Episode 85: Shelly and Gage

 

Episode 85: Shelly and Gage 

The heavy click of the dorm room door did little to shut out the echoes of Ted’s parting words. Shelly collapsed onto her bed, the white lace of her shirt—the very shirt she had foolishly unbuttoned in the bright coastal sun—now feeling like a shroud of her own making.

How had a morning that started with so much hope devolved into such utter ruin?

She stared at the ceiling, her chest aching with the suffocating weight of a promise she was bound by honor to keep. Just hours ago on North Beach, Gage had handed her a secret that answered every confusing signal of the past two days. He wasn’t looking at her with desire; he was looking at her with the relief of a man who finally found a friend he could trust. His revelation—that he was gay, and that the truth had already cost him his last job in Washington—had instantly shattered Shelly’s brief, misplaced fantasy. He wasn't her future. He couldn't be.

But Ted didn't know that.

Ted had only seen the laughter, the shared donuts, and the scandalous lack of a bra beneath her translucent shirt—a desperate, clumsy attempt on her part to see if she could still make a man's head turn after months of feeling discarded. In his eyes, Gage was the new, muscular threat, a legend-killer taking his place. And because Shelly had given her word to protect Gage from the ruin of exposure, she had stood there frozen, letting Ted walk away into the misty afternoon believing a lie. She was losing the only man she truly loved to protect a secret that wasn't even hers to tell.

Deciding she couldn't bear to face anyone else, Shelly stood up to change. She peeled off the white lace shirt and threw it aside, leaving her shivering slightly in the cool room. Shelly caught a glimpse of herself in the small dresser mirror, her eyes dropping to her bare chest. A wave of self-consciousness hit her like a physical blow. Ted had always been so gentle, so reassuring about her body; he’d never cared how small her chest was, always making her feel beautiful just as she was. And yet, in a moment of sheer panic, she’d bared herself to a man who couldn't even see her that way.

The irony was a sharp, twisting knife.

She kicked off her jeans, slipping into her comfortable pajamas, before reaching into her drawer for an oversized shirt. Slipping it over her head, she felt a desperate need for comfort. She pulled out the photo album from her bag—the one filled with the glossy remnants of her and Ted's wild ride that summer.

She flipped the pages, her fingertips tracing the edges of the pictures. There they were, laughing, soaked in sea spray, radiant with a raw passion and a wild, carefree fun that felt a lifetime away now. The memories didn't soothe her; they broke her. The tears leaked out again, hot and fast, blurring the faces in the photos.

The door creaked open, and Maria stepped into the room. She took one look at Shelly's tear-streaked face and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Shelly? What on earth happened?" Maria asked, her voice dropping its usual mischievous edge, replacing it with genuine concern.

Shelly’s throat locked up. A desperate urge surged within her to just open the floodgates—to scream the truth, to tell Maria everything about Gage, about the beach, about the impossible corner she’d been backed into. But she choked it down. In a place where gossip spread faster than the incoming tide, she didn't know who could be trusted anymore. A secret like Gage's could ruin a life, and she had given her word.

She forced herself to take a ragged breath, closing the photo album with a soft thud.

"Maria, I wish I could tell you," Shelly whispered, her voice trembling as she looked up. "I really wish I could, but I can't. Ted is... he's so angry with me. We were supposed to have a perfect day together today. A fresh start. But I was off joking and walking on the beach with Gage, and I lost track of time. Ted's utterly convinced something is going on. I assured him, Maria. I swear I assured him that I wasn't interested in Gage romantically, but... he didn't believe me."

Maria sat beside her on the edge of the mattress, the springs groaning softly under their weight. "So, you're really not interested in Gage?" she asked, studying Shelly’s face. "I mean, I like short men personally, so I wouldn't be interested in him either. But you don't have *any* attraction to him?"

"No, I really, really don't," Shelly pleaded, her voice thick with unshed tears. She reached out and squeezed the stuffed teddy bear that Ted had bought her over the summer, clutching it against her oversized pajamas like a shield. She looked up at Maria, her eyes wide and desperate, grasping at absolutely any straw she could find to fix things without breaking her promise to Gage. "Do you think... do you think it would help if *you* told Ted that you don't think I'm interested in Gage?"

