Stranded
Out of Love
by
Alyssa R, ON, Canada, Age 17
My husband is
out again for the fourth night in a row and claims he is out with
the guys playing poker. For some reason, I have suspicions, and
I don’t believe him. Why would the same guys get together
four nights to play poker? There are so many thoughts going through
my mind. I just need to clear my head and think about some of the
things that have been bothering me. I pack up a small travel bag
with some necessities and some snacks, and head out in my car for
a drive.
It’s about midnight and the air outside is thick and humid.
My windshield is steamed, and I can barely see the road through
all the fog hovering above the ground. I just tried to call home
to see if Chris was home yet, but my phone has no signal. To be
honest, I don’t think he’s playing poker, I have been
hearing different rumours that he’s having an affair, and
my suspicions are too powerful to be ignored. I am driving along
this deserted road, crying my face off to our wedding song, when
through my tears I see a shadowy figure up ahead. Why would someone
be out at midnight just standing on the side of the road? As I get
closer, I dry my eyes and my nose with my sleeve, and try to see
who the person is. He starts frantically waving his arms and I can
see his mouth moving as he yells for me to stop my car. What do
I do? I don’t even know this person; I don’t want to
pick him up. What if he is a murderer? Or some sort of freak? I
just want to make it back home.
Watching too many horror movies as I grew up made my instincts always
jump to the worst-case scenario about everything. So when I saw
this shadow on the side of the road, I instantly thought it would
be a murderer or maybe something worse. I turned up my music, stepped
on the gas pedal and sped past the person as fast as my little car
would go. I kept checking my rear view mirror and he was still standing
there, but I had to keep driving. My head was telling me to keep
going, but my heart was telling me to go back and help him out.
I don’t know why he’s there, but obviously he is in
need of my help. Being the nice person I am, I turn my car around
in the middle of the road, and drive back to pick up this mysterious
shadow. My heart is skipping beats, my knees and hands are shaking,
but I am going to do this. I have to; it can be my good deed for
the day.
As I approach the shadowed figure for a second time, it becomes
less and less like a shadow and more like a person. I am able to
see a little of his face, but still do not know who he is. I pull
up next to the tired body and roll down the passenger side window.
“Hey, do you need a…” I stopped suddenly. This
strange person was, well, it was my husband. So many thoughts and
emotions were racing through my mind, but my mouth could not say
a word. What is he doing out here? I thought he was playing poker?
Where’s his car?
Chris reaches for the door handle and slowly gets into the car.
He knows I am furious, so he does not say a word except “Thanks.”
“Why aren’t you at poker? You said you were with the
guys, and trust me, this isn’t the guys. Why are you in the
middle of nowhere on a deserted road, and where is your car?”
Chris stares blankly at my face, and I can see that he is trying
to find the right words to say to explain his situation, but he’s
got nothing.
He begins with a stutter, “W..We..Well, there was never any
poker game. I have been lying to you all along. There are no guys.
But....there is a girl. I don’t know how to tell you this,
but I have been having an affair with Jennifer, you know that girl
from work.” He stopped and stared at his hands shaking in
his lap. He continued, “I did not want to tell you because
I didn’t want to hurt you. I don’t know why I did it,
I guess I just needed someone else. I love you, but....but....I’m
sorry.”
I didn’t know what to say. I was furious, but I wasn’t
capable of yelling or anything. My mind was going crazy, but my
mouth couldn’t form any words. Suddenly a rush of fury ran
through my entire body and the questions tumbled out with bitterness
written all over them. I don’t even think anything I was saying
made sense, but I kept going.
“How could you? Why? For how long? We’ve been married
for 13 years and all of a sudden you are bored and you have to start
sleeping around? You disgust me! You are a disgusting pig and I
never want to see you again!!! ”
I sat in the driver’s seat not knowing what to do. I looked
at him out of the corner of my eye and whispered, “Explain
yourself.” He began in a short and quiet voice as if he did
not want me to hear him, “Well, we have been seeing each other
for the past four months, and we were getting pretty serious, but
I knew that what I was doing was wrong. I couldn’t go on like
this knowing that you were at home loving me as your husband. I
told her tonight that it was over and I could not see her anymore,
and she went crazy! She started yelling at me and calling me worthless
and saying that I wasted her time. She jumped across the bed and
started punching me, then dragged me out to the car and threw me
in the back seat. The next thing I knew, I was out here in the middle
of nowhere, and she had taken my car.”
I still cannot
understand how my husband of 13 years could just one day go and
start having an affair with a girl he works with. Does he have a
heart? I don’t know what to do, but I cannot stay with him.
My mind was telling me to forget it, but I could not do it. He hurt
me. I can’t believe he’s been lying to me for four months.
Without thinking twice, I stopped the car in the middle of the road,
leaned over him to open the door, and shoved him with all my strength.
I am not putting up with a liar, I do not deserve that. I shut the
door and drive away without even looking back. He can walk home,
actually, he better not come home. I am getting a divorce, and it
is over.
I sobbed all the way home. I kept the radio off, and I just wailed
at the top of my lungs. How? Why? Did I do something to him to make
him hate me? Tonight was the worst night of my life. I tried to
sleep, but all I could think about was my husband and that sleaze
together, and it made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to go out
and hunt her down and kill her for ruining my marriage, but I couldn’t.
I just lay in bed, trying to decide what to do.
Chris has not come home; I don’t know where he went or what
he plans to do. Right now, I don’t even care. I knew there
was something wrong with me when I drove back to pick up that mysterious
shadow, but unfortunately, I did it anyway. Being such a nice person
is not always a good thing. Actually, it gets me into trouble sometimes,
especially tonight. Never again will I pick up some random shadow
on the side of a deserted road. There is probably a reason they
are there in the middle of nowhere, and I should leave them where
they belong. I am sorry for Chris’ mistakes, but he deserves
what he got.
