Once David and the kids had left, I began putting away the breakfast things, while making a mental list of these tasks. There was a visible layer of dust on most surfaces; there was the laundry. And then it struck me; the maid had been gone for a week, but I had not seen any dirty clothes of David’s accumulated over that week!
Leaving the kitchen, I rushed back upstairs and a quick look around the bedroom and bathroom confirmed there were no dirty clothes. Someone had been doing David’s laundry, and I immediately knew who that someone was.
Next, I noticed what I had missed when I looked through the wardrobe, when I first got back: some of David’s clothes were missing. My heart stopped, then sank, as I realized that while I had been going through hell at my parents’ house, David had been living with that woman. No wonder he had not called!
Suddenly his confession, apology, and promises that it was over meant nothing, for he had not just slept with her; he had lived with her. I sank to the floor, overcome with a flood of emotions ranging from rage to hurt to helplessness, as I came to the acknowledgement that my marriage – as I knew it – was over.
The only question that remained was, what was I going to do about it?
DAVID
The children had a great time at the waterpark and it was a pleasure to watch them. I had thought I would get stressed looking after the three of them by myself, but to my surprise, I was actually finding the outing rather relaxing.
It was refreshing to get away from everything else going on in my life, and just be surrounded by the sound of running water, and children’s happy laughter.
Diane’s strange behaviour that morning made me feel like there was something lurking just beneath the surface, like the rumble of thunder before a storm; so, although I had not been thrilled about her choosing not to come, it was actually nice to get away from those vibes for a few hours.
The only thing that shook me was when during a break from the water to have lunch, Daniel asked if Diane and I were going to get a divorce.
“Of course not! Where on earth did you get that idea?” I asked, in complete shock.
“I told my friend that we were staying at Grandpa and Grandma’s house with mum, and he said that when his parents got a divorce, his mum had taken him and his brothers to his grandparents; house as well.”
“You were only visiting your grandparents; your mother and I are not getting a divorce!” I answered firmly. “Good. I want you and mum to stay married forever,” he replied seriously.
“We will,” I promised, then repeated it more firmly: “We will.”
Considering my concerns about Diane’s behaviour, I probably should not have sounded as confident as I did, but looking into my son’s eyes, and seeing the mixture of worry and hope there, I knew that no matter what it took, I would keep my promise to him.
JULIE
After my mother had raised the subject of David again, the visit grew uncomfortable, and as soon as it was reasonably acceptable for me to leave, I did.
I, however, still did not want to spend the day alone in the flat; so, I got off the taxi at a popular upscale mall, planning to while away some time browsing through the shops.
It was a spontaneous decision and totally out of character for me; the mall was not the sort of place that I normally go to. Even after David had come into my life and ‘upgraded’ me, my personal spending habits had not really changed. Most of the money he gave me went to my siblings and mother, and since he did a lot of the house shopping, I did not spend money on that either.
Ever since I had started working, my needs and wants always came last on my budget list, and I was usually out of money before I got to them; I could now certainly afford to spend money on myself in a place like the mall, and yet I never had. Perhaps it was time to change that.
It is true that old habits die hard, but surely David had not invested so much in me only for me to stay the same, I told myself as I walked into the mall.
At first, I felt awkward and out of place in the sprawling space, and for a split second, I considered turning around and leaving, but then I pulled myself together.
I was not an intruder, this was now part of my world, and it was time to embrace it, I chided myself, and then with a bit more confidence, headed for a clothes store on the ground floor with large signs advertising mega sales.
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