“What the hell did I just do?” Billy was lost for thought.
He was dreaming, that had to be it! Just a dream – no party, no guests, no reciprocation of a secretive kiss he never wanted. Roxie was nothing, just a ditzy co-worker that always got a little too close at work and wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Was this her goal,” he asked himself, “to ruin my perfect life?” Billy took a deep breath and opened his eyes – he had to make Mira see this for what it was, a stupid mistake.
Mira was not happy to see her husband walk into their bedroom. “What do you want? Have some other news you’d like to share that will make this night even worse?”
“Mira, please – hear me out?” He had never noticed the laugh lines starting to form around her mouth or the little crows feet around her eyes. The stress of raising two little girls was beginning to show, she looked tired and fed up.
“There’s nothing you can say, Billy. I saw everything,” she didn’t bother wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“You can’t see anything, Mira!” Billy was annoyed, why couldn’t she just listen. “What happened was a slip up, a stupid one-time deal. I don’t care about Roxie, heck I don’t even like her as a person that much! She’s crass and obnoxiously loud and flirts with all of the guys in the band. She’s just a stupid girl.”
“A stupid girl that all of the guys in the band kiss? Or is that just your job?” Nothing Billy could say would make this any better.
“No, I swear that’s never happened before tonight. I don’t even know why it did, Mira! But I do know that Roxie means nothing to me, you’re my wife, and I love you,” Billy spoke quietly, intensly – the thought of a life without her was flowing through his mind and he hated it.
Mira put her head in her hands, pulling her hair. “How could you do this to us, Billy,” she spoke through tears. “I don’t know where to go from here – our poor girls saw the whole thing.”
“I’ll talk to them,” Billy attempted to console his weeping wife. “I’ll tell the girls I screwed up, it was just a stupid thing dads do sometimes.”
“You’ll leave them alone!” Mira felt herself transforming into a mother bear protecting her cubs. “They’re confused enough as it is, seeing you talk to another woman the way you’re supposed to talk to me.”
“Mira, they’re my daughters! I want to help them understand that it was a mistake – you and the girls are the most important thing in my life, I have to right my wrongs. Can’t you let me try and do that?” Billy was hurting, he knew he deserved it, but it didn’t make the pain any less sharp.
“I don’t know if I even want to, no. Why should my daughters have a man in their life that’s just going to hurt them?” Mira wished she had swallowed her words the moment she let them slip.
“Baby, please,” Billy didn’t even try to hold back the tears now. “I love you – you are my world. I have never done anything intentional to hurt you, and I am so incredibly sorry for what took place tonight.”
“Then why did it take place, Billy?” Mira felt guilty for being so harsh to the man she loved so deeply.
“I honestly don’t know, I wasn’t myself. I was annoyed at all the people, she listened to me complain, it was comforting. I screwed up, I know,” he would put his heart on his sleeve to keep her. “Please don’t take away my girls, please don’t take away the only thing I’ve ever loved.”
Billy pulled Mira into his arms before she could fight him off – even though in her rage, Mira felt comfort in being so close to him in that moment. “I love you, Mira Shaw, you are the only woman I will ever want.”
“I know, Billy, I know,” Mira whispered to him, but in her mind she wondered if it was really true. “We’ll get through this somehow, the girls need you.” And so do I, she reminded herself.
Bella fought to see her homework through her tear-filled eyes. She hated that she could hear every word her parents said, but it was like a train wreck, she just couldn’t get herself to tune out the yelling no matter how hard she tried. Why had daddy kissed that woman, she asked herself, did he not love mom anymore? And what was mom going to do, kick him out, or forgive him and let him stay? “I hope daddy stays - I hope we can be happy again,” she said aloud as she dabbed at the water spots on her paper.
Billy felt like crap the next morning. Mira let him sleep in their bed to save face in front of their children, but she didn’t speak to him and turned her back to him all night. He couldn’t sleep without being wrapped around her – Lord knows he didn’t try.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make her see what a good man I am,” he made a goal for himself. “If we can get through today, that will be a good start.”
Billy began with Mira’s beloved garden. He watered the wilting plants and carefully pulled every weed from the dirt. Getting his hands and knees dirty made him feel accomplished, and it felt good to be so close to the things that Mira loved so much.
Next was the broken dishwasher. Mira had been nagging for several days now about the water slowly pooling on the kitchen floor and Billy had been too lazy to fix it. “Not today,” Billy told himself proudly, “I am determined to show that woman how much this family means to me.”
Not wanting to press his luck too soon, Billy decided it was best to give Mira and the girls some space after they got home from work and school and made his way to a park to relax with a book and his thoughts. He was happy to let his mind wander to the story, trying to forget about the previous night’s events and what it might mean for his future.
“Bella, what do you think is going to happen between Mom and Dad?”
“I don’t know, Abby. I hope everything works out though, I don’t want to have to go back and forth all the the time.”
“Me neither, I love our family being here together,” Abby sighed. She put on a happy face, but inside she was confused and sad.
The drama in the house brought the girls closer than ever, they were the best of friends and shared all of their deepest fears and desires. They told themselves that no matter what happened between their parents, they would always have each other.
“Mom, when is dad coming home?” Bella was concerned, Billy didn’t come home at all last night.
“Daddy stayed at a friend’s house last night. He wanted to give us time to relax and cool off, I’m sure he’ll be home soon honey,” Mira hated seeing her baby girl so worried.
“You promise he’s coming home?”
“I promise – daddy loves us, he’ll be home.”
Billy had indeed stayed at a friend’s house that night. Yuri was a good friend despite his flirtatious advances on Billy’s wife, and he didn’t hesitate when Billy asked if he could crash on his couch. But Yuri’s personality was a little more than Billy could handle given the circumstances, so as a soon as he woke up it was off to a local park to strum away some of his worries.
He drew quite a crowd, and the hoots and hollers of admirers made him forget his present drama for a little while. It was nice to learn his talent was starting to gain followers and he hoped Mira would see his shot at fame and fortune as a good reason to stick around.
After staying after class to help the teacher clean up, Bella hoped she would arrive home to discover Billy there, spending quality time with Mira.
Unfortunately for Bella, the only people she came home to were Mira and Abby, playing tag in the yard. She skulked inside without saying “Hello,” and Mira decided it best to give her time to herself. Abby seemed to be handling the situation better than her sister and wanted to talk about what was going on, so Mira focused her attention on the daughter she could help.
Even though she was happy to get some quality time with her daughters, she was relieved when Billy came back home later that evening.
“I was starting to get worried you weren’t coming back,” Mira confided.
“Of course I was going to come back! I just thought I would give you and the girls some time to yourselves. I would never go away for good,” Billy calmed her nerves as best he could.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” Mira wrapped her arms around him before he finished speaking. He was surprised, but the last thing he wanted was for her to let go.
The Shaws ate breakfast together the next morning for the first time in what felt like weeks. The girls told stories about friends at school while their parents laughed along, randomly sneaking glances at one another. It felt like home again.
“I really missed you,” Mira lovingly told Billy after the girls left for the park.
“I missed you too, baby. You’re the only one I want,” Billy felt like this was too good to be true.
“I think it’s time we do a little making up, don’t you?” Mira looked longingly into his eyes.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Though things weren’t perfect, they were definitely headed that direction. Billy hoped Mira would give him the rest of her life to try.
Those poor kids. Mira sort of over-reacted, but I’d have probably done the same.
This story is really great, but I am worried for Mira and Billy. I really hope they can see through all this drama and stay together.