The Forgiveable Journey Of The Cheated

15. Heading Fast Into Forbidden Friendship

It’s her turn to say something to Liam, but there is little to say when faced with the awkward silence that follows rejection in the context of growing wishful thinking. She reaches down into the curiosity she purports to possess and begins discovery by asking him about his illness the year Dan and Charlotte began their affair. 

She learns that Liam had been very sick. “I could not even wish such pain, either physical or moral, on Dan.” She figures he can’t be more unlucky and is due for some good luck so plans on buying a lottery ticket and put his name on it. In her fantasy bubble, so different from her anger ones, she imagines that he wins a huge amount and “takes her away” from it all. In her fantasy, the kids are quite happy with this arrangement. 

Despite her fun-filled thoughts about potential life-changing lottery gains within the hands of Liam and the possible ricochets, Eve is disturbed by his news. It unexpectedly triggers uncontrollable crying. Dan is not home and as per her new habits, she wants a drink. All she can find is vodka and apple juice. She tries to stop crying. She tells herself to stop, but she keeps crying. She can’t figure out why she is crying, but her sobbing is like an unstoppable train. Maybe if he hadn’t have been sick, this never would have happened. He would have been at home with Charlotte instead of at the hospital. He would have been happier and probably more pleasant. Charlotte wouldn’t have felt lonely. She wouldn’t have felt the need to abandon ship in the face of illness and permanent neurological handicap. Dan would not have sympathized with her situation. And Liam, well what a shitty hand to be dealt, then to find out that while he was at the hospital or sick, she was not there for him, and contributing to the long lasting chaos now in progress and the associated human emotional outcome. Obviously the Christmas photo from a year prior did not factor in to her reasoning.

Alcohol induced impulsiveness grips her. “OK, I thought i was cured from righting impulsively, but obviously not because now I’m drunk messaging, Don’t think I think that a lotto win makes things bettwe, because I would rather be 1 million dollars in debt and you be happy in love and healthy, and me too. Now tell me who is the alcoholic here!! Long live vodka and aple juce! Hahaha. Me me me! Aid I’m fun loving alcoholoc, wait, the playlist is beginning!... I think you must think Christ she IS Ooops, i prshed the wtong bitton, button. Is she fuikng crazy?”

That text was an actual copy of the original.

His unsaid reply is “Well, maybe a little”, but he instead writes “you are special and kind. I like your emails”. WTF, he thinks, vodka and apple juice? Disgusting. Fascinating.

“You have a nice baritone voice. I would never reconnise yuoui from one photo, but wwould recognise you from you voice…” 

Liam said “Is that so?” out loud to hear his voice. He had never really paid much attention to it. It really is baritone, not a deep baritone, but clearly baritone. She certainly wouldn’t recognise him from his Facebook profile photo. He had changed so much. It is a good photo from a few years ago, before his hairline had receded a little (a lot). It shows it him smiling and healthy. He loves this photo taken during a friend’s wedding banquet after he had regained the weight he had lost while ill and was feeling significantly better. Such a fucking fake appearance that Charlotte and he had made together - the start of their fake lives together. These thoughts vaguely remind him of the phone-call conversation when Eve mentioned the hurt to be expected in looking at the past 3 years with new knowledge. 

He becomes worried that she had spotted him that day in front of the house and dares to ask if she had seen him before. 

“No, just your profile photo.”

He is relieved. He is also pleased to be benefiting from the saner status. Sitting in his car waiting for Dan was far from his most sane acts. Next to this chick, he is a wise man in all appearances. He is curious to know whether she had noticed him though, those many years ago when their paths had crossed at Dan’s workplace.