Don't ask me how I knew; I just did. I was sitting drinking my morning coffee when my wife Helen came down.
"Did you have fun with the girls last night, dear?" She kind of mumbled an answer and wouldn't look me in the eye.
"Look at me, dear." when she did, I heard that old Hank Williams song hammering in the back of my head. "You're cheating, heart will tell on you" That's when I knew.
"How long has it been going on?"
"Three months"
"Well, stop immediately, and maybe we can save this marriage, understand?"
"Yes, alright," she answered, leaving the room.
No crying, no explanation, no it was all a mistake, none of that crap, she just left the room. I didn't bother asking who or why. I really didn't give a shit.
I met Helen right after HS graduation. She was working in a Deli and going to night school. I was going to trade school, learning to weld. I remembered her from school. I always did think she was kind of cute. She was fun, bright, and a fantastic sex partner. Her mom was divorced and a heavy drinker. Helen did not have a happy home life. For that matter, I didn't either. Mom was a fucking nag, and dad was pussy whipped. Helen and I quickly moved in together. When Helen got pregnant, we married. Her mom was so drunk she passed out at the wedding.
Most of our arguments came about as a result of her flirting. I had to step in on more than one occasion to break things up. She always just laughed it off, telling me she knew I was there to protect her. It all came to a head about two years ago, she was flirting with a neighbor, and he was getting a little aggressive. He wanted to take it outside when I approached him, so I obliged. He wasn't much of a fighter. His wife rescued him and kept me from hurting him badly.
Later, when I thought about it, I realized Helen came very close to causing me to hurt someone bad enough to go to Jail. So, although we were married for fifteen years and now had three children, I told her that there were no more rescues. She was on her own. We were done if she ever let it get to the cheating stage.
Until that time, our sex life was fantastic. I never had reason to complain. Then, suddenly, we stopped going out almost entirely. She started getting together with the gals she worked out with at the gym. They had been over to the house a few times and seemed a nice enough bunch.
II gradually noticed the fun and excitement seemed to have gone from our marriage. Instead, she seemed more somber, more serious. I thought maybe she had finally grown up.