While My Wife's Away by James Lear

Author:James Lear
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: While My Wife’s Away
Publisher: Cleis Press
Published: 2017-06-13T04:00:00+00:00

7

THE FIRST THING I SAW WHEN I WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR WAS a suitcase. Memories of holidays and weekend breaks flashed through my mind—sunshine, the children excited, piling into the car, hands sticky from ice creams, the feeling of liberation as we drove away from home and school and jobs.

‘Angie?’

‘I’m in the kitchen.’

She was cleaning. On her knees turning out the cupboard under the sink. I’m familiar with Angie’s cleaning mode. She goes into it when she’s stressed or unhappy.

‘Hi. Nice to see you.’ I went to kiss her but she turned away. ‘Where have you been?’

‘I stayed on in Dorset for a bit.’

‘Yes. With Helen?’ This was the old college friend with the rambling country house and garden where Alex and Angie had gone for their retreat. That’s where I was supposed to believe she’d been, but now I was beginning to wonder.

Angie’s head disappeared into the cupboard. I could smell cleaning fluid. She said something, but I couldn’t hear it.

‘What?’

She emerged, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘No, not with Helen.’

‘Oh. Right.’ I had carrier bags full of food. I started to unpack them. Neither of us looked at the other. ‘Where then?’

‘Joe.’

Hummus, salami, olive bread, grapes, fizzy water, a bottle of Orvieto. I arranged them neatly.

From the silence behind me, I could tell that the housework had been suspended. This must be serious.

‘Joe.’

‘I hope you’re hungry.’ I turned around. ‘I got some nice grub.’

‘We need to talk.’

‘Yes. Evidently.’

Am I the guilty party here? It didn’t feel that way. There was no accusation in her voice. She hasn’t found out. I got away with it. It’s something else. I dodged the bullet.

‘I’m moving out for a while.’

‘What?’

‘I need some space.’

I realized that I wasn’t reacting properly. I should have been shocked or furious. This should have been a bolt from the blue. But I’d been living with the idea that my marriage was all but over for so long now, it all seemed rather unsensational. What surprised me was that it seemed to be Angie who was leaving, rather than me—but I couldn’t let on about that.

‘Oh. I see.’

Silence for a while.

‘Is that all you’ve got to say?’

I perched on the edge of the table, facing her. ‘I don’t know what else to say. Do you want to tell me anything?’

Does she know? Is she leaving because she’s found out about me?

‘Can’t you guess?’

Of course I could fucking guess, but I wasn’t going to make the admission until it was forced out of me. I just shrugged and poured myself a glass of water.

‘I’m seeing someone else, Joe.’

Fuck. I wasn’t expecting that.

‘Really?’

‘No, I’m making it up.’ Angie only resorts to sarcasm when she’s angry.

‘Anyone I know?’ This was heading toward a major bust-up. We know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. After twenty-plus years, we’re experts.

‘No, it’s nobody you fucking know.’

‘Has Alex met him?’

‘Yes.’ She looked at her feet.

‘I suppose you were all on holiday together, were you? Trying out his new dad.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Joe.

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