Clark was in the garage, hunched over the engine of his old truck, when the cordless phone rang. He wiped his hands on a rag, glancing at the handset on the workbench. The phone's base was inside, in the kitchen, and there was another one upstairs. Sandy was home, probably in the shower, so he figured she'd get it. But the ringing continued.
With a sigh, he grabbed the handset and answered, ready to tell whoever it was to call back later. But before he could speak, he heard Sandy's voice. He froze, instinctively pressing the mute button. Her tone was low, secretive, he was instantly suspicious..
"Gary, I can't talk now," she said, her voice soft and conspiratorial. "He's still home."
Clark's heart skipped a beat. Gary? Their neighbor, Gary, who lived just two doors down? Married to Sheila, Gary? They were all friends, or so Clark had thought. His pulse quickened as he pressed the phone harder to his ear.
Gary's voice came through, casual, familiar. "You sure he doesn't know anything? You've been careful?"
Clark's stomach twisted. His mind raced, pieces falling into place, too quickly. He stayed silent, his breath catching in his throat.
"I told you, he's been so busy with work, he doesn't even notice," Sandy replied, her voice edged with something almost playful. "Besides, I know how to handle Clark. He doesn't suspect a thing."
Clark felt like his whole body had been dunked in ice water. His heart was pounding, his breathing short and sharp. His mind swirled with thoughts of his many nights spent working late, thinking he was doing it for them, for their future. All the while, this had been going on behind his back.
Clark gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. The audacity, the ease with which they talked about lying to him. He wanted to scream, to throw the phone, to march into the house and confront her. But something inside him held back. He needed to hear it all.
Clark's stomach churned. The casual cruelty of it, the way she'd spoken about him like some obstacle to work around, was too much to bear. And then, the thought struck him like a blow: *the baby*. Sandy had only recently told him they were going to be parents.
