The restaurant was bursting with people and sound. Glasses clinked in cheers, friends hugged a greeting, and servers rushed about. Every table was full. All the bar stools were occupied. A few people stood to hover around friends and internet dates as my co-worker, Carrie, and I sat rapt, listening to Ralph.
He had just returned to the table after his third call from his wife in thirty minutes. There was no emergency unless you knew her fears. He explained, “She calls me when I’m out to remind me not to mess up. My wife has always been jealous, but seventeen years ago, I drove her mad.”
“What happened?” Carrie asked.
Ralph lifted the tumbler from the table and gulped the brown liquor it contained. His eyes met hers from across the table as his confession unfolded.
“Before I worked in tech, I was a trade-show representative, selling outdoor equipment. You both know I love camping. It was a great job for me. I’d done it for years, and most of the other vendors were my friends. We all knew each other, shared jokes, and sometimes, after a long day, we’d go out for drinks. One night, I got carried away. I couldn’t make it home.”
Carrie and I shared a look, but neither of us spoke as Ralph continued.
The wrinkles in his forehead deepened as he went on. “There’s a 64 on isle 1––scratched through the walkie-talkie. Back then, walkie talkies were big. Every vendor had one. We used them to talk to one another and show buyers how well they worked. My booth had a mezzanine with a couch. After being out all night, I laid down and dozed
off during a break. The voice that woke me was my buddy, Jeff’s.”
“64 was our code word for a female that’s a ten. Not many women went to our trade shows. If one of us saw a looker, we’d alert our friends. We all appreciated a hot girl. I jumped up from the sofa and peered over the railing to check her out. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
“My wife, Heather, was striding down the aisle. She wore a tight leopard dress with her black knee-high boots and matching leather jacket––an outfit she knew drove me wild. I saw where she was going and I had to stop her. There was only one woman who worked the circuit. Her name was Jessica. Heather had always been suspicious of her and she was heading her way.”
“I took hold of the walkie-talkie and said over the channel, that’s no 64. That’s my wife. I didn’t wait for Jeff’s reply because I knew she was about to make a scene. I ran down the narrow stairs and in her direction, grabbing her from behind just a
s Jessica and she made eye contact. Jessica dove behind the curtain of her booth, nearly knocking it down, as my wife fought to break free from my arms. I arrived in time to stop her lunge, but I couldn’t silence her scream.
“You bitch!” She yelled, and everyone in the place stared.
“My boss ran up to us, demanding to know what was going on. It was the end of my career doing what I loved. That’s when my brother Oscar got me the job with him in tech.”
Carrie and I were stunned by his secret, but it explained many things. She asked what I didn’t dare. “Did you sleep with her?”
Ralph’s chin dipped with his eyes, and we both knew.
Though I could relate to Heather's pain, I couldn’t imagine doing what she did. I know we’re all different, but I’d have walked away instead of living with constant insecurity. The impact his indiscretion had already had on my life underlined the fact that you can’t restore trust. I know a lot of people stay together after something like that. I don’t understand it.