A HEALTHY LOVE

CH.4: ALEX AND PIPER TALK (PART 1)

Alex had sat awake all night, wondering non-stop what the hell was going on with her wife. As morning arrived, she tried to stuff her anxiety down. She went through her day, waiting impatiently for the guards to announce that she had a visitor. It finally happened in the early afternoon. "Vause! You have a visitor" CO Copeland announced. Alex joined the short line of prisoners who had visitors waiting for them. She went to the visitation area where Piper was sitting on the other side of the glass. Piper's face was impossible to read. Alex sat across from her, and they each picked up a phone.

ALEX: "I was getting worried. You've dodged my calls and texts for days."

PIPER (holding a guilty expression as she stared at Alex):  "I'm sorry. I've been trying to sort through a few things."

ALEX: "What the fuck is going on, Pipes? Are you okay?"

PIPER: "I can't lie to you. I slept with Zelda. Only once...but I wanted you to know."

The admission had hit Alex like a brick to the head. ALEX: "You slept with her..?"

PIPER: "I didn't plan on it. I actually went to her apartment to tell her we couldn't be together, but then one thing lead to another..."

ALEX: "Don't, Pipes. Don't start with the bullshit. Do you have feelings for her?"

PIPER (tears in her eyes): "Yes...but I love you,Alex."

ALEX(light tears forming in her own eyes): "Right,you love me...but somehow I am never enough for you. There was Larry. There was that fucking tattooed kangaroo. Now, there's Zelda. You always have to leave."

PIPER: "I'm not leaving,Alex. You're my wife. You're the one I love. It's just that things are different with Zelda, and—"

ALEX: "You're not the only one who has cheated here. I've been with someone else,too.  But I ended things..it's over between us."

PIPER (slight anger in her voice):  "You cheated on me? When? With who?"

ALEX: "It doesn't matter who or when,Pips. I told you. It's over. But I figured you should know since you were honest with me first. So...are you going to end things with Zelda?"

PIPER: "I..I..."

ALEX: "You told me you didn't need anyone else...clearly you do."

PIPER: "Clearly so do you,Alex or you wouldn't have cheated as well."

The two woman stared at each other with tear filled eyes. There was silence between them for several minutes before Piper broke it. "Now what? Where do we go from here? I could never stop loving you, Alex. I mean that" Piper said, wiping tears from her eyes. Alex wiped away her own tears before looking at Piper with both anger and sadness. "But you can't stop seeing Zelda either, can you?" Alex asked.  Piper looked onward as she said nothing to answer Alex's question.  Alex shook her head and slammed down the phone and walked out of the visitation area.