Chapter 1—Dinner with the Marks
I drive home with my two babbling three-year-olds in the backseat, thinking of all I have to do to get ready for a dinner with a few of our friends. Luckily, Mrs. Lovett agreed to do most of the legwork, but there are still a million things left to do. It was pretty dumb of me to organize a Friday night dinner during one of my busiest weeks.
As I pull into the garage, I see Mrs. Lovett standing at the door, prepared to help me unload the kids who are markedly restless from the twenty-minute drive in Atlanta’s heavy Friday afternoon traffic.
“Hey there!” She says, unsnapping my little girl, Amelia from the car seat.
“Ovett!” Amelia exclaims, reaching for her. I open the opposite door and do the same for my son, Andrew.
Once we get both kids inside, I notice that Mrs. Lovett already has a head start on cooking, which makes me even more grateful to have her. We sit both kids down at the table, and Mrs. Lovett puts a snack of apple slices and carrot sticks in front of them which they instantly devour. Our dog, Faith, sits under the table, knowing that she’ll get whatever they’re eating once they drop it. I scold them both for eating too fast, and they slow down enough to my satisfaction.
“Okay!” I turn my attention from the twins to Mrs. Lovett, “what is there to do?” She smiles.
“I’ve got the food under control but didn’t know what wine to retrieve from the cellar…” she hints.
“Got it.” I smile at her before heading downstairs.
As I’m grabbing a couple bottles from downstairs, I hear the faint whirring of the garage door and Faith’s barking. That has to mean Vince is home. That’s a new record for him. As CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the nation, he’s usually never home until after 7. Maybe that means he hasn’t had too grueling of a day.
I walk upstairs, hearing the delighted squeals of the children and Vince’s booming voice asking them a million questions. He hasn’t quite grasped the idea that toddlers can’t exactly carry on an adult conversation.
“Well, hello, Mrs. Marks” he says, eyeing me.
“Hey, Mr. Marks.” He comes over to me, branding my lips with a quick kiss. I sit the bottles of wine on the counter and gaze at him.
“You’re home early…” I comment with a smile.
“Well, for once, there’s not a million things to do. Plus, I figured I could help with dinner.” I shrug, loosening his tie.
“Mrs. Lovett has it under control…”
“Since I’m home early, give me something to do…” He requests, giving me a grin.
“Why don’t you take the twins up for a bath?” I glance at my watch, painfully aware that our friends would be here in an hour and a half.
“I can do that. Come on guys!” He helps both kids out of their chairs and they follow him upstairs, each of their tiny hands in his. I sigh heavily, wondering how we are ever going to be ready.
“Why don’t you take a shower and relax? I’ve got it from here.” Mrs. Lovett touches my shoulder.
“Are you sure? I could help with something…”
“I’m sure,” she interrupts me, “you’ve done your job today, let me do mine.” She pushes me out of the kitchen, and I reluctantly drag myself upstairs.
We manage to get the twins bathed, fed and in bed before the doorbell rings. Thank goodness we were able to get dressed in between those tasks.
My best friend, Nathan and his partner, Dimitri walk in along with Diana and her husband Bruce, Megan and Kendall, and Diana and her husband Bruce.
“Hey everyone!” Vince and I greet them with hugs and kisses.
“Ooh it smells divine in here! I’m starving!” Diana exclaims.
“Everything is ready, come on in” Vince answers, leading us to the dining room.
As plates of roast lamb, Mediterranean style salad and rice are passed around, we engage in our usual conversation. I notice that my friend, Megan is unusually quiet tonight, so I catch her eye.
“Are you okay?” I mouth silently. She nods, absently, picking at her food. Something definitely doesn’t seem right, Megan was not usually quiet.
“How are the twins? I’m so disappointed that you sent them to bed without them seeing their uncle Nate first!” Nathan looks at us.
“They’re fine, and Uncle Nate needs to come get them in the daytime. Take them off our hands for a little bit” I joke.
“Well, why don’t we?” Dimitri looks at Nathan who shrugs.
“We’ll come get them tomorrow and take them to the park” Dimitri adds. Vince raises his eyebrows.
“Are you two really ready for that?” He asks them.
“How hard could it be? We can tire them out at the festival tomorrow and bring them back to you sound asleep” Nathan says. Diana howls with laughter.
“Okay…you’re gonna be pounding at their door after two hours.” We all laugh.
“They’re good kids, just busy” I reply.
“We’ve got this, don’t worry. Besides, I’m sure you two can find…other things to do with your time.” Nathan laughs.
“Oh, I’m sure we can. I’ve got tons of work to do.” Vince winks at me with a smile.
“I’m sure you do…” Diana comments suggestively.
“Ha! This is why I love you!” Nathan holds up his glass to her, and I shake my head at all of them.
“Three years, and ya’ll still have to tease us” I scold.
“All in love, Baby” says Nathan.
After our dinner has settled, we all sit in the living room sharing a delectable chocolate cake and Irish coffees. I notice again that Megan picks at her cake. She and Kendall have been rather distant all evening. Usually, Kendall’s mouth would be running a mile a minute and she would be scolding him. As Nathan and Diana dominate the conversation, I nudge Vince.
“What?” He whispers.
“They don’t seem a little strange to you tonight?” I ask, quietly.
“Who?” Jeez, sometimes he doesn’t notice a thing.
“Kendall and Megan.” He glances over at them.
“Yeah, I guess they have been a little quiet tonight.”
“Look, why don’t you take the guys to your office…you have a stash, right?” He frowns at me. My husband, an avid weed smoker, was very selective about sharing his prized Hawaiian Gold.
“Alright…” He agrees, reluctantly.
“Hey, guys, why don’t we leave the ladies alone for a bit? I got some good stuff in my office…” He says to the group.
“An offer I can’t refuse…” Dimitri laughs, getting up as Bruce and Kendall follow suit.
Once they are out of earshot, I gaze at my friend.
“Are you okay?” I ask her. She looks at me, Diane and Nathan before bursting into tears.
“What’s wrong?!” Nathan asks, immediately sitting by her, putting his arms around her shoulders.
“He…cheated on me!” She cries.
“What?!” I exclaim in disbelief.
“He cheated on me…with this…new ‘co-owner’ of his club.”
“He told you that?!” Diana asks. Megan nods.
“He confessed… only after I found the text messages. He claims it was a fling, but it didn’t seem that way to me.”
“What did the text messages say?” Nathan inquires.
“Nathan!” I warn.
“What? We can’t give her advice if we don’t know the details.” Megan shakes her head.
“They’ve been out…to dinner, lunch. He’s been fucking her for months!” She sobs.
“Well, what does he plan to do about it?” Diana asks.
“He said it was over, but I don’t think I can trust him anymore! I thought that part of his life was over!”
“It doesn’t have to be a done deal, Megan. Maybe you should go see a therapist” I suggest.
“I don’t know if therapy would help.”
“Oh, come on, you two have been together for years. You don’t want to try?” She stares at me, tears rolling down her face.
“It’s not a question of if I want to try, Madeline.”
“Don’t worry, honey, it’ll all be okay.” Nathan kisses her temple. Diana and I look at each other, and she shakes her head at me, indicating her opinion that maybe we need to stay out of it.
“You do what’s best for you, Megan. At the end of the day, it’s you two that have to live with this…whether or not you’re together” Dina concludes. Megan sighs.
“I didn’t mean to blurt this out, but we had a big fight before we came here. We didn’t want anyone to know we were having problems.” I get up and take the bottle of Irish crème, refilling her cup. I have no clue what to say. Hell, I never knew how to handle a cheating boyfriend, let alone a spouse.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with this” I whisper.
“It’s my fault. I rushed him into moving here and marrying me.”
“Now that, I disagree with. It’s been years since that happened! Cold feet are no longer an excuse!” Nathan declares. Megan shrugs.
“I’ve been busy, so there hasn’t been time for…us lately. I figured he was distant because of that, not because he was in someone else’s bed!” She cries.
