How to Tell

Sloan burrowed under the thick cable knit throw. Her hands peeked out strangling a cup of hot peppermint tea as a book rested on her bent knees. These were her comfort items for cold winter nights, but tonight it was her heart, not the weather that felt the chill.

Perhaps she should have swapped the tea for wine to dull the ache. She couldn’t even escape into the story for relief without her mind drifting back to the scene she’d seen through the restaurant window. His hands were all over another woman. She’d never seen him so… so horny.

Argh! Her stomach protested in disgust for the umpteenth time since she had fled for the safety of her bed. But it wasn’t safe. She would have to leave it sometime.

Buzzing on the nightstand drew her attention. ‘Mom’. She couldn’t answer it. How was she going to tell her? What would she say? She couldn’t do this over the phone. She turned it face down as if she could escape the inevitable.

How do you tell your mother that you caught your father cheating?

by Debbie Gravett © 2020.02.05