It was finally Friday. Mark took more care than usual dressing this morning. He hummed to himself under the shower, his mood brighter than it had been for weeks. Helen was having breakfast in the sunroom. The open windows revealed an expanse of floor-length glass. The sunroom was situated on the north side of the house and the air conditioner was already working overtime. Mark contemplated the size of the next electricity bill and wished that, just sometimes, Helen could pull the curtains to keep the room cool. He contrasted her behaviour with that of Beth. On hot days Beth would close all the windows and drapes to keep out the heat. Woe betide anyone who left a door open! She used to maintain that air conditioners were not only costly to run, but gave out C.F.C’s, which harmed the atmosphere. He forgot how irritated he’d been by her behaviour at the time. Now he saw it as sensible and caring. Why couldn’t Helen be more like that?
Mark finished his shower and joined his girlfriend for breakfast. He looked around for the baby and did not see him. Chance must still be asleep on the king-size waterbed in the main bedroom. Mark had always wanted a waterbed but Beth had been dead against it. Now he had one and he felt as if he was sleeping on a big bowl of jelly. Helen insisted on keeping it though, because she said the movement helped the baby sleep. It seemed Chance never slept in his cot anymore. Sometimes Mark felt it would be better to just move into the spare room for the time being. Sometimes Helen thought that too.
Helen wore a pink satin dressing gown over matching briefs. Mark had never seen this particular ensemble before. He wondered how much it had cost him. The gown fell open to reveal her full breasts. Always large, they looked particularly luscious since she’d been nursing. Her body was lightly and evenly tanned, testimony to lengthy sessions at the local solarium. Her stomach, no longer entirely flat, was enticingly plump and soft. Her long, shapely legs were delicately crossed. Mark’s gaze travelled up to the silken pink triangle of her panties. If anything, Helen was even more beautiful since giving birth. Her body appeared softer, more yielding. Mark began to get excited. He crossed the room and pulled her to him without warning, his mouth urgently seeking hers, his hands finding the tender mounds of her breasts. Helen stiffened and pulled away. His desire vanished and he retreated to the kitchen.
Helen eyed him uncertainly. She’d been taken by surprise. Mark hadn’t shown much physical interest in her lately, and when he had, it had been ill timed. It didn’t bother her a great deal as her libido was low since giving birth to Chance. She even went so far as to mention it to her doctor, who said it was normal and told her not to worry. Still, she sometimes missed Mark’s attention, if not the sex. Helen followed him into the kitchen, rubbing against him and smiling as he made coffee. But he was no longer interested. Mark had retreated to where she could not follow and Helen didn’t know how to summon him back. Gulping down his coffee, Mark left with a perfunctory goodbye. Helen felt resentment rise in her like indigestion. What she needed was to get her mind off things for a while. Chance was going to childcare for the first time this morning. Helen was sure it would do him good to mix with other babies. She trusted the centre to provide the best possible care. After all, it was the most expensive facility in the area. Meanwhile, Helen and her friends planned a day out at the local poker machine venue.
It was lunchtime. Mark arrived at the restaurant several minutes early. Beth was already there. She also took extra care dressing that morning, choosing a cool, deep green linen suit that matched her eyes. Her hair was up, in deference to the heat of the day. She also thought that it made her look stern. The style accentuated the long sweep of her milky white neck, such a contrast to Helen’s artificial glow. Behind her smile, Mark saw the worry in her eyes. It pleased him; made him feel important. If the truth were known, his suggestion for the children to live with him had been ill conceived from the start. He regretted it almost as soon as the offer was on the table. His motivation at the time had been purely to annoy Helen. His caution to the children not to tell their mother was an attempt at damage control. The effect of the news on Beth however was a bonus. Clearly she now took him seriously.
Beth watched Mark cross the room to her table. He looked suave in his grey silk shirt and tie. Beth suddenly felt unsophisticated and gauche. She’d waited all week for this moment and now she was decidedly nervous. They’d not met in such a way since long before their separation. Mark’s attitude made it seem more like a date than a meeting to discuss the future of their children. He joined Beth at the table and ordered them both a drink. Beth’s hand shook ever so slightly as she took her glass, a fact that did not escape Mark’s notice.
Beth began directly.
“I couldn’t believe it when Rick said you wanted them to live with you!”
“Why should that surprise you? You know how much I love them,” said Mark.
“But you never said that the current arrangement didn’t suit you. Whatever happened to talking to me?”
“I tried to talk to you,” he lied. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Beth silently examined their past few encounters. She could not recall Mark trying to ‘talk’ to her about anything. She felt cross.
“The kids are settled and you know it. Why, you even missed an access last month. How can you say you want to see more of them?”
At this point in the conversation a waiter arrived to take their order. Beth waved the menu away in exasperation. Mark took it upon himself to order for her.
“Let’s talk after we’ve eaten,” he suggested hopefully.
Beth launched into an attack.
“We came here to discuss the children. I will not agree to any change in the custody arrangements.”
She was almost shouting. The couple at the next table glanced over at them. Mark remained silent.
Beth continued. “The kids don’t want to live with you. They have both told me this.”
This was untrue. Beth had been afraid to broach the subject at home until she knew where Mark stood. Her lie left her feeling a little desperate.
“Then we might need to let a court decide, mightn’t we?” returned Mark with an infuriatingly patronising tone.
He observed his wife closely. She was clearly in a highly charged emotional state. He knew her financial affairs were not such as would fund a protracted Family Court proceeding, particularly since he’d been a fraction tardy with his child support payments lately. Beth looked very close to tears. He felt compassion for her. Underneath the table he reached for her hand and she did not withdraw it.
“I miss you,” he blurted out truthfully.
Instantly he knew he had overstepped his mark. Beth rose to her feet. With as much dignity as she could muster, she neatly folded the napkin on the table, turned on her heel, and left. Mark watched her walk out with straight slim shoulders and her head held high. An intense wave of disappointment and loneliness engulfed him.