Sequel: Extraodinary Girl ›
Church On Sunday
Redundant
Adrienne's already in the kitchen. I make my way through the house and see that she's watching the news on the t.v. No kids either…wonder where they are?
I have a hangover from hell and the inane ramblings about some pig on a farm in Kansas seem to be bouncing around my skull. Tre and I were having some quiet time, though it kinda turned into a celebration with sex and booze.
She looks up from her seat at the table and stares at me. Her eyes cold, and she looks like death. There are dark rings under her eyes; I don’t think she slept. Probably my fault, for stumbling home drunk.
I want to ask if she's ok, but I know she's pissed at me. We haven’t exactly been the happy couple lately.
Its like we're living in repetition- me going out or working and her with the kids, doing her own thing. A habit neither of us seem willing to break. We used to talk all the time. Now we barely make eye contact. I can't make eye contact because of what I'm doing.
Because of Tre and me.
I go to the cupboard over the sink and get myself a cup, switching on the percolator. After what seems like an eternity, Adrienne speaks.
"So, you love him."
I turn around in confusion at what she had said. Did I hear her right?
"Sorry…what?" I swallow, my mouth suddenly feeling dry.
"Tre…you love him." She says a bit louder. Her fingers are wrapped around her cup, knuckles white.
"I heard you last night Billie. You said 'I love you too, Tre.'" There's a certainty to her voice.
“What?…No…I…” I couldn’t lie to her. She knows me too well. Times up. I have to tell the truth.
I turn to face her fully, steadying myself on the counter.
"Yeah…I do…" I trail off. The percolator pings and I look at her. My 80. I can see the hurt in her dark eyes. I'm lost for words.
"And you've been seeing him?" Her voice is trembling. I quickly look away and focus on one of Jake‘s drawings, that had been tacked to the refrigerator.
"Yes." Shifting my gaze to look at the ground. My feet are really interesting right now.
"How long?" She's pushing further, trying to make sense. I cant bring myself to answer- I’ve lost my voice. I’m speechless and redundant.
She says it again "How long, Billie Joe?” Her voice is louder, angrier. “How long have you been fucking Tre behind my back?"
"A couple of months…"After a few tense minutes, I found my voice somewhere there on the floor tiles. "We just sort of talked and realised… we kissed and we knew we couldn’t hide it… I'm sorry…" I’m crying now. I hurt her… My best friend, my wife.
"We've been over for a while Adie, we both knew it. I didn’t plan this… I just fell in love…."
She interrupts me with a raise of her hand. "I want you gone by the time the kids come home from Mike's." She’s speaking quietly again.
She takes off her wedding band and puts it on the table. The metal ring dances on the wooden surface for second, before falling flat. The sound is almost deafening.
"But Adrienne, wait… Please, I have to explain…" I look up at her, pleading.
She gets up from her chair, with me wincing as it scrapes across the ground. She walks over to where I’m stood, stopping within an inch of my face. As she runs her hand through my hair, I look deep into her eyes, they are so dark; now they're almost black.
"I’m so sorry Adie." I whisper.
"What do I tell Joey and Jake, Billie?" She says softly. I lean into her hands, and the tiny hairs on my neck stand up.
"I don’t know… I'll talk to them. Maybe it's better coming from me." I sigh.
Then her grip tightens, her nails digging into my scalp and I cry out in pain. She yanks my head back by my hair.
"That’s right, Billie. You tell our boys that you don’t love me. That you decided you wanna play house with their Uncle Tre. And you tell them your moving out." She hisses.
She lets go of my hair, grabs me by the shoulders and knee’s me in the nuts, in one fast move.
“Shit” I gasp. The pain in my balls shoots up into my the pit of my stomach.
And then she's gone.
I hear her walking up the stairs and slamming a door shut. I sink to the ground clutching my dick. Damn that girl had good aim! My tears are flowing freely now.
After a some minutes on the floor, I go after her- knowing I cant leave things this way. I bound up the stairs, hearing the shower running and Adrienne's sobs echo through the thin walls.
