"You can't just stay out all night and not let us know where you are!" Erin screamed at him. They were in the middle of an argument that they seemed to have everyday.
"I was just at Molly's!" Jay yelled. Of course Erin thought, like every other night for the past month.
"You're there every night Jay!"
"I know, I just need to get away from everything," Jay admitted tiredly.
"Away from everything? Away from me? Your family?" Erin asked, her voice cracking on the last word. Erin and Jay's fighting woke up their baby. Erin heard the soft padding of her daughter's footsteps and looked down the hallway. Lily walked out of her room crying.
"Mommy?" Lily cried.
"Baby, what are you doing up?" Erin asked as she leaned down to pick her up. Lily is a beautiful three years old girl with dirty blond hair and big brown eyes. Erin rocked back and forth, soothing her girl to sleep. Lily drifted off quickly with her head on her mom's shoulder and her thumb in her mouth. Erin looked over at Jay.
He was rummaging through the fridge.
"Where's the beer?" Jay asked.
"Are you kidding me Jay? What is wrong with you?" Erin started to cry, she just didn't get it.
"I don't get it!" she sobbed, "You have been so weird and distant lately, and I try to talk to you about it, but you wont, and you go to Molly's all night every night, and .. and you don't even care that our fighting woke up our daughter!" she was having trouble speaking now.
"Nothing's wrong Erin"
"No everything's wrong! This isn't like you!" she said shaking her head, the tears flowing freely now, "Did you just decide that this isn't enough for you anymore? You don't want a wife or a ... a family… do we just not make you happy? Are you tired of being a husband and a father?"
"I don't know!"
"You don't know? How could you not know, Jay! Is there someone else?" Erin looked completely heartbroken. Her face was now stained with tears. Lily was now waking up again in Erin's arms. Lily knew something was wrong and she started to cry too.
Erin tried to comfort her, but with her own tears it wasn't doing much.
Jay reached out his arms to hold Lily. If things were like normal, Erin would have given Lily to Jay in heartbeat. She always calmed down in her daddy's arms.
But things were not normal.
Erin backed away from him.
"I'm sorry Erin, I didn't mean .." She cut him off.
"I think you should leave," Erin said coldly. Her arms held protectively around her baby girl.
"Okay, fine."
Jay left his apartment and closed the door behind him. He walked away to the sound of his girls crying. He asked himself why he didn't just tell her the truth?
Erin watched the door close and was left with a devastating feeling.
