by Jamela
“Excuse me Sir, we have a delivery from the bank by courier.” Said the temporary receptionist over the intercom.
“I’ll get it.” Said William leaving. He returned and handed it to Josh. Josh looked up with a triumphant smile on his face. “We are going to be okay.” He said absentmindedly.
He tore open the envelope and pulled out the paper. In his hand was a folded note, which read, “Sorry, the wedding is off and the well has gone dry. Maybe Markita has some money of her own to use. You should have never underestimated me. But thank you for showing your true colors before we got married. You should have remembered that my money is just that, my money. Have a nice life. Love Jessica.”
Markita snatched the paper from Josh and read it aloud. As she did so, Mr. Donovan walked out to the front desk. “Has someone delivered something else for Josh? Yes, that’s it. Thank you.” He took the papers and returned to Josh’s office.
“Okay Josh. Here is another delivery for you.” Josh raised his head in dismay. “What could it be now?” Mr. Donovan handed him an envelope. He opened it and read his letter of termination with the pink slip enclosed. Now he was out of a job, had no money, no girlfriend and most certainly would be facing criminal charges. They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Jessica looked at Josh with a smile. “How sweet it is?” Then she and William left.
The End
Sleepless Morning
Eric went to pick up his children from the babysitter’s house. He was tired after working all night in the hot humid warehouse. He was thankful he didn’t have to rush home so his wife, Teresa, could drive to work. She had made arrangements to ride with someone else until they got a second car.
Eric knocked on the door and Adrianne answered. It was early, only a quarter after six in the morning. He walked into the house, which was dark and quiet with the children sleeping. As Adrianne closed the door, Eric walked into the room to get his children. Adrianne came in behind him and leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed casually over her chest.
“You look exhausted. Why don’t you take a short nap before you drive across town? The kids can sleep a little longer and I’ll wake you up in about an hour. I wouldn’t want you to fall asleep driving and get into an accident.”
“Oh, yeah that sounds good. It was a hard shift last night.” He said climbing into the bed across the room from his children. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light. Adrianne stood there watching for a few minutes, then walked into her bedroom.
In the other room, Adrianne sat on her bed thinking about the opportunity that presented itself to her. “I have made it obvious that I am sexually attracted to Eric. Even if he doesn’t admit it, I know he’s attracted to me, too. Over the past few months, she kept pushing the limits of their friendship. “His stupid wife is the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on.” As her infant daughters turned over in their cribs, she made up her mind as to what she was going to do. “It might be a while before something like this falls into my lap again.”
She knew Eric was upset, because she had talked to him on the phone while he was at work. He mentioned he thought his wife was having an affair. He didn’t know what to do about it. And since, Adrianne was no fool, she ceased the opportunity to drive him to her every chance she got. Every time something was wrong, Eric would come crying to her. She had become his confidant. She could tell, when he hung up with her around 3:15 am, he was almost to the point of tears. With that in mind, she went into the bathroom and washed up. She put on a light perfume and only a nightgown. She quietly walked into the room where Eric and his children were sleeping. Eric was on his back snoring loudly. She knew his children slept soundly because she had been their sitter for almost six months.
She walked over to the bed and looked down at him. God, he was so handsome with the cleft in his chin and those beautiful dimples when he smiled and talked. His hazel eyes were so expressive and he had a beautiful mouth full of even white teeth. “She doesn’t know what she has.” Even though Adrianne knew his wife wasn’t cheating on him, she had decided she was going to get what she wanted anyway. Eric had made things easy for her by wearing sweatpants to work. She took one more glance at the sleeping children then slowly climbed onto the bed, straddling Eric. She reached down and took his penis out and began massaging him. Soon, she had what she wanted. He was erect and growing harder with each stroke. Slowly Eric opened his eyes and looked up at her. For a split second, she didn’t know what to do. But, since Eric didn’t push her off and didn’t say anything, she continued. She guided him into her and she rocked until the two reached their climax.
When they were done, Adrianne climbed off and sat on the side of the bed. It was so good. She was still shaking. Eric sat up and looked at her with a blank stare. He looked over at his sleeping children and shook his head.
“I have to go.” He said pulling his pants up and walking out of the room.
Adrianne heard the toilet flush and the water running in the sink. He returned a few minutes later. He awakened his children, gathered the diaper bag, took them to the car and left. Once at home, he gave the children something to eat, then put them in their room to play. He just couldn’t deal with them right now. “What did I just do? I can never tell my wife. It would kill her. The ironic thing is, she warned me about Adrianne. She saw the attraction and told me to be on guard. She doesn’t trust her. And now, this happens! I had sex with another woman with my children in the same room. How stupid can I be? I didn’t have a condom on, either! What am I going to do? Oh, God, please don’t let Adrianne be pregnant. Teresa would divorce me in a heartbeat.”
