The Secret

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Prompt: WRITE ME A STORY ABOUT A CONVERSATION YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE OVERHEARD

The Secret

(599 words)



"Kathy doesn't know what her husband's doing, does she?"

"No, isn't that awful? I'd die if Pete ever . . . "

"But you're not going to tell her, right?"

The sound of Barbara clinking her glass with the metal spoon was making me want to scream, but I didn't. I wanted to hear more. I needed to hear more.

I was frozen in shadow at the back of Jody's Coffee Shop. My friends didn't know that I'd already returned from the bathroom. They had no idea I was standing behind them, hidden by one of Jody's huge plastic plants which separates the sections of her restaurant.

"Honestly, Barbara, cut that out," Sandy scolded. "That's rude, you know."

"Not as rude as what Mike's doing behind Kathy's back!" Barbara said with a brittle, caustic snicker.

I knew then I couldn't return to the booth. There was no way I could sit down calmly and look my best friends in the eye.

My husband was having an affair. Of course! He worked out of our home -- an independent contractor. He had lots of spare time. It all fit.

I could barely pull in air. Dodging a waitress with someone's order of food, I broke into a run and sprinted for the door. No sooner did I push through and out than the tears came. My husband was having an affair!

I don't remember the drive home. I don't even remember unlocking the door and stepping into my house. I just know that when I saw Mike, I let out a scream and sank into the carpet. When I came back into consciousness, Mike was sponging my face with a dripping washcloth, his face lined with worry.

"Don't touch me!" I cried out and looked away. I couldn't bear to meet his eyes.

"What on earth has gotten into you?" Mike said, taking my wrist in his hand. He was taking my pulse as if that mattered. I attempted to jerk away.

"Steady, girl. You're not pregnant again, are you?"

"I'm not the one having sex on the side," I spit out the words with so much rage I felt sick from the anger in them.

Mike dropped my wrist, completely forgetting his count. His eyes suddenly doubled into planetary-sized orbs and his mouth dropped to form a perfect basketball rim.

"What has gotten into you, Kathy? Did Barbara tell you that? Or Sandy? Whatever they said, it's a lie. I've never even looked at another woman, not once since I fell in love with you."

I choked on my tears and began to cough. Mike raised me and swallowed me into an embrace. "Never doubt me, my love," he said, kissing my cheek. "Never think for a moment that I don't love you madly."

I was sobbing so hard, I could scarcely speak, but still I sputtered out, "But what. . . were they . . . talking . . . about? What . . . was the terrible . . . secret?"

Mike stopped kissing my neck and raised his head, then he burst out into laughter. "Ah, my sweet, sweet Kathy. I can't have you worrying about that. It was merely your surprise birthday party that I'd scheduled for Saturday."

I cried then with happiness -- in between kisses. Just at the moment when things were getting most interesting, my cell phone rang, and I cried out, "Oh, no! It's Barbara and Sandra, what must they think?"

But Mike and I were too busy to answer, so the phone went on ringing and ringing and ringing.

~~~~~~~~~~~