“Also not an excuse! Married couples get busy…sometimes there just isn’t time for all that. You have to adapt, and cheating is not the answer!” Nathan adds. I take a deep breath, still stunned into silence. I hated that Megan was hurt, but I also knew there was nothing any of us could say that would make her feel better.
“Look, why don’t you both sleep on it? It’s still fresh right now. In the morning, you both will have a clear head.” I give the only advice I know how to give. She nods, looking at her watch.
“I guess we better go…I’ve said too much already.”
“We’re your friends! You can come to us anytime!” Nathan says.
“I know, and I love you for that. But…this is something I have to figure out on my own.” She gets up and yells for Kendall who comes slowly down the stairs followed by the guys. I guess he must have said the same thing to them.
“Sorry, you don’t think I woke the twins, do you?” She gazes at me. I shake my head.
“They’ll be fine.” I hug her tightly.
“Call us if you need us” I whisper in her ear.
“I will.” She gives me a weak smile before Kendall opens the door silently for her.
Once they leave, everyone starts making excuses to leave. The atmosphere has gotten incredibly awkward.
“We’ll come get the kids around eleven.” Nathan gives me a hug and kiss.
“They’ll be ready.” I smile at him.
After our friends have left, I gaze at the pile of dirty dishes.
“Guess I need to clean up…” I tell Vince.
“I’ll help” he offers.
We both clean the kitchen silently before Vince finally puts down the bowl he’s cleaning.
“Are we gonna address the pink elephant?” He asks.
“There’s nothing to say…he cheated.”
“You’re just gonna write him off like that?” I turn to face my husband.
“Why not? He knew it was wrong.”
“Well, he had a weak moment.” I scoff.
“A weak moment?! Is that what we call it now? Jumping in bed with some woman because she’s conveniently there?”
“I’m just saying…Megan knows how he is…”
“Oh, so we’re making excuses for him now. Look, if he didn’t want to be married, he should have never come down here!”
“I’m not making excuses for him, Madeline! God!” He begins furiously cleaning the bowl.
“Well, what was his reasoning, then?” I ask, ignoring his obvious annoyance.
“He said they had grown apart for a while and, in the classic Kendall way, he avoided talking about it. He went back to his old ways. That’s what he does, he runs away from his problems. He’s been doing it since I’ve known him.”
“Grown apart how?” I demand.
“Jesus, Madeline! You know what I mean…”
“No, I don’t. Explain it to me.” He sighs heavily, gazing at me.
“He said she had been cold…you know, not affectionate, I guess.”
“That doesn’t sound like Megan…”
“Who the hell knows what goes on behind closed doors?” He steps to me, making me tremble.
“Besides, what if people knew what went on behind our closed doors?” He gives me a seductive smile, but it doesn’t sway me.
“I really am trying to find the sense in all of this, Vince. Megan’s my friend, she has been for many years.” Vince all but slams down the bowl he was drying.
“And? Kendall’s been my friend for years, and I still don’t know how he is in the privacy of his relationships. You’ll never know everything.” I sigh heavily, rolling my eyes at his statement.
“Regardless, she came to us, her friends for help…”
“She didn’t come to you all for help,” Vince interrupts, “she needed to vent, and that’s as far as it needs to go with all of you, including Nathan. I know that when you three were younger, you used to butt in each other’s relationships. How did that turn out for you all? It went nowhere, right?”
“I’m not supposed to help her? That’s ridiculous!” I look at him in disbelief.
“You’re supposed to listen.” He throws the dish towel on the counter with a huff.
“I’m going to check on the kids…” He leaves me alone in the kitchen. I couldn’t help but wonder why he was so moody all of a sudden. Why wouldn’t I try to help my friend when she was going through turmoil in her relationship? She would do the same for me.
Chapter 2—Was it Good for You?
“Are we gonna talk about this?” Kendall asks as I take off my jewelry. I stare in the mirror at his reflection behind me.
“What is there to talk about?”
“Look, I know I was wrong, but you have to admit we have some things we need to talk about, Meg.” I roll my eyes and turn around, facing him.
“What is it, huh? I’m not pretty enough for you anymore?”
“No!”
“Then what is it, Kendall?! What the fuck made you go screw somebody else?!”
“You weren’t doing it!” He counters. I laugh in disbelief.
“So that’s what it is? I’m not the little lady that sits at home waiting on her husband to fuck her?”
“Jesus Christ! Look, Vince gave me the name of a therapist.” He slams the card on my dresser.
“If you decide you want to talk sensibly about this, let me know.” He snatches a pillow and blanket off the bed before walking out, slamming the bedroom door. I didn’t want to go to a therapist. I wanted to know why, after all these years, he decided to cheat on me? Why did I have to sit on a couch to find that out? Was I being unreasonable? I shake my head, knowing that I need sleep. I had worked a twelve-hour shift at the hospital the night before and hardly got any rest before forcing myself to go to dinner at Madeline and Vince’s.
I toss and turn the entire night, with millions of questions racing through my mind. What made this woman so special? Why would he do this to me? I need to channel this, and I know exactly where I need to do it. I hop out of the bed and stalk downstairs to the den. I see him sleeping soundly on the couch. How the hell can he sleep so goddamn peacefully? I take a throw pillow and pitch it at his face.
“What the fuck?!” He startles out of his sleep and gives me a scowl.
“Get up!” I yell.
“What do you want?!”
“Just tell me why!” He stands up, moving so close to me, I can feel the angry heat radiating off him.
“Megan, I’m not gonna discuss this with you while you’re flying off the deep end. I refuse to entertain this.”
“Entertain?! This is entertainment for you?! I have a right to know, Kendall!” I punch him in the chest.
“Stop!” he commands, firmly as I continue throwing punches at him. He finally grabs my hands, wrestling me down to the couch.
“Fine! You wanna know why?!” He shouts as I struggle to get away from him. His eyes are wild and raging.
“Let me go!” I demand.
“No! You want a reason?! I’m gonna give it to you…” His voice softens, and he stares into my eyes.
“This is the first time you’ve even touched me in six months, Meg.” He sighs, heavily, rolling off the couch. I slowly get up and look at the towering figure in front of me. His stance relaxes.
“What do you mean I haven’t touched you?” I ask.
“You haven’t touched me! I’m not talking about sex which we won’t even get into. You haven’t even bothered to touch me: grab my hand or stroke my back! Haven’t you noticed?” I struggle to think back. He must be lying! Of course I’ve touched him in the past six months! Haven’t I?
“That’s still no excuse, Kendall…”
“I’m not using it as an excuse. I just wish you’d fucking listen to me. You know what? I need to clear my head. I think it would be best if I…left for awhile.” I stare at him, trying to process his statement.
“You want to leave?” I ask, quietly, almost surrendering to the fact that maybe this means my marriage is over.
“No, I don’t want to, but something is going on with you. Something I can’t help you with, obviously.”
“The only thing that’s going on with me is the fact that you cheated on me!”
“This was going on way before that happened. See, this is what I’m talking about.” I hang my head, not knowing how to feel.
“I’ll just be at Vince and Madeline’s. I’m not going far at all. When you figure out what you want to do…about all of this, you call me. I’m willing to work this out. Now, it’s up to you.” He sulks upstairs to pack his bag, I guess.
As much as I wanted to hate that he had a sanctuary at Madeline and Vince’s, I really couldn’t. He and Vince had been friends way before I even met him. I knew that he would never leave Kendall out in the cold. He didn’t have to leave, though. I just want him to tell me what’s wrong.
I’m still frozen on the couch as Kendall comes back downstairs with his suitcase. I hear the wheels stop just before the door.
“Look, call me when you’re ready to talk.” He says to the back of my head. I nod, too afraid that if I speak, I’ll burst into tears again. As I hear the soft click of the lock on the door. I sigh heavily before the flood comes. I sob loudly, my body shaking violently. How did my life fall apart so quickly? It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
I put my throbbing head in my hands as the tears feel like they are infinite. How many of these is he worth? Was it ever worth anything to him? Why was it so easy to find solace in another woman? If I really hadn’t touched him in six months, why didn’t he say anything? I was his wife, I should have been the first person he came to. He should know that by now.