He lay down and slept until his oldest daughter came into the room. “Daddy, can we have juice? I…I…I can’t get it. Gate in the way, Daddy. Move it.” She said in the sweet voice of a three year old. So he grabbed up both girls and went downstairs. He tried to watch TV after giving them a snack, but he couldn’t concentrate. He tried listening to music, but he didn’t really hear the songs. He just kept looking at his children, trying to figure out how he could do such a thing to them and his wife. Well, she shouldn’t be cheating.
At 3pm, his wife walked in the door from work as she did every day. The children ran to their mother. She picked them up giving them hugs and kisses.
“Hi, Eric. How was your night? Have you been to sleep yet, you look really tired.” She asked walking over and kissing him on the cheek.
“Yeah, I slept a little at Adrianne’s house, I was too tired to drive straight home.” He said looking at the TV screen.
“I see.” Teresa paused then said, “Eric, I want you to stop doing that. You know how I feel about her. In fact, Monday, the girls will be going to a new sitter’s. I only let her watch the kids to help her out for you because she doesn’t have a job. The more I see the more I dislike her. Anyway, you go get some rest, while I cook dinner. I’ll wake you up in a few hours.” She said putting the children down and walking into the kitchen.
The children went back to playing with their toys and Eric followed Teresa into the kitchen.
“I wanna ask you a question.” He said turning her around to face him as she was standing at the sink. “Are you having an affair? I found some phone numbers on the phone bill that I don’t know. So I called them, and it was a man who said he has been talking to you. Teresa, he lives in another state. Are you planning on leaving me?” He asked looking intently into her eyes.
Teresa looked at him, leaned on the sink and shook her head. She had been calling around looking for a specific type of receiver for his home studio. A co-worker had given her a contact and she called him a couple of times trying to get it for Eric.
“Eric, I’m not planning on leaving you. I’m not having an affair. I’m not falling out of love with you. And I’m not doing something against the law. I AM working on an anniversary gift for our fourth anniversary. But, if I tell you what it is, then it won’t be a surprise.” She stopped, sighed then contin
ued, “Why, do you want me to leave?” She asked slowly with tears in her eyes.
“You’ve been spending more time away from home. It seems every time we talk, you mention Adrianne. I don’t know how to read things in this marriage anymore, so you tell me what you want.” Teresa said calmly.
“I’m just trying to find out what’s going on, that’s all. I’ll be back after a while.” He called over his shoulder as he spun on his heels, grabbed his keys and walked out the door.
Once Teresa heard the door slam, she let her tears fall. She knew he was making excuses for something. She had had a nagging feeling for the last few months. He was having secret phone conversations, when he thought she was sleeping, and spending money, then telling her he had lost it. All of her common sense told her HE was having an affair, but she didn’t have any proof and she was too scared to really know the truth. I’ll just wait for the other boot to drop.
**************
Eric drove over to Adrianne’s house. She was watching TV and was happy to see him. Her first thought was he had come back for more. But the look on his face told her differently. Eric walked in and sat on the arm of her sofa.
“Adrianne, my wife can never find out about what happened this morning. I should have gone straight home, then it wouldn’t have happened.” He said frowning.
“Yes it would have.” She calmly stated.
“You wanted it just as much as I did and that’s why it happened. You’ve come here and seen me in the bathtub and not stop coming by. You’ve seen me walk into the room naked and still you come by. You must not have told your wife because if you had, she would have said something to me. I’m still keeping your children. I can call you and talk to you on your job anytime I want to and every time I offer you something to eat, you eat it. You even take me where I need to go, even get your wife to do it, if you can’t. So, it was going to happen anyway. Those were the signals you sent me, so I followed them. You wanted me to know how important I was to you, you just couldn’t put it into words, so you showed me with your actions. Don’t get a conscience now that you’ve had me and you’re worried about your wife. Don’t worry about her. The only question is, how long are we going to keep the secret form Teresa. I can wait until you break free from her.” She said walking over to him and rubbing his head lovingly.
Eric pushed her hand away and stood up. “Adrianne, you’re crazy. I should’ve listened to my wife’s warnings. She said this is what you were after. What happened this morning won’t be happening again. And I’ll tell Teresa about what happened. It would be wise for you to keep this secret between us. She doesn’t like you as it is.” He said walking out and slamming the door.
He got into his car and drove home. When he walked into the house, Teresa was cleaning the kitchen. She had finished cooking and already fed the girls. He told Teresa he would eat when she woke him up. He went upstairs, closed the door and cried like a baby. He was dead wrong, but it was too late to change it. “How am I going to make this up to my wife,” he thought as he dropped off into another restless sleep.
Ten Years Later
“Teresa, guess who I saw at the store yesterday?” Eric asked smiling.
“Who?”
“Adrianne. She asked how you and the girls were doing. She really seemed concerned. She has another little girl, so I told her she should stop making girls.” Eric replied grinning.
“Yeah, that’s nice. But I really don’t wanna hear anything about her. I never should have let her keep my children, but I was trying to be a loving wife. Young and naïve. You know I can’t stand her. How did you see her again, I thought she had moved.” Teresa asked nonchalantly.
