Previously on Keeping up with the Lingards...
"Uncle Rashy doesn't have blonde hair."
"Like Peppa Pig in muddy puddles!"
"Ou, men ain't shit, definitely."
***
10:32 AM
Liverpool
📍Trent's Place
"That's fucked up, Jesse."
Trent shook his head at the older man in front of him in disgust, after hearing everything he had to say. "We trusted you with her," he spat. "And of course you fucked up."
"I said I'm sorry, alright?" Jesse pleaded. "It was all a mistake - I don't know what came over me. She doesn't trust me anymore, I can tell!"
"Well, I'll tell you what came over you, to make it clearer," Trent muttered. "You're just not cut out for relationships."
"Huh?"
"Literally, every time you get with someone, they always leave because of something you've done. You're always the one messing up, to the point where they can't take it anymore! Why do you think Jena left you?"
It was a good point, to be fair. Everyone and their grandma knew that Jena, Jesse's ex, left because of him cheating on her regularly with someone else.
Sound familiar?
"Alright, yeah," Jesse agreed, nodding. "You're right. But I just don't want to lose her, I mean, she's my fucking wife. She's my everything!"
"Wasn't her who was moaning your name though, was it?" Trent scoffed. "You need to grow up and do some serious thinking because I'm not letting my sister be torn apart by a fucking relationship issue."
"Well, help me then! What do I do?"
"Listen, if I was you then I wouldn't have done this shit in the first place. I don't know what to do, so don't ask me."
"Some help you are."
"Shut your mouth."
The two boys glared at each other across the kitchen, before they heard the front door open and close.
"Oi, Scouser?" Anisha called out loud. "Where are ya?"
"Gimme a second!" the brother called back. "Now listen," he said firmly, turning to Jesse once more. "The second you see her, you best own up to what you've done. After that, you do what you can."
Jesse sighed as he watched the younger boy walk out of the kitchen, and seemingly into the hallway, where he heard the both of them exchange greetings.
"I've got someone you might want to see," was what the man heard, as his brother in law and wife made their way to the kitchen. "He's got a lot of explaining to do."
"Oh, Klopp? Yeah, he needs to stop playing you as a defender and start with you as a midfielder or something."
"What?"
"Bro, I love the assists for my team, but you can't defend for shit," Anisha giggled. "Reece James is a better defender, I'm just saying."
"Shocking that," her brother replied, shaking his head. "Choosing James over your baby brother?"
Anisha shrugged. "Now who am I- oh."
She had finally spotted her supposed husband sitting in the kitchen, half smiling. He waved timidly, but noticed that nobody reciprocated his actions, so he stopped.
"I'll give you time alone to, er, sort things out," said Trent, slowly backing away. "You know where to find me if you need help, right?"
Both Anisha and Jesse nodded, and Trent kissed his teeth.
"Not you, idiot," he said to Jesse. "Whatever."
He left and closed the door behind him, leaving the married couple in there, alone. Normally, it wouldn't be this awkward. After all, they had spent quite a few moments of isolation together after they had officially been Mr and Mrs.
But that was worlds away from what was happening now. No one knew how to start the conversation.
So, Jesse took a deep breath, said his prayers, and began his apology.
"Anisha," he whispered, getting up from his seat to walk towards her. "Neesh. Darling. Baby, I-"
"I am not your baby, Lingard," Anisha scoffed. "So you can stop pretending. And you can list all the pet names you want, I'm still not happy with you at all."
Jesse nodded in agreement. "Fine," he said resiliently. "Let's be adults bout this, please. At least give me a chance."
Anisha rolled her eyes, but pulled up a chair nevertheless. "Go on," she sighed. "Let's here the latest excuse, shall we?"
Jesse gently took his wife's soft hands into his own as he too sat down. His thumb rubbed over the diamond ring placed on the fourth finger, and properly began.
"You remember our wedding day?"
"Nah, we're not doing this," Anisha grumbled, getting ready to stand up. "Yeah, obviously. What has that got to do with anything."
Jesse frantically gripped her hands to convince her to stay. "All the vows I made," he continued. "To keep you safe and to love you even more than United love red. Remember? I promised I'd stay with you till the end and be by your side. Right?"
Anisha nodded. "So?"
"So, everything I said the other day, everything I've done, I'm sorry," Jesse said remorsefully. "I - I guess I broke our vow. You don't deserve that. It was stupid of me to even try and make you feel horrible or guilty because I've made a mistake, it was my fault. And, truthfully, I promise I won't do anything like that ever again."
Anisha surprisingly held a neutral face not showing any emotion within.
"That's nice," she said quietly. "What exactly are you sorry for?"
"Everything, babe! The messages all that I said, me cheating on you-"
Suddenly the man stopped his words, and gulped so loud that Jude (who, by the way, was still yet to ask Malia out officially) would've heard him all the way in Germany.
Anisha cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Cheating?" she asked hesitantly. "Who said anything about cheating? I just thought that you were messaging someone."
Lies.
Jesse nodded and looked away from her. "Yeah," he muttered. "Yeah, that's all I did. I swear."
The woman shook her head in disbelief. "You know what? You've never been one to own up to your mistakes, but this is just... I don't even know what to say."
Anisha stood up and shook her head at the sight before her. "Your daughter," she spat. "Your 4 year old daughter, had to tell me that you fucked someone else. In the house. While she was there!"
"Neesh, please-"
"You couldn't wait to get your hands on her, right? Waited just until your poor, unsuspecting wife leaves the house before you get someone else to satisfy you the way she can't. I'll never know, how could I? The only one home was Hope, after all, and she didn't see anything!"
"Just let me explain!"
"Explain what? The fact that you have to go to someone else before getting what you want? Is that it? Am I not enough for you, Jesse? For gods' sake, you fucking married me!"
The words were harsh, but true, and Anisha's voice steadily rose.
"You put that ring on my finger, you told me that it was us forever. It was us till the end. What happened, Jesse?"
The man had no words, to say the least. He looked up to his wife with teary eyes, and opened his mouth to speak.
"Forget it," she said, automatically shutting him down. "I don't want to deal with this anymore. I can't deal with someone cheating behind my back."
She took the ring off her finger and placed it firmly on the counter.
"Babe, what are you saying?"
"I'm done."