The Convenient Marriage

Chapter 34:

"Trust me I know. I'm a guy."

Oh, it was the way he said it, like gender identity clearly solves the problem. I sighed. "Okay. Say, he's misunderstanding what is going on between us, but what is it to him?" I was unconsciously slicing my steak. "Why would he care if we liked each other more than friends or not?"

He shrugged. "You're his wife, why wouldn't he care?"

I sighed again. Not this topic again, "On papers, yes, I am his..."

"And you're sleeping with him." He interrupted.

That caught my attention. I raised my head from my plate to look at him unable to form words to say to him.

"It doesn't matter if it's just sex to you or to him. Sex changes everything."

"What about you? You've never loved all those girls you went out with. Do you feel the same way?"

"I didn't say anything about love. I'm just saying, sleeping with that person often changes how you see that person. If I saw the girl I slept with being more comfortable with another guy, I'd feel uncomfortable too." He paused. "Aren't you?"

I didn't want to get into that, so I stayed on the topic. "But this is Matt we're talking about. Don't you remember what he did to me in high school? And he's been with a lot of women, there's no way I am different than those."

"When we were in high school, Matt bullied you. Right now, you're his wife. It doesn't matter what the conditions were when he married you. His relationship with you right now is closer than the one in high school. And you know he's not the same Matt before. He's changed. I can't speak for Matt, but I know you're not just a "mere" person in his life."

We finished our lunch talking about something else and Steve never brought the issue up again. I'd admit he had a point; I knew things wouldn't be the same once Matt and I slept together. Still I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, where we wouldn't be constrained by this fact, and that is why I didn't want more of him in my life. It felt dangerous.

************

I visited Melissa after my work at one of my organizations. She looked healthy today. I told her the things I did the entire week. I told her that even though holding these events for my organizations took most of my time, heck I barely had time in my own company, I loved doing these. It made me happy seeing other people getting helped.

Melissa reached her hand out to me and stroke my hair. "Cie Cie. Pretty Cie Cie."

I beamed a smile. "Why, thank you, Melissa." I reached for her hand. Melissa was still unable to say beyond small, short words, but the doctors said she was improving little by little. I noticed she had been responding a lot more in a year she had been here.

"Wouldn't have married her if she was ugly." A familiar voice interjected. I turned my head to the door and found Matt standing there smiling at us. He walked up and lowered his head to kiss Melissa on the cheek. "Hi Mom. You're looking good." He sat on the edge of her bed. He turned his head to me. "Hi." He grabbed my hand to pull me closer and kissed me on the lips.

"Hi yourself." I replied after pulled away.

He turned his attention back to Melissa. "Mom, I know you've met her, but I want to introduce her to you properly." He raised my hand that he was holding to Melissa. My wedding band on my ring finger glinted against the lampshade on the nightstand. "This is my wife Gracie. I married her a year ago. You've always wanted a daughter, right? A pretty one. Well, I married the prettiest one. Do you like her?"

She nodded excitedly. The smile on her face was brighter and wider.

Matt interlaced his fingers with mine. "Gracie loves to shop a lot, likes to do her hair and nails at the salon, all those girly stuff I wouldn't care about." I laughed. "You told me you'd love to do those too if we had money. I can take you to those now, and you won't have to worry about money. I've got lots. So get better, okay? You now have a daughter-in-law you can enjoy doing those things with." He paused turning his head to me. "She's family."