Green-Eyed Monster, Part 1
Green-Eyed Monster (Part 1)
**Allison**
Allison awoke around noon, hearing voices arguing, coming ever closer down the hall. Seconds later, the guest room door burst open.
“What!? Who is she, and why is she wearing your t-shirt?” the woman shrieked, as she pulled the comforter off the bed, exposing Allison’s bare legs to the cool air.
“Baby, please, I’m trying to explain…” he began. “It was a late night…”
“I’ll just bet it was” she hissed, before turning to Allison and saying in a flat tone “Get out” and storming off back down the hall. The shouting diminished, but Allison could still hear them arguing hotly as she quickly dressed in her bra, white shirt and dark pants. She carefully folded the comforter and Tim’s t-shirt and laid them carefully on the bed. Grabbing her cell phone off the nightstand, she quickly checked her messages, and returned 2 calls, before stepping barefoot into the hall and gathering her blazer and boots from the coat rack. She followed the sound of their voices to find them standing on opposite sides of the kitchen counter.
Allison spotted her keys on the counter where she left them the night before, and reached in front of the woman, who snatched them away at the last minute. Fingering the key ring, and squinting to read the inscription, she spat out “Fidelity, huh? You’re married, and you’re sleeping with my husband, you call that fidelity?” She tossed the keys back to the counter, where they landed with a loud clatter.
Allison took a deep breath, and pocketed her keys before she spoke. “Lady, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Yes, I slept. Tim, did you sleep?” Tim nodded his head. “There you have it. We both slept. But not together. End of discussion.” The woman’s mouth dropped open, not expecting such a calm, controlled response, as Allison turned to Tim and said “You have a 10 o’clock shoot. I’ll send Daniel back with a car at 8:30”. Tim started to say, “Allison, wait…” but Allison had turned her attention back to the woman, who still looked dumbfounded. Looking her right in the eye, she said “I’m sorry to have disrupted your homecoming”, and with a quick look back at Tim, she left the house.
She brought the Caddy to life, warming it only briefly before pulling out and driving towards the city. After a few minutes, she eased the car off the road, and put her head in her hands. 'Why was this happening?' she thought.
**Iris**
She was happy and excited to be home. But when she opened the door, and saw the boots and jacket, she was on alert. The keys on the kitchen counter. That’s when she knew the black Caddy STS in the driveway wasn’t her husband’s rental.
She felt herself start to lose it; how many times had she suspected his philandering, and now here she thought was the proof. Charging into the kitchen, she startled Tim who was brewing tea at the stove.
“Whose car is that” she demanded. Tim tried to collect himself, and steer the conversation. “Hi, honey, you’re home early!” He sounded surprised; surprised by what she immediately wondered, as she crossed the room quickly to confront him.
“Who?” she repeated. “What’s been going on out here?”
“It’s..it’s..someone from work, from the studio, just a..”
“Are bimbos part of your perks now?” Iris could feel her anger turn to rage, as Tim continued to stutter.
“No, honey, nothing like that…wait, what!? What do you mean by that” he managed to stammer, as he watched his wife storm into the hall and straight for the guest room where Allison was asleep.
“What!? Who is she, and why is she wearing your t-shirt?” Iris shrieked, as she pulled the comforter off the bed, exposing Allison’s bare legs to the cool air.
“Baby, please, I’m trying to explain…” Tim began. “It was a late night…”
“I’ll just bet it was” she hissed, before turning to Allison and saying in a flat tone “Get out” and storming off back down the hall.
“Baby, please calm down, it’s not what you think” Tim tried again, but Iris couldn’t hear through her rage.
“Is this what you came to California for?” she shrieked. “To fool around on me? Do you honestly think I’m that dumb?
Now it was Tim’s turn to get angry. “I have been working nonstop since I got here. I haven’t even had time to socialize, except for drinks with a few close friends…”
“Oh yeah, how close is she” seethed Iris, looking back down the hall towards the guest room.
“Who? Allison? We just met…”
“Oh that’s really rich, Tim, and you expect me to believe you’re not sleeping with her? Especially with her long tan legs and her long blond hair and her California look…” Iris’ voice caught in her throat, and she looked away quickly, trying to conceal that her rage was turning to hurt.