“Yeah, she did, but she moved back. Her daughter is so pretty. Anyway, I’m going to the car wash, I’ll be back in a few.” Eric said and rushed out the door looking at his watch.
“I’ve noticed he’s making late night phone calls again when he thinks I’m sleeping. And he’s running off somewhere and checking his watch a lot. He must be cheating again. I’m not gonna put up with it this time. I’ve been faithful and I deserve better treatment.”
A few hours later, Eric returned home. He had promised to take the children to the movies earlier, but Teresa could see his mood was different. He went to his office and checked his email, then asked about dinner.
Teresa didn’t want to upset him, so she answered and fixed his plate. The children were at a neighbor’s house, so she cautiously asked, “What’s wrong?”
He was quiet for a minute, then got up and walked over to her. He put his arms around her and kissed her. Then said, “Teresa, if you found out I had another child, what would you do?”
“It depends on how old the child is and our relationship at the time. Why? Are you trying to tell me you have another child?” She asked shaking.
“Teresa, I love you and I don’t wanna lose you.” He said hugging even more tightly if that was possible. “But I’m not perfect. I don’t know if it’s my child or not.” He said through tears.
She pushed Eric off of her and dropped onto the sofa. Eric was across from room staring at her as she clinched her fists. “I should have divorced him years ago. But I didn’t want my children to be raised without their father.” “Eric, how old is the child?” She wanted to know.
“I have a picture of her. Do you think she looks like me?” He said handing the photograph to her. “She’s 9 years old. I know this is a lot for you. I’m so sorry, but I never meant to hurt you. And I love you so much. You have always been there for me. It didn’t mean anything to me. So, what do you want me to do?” He cautiously inquired with downcast eyes.
“Eric, who is the mother?” Teresa asked knowing the answer already.
“Adrianne.” He said with bowed head.
“So, you think telling me she didn’t mean anything to you makes it easier! Men are so stupid! I could understand if you were in love with her. But, she doesn’t mean anything? Please! She meant something, because you had sex with her, she didn’t do it alone, now did she? I could kill you for doing this to me. All I put up with and all I do for you and this is the thanks I get! I knew in my heart of hearts something was going on between you too! ” She shouted.
Teresa storm off and slammed the bedroom door shut. She banged it shut so hard a picture of them fell off the wall in the next room. She sat on the bed for a long time just staring into space. Finally the tears come. She thought about all the times Eric had made her cry, the reasons she stayed with him, their children. She thought about the fact that it has taken him ten years to tell her he had an affair. Then she began to blame herself. She knew something was going on during that time period. She should have been more aggressive with making him terminate the friendship with Adrianne. She even remembered when things changed between Adrianne and Eric, it must have been right after they had sex. She should have kicked her ass then. All this time, she thought she had gotten Adrianne out of our lives by finding a new sitter, and here she is again, causing more trouble. Before she realized it she was punching the bed pillows.
She couldn’t believe he had sex with her and he didn’t use a condom. “He could have transmitted diseases. There’s no telling what that slut could have been carrying. How could he be so careless? How could he just throw away the mother of his children and disrespect me like this? How could he dishonor our marriage this way? And all these years he’s kept this secret. No wonder he’s so moody, his conscience is probably kicking his ass. Then again, if he could hold onto this for ten years, it’s probably not. How does he expect me to react to this?”
She slowly got up, opened the door, and asked Eric to come into the room. “Tell me everything. And I mean everything. I wanna know how long it lasted. Why you chose her. Why you didn’t stay with her and why it took so long to tell me? How did you find out the child might be yours? I wanna know everything!” Teresa hissed through clinched teeth.
When Eric was finished telling his story, she picked up the phone, called her neighbor and
asked for the children to come home. Once they are there, she explained to them she needed to take some time for herself and would be gone for a while. She explained they could reach her on her cell phone at any time and she would cook dinner for them, while they are at school. “Your father will be here with you and you’ll be fine. I am just taking a much needed vacation.” Teresa packed two large suitcases and left. she drove around the city for over four hours before she finally make a decision.
She checked into a hotel under her maiden name, because she don’t want Eric tracking her down. “We’ll be celebrating our fourteenth anniversary in a month and I don’t know if I want to be married to him anymore. After all my warnings and helpful hints, he got involved with Adrianne, anyway. He doesn’t deserve me. If he had loved me, he wouldn’t have done it. I don’t buy the story about thinking I was cheating. When did I have time? I had the kids when I wasn’t working and I hadn’t had any transportation to go off alone the way he had. He had all the opportunity and apparently he had used it. The thanks I got for being a good wife, mother, friend and partner is a crushed heart and tears of pain. Life isn’t fair, but I’ve decided I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. The fact that he’s committed adultery with his children in the same room sickens me to my stomach. What if the girls had awakened? How could he take a chance like that? HE said it was only one time, but that is hard to believe. Adrianne gives a new meaning to being a slut. Not only did she have sex with a married man, but she was so bold as to do it with his children in the same room and her children unattended in the next room. Did she hope they would wake up and see her? Oh, when I get my hands on her I’mma beat her natural black ass!”