"Stop climbing on the couch!" Dess cried to her mischievous son, narrowing her eyes at him. Dess shook her head and continued with her conversation. "So mom," Dess said into the phone. "How's things?"
"Your father is still a good-for-nothing idiot," Dess' mother answered sadly. "He's down at the bar right now, drinking with his work friends." Dess shook her head.
"Idiot," she agreed. Dess heard the jingle of keys in the door. "Gotta go," Dess said hurriedly. "See you soon, for dinner!" Dess hung the phone up, and made herself busy, stirring the big pot of spaghetti that was for dinner. Jonathan walked into the kitchen and headed straight to the fridge without even saying hello to Dess. "I'm here, you know!" Dess cried in anguish. Dess looked her husband up and down, and knew that his ruffled hair and crumpled shirt were not from a hard day at work. "Where have you been?" Dess asked Jonathan suspiciously. Jonathan choked on the beer he had started drinking.
"Um, at work," Jonathan sheepishly lied. Dess decided to play along, just this once. "Sure, honey," Dess said sweetly. Jonathan quickly made his way to the couch, ignoring attempts of social interaction from his children. "Please daddy, help me with my homework," Dylan cried, hugging his father's leg.
"Get off!" Jonathan muttered gruffly, shaking his leg and sipping on his beer. Dylan looked sadly at the floor.
"Come here, honey, I'll help you with your homework," Dess said reassuringly with a warm smile. "I'll help you!" Dylan trudged over to the kitchen and placed his exercise book on the bench. "What is 2 times 150?" Dylan asked.
"300," Dess shot back, almost immediately.
"How do you do that, mom?" Dylan asked in amazement.
"I, I, I don't know," Dess lied. Dess had never told her children about the wonders of midnight – she didn't even know if any of them were midnighters. Midnight wasn't fun for Dess anymore – usually, she just took a few sleeping pills before she went to bed so she would sleep through midnight. Waking up reminded Dess of her horrible life.
"Well, that was pretty cool," Dylan said.
"Thanks, sweetie," Dess said, smiling. "Now change into those jeans grandma bought you – she's coming over for dinner."
"Is grandpa coming?" Dylan asked hopefully. Dess sighed.
"I don't know, darling, I don't know," she replied. Dylan looked up at his mother.
"I love you, mom," Dylan whispered.
"Thanks," Dess stuttered. "Thanks for that." But Dess wasn't sure whether she loved Dylan back.
Dess hummed as she clipped some big, dangly earrings into the pierced holes in her ears. "Jonathan!" Jess called from the bathroom. "Change into something fresh, please! Mom and dad are coming over!" Dess heard the springs in the couch move and knew that Jonathan was slowly, but surely, making his way to the bathroom.
"What's wrong with how I look?" Jonathan asked, annoyed. Dess raised an eyebrow. "For starters," Dess said, plucking a beer bottle from his hand. "Lose the beer for one minute!"
"I was drinking that!" Jonathan complained.
"Secondly," Dess continued. "Your clothes are absolutely filthy from work!" Dess put emphasis on that last word.
"You don't believe that I was just at work, do you!" Jonathan cried in amazement.
"Of course I do, sweetie," Dess said sweetly. "You weren't getting drunk at the bar or having an affair, you were at work." Now it was Jonathan's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Help me with this zip," Dess said, pointing at the zip to the back of her dress. Jonathan stood behind Dess and gently manoeuvred the zip. Dess smiled. There was still some of the old Jonathan there. The zip slid straight up Dess' back.
"Why do we do this?" Jonathan asked sadly, staring at the ground.
"What, use zippers?" Dess asked quizzically.
"No!" Jonathan replied, with a small chuckle. "Why do we put on this big act for your parents? You know, dress up, clean the house, and put on happy faces?"
"It's all a big act," Jonathan continued.
Dess turned herself around in Jonathan's arms to face him.
"My parents had a hard life, Jonathan," Dess explained. "As you know, my family was always poor. They always have been."
"Hasn't changed much in this generation," Jonathan muttered. Dess scowled.
"If you worked harder, things might be different!" Dess cried. Jonathan opened his mouth in protest, but Dess silenced him. "Save it, Jonathan," Dess said, with a small shake of her head. "The kids don't need to hear any more arguments." Jonathan nodded sadly. "Anyway," Dess continued. "We were poor. Mom had the worst time. Dad was always getting drunk and was hardly ever came home." Dess refrained from adding, "things haven't changed from generation to generation in that department, either."
"So," Dess continued. "I don't want them to have to worry about me. I don't want them to feel any more pain knowing that their daughter is unhappy, and……." Dess trailed off, too ashamed to go on.
"Depressed?" Jonathan added. Dess nodded sadly.
"Being depressed is nothing to be ashamed of, Dess," Jonathan said, scowling.
"But Jonathan!" Dess cried. "I never used to be like this!" Dess looked into Jonathan's eyes. "We never used to be like this," Dess said sadly.
"Remember when we got married," Jonathan said, his eyes set in a faraway place.
"We were so young and stupid," Dess said.
"But we were happy," Jonathan added, smiling.
