Take on his mystery

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

She started noticing that he seemed distant, preoccupied, somehow disconnected from her and the kids weeks earlier but now it slapped her in the face like a bucket of ice water.   Maybe it was a midlife crisis although he hasn't bought a sports car, some fancy electronics or as much as gotten a new haircut in ages.  She feared that he was moving away and didn't know quiet how to reel him back in.  Her mother said that it might be a seven year itch and suggested she get her hair highlighted like she used to do but somehow that wasn't in the cards.  It all just seemed to run on it's own and she probably wouldn't have confronted him until she happened  to stumbled on their American Express statement.  She hadn't looked at one in some time as he always insisted on paying them but when she did look, she was stunned to see them.  Week after week, the same charge came up 

Wednesday the 13th at 1pm. $199 at the midtown Marriott Marquis

Wednesday the 20th at 12:45pm at the same Marriot Marquis

Wednesday the 27th at 20pm at the Marriot Marquis

etc etc

Same hotel, middle of the afternoon every Wedneaday.  She racked her brain and started recalling all the times she called his office and was told he was in a meeting with clients, how many midday meetings does anybody have, even one who makes his living in sales??

There she was, with three kids having to decide if this was it. She was sure that if would be, she was too proud a woman to have somebody do this to her and just accept it.  She was going to be strong and march in and demand the truth and then would send him packing but she knew he was too smart to admit anything, and not wanting to drag this out while becoming a pity case, she decided that the best thing would be to catch him in the act. 

The next Wednesday after her had gotten on his bus in the morning after having gotten the girls dressed, she got dressed herself in her most inconspicuous outfit and topped it off with the oversized Jackie O glasses.   She dropped the two older girls off at their schools even if she usually insisted on keeping the middle one home whenever possible and headed into the city with the baby in tow.     Traffic was brisk and she was standing in midtown before 10:30 giving herself a chance to revel in the city she had called home for years before he had dragged her to the suburbs kicking and screaming.  How dare he take all she loved away from her and then leave her to hold down the fort which he galavanted around the fancy city.   She got herself a large caffeinated beverage, staked out a seat in front of the potted plants in the lobby and tried to entertain her baby while simultaneously staking out the scene.    She stared down every woman that walked through the lobby, looking them up and down and sizing them up.   She was convinced that he probably chose an Asian one, he'd always had some weird fetish for them, so she took particular interest in any one of them that walked through.   She fed the baby, walked around the lobby a bit and counted the minutes.   The AmericanExpress bill had been very specific with the charges always happening around 1pm, so it could happened any time.  She looked down at her watch, it hadn't changed in what seemed like hours and as she coo-ed with the baby she caught a glimpse of him.   Still wearing the grey pants and blue shirt he had left the house with a few hours ago, he strolled through the lobby and walked right up to reception.  He made small talk with the young girl working the desk and checked his IPhone while she ran his card.   The girl at the desk pointed towards the elevators and he walked over to them

The moment of truth was almost there and for the first time all day, she had cold feet.  Did she really want to go up there and find him, why did it matter, she didn't need that kind of proof...she already had the receipts.  

But she figured that she'd come all that way and truthfully wanted to see the woman who he just threw his family away for.    She followed him to the elevator, he had his head buried in his IPhone -always the stupid IPhone- so didn't notice the woman or their baby as the doors closed. He was the only one on the elevator and from the little LED elevator screen it made only one  stop, on the 24th floor. 

She waited around the elevator to see what kind of woman would be the first to go up there but after 30 minutes of nothing obvious decided she must have missed her going up.   It was almost 2 and the girls would be out of school in an hour, so it was now or never.  The baby was fussy but it was time. 

She walked upto the receptionist and said explained that her husband had checked in but she had lost the room key.  The receptionist gave her the typical line of "security" and "9/11" and her not being on the reservation etc.   The baby was really crying now, and she did her best to sooth her while coming up with a thousand stories to get that key.   She didn't have anything and just started sobbing, maybe it was a woman's solidarity, maybe it was the crazy story she had told or maybe it was the baby screaming at the top of her lungs but after a few seconds the receptionist said she just needed to see an ID.  She showed her NJ drivers license and was handed a key for room 24F, she hurried up the elevator pushing the stroller like it was a roller derby and pressed 24

The floors flew by on the screen. 2-3-4...6-7...14-15...20-21-22-23 and finally 24

She marched to the door marked F and took a deep breath.  She though about knocking but this would only give him warning, so decided that she would just unlock the door and confront the lying cheating bastard right then and there with a crying baby under her arm

She swallowed hard, stuck the key in the card holder and opened the door.....

To be continued 

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