Damn You Mother

Damn You, Mother

Nothing new; a typical Loving Wives trope. Just much, much shorter (750 words to be exact), and from perhaps a less-typical point of view.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ilona sat in the restaurant booth, staring at her mother, absorbing what she'd just heard. Words that she would never be able to unhear.

"Ilona, I... I'm thinking about having an affair."

There was silence for a long, long moment, as the younger woman regarded the older.

Nervously, Theresa said, "Honey, did you hear..."

"Yes, I fucking heard you, Mother," her daughter snapped.

Theresa's head jerked back in shock; Ilona never swore. Certainly, never at

her

.

"God damn you Mother; you've just ruined my life in..." she counted on her fingers, "seven words."

Theresa didn't miss the 'Mother'. She had always been 'Mama', up until about ten seconds ago.

"What? How? I haven't done anything!"

Ilona glared at her. "Yet, Mother, yet. Tell me why? How on earth could you do that to Dad?"

"Sweetheart, it's not that I don't love your father, it's just... we've been married for so long, everything is so predictable now! This is just a little excitement, a little something for

me

. If you think about it, it really doesn't have anything to do with your father. Anyway, I haven't decided; just something I'm considering."

"Exactly. You're

thinking

about it. Just by saying it, you've irrevocably changed not only

your

relationship with Dad, but mine too! You're forcing me to choose! I either pick you, and keep my mouth shut, or I pick him. Which means I have to tell him. And you can be sure, if I pick you, and Sam finds out, I'll wind up just as divorced as you're about to be. And Dad probably won't ever speak to me again."

She shook her head in disgust. "Are you that naïve to actually believe he hasn't already been affected? I'll bet Dad has noticed that something's up with you."

Theresa thought about that. She recalled that János had twice asked to speak with her in the past few weeks, but she had put him off.

Seeing the realization in her mother's eyes, Ilona nodded grimly.

"And why bother to tell

me

?"

"I thought... being a woman, I thought perhaps you might understand..."

"UNDERSTAND? That you want to cheat on Daddy?" Ilona scoffed. "Wow. It's like I don't even know you." A pause. "So why now, Mother? What happened that made you start down this path?"

"I..."

But Ilona cut her off. "No, wait. Let me guess. There's a new guy at work?"

Theresa gaped at her daughter.

"Figures." Ilona shook her head in disgust. "He's been

sooo

sweet, giving you compliments, telling you how beautiful you are. Asking you to lunch. I bet you shot him down a few times, but he didn't give up, did he?"

Theresa stared, a deer in the headlights.

"He finally convinced you to have a casual lunch, just as friends. And now... now you're meeting him a couple times a week. Some flirting. The conversations slowly becoming more personal. Things that you

used

to talk to Dad about. Has he held your hand? Accidental touches that normally you'd consider inappropriate? I'm guessing that he's suggested a quiet dinner together, just colleagues sharing a meal? That you deserve some time away from home, to relax and be yourself? Maybe go dancing after?"

"What... how..."

"Please tell me you haven't already crossed the line."

Theresa couldn't look at her daughter.

"Oh, my God." Ilona threw her hands up. "You haven't fucked him, have you?"

Theresa rocked back, reeling from her daughter's onslaught. "No," she whispered. "No, we've only kissed."

"All right Mother. I pray that's true." She gave her mother a hard look. "So. Here's what you're going to do. END IT. Tell him it's over. Do that, and then I don't ever want to hear another word about it. Maybe I can pretend you were drunk and it was just a fantasy that you would never," she glared at her mother, "EVER," the glare intensified, and she poked a finger at her, "follow through with. I'm leaving now, and I pray you come to your senses."

Ilona went home to her husband. Sam took one look at her and wrapped his arms around her. "Tell me," he whispered.

Ilona burst into tears. "What are we gonna do?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ilona... honey..." Theresa could barely get the words out. "I... know what you said, but... I have to do this... just once... he'll underst- Ilona? Hello?"

"That bitch," whispered Ilona.

Startled, Sam stared at her. "Baby?"

She looked at him miserably, as she dialed.

"Hi, Daddy. We need to talk."