“Okay, Megan,” I say to myself, “you have to pull yourself together.” Glancing at the clock, I notice that it’s nearly three in the morning. After heading back upstairs, I grab a bottle of sleeping pills off my nightstand and choke two of them down, hoping that I will finally descend into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I am startled out of my sleep by the harsh vibrating of my phone on the nightstand. I clumsily grab it without looking at the caller ID.
“Dr. Jackson…” I answer, sleepily.
“I just had to call and check on you. Were you still sleeping?” Madeline asks on the other end.
“Yeah, I took sleeping pills really late…”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. You want to call me back later?”
“No, no. I’m up now.” I feel around for my glasses which I must have neglected to take off before I sunk into a drug hazed sleep.
“I wanted to ask if you felt like having some lunch later?” I know she means well, I just didn’t feel like spending time with her today…or anyone for that matter.
“That’s sweet of you, but, I need to be alone today.” There’s silence on the other end before she speaks.
“Are you sure? Do you need anything?”
“Madeline, it’s the weekend. You barely get a break…please, enjoy your weekend with Vince and the kids. I promise you I’m fine.”
“Will you call me later?” She asks, timidly.
“I’ll call you this evening, okay?” I promise her.
“I love you, Meg” she says, almost tearfully.
“I know, honey. I love you too, and I’ll call you later.” I hang up before plopping back down on the bed, grabbing the nearest pillow. As I hug it closely, I come to the realization that maybe I hadn’t touched my husband in a while, but he hadn’t touched me either. I get up, unable to will myself back to sleep. Looking in my dresser mirror, my eyes dart to the therapist’s card that Kendall put there the night before. I take it in my hands and tap it nervously on the dresser. Can I do this? Talk to a therapist about my marriage? I’d never needed a professional to tell me how to run my life; however, it seemed like I needed help. With a deep sigh, I take my phone and dial the number. I’m surprised when someone answers as I expected to get voicemail.
“Dr. Wilder speaking.” The voice sounds warm and comforting…either that or I’m in dire need of solace.
“Hello, um…my friend, Madeline Marks referred me to you.”
“Ah! Well, if you tell me your name, we can go from there.”
“I’m Dr. Megan Jackson.”
“Okay, and what do you need help with, Dr. Jackson?”
“My husband and I are having some…issues.”
“Could you elaborate?”
“Well, I just found out about a recent infidelity.”
“I see, and would he be attending sessions with you or are you coming alone?”
“He will be coming with me, I think.”
“You haven’t told him you want to come to therapy?”
“Well…he brought it up and left it up to me, so after a little soul searching, I decided I want the help.”
“What day would work for you?”
“How soon can you see us?” I ask, hurriedly.
“I have an open appointment at ten Monday morning.”
“That works.” I give her Kendall’s and my contact information.
“Great! I’ll see you two then.”
“Thank you.” I hang up, wondering if I’m doing the right thing. In my mind, I had always told myself that if my husband ever cheated on me, I would leave. Now that it’s reality, I know I can’t. It took me forever and a day to find someone that loved me like he did. I just don’t know where it went wrong. As I try to shake the thoughts out of my head, my phone rings again.
“Yes?” I answer, anxiously, quite annoyed that people won’t leave me alone.
“Megan, I’m just checking on you.” I hear Nathan’s voice.
“Hey, Nathan, yeah, I’m okay.”
“You don’t sound okay.” I scoff. Damn Nathan and his gay intuition.
“I will be. I just have to work through some things.”
“Well, we have the twins today, but don’t hesitate to call if you need me. I could always leave Dimitri to fend for himself.”
“I wouldn’t do that to Dimitri. Besides, I’d only be a downer. You don’t need that.”
“Call me later?” He asks, concerned.
“I’ll call you later. Have fun with the twins.”
“Just wish us luck.” I chuckle softly.
“Good luck.” I hang up, looking around the room. Finally deciding that I’m certainly not up to moping around all day, I know I have to get out of this house.
Three hours later, I sit in the sauna of my favorite spa with a few ladies I don’t know. I decided to go shopping and treat myself to a massage and facial; I found out after I arrived that I had time to visit the sauna before my appointment which always makes me feel better.
“You look sad, doll” the redhead next to me says. I shrug.
“Rough week.” She laughs.
“You said it! I had three reconstructive surgeries yesterday, I’m beat!” I chuckle to myself.
“You recovered quickly” I joke. She giggles.
“Ah! You’re a jokester, aren’t you? I meant I performed three reconstructive surgeries yesterday.”
“I knew what you meant. What hospital are you at?” I ask, intrigued by her lightheartedness.
“Emory in midtown.” I nod, looking over at her.
“Dr. Megan Jackson, OB/GYN.”
“Nice to meet you! Dr. Lucille Hutchinson, orthopedics among other things.” We shake hands.
“So, why so gloomy? Surely delivering babies isn’t that depressing.”
“No…just some…personal stuff, I guess.”
“You too, huh?” I nod, silently, afraid that the tears were going to flow again. What the hell is wrong with me? I never cried over a man before, and I don’t want to start now…even though for the last few days that’s all I’ve been doing.
“One thing I’ve learned is that the bullshit will always be there, you just have to know how to navigate it.” I sigh.
“I thought I was doing pretty well until now. Turns out, I’m not a good navigator.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You might make a few wrong turns here or there, but eventually you find your way. I have to believe it, otherwise, I’d be sincerely fucked up.” She’s right. I’ve definitely made my mistakes. Of course, Kendall had his faults…huge ones, but I guess it’s not worth throwing it all away. I give her a smile.
“For the first time in a day, someone is finally making sense to me.” She gets up, tightening her towel.
“Sometimes it takes someone on the outside to show you what you probably knew all along…well, it was nice meeting you, Dr. Jackson. Come by Emory sometime. I’ll show you some of my handy work.” I laugh.
“Same here, and thanks, Dr. Hutchinson.”
“You bet.” As she disappears into the steam, I lean back, wondering if I’m ever going to go in the right direction. I get up, resolving to fix this mess the best way I can.
After a facial and massage, I start to feel like my old self again. I arrive home to the quiet loneliness and look around. The house wasn’t the same without Kendall and his obnoxious joking. Despite his recent transgression, I missed the hell out of him. He’s only been gone one day…not even twenty-four hours, and I already felt incomplete. In a weak moment, I consider calling him but decide to let the dust settle between us; maybe it would be best if I waited until we had a therapist appointment. Until then, I guess it would be a lonely, cold night.
I order take out and open a bottle of Cabernet, hoping the wine will put me out for the night. I don’t drink very often, so the effect is usually more sedative for me rather than relaxing. As I listen to jazz on the stereo and try to get lost in thoughts of work I have to do on Monday, I can’t help but to travel a little down memory lane. I remember when Kendall and I first met. I thought he was a player, but he fell in love with me. I never imagined we’d be here now…married two years, together for four. It wasn’t all bad. In fact, there were more good times than I could have ever hoped for. I knew I couldn’t let him go, and I wouldn’t.
Chapter 3—Stay Out of It
“Well, at least Nathan was right, he brought the twins back ready for bed” Vince says as he plants a kiss on each sleeping kid’s forehead. I chuckle.
“Yeah, I need to know his secret.” I place Amelia’s teddy bear next to her before following Vince out of their bedroom.
“Where’s Kendall?” I ask, noticing that the door to the guest bedroom is open. Much to my chagrin, he decided to take refuge at our house. It took a hell of a fight, though. I’d rather him spend a few nights in some lousy motel thinking about what he did, but I finally caved. Vince shrugs.
“He didn’t say. Maybe he’ll be out for a while. What do you say we share a bottle or a few?” I laugh.
“A few?! We’re not young anymore, Mr.Marks.” He grins widely.
“With you, I feel younger every day.” He pulls me close to him.
“Oh, stop it” I whisper. He plants a soft kiss on my lips.