"If you had the chance, do you think you would, you know, make the same decisions you made in the past?" Dess asked quizzically. "You know, marry me." Jonathan went red. "I honestly don't know," Jonathan said. "Sometimes I don't know why we're still married."
"Doing it for the kids," Dess said matter-of-factly. A chime rung through the house. Dess heard Charlotte run to the door and peer through the small pane of glass that was set in the wood of the door. "Grandma!" Charlotte cried. "And Grandpa!"
"Get changed!" Dess hissed at Jonathan.
"Mom!" Dess cried, smiling too widely for comfort. "And Dad!" The old man swayed slightly in the breeze that blew through the open door, which indicated to Dess that he had been at some bar. Dess made a mental note not to serve alcohol, but was sure that Jonathan would anyway. Dess ran over to her parents and hugged them both. "Something's hot and I'm not talking about that spaghetti I can smell bubbling away on the stove!" Dess' father cried. Dess went red and looked at the ground. "Thanks, dad," Dess said.
"Come and sit down in the dining room, dinner is almost ready!" Dess said to her parents, gesturing towards the dining room.
"I'll help you in the kitchen, dear," Dess' mother said with a warm smile. Dess and her mother made their way to the kitchen, where they busied themselves serving dinner. The two women stood in front of the stove, pouring spaghetti into individual bowls. "So how are things with Jonathan, dear?" Dess' mother asked. "Is he here?" Dess smiled nervously. Dess always got a feeling that her mother knew that things weren't as rosy as they appeared. "Of course he is, mom!" Dess cried. "He's just getting ready. He had a busy day at the, er, office." Jonathan walked into the kitchen in a fresh tee-shirt and clean jeans. "Evangelista!" Jonathan cried. "It's so lovely to see you!" Dess' mother smiled at her son-in-law and looked him up and down. Jonathan walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine.
"Do you have to drink wine tonight?" Dess asked her husband annoyingly. "You've already had a beer or two, and I'm sure dad has as well." Jonathan looked at Dess coldly, and all of the warmness that the two of them had shared in the bathroom evaporated. "I'll do what I want, Dess," Jonathan answered. "And so will your father." Jonathan withdrew two wine glasses from the cupboard and walked into the dining room. Dess heard Jonathan offering wine to her father and her father accepting, and knew that tonight was not going to be a good night.
"So how's work, Jonathan?" Dess' mother asked between eating a mouthful of spaghetti.
"It's great, thanks," Jonathan lied. He smiled mischievously. "But I was late today." Dess choked on her spaghetti, and coughed it up all over the table. "Excuse me," Dess apologised with a nervous smile. "Honey, you were late today?" Dess asked. "Even after I pushed that stupid Indian car as fast as it could go to get to work? The clock said that I got you there on time!"
"Oh, the clock was slow," Jonathan said, taking a sip of wine.
"You could have told me, Jonathan!" Dess cried. "I might get a speeding ticket now!"
"What happened?" Dess' father asked. "When you arrived late?" Jonathan looked into his spaghetti. "I got fired," he answered. Dess dropped her fork.
"What the hell!" Dess yelled. "Why didn't you tell me!" Jonathan stood up angrily.
"Because I knew you'd do this!" Jonathan cried.
"When were you planning to tell me about this, then!" Dess yelled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Now, obviously!"
"In front of my parents?" Dess asked in amazement. "Oh Jonathan, that is it! Why did you tell me now?"
"Because your parents need to know that our life is a big lie," Jonathan said simply.
"Like you lie to me, Jonathan?" Dess screamed. "Like the way you lie about where you are, Jonathan?"
"I just stay late at work, Dess!" Jonathan cried.
"Oh, and why would you stay at work?" Dess asked.
"Maybe because I don't want to stay at home, Dess!" Jonathan cried.
"I know you're having an affair, Jonathan!" Dess screamed. "How about you tell your kids you're betraying their mother!" Dess walked over to Jonathan and turned his head to face his children. "Go on," Dess spat, "Tell them how you betrayed their poor, depressed mother!"
"What's an affair?" Charlotte asked.
"It's when your daddy goes and kisses other mommies, sweatheart!" Dess cried, tears streaming from her eyes. "And then that daddy does other things with those mommies!" Dylan stared up at his father. "Is mom telling the truth, dad?" Dylan asked. Jonathan stared at the ground. "Yes, Dylan," Jonathan asked. "Mom is telling the truth." Dess' mother gasped. "Jonathan!" Dess' mother cried. "How could you do that? She's on anti-depressants!"
"She is?" Dess' father asked stupidly.
"Yes," Dess' mother replied simply.
"How did you know?" Dess asked in bewilderment.
"I saw a bottle in your trash just then," the old woman replied sadly. "You could have told me, sweetheart!" Dess' mother turned back to Jonathan. "She's sick, you bastard!" she hissed. "How could you? I always knew you were a big mistake!" Dess shook her head in disgust. "Leave me alone," Dess snarled, pushing Jonathan away.
"Dess," Jonathan said, grabbing for her hand. Dess swung around, and slapped Jonathan on the face. "I told you to leave me alone!" Dess screamed, tears in her eyes. Dess ran into the bathroom, and slammed the door, locking it. Then she collapsed on the floor, sobbing.