Nancy’s life seems to be going smoothly until a secret letter is found in her husband David’s clothes. This causes a big problem that won’t go away. David asks a woman whose name is not given in his letter to celebrate what he calls their “seven-year anniversary.” What other information will the dirty clothes show?
As one of many chores around the house that my mom had to do, she did the laundry. David helps the kids in the kitchen, but he never tries to do the dishes or clean the bathroom.
When I asked David to do the chores, he got angry and said, “I can’t clean the hair out of the drain.”
“That’s my hair.” And our daughter’s, I yelled out loud.
It was his answer, “It continues to be unappealing.”
The noise of the dryer and the spinning of the washer, on the other hand, quickly became my perfect peaceful job, and I loved that it was mine.
The story would have been different if washing day hadn’t shown more than just dirty stains.
While I was going through my husband’s clothes, the sound of paper gently crumpling broke up the repetitive movements my hands were making. A simple but classy folded letter fell out of the folds of his shirt and dropped on the floor below.
Sweetheart, May your anniversary be wonderful! For me, the last seven years have been the best of my life. I need to be ready for you at Obélix at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night. Red clothes.
The first time I looked at my husband’s work, it was very clear. For one thing, his letters had loops in them, and he wrote very quickly.
I felt a chill go down my spine.
Are you being honest? David and I got married 18 years ago. Two girls were born to us. It won’t be six months until our anniversary.
Oh, more Obélix? Which of the city’s places is the most fancy? I knew we needed to spend less after David made it very clear to me.
“We need to cook at home more, Nancy,” he said finally. “Dropout in takeout.” The women will just have to do what everyone else does. Lately, we’ve been wasting money on things that don’t matter.
Are we in trouble? I asked because I was a little afraid that we might fall into an unexpected financial hole.
That’s what David said: “We are not.” His word. It’s still good to know about.
Everyone was really looking forward to Wednesday. That was the only thing I could think about for a few days. I was pretty happy when I found David’s letter of hiding. That next day, I went back to see if the note I found in his shirt pocket was still there. Still, there was nothing in the pocket at all.
It looked like the papers were signed, sealed, and sent to the right person.
That morning, as I was getting ready for breakfast, David said something. He told her, “Honey, I’m working late tonight.”
“Should I leave you a plate or will you grab something?” I asked how things were going even though I knew he had dinner plans with a mysterious woman in red.
He said this as he left the room with his luggage for the trip. “I’ll buy something on my way home,” he stated.
In addition to dropping off kids at school, I was in charge of the afternoon lift club, which had five wild schoolgirls. This task made the day a little longer. Still, I wasn’t able to put some space between David and me.
When I got home, I made the girls some drinks to enjoy while they waited outside for me to decide what to do next.
When I asked my mom, she said, “You know the time and the place, Nancy.” I wrote her an email with more reasons.
“Do you therefore think I ought to leave?” That really was my question.
It was clear that I needed to be here now. I really wanted to be the one who caught David in the act. On the other hand, I was also afraid of breaking my own heart.
She replied, “Yes, of course.” “Your entire marriage is dependent upon this evening, my affectionate,” she said next. “I know that it’s going to be tough, but at the end of the day at least you’ll know what your next move will be.”
I said, “I suppose.”
“Don’t you think you owe it to the girls?” she asked.
It was too late to pick up my mom and still get to the restaurant, even though she could have watched the girls. I hired a maid to watch over the kids.
At the moment, I was looking through my clothes to see what to wear. As I watched from afar, David could have easily ignored me, so I wasn’t sure if I should be there or just sit there and watch.
I told myself in the mirror, “Stop it, Nancy,” at the same time. “you’re going to be bold.”
I wore the beautiful red dress that David gave me for my birthday right away. He gave it to me a while ago. But it still fits really well. I also remember the talk very clearly and vividly.
David replied, “Red has always been your favorite color.” He then took the dress out of the box.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw that I was strong and bold, just like the fight that was about to happen. I knew I looked good, but I was really sad and felt like I had let other people down.
I got to the restaurant a little earlier than I had planned, and there was a buzz of eager anticipation and the sound of glasses clinking.
It was her being there—the other woman. In line with David’s directions, she also wore red. She smiled and took pictures of herself while holding her phone in different ways.
