How Does She Do That?

Storyline: Was she a consummate actress or just a sociopath?

750 Word Project 2022

He had always enjoyed watching his wife. He had done it from their beginnings. He knew she was the one for him from the moment they met. Karen understood that he eyed her like this. Early in their marriage, she used to tease him by dressing and moving around provocatively, toying with his libido. But, that hadn't happened in a while now.

He was doing it again, but now it was different. Forty-two year old Thomas Jensen sat quietly at his kitchen table slowly sipping his bottle of beer while staring at his wife of eighteen years, Karen. He had been a broken and confused man. But now? Now it was time to fight back. He sighed and spoke softly to his wife's back as she stood at the sink rinsing dinner plates destined for the dishwasher. "How can you do it, Karen? How can you act so normal and caring towards your family, while having cheated on us for over three years?"

She dropped the plate she was washing into the farmhouse sink she loved so much, shattering it into a thousand pieces, just like she had done to her marriage. She gripped the counter so tightly with her hands, Thomas could see her knuckles turning white, but she didn't turn to him, nor did she speak.

"How can you gather us all on Sunday morning and lead us to church, while you fuck Kirk Jensen in sleazy motels for the past three years? How is that possible? Do you think God doesn't know? Or do you just not care?

"Are you an academy award-winning level actress, or a sociopath and I just never recognized it because I was blinded by love?" Still, nothing from her other than her shoulders sagging.

"What, you've got nothing to say? You aren't going to tell me how much you love me? Or, it didn't mean anything? Any of the hundreds of clichés your Ashley Madison account taught you?"

"I am sorry, Thomas. This doesn't involve the children though, let's be adults and leave them out of this." She didn't even have the decency to look at him when she said it.

"You know what, Karen? To show you how pathetic I am, for the sake of our children, I was going to let it go. I was just going to pretend it wasn't happening, and become part of your little fantasy world until Kimmie turned eighteen.

"And, I've already explained to them what is happening. It does concern them. Your cheating on me almost destroyed me. But, it has hurt them worse. How many of their milestones have you missed? You even fucking missed Jeffery's fifteenth birthday because you had to 'work late." Thomas almost broke down. His whole body was trembling in anger.

"But, then last week occurred, and it woke me from my own selfish misery. Do you even know what happened? You never even bothered to ask me why I left you several phone messages, texts, and emails." Karen was softly crying now.

"Your twelve-year-old daughter had her first period. It happened while she was at school and it terrified her. As the nurse, her teacher, and I tried to console her; between her tears, all she kept asking was where her mommy was?" Karen collapsed to the floor sobbing uncontrollably. Thomas felt nothing but contempt for her.

"Don't worry though; they were able to guide me through it. We spoke to Kimmie about how exciting it was for her to begin her transition into womanhood and she finally settled down. I took her to buy her First Period kit, by then she was just angry at you. How many words has she spoken to you recently? You have much deeper problems than my divorcing your pathetic ass.

"I wouldn't bother calling your lover. His wife is having this same conversation with him. She isn't as nice a person as I am. Did you know he has two pre-teen kids?"

Thomas rose and slapped a manila folder on the floor. "You've been served! He then bent down and whispered in his wailing wife's ear. If you so much as mention custody of the children, I will turn your life into a circus. If sometime in the future you can prove to me that you fully understand, and are genuinely remorseful for the evil you have brought upon your family, I'll help you re-establish your relationship with your children. Until then, I will be your worst fucking nightmare. Goodbye, Karen