Betrayal
Peter raised his hand in farewell:
“Right then, Rosemary, I’m off! I’ll transfer the money to Mumdont worry.”
The door slammed behind him, and Rosemary sank onto the stool, suddenly bursting into tears.
“Mum, whats wrong?” Her son appeared in the kitchen. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” she muttered, ashamed of her weakness. “Just feeling a bit down, love. The boys are away at Grans.”
“No,” Dominic insisted, folding his arms. “People dont cry like that over a bad mood, and you chat to Joe and Christina every day. Im not a kid anymore, Mum. I can tell when somethings off.”
Rosemary looked at her sixteen-year-old, already taller than her, and blurted out the fear shed refused to admit even to herself:
“I think your dads about to leave us.” She caught his stunned expression and added quietly, “Hes been lying to me. For months now”
Dominic froze. Hed expected work stress or a spat with a friendbut this? His own father? Heat rose in his chest, and his mother saw it.
“Dom, dont. These things happen between adultsyoull understand one day. Your dads a good man, but hearts dont listen.”
Even as she spoke, Rosemary hated her own words. She wanted to scream, smash thingsyet here she was, telling her eldest to forgive him! Dominic clenched his fists.
“Let him go then! Well manage without him. Whys he still swanning about here?”
“Love, you say youre grown, but this is childish. Everyone makes mistakes, dont they? This fling will pass. Were his real family”
“Mum,” Dominics voice cracked, “How could he? Ill never respect him again.”
“Itll work out, love.” She squeezed his hand. “Dont tell your brothers, alright?”
“You either,” he wiped his eyes. “They shouldnt lose faith in him yet.”
Rosemary glanced at the clock.
“Shouldnt you be at football?”
Dominic jumped up.
“Blimey, Im late!”
Alone, her calm shattered. The kitchen walls echoed as she sobbed:
“How could he throw away everything we had?”
When theyd met, Peter was a reckless charmer, always surrounded by “little birds.” When Rosemary refused to be just another, hed sworn:
“Why ‘another’? Youd be the only one. For life.”
Seventeen years, three kids, vows through thick and thinand still he betrayed her.
It started six months ago. Maybe earlier? Noshed have noticed. His nephews wedding. She couldnt attend, but insisted Peter go despite his token protests. Later, scrolling through wedding photos online, she spotted a woman clinging to him in every shot. When she mentioned it, hed laughed:
“Who? Oh, the brides mate. Dunno why she kept hoveringwait, are you jealous?” Hed grinned. “Shes not even my type!”
Shed believed himthe woman really wasnt his usual style. But within weeks came odd callsheavy breathing then silence. Rosemary complained:
“Some girl keeps ringing and hanging up. Probably one of Doms lot!”
The calls stopped abruptly, but she didnt connect it to their chat. Not until Petera jeans-and-jumper blokestarted wearing suits and expensive cologne instead of that cheap aftershave. And the “late nights at the office.” When confronted, hed said earnestly:
“Big project, Rosy! Once its done”hed closed his eyes dreamily”Well holiday wherever you fancy, get that fur coat you wanted, Domll have his scootermaybe even a quad bike! Just hang in there.”
Soon, his “late nights” bled into weekends. One minute packing for a family hikenext, his phone rang.
“Work emergency. You know how it is”
Rosemary longed to find that wedding woman, drag her by the hairbut she never learned her name.
Six months of this left her a wreck. Tonight, after confessing to Dominic, she resolved:
“Ill confront him properly. Before Dom grows to hate him.”
Peter beat her to it. He called, insisting on a restaurant:
“Need to talk. Without the kids.”
She almost laughedhe knew shed never make a scene in public.
At first she considered turning up in wellies, just to shame him. Then spent ninety minutes preening:
“Let him see what hes losing.”
The cabbie watched her in the mirror. Paying, he suddenly said:
“Pretty thing like you shouldnt be sad. Chin upitll sort itself.”
The unexpected kindness lifted her mood slightly. Entering the restaurant, she even smileduntil she spotted Peter holding a rose. A farewell gift? Flowers for their loves grave? The macabre thought almost amused her.
Dinner dragged with small talk. Inside, she coiled like a spring. Finally:
“You said we needed to talk.”
Peter nodded, hesitating:
“Right. Well Rosy, howd you feel if we skipped holidays and the fur coat?”
The spring tensedbut he continued:
“Got nearly double pay today with the bonus. ThoughtDoms sixteen now What if we put it towards a flat for him? By eighteen, with this investment, itd be his. Good idea?”
“I see,” she said calmlythen froze. “Waita WHAT?!”
“Youve not heard a word! Lately youre miles away. Whats going on?”
Peter shouted all the way homerestrained indoors, explosive on the street:
“Have you lost the plot?! What affair? I explained the project! You never objectedI bragged about my understanding wife! And this is your ‘understanding’? Accusing me over nothing!”
She barely heard the tirade, walking beside him with a growing smile. His outrage sounded like music now. At their doorstep, Peter finally paused:
“Didnt I swear you were my one and only? Have I ever lied to you?!”
[…]
Dominics day had unravelled completely. Late to training, scolded by the coach, then a pointless row with a mate over nothing. Hed wandered streets till dark, wishing some thug would pick a fightanything to unleash this fury. Finding his parents kissing on the doorstep, his blood boiled. After all that talk of betrayalthis?! He stepped forward, fists clenched
“Ah, son,” Peter said, slightly flustered. “We were just”
[…] Well. Alls well that ends well, eh?