Tim's cell phone jangled, and he shook his head at his wife as he turned to take the call. “Michael? Hi, what’s up?” she heard him say as he stepped out onto the patio and closed the slider. She tried to collect her thoughts, make some sense of it all. She had wanted to come home early, surprise him, tell him how much she missed him while she was in New York, how much she loved him…she caught her breathe in a hiccup as she thought that, and was sure she could feel something start to slip away, out of her control.
Tim came inside, waving his cell phone and stating “Studio. We start night shoots tonight” as an explanation. Iris said nothing; she just stared at him with her cold green eyes. He sighed, not knowing how to proceed, when Allison entered the kitchen. She nodded at Tim, and started to reach for her keys on the kitchen counter where she had left them the night before. Iris quickly snatched them from her reach, glaring at her, and squinting at the inscription on the keyring.
“Fidelity, huh? You’re married, and you’re sleeping with my husband, you call that fidelity?” She angrily tossed the keys back onto the counter, where they landed with a clatter.
Allison took a deep breath, and pocketed her keys before she spoke. Iris felt the other woman look her directly in the eye as she spoke:
“Lady, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Yes, I slept. Tim, did you sleep?” Tim nodded his head. “There you have it. We both slept. But not together. End of discussion.”
Iris’ mouth dropped open in surprise. No one dared to speak to her like that! ‘Who does she think she is?’ she thought. Allison turned to Tim and said “You have a 10 o’clock shoot. I’ll send Daniel back with a car at 8:30”. Tim started to say, “Allison, wait…” but Allison had turned her attention back to Iris. Looking at her directly again, she said “I’m sorry to have disrupted your homecoming”, and with a quick look back at Tim, she left the house.
Tim crossed over to his wife, putting his arm up to caress her shoulder, saying, “Baby, please, let me explain…:
“Don’t touch me” Iris said in a voice as cold as her eyes, as she shrugged him off. She went upstairs to the master suite, slamming the door behind her, just as the tears started to fall.
Later, after she had calmed down, Tim explained the prior evening’ events, and they had made love until sunset. After the car arrived to wisk him off to the studio, Iris found the business card in his pants pocket. ‘Allison James, Transportation Captain’, it read, with a studio number and a cell phone number listed. Iris made a mental note to call that number tomorrow.
**Allison**
Allison awoke around noon, hearing voices arguing, coming ever closer down the hall. Seconds later, the guest room door burst open.
“What!? Who is she, and why is she wearing your t-shirt?” the woman shrieked, as she pulled the comforter off the bed, exposing Allison’s bare legs to the cool air.
“Baby, please, I’m trying to explain…” he began. “It was a late night…”
“I’ll just bet it was” she hissed, before turning to Allison and saying in a flat tone “Get out” and storming off back down the hall. The shouting diminished, but Allison could still hear them arguing hotly as she quickly dressed in her bra, white shirt and dark pants. She carefully folded the comforter and Tim’s t-shirt and laid them carefully on the bed. Grabbing her cell phone off the nightstand, she quickly checked her messages, and returned 2 calls, before stepping barefoot into the hall and gathering her blazer and boots from the coat rack. She followed the sound of their voices to find them standing on opposite sides of the kitchen counter.
Allison spotted her keys on the counter where she left them the night before, and reached in front of the woman, who snatched them away at the last minute. Fingering the key ring, and squinting to read the inscription, she spat out “Fidelity, huh? You’re married, and you’re sleeping with my husband, you call that fidelity?” She tossed the keys back to the counter, where they landed with a loud clatter.
Allison took a deep breath, and pocketed her keys before she spoke. “Lady, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Yes, I slept. Tim, did you sleep?” Tim nodded his head. “There you have it. We both slept. But not together. End of discussion.” The woman’s mouth dropped open, not expecting such a calm, controlled response, as Allison turned to Tim and said “You have a 10 o’clock shoot. I’ll send Daniel back with a car at 8:30”. Tim started to say, “Allison, wait…” but Allison had turned her attention back to the woman, who still looked dumbfounded. Looking her right in the eye, she said “I’m sorry to have disrupted your homecoming”, and with a quick look back at Tim, she left the house.
She brought the Caddy to life, warming it only briefly before pulling out and driving towards the city. After a few minutes, she eased the car off the road, and put her head in her hands. 'Why was this happening?' she thought.
