For All Time

by Angela Benson

  “Friends?” Gloria could have scratched the woman’s eyes out then. “Right. Look, I’m not here to have a conversation with you. I want you the hell out of my house.”

  Darlene looked around the kitchen. “Your house? How much time have you spent here, Gloria?”

  “Look, I want you out of this house now.” Gloria walked over to Darlene and pushed her clothes into her hands. “Get your clothes on and get out.”

  Darlene placed the clothes on the counter and began to dress. “You don’t want him, Gloria, and I do. Why don’t you let him go?”

  “Who are you to tell me what I want and don’t want? Josh is my husband and I’m not letting him go. Not for you, not for anybody.”

  “Maybe you won’t have to. Maybe Josh will make that decision for you.”

  Gloria reached out and slapped Darlene, then yelled, “Get out of this house now.”

  Darlene seemed unable to move. The slap had surprised her. Little Gloria had more spunk that she had given her credit for. “Why don’t we ask Josh what he wants? He’s upstairs, you know. Still asleep. He had a long night.”

  Gloria didn’t miss the innuendo in Carla’s words. She walked to the front door and held it open. “Get out.”

  “What’s going on down there?”

  Both women looked to the stairs. Josh stood there in his undershorts.

  Eighteen

  Josh looked from Gloria to Darlene, then back to Gloria. “It’s not what it looks like.”

  “Get this woman out of my house, Josh.”

  Josh walked toward Gloria. “Don’t come near me,” she said. “Just get her out of here.”

  Josh looked to Darlene. “Thanks for bringing me home last night.”

  Darlene nodded at Josh, then looked over at Gloria. “My car is in the garage. She has to move her car from the driveway so I can get out.”

  Gloria slammed the front door and said to Josh, “You get her out of here.” She then stomped up the stairs.

  She first went to their bedroom, Josh’s bedroom, but she couldn’t stand it there, so she went into the other bedroom and sat on the bed. Agitated, she got up and began to pace the room. It all began to crash down on her. Josh had cheated on her! He had actually slept with somebody else. Not somebody else. He’d slept with his boss. She couldn’t believe it. What a fool she’d been.

  She wondered how long it had been going on. She’d had an uneasy feeling about Carla since their first meeting. That understated beauty of hers. Well, it hadn’t been understated today.

  Gloria sat down on the bed. Was Carla the reason Josh had agreed so readily to this commuter marriage arrangement? Had he planned to sleep with her from the beginning?

  Before she could reason out an answer to that question, Josh walked into the bedroom. “It’s not what it looked like, Gloria.”

  She looked up at him. How could she have been such a fool? “I find her clothes strewn across your bedroom floor—”

  Josh held up his hand. “Hold on here. What are you saying?”

  “Her clothes were strewn across your bedroom floor and she was standing half-naked in your kitchen. How does that look from your position, Josh? From mine, it’s pretty obvious what went on.”

  Josh shook his head like an innocent. She was amazed that he could muster a look of surprise, no shock, at her words.

  “I don’t know what you walked in on, but nothing happened between Darlene and me,” he said. “I got a little drunk last night and she brought me home. I fell asleep and I thought she went home.”

  “Obviously, she didn’t. And obviously, she slept here. With you. In your bed.”

  “I didn’t sleep with her. I don’t know what you found when you got here, but you have to believe me. I did not sleep with Darlene.”

  It registered that Josh called her Darlene. “Is Darlene some other woman you’re seeing? That was Carla.”

  Josh walked toward her. “Carla? No, that wasn’t Carla. That was Darlene.”

  Gloria held up a hand and Josh stopped in his tracks. “Stop the lies, Josh. I’ve met the woman before.”

  “I’m telling you that wasn’t Carla. It was her sister, her twin sister, Darlene.”

  “Twin sister? You’re sleeping with your boss’s twin sister.” She laughed a hysterical laugh. “You like living dangerously, don’t you?”

