Main Character Vibes

A happy marriage is when a husband walks on eggshells around his wife

Francis tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen and made himself a cup of generic instant coffee. He then quickly put on his coat and slipped into his Birkenstocks before going outside for his clandestine morning cigarette. Nicotine was the only other mistress whose influence over Francis could have competed with Marie's.

He stood outside on the porch, admiring the newly built neighborhood park that stood right across from his house. He felt fortunate that the neighborhood board decided on that location for building the park. It added value to his property. Although it was within such proximity, Francis could not see it as it was shrouded behind an opaque screen of heavy morning fog.

As he stood outside in the cold suburb morning, Francis blew into his warm mug to accentuate the rising vapor that warmed his face. Holding the cigarette between his lips, he sparked it lit before he fanatically took in a long deep drag. He held in his breath and paused as nicotine slowly filled his lungs and transfused into his blood before he then unhurriedly exhaled with sweet gratified relief. He found meaningful solace at the beginning of every day in the first sip of his coffee and the first drag of his morning cigarette. It was a ritual that meant something to him.

Francis continued to furtively smoke and wash down each puff with a sip of coffee. The morning light began to break over the neighborhood in fractals. Streaks of sun rays gradually pierced through the fog, poking holes of light in the midst of it, like a flashlight shining through the holes of a sponge...until the sun finally seared the entire cloud of haze. Francis stood there admiring the park, his suburb, his neighborhood, and the outside of his house. "Only five more years left," he triumphantly thought to himself, referring to the number of years left to fully settle his mortgage payments.

Meanwhile, as Francis was indulging in his cigarette outside while self-congratulating himself on his logistical accomplishments, Marie was suddenly woken up in bed. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand next to her with a lascivious text message that read "Morning sexy xo." A sly smile slithered across her sleepy face as she laid there in bed reading the message with aroused eyes before she lewdly began typing a reply. "Hi, you. Am I going to see you tonight?"

No sooner had she sent the message than she received an eager reply. "Bet your sweet ass." She let out a soft libidinous exhale as she put her phone back on the nightstand and lazily got up to start her day.

After concluding his surreptitious escapade, Francis immediately scrammed into the bathroom downstairs to conceal the smell of cigarette smoke from Marie. He diligently brushed his teeth, followed by boisterous gurgles of mouthwash. Finally, he made sure to scrub his hands meticulously. After successfully burying any evidence of his rebellion, he headed into the kitchen as Marie was sauntering down the stairs.

"Bonjour, baby, I made you coffee," he said with fretful eyes as he came out of the bathroom.

Marie derived tremendous pleasure in observing the nervousness her presence incited in Francis. As her mother used to tell her about marital life; a happy marriage is when a husband always walks on eggshells around his wife.

"Morning." Marie yawned while sleepily reaching into the cabinets for a mug.

After their clumsy yet laborious efforts at getting dressed, the kids came roaring down and took a seat at the kitchen counter. They impatiently waited in front of the empty plates that Marie had set down for them.

"Babe," Francis began excitedly with eager eyes and a fervent smile that had some hints of timidity, "I was thinking we'd drop off the kids at my sister's after work tonight. Maybe we can go out for dinner?"

"Oh," Marie said without turning to face him as she stirred her mug and then continued nonchalantly. "I can't tonight, I'll be working late again..."

Francis's starry-eyedness was immediately wiped out with disappointment. "Ok baby, don't work too hard."

"I'll try," Marie replied accentuating her syllables in a manner that made it seem that she derived cheap thrills from her skillfully deceptive capabilities. Finesse, no matter how conniving, required some degree of talent. She had it.

The air in the kitchen was charged with unrequited affection. Although Francis was like a fish, oblivious of the water it was swimming in, his nine-year-old son was attuned to his mother's coldness towards his father. Young Ryan pretended not to see it, but he was far too smart, far too observant. The daily interaction between Francis and Marie filled him with pity for his dad and a slight resentment towards his mom. But he was too young to even have the words for the sophisticated emotions he was feeling. And when a child is exposed to adult emotions for which he lacks the words, it breaks down to its fundamental elements; it just made Ryan somberly sad.

"Francis...why didn't you take out the trash?" Marie said irritably as she placed two toasted waffles on the kids' plates before picking up a jar of strawberry jam from the fridge. "Leggo of my eggooooo," Camille began to sing, like a young Robin warbling in its dawn chorus as she took small bites of her jam-dashed waffles.

It never failed to make both Francis and Marie smile at her innocently youthful charm whenever Camille began to serenade her waffles every morning. Their proud eyes reveled in heartfelt glee. Camille was a reminder that, no matter what happens, this young girl had been conceived in love.

"I forgot...I'll take it on my way out," he replied absentmindedly before he succumbed to the emotions that his still crooning daughter was inciting. He could not help but land a kiss on Camille's pinkly plump cheeks which for some reason always smelled of talcum powder. Immediately Camille wiped off her father's kiss in a smiling and teasing way that made both of them chortle before he went upstairs to get ready for work. As a parent, Francis dogmatically maintained that he loved both of his children equally. But it was not difficult to see that in his paternally sentimental heart, tiny Camille was first among equals.

Carrying the trash bag while sweeping the kids out of the door in front of him. "Don't forget your backpacks, Bye, babe, love you," he yelled out as he was disappearing behind the closing door.

"Byeee, Mom!"

"Bye, babies" Marie's finally relished in the respite of being alone.

After a few minutes of disinterestedly fiddling with her phone while finishing her coffee, Marie finally sauntered upstairs to get ready. Her phone was like an externally bionic appendage that could never be torn apart from the clutch of her hand.

After applying her makeup, Marie stood in front of the bathroom mirror, pouting her lips as she gently smacked them together to even out the spread of her applied lipstick. She was wearing nothing but a bra and panties. Every morning Marie took a few minutes out of her day to put her body under rigorous scrutiny and self-examination to ensure that the high standards of beauty she dictated for herself were upheld. She cupped her breasts to ensure there was sufficient bounce to them. Then she turned from side to side to inspect each side profile of her body, ensuring that her belly was satisfactorily flat and that her love handles were reasonable to a lover's grasp. At the same time, Marie reserved part of her morning scrutiny for admiring her well-deserved beauty that she worked hard to earn and maintain.

Before leaving the bathroom, Marie assumed a seductive pose that accentuated her hips and curvy glutes in the mirror and then proceeded to snap a picture of her voluptuous body for her public Snapchat story. Privately, she sent the sensual picture she had taken with an accompanying message that read, "preview for tonight xo" ...