“Let’s get that wine.” He takes my hand, leading me downstairs to the kitchen. I sit at the table as he pours two hefty glasses of deep red liquid in two glasses. As he takes his place next to me, I gaze into his soft hazel eyes.
“What’s on your mind?” He asks.
“I don’t know, I hope Megan is okay.”
“Didn’t you talk to her earlier?” I nod.
“She didn’t say much, just that she knew what she had to do.”
“Maybe it’s best that you don’t know much.” I raise my eyebrows at him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you remember what Reverend Lockhart said to us before we got married?”
“He said a lot to us before we got married.” Vince sighs.
“That things have to be worked out between the two of us. Not everyone else. You’re gonna have to give them space to work it out. Me and the rest of the guys agreed to do that with Kendall. You can check on her, sure, but only they know how to clean up this mess.” I take a silencing sip of wine before speaking.
“I can’t give her advice?”
“What advice can you give? You haven’t had a cheating husband, and you’re not a relationship expert by any means.” I cut my eyes at him.
“Are you trying to piss me off?”
“No, I’m trying to get you to do the right thing. If you start focusing on your friends and their relationships, you know what will happen, right?” I purse my lips in annoyance.
“What? What do you think would happen that would be so terrible?”
“You’ll start to feel some type of way, making up imaginary problems with us in your head.”
“Oh, Vince, you’re being ridiculous!” I get up to refill my glass.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why would you say that? I’m not an irrational person, haven’t I shown you that through all of your shenanigans?”
“Because…I felt that way.” I sit back at the table, stunned. This is news to me.
“You felt what kind of way?”
“I don’t know how to explain it—”
“Well, try! If you’re gonna try to tell me how you think I’d respond, you better damn sure tell me what you’re thinking” I demand.
“That…one day, you’d grow cold, or rather just let life take over what we have together.”
“It hasn’t been that way, Vincent Marks. Through everything…that crazy shit with Dina and her family, being hospitalized more than once, and having twins, I still try to be the best wife I can.”
“I’m not saying you haven’t been, but this whole mess with Megan and Kendall…it scares the shit out of me. They haven’t been married as long as us, and they are already having issues. You haven’t thought about that?” I start to feel a twinge of sympathy…and uncertainty… I guess Kendall had shared more with him than Megan had with me. I take his hand in mine.
“I don’t think you have anything to be afraid of, as long as you always tell me how you’re feeling.” He squeezes my hand.
“Same here.” Suddenly, we hear a soft knock at the door.
“I guess that’s Kendall.” Vince gets up as Faith appears out of nowhere, waiting to investigate who is on the other side of the door. I stand up, almost wanting to go upstairs to avoid him. I didn’t say much when he came back over last night. I’m sure he knew I had to be somewhat biased in this situation. After all, he had broken my friend’s heart.
Both men walk into the kitchen, and I sit back down, silently drinking my wine.
“Would you like some wine, Kendall?” Vince asks.
“Aw, man, I don’t want to intrude…”
“You’re not intruding,” I interrupt, “you might as well sit down and have a glass.” He carefully sits at the table, eyeing me as if he thinks I might pounce at any second. Truthfully, I didn’t have the energy, even if I wanted to. As Vince pours another glass of wine and a refill for himself, Kendall gazes at me.
“Look, I know you probably think I’m a bastard right now. I don’t blame you.” I let out a humorless laugh.
“You are a bastard. There’s no thinking involved.”
“Madeline…” Vince warns as he takes his place beside Kendall, giving me the evil eye.
“No, she’s right, I am.”
“You’re not a bastard…misguided maybe.” Vince tries to smooth things over.
“Just tell me why? Why would you do this to someone who thinks the world of you? Did you go see the ho tonight, too?”
“Madeline!” Vince exclaims in shock, giving me a hard stare. Kendall scoffs at me.
“I don’t know how much you really understand about our relationship, Madeline, but it’s been no walk in the park these past few months.” I cross my arms.
“Then make me understand.”
“We’ve both made mistakes, alright? As much as you’d like to believe it, Megan and I aren’t the perfect couple like you two pretend to be.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” I nearly break my wine glass, tightening my grip around it.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Vince cuts his eyes at his friend.
“Nothing, okay? I just…lost my temper for a minute.”
“That’s your problem, man! Just ready to fly off the fucking handle any chance you get! You’re too old for that shit now” Vince scolds.
“I know I am! And I’m too goddamned old to try to figure out a woman who I thought loved me!” He huffs. Vince and I exchange glances.
“I…I don’t know how to communicate well when it comes to her, you know? I thought marriage was supposed to be…all love and sex…I guess I missed the other part.”
“You sat around for nearly ten years with your married friends, and you thought that was all marriage was?” I ask, incredulously. He shrugs.
“I guess I missed all the other parts.” Vince laughs.
“Yeah, because you always found a way to turn everything into a dirty joke.” He shakes his head, and slaps Kendall’s back.
“I hope you two go see Dr. Wilder” I say, not knowing what else to add. In a way, it was kind of sad. I was like him at one time. I’d listen to all of the glitz and glamour my friends dusted on their marriages. In my first year of being married, I quickly learned that it wasn’t easy and required work from both parties. Vince and I both had to go through those growing pains. When the job promotions and the kids came, we had to work even harder. I automatically thought everyone else learned the same thing. Apparently, that wasn’t true. Megan and Kendall must have never gotten there.
“Well, I actually got a call from her office. Supposedly, Megan made an appointment for Monday.”
“I hope you take everything she says to heart, and listen to your fucking wife for once, man. Both of you need to learn how to work through this if you want your marriage to survive. In the end, it’s gonna take you two to fix this.” Kendall hangs his head.
“I know.” I get up from the table, having heard enough.
“Well, I’m gonna go check on the kids, and then to bed. You boys have a nice night.” I drain my glass.
“You don’t have to go…I should really call it a night.” Kendall starts to rise.
“No stay. At least finish your wine.” I put my glass in the sink and head upstairs.
Just as I embrace the comfort of the bed and my eyelids grow heavy, I feel a pair of strong arms around me and the undeniable warmth of my husband’s body.
“I know you didn’t think you were going to sleep…” He growls in my ear. I laugh softly.
“I thought you’d be having a heart-to-heart with Kendall” I whisper.
“Kendall can handle his own shit. Right now, I have an appointment with my wife.” He turns me over, kissing me deeply. When he finally lets my lips go, I look up at him.
“I love you, Vincent Marks.” He smiles.
“I love you, Madeline Marks.” He kisses me again before ravishing me in that delicious way he always does.
The next morning, my phone rings as I finish breakfast with Vince and the twins.
“Madeline Marks” I answer.
“Hey, Madeline, it’s me, Megan. I was wondering if you’d be up for lunch later?” I’m a little astonished as her tone yesterday pretty much indicated she wanted to be alone. Maybe she had a change of heart.
“Sure. I can get Mrs. Lovett to watch the twins.” Megan chuckles.
“You don’t trust Vince alone with them?” I laugh at her question.
“He usually works on Sunday afternoons, so I try to leave him alone.”
“Want to go to the Market? They have Sunday brunch specials and bottomless mimosas.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“See you then.” She hangs up as Vince looks at me with question.
“Megan wants to have lunch.” I tell his curious face.
“Oh…” He turns his attention back to his food.
“What?” He shakes his head.
“Nothing.” Heaving a sigh of frustration at my husband’s attitude towards Megan, I turn to Mrs. Lovett.
“Do you mind watching the kids today?” I ask.
“Of course, Madeline” she agrees. I gaze at Vince for a second.
“Do you have a problem with me going to lunch with her?”
“I didn’t say that. She’s your friend. Just be careful about the advice you give, huh? Remember what we talked about last night.” I sigh, getting up from the table.
“Maybe it’s time we hear her side of the story.” I say before heading upstairs to get ready.
I see Megan enter the restaurant and wave to her, hoping to catch her attention before she goes to the hostess. She sees me and comes towards the table.
“You’ve gotten started, I see…” she observes.