Maria grabbed Shelly’s hands gently, shaking her head. "No, darling. Even if I said it, Ted would just think I was doing damage control for you. And truthfully, I haven't been around you and Gage long enough to know anything about how you two interact. If I'd actually seen you together, maybe then I could say something to him, but I just don't know."

Hearing the hard truth of it, Shelly began to cry all over again, the heavy tears soaking into the fur of the teddy bear.

Maria watched her for a moment, sighing softly as she stood up to get ready for her evening walk. She stripped down without a care in the world, grabbing her deodorant and rolling it on before spraying her favorite body scent through the air. She scooped up her denim shorts, underwear, shirt, bra, and socks.

Shelly watched her, a familiar knot tightening in her stomach. She honestly didn't like how comfortable Maria was with just stripping down anywhere. Maria always justified it, of course, waving it off with her usual line: *"We're all girls here, Shelly. I don't like girls, you don't like girls, so I don't see the problem."*

Maria vanished into the washroom to brush her teeth and fix her hair, coming out a few minutes later completely dressed. "Well, I'm out of here," she said, giving a sympathetic look. "I really wish I could help, darling." With a final wave, she slipped out the door.

The moment the door clicked shut, a sudden, violent wave of panic washed over Shelly. Her breath caught in her throat. Maria’s casual talk about the girls' communal changing and showering had just triggered a terrifying realization.

Gage.

Gage was living in the men's dorms. And right now, he would be showering and changing in the exact same shared bathroom area right beside Ted.

Shelly went completely pale, the blood draining from her face. *I never thought about this,* she thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. *What if... what if Gage's type is Ted?*

The room seemed to spin. She felt utterly nauseated and deeply confused, her mind racing through the dark implications. She was doing the honorable thing by keeping Gage's secret, but by staying silent, was she inadvertently allowing a man who was attracted to men to shower completely naked right beside the man she loved?

Episode 84: The Weight of Truth

🎬 Episode 84: The Weight of Truth 🌊

Sarah forced herself to stay locked completely in mother mode. 👩‍👦 For two agonizing hours, she poured every ounce of energy she had into Alice, desperate to build a wall of innocent, high-quality mommy-time to shield her little girl from the toxic tension suffocating the beach house. 🏡 She sat on the carpet shaking Alice's favorite toy, reading books, and handing over snacks, completely burying her own rising panic. 🧸 She even carried Alice out onto the deck, letting the little girl look out at the vast ocean, breathing in the salt air while seagulls circled and chirped overhead. 🌊🦅 To Alice, it was just a beautiful afternoon playing with her mother, entirely unaware of the world shattering right inside the glass doors. 💔

By the time they came back inside, Alice had drifted off, heavy and warm in Sarah's arms. 💤 Sarah carefully sank onto the couch, terrified to stir even an inch. She didn’t dare risk waking her; the rhythmic, gentle weight of her daughter napping against her chest was the only source of calm keeping Sarah from completely falling apart. 🧘‍♀️ And then, the heavy click of the guest bedroom door shattered the quiet. 🚪 Andrew walked out. He moved like a ghost through his own home, heading straight for the kitchen without a single glance in her direction. 👻

On pure autopilot, Andrew pulled two Hot Pockets from the freezer, shoved them into the microwave, and cracked open a cold Dr. Pepper. 🕒🥤 In the past, Andrew would have had his guard up. He would have been defensive, a little sharp, ready to fire back with an angry word. ⚡ But this time? He was just completely paralyzed by the betrayal. He didn't even know what to say to a wife who could look him in the eye and lie, not when he loved her this completely and the hurt was cut so deep. 🔪 He was just a man surviving the minute, relying on the numb routine of a microwave humming in the dark and a cold soda. 🍽️

Sarah could only sit there, trapped on the couch, watching him—knowing that if she moved even a fraction to bridge the distance between them, the baby would stir and break the fragile peace. 🛋️ Andrew got the Hot Tacos out, and carefully was eating them, chugging some soda with every bite of the Hot Pocket. 🌶️🥤 Sarah couldn't stand it anymore. She carefully got up, carefully moved every so patiently to the crib. 🛏️ She put her down in the crib. Alice squirmed, and Sarah's heart raced violently. 💓 *"Shh, little girl,"* she whispered. Alice didn't wake up. 🤫

