before.
“ Ha. I’m such a stupid bitch.”
“What?” Where did that come from?
“Mason.” She choked my name out with pure disdain.
“What? What? What did I do?”
“You fuck!” Tess charged at me and violently started beating me on my chest. “You fuck! You fuck!”
“ Jesus, lower your voice before you wake up the kids.”
“Fuck you!” She slapped me hard across the cheek.
I grabbed her arms and I vigorously shook her. “What the fuck?”
“I can smell your whore on you!”
“You’re crazy.”
“You kissed me and I could taste her fucking lip gloss! You hugged me and I could smell her on your fucking neck! You sick fuck!”
Fuck me! Damn it. Is this really happening to me? Think Mason. Think. Think. Think.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I smell her.”
“Who?”
“The slutbag you’re still sleeping with?”
Why did that insult against Kari kind of insult me? “No, no, no.”
“Yes, I’m not an idiot.”
“I was at my mother’s today, all day. You know that. Mike was there with me.”
“Bullshit.”
“If you smell any woman on me it’s my sister Karen. I swear. She kissed me and hugged me. Tess please, please, please believe me. I’m telling the truth.”
“Liar!”
“Call her and ask her.”
“Fuck you!”
I turned to the doorway because I felt like I was being watched. We were being watched. Hannah was standing in the doorway rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Hey ladybug.” I let go of Tess’ arms.
“What’s going on dad?”
“Nothing just playing around. It’s time for you to go back to bed.” I rushed to Hannah and scooped her up in my arms. I carried her back to bed and tucked her in. I sat in the edge of her bed and rubbed her back. I sat there until Hannah went back to sleep. It felt like thirty minutes but I couldn’t be sure in the darkness.
I don’t know how this happened. Of course I kissed Kari. Of course I had her scent on me. I had been spending so much time with her I had gotten careless and irresponsible. I was much too comfortable. I licked my lips. I could taste the remnants of Kari’s mango chapstick. I had tasted it so many times that I didn’t even realize it was on me. Her lips had become my lips and her scent had become my scent. It was like I didn’t know where she ends and where I begin.
If Tess calls my sister, will Karen lie for me? Probably not. This is going to make me prematurely gray. My hair is already thinning. Fuck! This is too hard. I suck at this. Cheating is the one thing I’m not good at.
I didn’t think it was a good idea to go back into the bedroom so I went downstairs plopped down on the couch. I switched the TV on. I turned the volume down low to make sure I didn’t wake the kids or Tess. With any luck she went to sleep and didn’t call my sister. Maybe she believes my bullshit. Tonight is not the time for Tess to wise up and see through my bullshit. I was thinking too hard. I watched Columbiana on HBO until I fell asleep. I woke up around one and went upstairs.
CHAPTER 6
When I reached the bedroom it was pitch black. I switched on the lamp that sat on the bedside table. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get in bed or go back downstairs and sleep on the couch. Tess was lying face down on the bed. There was an open prescription pill bottle on the bedside table. I picked up the bottle to read it, Zaleplon 20MG capsules. Tess’ script for sleeping pills. It was called Sonata in the TV commercials. I wasn’t sure if I should panic. I had never seen the pills out of the medicine cabinet so maybe it’s time for me to panic. I don’t know how many she took.
I slipped the bottle in my pocket and I knelt down on the side of the bed . I shook Tess by her shoulders. She didn’t move. I shook her again. She didn’t move.
“Tess! Tess!” No movement. “Tess! Tess!”
I slapped her hard across the face. She didn’t move. I quickly flipped over her limp body and placed my
“ Ha. I’m such a stupid bitch.”
“What?” Where did that come from?
“Mason.” She choked my name out with pure disdain.
“What? What? What did I do?”
“You fuck!” Tess charged at me and violently started beating me on my chest. “You fuck! You fuck!”
“ Jesus, lower your voice before you wake up the kids.”
“Fuck you!” She slapped me hard across the cheek.
I grabbed her arms and I vigorously shook her. “What the fuck?”
“I can smell your whore on you!”
“You’re crazy.”
“You kissed me and I could taste her fucking lip gloss! You hugged me and I could smell her on your fucking neck! You sick fuck!”
Fuck me! Damn it. Is this really happening to me? Think Mason. Think. Think. Think.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I smell her.”
“Who?”
“The slutbag you’re still sleeping with?”
Why did that insult against Kari kind of insult me? “No, no, no.”
“Yes, I’m not an idiot.”
“I was at my mother’s today, all day. You know that. Mike was there with me.”
“Bullshit.”
“If you smell any woman on me it’s my sister Karen. I swear. She kissed me and hugged me. Tess please, please, please believe me. I’m telling the truth.”
“Liar!”
“Call her and ask her.”
“Fuck you!”
I turned to the doorway because I felt like I was being watched. We were being watched. Hannah was standing in the doorway rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Hey ladybug.” I let go of Tess’ arms.
“What’s going on dad?”
“Nothing just playing around. It’s time for you to go back to bed.” I rushed to Hannah and scooped her up in my arms. I carried her back to bed and tucked her in. I sat in the edge of her bed and rubbed her back. I sat there until Hannah went back to sleep. It felt like thirty minutes but I couldn’t be sure in the darkness.
I don’t know how this happened. Of course I kissed Kari. Of course I had her scent on me. I had been spending so much time with her I had gotten careless and irresponsible. I was much too comfortable. I licked my lips. I could taste the remnants of Kari’s mango chapstick. I had tasted it so many times that I didn’t even realize it was on me. Her lips had become my lips and her scent had become my scent. It was like I didn’t know where she ends and where I begin.
If Tess calls my sister, will Karen lie for me? Probably not. This is going to make me prematurely gray. My hair is already thinning. Fuck! This is too hard. I suck at this. Cheating is the one thing I’m not good at.
I didn’t think it was a good idea to go back into the bedroom so I went downstairs plopped down on the couch. I switched the TV on. I turned the volume down low to make sure I didn’t wake the kids or Tess. With any luck she went to sleep and didn’t call my sister. Maybe she believes my bullshit. Tonight is not the time for Tess to wise up and see through my bullshit. I was thinking too hard. I watched Columbiana on HBO until I fell asleep. I woke up around one and went upstairs.
CHAPTER 6
When I reached the bedroom it was pitch black. I switched on the lamp that sat on the bedside table. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get in bed or go back downstairs and sleep on the couch. Tess was lying face down on the bed. There was an open prescription pill bottle on the bedside table. I picked up the bottle to read it, Zaleplon 20MG capsules. Tess’ script for sleeping pills. It was called Sonata in the TV commercials. I wasn’t sure if I should panic. I had never seen the pills out of the medicine cabinet so maybe it’s time for me to panic. I don’t know how many she took.
I slipped the bottle in my pocket and I knelt down on the side of the bed . I shook Tess by her shoulders. She didn’t move. I shook her again. She didn’t move.
“Tess! Tess!” No movement. “Tess! Tess!”
I slapped her hard across the face. She didn’t move. I quickly flipped over her limp body and placed my
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