Jess opened her eyes. Her head was pounding. She rubbed her face, stretched and then, as if she had been hit on the head with a rock, suddenly realised the terrible truth from last night. She looked around her unfamiliar surroundings. Where was she? That’s right she had decided to go and stay with Hope. She felt such a fool. Her hunch had been right all along. The man she had been sharing her life with for eight years was having an affair, with a girl young enough to be his daughter.
Hope appeared at the bedroom door. ‘Tea?’ She enquired gently.
‘Yes please, angel.’ Jess replied weakly. ‘Hope, please tell me that no one else realised what was going on. I was so drunk I can’t remember everything that happened now.’
‘Well only Jack-the-Lad as he shared a taxi back here with us,’ Hope replied.
Jess managed a smile. ‘Is he still here?’
‘Obviously.’ Hope shrugged. ‘Jess, honestly don’t worry. I will gag him not to say anything. You were ever the professional. You acted as if you were running your own event. You kept your smile on until midnight and said goodbye to everybody with grace. Nobody had a clue, darling, honestly, I promise.’ Jess breathed a sigh of relief.
‘The last thing I wanted was a big scene with everyone there, especially Dad and Maria. That would have been terrible.’
‘I can’t believe you were so calm with Sam. It was like something out a movie Jess,’ Hope exclaimed. ‘You just said through gritted teeth, “You pick up Freya in the morning. I am going to stay with Hope, and we shall talk tomorrow.” If it had been me, I would have completely lost it!’
Jess’s eyes filled with tears. ‘That’s the whole thing with me and Sam. I am really angry with him, but it’s weird. I’ll go home later and we’ll probably discuss this, like we discuss putting the recycling out.’ Just then her mobile rang.
‘Jess, it’s Sam, I’m so sorry and I really can explain.’
‘Isn’t that what all adulterers say?’ Jess replied wearily and continued. ‘Well I guess there’s no point screaming and shouting, when can we talk? I obviously don’t want Freya to hear. Is she OK by the way?’
‘She’s fine. Charlotte arrived really late last night, thought we could maybe all have lunch today to make up for her missing your party. Why don’t I get her to look after Freya instead, and we meet in The Royal Oak at say one ‘o’ clock?’
‘OK.’ Just as Jess had assumed, it was as if they were having a normal conversation. ‘What’s Charlie’s new man like by the way?’
‘He’s joining her later on, only just managed to get a babysitter,’ Sam answered.
‘Did you tell her?’
‘Yes I did.’
Jess showered and borrowed some of Hope’s clothes. She luckily managed to find something fairly conservative, amongst the leopard skin and fur. She got a taxi to the pub and waited for Sam.
He looked ashen as he walked over to her. ‘Jess, let me have my say before you say a word, please.’
Jess sat in silence and looked at the man opposite her. She did love him. He had been her life for the past eight years, and she couldn’t bear to imagine life without him in it. He was her rock.
‘I met Cherry at work, she’s an account manager. I guess I was flattered by the attentions of a younger woman.’
Jess could no longer remain silent. ‘So in true middle-aged style, the man sees the short skirt, the blonde hair and decides he wants to fuck her!’ She said bitterly.
‘Jess, shush, we don’t want the whole pub to know our business.’
‘How long has it been going on?’ Jess hissed.
‘Two years.’
‘Two years! Two years!’ Jess repeated not quite able to believe what she was hearing. ‘You disgust me, Sam, how can you be having sex with someone and then get into the marital bed with me for two bloody years! By the look of the slag, I could have all sorts of diseases.’
Sam sighed. ‘Oh, Jess, I really am so sorry. I now realise it was a terrible mistake. I’ve never stopped loving you – you know that. It was just kind of different with her.’
‘What passionate you mean?’ Jess looked to the sky. ‘It was sex, Sam. That was all. Not making love, just pure filthy sex. I think I’d rather you’d had a quick one with a whore if that’s what you were looking for.’
‘You’re not going to leave me,’ Sam demanded. ‘I was actually going to go and see her Monday and finish it for good.’
‘Oh nice,’ Jess said sarcastically. ‘Keep wifey happy with the birthday party and then trot round to Fanny Ann’s and tell her it’s over afterwards. Great! Well do you know what – I’m glad she had the balls to tell me, because you never would have!’
‘And if you’d never have known. Everything would still be perfect Jess. Like it was yesterday, and the day before that. I know now it is you I truly love. I was just stupid – blinded by the excitement of it all.’
‘So have you spoken to her?’ Jess enquired.
‘Yes I have, I’ve told her in no uncertain terms it’s over.’
‘And how about when you go into work? When she’s flashing her young pins and those baby blues at you, how exactly are you going to resist her?’
‘Jess, I’ve said it’s you I love and I don’t want to ever see her again like that. I promise you with all my heart.’
‘So where do we go from here?’ Jess said practically.
‘We go back home and see our beautiful baby girl and we start afresh. I will do anything, and I mean anything to make you happy, Jess.’
‘Oh God, Sam, I can’t believe you’ve done this. I’ve never felt happier and now I feel so betrayed. It’s worse because I’ve always trusted you. I did have my suspicions just recently but then thought that you would never, ever be capable of doing something like this. Look, Sam, I’m not ready to go home and start playing happy families. I need some time to think about what is best for me and especially Freya.Freya adores you, but I’m not sacrificing my happiness just for her.’
‘Jess, please don’t talk like this. I don’t see why you should have to leave me. We’ve got so much history; we can and will work this out.’
They go into Sam’s Mercedes, in silence. Jess had agreed that they would go back home, and she would pack a bag for her and Freya. The pair of them would then go and stay with Phoebe for a few days.
‘Mummy!’ Freya ran out to the drive to meet her. ‘I missed you. Did you have a luverley party?’
‘I did, angel. Are you OK?’
‘I’m fine thanks. I’ve been playing hospitals with Charlotte.’
Charlotte walked through to the kitchen to greet her. She gave Jess a kiss on the cheek and gripped her hand in a supportive, womanly way. ‘Happy belated birthday, Jess.’ The doorbell rang. ‘That’ll be my wayward boyfriend.’ Charlotte stated.
‘I’ll get it,’ Jess insisted, and on opening the front door, her legs suddenly turned to jelly. Because, there, standing right in front of her was none other than Mister Daniel Harris.