3.14.15 Post-Breakfast

"So where is my husband?"

"I, I'm not sure I came here to pick up something for him," I lied.

"Right of course."

She didn't look like she bought it too well but we both wanted to believe the same thing, that there was nothing wrong here.

"I can call him though, tell him to come back to see you," I picked up my phone.

"Oh no don't do that, I want to surprise him, he did always love a good surprise."

"Okay I'll just go see then where he wants me to take this." I picked up his laptop to take it downstairs with me.

"Sure, bye bye, dear, close the door on your way out."

She watched me pick it up and sat on the bed taking off her heels lying where I slept the previous night.

"I'm gonna kill him!" I whispered to myself then
marched downstairs where he was having a conversation with a couple of people who looked like his adoring fans which of course he enjoyed.

"Oh thank you so much yes the pills are still working miracles," the man said.

"Great and what do you think, is your husband telling me the truth for once?" The scientist asked the woman.

"Yes he is, I don't know what I'd done if it weren't for those pills," she held on to her husband's arm.

"Well lucky accident that one of my recipes worked." He tried to be modest but it wasn't part of who he was, he basked in his accomplishments he was always exhilarated when his hard work paid off.

"Lucky? That trial of yours came right on time," the woman said and I thought this was the time to barge in.

"Yes um this is Stella, and these are some old patients of mine," he said to the people who shook my hand.

"Good morning," I smiled at the older couple.

"Oh I thought you were here alone," the husband asked the scientist.

"I usually am but things are changing."

He put his arm around my waist and my stomach contracted from his touch and he noticed my breath stopped for a second.

"Did ya hear that Ceecee? He's got himself someone," the wife said to one of the ladies behind her.

"What? Now why would you go breaking my heart like that Dr. Herzberg! I had already arranged your marriage to any of my three daughters. Your choice" the lady came to join the conversation.

"Cecelia your lovely daughters will be better off without me, trust me." I completely agreed with that conclusion so I pinched his arm for him to let me go.

"Look scientist you're annoyingly smart, and awfully quiet but you're still not as bad as the rest of these boys running around. Aren't I right girls?" The woman named Cecelia asked the others and they all agreed as the scientist took the compliment gladly nodding and smiling.

"Please girls don't continue or you'll make him blush," I got back at the scientist by cutting off the string of praise he'd been receiving.

"You know me so well, what would I do without you?" He understood the sarcasm and just when I thought I won he kissed me in front of everyone because he knew I wouldn't struggle out of it.

"Yeah that's my doctor!" The husband exclaimed as the group cheered on the whirlwind of the unexpected kiss and even I lost myself in it, wanting to get caught up in his touch like the night before.

"Oh a man who kisses his woman like that every day is sure to keep her forever." The wife said and I blushed with anger at the mention of the word wife since his was in the floor above us waiting for him so I stopped immediately.

"I'm going to kill you," I whispered when he let me down from his lips.

"I'd like to see you try love," he whispered back, "apologies we hadn't had seen each other today yet," the scientist lied to the people.

"By the way what is your name?"

"Stella nice to meet you all."

"Stella what a pretty name!"

"Thank you and I am so sorry everyone but it's time for me to take him away," I tried to end the conversation.

"Aw no we wish you two could stay and join us for the Moonville tunnel exploration. We picked the morning tour because as you can see we're clearly not young enough for the night one. What do you and your girl say doctor?" Cecelia asked him.

"I'm sorry to be a disappointment to the group but good luck on your Moonville tunnel exploration," he said to the group then took me by the hand.

"Well we tried, have fun you two, hopefully we'll catch you here for dinner," he nodded and when we closed the front of the door I let go of his hand afraid his wife could see us from the room.

The scientist drove us up to the far end of town, and I almost forgot about his wife when we passed through a common suburban house painted a pastel green with yellow shutters. There was a car parked out front but it had a cover on top of it, tons of unopened newspapers laid on the front porch.

"Here," he said stopping in front of an Athens clinic and I closed the car door and stopped in front of it waiting for him to come around. "Is something the matter you didn't talk..." Before he finished the sentence my hand flung at his face with what I hoped was the force of a punch.

"Ow!" He touched his face and my hand stung from the smack but as long as it hurt him too I was fine with it.

"You have a wife!"

"What?"

"Megan Herzberg! You... you... ugh!" I shouted finally letting it set in my heart instead of just my mind. "Cheating bastard!"

"I can explain... I..."

"No, there will be no discussion! Here is what is going to happen, you're going to find a way to sneak my suitcase out of the closet when we get back! And I will be getting on a bus back to New York today and you will never talk to me again other than as my boss!"

"Oh right so you'll just dictate my entire life to
your liking?"

"Seriously you're gonna argue with me when you're clearly in the wrong!"

"Yes I'll argue, I'll shout if I have to but I'm not going to let you walk away," he held on to my coat sleeve.

"If I hadn't listened to your drunk lying ass I wouldn't be here in the middle of nowhere with you."

"How did you find out about Megan? Who told you?"

"So that's what you're worried about? Well no need because I was the one who welcomed your wife into your room and then lied to her face in order to preserve your marriage, yours, not mine."

"She's here? In Athens? That's not possible."

"Oh okay so what? I can talk to spirits now?"

"You talked to her? Face to face? Are you sure?"

"No actually I think I just kind of telepathically called on her. And if she'd walked in five minutes before she would have known I'd spent the night there, with you, her husband!"

"Well that would have been complicated," he finally looked a little concerned, "but I guess it would make things easier."

"What?"

"It would send a clear message right?"

"What are you getting at?"

"That I don't love her, never have, just bored I guess, both of us come to think of it."

"Bored? You married out of boredom!"

"Oh yeah, of being alone, of not relating, the disconnect, that will drive anyone to madness even someone like me."

"Even someone so rational, calculating and cold about everything?"

"Funny you didn't seem to think that when we were kissing today."

"Oh now you can read minds? And what did you expect me to do? Air out my dirty laundry in front of everyone?"

"Fine then do you hate me?"

"Yes, how couldn't I?"

"Fine then, you hate me," he changed the inflection and talked like it meant nothing as he opened the door to the clinic and I struggled with the shattering of my moral code. How could just yesterday he had been the most warm human being and today he was totally dismissing all of it like nothing touched him? Like he was too high up to feel with me down here?

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Copyright: All Rights Reserved to A. Sena Gomes.