After hanging up on Trenton, Marsha sat quietly, trying to make sense of why suddenly it seemed without warning everything had changed. She realized, even before her earlier conversation with Latisia, she’d had a vague premonition things were spinning out of control. She had felt ill at ease without knowing why. She couldn’t remember the last time she and Trenton spent an evening out together.

Last weekend, Trenton and Bruce, a neighborhood friend, had watched a game together. The two of them had gone through, at least, three bottles of booze. Trenton had always held his liquor well, but lately, he’d seemed grumpier in the mornings, often complaining of headaches.

Bruce was someone she was uncomfortable around when he was drinking. He was her best friend’s husband. She would never dare say anything to Barbara, but he’d made passes at her several times when he’d managed to catch her alone. Now, she wondered if Bruce knew something she didn’t know about Trenton. If he did, that might explain why he’d felt free to try something with her.

Her mind drifted back to their early married days when Trenton was still in law school. Even back then, he often came home late.  She’d always believed him when he said he was studying in the law library. Law classes were challenging, even for good students. He had passed the Law exam on his first attempt, unlike many of his classmates. Surely back then, there had been a good reason for his late hours.

Stop letting your mind go there, she told herself. You aren’t so naïve that if he has cheated on you all these years, you wouldn’t have realized it. It is more likely he is becoming addicted to alcohol like his father. Alcohol might lower his resistance if someone in his office tries to tempt him. I need to learn more about his new secretary.

Trenton came home around midnight after their telephone conversation. Marsha pretended to be asleep, but the following morning, she was up before he left for the office. He acted as though nothing had changed. “Trenton, like I told you yesterday, we need to talk. You’ve been working late almost every night. Do you think the two of us might go out for meal this evening?”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, Marsha. I thought you had enough projects going on to keep you busy. I have a new client, and we’ve scheduled a dinner meeting for this evening. I’ll see if I can make some time for us to do something together next week. It looks as if I’m going to have to go out of town this weekend. By the way, don’t forget to send my shirts out to the cleaners."

“Wow, it is pretty sad when I have to make an appointment to see my own husband.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I’ve got to run. I’ll try to call you later, if I get some time. “

Marsha walked over to Trenton’s closet and started pulling out his shirts and checking the pockets. A couple of the shirts had the slight scent of perfume. It wasn’t his aftershave she had detected. Inspecting them closely, she saw what appeared to be a smear of makeup on the shoulder of one of them. A sick feeling washed over her. The evidence was there. She could no longer deny it.

If he thinks I’m sharing him with some other woman, he’s in for a shock. I’m not going there. I’ll talk to a lawyer and get a divorce before that happens, she muttered to herself. I don’t know how our children would handle it, if we were to split up? I wonder if they’ve noticed anything unusual? Would they tell me if they did?     

Marsha tried thinking of ways she could approach the subject without it sounding as though she didn’t trust their father. Joey was the oldest. At 16, he had a more serious nature. He might know something he wouldn’t be likely to share without some encouragement. She would need to look for an opportunity to bring the subject up casually.

She couldn’t get the makeup on Trenton’s shirt off her mind. The next time she had an opportunity for a private word with him, she couldn’t hold back on confronting him. It was the following morning before the children were up. Trenton, himself, presented the opportunity.

“Marsha, you did remember to get my shirts to the cleaners, didn’t you?

“Yes, I sent them out. They’ll be back later today. I was wondering if you’d like a chance to explain the makeup and perfume all over the shoulder of one of them. 

Trendon’s face drained of color as he struggled to act as if he knew nothing.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. If there’s makeup on my shirt, it would have to be yours.”

“I don’t think so,” Marsha snapped sarcastically. “It wasn’t my brand of perfume, and I can’t remember the last time I had my head on your shoulder.  Would you like to tell me about the tramp you’ve been holding close?”

“Well, if it wasn’t your makeup, it must have been this old lady who is my client. She came into my office the other day all upset. She was starting to get hysterical. You know how some people get when they’re in trouble. I was trying to calm her down. It’s possible she might have got makeup on my shirt.”

“Nice try. You think well on your feet, but I’m not an idiot. You’re in corporate law. You don’t have clients who’ve been falsely accused of killing someone. I can’t seem to imagine a corporate representative crying on your shoulder.”

“The newer partners, do take on some Pro Bono cases, but you go right ahead and think whatever you like. I’ve never cheated on you. Well, maybe one time, but just once. She didn’t mean a thing to me. We were both drinking, and she came on to me. It never happened again. You know that you and our kids mean everything to me. I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late. We’ll talk about this when I have more time.”

Marsha rubbed the tears away and sat trying to come to terms with the situation. She loved Trenton and didn’t want to lose him. She wanted so badly to believe him. The possibility of separation or divorce wasn’t something she’d expected to ever deal with. If it wasn’t for his drinking problem, it likely wouldn’t be happening.

There had to be a better solution. If they couldn’t talk this out, maybe they could consider counseling. Only the future would reveal what might be in store.