Jimmy turned the page of the magazine, adjusted his glasses and scanned the text, vaguely hoping for something of interest to dig into. He was not disappointed that nothing piqued his interest; he would rather feign reading and let his mind rest. The last two weeks had been a drain both mentally and physically and he cherished a rare chance to sit and do nothing. It wasn’t long before his eyes gave way to his body and slowly closed, his hands gradually resting on top of the magazine in his lap. Sleep may have been an intruder but it was not asked to leave.
“Jimmy.” The voice was in the distance, barely registering, but unfortunately cutting into his rest.
“Jimmy, are you awake?” A little louder but still not enough to respond.
“Jimmy...Jimmy. Are you awake?” He wanted to answer “obviously not since I am not responding” but couldn’t muster the strength.
Jimmy!” The voice was more urgent and accompanied by a shove to his shoulder. He opened one eye, slightly, and saw an out-of-focus mass, somewhat shaped like his wife.
“What?” he whispered.
“What, indeed!” She shoved something toward him, quick enough to make him flinch. He was slowly gaining consciousness, although the object in her hand was too close to his face to allow him to get it in focus.
“What is your problem?” he croaked, trying to regain his senses and his full voice. “What is that?”
“No, that’s my question.” She stood to her full height and defiantly placed one hand on her hip, elbow out, a small bar of hotel soap displayed in the other hand which she centered in front of her chest. “Where did this come from?” Her entire body and soul asked that question.
Jimmy was now fully awake. “I have no idea, Beth.” It was a weak response, he knew that, but it was a stop gap, something to throw out there to slow her down until he could form a better defense.
“You’re going to have to do better than that.” She was not going to move, that was obvious. “I’m waiting.”
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"Looks like a bar of soap to me", Jimmy responded trying to sit up and shake the webs of sleep from his eyes and mind.
"Where did you get it?"
"I got it from your coat pocket", said Beth in an accusatory tone. "The question I really meant to ask you is WHY is a bar of soap obviously from the Hilton Hotel doing in the pocket of the coat you wore to work two days ago??" Beth was still standing over her husband of just three years, with her hand on her hip, elbow out, a the small bar of hotel soap displayed in the palm of her opened hand, which was now centered in the middle of his face.
Still gorggy from being suddenly awakened, Jimmy mustered his stiff body to sit up on the edge of the bed. Looking down he tried to gather his thoughts. Glancing up at his young wife, his love for her never seemed to fade and for whatever reason she was freakin out over a bar of soap. Did she really jump to the worst possible conclusion right away?
"Beth, come sit down please." as he padded the empty spot next to him on the bed.
As she sat, Beth started to worry. Her face seemed sad, scared and frustrated. Yet nervous and firghtened.
"Beth, I am a contractor and building inspector for a living. The downtown Hilton is remodeling thier hotel and I am the supervisor. Two days ago we did the final walk trough and they gave us bars of soap as an appreciation gift or something. I forgot about it in my pocket."
As guilt and embarassment washed over her the tears started to stream down Beth's cheeks. She laid her head on her husbands shoulder- knowing she had over reacted and, as usual, had jumped to false assumptions. She knew Jimmy loved her and only her. He still looked at her just as if they first met. So what was she so worried about?
"Beth- whats going on??"
"I have something to tell you"
"I know we haven't talked much about this because your job is so up-in-the-air right now with the failing market general contractors are in right now, but...."
With tears in her eyes she looked at him and said, "I jumped to the wrong conclusion so quickly and thought the very worst--", trying to buy herself some time.
When Beth approached Jimmy with the bar of soap she was so sure he had been unfaithful, or at the very least contempleted being unfaithful. With her emotions running high and her feelings of rightousness over him at that moment she was ready to blurt out her tidbit of news, but now that she realized he hadn't done anything wrong, what she was about to tell him may be more than he was ready to take.
"Jimmy, I'm pregnant!"
"What?" Jimmy was confused. "But how? You know I can't--"
"It's not yours!" blurted Beth. "I'm so sorry..."
"With all the long hours you have been working, and all the stress you have been under, our relationship has suffered so much! I was lonely and your brother Rafael was so comforting to me."
"RAFAEL!! RAFAEL!!!" Jimmy shouted. "Of all the people you could have run to comfort, why MY brother and why RAFAEL!!" The gardeners son whom my family adpoted after his Father died in an tragic watering accident at our property and whose Mother had died during childbirth!!?? Why not my identical twin brother Timmy?? At least then you could've had a chance of pawning him off as mine!!"
"I am so sorry Jimmy. It just happened!! It wasn't planned or anything. Rafael came over on afternoon to clean the pool and I invited him in the house for a glass of sweet tea. He noticed how sad I was and I just began pouring out all my feelings to him. Before I knew it - he was crying with me. We were just comforting each other and, well..."
Jimmy was just staring at her with the small bar of soap still clasped in her hand. His mind was racing with all the information Beth had just blurted out. What if she never found the bar of soap? - Would she have told me at all?? What if she had slept with Timmy too?? Why did she assume from a small bar of soap that I had had an affair?? I think I am hungry... Something smells so good... Smells like --- steak.
Slowly Jimmy opended his eyes and looked out the sliding glass doors towards the pool and there, standing in at the BBQ was his loverly wife, Beth -- grilling steaks for dinner.
Jimmy rubbed his eyes hard with the backs of his hands in an attempt to erase the thoughts in his head. Did that all really just happen, or had he only dreamed it.
Jimmy jumped up and ran to the coat he wore to work a couple of days ago to look for the small bar of soap. It was gone!!
"Ohh no", he thought. What if she really believes I have cheated on her. What if she has poisoned the steaks, or just tampered with them just enough to make me violently ill?!?"
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