”…Bloodshot, deadbeat, lack of sleep…
Making your mascara bleed…
Tears down your face…
Leaving traces of my mistakes…”
I have a hangover from hell and the inane ramblings about some pig on a farm in Kansas seem to be bouncing around my skull. Tre and I were having some quiet time, though it kinda turned into a celebration with sex and booze.
She looks up from her seat at the table and stares at me. Her eyes cold, and she looks like death. There are dark rings under her eyes; I don’t think she slept. Probably my fault, for stumbling home drunk.
I want to ask if she's ok, but I know she's pissed at me. We haven’t exactly been the happy couple lately.
Its like we're living in repetition- me going out or working and her with the kids, doing her own thing. A habit neither of us seem willing to break. We used to talk all the time. Now we barely make eye contact. I can't make eye contact because of what I'm doing.
Because of Tre and me.
I go to the cupboard over the sink and get myself a cup, switching on the percolator. After what seems like an eternity, Adrienne speaks.
"So, you love him."
I turn around in confusion at what she had said. Did I hear her right?
"Sorry…what?" I swallow, my mouth suddenly feeling dry.
"Tre…you love him." She says a bit louder. Her fingers are wrapped around her cup, knuckles white.
"I heard you last night Billie. You said 'I love you too, Tre.'" There's a certainty to her voice.
“What?…No…I…” I couldn’t lie to her. She knows me too well. Times up. I have to tell the truth.
I turn to face her fully, steadying myself on the counter.
"Yeah…I do…" I trail off. The percolator pings and I look at her. My 80. I can see the hurt in her dark eyes. I'm lost for words.
"And you've been seeing him?" Her voice is trembling. I quickly look away and focus on one of Jake‘s drawings, that had been tacked to the refrigerator.
"Yes." Shifting my gaze to look at the ground. My feet are really interesting right now.
"How long?" She's pushing further, trying to make sense. I cant bring myself to answer- I’ve lost my voice. I’m speechless and redundant.
She says it again "How long, Billie Joe?” Her voice is louder, angrier. “How long have you been fucking Tre behind my back?"
"A couple of months…"After a few tense minutes, I found my voice somewhere there on the floor tiles. "We just sort of talked and realised… we kissed and we knew we couldn’t hide it… I'm sorry…" I’m crying now. I hurt her… My best friend, my wife.
"We've been over for a while Adie, we both knew it. I didn’t plan this… I just fell in love…."
She interrupts me with a raise of her hand. "I want you gone by the time the kids come home from Mike's." She’s speaking quietly again.
She takes off her wedding band and puts it on the table. The metal ring dances on the wooden surface for second, before falling flat. The sound is almost deafening.
"But Adrienne, wait… Please, I have to explain…" I look up at her, pleading.
She gets up from her chair, with me wincing as it scrapes across the ground. She walks over to where I’m stood, stopping within an inch of my face. As she runs her hand through my hair, I look deep into her eyes, they are so dark; now they're almost black.
"I’m so sorry Adie." I whisper.
"What do I tell Joey and Jake, Billie?" She says softly. I lean into her hands, and the tiny hairs on my neck stand up.
"I don’t know… I'll talk to them. Maybe it's better coming from me." I sigh.
Then her grip tightens, her nails digging into my scalp and I cry out in pain. She yanks my head back by my hair.
"That’s right, Billie. You tell our boys that you don’t love me. That you decided you wanna play house with their Uncle Tre. And you tell them your moving out." She hisses.
She lets go of my hair, grabs me by the shoulders and knee’s me in the nuts, in one fast move.
“Shit” I gasp. The pain in my balls shoots up into my the pit of my stomach.
And then she's gone.
I hear her walking up the stairs and slamming a door shut. I sink to the ground clutching my dick. Damn that girl had good aim! My tears are flowing freely now.
After a some minutes on the floor, I go after her- knowing I cant leave things this way. I bound up the stairs, hearing the shower running and Adrienne's sobs echo through the thin walls.
”…Bloodshot, deadbeat, lack of sleep…
Making your mascara bleed…
Tears down your face…
Leaving traces of my mistakes…”