Sarah then took two calm, deep breaths and walked up to the kitchen. 🚶‍♀️ She sat down and just looked at him. Andrew just finished the Hot Pockets, then drank another sweet gulp of his Dr. Pepper, leaned back, and looked at her. 🥤 "Well," he said. "I'll say it. Just tell me. Just tell me, be fully honest for once." 💬 That was like a knife blow to Sarah. 🗡️ It wasn't untrue. She had trouble with being fully honest in their marriage. 🕸️ She sat there wringing her hands, trying to think of what to say. 🤲

"Go ahead and let you tell me everything," Andrew said to her, his voice flat. "I want to interrupt, I want storm off like I have before." 🚪 He sat back in his chair and put his hands calmly flat on the table, too. 🪑 Sarah took a big deep breath to speak. She could see something in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. 👀 It was not anger. It was not anything that she'd ever experienced. It was the eyes of a Broken Man. 🏚️

"How it went..." she stammered, her voice shaking. "I was honestly going for the medical supplies and the cancer candy bars. 💊🍫 And once there, I did get the candy bars and the medical supplies, and I thought I will surprise you with your favorite donut. 🍩 So, I went to the shop that has donuts and lattes and ice cream and all that. I went there, ordered your favorite donut, got my favorite donut... I was just about to walk out when I heard somebody say, *'Hey, Sarah.'* Yes, it was Caleb." 👤

She took a deep breath before she continued. She thought in her mind, *this is not going to go well.* ⛈️ She started to tear up. 😢 "He asked how things are going, and yeah, I told him. Just casual, what was going on. And I was all set to go and go back to the house and have donuts together. 🍩🏡 But then, as I was walking out, he grabbed my hand and he said, *'Why don't we just go out to the beach and just catch up for like 15 minutes?'* You know, I knew it was wrong. I knew it was wrong, but catching up... I thought there was no harm in that, Andrew. I thought there was no harm. I was wrong." 🌊❌

She stammered on. "I... I just went with him down by the beach, and we sat like two feet apart..." She did a gulp until she took a breath. 😟 "We just talked about what's going on, really nothing personal. Then he said that he had ordered a book on the history of England, and I said that I have to review it, let him know if there is anything really wrong about it. 📚 And so I went over there, just... just... he said he only got 15 minutes to just show me the book and, you know, peruse it a little bit—" ⏳

Andrew cut it off. "Sarah, I told you I would not cut you off," he said in a slow voice. "But how did he know about the book, and how does he know it? You were going to go by, and how do you know all of that if you have not talked to him since I kicked him out of the house?" 🏠🥾 Sarah wanted to go hide under the chair. 🪑 If her face could go more pale, it would have at this point. 🥶 She was inadvertently revealing another lie—that she did not talk to Caleb anymore. She had said that when they were working on stuff regarding their marriage, she stayed in and was not communicating with him anymore. That lie was out in the open now. 🔓

"Well," she muttered, "I've been communicating with him off and on. Nothing... nothing inappropriate, just weather and some facts about England and just casual stuff." 🌤️ "Hold on," Andrew said. "Let me see your phone."📱 She pushed over her phone. He opened it up and scrolled down. "I don't see his name." Andrew could have looked at that point at all the messages, but he simply slid it back over to her. 🔄 "Well, I have it under the name Denise," she blurted out. "I can show you all the text. It was nothing, like, it's just casual, you know, just casual conversations." 💬

"So you've been communicating with him all this time," Andrew said quietly. "You know what a violation that was. You know with my phone... I have given you the password to my phone, I never hide it. 🔑 I never use it when you're not around quietly, because I have nothing to hide right now. You can just go to every part of my phone. I'm not spoken to another girl. I haven't." 🙅‍♂️ He looked right at her. "I severed contact with that nice nurse that took care of me in the motel. 🏨 When I was on my deathbed, I didn't stay in contact with her. I never even got... I didn't save her whole number when I left the hotel. I sure did erase all her phone number and everything." ❌📞

