Oh, the bliss of the flight over there. Those warm nights in New York. They had a little falling out when he suddenly said that he had to visit his wife’s sister to say hello. Of course, she could not come. That would be too painful after running away with a married man. Eventually, she gave in. She could be generous now that she had him. She had been waiting for five years for him to finally break up with his family. All those days waiting by the phone, sneaking around had finally paid off.
They had now spent six weeks slowly making their way down the eastern coast. They often slept in the car they had bought while staying with her cousin. Money was short because they had to live off her meagre savings while waiting for his affairs to be sorted out.
Sometimes they stayed in one of those sleazy motels. But it all looked wonderful to her as long as they could be together.
When they reached Florida, he decided to look up an old friend and colleague who had promised to help him find a job at one of the hospitals in Miami. As soon as he had a job, they could then find her one in the same hospital.
In the meantime, they did the sites in Florida, having a super time behaving like a couple of teenagers in the amusement parks. It was pure bliss. She was so in love.
Then, one hot and humid night, she woke up to find his side of the bed empty. He was probably sitting on the porch, unable to sleep. It would be good to join him with a bottle of wine and talk about their future. She got up and went to the kitchen to fetch a bottle from the fridge. As she passed the study, she suddenly heard him talking to someone. Something in the tone of his voice told her he was not talking to the friend who had been so helpful to them. She stopped in front of the door of the study before going in.
All the suspicions and memories of his past deceit came rushing back, making her feel very cold and shivery. What she overheard made her feel as if her legs would give way at any moment. There he was, her friend, her lover, the man she was going to be blissfully happy with ever after, talking to his wife. Telling her he would soon be back after this much-needed break, which he had needed to come to his senses again. He was looking forward to starting afresh; now he had got rid of that woman who kept throwing herself at him.
That was when she could finally do what she had not been able to do all those years! She quietly sneaked back to the bedroom and pretended to be asleep when he came back to bed.
The next day, when he went to another of his so-called interviews, she threw everything in the back of the car. Thank God, since I had paid for it, the licence was in her name. She drove up north, only stopping to chuck all his things in a municipal skip on the way. She felt good when thinking about his face when he saw that not only was she gone, but all his things had gone with her.
He would need a lot of time to sort out a new passport and get some of his own money. That would give her time to leave the country and go home. Start her life all over. This time, never make the same mistake again.
Five months later, she was slumped in front of the television after a hectic day at work when the doorbell rang. A Jehovah’s Witness, she thought, or someone trying to sell something. She first decided to ignore it, but the ringing grew more insistent. With a sigh, she got up and opened the door to give whoever it was a piece of her mind. It was him…