If you want then, yes, we can go through this whole thing again. I don’t know what’s going on here. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know why all this is happening.
For the tenth time, my name is Michelle -------. I’m 36 years old, and I live with my husband, Greg ------- at 200 ---- -------, -----, Texas, -----.
I’ve known Greg for twenty years. We moved around a lot – my family, I mean – because my Dad was in the Army. I was a typical army brat. Didn’t spend a lot of time at any one place. I suppose, when we settled down after my Dad got out of the army, that Greg was the first attachment I made that seemed permanent. We met when I started Johnson High. He was a big, goofy-looking senior, and I was this quiet little sophomore that would have about died if you said boo to her. We went on our first date in November of that year and we’ve been together ever since. I lost my virginity to him when I was nineteen. He’s the only man I’ve ever been with. If it hadn’t been for that bitch trying to steal him away from me, things would have been just fine.
So far as I know, it started about a year ago. Greg was staying at work a little later every night, but I didn’t think anything was wrong. Not until a few weeks went by, and he had to take a sudden business trip. Had to go to Chicago, he told me. That’s when I started to suspect he was cheating. While he was gone, I decided I’d find out for myself.
When he arrived back, I pretended everything was just fine, and we fucked for the first time in a week. It was sensational. I’ve read that when a spouse is cheating, the home sex, ironically enough, gets better. The cheating spouse is compensating in an attempt to reduce his or her partner’s suspicions. Greg’s cock was a ramrod that night. We fucked for hours. Probably the best sex we’d had in a couple of years. But I still had my suspicions.
The next day, I followed him – gave him some story about being too sick to go to work, and drove to his place about an hour after he’d have started. It was at lunchtime that I saw him leave the building with her. That bitch. I knew she was the one instantly. I could tell in their body language. Greg had never been so relaxed with me. I really didn’t need to see any more. I drove home and took one of Greg’s shirts and spent the afternoon cutting it into pieces. I threw them away before he came back that night.
Yes, I have had psychological counseling in the past. A few years ago. I don’t really remember when. No, I’m not sure what the doctor’s name was. Rajnesh? Could have been. Sounds familiar.
Do I have problems sleeping? Why would you ask me something like that? I sleep just fine, I – I have problems sleeping, yes. I don’t sleep well at all, not since. Since. There was an accident. I told you about that before. I haven’t slept well since the accident.
Can I get back to the story? Thank you.
Her face was burned into my mind. Into my retinas, or something like that. I saw her face every time I closed my eyes. Burned there, like when you don’t shut off your computer and the same page is there forever. Forever. Blonde. Pretty. Green eyes. When I saw her she was wearing a ponytail. He worked with her. Spent five days a week with her. And we only saw each other for a few hours each evening before bed.
Yes, I was angry.
I went to where they worked again late in the afternoon one day, but this time I followed her. She had a nice Acura. A blue one. It was easy to keep track of as I followed her home. I kept a couple of cars behind her so she wouldn’t see me. Traffic was bad that night, I remember.
I followed her to the north suburbs, and parked across the street from her. I watched her as she got out of her car, and went inside. I took a note of the address, then drove away.
A couple of nights later, I told Greg that I was going out with some friends. He had plans that night, but I told him that it was a friend’s going away party, and he was okay with that. I figured he had made plans with her. Of course, I didn’t have any going away party. I drove to her house and just sat there. It was raining hard by the time I got to her house. The lights were on. I could see her through her big living room window sometimes. I don’t know how long I sat there, but then she left the house and got into her car. I followed her, thinking she was going straight to my house, but she didn’t. She turned into the parking lot of a big grocery store. I did something foolish then. I should have just waited for her to come out, but I didn’t. I got out too and followed her inside.
I thought I’d made a big mistake when I couldn’t see her. I thought I’d spend so much time looking for her in there that she’d leave and drive away without me knowing. I looked down a couple of aisles, but she was nowhere to be seen. I panicked. I turned to go, hoping that she’d at least just be getting into her car when someone came around the corner and I bumped into them. It was her, or course. Her basket fell, and a jar of olives smashed on the floor. “I’m sorry,” I said. I didn’t actually know it was her until I looked at her.