"And not because I was trying to hide anything," Andrew continued, "because I told you about the nurse I gave money to for saving my life. I did it because I didn't want anything to come between us and reuniting as a couple once I revealed that I was still alive." ❤️‍🩹 Sarah tried to speak up, but Andrew silenced her. 🤫 "You should know, she is very beautiful and very caring. And it was obvious that she had this desire for me. 🌹 I should have stayed in bed at least two or three days more. But when I saw that in her eyes—that she quite attached herself to me in that short span—it wasn't medically great for me to do, but I left a note, hobbled my way out, and hitchhiked my way up to Astoria." 🧳👍

"I could have stayed in contact with her," Andrew whispered, "but I didn't. Not because of anything else, but because I value our marriage. While you were subtly, and not so subtly, pointing out my abnormal qualities, my entire focus was to get back home to see you and our girl. 🏡 Okay, I'm done. You can go on with your explanation." 🛑 The words made Sarah feel like absolute trash. 🗑️ She knew before that a nurse secretly tended to him in a motel in Seaside, but she didn't know anything else. The fact that the nurse was really attractive, really loving, and had a crush on him—and he walked away, endangering his health to get away so he wouldn't do anything perceived as breaking their marriage—that was like a knife driven into her soul. 🗡️💔

Sarah tried to clear her head, still processing everything. "Because... because we were still processing everything," she stammered. "So we walked to his house, moving into his porch. He says, *'Sit here on the couch,'* and he poured me a glass of wine, red wine, and poured a glass for himself. 🍷 He asked me to help find the book. Then he found the book and we were looking over the pages... and he likes to talk with his hands. So accidentally, he splashed his wine against me. My jeans and my shirt." 👕👖

Andrew interrupted. "Then you got up and said, *'I have to go home to Andrew,'* and now you're here. Wait, I want you to explain why you're wet, exactly. Go on. I said I wasn't going to interrupt. I find it tough not to do so." ⏳ Sarah took a panicked breath. 😰 "Well, the wine was staining my pants, staining my shirt. You know how wine is if you don't get it out right away..." She looked down, tears in her eyes. 😢 "He suggested that if I washed it out right away, it wouldn't stain the clothes. So..." She took a deep breath and looked down, unable to look him in the eyes. "I took off my jeans for him to wash the stain out... and my shirt. I gave him my shirt to have him wash it out then. But then I got under a blanket, and he rinsed them out and placed them next to his heater to have them dry out." 🚨

Andrew interrupted again. "But then you realized, this is a bad thing. So you put on your wet clothes and you're out of there." 🚪 "I was just thinking," Andrew said, his voice dropping. "Why, with the wine, I would have a different solution to all this. Hear me out, Sarah. Wine gets spilled on you. You say, *'Excuse me, I'm going to wash this out,'* and you go into the bathroom and wash it out. Then you put your clothes back on and then return home. That way, you're not half-naked in a living room with a guy. Didn't you think of that? It's logical to me." 🧠 He sighed. "Here I go, interrupting you again. I'll stop. Go on." 🤐

The logic rang in her mind. Oh, that was so obviously the solution. But she thought, *I was not thinking appropriately.* 🧠❌ She took another deep breath and said, "Yes, that would again be a better solution. And then... yes, I was shivering a bit, and he put a movie on since the clothes weren't dry yet. 🎬 We were just going to watch part of the movie... and he said I looked cold, so he got under the blanket with me." 🛌 Her voice was fluctuating fiercely. "I put the movie on... and after being up early making breakfast for you guys and not sleeping well that night, I was very tired. So... I fell asleep in his arms." 💤 Sarah bit her lip because of the tension. What she was going to say next would be true, but devastating to utter aloud. 💥