  “No, I’m not sleeping with her. And yes, she is Carla’s sister.”

  It didn’t matter who she was. Josh had broken their vows. He had brought another woman into their home and made love to her. “I can’t believe you would do this to us, Josh. How could you after all we’ve shared?”

  Josh looked at his wife standing away from him, tears, hurt, and anger in her eyes, and he knew this was the lowest point in his life. He never thought they’d come to this. He blamed himself. He had already told her that nothing happened with Darlene, but she didn’t believe him. Maybe it was because he didn’t say it with much conviction. The sad truth was he didn’t remember. The last thing he remembered was Darlene helping him up the stairs. He was ready to swear that nothing had happened between him and Darlene. How could it? He was drunk.

  “I’m telling you that nothing happened. Darlene is my boss’s sister, for God’s sake.”

  Gloria laughed. If he hadn’t been looking at her, he would have sworn it was a happy laugh. “Did you know that I was jealous of Carla when I first met her? Seems I was right to be so. It must have been easier for you to fall into the sack with the boss’s sister rather than the boss.”

  Josh went to her and grabbed her with both hands. “I did not sleep with her. Why can’t you believe me?”

  She looked at his hands on her arms. “Take your hands off me.” When he didn’t move, she added, “Now. Take your hands off me now.”

  Josh dropped his hands. He moved to put them in his pockets and realized that he wore only his undershorts. God, what a situation this was.

  “She was practically naked when I found her in the kitchen this morning. Her clothes were strewn all around your bedroom. How do you explain that?”

  Josh couldn’t explain it. He couldn’t remember. He cursed himself for drinking like that. There was really no excuse for it. God, he was just like his father. He hadn’t hit Gloria like his dad hit his mother, but he had hurt her to the same degree, if not more. Right now he hated himself. “I can’t explain it. Just know that I’d never intentionally hurt you. Trust me.”

  “You don’t ask much, do you, Josh?”

  “We can get past this, Gloria. It doesn’t have to hurt us.”

  She laughed that laugh again. “Doesn’t have to hurt us? You must be joking. Do you know what your Darlene asked me?”

  Josh had no idea what Darlene had said to her. He had rushed her out of the house so quickly that he hadn’t had time to question her. “What?”

  Gloria met his gaze. The hurt he saw reflected there made him hurt. “She asked me to let you go. Seems she knows a lot about our personal life. How did she get her info? Pillow talk?”

  “Dammit, Gloria. It’s no secret that we don’t have a traditional marriage. Most people here know that you still live in Atlanta.”

  “Don’t even think about blaming me for what you did with Darlene.”

  “I’m not blaming you. I’m just saying that some people think our being apart means there are problems in our marriage.”

  “Right now, Darlene is the problem in our marriage. How long have you two been dating?”

  “Dating? What the hell are you talking about?”

  Gloria sat on the side of the bed again. “You said she brought you home. I assumed you had gone out together.”

  “Well, you assumed wrong. She saw me in a bar, and when she noticed I was a bit drunk, she offered to drive me home. End of story.”

  “Not according to Darlene. She didn’t try to hide the fact that she wants you. Are you telling me that you didn’t know she felt this way?”

&n
bsp; Josh hated that question even though he had known it was coming. Yes, he knew Darlene’s feelings, but he’d never encouraged them. But he hadn’t done anything to discourage them either, and that was his mistake. “I knew.”

  “Did you discourage her interest?”

  “Yes.”

  Gloria got up then and walked over to him. For the second time this morning, she slapped somebody. “I know you well enough to know when you’re lying, Josh.” She brushed past him and ran down the stairs.

  Josh followed.

  “What did you do with my keys?” she asked.

  “Where are you going?”

  She found the keys on the kitchen counter. “I’m going back to Atlanta. There’s nothing here for me.” She walked past him to the front door. She opened it and asked, “Where’s my car?” When he didn’t answer, she asked again, “Where the hell is my car?”

