The Poisoned and Crooked

The Other

I smile and call out to my husband, "Honey, I'm home!" It's so cliche to say that but I love it. I like doing all the things that newly weds do, well I just the love the fact of love and marriage and being married in the first place. Now that it is me who is married, I like it all the more. But there was no answer back, no noises at all except me moving about and shutting the front door behind me. "Keith?" I hang up my jacket on one of the little wooden pegs and leave my purse by the door. I check in the living room and he wasn't in there. Then I check the kitchen and there lies a small ragged piece of paper on the granite counter top. I walk over to it pouring me a glass of orange juice while reading it.

Hey Avery. I had to go to the office. Sorry about the change of plans. But my mom is still wants to go out for lunch with you. Love ya, Keith.

So I have to go out to lunch with Linda, his mother. I'd rather not. I mean, she's alright I guess but she's different. By different I mean constantly prying into my business and not by just asking me. She sneaks around, going through my purse and my medicine cabinet and such. I'll just come up with an excuse and wait for my hubby- love calling him that- that way I can also be here when he gets home.

I dial Linda's number on the house phone twirling the cord around my forefinger. It rings a few times before she answers. "Hello?" her light voice says through the phone.

"Hey, it's Avery." I sigh through the phone just to give it that feel of something is wrong.

"Oh, hello sweetie. Do you want me to pick you up or are you meeting me there?"

"Um yeah about that..." I pause for a moment. "I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm going to pass on this one."

"Oh," she said sounding a little upset. "Well, maybe next weekend?"

I sigh internally. "Most likely."

"Okay, I'll leave you be then. Get some rest, sweetie." I hang up with a roll of my eyes. Now I can wait and surprise Kieth. I take my glass of orange juice sipping it while sitting on the white couch and watching The Real Housewives on the television.

Awhile later I hear a car pull up. I quickly turn off the television and peek through the tan, silk curtains to see his 2015 Charger in the driveway. I grin to myself and rush to hide on the other side of the front door so when he opens it I'll be standing behind the door. I hear and see the door knob jiggle. The door opens slowly. I hear soft voices and whispers. The door is slammed shut and there is another woman pushed against the door with my husband being the person pinning her there and kissing her mouth. What?! I thought we had something. I mean we just married! I stare at them and my shoulders slump. They just freeze staring back at me, stuck for a moment and startled by the fact that they were caught. He instantly pulls himself off of her. "Baby, I'm sorry. It just- I just-" He stopped and started each sentence with a lick of his lips and his fingers running through his longish chestnut hair. He couldn't even come up with an excuse for it. I'm not really listening anyways. I just stare at the other woman, wondering what she has that I didn't.