The Secret Lives Of Housewives. Joan Elizabeth Lloyd

      Angie drove home wondering how, in only two encounters, she’d become so comfortable with the other three women. Sure, she hadn’t wanted to get into her relationship with Jordanna, but all in all, they were really friendly people and she hoped that their Saturday morning meetings would continue.

      She thought about the three other women. While Eve seemed to be so soft and shy, Cait and Monica seemed so strong. Would they put up with Tony’s weekly visits to his ex-wife the way Angie did? It made her so unhappy yet she didn’t want to say anything. Don’t make waves. Be a good sport. That was what she’d been raised on. She hated scenes and confrontations so much that, back when she’d been the secretary to two local insurance brokers, she’d never balked at doing whatever demeaning job they’d asked her to do. She’d picked up laundry, made coffee, even baby-sat for one partner’s three rambunctious sons so he and his wife could look at a piece of property.

      Jordanna.

      Angie and Tony had gone to high school together, and although he hadn’t known that she existed, she’d been half in love with him. When he went off to the state university, Angie started to work, first at the local office supply store, then for Danny and Tyler Shultz and their insurance business. When Tony returned to East Hudson with his wife Jordanna, Angie was devastated. “See. What did I tell you?” her mother had said. “He’s not for you. He obviously wanted something more than a small-town girl with only a high school education. You’ve seen that college girl wife of his, putting on airs all over town. She’s class.”

      Thinking of her mother made her huff out her breath. What had she known? She’d stayed with her father through all his drinking. Angie had idly kept track of the couple for the next few years, watching Jordanna parade around town like the queen of the May while Tony got a teaching job in the city, then took a second job, moonlighting at the local convenience store two nights and one weekend day each week. Angie stopped in for gas occasionally and she and Tony reminisced about old times like two good buddies.

      Tony and Jordanna had been married for three years when they split, amicably it was said. One afternoon almost a year later, Tony was pulling out of a parking space at the mall and backed into the rear bumper of Angie’s car as she was backing out of the space behind. No real damage was done to either car, but, while examining the situation, they got to talking. One thing led to another and they were married just a year later.

      Their relationship had been wonderful and the sex explosive. At first, much as Angie tried to discourage such talk, he lamented his lack of good sex with Jordanna. “She was such a cold fish,” he had said. “Not like you.” He kissed her deeply, hands roaming over her back, eventually finding their way beneath her top and unhooking her bra. He’d loved her body, spending long minutes stroking and kissing her skin. They’d get undressed and tenderly make long, leisurely love. It had been the best ever for her. Then she’d gotten pregnant.

      They were ecstatic. A baby. They talked about names for hours and made plans to decorate one of the bedrooms in their new little over-mortgaged house as a nursery. They wandered through the mall admiring tiny clothes and being amazed at how much Pampers cost.

      When they learned she was having twins, however, they were shocked, then dismayed. How would they stretch Tony’s meager salary? He’d quit his hated job at the minimart and he enjoyed his leisure time, getting more and more involved in his first love, computer games. They both vowed he’d not go back to working so many hours. She’d work more time for as long as she could and he’d get some part-time work with his brothers in their construction business. It would bring in more money for fewer hours. Jordanna had objected to the mere mention of Tony’s doing manual labor but Angie thought it was a great idea. They’d sock away as much as they could before the birth, which wasn’t much.

      The stresses of her advanced pregnancy totally destroyed their sex life. She couldn’t get comfortable, and in her seventh month, when she had to give up her job, they’d also given up sex. As she thought back, she realized that it was about then that he’d started to spend time with Jordanna, who still lived in her small but luxurious condo about five miles away from the Cariri house.

      At first it had been a plumbing problem. Since they’d shared the condo before their divorce, Jordanna thought Tony might be able to solve the problem without expensive repairs. The fact that the repairs should have been the condo association’s problem hadn’t occurred to Angie at the time. Two months later the air-conditioning unit began to leak and then the washer broke down.

      Tony had seemed delighted by the birth of MaryLee and Brandon, and had been some help around the house while she juggled laundry, meals, cleaning, and nursing two rapidly growing babies. As the spring approached, however, it seemed that he was going over to Jordanna’s more and more often. Her mother, whom Tony adored, was ill, and Tony said they’d been visiting her in the hospital.

      Were they having an affair? At first Angie would have vehemently denied it. Now she wasn’t so sure. She wanted to ask Tony to be with her more but she didn’t want to make waves. A good relationship with one’s ex was important, but God, how she hated it.

      She pictured Monica or Cait in her situation. “Listen, buster, it’s time you spent come quality time with me instead of her. Got it?” No, she couldn’t do that. Not a chance. But she smiled at the thought.