Andrew spoke up, his voice a hollow whisper. "So... you woke up, realized this was a bad situation, put on your wet jeans and your shirt, grabbed the bag of groceries, and came home to me." 🛍️ He desperately wanted that to just be the end of the revealing. 🙏 Sarah swallowed hard. "Well... see, there's one more thing." Tears were now streaming down her face, and she wiped them away with every word. 😢 "I fell asleep... and you know how every time you and I watch a movie together, I fall asleep? Together, you wake me up with a kiss. 💋 So it's like habit... and it's no excuse, but I was groggy, I was tired, and I didn't even open my eyes. I forgot where I was at because I was so tired. I felt someone kissing me... and I thought it was you, Andrew. Honestly, there's no lie. I was waking up from being asleep, and without even opening my eyes, I thought it was you. I am so sorry... I kissed him back, but I thought it was you. I'm not lying. I thought it was you." 😭

The tears were falling down her face even faster. "And... and Caleb put his hand on my breast. His hand... it was so soft. 👋 That's when I opened my eyes, Andrew. Because I knew it wasn't you... because you don't have soft hands. When I opened up my eyes..." She leaned forward in her chair. "Then I told him I was going, that I was going back to the house with my husband and my girl. And so I got my clothes on, got my shoes on, my shirt on, and then bolted out of there. And went home. That's the full story, Andrew." 🚪🏃‍♀️

Andrew's eyes were swelling with tears, but he held them back, looking completely broken. 🏚️💧 "Thank you, Sarah. For finally telling me the truth. I finally believe you're telling me the truth." He paused and took a deep breath. "I acknowledge it was hard to do. But now... I have a few questions. You don't have to answer them right now, but I have a few questions for you. Question one. I know that women, much like guys, have fantasies in their head. Recently... have those fantasies been about me, or Caleb?" 🤔 Sarah swallowed hard. In all honesty, she answered, "Recently... Caleb. But it's just... I don't know why. It wasn't right. But I'm telling you the truth." ⚖️

Andrew leaned forward in his chair. "Okay. Let me ask you a follow-up question. How many times in the last week did you think... how should I put it? How many times," he asked, "in that week... any fantasies involving you and me... did you have?" 📅 With tears streaming down her face, her voice reduced to a tiny, broken whisper, she said, "None, Andrew." 🙅‍♀️

"Another question. Let's... let's not beat around the bush, Sarah. You know my feelings for you. And what I've done to keep this family intact. 👨‍👩‍👧 Everything with Jean-Paul back in Italy... that's all forgiven and everything. And everything I did with... you know who... it pains me to even say her name. You forgave me of that. So we had a fresh, clean slate. At least, I thought we did. Everything was forgiven, and we could move forward in trust and love. ❤️ The question I have for you—and I don't want an immediate answer, I want you to really think about this, Sarah. Do you want a divorce? So you can get together with somebody more your age?" 📜

She started to speak up, but he silenced her. 🤫 "I'm not coming at this from anger. I'm just sad... sad that I can't be enough for you. But I still love you so much. If you can only be happy with somebody else... I can understand if that age gap is too much for you. If it is, I won't make it hard. If you choose to leave, I won't make it difficult... and I'll miss you. I'll miss my daughter." 💔

Andrew took a shaky breath. "Hold on... you may not be hearing what I'm saying. If you choose the single life... I know you don't need it, but I will support you financially. 💰 But it would be way too devastating to see you going on with life without me, and possibly dating other guys. It would be too painful to only spend a week on, and a week off, with my little girl. 👧 So... the only way to do this... you can make whatever story up. Your daddy was in the military, and he passed away. And then, whatever you do with your life... she'll at least hold me in honor. 🎖️ I can't bear to be around you if we divorce, because I still love you so much. That's how it would have to be." 🕊️

Hearing this, Sarah didn't know if she could feel any worse, but that statement was so profound. 🏔️ He was going to let her have everything she wanted. If she wanted a divorce, if she wanted a new life, he was going to step away. His only condition was that she had to paint Andrew as a really good, loving father who got killed in a war, and that's why he's not here. 🎖️🖤 The fact that he was going to do all this for her happiness was a devastating reality that she was faced with. She collapsed onto the table, completely unable to move, crying uncontrollably. 😭 Andrew quietly got up. He went to the fridge. He didn't normally drink, but he pulled out a Corona, sliced some lime, pushed it into the bottle, and walked out onto the deck. 🍺🍋 He closed the door behind him, leaving her alone in the dark. 🚪🌃

Need a little something, No Reservations

 

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