“They have a mimosa bar. You can go fix one” I respond. She nods.
“Sounds like exactly what I need.” She quickly heads to the bar and returns with a long-stemmed glass that contains a colorful concoction.
“So, how are you doing?” I ask as she sits across from me.
“Do you really have to ask that?” She takes a long sip out of her glass. Okay, so she’s this Megan today. I haven’t seen this mood swing in a long time.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. You sounded a little distant last night…”
“I’m okay, or rather, I will be after you help me do something.” I take a deep breath. This is gonna go one of two ways and neither of them will be favorable.
“What do you have up your sleeve, Megan Jackson?”
“Oh, you’ll see.”
“Guess I’ll need another mimosa…”
“That would be smart.” I roll my eyes at her and go to the mimosa bar before deciding that I might need something a bit stronger. I grab a new glass and approach a nearby bartender.
“Hey there” the young man says with a smile.
“Hi. Look, can I convince you to make my mimosa a bit stronger? You can bill that table over there.” I point to the table Megan is sitting at and notice that another woman has joined her. What the hell has this woman plotted overnight?
“Cancel that. A lot stronger…” I add, quickly. The bartender grins.
“You may need a bigger glass.”
“I think I need that.”
“Coming right up.” I give him a nod of gratitude as I focus on our table, wondering who this woman is and why she’s here.
“This should fix you right up.” The bartender tears me out of my thoughts.
“Thank you.” I hand him a twenty. Taking a deep breath, I walk back to the table. I don’t recognize the woman sitting with Megan. She looks fairly young, maybe in her mid-twenties.
“Madeline, I’d like you to meet this young lady. Meet Janae Wyatt, Kendall’s co-owner.” I nearly drop my glass. Megan has got to be kidding me! I don’t want to be dragged into this! There’s no telling what scheme the woman has planned. I try to compose myself before reaching for Ms. Wyatt’s hand.
Chapter 4 Stuck in The Middle
“Nice to meet you, I’m Madeline Marks” Madeline says to Kendall’s mistress. Overnight, I had decided how I was going to take back my marriage, my life, and it started with solving this problem. I hadn’t expected her to be so young. Shame on Kendall for leading this poor girl on. Janae looks nervous as I had conveniently left out that there would be three of us lunching.
“Janae, would you like a drink?” I ask, sweetly. She nods hastily.
“I think I may need one.”
“Well, by all means,” I point to the mimosa bar, “bottomless mimosas are over there.” Janae gets up, hastily walking to the bar.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Madeline hisses at me.
“Taking my marriage back.”
“Do I really have to be involved in this?”
“Yes, you do. I need a witness.” Madeline’s expression changes to a look of bewilderment.
“Look, if you’re thinking of doing what I think you are, this needs to stop now!” She must be thinking of our younger days when I would confront most of my problems with my fists…but that’s the old me.
“Of course not, Madeline. This will be classy and professional.” She cuts her eyes at me.
“I’m not saying shit—”
“You don’t need to. Leave everything to me. Sip whatever is in your glass.” Janae returns with a classic mimosa and takes a quick sip before sitting down.
“Mrs. Jackson—” she starts.
“Dr. Jackson” I snap. Madeline shifts uncomfortably in her chair, giving me a warning glance.
“Sorry, Dr. Jackson. I think I know why you called me for lunch.”
“Oh? What reason would that be, dear?”
“Kendall told me that you found out…about us, and I’m letting you know that all of that is over.” I laugh at her statement.
“You know, I wish I could trust you, but I really can’t trust a woman who sleeps with another one’s husband.”
“I promise!” She says a little too loudly.
“Oh yeah, you’ll promise, alright.” I take a stack of papers out of my purse and shove them to her.
“What is this?”
“I’m buying you out.” Janae looks stunned out of her mind.
“Buying me out?”
“That’s right, sweetheart. I’m giving you more than your fair share to rescind your partnership with my husband.”
“How do I know that this is legal?” she asks, shoving the papers back to me.
“You can call my lawyer, Nathan Paul. I’m assuming you’ve heard of him since he is Kendall’s lawyer as well. I slide Nathan’s business card to her.
“I have his number!” she snaps with irritation.
“Well, then, all you have to do is sign, or I can sue you.”
“You wouldn’t—”
“Oh, I would. I don’t know how much my husband told you about me, but I assume he’s told you I can be a crazy bitch sometimes.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Madeline guzzle down whatever is in her glass as she signals for the waitress to bring her another one. Janae’s eyes dart from me to Madeline.
“So…if I do this, I won’t receive any more profit from the club?” She asks, timidly.
“There’s more than enough money for you to do whatever the hell you want and find your own fucking man.” I throw a pen on top of the contract.
“What are the…other terms of this contract?” Her voice is a little stronger now.
“I’m so glad you asked that. Stay the fuck away from my husband. Delete his number and whatever other means you have of contacting him. If you as much as try to contact him again, you won’t receive a penny.”
“Does Kendall know about this?”
“He will.” She glances at Madeline, who is staring intently at our exchange, then turns back to me.
“Fine.” She picks up the pen and signs the contract just like I knew she would. No one would reject the amount of money I offered.
“You’ll get your check next week, and I hope that after today, I’ll never have to see you again.”
“You won’t, believe me.” She stands up, finishing her mimosa before throwing a twenty on the table and stalking out. My eyes follow her until she disappears out of the glass doors and I turn to Madeline who is giving me the death stare.
“Look…” I try to explain.
“Oh, don’t start! Megan, I love you, but you know better than to do this to me!”
“I had to, okay! I had to get her out of the picture first.”
“Getting that woman out of the picture won’t do shit if you won’t talk to him!” She growls.
“What is that supposed to mean?! Oh, I guess Kendall’s been filling your head with stories about how I was the cold and neglectful wife?” Madeline scoffs.
“Even that didn’t sway me. You know I was more than willing to hear you out, but what you did today was insane! You could have at least warned me that you were going to do this. Instead, you put me exactly where I didn’t want to be…in the middle.” I laugh loudly.
“You accepted my cheating husband into your home and didn’t think you would be? Honey, both you and Vince put yourselves there when you decided to rescue him.”
“Oh, that’s rich. You know good and damn well that Kendall is Vince’s friend. Wouldn’t you want Vince to do the same for you?” I huff, sitting back in my chair.
“I’m sorry, guess we can’t be as perfect as you and Vince.” My tone is sarcastically harsh.
“Megan!” She sounds shocked at my statement.
“Oh, come off it, Madeline! You two act like you’re the most perfect couple in the world. Tell me, when’s the last time you touched your husband? Huh?” Her look turns vicious.
“Why is that even any of your business? We aren’t perfect by any means, but we know what it takes to make our marriage work. Maybe you two should try it instead of playing these ridiculous games.”
“Games? Games, Madeline? You think I’m playing house? I love my husband, and I did what I needed to do. Excuse me if you two are so high and mighty that you don’t have these issues.”
“Excuse me if we don’t air our dirty laundry to everyone!”
“If you didn’t want to be involved, then why even listen to me? Why not tell me to suck it up and solve our problems on our own? You know why? Because you love it when everyone else is going through chaos, and you get to gloat about how everything is so great with you and Vince and your fucking therapy appointments and endless sex!” Madeline’s eyes grow wide with hurt and anger.
“Shows just how much you know, Megan. I came here because I wanted to show you that I cared about you, but it’s obvious that all you want to do is take your anger out on me. I’ve done nothing but try to be there for you; if you are this upset about Kendall, then why in hell did you just not beat the damn girl to a pulp like you used to do back in the day, not attack someone who tried to help!”
“Stop judging me!” I all but yell, “that’s all you fucking do is judge!” I clench my fists, my emotions brewing under the stress of everything that’s happened the past few days.
“Oh, I’m judging you even after you just sat here and berated me and my marriage?! That’s your problem, Megan! You can dish everything out, but when someone calls you on your bullshit, you want to play the victim.”
“I am the goddamn victim! He cheated on me!” She shakes her head, pulling her wallet out of her purse.
