Three is a crowd: Time of reckoning for David

(Continued from last issue)

David and Diane have been married for years; then there is Julie, the young secretary whose axis collides with the couple’s in ways none of them saw coming.

DIANE

I was still upstairs in my bedroom, when less than an hour after I had called them, I saw my parents drive up the driveway and instinctively knew that they had come to kick up a fuss about my nonchalant reaction to David’s father’s death.

Not having the energy or desire to deal with them, I decided that the fastest way to get rid of them, would be to let them rant and rave uninterrupted, and when they were done, they could go on and look for David and his mother and hopefully leave me in peace.

I headed downstairs to meet them. I got to the foot of the stairs just as Daniel and the girls opened the front door to let them in, and after they had exchanged hugs and greetings, I sent the children upstairs and led the way into the living room.

“I don’t even know where to begin Diane; how can you be here, relaxed at home, when your father-in-law has just passed away! What kind of wife wouldn’t be by her husband’s side at a time like this! What will people think when they arrive to commiserate with the family, and you are nowhere to be seen! Why do you insist on embarrassing your father and I like this!” my mother let loose as soon as we were alone.

Even though I had planned not to respond, her attack of me as a wife got under my skin; I had done everything I could think of to save my marriage, and yet despite David’s continued infidelity, I was always the one being blamed for the state of our marriage.

I could take it from anyone else, but not my own mother.

“You’re not in my marriage; so, don’t presume to know what I should do in it! You’re asking why I’m not with David, but do you know if he even wants me with him? No, you don’t, and yet you’re so quick to call me a bad wife without ever stopping to question David as a husband, and you know what, I don’t care anymore! Think what you want!” I snapped.

Shocked by my outburst, neither one of them responded for a few seconds, but then my father cleared his throat as though to compose himself.

“Every marriage has its challenges, and disagreements are normal, but at times like this, those disagreements need to be pushed aside. I don’t know what’s going on between you and David, but whatever it is, deal with it after you have laid his father to rest,” he concluded firmly.

DAVID

Once the news of my father’s death had registered in my mind, I instantly went into autopilot mode; it was the only way I was able to push aside my grief and do all that needed to be done without breaking down.

Julie was incredibly supportive; all I had to do was tell her what I needed of her, and she provided it without batting an eyelid. She was amazing in that way; nothing was ever too much to ask, or too much of a bother.

Even though I had given her literally less than half an hour’s notice that I was coming to pick her up, when I arrived, she not only had Junior’s stuff ready, but had had the foresight to pack herself an overnight case, as well as my mother’s things from the apartment.

If it had been Diane, she would have insisted that she needed at least an hour to get ready, and she probably still would not be ready then. I knew I should not compare the two of them, but I could not help it, because their differences were so evident.

Julie was naturally a hard worker, and very hands-on. Diane, on the other hand, was frankly lazy, and preferred to delegate whatever tasks needed doing. It was, therefore, needless to say, that I far preferred having Julie with me when it came to dealing with all the things that came with the death of my father.

My mother was understandably a complete wreck, and unable to do more than sit and cry, and since I had to handle the financial aspects of things, clearing the bill at the hospital, hiring a funeral service firm, hiring tents and chairs for the numerous mourners that would soon be turning up at the house as word spread, it fell upon Julie to receive the different service providers and coordinate their set-up, arrange for food and refreshments, while my sister handled the notification of friends and family, receiving of mourners, and attempted in vain to comfort our mother.

Together, we worked like a well-oiled machine, and as a result, everything was running smoothly – until my sister texted me while I was at the funeral home: ‘Diane, the kids, and her parents have just arrived’.

JULIE

I was helping organize and arrange chairs in the tent that had been set up for mourners in the front yard of David’s parents’ home, when a car drove up. Most of the people who had already arrived were family members, and they were sitting in the living room with David’s mother and sister; so, I looked up to see who these new arrivals were, and a chill run down my spine.

Getting out of the car were Diane, her children, and an elderly couple whom I assumed were her parents. For a minute I was not sure how to respond; so, I remained frozen, just staring at them, though my mind was racing.

What if she came to confront me? Should I hide and get out of sight? What about Junior? He was in the living room with David’s mother and sister; surely, she would not try to harm him?

David had not said anything about her coming, and after the fiasco at the hospital, I had just assumed she would not be showing up, though I suppose it did make sense for her to be here, as she was David’s wife, and everyone would expect her to be here.

As they walked up to the front door, she glanced in my direction, and I know she saw me, as for a fraction of a second, our eyes met; hers cold and hard, and if looks could kill, I would be dead; mine, no doubt filled with terror and insecurity.

But then, they moved on and entered the house, and after a few seconds, with no sounds of commotion coming from inside the house, my racing heart slowed down, and I could breathe again.

However, I was now faced with a new conundrum; I had been in charge of serving refreshments to the mourners as they arrived, but there was no way I was about to go inside and serve David’s wife.

And yet, it would look odd to her parents for them to be sitting there not being served, yet all the other mourners who were already there had been. It had been awkward enough serving relatives of David whom I had never met, as they asked his sister for introductions.

She had alternated between ‘this is David’s friend’ and ‘this is Junior’s mother’, and I was certain it had been even more awkward for her. No, I would not go inside, I finally decided. Best to wait for David to return, or for them to leave, whichever happened first.

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