Always Us

another woman

"I caught him in her bed again," Olivia whispered into the phone as she paced around the kitchen.

"Uh oh," Simone sighed.

"I'm so over this, Simone," Olivia kept going. As she walked by the hallway, she peered around the corner to make sure no one could overhear her.

"Maybe you should try talking to him about it," Simone suggested.

"I've already brought it up to him, and he's just like 'I can't help myself,'" Olivia replied, using a mocking tone to imitate her husband. "And this isn't even the first time."

"I don't know," Simone tried to be patient. "You gotta do something because these daily calls are not going to fix anything."

"Ugh, I'm just so over it. It didn't used to be like this," Olivia sat down as she reminisced on the beginning of her marriage. Before Spencer started entertaining other women. Thinking about how things have changed over the last few years, her tone got worried again, "do you remember last time?"

"Liv, you're being dramatic."

"You don't get it Simone. You've never had this happen to you. Last night, I woke up to pee and he wasn't in bed. That's like the third time this week."

Simone was over Olivia's paranoia, but she tried to be understanding. "You're right, I don't. That's why I'm telling you. talk. to. Spencer."

"You think it'll ever be the same again?" Olivia questioned, choosing to ignore Simone's sound suggestions.

"Eventually, sure," Simone replied, her voice now void of all emotion. "Alright Liv, your time is up for today. Go talk about your nonproblem with someone else. Bye."

"But -" Olivia started, but Simone had already hung up.

"So much for 'I'll always be a listening ear,'" Olivia mumbled to herself as she returned to the plates she had been prepping before she decided to call Simone.

Olivia knew she was being a little overdramatic, but deep down her feelings were hurt. She had always been Spencer's main focus. Through high school, college, and the beginning of their marriage, she was his top priority. It stung to have that taken away from her.

When she finished assembling the snacks, she took a deep breath and headed to the playroom. There she found Spencer laying on his side, his elbow propping him up so that he could still interact with the kids.

In front of him sat the culprit, her tiny fingers poking at his pursed lips. Approaching them, Olivia squatted to hand her daughter her afternoon snack.

"Here, baby. Mommy brought you a snack," Olivia smiled.

"No," Gianna shook her head, refusing to take the cereal puffs from Olivia, "daddy, gib to me."

Sighing, Olivia handed the bowl to Spencer who looked at her apologetically before handing it over to his youngest daughter.

Olivia didn't understand. The first two had stuck to her like glue, but the twins were different. The twins had started out the same way, but the older they got, the more they seemed to drift towards Spencer. Particularly Gianna.

Gianna had been extra attached to him ever since the parents decided that it was time for her and Caleb to move into their big girl and big boy beds. Since last Sunday, it seemed like every other day Gianna would come into their room in the middle of the night and wake Spencer up to stay with her. He would try to escape quietly so that he didn't wake Olivia up, but she would eventually stir when she rolled into the empty space beside her. And even though she had gotten used to sleeping alone when he was away for games, it felt different knowing that he was in the house.