At that moment Jane came out of the house, a look of confusion on her face. She saw Mike and the woman, and her expression changed to shock and then to anger.
‘What’s going on here?’ asked Jane.
‘Jane, things are not what they seem. Nicole is coming with us too. I did her a favour by coming after her, didn’t I, Alison?’ – he said.
‘Did you?’ Jane’s voice shook with rage. ‘It’s not what it looks like. It looks like you cheated on me with that woman!’
Nicole smirked from her seat.
‘Well, now you know,’ she said. ‘Mike’s been with me for months.’
Jane’s eyes flashed as she turned her attention back to Mike.
‘After everything we’ve been through, you decided to do this?’ – She asked.
‘Jane, I can explain,’ Mike pleaded.
‘Leave it alone,’ Jane cut him off coldly. ‘Get out of my friend’s car and find your own way out of here.’
She turned to me, leaning against the car window.
‘Thank you, Al,’ she said. ‘Thank you for showing me the truth.’
‘Anytime, Jane,’ I said. ‘You deserve better.’
She turned to Mike again.
‘I want you gone by the end of the day. If you decide to go travelling, I’ll call the kids and have them take your things out. Don’t forget that because of your infidelity, darling, you will get absolutely nothing from me.’
‘Jane,’ Mike pleaded again. ‘Let’s talk about this. This little thing isn’t serious. Nicole and I don’t have anything serious going on. It was just a little fun.’
‘No,’ Jane interrupted, her tone resolute. ‘Enough talk. It’s over.’
As I drove away, Jane waved me off with a sad smile on her face.
I hadn’t expected such a chore to turn into an episode that would expose my friend’s husband cheating with a younger woman. But I was glad I hadn’t turned a blind eye to the truth. Jane needed to know, and I was grateful that I was the one who had helped her find out.
Now I was sitting at the kitchen table, a bowl of soup beside me, and I was preparing an article for the column. I planned to write about men and cheating right under our noses. Always clearly disguised under the guise of a business trip or a trip to visit a sick relative.
Always the same thing.
What would you do?