by Hess, A. M.
Mary-Beth was a little stunned when DJ made his exit. In the past he would have kept his conversation going while kissing her on the neck and groping a boob through the thin T-shirt material. He had always been sexually playful but today was completely different. She could hear him in his office still going on about reports and numbers and the long term benefits of a merger like this.
Since moving into the corporate life, Dalton had set up an office at the house as well. Most weekends there was something to do, a conference call, computer analysis, emails and it was easier that he had a place to keep his work when he was at home. Lately MJ thought the office was more of a hiding place rather than a work space. Dalton would come out for coffee, lunch and bathroom breaks but little else. Even when he was home she thought he was somewhere else.
She got up from the table and cleaned the kitchen. The thoughts of last night’s performance (or lack thereof) stayed with her as she moved about. Everything had been right as far as she could see. What did I do to make him act that way in bed? I could understand his dinner conversation but afterward, what happened? MJ wiped the counters off and made another pot of coffee. No matter how she went over the previous night, there was nothing she could find about herself that needed fixing. Give it some time. Remember you first thought he was not interested when it was just a dry spell. Give it some time…
Dalton would be in the office for the rest of the day. If she was lucky he would have time for dinner and some television before bed. Tomorrow was a day for packing and an early afternoon flight back to wherever he was currently working. She decided to make the bed, clean the master bedroom and master bathroom and then tackle the laundry. Most everything could wait to be done during the week, but she had nothing else to do and liked having the week free for herself. She really had grown accustomed to her alone time. And with luck Ella would have a new book or two to feed her growing fantasy world.
With the bed made up and the clothes from last night in their proper places, MJ began working on the master bathroom. The floor was wet from the shower, a towel lay on the floor, the toilet had been peed on and the mirror had Dalton signature markings of tooth paste splattered on it. How could one person do so much damage with one trip to the bathroom? She shook her head and began the process of putting everything back to its normal clean state. She didn’t mind cleaning up after him but it amazed her how he could destroy the room in less than 20 minutes.
She left the master bath as clean as before his arrival smelling of fresh scents and cleaning products. From there it was time for laundry. MJ collected all of the clothes upstairs and brought them down in a laundry basket spilling over. She had emptied Dalton’s luggage rather than ask him to do it himself which may have taken all day. She didn’t want to wait or interrupt his time in the office.
The laundry room was one of her favorite amenities in the home. Positioned just off the kitchen, it was large and had a window overlooking the back yard. There was a work table used to fold clothes and separate the dirty laundry. She set the basket atop the table and went to work putting darks in one pile, lights in another, delicates to the side and whites in another basket on the floor.
The whites were always the largest load of clothes and she put them in the front load washer first. Once done she went back to the table to finish sorting and to make sure nothing was in the pockets that didn’t belong. Since they had started living together Dalton would leave anything from his car keys to his cell phone in the dirty clothes. Over the years she had caught most things but occasionally money, receipts or other papers found their way through the wash.
Sure enough the first pair of pants contained 87 cents and a receipt from Starbucks. Nothing in the second pair. A miracle, she thought. Already she felt an object in the rear pocket of the third pair of pants. She had to unbutton the pocket to get to the item. What she found was a business card representing The State Employees Insurance Agency. It was from a woman;
Betty Harrison
General Agent
Seattle, Washington
She was about to throw the card in the trash when writing on the back caught her eye. Written in the sweeping script that only a woman could have was:
A smiley face finished the note. DJ? Nobody at work calls him that. The intimacy of the note was unmistakable and for the first time Mary-Beth Johnson was face to face with the real possibility that her husband was cheating. Her mind raced to find another answer but there was none. The use of her nick name for him, the reference to this woman’s apartment and the time of the evening all pointed to one thing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. All the signs have been there for a while now. And after last night, what else could there be?
MJ stood starring at the writing on the card. She was not upset or angry. She had been preparing herself for this moment. She had the truth, what she did with it was another matter all together.
Chapter Twelve
The remainder of the day was a blur. At some point Dalton ordered Chinese takeout and they ate in front of the television never speaking. It was more like being roommates in college than a married couple of several years. MJ cleaned up the dinner mess and shortly after Dalton went upstairs to bed. The entire day passed without an apology or explanation for his poor performance from the night before.
Rather than join him in bed, Mary-Beth stayed down stairs and comforted herself with a bottle of Merlot. What now? She thought as she sipped her wine and starred at the television. Is this the new normal for me and our marriage? Do I confront him? Should I just ignore the card and go on as if nothing happened? Maybe… If I confronted him how would I know if he was telling the truth? I wouldn’t. I don’t want a divorce, at least not yet. Is it just a fling or does he care for her? What’s wrong with me that I’m not enough?