“This is a fucking lost cause. You know, maybe you should try actually talking to him instead of going behind his back.” I laugh in disbelief.
“So, you’re on his side, now?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side, both of you need help.” She gets up, throwing a hundred-dollar bill on the table.
“I just hope you’ll take my advice.” She takes her purse and walks away. I sit at the table, surprised at how this turned out. I did what was right. Kendall and I were never going to heal if he stayed partners with that girl. What kind of woman would I be if I didn’t take this matter into my own hands? The waitress startles me out of my thoughts.
“Are you ready for your check?” she asks cheerily. I hand her the hundred and twenty dollars.
“Keep the change” I say, gathering my things and shoving them in my bag as the waitress is stunned into silence at her huge tip.
I step outside into the crisp fall air and decide that maybe a walk would do me some good. As I pass couples, families and groups of hipster friends hanging out around the marketplace, I start to feel like I’ve fucked up royally. Maybe Madeline was right, I should have talked with Kendall first. But what if he disagreed with me? Demanded that Janae stay on as his partner? I wouldn’t be able to take it. She needed to be out of his life…even if it was by force.
I start to make the trek back to the car, looking both ways before I cross. Suddenly, a force I can’t explain hits me, and the world around me goes black. I open my eyes for a few moments to see people crowded around me.
“Somebody call 9-1-1!” I hear a man shout behind me.
“Oh my God!” A woman exclaims running over to me. In my haze, I recognize her: it’s Dr. Hutchins, the lady I met yesterday at the spa.
“I’m a doctor! Don’t move her!” I hear her yell to the onlookers. She looks down at me.
“Stay with me, okay? Try to stay awake” she coaxes.
“I can’t” I say, hoarsely.
“Do the best you can. Help is on the way, and I’ll be right here with you.” I try to nod but it hurts.
“What happened?” I ask, weakly.
“You were hit by a car. The woman got away.”
“I was hit on purpose?” Dr. Hutchins nods sadly.
“We’ll worry about that later, someone got her tag number.” I hear the approaching sirens and go in and out of consciousness as the paramedics tend to me.
“Dr. Jackson, it’s me, Eugene, I’m gonna take good care of you” A familiar voice says.
“I trust you…” I say before weakening against the fight to stay conscious.
The next time I wake up, I see many familiar faces crowding me.
“Dr. Jackson! What happened?!” Dr. Nelson, one of my co-workers exclaims as he sees the paramedics wheel me in.
“Run over…” I manage to squeak out.
“Okay, I’m in charge here, nurse I need 5 cc’s of…” The blackness hits me again. Even though I can’t see anything, I can still hear the panicked voices around me.
“Do you see any broken bones?”
“No, but we need to check for internal bleeding.”
“She might need a transfusion…”
“Anesthetic!”
“Somebody call the goddamn surgeon!” I hear an urgent voice command.
“Everything is gonna be alright, Megan. You know you’re in good hands here.” I hear the chief of hospital staff’s voice beside me and a hand on my shoulder. I feel pinned down, unable to move. Was I paralyzed? Am I about to die? Why would someone do this to me? Dr. Hutchins says it was a woman…I knew it wasn’t Madeline. At her angriest, she wouldn’t hit me with a car, but my husband’s mistress might. I fight to wake up so that I can talk to a police officer, or someone who could go and arrest that bitch right now. I struggle against the blackness until my body grows weak, and I finally lose all consciousness.
Chapter 5 Heavy Thinking
I drive home, angry at Megan for pulling a trick move on me and myself for not heeding my husband’s advice. Even more so, I think about what she said…about my marriage. Do all of my friends think that we’re putting on this grand façade with our marriage? We had our issues just like everyone else. Sometimes, we’d both be frustrated with work and the twins, taking it out on each other with shouting matches in the middle of the night. We always talked it out, though, even if it was a couple of days later. I take a deep breath as I pull into the garage, consumed with guilt and question.
Once I’m inside the house, I see Vince sitting at the kitchen table with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I gaze at him curiously.
“Expecting someone?” I ask.
“Yeah, you. Have a seat.” He points to the chair across from him and I sit down with a remorseful look on my face. He pours the wine in both glasses while staring at me intently.
“So?” I look into his soft hazel eyes.
“It didn’t turn out well.” I take a sip of the wine.
“You wanna talk about it?” He asks.
“I really don’t.”
“Well, then talk to me about something else.” He takes a gulp of wine.
“I don’t…pretend that we’re a perfect couple…do I?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. Vince.” I gaze at him seriously.
“Not that I’ve seen. What did she say to you?” I shake my head.
“Never mind.”
“You need to tell my why you feel that way.”
“I think sometimes I might give the impression that we’re…you know…without problems.” He raises his eyebrows at me.
“Who the fuck needs to know if we have problems or not? In fact, why should anyone care? What goes on in this house never needs to leave the doors. If that’s their perception, the problem isn’t us, it’s them. Look, I’d rather us be able to hash it out here or in therapy than going to our friends about it. What good would that do, anyway? Everyone is different.”
“None, I guess.”
“You’re damn right. Friends can give advice, but honestly, I’m glad we keep them at a distance when it comes to us. It’s okay to joke and laugh and make light of common marital issues, but when it comes to the real stuff, it’s up to the couple themselves to work it out.”
“I can’t help but to feel that my friends…resent me.”
“Resent you? Why would you think that?”
“Megan said some pretty vile things to me today.” He sighs.
“She’s hurt, Madeline. I don’t think she meant anything by it.”
“No, I think she meant every word. She just never had the opportunity to say it to me. It doesn’t really bother me that she said it…as much as it does that she thinks I act that way.”
“Does it really matter to you what she thinks?”
“Vince, my friendships are important to me…I never want my friends to assume I think I’m better than they are.”
“If it bothers you that much, then maybe you should have a serious talk with her after all of this has blown over some. She needs to deal with her feelings about Kendall for now. Until then, I wouldn’t take it personally.” I take a long, slow sip, thinking about what he said. Maybe he’s right, we all say things we don’t mean out of hurt and anger, maybe this was one of those times for Megan.
As I start to feel better, Kendall walks aimlessly into the kitchen with his phone in a tight grip.
“Kendall? What’s wrong, Man? You okay?” Vince eyes him with concern.
“Megan…” he whispers.
“What about her?” I ask.
“She was…in an accident…I…gotta get to the hospital.” I jump up, wanting to ask him a million questions, but the dazed look on his face tells me he wouldn’t be much help.
“I’ll take you, come on…” I look at Vince frantically.
“I’ll stay here with the kids. Call me and let me know what’s going on.” I nod quickly, leading a stunned Kendall to the garage.
I drive to the hospital in a panicked, hypnotized state, not even realizing we’ve made it there. Kendall jumps out of the car, and I turn off the engine quickly, determined to keep up with him.
He immediately goes to the reception desk in the emergency room where a bored looking elderly woman sits behind the desk.
“Can I help you, darlin’?” She drawls with a pleasant smile.
“My wife…uh…I got a phone call.”
“What’s her name, honey? I can look her up for you.”
“Dr. Megan Jackson…” I say, as Kendall can barely choke out her name. As much as I want to scream and cry, I can’t fall apart with Kendall being as lethargic as he is.
“Oh! Dr. Jackson’s on the fifth floor, room 5568.” I thank her, leading Kendall to the nearest elevator. Once the doors open, I notice that we are in ICU. This can’t be good.
“Look, why don’t you go sit down and take a few breaths? I’ll try to get some information” I tell Kendall. He nods silently, still dazed as he walks towards the waiting area. I immediately step to the nurse’s desk where I see a blonde lady typing away at the computer.
“Excuse me,” I say, “could you please tell me the status of Dr. Jackson?” I ask her before she looks up.
“Are you family?” She asks. I shake my head.
“No, but I’m her friend. Her husband is in shock…but he’s here.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, but I have to speak with her husband.” I throw my head back in annoyance before running to get Kendall.
“Look, you have to pull it together! They won’t tell me anything!” I try to shake him back into reality.
