“Why? Have you done something wrong that would cause me to be upset with you?” she asked icily.
“I don’t think so but by your tone I guess I have or at least you think I’ve done something wrong,” he wondered, looking confused.
“Don’t act as if you’re innocent, Don. You know what you have done or should I say are doing. Why don’t you take a second and think about what you’ve done that I would probably be mad about. I guarantee something will come across your mind,” she said, not giving him any clues about what it might be.
“How can I guess what you’re upset about? I’m not a mind reader. Why don’t you just come right out and tell me what’s bothering you so we can move on?” he tried to place any fault on Lynn.
“Nice try, but you must have forgotten that I was married to a lawyer for over twenty years. I picked up a thing or two along the way. I guess you must have done so many things that could make me angry that you can’t tell which one I found out about. Is that what the problem is? Come on, Don. Just come clean.
“Obviously I have some sort of evidence or I wouldn’t be sitting here furious with you right now. So why don’t you save us time by simply coming clean?” she shouted.
“You’re not making any sense, Lynn. I have no clue what you’re talking about. You must be losing it. I didn’t come here to be interrogated or accused of something that you refuse to reveal. I came over here because I missed you and wanted to see you and this is how you greet me. I can go home to Kristie if I want to be treated like this.
“As a matter of fact, perhaps I should leave. I see you’re not in the mood for my company. It seems like you want to argue with someone and honestly, I’m not in the mood for that. I’m not Ted—I am not going to put up with your crap,” he yelled back.
He knew just what to say to get her to back down. He often played on her insecurities and she foolishly allowed it to happen. She immediately became submissive and apologetic.
“Wait baby, don’t get upset. I don’t want you to leave. It’s just that I found this in your pants pocket and I didn’t know what to make of it,” she said, throwing the condom wrapper on the table.
“What the hell is that? Are you sure you got it out of my pants?” he asked, trying to act surprised.
“Yes, I’m sure. I was going through your pockets before I put your pants in the washing machine and found it in there. So whom did you use it with?”
Donald feigned innocence, “Baby, I don’t know how that got in my pocket. Are you sure one of your kids didn’t put it in there trying to frame me?”
“Why would they do that? Besides, they don’t know we’re seeing each other,” Lynn wasn’t falling for his act.
“Didn’t you tell me that one of them came into your room and found some of my things and questioned you about them?” he asked, trying to shift the blame.
“Come on, Don, I doubt that my children have condoms in their possession; if they did, how would they been able to put the wrapper in your pocket?”
Don shook his head and tried to sound convincing, “I don’t know, baby. All I know is it’s not mine. I told you that other than my wife, you’re the only woman I am involved with. If you choose not to believe me, that’s up to you. I have no reason to lie to you.”
“Are you and Kristie still having sex? You told me that the two of you stopped having sex some time ago,” she accused.
“I never told you that. Besides, I really don’t think what I do with my wife concerns you. When you and Ted were married I never questioned your sexual relationship with him. In fact, I never told you to stop having sex with him,” he said defensively.
“Oh—so it’s like that now? Before we could talk to each other about everything and now you’re selective in what you share with me. When did that change?” asked Lynn, her tone hurt and disappointed.
“That never changed. We can talk about everything except that. She’s my wife and naturally we’re going to have sex,” explained Don.
“You know what Don? You’re right; I don’t want to talk about this. Maybe my kids did plant the condom wrapper in your pants pocket to stop us from seeing each other. I suppose that’s possible. Let’s not spend the rest of our time together arguing. I’ve missed you and I’m glad you are here,” she said as she hugged him tight and started kissing him.
“That’s my girl. You know I love you, baby. I will never think about being with another woman. I’ll let you in on a little secret; I’m thinking about leaving my wife real soon and when I do, you and I will be together. Now come over here and show me how much you’ve missed me,” he said as he pulled her close to him and kissed her passionately.
While he was at Lynn’s place he didn’t know that Kristie had taken off work so she could follow him to see if he was in fact seeing someone else. She had been tailing him all morning.
She was just about to head home when she saw him leave his office around 12:30 p.m. He had no idea that she was trailing him. She followed him to Lynn’s house but stayed in the car. She saw him use his key to let himself in. She suspected that he had been cheating but she never expected him to have a key to his mistress’s house.
She was surprised at how close his lover lived to their home. As she sat in the car, she contemplated what to do next. She didn’t want to cause a scene and confront him so she decided that she would take pictures of him going inside and coming out. She managed to get several pictures of him leaving his truck, using his keys, and entering the house.
She hoped to see his mistress but was unable to glimpse at her through the door. She planned to wait until he left so she could take more pictures.
He was inside for nearly two hours. She grew tired of waiting, so she called his cellular phone to see if he would answer.
“Hey baby, is everything okay?” he asked.
“Hey Donald, everything is fine. Are you at your office?” she questioned innocently.
“Yes but I’ll be leaving in a few minutes. Why?”
“I’m in the area and planned on stopping in to say hello,” she replied.
“That sounds great but I’m headed to a meeting in the conference room in five minutes,” he answered nervously.
