Cheated!

What kind of woman cheats on her ailing husband? Lung cancer, stage three. Emily is that kind of woman. In her defence, it all started when he stopped trying and, then, she didn't even know he was sick. How could she have known what he was going through if he did not share with her? He did not want her to worry, he explained. He loved her too much and couldn't stand to see her suffer. So, he had resolved to battle cancer alone. He had noticed the way she'd changed, and he knew she wasn't happy, yet he believed that breaking the news to her would burden her beyond measure. He also knew that he wanted to fight for their marriage even if it was the last thing he did. Even if it was to be his last fight on this earth, should, God forbid, the cancer win. 

She knew he felt her changing, she suspected it. She wanted him to know that she wasn't happy. With little signs and hints, but he seemed to always be too far away, distant, absorbed in his own world. Every time she tried to make it work, she felt him drifting away, into himself.  She resolved to find happiness some place else and that place happened to be Tinder. Here she found all the men she had dreamt of: tall, muscular, romantic, caring and bearded. At first it was mere online flirting, then things turned physical and intimate, but all that was temporary though, because each time she cheated, she felt self-loathing wash up in every crevice of her being.

On the day of their 3^rd anniversary, he made huge plans in a deliberate attempt to rekindle their love and salvage what was left of their marriage. For better or for worse, he had resolved to swing hard this time. He made reservations at their favourite restaurant, bought flowers and got off work early. He went home earlier than usual so that, by the time she got home, he'd be there to welcome her and then proceed to have dinner at their favourite restaurant. Traffic was unusually easy that day and he delightfully drove home. His favourite song “Sorry” by Tracy Chapman blasted the car stereo.  There's something about Tracy Chapman and her voice, it's intense and deep, the trembling emotions as she sings her heart out. Speaks directly to the soul and soothes. On the drive home, he hummed to, and replayed the song over again.

He got home and stayed a little longer in his car reflecting on the days that love was everything and enough. His love for Emily was everything and most times was enough, it had always been enough. It is only lately that he had realised that the pain in his chest was more than his lungs yielding to malignant cells. That the greatest agony was bleeding for a love he had let despair in his own self-absorption. Now, he was determined to make it better. He smiled and felt energised to know that he still loved her with the same intensity and burning desire deep in his soul. He walked into his home and proceeded to his usual seat. That's when he noticed Emily's purse on top of the dining table. That was odd as she usually came home at around 6 p.m. It was 3 p.m., and he started getting worried that, maybe, she was sick. He proceeded to their bedroom to check up on her and upon opening the door, what he saw made his bile creep up his throat.

Emily had let another man come to their home and do that which he had failed to do. He stood there breathlessly staring at the two trapped in the seismic gyrations of lovemaking. So engrossed were they in the steamy session that they didn't notice his presence. He stood there transfixed and his mind drifted as he watched Emily get lost in the throes of passion.

He plays the scenario in his head:

He walks to his closet and pulls out his 9 mm Beretta hand gun. He walks back to his bedroom and fires at the ceiling. The murderous report halts the session and he finally has their attention. He then proceeds to hold the naked couple at gun point as he asks them questions about their affair. Questions about the duration of time the affair has been going on, if she was in love with him, if he was married, and most importantly, why. Satisfied with the answers he blows their heads off and puts the gun into his mouth...

The cuckold blinks twice and comes back to reality.

He contemplates getting his gun but, on second thought, does not. Gently, like a shy boy interrupting two adults in an intimate discussion, he taps the gentleman's shoulder. The man shrieks and curses as he didn't expect to be caught. The woman had confirmed that the husband was away.

“Excuse me, sir, may I please have a word with my wife…please?” He asked expressionlessly. Emily knew that she had broken him beyond imagination. But she was not prepared for the news he was going to break to her.

Cheated!

By Janet Kilel