The Affair Continues, Part 4

The Affair: The Conclusion

When Teri awoke the next morning, she could smell the heavy scent of coffee in the air. She didn’t have to look beside her to know that Bill had already gotten up. In spite of Bill being out late last night, he was an early riser out of habit. Teri blinked her eyes trying to blink away her exhaustion. She had cried herself to sleep last night, emotionally distraught and physically spent from all of the sex that she had enjoyed the previous day. She still didn’t have any idea of how she was going to handle the predicament that she had gotten herself into or how she was going to face bill this morning, but she tried to put it out of her mind as she stretched and got out of bed.

She dressed quickly and came downstairs to join her husband who was seated in the kitchen reading the newspaper and munching on a piece of toast.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” She asked.

“”You were resting so peacefully and you looked like you needed your sleep.” Bill said looking up from his paper to smile at his beautiful wife. Bill noticed the bags under Teri’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just a little tired.” She answered. She didn’t know what else to say to him. What could she tell him? That while he was out seeing an old buddy last night, she was out sleeping around on him?!

“What time did you come in last night?” She didn’t know why she asked that question. She didn’t really care to hear how late he was out. It was more of a conditioned question that she always asked of him whenever he was out with Dean.

“It was late. We closed the pub and then stood in the parking lot and talked for a while.”

They didn’t get a chance to talk any further as the phone rang. Teri was glad for the interruption. It was Dean saying good morning and that he was planning on taking the kids out bowling after lunch so that they could spend the morning and afternoon together. He said that he’d have them home in time for supper.

Teri poured herself a cup of coffee and then went about making breakfast for the two of them. Bill returned to reading the paper. He so seldom had the time or the peace and quiet to sit and read the Sunday paper. Usually he was playing referee for one of the boys’ arguments or rushing out the door for the station.

They sat in silence and ate their breakfast. After breakfast was over, Bill offered to do the dishes. He suggested to Teri to go and read a book or take a nice bubble bath, or go and do something else that she doesn’t have a chance to do with the boys home.

Teri decided that she would try to take her mind off of things if only for a little bit and went to relax in the tub with a book. She found though that she wasn’t able to concentrate on her book. She kept reading the same line over and over and it still meant nothing to her. She kept thinking about her and Bill and their marriage. She also thought about the last night’s turn of events and Clark’s sudden change in his care for her. She had been so easily manipulated by him. She usually wasn’t like that she had prided herself on being able to pick up on deception and dispel it. Where was Clark going with this “I care about you” business he had said last night? Was it all just a rouse to get her into bed? He couldn’t have possibly thought that she intended to leave her family that she has spent the last 18 years helping to create. The more she thought about it the more she felt stupid and gullible and ashamed.