"Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself..."
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Michonne and I were friends. We had met almost four years ago in Japan. Our friendship developed naturally. Really organic. I was confident I was her new best friend if not her only friend. We took to each other rather quickly.

I have never had a relationship with another female that didn't bring drama, and I was surprised when it happened with Michonne. She was an officer's wife. I was married, and I am still married to a former enlisted.

We were not permitted to have a friendship. Officers and an enlisted were not supposed to intermingle and that included their spouses. Other officers wives held to that rule as if an enlisted wife had the plague of some kind. Not Michonne. She never treated me like that. Michonne and I were like kindred spirits. I loved to cook, and she loved to eat.

I loved cooking, and Michonne was willing to taste and give her approval. She would go off base with me to find ingredients that weren't available inside the commissary. We shopped. I treated her to dishes she never knew existed or that she would like and she treated me to spa days, nails and feet. I love luxury. I just couldn't afford it as often, and it was really lovely of Michonne to offer.

Michonne began confiding into me things about her life and her marriage. I was surprised by how she described Mike in the beginning. He was such a romantic. He gave Michonne lots of attention and then the story changed. It was gradual. She began to mention him less. I would still talk about Daryl and how we really would love to open a restaurant once his time was up in the military. We both didn't have any children, and it permitted us to have almost unlimited, unencumbered time together.

Michonne had told me about a crush she was developing and how she'd never felt like a dorky school girl, not since she was a dorky school girl.

I knew who it was because she told me. She had told me after they had already slept together. That was a tough time for all of us. It wasn't just hard for the people that were involved with each other, but it was also tough for us, the friends. Lori was my friend too.

This thing that was going on really tested all of our friendships. It made me take a long hard look at myself also.

I was surprised, angry, and honest with Michonne. I was really surprised she found a guy like Rick attractive. I was mad at her that she wouldn't stop. Once...we all make mistakes, but it was a continuous thing between them.

Infidelity in the military wasn't the rule, but it sure was the way of life for most. No one was immune. It was a plague due to accessibility fueled by distance and time we had to spend away from our loved ones. Sometimes it was six months at a time if we weren't fortunate to follow the ship or meet them at their location somehow some way.

I understood, but I didn't at the same time. It didn't mean I didn't love my husband more where it wouldn't happen to him or me, it just meant how do you betray someone you promise to love and respect? I just couldn't wrap my mind around it.

"Michonne, you need to stop. You need to just ignore him. Focus on your marriage. Focus on Mike because Rick is not going to leave Lori. They have two kids together. She just had Judith."

My words were falling on deaf ears as I look at it now.

"I know."

"Please think of it from Lori's side. Think of it from where you stand with Mike. Would you want a woman still pursuing your husband?"

"You make it seem like I am alone in this. Rick is calling me too."

"I don't give a damn, Michonne. Why are you answering his calls? Why are you entertaining him? End it!"

I was hard on Michonne.

I believed she needed to slow down and take a look at the bigger picture. What I didn't realize was how wide open Rick had Michonne and vise versa.

It was reckless.

Michonne had no regard, and neither did Rick after a while. I mean, shit got real ugly real fast, and it was probably why Rick didn't re-enlist. He was hell-bent on being with Michonne.

Anyone with an ounce of sense knew his military career would not survive if he didn't break it off, especially with Lori ready to report everything to his chain of command. Lori held the final trump card.

"He's always staring at me," Michonne whispered to me.

I had laughed not realizing something was happening between them.

"Probably because you are always staring at him?"

I really didn't know there was a potential for anything. I believed that Michonne thought he was attractive and that was it. Just because someone is married doesn't mean they are blind. Hell, I think Vin Diesel is one sexy man. He is the only one that might make me reconsider my life. The odds of that happening was Nil.

We were in the grocery store aisle, and Rick was dressed in his blue cammies when he strolled over to me and spoke.

"Hey, Sasha, your husband Daryl still coming by for beers tonight?"

"Yeah," I responded back to Rick.

"Alright. I will see him then."

There was an awkwardness that I even felt as he abruptly left after he tipped his head to Michonne and spoke, "Have a good day, Ma'am."

"You never told me you knew him."

"Yes, I know him. I wasn't about to introduce you to him knowing what I know. Plus he's a very good friend of my husband and his wife's name is Lori. He's a really good guy. Loyal. Loves his wife and kids. Daryl likes him because he doesn't bring or cause any drama."

"Which one is Lori?"

"The skinny brunette that didn't like anything I cooked that day you came by for a girls day at my house."

"Ahh."

A/N: 1/26/2019 9:53pm

I have gone as far as I can in correcting this grammatical mess. I want to close it out but I didn't want new readers to look at it without thinking I made no attempt to review with another lense versus insomnia excuse. LOL. If you caught this sneaky update you will notice a slight change compared to the old.

If you are new think of this as tapestry or quilt (patchwork) It is not linear but builds on what was told earlier or later. It doesn't matter necessarily where they are or the people around them but what is said, what is done and what is believed. Dynamics, thoughts, actions.

Original Author's Note:

This will be short and more from Sasha and Daryl's perspective or at least that's my intentions. This story will show how infidelity hurts friendships or strengthen them. Proceed with Caution.