“Which conference room—the one in your office?” she pressed.
“Yeah baby, of course,” he said.
“Oh! I thought you said you were leaving in a few minutes,” she retorted, trying to stay calm.
“I’m leaving soon. The meeting isn’t going to take that long. I just need to go over a few things with the secretary,” he said.
“Okay baby. Since I’m in the area I’ll still stop by only for a few minutes. I haven’t been to your office in a while. I don’t want your secretary forgetting who I am,” she joked, masking her distress.
“Okay, that’s fine. How far away are you so I can hurry with my meeting?” he asked.
“I’m about ten minutes away. I’ll see you then, dear. Goodbye,” she said.
As soon as he hung up, he rushed out of the bed, hurrying to dress so he could beat her to his office.
“You’re leaving? I take it that was your wife. What did she say to get you to rush like this?” asked Lynn.
“Yes, I need to leave. Kristie is on her way to my office and I lied and told her that I was there about to go into a meeting,” he said hurriedly.
“I’ve never seen you move this fast. For someone who doesn’t love his wife and claims he could care less if she finds out about us, you sure look scared,” said Lynn sarcastically.
“Very funny. Where’s my other shoe? Oh—there it is. Okay baby, I’ll talk to you later,” said Don, kissing her one last time.
“Give me a minute to put my robe on, baby. I want to walk you to the door,” offered Lynn.
“You don’t have to,” he said, rushing out.
“I know I don’t have to but I want to,” she grabbed his hand as they walked to the door.
“I love you Don, and I can’t wait for us to be together,” she said as
she kissed him in the open doorway.
“I love you too, baby. Now I really have to go,” he hurried out.
He never noticed Kristie across the street sitting in her car taking pictures. She was finally able to get a picture of him with his mistress. As Lynn stood in the doorway and waved goodbye to him, Kristie snapped several clear photos of her.
While Don raced to get back to his office, Kristie sat in her car, contemplating what she should do. She thought about confronting her husband’s lover but felt this was not the time to do so. She considered calling Don to tell him that she changed her mind about stopping by his office but opted not to.
Instead, she headed home.
Now that I have these photos I’m not sure what I should do next. I think first I need to get the pictures developed. Knowing Don like I do, he’s going to deny having an affair. And as soon as he does I’ll show him the pictures. Now I just need to find somewhere to get them developed, she thought as she drove toward their house.
Perfect—there’s a CVS right over there. Once I get them developed I need to find a safe place to hide them. Maybe I can give them to Ted to hold for me. If I put them in our safety deposit box, Don will more than likely see them. Yeah, I think I will give them to Ted for safekeeping, Kristie silently planned while walking into the CVS pharmacy.
After dropping off the film and learning the photos would be ready for pick-up the next day, she called Ted to tell him what just happened.
“Hey baby, I’m glad you called. I was just sitting here thinking about you. This is starting to feel like old times,” he said happily.
“Hey Ted, you’re never going to guess what just happened,” Kristie replied anxiously.
“What? Is everything all right?” he asked.
“I’ve been following Don all day and I tracked him to his mistress’s house,” she said.
“All right, Mrs. Private Eye. I didn’t know you were in the spying business,” he joked.
“Oh be quiet,” she laughed, happy he could still make her smile when she was so upset.
“I’m just saying. I never saw you as the snooping wife,” he continued.
“It was a last-minute decision; I just had a weird feeling. Anyway, let me tell you what happened. At first he went to work and then around 12:30 p.m. he left his office. As I continued to follow him, he pulled up to a house not too far from where we live.
“At first I thought he was going home but then he walked in the opposite direction. When he went up to the house I was expecting someone to greet him but instead he pulled out a key and let himself in. I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned,” said Kristie, still surprised at the audacity of her husband.
“Wow. Do you think they have a place together?” he asked.
“What? What the hell did you say?” she demanded, never having considered that possibility.
“Calm down, baby. I was thinking out loud. I am sure that’s not the case,” Ted tried to get her mind off of what he said.
“I never thought about that. I was only thinking that maybe she gave him a key to her place so he could let himself in. What if they are living together? Oh my God. I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe this. I can’t breathe. My chest is starting to hurt and I can’t breathe,” Kristie started hyperventilating.
“Baby, calm down. I apologize for saying that. Again, I’m sure that’s not the case. Please calm down,” he said.
“Ted, I’m starting to get a pain in my chest. I feel like I’m having a heart attack. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. My chest, my chest,” she shouted hysterically.
Ted tried to calm her, “Kristie, pull over on the side of the road. Do you know where you are? I’m going to call 911.”
“Ted help me; I can’t breathe,” cried Kristie as she pulled to the side of the road.
“Kristie. You have to calm down. Where are you? Give me the name of a street. Come on baby, you can do it. Wait a minute—don’t you have Onstar on your vehicle?” asked Ted.
“Yes, I’m pushing it now,” said Kristie as she pressed the emergency button.
“Hello Mrs. Blakely, this is Sue. How can I help you?” said the Onstar operator.