  “It’s in the garage. I moved it earlier.”

  She closed the door. “I see. You moved it when your girlfriend moved hers out of the garage. To hell with you, Josh Martin.” Gloria stomped through the kitchen and out the door to the garage.

  Josh watched her leave and he could think of nothing else to say. The garage door went up and she backed out. Without another look at him, she sped off down the street.

  Josh pressed the button on the garage door control panel, causing the door to come down, and walked back into the house, closing the door behind him. He looked around the kitchen and saw that someone, Darlene, had been preparing breakfast. He wondered again what had happened between them. Had Darlene really spent the night in his bed? If she had, had they had sex?

  He was angry with Darlene for what she had said to Gloria. If she had told Gloria they were just friends and explained what had happened the night before, he and Gloria might have been able to work this out. But, no, Darlene had her own agenda.

  He could only be a little angry with Darlene though, because he knew he had led her on. He had allowed her to think that there might be a chance for them. There was only one person that he could be angry with and that was himself. And maybe, Gloria.

  If Gloria had listened to his plea last weekend, none of this would have happened. He would have been in Atlanta helping her pack instead of in some bar getting drunk. Still, he knew that was no excuse.

  The drinking had gotten him into trouble. If he hadn’t been drunk, Darlene wouldn’t have come home with him and set this horrible chain of events in motion. Yes, it was the drinking.

  ***

  After she had turned off their street, Gloria realized she wouldn’t be able to drive much farther. She was beginning to shake with nerves, and the tears falling from her eyes made it difficult for her to focus on the road. She headed for the main highway, where she hoped she could find a hotel.

  Somehow she managed to register and get to her room. Once there, she stopped trying to keep herself together and let her emotions have free rein. It started with a wail, the sound of a wounded animal. She heard the sound and it startled her at first. Then she realized the sound had come from her.

  ***

  Josh called Gloria in Atlanta every fifteen minutes after the time he thought it would have taken her to drive home. Either she wasn’t home or she wasn’t answering the phone. He prayed nothing had happened to her on the way. If something had happened, surely he would have been contacted. So, he assumed she wasn’t answering his calls. He couldn’t much blame her. He didn’t know how he was going to fix this. He had checked the airlines and decided to take a Sunday afternoon flight to Atlanta. She needed some time. He’d give her some, but not much. They had to get this settled. Gloria needed time to adjust to her feelings, but too much time would allow her imagination to go overboard.

  He had just dialed her for the fifth time Sunday morning when his doorbell rang. He wondered who was visiting at this hour. It wasn’t like he had lots of guests.

  He opened the door and was surprised to see Darlene standing there. “What do you want?” he asked.

  Darlene pushed past him and came into the house. “Where’s the missus?”

  Josh stood at the door, not bothering to close it. Darlene would be leaving soon. “What did you tell her, anyway?”

  Darlene sat on the couch. “You may as well close the door, Josh. I’m not going anywhere until we talk. And I know Gloria’s not here.”

  Josh closed the door and walked over to her. He deliberately chose to sit in the chair opposite her and not on the couch next to her. “Okay, what do you want to talk about?”

  “Us.”

  Josh shook his head. “I tried to tell you this yesterday, Darlene. There is no us. There can never be any us. I love my wife.”

  “But your marriage isn’t working,” she explained. “Can’t you see that?”

  Josh didn’t like her attitude. It was one thing for him to think that his marriage wasn’t working, but it was a whole other thing for someone else to sit in judgment. “You’re way out of your league, Darlene. I’m not giving up on my marriage. Can’t you get that through your head?”

  “No, I can’t. I thought you would know that about me by now. I don’t give up easily when it’s something I want.”

  Josh stood and walked over to sit next to her. “I know I’ve led you on, Darlene, and I’m sorry, but I’m not leaving my wife and that’s final.”

