The longer I sat on that train, the angrier I felt. I’d been thinking about Jay’s story all day at work, and now on the way home, I still couldn’t get it off my mind. One minute I was pissed at Jay, the next minute it was Cassie, then last but not least, myself. I wouldn’t have to be thinking about any of this if I had just told Jay his fugitive ass couldn’t stay at my house.
Given that Jay had betrayed me in the past with Rose, I wouldn’t put it past him to try to sleep with Cassie too. I loved my friend, but he definitely had a selfish side to him, and when it came to getting pussy, he didn’t always think through the consequences before he dove in. Then again, I wondered, if he had tried to get with Cassie, why would he bring it up to me at all? Why would he come find me on a train to tell me about it if he was the instigator?
If that was the case, then I had to ask myself if it was possible that Cassie had really offered it up to my friend. I thought about all the clothes she had bought for him, how she seemed to be by his side on the couch every day when I came home from work, and how eager she had been for me to let him stay there in the first place. Was there more to that than just helping out a guy who was like family? I didn’t want to believe Cassie could be unfaithful to me, but I also couldn’t deny that my wife was a very sexual person.
“Fuck!” I said in an outburst, slamming my fist against the seat. The young girl sitting next to me flinched. “Sorry,” I apologized, hands up. “It’s just one of those days.”
She nodded her understanding with a slight smile, then shifted to get as far away from me as she could in the confined space of the crowded train. I couldn’t blame her. I felt like I was going to lose it any moment if I didn’t get home and get Cassie’s side of the story.
By the time I finally got off the train and made it to my front door, I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack or something. My hands were trembling so badly that I could barely get the key in the door. I headed right to the living room couch, where I knew I’d find Cassie sprawled out in her usual position, watching television.
“You tried to come on to Jay?” There was no greeting, no beating around the bush, no nothing.
She sat up and said, “Baby, what’s wrong? What are you talking about?” She tried to reassure me with a smile, but I could see nervousness in her eyes, which only intensified my anger.
“Don’t play with me, Cassie. You heard what the hell I said. Did you try to fuck Jay?”
“Is that what he said?” she shot back indignantly.
“Damn it, Cassie.” The way she avoided answering my question didn’t make me confident in her innocence.
“He’s lying, Allen.” Cassie approached me and put her hands on my shoulders. “He’s just jealous that you’re happily married and free, and he’s mad that I rejected him. Because you know what the truth really is? He tried to come on to me.” She put her arms around my neck and tried to kiss me, but I leaned back. I wasn’t completely convinced.
“Why didn’t you tell me then?” I pressed.
“Because he was your friend. So much was going on already. I figured he’d move on to his next hideout and we wouldn’t have to worry about it.” Cassie started to stroke my neck the way she knew I liked it. “But nothing happened. I would never do something like that to you. I love you.”
She started placing little kisses around my face and along my neck, and I felt myself weakening. Then she whispered in my ear, and my whole world fell apart.
“I swear to God, Allen, I never offered to give that man a blow job.”
I pulled away and locked my eyes on hers.
“I didn’t say anything about you offering him a blow job.”
“Allen, I—” From the look on her face, I could tell that she realized she’d just fucked up.
“You’re a liar, Cassie,” I said, fuming. “And a whore.”
“How dare you call me a whore!” She shoved me hard.
On instinct, I pushed her back. My hands balled into fists, but I stopped myself from swinging at her. Even as furious as I was, I would not put my hands on a woman.
“Go ahead, big man. Hit me,” she challenged.
“You’re not even worth it.” I relaxed my fists and headed up the steps. I had to get away from her, and if she knew what was good for her, she’d stay away from me.
I undressed and went into the bathroom, where I turned on the shower, extra hot. Standing under the spray, thinking about the mess that my life had become, I wondered how the hell it had gotten to this point. How was it possible that the woman I loved with all my heart was really a traitorous bitch? By the time I stepped out of the shower and slipped into some sweat pants and a wife beater, I was feeling cleaner, but not necessarily better about my marriage.
The sound of a police siren caused the tension in my muscles to instantly return. Were they coming back to search the place for Jay again? After the day I’d had, I did not need that type of bullshit. I looked out the bedroom window to see a cop car with lights flashing pulling into my driveway.
“Oh, man.” I rushed out of the bedroom to see if I could stop them before Cassie let them into the house.
I was too late. They were already in my living room, and as soon as I came down the stairs, my backstabbing wife said, “There he is, Officer. That’s him right there.”
“What the…” My words trailed off as one of the two officers came toward me, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his waist. “Whoa, what’s going on here, Officer?”
“Sir, we got a call about a possible assault. Your wife says that you hit her.”
I looked to Cassie. “Are you serious? I barely touched you. That wasn’t even a shove.”
“That’s not true.” Cassie lifted her shirt to show the bruises she’d obtained yesterday after tripping over one of the hundred shoe boxes she had scattered around the house. “Look at these bruises! Does this look like he barely touched me?”
“I didn’t do that,” I protested. “She tripped over some boxes. She’s trying to set me up.” The officer looked at me skeptically, so I repeated, “I didn’t do it.”
“You can’t leave me here with him. He’s crazy. He’ll kill me,” Cassie said adamantly, pointing at the hall closet. “Look in there. That’s where he keeps the bat he’s always threatening me with.”
“He’s not staying,” the officer stated clearly, pulling the bat out of the foyer closet. “Sir, please turn around. I’m going to have to place you under arrest for domestic violence.”
“Wait a minute. You can’t do this. She’s lying!” I shouted.
“I can and I am,” the officer said forcefully before he whipped me around and handcuffed me. He then began pushing me toward the door.
As I walked by Cassie, I saw a smirk on her face. It was probably the same one she had the day we got married, only I was too blind then to have noticed it.