For the first time in years, I stopped worrying about the way she looked at my husband.<\/p>\n
Then came their anniversary weekend.<\/p>\n
We drove over on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Dinner that evening.<\/p>\n
A garden party on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Thirty people expected.<\/p>\n
Family everywhere.<\/p>\n
Music.<\/p>\n
Children.<\/p>\n
Food.<\/p>\n
Drinks.<\/p>\n
The sort of weekend that was supposed to become one of those family memories people talked about for years.<\/p>\n
Nothing could possibly go wrong.<\/p>\n
That was what I thought.<\/p>\n
At dinner, Callan pulled Sasha\u2019s chair out for her.<\/p>\n
He did that for everybody.<\/p>\n
He was polite like that.<\/p>\n
Sasha sat down.<\/p>\n
She looked at him.<\/p>\n
Then she smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019d met you first,\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019d have picked differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had a mouthful of water and nearly choked.<\/p>\n
Bram went scarlet.<\/p>\n
Callan laughed.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
I wanted him to say something that made it clear there was a line.<\/p>\n
Instead, he smiled into his glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cSasha,\u201d I said quietly.<\/p>\n
She turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, relax. You know I\u2019m joking.\u201d<\/p>\n
But she wasn\u2019t joking.<\/p>\n
Not really.<\/p>\n
She spent the entire evening at his elbow.<\/p>\n
She asked him questions she could have asked me.<\/p>\n
She touched his arm when she laughed.<\/p>\n
She told an old story about when we were teenagers, then somehow turned it into a story about how Callan was \u201cthe husband she should have had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three times.<\/p>\n
Bram barely spoke.<\/p>\n
On the drive home that night, I stared out the passenger window while the road lights passed across the windshield.<\/p>\n
Finally, I said, \u201cWhy are you letting her do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Callan sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBryony.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wasn\u2019t that drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tightened his hands around the steering wheel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll have a word with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if she does it again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to believe him.<\/p>\n
I did believe him.<\/p>\n
That was the problem.<\/p>\n
I leaned my head against the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t understand why she keeps doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Callan was quiet for several seconds.<\/p>\n
Then he reached across and squeezed my knee.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He squeezed my knee again.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust me.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I did.<\/p>\n
That was the first mistake I made.<\/p>\n
The next morning, the house was already awake before eight.<\/p>\n
Someone was making coffee.<\/p>\n
Someone was arguing about the music.<\/p>\n
Children were running through the hallway.<\/p>\n
My mother was complaining that nobody had brought enough bread.<\/p>\n
Sasha was outside directing people around the garden as if she\u2019d been born to host parties.<\/p>\n
I helped Bram carry food from the kitchen.<\/p>\n
He seemed distracted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust tired.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou barely slept.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither did you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled weakly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me for a moment.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cIf you need anything, tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was something strange in his voice.<\/p>\n
I almost asked him what he meant.<\/p>\n
But someone called his name from the garden.<\/p>\n
He turned away.<\/p>\n
I picked up the serving dish.<\/p>\n
And walked outside.<\/p>\n
Music was playing.<\/p>\n
People were laughing.<\/p>\n
My father was arguing with one of my cousins about football.<\/p>\n
My mother was talking to an aunt near the patio.<\/p>\n
Children were running between the tables.<\/p>\n
Then I heard laughter.<\/p>\n
Not normal laughter.<\/p>\n
Nervous laughter.<\/p>\n
The kind people make when something has happened that nobody knows how to respond to.<\/p>\n
Then silence.<\/p>\n
I stepped through the back door.<\/p>\n
And stopped.<\/p>\n
My sister was kissing my husband.<\/p>\n
Not almost kissing.<\/p>\n
Not accidentally kissing.<\/p>\n
Kissing.<\/p>\n
In her own garden.<\/p>\n
In front of thirty people.<\/p>\n
In front of our mother.<\/p>\n
In front of her husband.<\/p>\n
Callan saw me.<\/p>\n
His entire body changed.<\/p>\n
He pulled away so quickly that Sasha stumbled backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cBryony\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t hear anything after that.<\/p>\n
My hands were shaking.<\/p>\n
I was still holding the dish.<\/p>\n
Sasha looked at me.<\/p>\n
And smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a dare.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
She stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, sis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kisses better than Bram.\u201d<\/p>\n