“Okay, okay…I just needed a moment.” He gets up, following me to the nurse’s station. He eyes the blonde silently before speaking.
“I’m Kendall Jackson, her…husband.” The nurse’s eyes dart from him to me.
“Mr. Jackson, your wife suffered some internal bleeding. We gave her a transfusion, and she’s resting for now. You can go see her but only you, and afterwards, I need you to fill out some paperwork.”
“She works in this hospital for Christ’s sake, what more do you need?” I ask, irritated.
“Ma’am, what’s your name?”
“Madeline Marks.”
“Ms. Marks, it’s procedure. It has to be done.” Kendall hands me his wallet.
“All her information is in there. Will you help with the paperwork, please?” He says shakily.
“Sure…” I take the clipboard as I watch Kendall disappear down the hallway with the nurse by his side.
After what seems to be forever, Kendall plops down in a chair beside me. I try to decipher the expression on his face which is grim.
“Kendall?” I ask, touching his arm.
“She…looks bad. Banged up.”
“Is she going to be okay, though?” I click the pen nervously.
“The doctor said he thinks she will be…but they won’t really know until she wakes up.” He puts his head in his hands. In that moment, I realize that the man does love her. He was genuinely worried about her, so much that he could barely speak. I sigh heavily in guilt, looping my arm through his.
“You know how strong she is. She’ll pull through this.”
“Madeline, I swear, I didn’t mean to hurt her! If she pulls through this, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I promise you, I will.”
“I know” I whisper. Suddenly, a police officer approaches us.
“Mr. Jackson.” He eyes Kendall seriously.
“Yes?” Kendall looks up at the tall, dark figure.
“I need to ask you a few questions about your wife’s accident.” Kendall gets up, facing the officer.
“Sure, what do you need to know?”
“Do you know what happened?” Kendall shakes his head.
“All they told me was that there was an accident. I figured she wrecked her car.” The officer looks a little surprised.
“Sir, your wife was run over while she was in the crosswalk near the Market Restaurant.” Both Kendall and I gasp in shock.
“Run over? What do you mean?! By who?!”
“One of the onlookers got a tag number. Are you familiar with a Janae Wyatt?” Kendall’s eyes grow wide.
“Please don’t tell me she was the one…”
“I’m afraid so, Mr. Jackson.” He brings out a stack of papers resembling the contract Megan forced Janae to sign earlier.
“What is that?” Kendall asks.
“Once we apprehended Ms. Wyatt, she told us quite a story. Tell me, did you know your wife made her sign a contract terminating your partnership?” Kendall gives me a desperate look, and I nod, guiltily.
“I didn’t know, but I guess I do now.” The officer eyes me.
“Mrs. Marks, I presume?” He addresses me seriously. I nod.
“Tell me, did Dr. Jackson outline the details of this contract?”
“No, she…kind of ambushed us both with it.” The officer sighs, flipping the pages of the contract.
“This contract would be terminated if Ms. Wyatt contacted you…or in the event of Dr. Jackson’s death.” I scoff. Why the hell would she put that shit in a contract? She literally almost signed her own death certificate!
“So…she tried to kill Megan to get out of the contract?” I ask.
“Afraid so. Now, she explained to me that you had nothing to do with this, Mr. Jackson. However, I still must question and clear you myself.”
“Can this wait? At least until she wakes up?” Kendall asks.
“The sooner we get it over with, the sooner you can be back up here with her.”
“Can I at least tell the nurse to let Madeline sit with her?” The cop nods.
“Quickly.” Kendall approaches the blonde nurse who seems to need some convincing but seems to finally relent. He gestures for me to come to the desk. Giving the officer a courteous smile, I hastily step to the desk.
“Okay, I’m breaking the rules on this one…but just make sure you’re quiet” she says.
“Fine.” I sit the clipboard on the desk and follow her to Megan’s room while Kendall and the officer disappear.
I walk quietly into the room, where the silence is only broken by the various beeping of machines. Megan lies on the bed, lifeless, and I gasp softly as I see her bruised from head to toe.
“Oh, Megan…” I whisper, stroking her tangled hair. I take her hand in mine.
“I’m so…so sorry. It’ll only get better from here, I promise.” I gently squeeze her hand, which she squeezes back. She groans, turning her head to face me.
“Madeline?” she says, hoarsely.
“I’m here…” I answer.
“Kendall?”
“He’s with the police.”
“It was…her…” I nod.
“We know, honey, they’ve already arrested her.” She starts to sniffle, grimacing in pain.
“All I wanted…was to save my marriage…” She says, tearfully.
“And you will. All we need you to worry about right now is getting well.” She squeezes my hand again.
“I’m so sorry, Maddie…I’m so sorry.”
“All is forgiven, okay? I’m here until you don’t need me anymore.” Suddenly, Kendall walks into the room. We both turn to look at him.
“You’re up?! Oh Meg!” He runs to the bed, kissing her deeply. He whispers to her in words I can’t hear.
“I’ll be in the waiting room…” I say, but I doubt they hear me.
I take the opportunity to go downstairs and call Vince.
“Is everything alright? I started to panic!” Vince answers.
“I think she will be fine. She might have a long road to recovery ahead of her, but she’s awake at least.”
“How is Kendall holding up?”
“I think he’s still in shock…Vince, that woman he was messing around with ran Megan over.” Vince is silent for a minute.
“She what?” He asks, lowering his voice.
“Ran her over…right in front of the restaurant.”
“How did she even know Megan was there? I don’t understand.” I suddenly remember all the details I kept from him.
“Vince…Megan invited her to lunch with us, so that she could buy her out of her half of Kendall’s club.”
“Oh my God. She’s lucky she wasn’t killed!”
“Well, she wasn’t…”
“Still! That was pretty crazy of her to do that and involve you in it!”
“We can sort that out later, for now, let’s just be good friends for them, okay?” He pauses as if he wants to argue but wisely shuts his mouth.
“Fine. When are you coming home?”
“Let me check on them, and I’ll let you know.”
“Oh alright, but we will talk about this eventually.”
“Fine. I’ll call you later.” I hang up, a little irritated that Vince seems to be more concerned about what happened at lunch, than what happened to Megan.
Once I confirm with Kendall that he is spending the night at the hospital with Megan, I drive home exhausted…mentally and physically. I pray that Mrs. Lovett has put the children to bed.
Both Vince and Faith are waiting for me as I open the door to the house. I look at Vince’s questioning gaze.
“I don’t want to talk about it…” I say, moving past him. He grabs my arm.
“Madeline…”
“I really don’t, not tonight, Vince. Just please let me go upstairs, take a shower and go to bed.” He takes a deep breath.
“I really think we need to talk…”
“Yes! Later! Please let me go tonight, it has been an extremely long day!” He steps back, looking at me.
“Take your shower then.”
“Thank you.”
As I take a shower, trying to relieve the mix of hurt and anxiety coursing through me, tears begin to well in my eyes and I cry. I don’t even know why. Maybe I felt guilty because of my fight with Megan or sad because of what she had to go through. Either way, the flood of emotion makes its way out through shaky sobs and hot tears. I sit against the wall of the shower, letting everything wash over me.
Chapter 6 New Beginnings
A month later after my total disaster, I’m feeling better than I have in a long time. The pain is almost gone and I’m slowly healing. It has taken weeks of physical therapy along with the realization that I can’t work as hard or as much as I used to right now, but I’m getting better.
Kendall and I are working things out as well. We’ve worked our asses off in therapy, and Dr. Wilder has made sure to stay on us about some of the flaws in our relationship. Slowly but surely, I was working on myself while Kendall worked his flaws. I’ve never talked so much about feelings in my entire life, but it’s working. Between all the talking and figuring each other out, I had no idea that Madeline was actually right. It was a ton of work to be married…in a way that both of us could be happy.
I decide to venture out alone for the first time in a month and invite Madeline to come to the spa and lunch with me. Though she told me she’s forgiven me for my rant the day of the accident, I knew there was still a score I needed to settle. Now that I was working on my emotions with Kendall, I figured I needed to repair my friendship with her as well.
