You Left Me to Remain With All Your Excuses for Everything

Jackie woke up and stretched out and looked around. She had forgotten that she’d slept with Madison the night before and she looked around again. She got out of bed and went into the kitchen while wiping her eyes. Madison smiled at her and handed her a cup of coffee.

“Thank you, Madison,” she said gently as she sat at the table, “for taking care of me last night.”

“That’s just what I do,” Madison sighed and set a plate of pancakes in front of her friend. Jackie smiled and sipped her coffee for a second.

“I’m sorry that I went in there and cried on you all night,” she said.

“Jackie, it doesn’t matter babe. You know I’m always here for you. Josh is taking us to a movie and lunch in a while, so we have the morning to ourselves and then we have friend time.”

“I don’t want to be a third wheel,” Jackie said. Madison rolled her eyes.

“It was his idea to go together as a group. He really loves you Jackie, as much as you don’t like to accept it,” Madison said and sat down with her own food. Jackie nodded as she took a bite of her food. After breakfast she showered and Madison and she painted each other’s toenails until Josh got there.

“Well, what a lovely way to come in. Two beautiful girls in bathrobe, mind if I cut in on this action?” he said as he walked into the house.

“Yea, come here Josh, we will paint your toenails! You want pink, or red?” Jackie smiled. Josh frowned.

“The movie starts soon girls, let’s get a move on,” he said. Jackie and Madison booth went into their rooms and got dressed in casual movie going clothing. It wasn’t long before they left the apartment for a movie and lunch.

Tyler was home with Christine now. She’d been acting a little suspicious around him and he was starting to find it annoying. He was in the kitchen now making himself something to eat. Christine walked in and smiled at him and he smiled back a little bit. “I could have made that for you babe,” she said and put one hand on his stomach and the other on his back. He looked down at her.

“That’s alright. You’ve already agreed to wash my laundry,” he grinned. She laughed a little bit and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “It was nice to be with you again last night, baby,” he said.

“I agree, I missed you the night before. Where was it again that you stayed?” she asked and walked away from him towards the refrigerator. She opened it and pulled out a bottle of water to take with her for her workout. She tried to stay fit, and she worked out often.

“I was with Joe, I know I should have called and stuff,”

“It’s alright now, at least I know I can trust you,” she smiled and kissed his cheek again before leaving the kitchen. He sighed and looked down at the counter top. There were moments where he wanted to tell her the truth, but he could never bring himself to do it. He loved her, and she always seemed to adore him and he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her.

He finished eating and went into the living room of the house and turned on the television set and waited on Christine to come and lay on top of him the way she so often did. He enjoyed that time with her, when she was lying on top of him on their sofa.

After a while of waiting on her, one of her cats jumped up onto his stomach and curled up before going to sleep. He laughed to himself a little bit and ran his hand over the cats head a few times. “You’ve got it made don’t you, just lay down wherever you want and go to sleep,” he said as he stroked the sleeping cat. He thought about how happy Jackie had been to get the three kittens until he mentioned where he’d gotten the food and litter from. Then she’d gotten very sad all of the sudden.

He didn’t like that he hurt her, but he couldn’t leave Christine. Jackie was different, she was like an escape. He couldn’t say that he didn’t love her, but he didn’t love here the way she wanted him too. He could remember the night he’d told her he was married. It had been his honest intention to tell her that so that he could leave her be, and find someone that loved her. But when she’d started to cry at the table, and she’d asked him so gently if it meant things were over, he couldn’t let her go. She was so easily manipulated into believing that he loved her as much as she loved him, and as much as he knew it hurt her, he wasn’t going to give it up. She didn’t everything just to be with him, and she was a way to get away from everything else in his life.

Christine came into the room he was lying and and picked up her cat before lying on her husband. “Hi,” she smiled.

“Hey baby,” he said and kissed her. “How was the workout?”

“It was fine I suppose,” she laughed. “The cat wouldn’t let me do any sit ups.”

“You’re cats like to lie on people,” Tyler smiled and put his arms around his wife.

“I need to shower,” she smiled. He laughed.

“Go shower then,” he said. She kissed him on his lips and got up from the sofa and left the room. She showered and changed her clothes before gathering the laundry. She took the basket full of his laundry into their laundry room and started to go through his pockets. He had a way of leaving things in his pockets. She pulled out a receipt for the cat food dishes and littler box. She looked it over with her eyebrows pushed together as she looked at the date. Why would he be with Joe buying pet supplies?

She shrugged it off best she could and threw the little sheet of paper into the garbage can and continued sorting his laundry before getting the washing machine turned on and running. As she went into the kitchen she couldn’t help but wonder why he’d had that in his pocket. It wasn’t the first time she’d found something bizarre amongst his things. She didn’t want to think anything was going on, but sometimes he seemed so odd. She got started on dinner and tried her best to clear her head.

Tyler came into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. “What’s for dinner babe?” he smiled and kissed her neck a little bit.

“Chicken,” she said and smiled at him. She didn’t think now was the time to bring up the pet supply story receipt. Now she just needed to enjoy him before he was gone again. His touring and her working with her music and movies made it hard for them to have a conventional marriage. It took a lot for her to trust him the way she did. There wasn’t a lot of time to have with him.

“Sounds good,” he said and ran his hand down her arm a little bit while kissing on her neck. “You’re hair smells good.”

“Tyler, stop,” she laughed and turned to kiss him. “I’m trying to make dinner so I can feed you.”

“Feed me later,” he grinned. She laughed and turned back to the food on the counter top.

“Finish your beer, and if you still want me, come and find me,” she said and stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed and drank the beer quickly and set the empty bottle down next to her.

“I finished it, and I’ve decided I still want you,” he said and pressed against her a little bit, causing her to giggle. “So, what do you say about that?”

“I say you’re a horny bastard,” she laughed and turned around again. “But, I think I’ll take it,” she smiled. He smiled widely and pulled her into their bedroom. There was a certain sense of guilt when he was around her, but when he slid into her the guilt always washed away like nothing had been there in the first place, as if he’d never cheated. It was only when he made love with his wife that he could forget making love with a woman he didn’t love back.

He always wanted to please her. He felt like he owed it to her for everything he was doing behind her back. He hated for the day she found out about the affair, and he knew living in the same city with his mistress, Christine would find out eventually. This wasn’t something he was hoping for.

But now, all that mattered was the movements beneath the sheets on their bed, and the slight noises coming from her chest. Now he didn’t have to think about anything but his wife, and with this woman, when he whispered “I love you” against her neck, it wouldn’t be a lie.