Passion in James County XIII
Nancy's Quest
By D.C. Roi
Chapter twenty-six
Nancy drove toward her home in the wee hours of the morning feeling extremely anxious. She had no idea what would happen when she got home. She was upset that her husband had slept with Fran, but she also knew she was in no position to act indignant. She'd been cheating on George for almost a year, ever since the convention. She tried to convince herself it wasn't fair to be angry with her husband for doing the same thing. Just the same, memories of seeing him and Fran locked together in Fran's bedroom remained very vivid in her memory.
Even more frightening to her was the possibility that her husband would tell her he wanted to leave her for Fran. What would she do then? "It doesn't matter," she thought, "Whatever the outcome is, I have to straighten myself out. Whether George leaves me or not, I'm going to get therapy!"
George, looking very upset and haggard, walked out of the house the minute she pulled into the driveway. He walked up to her van and stood next to it, waiting for her to get out. When she opened the door, he asked, "Nancy, are...are you all right?" He sounded concerned, almost panicked. "Where were you? I...I've been trying to find you all night. I've been frantic. I...I was thinking about calling the police."
"I...I'm all right, George," Nancy said as she slid out of the van. "I'm trying to think straight for the first time in a long time. Why don't we go inside? I...I think there are some things we need to talk about."
"Yeah, OK," her husband said.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?" Nancy asked her husband once they were in the house.
George, standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking confused, shrugged. "Yeah...I...I guess so," he said. "Nancy, where were you? What's going on?"
Nancy started the coffee, then turned to her husband. "Why don't you sit down, George?" she said. "We'll talk, and when we're finished, I think all of your questions will be answered."
"Ah...yeah, OK," George replied. He walked to the kitchen table and sat down.
When the coffee was done, Nancy filled two mugs, carried them to the table, set them down, then she sat down opposite her husband. She was as terrified as she'd ever been as she tried to think of a way of beginning the conversation she knew she and her husband had to have. What if the result of the conversation was that he told her he was leaving her? What if he said he wanted Fran? What if he was disgusted with her when he found out what she'd been doing? It didn't matter. Things had to change.
George pulled his mug across the table, cradled it in his hands, and looked at Nancy. "Where were you all night?" he asked. "I...I was really worried."
Nancy took a deep breath. "I...I got off work early today," she said, her eyes on her husband's, watching carefully for his reaction. "And I...I figured I might be able to help Fran get dinner together, so..." She paused as she saw a look of shock begin to form on her husband's face. "I guess it was about three-thirty, maybe a little later, when I went over to their house and..."
"Oh, God!" George exclaimed, going totally pale. "You...you saw...you saw...us, didn't...didn't you?"
Nancy nodded. "Everything," she whispered. She clasped her trembling hands around the warm mug sitting on the table in front of her.
"Oh, Nancy, I'm sorry," George said. "I...I'm so sorry. I...I didn't mean to hurt you." He took a deep breath and shuddered. "I...I never, ever intended for that to happen," he said. "I got off early, too, and I had the same thought you did. We hadn't been over there for a while so I figured maybe Dick and I could catch up, you know?" He stared across the table at Nancy.
"And..." Nancy said.
"When I got there, I found Fran crying. I'd never seen her so upset," he said. "It turns out Dick picked this morning to tell her he was leaving her for another woman."
"What?" Nancy asked, stunned. "Dick left Fran?"
"Yes," her husband said. "Apparently he's been having an affair with his secretary for a couple of years now."
"My God!" Nancy said. "I had no idea."
"Me, either," George said. "You can't begin to imagine how upset Fran was when I got there. I...I tried to comfort her and...and things..." He shrugged. "I...I guess things went wrong, terribly wrong. I...I'm sorry, Nancy. I love you, I didn't want to hurt you. I...I didn't intend to let anything happen between Fran and me, but, well, things started and got out of control and..." He inhaled and a soft sob escaped from him. Then tears began rolling down his cheeks.