Her head hurt from the stress. Since finding the card there had been one question after another. She had expected it but now that it was on her door step she had to deal with it. Not knowing why he was cheating was the biggest question. She was faithful to him, she supported his career and kept the house in immaculate condition. As far as she could tell, she was the perfect wife. So why is he spending time with someone else? It has to be me…
~*~*~*~*~
MJ woke up on the couch with the television still on and half a glass of wine left on the living room table. She had fallen asleep still going over options in her head. The only thing she was certain of was that there would be no conversation today. Let it sit for a while and get your thoughts straight before launching into a fight. We can always talk later if that’s what we need, but not today.
She got up and went to the kitchen to pour out the wine and make some coffee. The sun was shining in and the day looked much better than she felt. Dalton would be leaving for the airport before noon and she would be alone again for the rest of the week. Needing some emotional support, MJ texted Trish and asked her to come that afternoon for a late lunch and to talk about ‘new developments’ in the relationship saga. Minute’s later Trish texted back:
See you at your place. 12:30?
MJ responded and they had a date. It would be good to talk to the only other person she knew dealing with a similar issue. Trish was many things but no one ever accused her of being dumb. The advice she shared was not always the best for everyone but meant well. In any case she needed to talk to someone and Trish was trustworthy if nothing else.
MJ looked up as the morning ritual began; the toilet flushed and then the shower was running. I’ll have something to clean again today. He would be down soon and gone soon after that. Don’t let on, just be cool and think about what’s best for me. The coffee dripped into the pot and rather than do nothing she made eggs and toast, more for herself, but Dalton was welcome to have some too.
He came into the kitchen smelling fresh from the shower and poured a cup of coffee. She was happy with the distance between them now; there was no sense in her pretending too. “Thanks for making breakfast”, he said.
“You’re we
lcome”, she responded pleasantly enough. “What time is the car coming to pick you up?”
“I’ve scheduled it for 11:30, but you know how they can be. It might be a little early, why?” He was casual and polite, eating between words.
MJ went on, “I texted Trish this morning and asked her to come over for lunch today. I just wanted to make sure that we weren’t in your way.”
“Nope, not at all. My flight leaves at 1:45 and I want to make sure I have plenty of time to get there and checked in.”
She couldn’t help herself from asking, “Why so early on a Sunday? Is there something important going on that you need to get back to?” It was a simple jab at him but she liked doing it. She knew he wouldn’t tell her the truth.
He seemed to jump when she asked, “No, just, you know, normal stuff. I just need to be ready in the morning for the week of endless meetings.” He went back to his eggs.
“Okay. I hope it goes as planned this week. I know hard you’ve been working”, she said. But she was thinking, and tell Miss Betty Harrison ‘hello’ from all of us back home! Or does Betty even know you’re married? I wonder…?
“Thanks”, he said. “I think it should be a good week most of the negotiations are completed. We have some issues with the unions that could take the better part of three months, but that’s not the difficult stuff.” He finished his breakfast and stood drinking the last of his cup of coffee. “I’m gonna finish getting ready. I have just enough time to pack and get my emails finished.” He set the coffee cup next to the empty plate and walked out of the kitchen.
MJ stayed seated at the table, “Okay, I’ll get the dishes.” She heard a distant ‘Thanks’ and heavy footsteps going up the stairs. I guess I’m just the God damned maid and fuck buddy now.
~*~*~*~*~
The doorbell rang at 11:25 and Dalton greeted the driver. “Good morning, Mr. Johnson. I’m a little early but ready when you are.”
MJ had seen this driver before. In all the time Dalton had been working with corporate and flying to God knows where, there were only a few drivers that he used for his trips to the airport. Dalton had his bags placed by the door and driver stepped in to get them. Seeing MJ standing in the living area he tipped his hat, grabbed the bags and went back to the waiting limo.
Leaving the doorway, Dalton went back to finish packing his laptop for the trip. From his office he shouted, “I’m not sure if I’ll make it home next weekend or not. It just depends on the union and how far we’ll get with them.”
She doubted this was the truth, but knowing what she knew it was a good time for some distance between them. “I understand, just call or text me later in the week to let me know. Maybe I’ll go out with the girls if you can’t make it back.” Won’t Betty be happy about that!
“Sure, I will. See you soon.” And with that he had gathered up his phone and laptop case and was out the door. Once more he offered no kiss good-bye, no ‘I love you’, nothing. Just an un-ceremonial slamming of the door. There is no doubt that things have changed. I’m glad Trish is coming over. She’ll at least be honest about what’s going on…
Chapter Thirteen
Trish was sitting on the couch when MJ came back with mimosas. She said, “Wow, mimosas, what’s the occasion?” Without waiting for a response she went on. “Is Dalton off to one of his far away destinations already?”
“Yea”, MJ said, “He left about an hour ago. I think, for the first time, I’m actually happy he’s gone.”
“Oh, bad weekend?”
“Bad doesn’t begin to describe this weekend…” MJ was clearly unhappy.
Trish put the drink on the table and folded her hands in her lap. “Well, tell me all about it. You said in your text that there were new developments? What’s that all about?”
