Loving my fake Husband

Lies, Lawn Chairs, and Leaky Pipes

❀ Amy ❀

I balanced a bowl of potato salad on my hip and adjusted the gift bag in my hand as Eva skipped beside me and hummed with excitement. Her curls bounced with each step, and the glittery pink wrapping paper fluttered in the breeze.

"Are we almost there?" she asked for the third time in five minutes.

"Almost," I said as I tried to keep the smile on my face. I hadn’t expected Jessica’s house to be this close, just a few blocks up from ours. It had caught me off guard, just like everything else in Willow Creek lately. The neighborhood looked like something out of a picture book. Perfectly trimmed hedges, painted fences, smiling neighbors in pastel colors. And Jessica’s house? Bigger than mine, with a wraparound porch, white shutters, and colorful balloons tied to the mailbox. The second Eva saw the house, she squealed excitedly.

“Look at the balloons! Can I go ahead?"

"Carefully," I warned as I released her hand. Eva darted off toward the house, and I wasn’t even surprised to see that the front door was wide open. Eva ran inside, and I flinched as I picked up the pace. Thankfully, Jessica directed Eva to the backyard where the party was going on before she greeted me with a big smile. She was dressed in a breezy floral sundress.

"Amy! So glad you made it! Come in, come in. Let me take that," she said as she quickly took the bowl from me. “You can just put that with the rest,” she added as she waved toward a table that was already overflowing with presents. I carefully set Eva’s gift to Milly along with the others before I took a look around. The place was perfect. It looked more like a showhouse than a home, but who was I to judge? I followed Jessica through the short hallway that led into a large open-plan kitchen and dining room. The backdoor was open and the sound of the children laughing made me smile.

“Happy birthday to Milly,” I said to Jessica as we stepped out onto the back porch. Parents lounged around in chairs with drinks in hand, chatting and laughing with one another as if they had known each other since birth. I spotted Karen in a bold red dress and Tina in a soft blue floral dress. The next thing I noticed was that every single one of them had a partner. Wedding rings glinted in the sunlight, couples held hands and a few even kissed each other with a fondness that I envied. The air buzzed with easy laughter and togetherness and there I was, all alone. Jessica led me over to a cluster of parents and I forced a smile.

"Everyone, this is Amy, Henry’s wife,” she introduced, and I nearly choked. Jessica dropped Henry’s name as if they all knew who he was. And apparently, no one questioned why I was alone. They probably figured they knew everything and I hated that as I sunk down into one of the chairs.

“Is he still overseas?” a woman asked before she took a sip of her drink – which appeared to be a glass of wine. Everyone watched me as I slowly nodded.

“Yes, his flight was delayed,” I lied.

“That must be so hard,” another woman chimed in. “My husband travels for work sometimes, but never more than a week,” she then lovingly gazed over at the man seated beside her, and he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“I agree that it must be so hard,” Karen said as she joined us. “A child needs both parents to thrive,” everyone agreed, and I had no choice but to agree as well. I didn’t believe it, but a small part of me wondered if she was right. Was I somehow doing Eva wrong by not giving her a father figure?

"That’s why I always say, no matter how tough things get, you have got to make the marriage work. For the children,” one of the fathers said, and once again, everyone agreed. Jessica returned with a glass in hand which she gave to me before she beamed at the man beside her. She practically draped herself across him like a prize and I suddenly felt like I was in a very strange competition.

“This is my husband, Craig,” Jessica said to me. “Craig, this is Amy…the one I was telling you about,” Craig eyed me for a moment and the action made my skin crawl. The slow way that he smiled only added to the creep factor. “He grilled the burgers today, isn’t he the best?” she cooed as she looked around the group. I took a big sip of the white wine and cringed at the bitterness. But I had a feeling I wouldn’t get through this without a drink. Eventually, Tina and her husband, Matthew, came over, and I noticed that they didn’t flaunt their marriage the way everyone else was. They didn’t act superior.

“How are you holding up?” Tina asked gently.

“I’m fine,” I lied. The truth was that I was fine, but the situation didn’t sit well with me. Tina nodded almost as if she understood and, thankfully, she changed the topic of conversation to talk about her garden. The day dragged on while the kids played and the adults gossiped and drank wine. Every conversation was laced with unspoken sympathy for my absent husband. Henry the pilot. The lie I had told had taken on a life of its own. As soon as I was able to leave, I hugged Eva close and reminded her to behave during the sleepover. I also told her that if at any point she wanted to come home she could ask Jessica to call me. Eva rolled her eyes, but she promised and while it was awkward saying goodbye to everyone, I hurried back home with my tail between my legs. I kicked off my shoes and headed straight to the kitchen to put on the kettle. But the faucet sputtered, then groaned, and then nothing happened.

Clunk, clunk, clunk – silence.

"No, no, no," I muttered. I jiggled the handle and checked the bathroom faucet, even the outdoor spigot. All dry. I knew then that I didn’t have a choice. The pipes needed to be checked. It was too late to make a call to the local plumber and I figured they didn’t work on a Sunday, so I knew we would be without water until Monday. At least Eva wasn’t at home to deal with it. I was too tired to do anything about it, so I got comfortable on the couch and switched on the TV. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the fact that I was home alone, but I was happy that Eva had made some friends.

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