“I think I may be having a heart attack,” Kristie wheezed painfully.
“We’re sending an ambulance right now; there was one in your area. I’ll stay on the telephone with you until they arrive.”
The ambulance rushed Kristie to the Emergency Room. The Onstar operator called her husband and told him what had happened. Don immediately hurried to the hospital. The children were still in school and would not be home for another hour.
When he arrived at the hospital he was scared and did not know what to expect.
“Hello, I’m Donald Blakely. My wife was brought here. Her name is Kristie Blakely. Can you tell me where she is?” he frantically asked the nurse at the front desk.
“Let me see. Yes, she was brought in for having chest pains and shortness of breath. The doctor is with her now. You can go in and see her. Go straight back and through the double doors. She is in bed number two,” said the nurse.
Donald was so scared. The thought of losing Kristie was too much for him. As he walked through the ER he started getting very nervous. Before pulling back the curtain to her bed he took a deep breath. He could hear the doctor talking to her.
“Hey honey, you scared me. Hello, doctor; I’m Kristie’s husband Don. What happened?” he asked.
“Your wife had what appears to be a typical heart attack. The machine you see here is an electrocardiogram or ECG machine used to discover any abnormalities. It is making a graphic record of her heart’s electrical activity. So far, according to the graph, we are accurate in our diagnosis. The rise in this area of the graph tells us the type of heart attack she experienced.
“We want to keep her overnight to continue monitoring her heart,” explained the doctor.
“What caused it?” asked Donald.
“Well, after talking to your wife it seems like it was brought on by intense stress. As I explained to your wife, it is very important that she takes it easy for the next few days. I recommend that she stay home from work until Monday. The key is getting plenty of rest.”
“Thanks, doctor. I’ll make sure she does,” said Don. He turned to Kristie and grabbed her hand. “Honey, I had no idea you were under a lot of stress. What can I do to make things better for you? I love you Kristie, and the thought of losing you frightens me,” he said as he kissed her on the forehead.
“I apologize for causing you to worry. I’ve been a little stressed lately but I didn’t think it was that bad. Where are the kids?” she asked weakly.
“They should be getting home from school soon. I came straight here once I received the call. I’ll call and check in with them in a few minutes,” he replied.
“Don’t tell them about me over the telephone, Donald. You need to be home when they get there and tell them what happened. You can bring them here after you’ve explained my condition,” she cautioned.
“I hate to leave you here alone,” he said.
“I’ll be okay until you get back. Hopefully I will be in a room by then,” she assured him.
“Okay baby; I’ll be right back. Do you want me to take your things home with me?”
“No, that’s okay. You can get them when you get back. Just hurry and meet the kids,” she urged.
“I think I should at least take your purse and jewelry. You don’t want your things taken or left here,” said Donald as he kissed her on his way out.
Kristie knew that Ted was worried about her. She wanted to call him but her cellular phone was in her purse that Donald took with him.
Ted left the office and headed home. He was very concerned about Kristie. He wondered why she hadn’t called him. Maybe her heart attack was fatal or maybe she’s in ICU. I have to see her to make sure she is okay. Damn! How can I? I’m not sure what hospital she went to. Why hasn’t she called? he thought anxiously.
W
hen Don and the children arrived at the hospital, Kristie was already in a semi-private room. The children ran to her and immediately showered her with hugs and kisses.
“Mom, we were so worried about you! Dad said you had a heart attack. What’s wrong?” asked Katherine, burying her face in her mother’s arms.
“Yes sweetheart, that’s what the doctor said but he also said I’m going to be fine,” reassured Kristie.
“When are you coming home? Dad said you have to stay at the hospital tonight,” asked DJ.
“I’ll be home tomorrow, son. They want to keep me here so they can watch my heart on this machine. The doctor told me about thirty minutes ago that everything looks fine so don’t worry,” Kristie smoothed his hair and smiled at her son.
“We’re sorry for stressing you, Mom. We promise to get better,” vowed Katherine, trying to hold back her tears.
“Oh sweetheart—it is not your fault or your brother’s. These things sometimes happen. It was probably stress from work or something, okay? Don’t worry. Now how was school?” said Kristie as she hugged them and changed the subject.
“School was okay,” mumbled DJ.
“It was fine,” answered Katherine.
“Are you hungry? Dad will go to the cafeteria to get you something to eat,” offered Kristie.
“Kristie, I’ll take care of them. They are not babies anymore. You focus on resting and getting better. And when you come home the kids and I will do the cooking and cleaning. All we want you to do is rest and relax just like the doctor ordered,” said Don.
“That’s right, Mom. You do so much for us and now it’s our turn to take care of you. We love you and we’re here to help in any way we can,” said DJ, leaning down to kiss her.
“That’s right, Mom,” Katherine elbowed her brother aside to be closer to Kristie.
“You guys are so wonderful. That’s why I love you so much.”
Kristie was discharged from the hospital the next day. The results of her ECG showed no more abnormalities. She was ordered to stay home for the next seven days. Donald took off the entire week to take care of her.
Simply Complicated Page 29