MJ took a big swallow of the cocktail and sighed heavily before beginning. “Dalton texted me last Thursday and asked me out on a date. I was so excited; he hadn’t done that for quite a while. We set the date for Friday night at Jean-Roberts Table, his idea.”
Trish’s eyebrows were raised, “Sounds nice so far. What happened?”
“It’s more like, what didn’t happen.” MJ spat, “He wanted a romantic evening and I was all for it. I went to the Pink Pyramid and bought a new sexy outfit. I totally rocked it in black leather and lace. I really wanted to have a great date night.” She paused to collect her thoughts and took another drink of the mimosa. “We had reservation for 7:00 and he walks in the door at about quarter after six. I didn’t think we would make it. I had on a red cocktail dress, heels, makeup, I was ready for a great evening and here he strolls in at 6:15…”
“What did he say?” Trish encouraged.
“He gave me a story about his plane getting delayed on the runway. But he didn’t bother to text or call. Any way, he changed clothes and we left. On the way over I tried to get him in the mood by rubbing his crotch and playing with him. He moved my hand away.”
“He didn’t”, Trish was surprised.
“I didn’t know what to do, he’s never done that. I thought maybe he didn’t want to walk into the restaurant with a hard on so I let it go. But over dinner he didn’t respond when I played with him with my foot, no dirty talk, he just went on about the merger. And I’m still pretty okay with that. When we got back home I went to change into my new outfit. I re-did my hair and makeup and put on this little leather outfit with a matching thong. When I walked out into the bed room, I thought I had his attention for sure.” She paused remembering the evening.
“What happened next?” Trish asked.
“It seemed to go okay for a while, I gave him some head but before he could cum I got on the bed and gave him a little show of my own.” They both giggled to each other, “When I thought he was ready to reciprocate I gave him the sign to join me. I laid back and waited for him to go down on me before jumping on for a great fuck session. Instead, he turns out the light, climbs in bed and before I knew it, shoves his dick in me and starts going at it.”
“Really? That doesn’t sound like the way you used to describe him in bed.” Trish was always jealous of the stories MJ shared with her about their sexual adventures.
“The next day he didn’t apologize or even bring it up. At first I was willing to believe that the long time apart had been too much for him and then I found this going through the dirty laundry.” MJ slid the business card across the coffee table.
“Betty Harrison? Never heard of her. Who is she?” Trish asked confused.
“Turn it over.” MJ instructed.
Shock registered on Trish’s face as the realization of what she was reading hit her. “Oh no, I’m so sorry MJ.”
“Don’t be. You know I had some suspicions that he had something on the side. Seeing that card yesterday just made me come to terms with it. He’s gone all the time because of his job. It would have been impractical of me to think that he didn’t have a fling or a prostitute every once in a while.” MJ remained surprisingly clam.
Trish was dumbfounded at the calm resolution of her friend. “So now that you know, what are you going to do?”
For the first time MJ smiled, “I think of it like you were saying at dinner. This is marriage. There are always going to be good time and bad times. I’m not going to leave him if that’s what you mean. Regardless of what he’s doing, he is my husband. And the truth is, I do love him. I want to give it some time and see how it goes. He’s been working in Seattle for months now and that’s the address on the card. He’ll eventually be finished there and move on to another city. As long as he doesn’t try to leave me for this other woman…”
Trish could see that MJ had put a lot of thought into her relationship troubles and was willing to rethink her marriage. “Can you just let it be like that? I know I have for the time being. He has his fun and I am definitely having mine.” A brief smile flashed across Trish’s lips. “It works for me but there may come a time when it doesn’t. I know that about letting him have his flings and with Devon
it’s just great sex, nothing more. But I am prepared to bring it to a halt if there needs to be a change in our relationship. But for now… it just works. He gets his, I get mine and we get ours together with no regrets right now. Can you do that?”
MJ starred Trish right in the eye and gave her the most honest answer of all, “The truth is that’s what I’ve been doing. In the back of my mind I have known something was different and I didn’t even ask him about it. I let him continue on and I lived in the fantasy world that everything was alright and that he would finish his work and come home to me for a fairy tale ending. I knew, I just didn’t do anything about it, shame on me. Now that I have the proof I needed to bring me back to reality I will take steps to make me happy. Yes, I think I can just let it be, but I am going to take your advice and not be a victim.”
Trish grinned and asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I’m not completely sure but I have another friend who might be able to help me with it”, she smiled and felt better just to have someone to confide in.
They drank mimosas and eventually ate a light lunch. When Trish headed home she thought that her friend might soon approach a certain grocery store ‘manager trainee’ for some extracurricular activities. But Mary-Beth Johnson had something completely different in mind for her future.
Chapter Fourteen
When the alarm clock sounded Monday morning, it not only woke her, it signaled a new beginning for Mary-Beth Johnson. She had thought long and hard about her current situation. She was a smart woman and would not let the circumstances go on without some sort of action. After years of being faithfully married she was facing the crisis of a cheating husband. Her friend had put it in the proper context; this is how marriage is, you have to make it work for you.