After taking a deep breath, I sat down next to her at the table and turned around so that my back was to the doorway. At first, I didn’t want David to talk about what I did. I had to have him there at the right time.
As soon as my husband walked into the room, the mood changed. Like he had never been this honest and close to her before, he moved toward her, and I felt a sharp jolt in my heart.
David had looked at me that way for a long time while we were talking.
And to calm down, I drank some of the wine I had bought.
David walked up to the woman, pulled out a chair, and sat down next to her instead of across from her. His eyes looked soft. He agreed with me too. It was for his hand on my knee right now! She got a white box and a big flower from him before she left.
He leaned in for a kiss that continued for a much longer time than I would have liked. “Isabelle,” he said. “You look gorgeous as always, darling.”
I thought of her earlier selfie try when I saw how playful and quiet she was.
“David, you regularly help a woman to feel better about herself.” There are seven years between now and the big event. Is this really true?
At that very moment, his eyes locked with mine, and instead of the warmth of his smile, there was a growing sense of knowing and worry.
He got up from his seat without saying anything and awkwardly told Isabelle that he had to go to the bathroom.
“Don’t you dare, David!!” The word I used for my answer was an exclamation.
Straight away, he stopped and showed shock on his face. After seeing what she saw, Isabelle was filled with doubt and worry.
David couldn’t move because he was split between his wife and his secret lover. He was falling behind. I could picture the thoughts going through his head as he thought about what he should do next.
I tried to talk about a peace I couldn’t quite live in my conversation with Isabelle.
I said hello, and my name is Nancy. David’s wife of almost 18 years.
“What?” By the time Isabelle was done expressing her thoughts, her face had turned paler. “I wasn’t sure!” As David told me, you were no longer together but had a good bond because of your kids.
As Isabelle wound a hair thread around her finger, she felt a rush of nerves. It was clear that David’s lies had an effect on her too; I wasn’t the only one who fell for them.
His eyes begged for someone to feel sorry for him, or they begged for the ground to burst and swallow him whole. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t. The sound wasn’t there at all.
“Separated?” David, you’re very creative.
I could see tears in Isabelle’s eyes when I looked at her.
To show her sorrow, she said, “I am so sorry.” “I never wanted to be involved with anything like this.”
“I never intended for it to escalate to this level,” Mr. David said.
I tried hard, but I just couldn’t figure out which of us he was talking about.
Isabelle ruffled her handkerchief and took a deep breath. As I looked at her more closely, it was clear that she was fragile.
If not, seven years? During the seven years they were together, she never asked to see my children. You may also want to meet with me in person.
Did she not know that they were putting more weight on their relationship? Could their friendship have been more than just a loose dating scene?
I became confused about it. It didn’t work at all. David and I got married young, not long after leaving high school together. Even though married people fight a lot, we were able to stay close. We were very strong.
the is, until I found the note.
I remembered the times we had argued. It was tough at the time, but we stuck with it and often came out better. I thought about David’s many work trips and late-night stays away from home.
David was putting his things in a bag one night while I was lying in bed eating ice cream. Then I thought of this.
The person really meant it when they said, “I’ll be away for the weekend.”
“Where are you now living?” I asked. I asked them questions.
“At a hotel,” he quickly replied. I won’t be by myself, though. I will share a room with one of the other guys.
I said yes. I had no reason not to believe him because he never gave me a reason to.
I was back in my chair by this time, and David was having a hard time keeping his hands from reaching out to Isabelle to calm her. His face showed a lot of pain, and his hands were squeezed together tightly. He looked like he was in a lot of pain.
That made me very sad. This is a big change because my boyfriend cared about this woman enough to want to talk to her while I was there.
We were going to break up soon, but I didn’t know it. To put it another way, that was the moment when my heart broke forever.
While I was getting my things together, I told David, “I will start the process of getting divorced.”
“You should tell the girls this; I am not going to.”
When I left the restaurant, it was too late, and I couldn’t remember what I had done. As I walked to my car, I noticed that the air felt much cooler at night. I was now in charge of my crime. Still, I knew I had to learn a lot of things.
To keep my girls safe, all I had to do was stay calm. I was sure that they and our family would both suffer a lot if we split up. David did, however, get me to agree to what he asked.
What would you have done in that situation?
