The Adulterous Fairy

Marilyn smiled.

Beside her sat her husband of ten years, Adam. Under the table, his hand was on the thigh of her best friend since grade school, Jenna. Both of them were chatting to the others sitting around. Everyone was laughing at the joke Adam told about the housewife and the monkey. Everyone oblivious to him slipping his hand under Jenna’s skirt during the punchline so her gasp felt natural.

Marilyn saw.

She'd suspected it for weeks, kept telling herself she was paranoid. They just worked together. Marilyn had asked Adam to put in a referral for Jenna. He used his connections to get her placed on the same projects. He said it was to look out for her, as his wife's best friend. At first it felt sweet, until the occasional late night working turned into every night.

Then Marilyn found the diamond stud earring under her pillow—like a gift from the Adulterous Fairy. Marilyn recognized it instantly. She couldn't wear rose gold. Adam seemed to always forget she was allergic. Marilyn got into the habit of giving the jewelry to Jenna to avoid the return.

Jenna was wearing a rose gold necklace tonight. Marilyn watched as she kept playing with the heart-shaped pendant whenever Adam's hand trailed up her thigh. Saw that Jenna would press her lips together and breathe in deep at the start of every new joke, anticipating that punchline. Adam was always the entertainment at parties.

Marilyn tasted copper. She'd been biting down on the inside edge of her lip, a nervous habit from childhood to prevent thoughts from being spoken out loud. Marilyn learned young: keep quiet, keep smiling. She watched as her mom put up with her dad’s abuse. Never saying a word, always telling the family how great everything was, always smiling.

Marilyn was screaming but her mouth wouldn't open. It amazed her that no one seemed to hear it. No one asked what was wrong. Everyone was content to keep acting like it was all okay. She hadn't said a word to anyone all night. Just sat, smiled, and bit down harder and harder on her lip, desperate for the sensation.

"Come on, Marilyn," Adam said. "It's time to go home."

Marilyn stood. Jenna stood too, grabbing her coat. Marilyn paused and looked at her friend. Waiting for anyone to make a comment. “What Mar? You know, Adam and I are working on the same project. We need to go over the presentation for tomorrow. I'm staying at yours. Remember?”

Everyone waved goodbye. No one said anything. No one made eye contact with Marilyn. The three of them went out to the Uber. Marilyn sat in the front seat. She always did to avoid nausea. Her throat tasted like bile anyways.

The satellite radio went silent as they drove under the overpass. The sound of skin brushing on skin in the backseat along with a soft sigh made Marilyn tense. She was getting a headache. The Uber driver kept looking in the rearview mirror and licking his lips. He took the back roads so the car ride lasted 10 minutes longer than it needed too. Marilyn tasted pennies again.

When they arrived home, Marilyn held the door open for her husband and best friend. Neither of them looking at her.

“Babe, why don't you go to bed? Jenna and I have to work late and the tech talk bores you anyways. Let me grab you a bottle of wine. Get you set up for the night so you can get settled in and don't need to come down for anything until morning.”

“Your man is just the sweetest, Mar! I'm so jealous” Jenna said. “I wish I could be a housewife like you.”

Marilyn could feel them willing her to leave after he handed her the bottle, their bodies drifting closer together, her presence an inconvenience now. Marilyn crunched on the inside edge of her lip. She walked upstairs. She opened the medicine cabinet, took out the brand-new twin bottle of Ambien, and popped one in her mouth. Then she curled up in bed, and fell asleep. She dreamt the thumps downstairs was just the Easter Bunny hiding edible underwear and candy favored lube to be found in the morning.

Marilyn woke up at 5 am. She always got up early to prepare Adam's coffee, lay out his clothes, pack his backpack for work. The house was quiet. The other half of her bed cold. She tiptoed downstairs. Adam and Jenna were sprawled out in the living room, laid out under the ficus like a gift from Santa this time.

She went into the kitchen. She started the coffee, measuring everything carefully, and then headed back upstairs. Marilyn showered and got ready for the day. She thought about how she met Adam. It was in college. She was rushing down the stairs leaving Turner Hall and lost a shoe. And like prince charming, he'd slipped it back on her foot for her and asked her to the Homecoming dance. She thought she was living in a fantasy ever since.

As she got dressed, she heard movement downstairs: the rustling of cushions to find the clothes thrown off in their passion, the smack of his hand on her ass, a giggle. Then Adam walked into the bedroom.

“Honey, you're up. I beat you this time. I just went to check on Jenna, you know how uncomfortable that couch is. Can you make us coffee? I need to shower before work.” Without looking in her eyes, he went into the master bathroom and turned on the water.

Marilyn went downstairs. Jenna was going into the guest bathroom. Marilyn smelled Adam's cologne waft from her skin as she shut the door. Marilyn wrote a note, left it on the counter, and got in her car with a small suitcase. Midnight came, the magic had worn off, she was ready to disappear.

Adam came downstairs, expecting Marilyn to be waiting with his coffee. He saw the note next to coffee pot. He poured himself and Jenna a cup as he read it. Jenna came down a bit later, silently looking around the corner, expecting to see Marilyn waiting on her husband.

“It's okay, babe. She's gone. Here, she made coffee for us.”

Jenna snaked her arms up Adam's back and kissed him. Took the coffee, and drank. Marilyn usually made the best coffee but it tasted bitter today. She added more sugar but it didn't help.

“Then I should thank her for making it easy to relieve pre-presentation nerves. Again.” Jenna laughed and slipped her hand down his pants while she finished her coffee and poured another. “Where’d she go?”

“The note said she needed to get more sleeping pills.”

Adam felt relaxed, light. He watched as his mistress took another sip of her coffee.

Adam smiled.