The Game of Lying
Maryann heard the front door shut. She only sighed and turned back to her book. It was around midnight, maybe later. Maryann was already in bed, but could not fall asleep yet. Richard called hours ago to tell her he was working another late night. She knew it was a lie. He had been lying to her for months now. A business trip meant shacked up in a motel somewhere with Veronica, last minute meetings were last minute plans to be with Tiffany, and a late nights at work meant a late night with his secretary. Maryann became used to these lies. When she figured it out, it hurt her, but the pain did not really start until the detective she hired had pictures of all three women. The day she found out, Maryann was ready to confront Richard, but then she thought about her son, their son. He was only ten. That is when she drowned the pain with a martini, then two, then three.
The lies continued and so did the pain and the martinis. And she began to realize, the more he lied, the more she played along. All the lying became like a game of playing pretend.
"You're up?" Richard walked into the bedroom, noticing Maryann reading her book.
"I can't sleep," she said and looked down at her book while Richard began to get ready for bed. "Did you get all your paper work done?"
"What? Oh, yeah I took care of it." He said.
"You've been working a lot lately." Maryann put her book down and looked over at Richard, "I feel like I never see you." She gave a half smiled, so he knew she was not too angry at him.
"I know. I'll try to work less, but tomorrow I have a meeting, they just told me about it today." He sat down on the bed and got under the covers next to his wife.
"Another meeting?" She sighed, a hint of anger in her tone.
"Look, Maryann, it's not like I want to be there. I want to be home with you and Justin but I have to work." He said. She nodded, going along with the lies, the game.
"I know…I love you." Now she was lying as well.
"I love you too." He kissed her forehead and laid down. Maryann wondered when the game would end or, how it would end. She knew this could not go on forever, but until then she was going to drown the pain and keep on playing.