Obsession. Kayla Perrin

The mother was a blubbering mess but managed to say, “I can’t believe she would do this to me.”

      I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t a parent, but I was a teacher, and I’d seen firsthand the kinds of problems that arose when parents took the submissive role and let their kids get away with everything. When they didn’t set boundaries. Or, when they didn’t punish kids for breaking the rules.

      “You want to eat in front of the television?” Marnie asked. “Because I can bring out a couple of trays.”

      “No, no.” I got to my feet and walked across the living room to the kitchen’s dinette area. “Though watching shows like Maury certainly helps a person forget about her own problems.”

      Marnie set a plate of eggs and toast in front of me, then took the seat to my right. She had only the coffee for herself.

      “Thanks so much,” I told her. “If you hadn’t shown up, I’d still be in bed, half-comatose.”

      Marnie sipped her coffee. “Ok, now tell me what happened. You got home last night and what—you found evidence of some other woman here or something?”

      “No.” I lifted my fork and cut into my egg. “He came right out and told me.”

      “Nice welcome-home present. Sheesh.”

      “I knew something was wrong, but I never would have guessed….” My voice trailed off, ending on a sigh. Then I continued, trying to recite the facts without emotion. “He was acting weird. I wanted to make love, but he wasn’t into it. Next thing I know, he’s all serious, saying he’s got to tell me something. I actually thought someone had died.” Shaking my head at the memory, I stuffed some egg into my mouth.

      “I wish I could say I’m surprised,” Marnie began, “but I have to say, nothing men do surprises me anymore.”

      “I was devastated last night,” I went on. I still was, but now I was determined to regain control of my emotions. “Mad at first, then devastated. But you know what—I didn’t do this. Andrew did. I’m not saying it doesn’t hurt, but fuck, if this is the hand that life has dealt me, I am going to deal with it and move on.”

      Marnie gave me a slightly skeptical look, but God bless her, she didn’t voice any doubts. I’d seen her after her marriage had fallen apart, and though she’d seen it coming, it had taken a long time for her to recover.

      “It’s not going to be easy,” I said. “I get that. But you know what, there are other fish in the sea.”

      I felt emotion welling up inside me again at the thought of a life without Andrew, and I quickly ate more food before I started crying. Clearly, I was lying to myself.

      “I’m here for you,” Marnie said. “We’ll go shopping, clubbing, whatever you need to take your mind off this.”

      I nodded. “I know.” I’d done the same for her. “I mean, I know it’ll be hard. I loved Andrew. I still do. But I can’t let this ruin my life.”

      Marnie nodded, sipped her coffee. “Did he tell you anything about her?”

      “Not much. But it sounds like she wasn’t a one-night stand.” I took a bite of my whole-wheat toast.

      “What an asshole,” Marnie muttered. “Sorry, but—”

      “Don’t apologize. You’re absolutely right. And I can’t believe he told me this, expecting I’d just forgive him.”

      “Word of advice here—and I know it’s early, and I’m not trying to tell you what to do—but you forgive a guy when he cheats, and there’s nothing to say he won’t do it again. In fact, it’s almost like they see your forgiveness as a sign to do it again. Trust me, I learned the hard way with Keith.”

      Would Andrew be that way? I couldn’t imagine. Then again, I never imagined he’d ever cheat. He’d seemed too grounded, too controlled, too stable—opposite of spontaneous—to do something like that.

      “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I admitted. “Part of me hates him, part of me loves him.”

      “You’ll figure it out,” Marnie said. “But you don’t have to do it today. How about we hit the mall for some retail therapy. And we can take in a matinée. That new film with Will Smith. Two hours of shameless ogling.” Her face lit up. “What do you say?”

      “Will Smith? How can I argue with that?”

      The retail therapy was fun, netting me a new pair of shoes and a slinky black dress I promised to wear out to a club with Marnie on the weekend. But Will Smith was like two painkillers, easing my heartache for the two hours he appeared on screen. Marnie had cheered loudly when he took it all off in a shower scene, and while I hadn’t been as vocal, I’d certainly enjoyed his delicious body.

      We pulled into my driveway shortly after five. I collected the bags with my purchases and got out of Marnie’s black Nissan Sentra.

      “I’m serious,” Marnie said. “Call me if you need me, no matter the time.”

      “You spent the whole day babysitting me,” I protested.

      “And I’ll come right back if you realize that being in the house alone is too much for you to deal with.”

      “The moment I’m tempted to curl into a ball on the bed, I’ll call you,” I assured her.

      “But if you don’t get me at home, call me on my cell.” Marnie wiggled her eyebrows, and I knew instantly that something was going on.

      I poked my head into the driver-side window before she could leave. “I know that tone, Marnie Kincaid. What’s going on tonight that you won’t be at home?”

      “Well…” Marnie’s eyes lit up as she bit down on her bottom lip. “I didn’t want to mention it until later—after I knew how it worked out—but I’ve got a date tonight.”

      “What?” Iexclaimed. “And you kept this news to yourself all day?”

      “I didn’t think I should say anything. Not with what’s going on with you and Andrew.”

      “You don’t have to walk on eggshells around me. If you’ve got good news, I want to hear it.”

      “It’s not really a date,” Marnie explained. “More of a let’s-see-if- we-like-each-other meeting. You remember I told you I signed up with a couple online dating sites?”

      “Yes, but I didn’t think you were serious. You’re the one who said you prefer the old-fashioned way of meeting people.”

      “I know, I know. Which is why I put off TRULYACUTIE’s requests to meet me before we went on our trip.”

      “TRULYACUTIE?” I asked, laughing.

      “Yeah, that’s the name he gave himself online. It piqued my interest.” Marnie paused for a moment. “Hey, if Soriano lived in Orlando, I’d be all over him. But if there’s one thing my affair with him taught me, it’s that I’m ready to move on. And let’s face it, I’m not getting any younger. So I e-mailed TRULYACUTIE and said I’d like to meet him.”

      “Wow.”

      “Of course, this is just a first date to make sure the guy’s not a creep, and we’ll go from there. But if his picture is for real, then his screen name is quite fitting.”

      “Where are you two going?” I asked. I knew a lot of people were finding love via the Internet, but still, I couldn’t help feeling concerned for my friend.

      “The Cheesecake Factory. Very public, very busy. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

      “And you’re driving your car there, right? He’s not picking you up, is he?”

      Marnie shot me a look as if to say I had to know she wasn’t that naïve. “Absolutely, I’m driving my own car there.