Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
SHOWTIME
The street is busy.
Extension cords snake across the pavement.
Dean is carefully working his way along to ensure safety, which I’m sure will make Bill happy.
Kids chase each other between lawn chairs.
Someone burns popcorn.
Someone else is already arguing over what movie we’re watching.
Normal.
Almost painfully normal.
I balance Noah on my hip as we walk toward the crowd.
He laughs at the balloons tied to the mailboxes.
He has no idea tonight changes everything.
“For you,” I whisper. Then I pause. I fix the statement. “For us.”
When I spot Nikki, my heart jumps up into my throat.
She’s the kind of best friend every woman needs. The kind that will threaten to hurt your cheating husband, yes. But also the kind that when I texted her last night that I needed her here today, she rearranged her life, got on an airplane, and is now here to be in my corner.
Tears fill my eyes as she wraps her arms around me.
I chase them away and take a deep breath.
Nikki kisses Noah and he stares at her, smiling big, remembering his favorite auntie.
“You ready?” Nikki asks as she boops Noah on his little, button nose.
“If you’re talking to me, I’ve been ready for weeks.”
She looks at me. “I’m not leaving your side. We’re going to bury this son of a… this… guy…”
“Good,” I say.
A few minutes later, Vivian arrives.
Every woman needs a lawyer like Vivian. The one who doesn’t necessarily worry about charging by the breath.
The one who will show up when it’s showtime to bury your cheating husband.
Metaphorically, of course. Although I’m pretty sure that between both Vivian and Nikki, they would be happy to literally bury Gavin.
Vivian wears black slacks and a simple blouse. A leather portfolio under one arm.
She doesn’t look like someone coming to a neighborhood block party. She looks like someone who’s about to close a deal.
“You look composed,” she says to me.
“I’m secretly sick to my stomach.”
“Those things aren’t mutually exclusive.” She moves closer. “Remember.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“Facts,” she says.
“Not feelings,” I add.
She nods.
I smile.
Dean is now adjusting the projector.
Audrey is pouring coffee.
Mary is telling everyone they should’ve picked a more historical and educational movie.
Betty is carrying a paper plate piled with cake.
Life is just happening.
That’s what makes tonight feel so strange.
And everyone around has no idea my world is about to be split into two.
Gavin arrives.
And look at this—Paige is beside him.
She’s changed too. Into a nice summer dress. Her hair is done.
She looks absolutely beautiful, but maybe a little terrified?
Gavin catches my eye.
He smiles.
That same practiced smile he’s worn for months.
He comes over and kisses Noah on the head.
“Hey, buddy,” he says. He looks at me. “You okay?”
“I’m great,” I offer.
It’s probably one of the truest things I’ve said to him in weeks.
People are finally settling into lawn chairs.
Blankets are spread across the pavement.
The projector hums to life.
The giant white screen glows.
Dean steps toward the laptop. “Okay everybody…”
That’s when I hand Noah off to Nikki and clear my throat. “Actually…”
My voice is loud enough. Everyone looks my way.
This is it…
“I just need five minutes before we start the movie,” I call out.
There are some confused looks.
Audrey frowns a little.
Dean looks at me. Then at Vivian. Then back at me.
He quietly steps away from the laptop.
He doesn’t ask any questions.
He just gives me space.
I walk to the front.
The projector light catches my face.
For the first time in a while, I’m not hiding.
“I’m sorry. I know everyone is ready to watch a movie. I just realized I’ve been living inside a really bad movie.”
There’s silence.
I hold up the two flash drives.
One in each hand.
“They look identical,” I say. “But they are not.” I lower one. “This one contains proof that my husband has been having an affair with our nanny.”
There’s a collective gasp.
I keep going.
“My attorney…” I gesture toward Vivian. “… advised me to present facts.”
I plug the first drive into the laptop.
“Claire!” Gavin’s voice calls out. “What are you doing right now?”
The screen changes as I ignore my husband.
There’s security footage now playing.
Date. Time.
My living room.
Paige walks in.
And Gavin is there.
And he kisses her.
The gasps this time are even louder.
I keep going, not wanting Gavin to quickly hurry away from this scene.
He’s earned this moment. It really is his.
Another clip showing them in the kitchen, holding hands, foreheads touching.
“Getting an eyelash out of her eye, Gavin?” I call out.
More gasps. A couple chuckles.
Another…
Garage.
Another…
The deck.
I move faster, making sure each slide gets a second or two.
Kiss after kiss.
Captured moments.
All for the entire neighborhood to view.
And by the end, nobody is looking at the screen anymore.
They’re all looking at Gavin.
“Claire, this is?—”
“No,” I say. “You’ve done enough. You no longer get a say. Every word is nothing but a lie, Gavin.”
Next to him, Paige’s face twists as she starts to cry.
There’s nothing to deny. If they even think about it, I’ll just replay everything again.
There’s one more slide for me to show.
It shows the entire process of the camera. From purchase to installation to hiring Paige to the message to the video clips. And how it all lined up almost too perfectly. Simple and clean.
“I spent weeks thinking I needed more proof,” I call out. “I just needed to stop making excuses for someone who never stopped lying.”
Now I hold up the second flash drive. “This one will never be played.” I paused. “The recordings are private. They have nothing do with the truth everyone needed to hear tonight.” I look directly at Paige. “You and I have both made different choices.” She keeps crying. “But we’re still women.”
I walk toward her, everyone slowly standing, eyes following me.
They probably expect me to slap Paige across the face.
She’s earned it.
Instead, I place the flash drive into her hand.
“I won’t make these intimate parts of your life public,” I tell her.
She stares at me, stunned.
“You should decide what happens to those videos,” I say. “Not him.” I look at Gavin. “For once.”
The silence is intense.
Seconds tick by.
Betty stands up and looks at Gavin.
She looks down at the paper plate in her hand.
Then at Gavin again.
Without a single spoken word, she smashes the piece of cake against Gavin’s face.
Frosting. Strawberries.
“And now I’m mad at myself for wasting a damn good piece of cake on a fool like you,” Betty announces.
Mary is quick to fold her arms. “Told you. That rock n’ roll devil music did all of this!”
The tension cracks a little.
Gavin wipes frosting from his eyes. “This isn’t a joke.”
“No,” Nikki says as she steps up next to me, holding Noah. “It isn’t. You had a wife who trusted you.”
Everyone starts moving now, forming this gathering around me.
Choosing their side.
In a matter of seconds, Gavin and Paige are all alone.
Everyone is surrounding me. And my son.
Community doesn’t always announce itself. It just simply knows where to stand.
Vivian finally speaks. “Claire… I think we’re finished here.”
She takes out a piece of paper and hands it to Gavin.
He can study it all night, realizing he’s about to get his wish.
We will no longer be married.
Gavin grabs Paige’s hand and practically pulls her away. She stumbles and almost falls.
They storm off together.
I have no idea where they are going, nor do I really care.
I look around.
The projector is still glowing.
The movie never started.
Funny.
Neither did the life Gavin promised me.
I take Noah from Nikki and he wraps his arms around my neck.
I realize then that home doesn’t have to feel like a house.
It feels like the people who stayed.