Learning Lessons 3 of 8 // Caught in the Act: Chapter 5

Pete knew something was wrong with his wife. Very wrong. Something had happened and it was huge. He knew since last night when he’d come home and she’d ruined dinner. No explanation, just said she wasn’t paying attention, had burned it. He didn’t press her. Her face was drawn, hollow. She looked ill. Maybe she was coming down with something.

Pete went out and picked up KFC for them and she didn’t have a bite of any thing he brought back. She said she wasn’t feeling well and he said she should go lie down, told her he’d take care of the boys. She went to bed, must have been eight o’clock. He’d thought she was getting a flu.

So he stayed up with the boys and they had their chicken and they watched some TV. He took them down and they messed around with the trains for a while. Made some more sagebrushes. He put them to bed, stayed up to watch The Bachelor, the news, then packed it in around eleven.

He tiptoed around the room, trying not to disturb Jess, poor girl not feeling well. She was awake. He could see her in the dark of the room, dim light from the master bath, her eyes were open. Staring into nothing.

He asked her if she was okay, and she said, Yes, then closed her eyes. That’s when he thought this was no flu. Something bad had happened.

He got a little nervous. Hated the idea that something was bothering her. He washed up and climbed in behind her, put an arm around her and hugged her. She pushed her back into him, hugged his hand over her heart. He fell asleep like that.

He didn’t remember until morning, then wasn’t sure if he’d dreamt it, made it up, but he could recall an idea that she had got up in the middle of the night and had used her phone. Had talked to somebody. That’s all that he was aware of.

Then it was morning and he watched her, dressed for work, shuffling around the kitchen like she was in pain. Mental anguish. He could sense she wanted to talk, wait for the boys not to be around. Pete had to get to work. He kissed her forehead before he left, she was clammy. He stopped at the door. He said, Call me if you need me today.

She smiled at him weakly and nodded.

Now it was five and the boys were in the backyard. Jess was in the kitchen and he could tell they needed to have a talk. His heart was pounding.

“What is it, Jess?”

She sat across from him, her hands folded together resting on their kitchen table. She had her glasses on, her hair looked stringy, lifeless, her shoulders a worried slope swooping away from her thin neck. “You’re going to be mad.”

She was pregnant. That was what hit him. She’d been fooling around, lying about using condoms and now she’d got herself pregnant. “What is it?” he asked her. Not mad, not mean; he was worried.

She covered her mouth with her thin pale hand, struggling with a way to tell him something.

“Oh, no, Jess.”

“I stopped by the high school the other day. Ran into Tyler. We were fooling around—we didn’t have sex, Pete, I swear, but we were… we were messing around and we got caught.”

“Oh.”

“I know Pete, I didn’t mean to, I wasn’t thinking about it, it just happened.”

“Oh no,” he said, feeling the blood drain from him. His vision narrowed. This was really bad. “Who saw you?”

“I don’t think anyone saw me.”

“Oh, Jess. Oh, no, what’s going to happen?”

“Tyler got me out without anyone seeing me. I think.” 

“Are you sure no one saw you?”

“Pretty sure.”

“So know one knows it was you?”

“I don’t think so.” 

It was a relief. He thought everyone would know his wife had stepped out on him, that she went around behind his back. A public cuckolding. She wasn’t caught at all. “What were you doing?”

“Messing around.”

“Specifically.”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Tell me what you were doing.”

“Can we play your stupid cuckolding games another time? We’re talking about my job here. Tyler’s job.” 

She was mad at him. He wasn’t looking for dirty talk, he wanted to know what someone might have witnessed. “Your job?”

“I think it’s okay. I was so worried but I don’t think anyone knows it was me.”

“Please, tell me your job is okay.”

“I was at work today and no one said a thing. And everyone was talking about what happened at the high school.”

“Oh, no, Jess.”

“Yeah, it’s all the gossip.”

“I’m sorry Jess.” He took her hand in his, held it.

“So…” There was more.

“Yes?”

She paused, exhaled. “Tyler was fired.”

“That’s terrible.”

“He was fired and it was my fault.”

“Your fault?”

“I’m sorry, Pete. I… I was the instigator, really. I’m sorry.”

What had become of Jess, when had she turned into someone he hardly knew? “It’s okay, Jess.” He slid his chair around so he could sit next to her, put an arm around her. She leaned into him, let him squeeze her to him.

“You know, he got me out of there before they could see my face. He held a door open and he shoved me out with his foot, slammed it shut and wouldn’t let them open it until I had time to run away. He wouldn’t tell them who it was. He thinks they think it was a student.”

“Oh, that’s awful.”

“He hid my purse, I’d left it there. Anyway they let him go—fired him. He left, then snuck back, took my van and drove it out of there before classes let out and it was the only one there. Someone might have figured who had run off with the blonde hair.”

“They know it was a blonde?”

She nodded.

He held her head to his chest and stroked her hair. “We’ll get through this,” he told her. “We’ll get through this.”

“I saw him today. Talked to him.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“It’s fine. If I act like I can’t be seen with him that would be worse.”

“Maybe.”

“I saw him. He brought my purse, my glasses,” she said, touching the arm of her glasses. “I had a coffee with him over at the Dunkin’ Donuts.”

“How’s he holding up?”

“Not good. Not good at all. He really needed that job. Really needed it.”

Shouldn’t have messed around with my wife then when I wasn’t there. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, he has no savings, he was paying down some debts. He can’t even afford his rent.”

“How long does he have?”

“No time. He was already behind.”

“Well, Jess I don’t think we have much to give him. I mean it also sounds like he’s a terrible person to lend money to.”

“I told him he could stay here.”

“You what?”

“Told him he could stay here. Use our guest room until he’s back on his feet.”

“No way.”

“Just a few weeks, Pete. A few weeks tops.”

“With our kids here?”

“What else can he do?”

“He could leave town.”

“He has nothing right now. No credit. Nothing. We can’t let him just… we can’t let him do that.” She was pleading with him, her eyes were tearing up.

“Jess, baby. That’s crazy.”

“Please, he saved me. Saved my job.”

“So, you’re going to be the blonde girl who helps him after he gets fired for sleeping with some mystery blonde girl on school grounds? Come on Jess, be sensible. People will assume its you.”

“No, they won’t. Not me. No one will think it’s me. I’m not the type. And if I get out in front of it, unashamed, indignant it might go a longer way to convincing people it wasn’t me.”

“They wouldn’t consider you in the first place.”

“It’s not impossible.”

“Well, no. Not impossible.”

“Pete, he’s moving in.”

“Jess.”

“Pete, he’s moving in on Saturday and he’s going to stay for a few weeks. I won’t put my hands on him. The kids won’t see that.”

“Jess.”

“Pete. 2PM Saturday, I rented him a U-Haul. I have to do the right thing.”

Pete let her go, put his hands over his face ran them over his scalp. His heart was pounding.

What the fuck was going on here?