“That’s okay,” she said. I watched her when she knelt to pick up her groceries, then realized I was watching her. I knelt down to help her. “I got them,” she said.
“No, I’m sorry, it was my fault. I didn’t look where I was going.” I put the groceries back in her basket. I looked at her as I did so. She was pretty. Her hair was down this time, and she wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup. She didn’t look as if she was buying for an intimate dinner. Ice cream, chips. Comfort food. I looked at her ring finger, which was bare, as I’d expected. I wasn’t sure what to do next. It was uncomfortable. I apologized again, and walked away.
I was about to leave, when I noticed she was waiting at the 12-or-less-items aisle. She’s surely be suspicious if I just left without buying anything, so I grabbed a bottle of wine from the end of the aisle and got in line at the express checkout next to hers. While I was waiting, I glanced across at her, and she looked around at me. We exchanged those quick, uncomfortable nods that pass between strangers, and I moved forward a few steps. After a few more seconds, I looked to see where she was again, hoping she wouldn’t be too far ahead of me. I needed to see where she was going – she very well could have been heading back to my house for all I knew. It wouldn’t have taken much for Greg to call her to tell her I was going out. When I turned around again, she was looking at me. She smiled when she saw me. I smiled back, and she looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. She’d nabbed me, I just knew it.
Finally, I was able to pay for the wine, and leave. I wanted to get back to my car as quickly as possible so I could follow her again, but then a voice called out, “Excuse me! Excuse me!” I turned around, but I already knew it was her. She walked up with a piece of paper in her hand. “You dropped your receipt!” she said, and handed it to me. “Thought you might want it.”
“Thanks,” I said, and put it into my pocket. I was flustered. “Sorry again about – “
“No, don’t worry about it,” she said. “I don’t even like olives too much.”
“Well, sorry anyway.” I turned and walked back to my car. By the time I got back inside, my hands were shaking badly. I gripped the steering wheel to make the shaking stop and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I looked for her car, but it was gone. Pissed, I opened the car door and threw the bottle of wine away. It hit a car across from mine, but didn’t break. I drove home.
Greg was surprised I was back so early. He was dressed for bed already. I told him that most of the girls had to get up early in the morning. I kissed him goodnight and told him I’d be up in a while. He seemed tired, and happy to be dismissed.
I was still raging. I stood in the kitchen and drank some milk from the carton. The clock read 10:30. I sat watching Leno for a few minutes, then decided to go to bed when his monologue was over. As I emptied my pockets on the dining table, I saw the receipt for the wine crumpled up. I opened it, and saw it wasn’t for wine after all. Ice cream, chips. Comfort food. I was confused. It wasn’t my receipt at all. I turned it over, and there was writing on the back. “Glad you bumped into me. Can I see you again? 555-1106. Hope to hear from you. Jennie.” I had a headache suddenly. I’ve had them before. Like a crossbow bolt under each eye, digging into my brain. Since the accident I’ve had headaches quite a lot. They stop me from sleeping some nights. I get. I get. I get a sick feeling along with them, and a smell. Like antiseptic in hospitals. Stinging. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the note again. The phone was in my hand too, but I didn’t remember picking it up. I pressed the buttons. 555-1106. I held the phone up to my ear, listening to it ring.
“Is it you?” she asked me. I didn’t say anything. “Is this the girl from the store?”
“Uh… yes,” I said. “I don’t know why I’m calling you, I-“
“I wasn’t sure if you would. I saw your ring.”
“This is really uncomfortable for me, I should probably hang up.”
“You can hang up if you like. I’ll count to three. If you don’t hang up I’ll know you don’t want to. One. Two. Three. You didn’t hang up.”
“I don’t know why I –“
“Yeah. You do. I saw how you kept looking at me in the store. Did you bump into me on purpose?”
“No, I was looking for … for something. I didn’t see you.”