In the news business, there is an acronym designed to help reporters write complicated stories. KISS stands for “Keep It Simple Stupid.” In other words, don’t overthink it. Just write it.
Therefore, if I were to state the outcome of my extramarital affair in the simplest terms, it would go something like this:
- She wanted me when it was convenient for her. When she stopped wanting me, she discarded me like garbage.
- When I was reluctant to enter into an affair, she went out of her way to tempt me, and succeeded. But when the affair was exposed (no thanks to her), it was as though everything was my fault.
- During the affair, and in the months that followed, she was happy to communicate through phone calls and email. Yet now, if I were to so much as run into her on the street, she would report me to her husband and my wife.
- Today, she goes about her life as though nothing happened, as though we never existed. I, on the other hand, am the walking wounded, and must blog about my feelings for purposes of self-therapy.
I know. Forget it and move on. It is what it is. It was what it was. Yes, I’ve moved on. Yes, my wife has given me “one more chance” to prove that I am truly free from this other woman and can be a loving and faithful husband. But there are still times, like this very moment, when I shake my head and ask, “What the hell was that?” How could this seemingly warm and loving person I knew be so indifferent to the time we shared?
The truth is, I know the answer, and it’s the most haunting part of my story. And soon, when these feelings begin to stir again, I will tell it. Oh, how I’ll tell it!
