The Storm Part 2

She knows.

She knows.

I can tell from the way she looks at me that she knows. She’s got that glint in her eyes. Oh God. This is not good. She can’t know much. But I’d be stupid to underestimate her.

She knows something, I don’t know exactly which part, but she knows. There has been absolutely no escape from her gaze tonight. Even when I’ve not been in the same room, I can still feel her eyes burning me. And that’s all she has done tonight, all the way through this whole ridiculous party. How much does she know? There are so many lies now, it’s hard to keep track.

The party is my wife’s doing. I still don’t know why this party is happening. Obviously, it’s my birthday, but it’s not a birthday that demands this type of party. I don’t even want to know how much it’s all cost. It’s just going to be something else I have to fix, although I’m running out of flex to fix things.

I see Marcus is here too. He came in late, installing himself on a table near the back of the room. Another person that knows more than I’d like, but he’s controllable. What I don’t like is they are both here. She’s on one side of the room, he’s on the other. No way to easily duck out now, unless I’m jumping out of the sea view windows onto the cliffs. Life isn’t bad enough for that.

I wonder if Marcus knows her, she hasn’t paid him much attention, but I can tell he’s intrigued by her. She is intriguing, and her reputation precedes her. I’ve admired her crusades against the devious and delinquent. My wife particularly likes her, they have lunches frequently. She probably helped plan this party. But what does it mean that her gaze is now on me?

It's time for the speeches. Why are we having speeches at a birthday party? Marcus raises his glass in a toast to me, I nod and smile back. He then looks over the room at her, why?, and raises her a toast. She returns the compliment. These are the two people I don’t want in the same building let alone the same room trading toasts. Marcus gets up, glances at me, and he heads to the balcony.

And then my wife makes the announcement. The impossible announcement. That my wife is 3 months pregnant, and this whole birthday party was a ruse to tell me. How can my wife be pregnant? I took precautions. It’s not mine. As my wife hugs me, I catch a glance at back at her over the room, she is grinning, she knew.

So, who else has my wife been sleeping with? Another problem to deal with. I fake the smiles, hugs and gushes, and see out the corner of my eye that she’s gone outside to join Marcus on the balcony.

Dear God, that’s the last thing I need, those two comparing notes.