Someone gasped.<\/p>\n
My mother whispered, \u201cSasha.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bram stood perfectly still.<\/p>\n
I looked at Callan.<\/p>\n
He was white.<\/p>\n
\u201cBryony, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\n
Sasha reached for the serving dish.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me that before you drop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took it from my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n
She placed it on the table.<\/p>\n
Thirty people.<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Then I heard a strange sound behind me.<\/p>\n
A laugh.<\/p>\n
One short laugh.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
Bram was standing there.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t looking at Sasha.<\/p>\n
He was looking at Callan.<\/p>\n
And then Bram said something that made my stomach drop.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He reached underneath the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a present for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
PART 2 \u2014 THE PRESENT<\/h2>\n
The gift bag had been under the table since eleven that morning.<\/p>\n
I found that out later.<\/p>\n
At the time, all I knew was that Bram was holding a small black bag in one hand and looking at Sasha like he\u2019d finally stopped trying to protect her.<\/p>\n
Sasha stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed nervously.<\/p>\n
\u201cBram\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re being weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in his voice changed the entire garden.<\/p>\n
Sasha stopped smiling.<\/p>\n
She slowly took the bag.<\/p>\n
Pulled away the tissue paper.<\/p>\n
Then she saw the frame.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
Not dramatically.<\/p>\n
That would have been easier.<\/p>\n
Instead, all the colour slowly disappeared from it.<\/p>\n
Inside the frame was a photograph.<\/p>\n
Two people standing beside a black car.<\/p>\n
A hotel behind them.<\/p>\n
A timestamp printed in the bottom corner.<\/p>\n
8:23 a.m.<\/p>\n
Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Sasha\u2019s car was parked beside them.<\/p>\n
The man was Callan.<\/p>\n
The woman was Sasha.<\/p>\n
They weren\u2019t kissing.<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t need to be.<\/p>\n
The way they stood told its own story.<\/p>\n
Her hand was inside his coat.<\/p>\n
His hand was resting against her waist.<\/p>\n
And they were looking at each other like people who had done this many times before.<\/p>\n
Sasha whispered, \u201cBram.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother took the frame from her.<\/p>\n
She looked at it.<\/p>\n
Then at Sasha.<\/p>\n
Then at Callan.<\/p>\n
She sat down.<\/p>\n
Callan said my name.<\/p>\n
\u201cBryony\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
I raised my hand.<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t want his explanation.<\/p>\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n
I looked at Sasha.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSasha.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
Callan stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
Actually laughed.<\/p>\n
Because there are sentences so stupid they become funny.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think I think?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBryony, listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pointed at the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am looking at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sasha finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBryony, I never wanted to hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you should have stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
That was when something inside me broke.<\/p>\n
Not because she admitted it.<\/p>\n
Because she didn\u2019t deny it.<\/p>\n
Bram walked toward the table.<\/p>\n
He reached into his jacket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sasha turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBram, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled out another photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one was taken three months before you married me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He placed it on the table.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one was two months before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe week before.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
I stared at the photographs.<\/p>\n
Different places.<\/p>\n
Different days.<\/p>\n
Same two people.<\/p>\n
Sasha and Callan.<\/p>\n
Callan finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bram looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been saying that for nine years?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Bram\u2019s voice remained strangely calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what I kept asking myself?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Sasha.<\/p>\n
PART 1 \u2014 THE DISH Ten years married. Two children. I would have put my hand in a fire for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1606"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1608,"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1606\/revisions\/1608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mealtips.delicedcook.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}