As I’m changing in the locker room, Madeline comes in with a smile as she sees me. She hugs me as I tell her I saved the locker next to mine for her.
“You look great!” She exclaims looking me over.
“Yeah, no more looking like I got beat up in a street fight” I laugh as I change into my robe.
“It’s all a process…how have you been?” She asks, putting her stuff away.
“Good…or at least working on it. How have you guys been?”
“Busy…it’s quarterly time once again, and both of us are stressed the hell out.”
“Well, you guys always navigate that pretty well, don’t you?” She sighs, looking at me as she ties her robe.
“Look, as much as you think I like to act like my marriage is perfect---” she starts.
“Let’s not get into that, I was wrong to say those things to you. I was hurt, you know?”
“I know, but I also know you. There was a bit of truth in what you said…or at least you’ve always thought that and never told me.” I sigh and point to one of the benches for her to sit.
“Okay, the truth?”
“Let’s hear it.” She gazes at me.
“So, yeah, sometimes I think all you share is the sunshine in your marriage, and I kind of resented you for that.”
“I figured, but—” I hold up my hand to her.
“Let me finish, please. I’ve learned that I can’t compare my marriage to yours…or anyone else’s for that matter. In fact, I almost understand why you don’t tell all of the less-than-stellar things that go on in your marriage. I think it’s better when you work it out with your husband, instead of going to your friends.”
“Well, I’ll be damned! You are learning something from Dr. Wilder!” She laughs, grabbing my hand.
“Look, let’s just agree…not to judge each other’s home lives” she says. I smile at her, glad that I was finally honest with her. Our friendship wasn’t perfect, but it was worth keeping.
“Agreed” I respond as we hug.
“Now, I need to see a man about a massage. How about you?” I nod and get up, following her to the waiting area.
“This is hard” Kendall says as he mulls over the “homework” given to us by Dr. Wilder. We had covered a lot in the past month, and one thing she wanted us to do considering our progress, was establish deal breakers. We were doing well despite our rocky beginning, and I hope it stays that way.
“It really isn’t. Just think about what you want and what you don’t want” I reply.
“Well, let’s see…” He gazes into my eyes.
“For one thing, no more distance.”
“Aren’t we already covering that?”
“Megan…” He warns.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“Okay, so here’s one of my deal breakers…I need you to be open with me. You said I was…cold and unaffectionate but only after I caught you cheating. You never told me you felt that way.”
“I know. That was my mistake. I know that you can’t tell what I’m thinking, and it’s the same for me. You have to tell me what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling.”
He closes his notebook, grabbing my hand across the table.
“Do you ever think that if we would have done this in the beginning, we wouldn’t be here now?” I shrug.
“I don’t know, Kendall. Considering that our relationship started with a hook-up at a wedding…”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m serious. Maybe we should have spent more time getting to know each other.”
“Four years wasn’t enough to know me?” I ask.
“Well, I don’t know…it just seemed like there were things about yourself that you…hid from me.” Ordinarily, I would get angry at his response, but I can’t. He was right. While we were engaged in a long-distance relationship before we got married, I did hide some of my flaws. However, I thought that within the first year of marriage, I’d revealed all of them. I guess I didn’t.
“Isn’t that what we’re gonna change?” I ask in response, and he squeezes my hand.
“I hope so.” I lean forward, kissing him softly. As I pull away, he rounds the table, taking my hand to stand me up.
“What?” I ask as he gazes into my eyes.
“I think I need a little bit more to seal this deal.” I smile at him as he kisses me again with fervor. He picks me up, his lips never leaving mine as he carries me up the stairs to our bedroom.
Despite everything, I loved the man with all my heart. He and I had a million flaws apiece, but as long as he was willing to work with mine, I’ll work with his. This is only the beginning for us, and I just know that it will get even better with time.
Chapter 7 For Better or For Worse
I run my hands through my hair in frustration as I try to calm Amelia’s temper tantrum by talking to her.
“Damn it, Madeline, just leave her be!” Vince says as Amelia screams louder. He sits Andrew, who is eyeing Amelia’s show with curiosity, on the bed.
“I can’t take this anymore, you deal with it.” I get up in a huff, walking out of the twins’ bedroom.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Marks, I’ve got her…” Mrs. Lovett passes me in the hallway, quickly heading towards the chaos. Usually, I was calmer when it came to the children, but today, my patience was wearing thin.
After a few minutes, the high-pitched screams radiating around the house finally come to an end, and I heave a sigh of relief. Vince comes downstairs to find me at the table with a glass of wine.
“It’s been a long day, I know,” he says, helping himself to the bottle on the table. I scoff.
“I don’t know why she wants to do this before she goes to bed every night.”
“Well, like I said, just let her be. If we ignore it, she stops.”
“I guess you’re the expert” I say sarcastically.
“Come on, now. Don’t be like that, Madeline.”
“Be like what?! Is it too much to ask that things be normal when I get home?”
“You sound like you’re the only one in this house who works.” I groan in annoyance.
“Leave it to you to change the subject.”
“Madeline!” He says, firmly. I take a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, this is not worth fighting over.” I sigh.
“Take it easy. I know it’s rough at work right now, hell what do you think I’ve been going through?” He touches my shoulder and I close my eyes. Yeah, it was truly rough. We were being evaluated by several different agencies this time, and the quarterlies had to be just right in order to pass. I could never forgive myself if the company went under because of a stupid mistake.
“Quarterlies will be over soon, and the holidays are coming up. You’ll have some time off.”
“Aren’t you tired?” I ask him as he sits down.
“Of course I’m tired, that’s why I’m counting down the days.” I chuckle at his response.
“Is work the only thing on your mind?” He asks. I nod.
“Running numbers and correcting some of those incompetent paper pushers is getting to me.”
“Are you sure that’s all there is?” I bite my lip, knowing he’s gonna probe me until I tell him what’s really wrong.
“You know I saw Megan today…” He nods.
“I figured that’s what was bothering you.”
“It’s not really bothering me, it’s just, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I need to talk to my other friends.”
“About what?”
“About…boundaries when it comes to talking about our relationships.”
“Boundaries? You want to put boundaries on your friendships?”
“Well, don’t you think we need to?” He laughs.
“No!”
“Why not? I mean…why divulge anything at all?”
“Because they’re your friends! Trust me, aside from Megan when she was going through her episodes, who else really has the legroom to complain about what you reveal about our marriage?” He stumped me there. Nathan has and always will celebrate me and it’s the same with Diana. They’d be there whether I was happy about what was going on in my house or sad or angry. It seemed to only be Megan who had an issue with it.
“Baby, you told me what Megan said. I think the only reason she felt that way was because in her insecurity about her marriage, she thought you were gloating about yours. But you weren’t. Friends are there to share all the times…for better or worse. You aren’t the reason she’s sitting in therapy right now trying to fix herself and her marriage, but she needed someone to blame. I think she’s learning now that she has to look at herself first.”
“So, what happens now? With our friendship?”
“You tell her what you want to tell her and stop worrying about what she thinks.” I consider it as he does make sense. Hell, I almost feel like I need to talk to Dr. Wilder about my preoccupation with my friends’ opinions of me. Vince comes around and kneels in front of me.
“Feel better?” He asks softly. I nod as he puts a hand on my knee.
“Yeah.”
“I know something that’ll make you feel even greater…” I chuckle.
“And what is that, Mr. Marks?” He stands up, looking down at me.
“I guess you’ll have to race me to the bedroom to find out…” He makes a beeline for the stairs as I run behind him exclaiming that it’s not fair that he got a head start.
After he makes love to me in more ways than one and holds me tightly, I think about what has happened in the past month. We would never be perfect, and I didn’t have to pretend we were. What I could be was happy…no matter what my friends or anyone else thought. Despite the challenges, hard work, and frustrations, I was truly happy. Vince was right. You don’t have to share everything, sometimes, the only people who needed to know what’s going on is us, and that was alright with me.
