Chapter 7
Liar Liar
Joe Morelli's cheek stings and burns. He feels stunned. He feels ashamed. He feels humiliated. And the moment Stephanie slams the front door behind her and drives away, he becomes angry. He hasn't been this angry for years. He wants to hit someone or smash something into the wall. The kids look up at him with widened eyes. He knows his son is about to cry. Even his usually fearless daughter looks frightened. They know something bad has happened. They always hide in their rooms and cry when he and Stephanie fight and yell at each other at the top of their lungs. He has been tempted many times, but he's never once raised his hand at Stephanie. And this is the first time she's ever slapped him. He knows what he has done. He isn't sure how she managed to find out. He took a long hot shower. He washed himself clean. Did someone see him in the bar last night and rat him out? Did Stephanie's spidey senses strike again? Or was she mad at him for something else? He runs a hand through his hair and lets out a sigh. He picked JJ off the floor as the boy starts to wail and calls after Rose Maria as the girl runs upstairs to her tiny room.
He meets Bob's serene brown eyes and has to turn his face away. He hates feeling like a cheater. He is not a cheater. He made a mistake. It is an one time affair. And he sure as Hell is not the only one to blame. This is definitely not the dream life he used to picture. There was a time when he and Stephanie were both happy and contented. They would share a pizza or enjoy a couple meatball subs. They would drink beer, watch a ballgame on TV, and then have sex. He would make love to her while she was still soundly asleep. He would hook a finger into her collar, whisper something dirty and then peek at her breast. She would laugh and blush. She would moan in her dream. They had everything they needed. That was all they ever needed. He would use her mother as leverage. She would tell him his Grandma was a crazy witch. She would always give in to "Bob misses you", "The boys miss you" and the ever so seductive "Cupcake". But ever since they got married things started to change. She misses her old crazy life. She wants all her old friends back. She doesn't like staying home fulfilling her duties as his wife. She hates his mother, his sister and his whole family. She bitches about everything. She finds fault in everything he does. She's never happy or satisfied. Sometimes even her children fail to make her smile. And she has lost a lot of her appeal.
So who can blame him for getting tired? Who can blame him for what he did? It takes two to tango, does it not? Sooner or later she will be back. It's not like she has anywhere to go. Her mother will, as always, take his side. Her sister and friends have their own lives. She will worry about the kids. She will worry about Bob. She won't want a divorce. She will come back to him. She will eventually let go. They will move on together. They have to make it work for the sake of the kids. They are both grown up and mature. And truth be told, it's not like they have another choice.
He pats his sobbing son gently on the back. He wipes the child's face clean. He puts the exhausted boy to bed. His little girl won't talk to him. He goes downstairs, watches TV for an hour and drinks another beer. He waits for another hour. Bob is now asleep. The living room floor is still a mess. Toys, story books and half-eaten snacks still scatter everywhere. He thinks about calling Stephanie. He thinks about waking JJ up and making the boy call Stephanie. He feels hungry. He's still angry. He loses his patience. He speed-dials Pino's and places his order. A commercial comes up and all of a sudden he thinks of Tiffany(Or Tammy, or something). He thinks of Terry and then smiles. He misses Terry. He hasn't seen her in ages. He always has a thing for blonde curvy women.
Why the Hell did he end up with Stephanie?