ve missed you.”

My heart skipped a beat; this was exactly the direction I had hoped the visit would not go.

“Please don’t, Kenneth,” I pleaded.
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
“We both know it’s pointless; so, there’s no reason to say it,” I answered firmly.

“Of course there is; I’m not happy, and I don’t believe you are either, and it doesn’t have to be that way!”
“Who told you I’m not happy? I am!” I snapped, now angry.

“Really? Is this all you want; an apartment and a child? Don’t you want to share your whole life with someone? To wake up with him every morning, and come home to him each night; don’t you want that?” he argued passionately.

He was getting too close for comfort and I needed to stop him.

“I want you to respect the decisions I made,” I answered evenly.

For a few seconds he did not respond, and just looked at me, like he was trying to gauge how serious I was, but then he must have seen something in my eyes that answered that, and backed down.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” he apologized, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

“Let’s start over; pretend I’ve just walked in, and you’ve just offered me a coffee, which I have graciously accepted – let’s take it from there.”

With a goofy smile, he obligingly stepped back into the friend zone. I should have been firmer, maybe even insisted he leave, but he seemed genuinely apologetic for having crossed the line, and I was confident he would not do so again; so, where was the harm?

At this very moment, David was hanging out with his wife and children, while I was left here alone with Junior; so, why not let Kenneth stay?

“Sit down; I’ll go put a pot on,” I caved in.

DAVID

I had worried that managing all three children by myself for a full day would be a nightmare, but to my surprise, it turned out to be a lovely – and relaxing – day.

The girls were so happy to have me back, they stayed close, and Daniel was old enough not to need my constant supervision. So, rather than spend the day running around after overly excited children, I was actually able to relax as well.

Besides, the day reminded me of how simple and uncomplicated my life used to be before I started the affair with Julie. There was no doubt that Julie made me happy, and that loving her was far easier than loving Diane, but there was equally no doubt that my relationship with her, and the birth of Junior, had complicated my life.

Not only had it created problems between Diane and me, but its demands on my time, had also affected my relationship with the children we had. Furthermore, while my home relationships had suffered, it was not like my relationships with Julie and Junior had not suffered too; although I loved them both dearly, and tried to be there for them, I knew I was not giving them quality time either.

It was the classic case of a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’, for every time I tried to give one relationship the attention it needed, the other suffered.

Today was the perfect example of that; having been away for a few days, I knew I needed to have this time and outing, and while I was pleased that I was doing it, and that it was going so well, another part of me felt guilty that I was not doing the same thing for Junior.

In my dream world, I would be able to spend time with all my children, all together at the same time, but while Julie would have no problem with such an outing, Junior was too young for me to take out without her, and Diane would kill me before she allowed our children anywhere near Julie – or Junior, for that matter.

Then again, Junior was my son, and maybe not right now, but sooner or later, our children would need to know that they had a brother, whether Diane liked it or not.

DIANE

Picking up my new car filled me with mixed emotions; on one hand, I was thrilled that I finally had a car again, but that delight was tempered by thoughts of how much strain getting it had put on my marriage.

Getting the keys and registration papers was a joyous moment and one that most wives would celebrate with their husbands, but in my case, actually getting the car would probably only widen the divide between David and me, and the only person I could think of to celebrate the moment with was Tracy.

Besides the fact that I would no longer need to keep bothering her for a ride, she knew the entire back story to this car and was the one who had actually encouraged me to push for it; so, I was sure she was the one person who would be genuinely happy for me.

My prediction was proven accurate when I drove to the boutique and then phoned her and told her to come outside; as soon as she saw it, she started hopping up and down and squealing with excitement the way women do with one another when they can’t eloquently voice their delight about something.

When she finally brought herself under control enough to speak, she right away went into celebration mode.

“This is what we’re going to do,” she began in a matter-of-fact tone that brokered no argument. “We’re going to work our butts off till four, and then you’re going to take this beauty home, park it safely, and I’ll get the driver, we’ll pick you up, and go celebrate properly.”

Her excitement was contagious and helped cement my own feelings of joy, while dulling the more somber ones; she was right, this was a good thing and one that should be celebrated, and celebrate it I would.

Besides, with David having been away, I had been taking care of the children by myself; so, I was due for a night out, I thought to myself self-righteously, and then smiled at Tracy.

“Sounds perfect,” I nodded in ready agreement. Let David see what it was like taking care of three children single- handedly.

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