  Darlene looked up into his eyes and smiled. Her look reminded him of a look he had seen once in Carla’s eyes. A look that made him wary. “I know you mean what you’re saying, Josh. At least you mean it for now. But my guess is things are going to change. Your little Gloria is not very happy with you right now.”

  Josh knew there was no reasoning with Darlene. All he could do was get her out of here so he could get to the airport. He stood and she stood, too.

  “Okay, I’m leaving,” she said. You have my number.” With that, she sauntered to the door and let herself out.

  Josh stared at the door after her. At this moment he wished he’d never met her at Dominic’s. After all that had happened, he was still attracted to her.

  ***

  Gloria checked her answering machine, and as she had expected, all the messages were from Josh. He had no idea she was still in Raleigh. She debated stopping by the townhouse on the way home to give them one more chance at a reasonable discussion. She didn’t make a conscious decision, but she found herself in front of the townhouse. She didn’t stop, but she slowed her speed long enough to read the license plate of the car parked in the driveway. She didn’t know why she was surprised—she had looked like a vanity plate kind of girl. Gloria sped away, the Darlene moniker firmly planted in her mind.

  ***

  Josh was seated at the counter when Gloria walked through the kitchen door. She had known he was there because his car was parked in the garage. That had given her a few minutes to get herself together, to prepare what she was going to say to him. When she saw him, all that preparation went away. She was raw emotion. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He faced her, meeting her eyes. “I live here, remember?”

  “Humph,” was her response. She walked past him to the stairs, headed for their bedroom. When she walked through the bedroom door, the smell of betrayal met her. Even though she had found Josh and Darlene in the other house, somehow they had also invaded this bedroom, this bed. She backed out of the room, bumping into Josh in her rush.

  He pulled her into his arms. “What’s wrong?”

  She jerked away from him. “I can’t stay in that room. Not with you. Not without you.” She moved on down the hall to one of the guest bedrooms, consciously not choosing the one Josh had slept in when he’d moved out of their bedroom.

  He followed her down the hall and would have followed her into the bedroom, but she slammed the door in his face and locked it. He stood outside the door and twisted the knob. “Open the door, Gloria. We need to talk.” When she didn’t answer, he added, “Please open the
door.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” came her voice from the other side of the door. She remembered Darlene’s car in his driveway earlier this morning and wondered if he had made love to her before leaving Raleigh. Would the pain ever stop? She didn’t even find peace in sleep. In her dreams she saw Josh making love to that woman.

  “There’s a lot to talk about. Our marriage. I love you, Gloria. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Gloria sat on the bed, her head in her hands. She wanted to cry but she couldn’t find the tears. They were all gone. She was one mass of shivering pain. “You should have thought about that before you went to bed with your girlfriend. Did you love me then? Were you thinking about our marriage then?”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that I did not sleep with her?”

  When would he stop lying to her? Even if he hadn’t slept with Darlene last night, he would have in time. His look told her that. The boldness that Darlene exhibited with her was not just bravado. She had reason to believe she had a chance to take Josh away from Gloria. Gloria knew Josh had given her that hope. “What was she doing at the townhouse then? Is she the maid?”

  Josh leaned against the door. “I told you. I was drunk. She drove me home. Can’t you believe that? Gloria?”

  “I drove by the townhouse this morning. Her car was parked in your driveway.”

  Josh fought for a response. There was no right answer. If he lied, she’d know. If he told the truth, he’d be in more trouble.

  She lay back on the bed, eyes wide open, and stared at the ceiling. “Your lack of response answers the question. Now, will you please leave me alone?”

  She wished she could erase the entire weekend from her memory. The scenes kept playing over and over in her mind. There was no way to escape them. She’d never forget the pain she’d felt when she’d seen the woman’s clothes in their bedroom. Or when she’d found her half-naked in their kitchen. It was all such a nightmare. And then the humiliation of standing there arguing with that whore about her own husband. God, she couldn’t believe she’d actually done that.