**Iris**
She was happy and excited to be home. But when she opened the door, and saw the boots and jacket, she was on alert. The keys on the kitchen counter. That’s when she knew the black Caddy STS in the driveway wasn’t her husband’s rental.
She felt herself start to lose it; how many times had she suspected his philandering, and now here she thought was the proof. Charging into the kitchen, she startled Tim who was brewing tea at the stove.
“Whose car is that” she demanded. Tim tried to collect himself, and steer the conversation. “Hi, honey, you’re home early!” He sounded surprised; surprised by what she immediately wondered, as she crossed the room quickly to confront him.
“Who?” she repeated. “What’s been going on out here?”
“It’s..it’s..someone from work, from the studio, just a..”
“Are bimbos part of your perks now?” Iris could feel her anger turn to rage, as Tim continued to stutter.
“No, honey, nothing like that…wait, what!? What do you mean by that” he managed to stammer, as he watched his wife storm into the hall and straight for the guest room where Allison was asleep.
“What!? Who is she, and why is she wearing your t-shirt?” Iris shrieked, as she pulled the comforter off the bed, exposing Allison’s bare legs to the cool air.
“Baby, please, I’m trying to explain…” Tim began. “It was a late night…”
“I’ll just bet it was” she hissed, before turning to Allison and saying in a flat tone “Get out” and storming off back down the hall.
“Baby, please calm down, it’s not what you think” Tim tried again, but Iris couldn’t hear through her rage.
“Is this what you came to California for?” she shrieked. “To fool around on me? Do you honestly think I’m that dumb?
Now it was Tim’s turn to get angry. “I have been working nonstop since I got here. I haven’t even had time to socialize, except for drinks with a few close friends…”
“Oh yeah, how close is she” seethed Iris, looking back down the hall towards the guest room.
“Who? Allison? We just met…”
“Oh that’s really rich, Tim, and you expect me to believe you’re not sleeping with her? Especially with her long tan legs and her long blond hair and her California look…” Iris’ voice caught in her throat, and she looked away quickly, trying to conceal that her rage was turning to hurt.
Tim's cell phone jangled, and he shook his head at his wife as he turned to take the call. “Michael? Hi, what’s up?” she heard him say as he stepped out onto the patio and closed the slider. She tried to collect her thoughts, make some sense of it all. She had wanted to come home early, surprise him, tell him how much she missed him while she was in New York, how much she loved him…she caught her breathe in a hiccup as she thought that, and was sure she could feel something start to slip away, out of her control.
Tim came inside, waving his cell phone and stating “Studio. We start night shoots tonight” as an explanation. Iris said nothing; she just stared at him with her cold green eyes. He sighed, not knowing how to proceed, when Allison entered the kitchen. She nodded at Tim, and started to reach for her keys on the kitchen counter where she had left them the night before. Iris quickly snatched them from her reach, glaring at her, and squinting at the inscription on the keyring.
“Fidelity, huh? You’re married, and you’re sleeping with my husband, you call that fidelity?” She angrily tossed the keys back onto the counter, where they landed with a clatter.
Allison took a deep breath, and pocketed her keys before she spoke. Iris felt the other woman look her directly in the eye as she spoke:
“Lady, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Yes, I slept. Tim, did you sleep?” Tim nodded his head. “There you have it. We both slept. But not together. End of discussion.”
Iris’ mouth dropped open in surprise. No one dared to speak to her like that! ‘Who does she think she is?’ she thought. Allison turned to Tim and said “You have a 10 o’clock shoot. I’ll send Daniel back with a car at 8:30”. Tim started to say, “Allison, wait…” but Allison had turned her attention back to Iris. Looking at her directly again, she said “I’m sorry to have disrupted your homecoming”, and with a quick look back at Tim, she left the house.
Tim crossed over to his wife, putting his arm up to caress her shoulder, saying, “Baby, please, let me explain…:
“Don’t touch me” Iris said in a voice as cold as her eyes, as she shrugged him off. She went upstairs to the master suite, slamming the door behind her, just as the tears started to fall.
Later, after she had calmed down, Tim explained the prior evening’ events, and they had made love until sunset. After the car arrived to wisk him off to the studio, Iris found the business card in his pants pocket. ‘Allison James, Transportation Captain’, it read, with a studio number and a cell phone number listed. Iris made a mental note to call that number tomorrow.