Author's Note: Man, it's been a year since I submitted something! Thanks for being so patient. These two are definitely complicated people to write about.

Chapter Seven: Inside the Cage

Finally fed up with the music stations, David turned the radio off and looked ahead at the highway in front of him. The absence of noise was sudden, unwelcome. He was alone with his thoughts.

He replayed the events of the previous night and this morning over in his head. It almost physically hurt him to tear himself away from Nigel's house and drive home. He felt like he was being led back into a long dark tunnel, the only light available as the texts from his wife that glowed on his phone, sent the night before—

will u be home tonight?

do u need ride?

i just called & got ur voicemail. whats going on?

WHERE R U?

For the life of him, he didn't know how to answer any of them. He didn't even know how to call and tell her that he was on his way.

Instead, he just drove.

The front door opened and he stepped inside, looking around. Same old welcome mat. Same old wallpaper. Same old life. He heard himself yell, "I'm home, everyone!" then immediately wish no one would be around to respond.

Small feet thudded down the stairs. "Hi Dad!" Then his kids were in his arms.

His daughter drew back. "Pee-yew! You stink!"

He laughed and rubbed her cheek with his stubble. "Are you sure?"

She shrieked happily and twisted out of his grip to her mother, who had appeared on the top flight of the stairs. "Mom, Dad's home!"

He raised his eyes to Jane, who tried to muster a smile for her daughter and only succeeded in tweaking her tight-lipped expression. "Kids, why don't you walk to Grandma Thora's house and spend some time with her?"

"Can't I hang out with Dad?" Arthur asked, not letting go of David's wrist. Secretly, David was hoping the same thing—the kids would help deflect any anxiety and hopefully avoid a confrontation. He almost hated himself for thinking of them as tiny shields, and then pushed the thought away.

Jane shook her head, and her voice carried a low, strained tone that the kids had never heard before. "I just talked with her, she should be expecting you. You can come back at dinner."

D.W. opened her mouth to protest but Arthur, sensing his mother's emotional disposition, grabbed her arm and led her outside. Wise kid, David thought as the door clicked behind him. He watched them thought the side window and waved before they turned the corner.

Behind him, he heard, "I almost called the police."

David turned to his wife, who was now down the stairs and in the foyer. Her eyes were red-rimmed and he could see she was trying to keep her temper and her tears in check.

"I'm sorry—" he managed before she cut him off.

"Do you know how worried I was? The kids were asking where you were, if you'd be home, and I didn't know what to tell them!"

He tried to speak in a tone that was both apologetic and reasonable, "I said I was out with a friend and I didn't know when I would be back."

Her mouth turned up in a sneer. "A friend. A friend who kept you from answering my texts? A friend who asked you to turn your phone off? A friend who let you stay the night? Just who was this friend?"

David had prepared for this. It was the only thing he had prepared for. "Nigel Ratburn."

She laughed, a shrill bark. "Arthur's teacher? You expect me to believe that? You barely know each other."

"I got to know him a little bit at the parent teacher conferences, then he thanked me for the cake when I went to the school to pick Arthur up. When I found out Bitsy was giving him a ride, we went out for a beer. I ended up drinking too much and crashed on his couch," David explained sheepishly, trying not to sound like he'd rehearsed. "Not my proudest moment."

Her expression wavered between incredulity and rage. She was trying to stay mad at him, trying to find a way to accuse him of what she actually believed he had done without sounding hysterical. "I'm just having such a hard time buying that."

He shrugged and opened his arms, an action that showed he had nothing to hide. "Call him and confirm it. I didn't mean to worry you and the kids, Jane. This hasn't happened before and it won't happen again. I just have to watch what I drink."

She shook her head and looked down, bringing one hand up to massage her forehead. "You can't just say things like that and expect everything to be okay. I honestly thought…" she trailed off and David quietly finished her sentence.

"…you thought I was with another woman?"

The tears finally fell and Jane could only nod her assent.

Ever the loving husband, David took her in his arms and held her close. He felt like he was having an overwhelming out-of-body experience, like he wasn't really here but watching this play out from somewhere else. He almost wanted to feel guilt and shame, but he feared that if he did, every horrible sensation would crash down on him and he would never be the same person again. Jane would leave him. The kids would leave him. Nigel would be forced to resign. And he would lose the respect of every person in Elwood City who once held him dear. The only way this would work was if he suppressed all of his emotions. It was easier that way.

So he cupped his wife's face in his hands, looked deep in her eyes, and said with genuine affection, "There's no other woman who could ever bring me as much happiness as you have."

She smiled and he knew things would be okay.

The weekend passed without interruption. David cooked dinner, breakfast, and dinner again. His cellphone was quiet and he half-hoped it was because Nigel was waiting for him to make the first move. It was Sunday night, as Jane tucked Kate in, that he finally texted:

can you meet me in front of the school tomorrow? I'll be dropping Arthur off

He was equal parts thrilled and uneasy imagining all the ways Nigel could reply, if he did at all. A minute or two later, the phone buzzed and his heart leapt into his throat as he looked at the screen.

Yes, see you then.

The answer unnerved him a little and he spent the majority of his night dissecting that message.

"Thanks, Dad!" Arthur called back as he walked up to the stairs to Lakewood Elementary. He greeted Mr. Ratburn on the way in and for a tense second, David thought that he would look to see where his teacher was going. It was only after his son disappeared inside that he was able to catch his breath as Nigel stepped up to his car window.

"Good morning, David. How was your weekend?" His voice was even and a faint hint of a smile crossed his face.

David smiled back and replied, watching as the amount of cars in front of the school began to dwindle, "Got to spend some time with the kids, can't complain about that."

They seemed to be caught in an awkward situation, hovering between what they wanted to say and what was necessary to say. Unable to leave the drop-off without acknowledging what they'd done, David dropped his voice and offered, "I know you've had some time to think about this. I just need to know, have you changed your mind?"

Nigel exhaled. "I was going to ask you something like that. How did things go when you got home?"

"I told Jane that I was with you," David replied. After seeing the shocked look on Nigel's face, he quickly added, "I said we grabbed some beers and I slept on your couch. I figured that if I kept some semblance of truth, it would be a more believable explanation."

Nigel's mouth quirked into a smile. "So now we're becoming fast friends and bonding, is that it?"

David leaned back in his seat. "Something like that." He paused for a second. "I still want to do this. With you."

Nigel nodded. "Okay. So what's your next step?"

"I guess I just have to figure out a way to get some alone time. When the catering business picks up, I rent out part of a kitchen at my friend's restaurant and work late there. The wait staff is gone after eight and I have the place to myself. Jane has a book club, maybe I can work something out there, I just need to factor in who watches the kids… and I can always say I'm grabbing a drink with you after work." He sighed.

"It sounds like you really want to make this work," Nigel said, looking at the school. "I have one request."

"What's that?"

"If you ever find yourself home alone… don't call me to come over. I'd prefer not seeing that part of your life."

David acquiesced, then looked at Nigel's pained profile. "If this is hard for you, if you ever want to end it, please tell me. I just want you to be okay."

"I know. Likewise. I… I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to." He looked back at David. "I should get inside."

He nodded, waved goodbye, and drove home, turning the radio back on.