Chapter 3: The Invitation to Her Own Humiliation
By Wednesday morning, I had decided exactly what I was going to do.
I wasn't going to confront Vanessa.
I wasn't going to threaten her.
And I certainly wasn't going to compete with her over a man who had already made it clear where he wanted to be.
Instead, I was going to let her expose herself.
The first step was making sure Irvin and I were on the same page.
We sat at the kitchen table over breakfast.
He was reading the newspaper on his tablet while I spread butter across a piece of toast.
"Are we still going to Vanessa's barbecue?"" he asked.
"Yes.""
He lowered the tablet.
"Claire, I don't want you feeling like you have to prove anything.""
I smiled.
"I'm not proving anything.""
"Then why go?""
"Because I'm not letting her dictate where I can spend my Saturday afternoon.""
He considered that.
Then he nodded.
"Fair enough.""
I reached for my coffee.
"And I want you to do something for me.""
"What?""
"If Vanessa tries anything inappropriate, don't argue. Just tell her you're not interested and walk away.""
He frowned.
"That's already the plan.""
"Good.""
He reached across the table.
"Claire, you know I love you, right?""
I looked at him.
"Seventeen years, Irvin. I think I've figured that out.""
He smiled.
"Just checking.""
I squeezed his hand.
And for the first time since Vanessa moved in, I felt completely calm.
On Thursday, I went shopping.
Not for anything extravagant.
I bought a beautiful cream-colored gift box, a roll of satin ribbon, and a small card.
At home, I placed everything on the dining room table.
I had an idea, but I needed to make sure I handled it properly.
The following morning, I called my friend Melissa.
Melissa had been my closest friend since college. She was a practical woman who worked as an accountant and had absolutely no patience for nonsense.
She answered on the third ring.
"Claire! What's happening?""
I laughed.
"I need your opinion on something.""
"That sounds dangerous.""
I told her about Vanessa.
Not every detail, but enough.
When I repeated the sentence about stealing Irvin, Melissa went silent.
Then she said, "I'm sorry. Did this woman actually say that to your face?""
"Yes.""
"At your kitchen table?""
"Yes.""
"While drinking your coffee?""
"Unfortunately.""
Melissa let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan.
"Claire, I would have thrown her out with the coffee.""
"I considered it.""
"What's your plan?""
I glanced at the gift box.
"I'm thinking of bringing her something to the barbecue.""
Melissa paused.
"A gift?""
"Yes.""
"Are you sure this isn't going to turn into one of those situations where somebody ends up wearing potato salad?""
I laughed.
"No.""
"Then what are you giving her?""
I hesitated.
"I'll tell you after Saturday.""
Melissa groaned.
"I hate when you do that.""
"Trust me.""
She laughed.
"All right. But promise me you won't let this woman make you feel less than you are.""
"I promise.""
After we hung up, I went back to the dining room.
I carefully tied the satin ribbon around the box.
Then I wrote a short message on the card.
For Vanessa. With best wishes for your fresh start.
I placed it on top.
The gift wasn't particularly large.
But the message inside would be impossible to misunderstand.
That afternoon, something happened that made me realize Vanessa was getting bolder.
I was returning from the grocery store when I saw her standing beside Irvin in our driveway.
She was holding her phone.
He was carrying a bag of gardening supplies.
"Hi, Claire!"" she called.
I smiled.
"Hello, Vanessa.""
She looked at Irvin.
"I was just asking your husband if he'd like to come over for dinner sometime.""
I set my grocery bags down.
"That's nice of you.""
Vanessa smiled.
"Just the two of us, actually. I thought it might be easier to talk without distractions.""
Irvin immediately shook his head.
"No, thank you.""
Vanessa laughed.
"Don't be so formal. It's just dinner.""
"I don't think that's appropriate.""
Her smile tightened.
"Why? Your wife doesn't trust you?""
I looked at her.
There it was.
The little trap.
The attempt to make me appear insecure.
I picked up my grocery bags.
"Vanessa, my husband is perfectly capable of deciding whether he wants dinner with another woman.""
She glanced at Irvin.
"And apparently he doesn't.""
Irvin looked directly at her.
"That's correct.""
Her cheeks turned pink.
"Well, excuse me for trying to be friendly.""
She turned and walked toward her house.
Irvin watched her go.
Then he looked at me.
"Did I handle that okay?""
I laughed.
"Perfectly.""
He picked up the gardening supplies.
"Good. Because I was about three seconds away from asking her to stop making this weird.""
I touched his arm.
"You don't need to explain yourself to her.""
We carried the groceries inside together.
That evening, I noticed Vanessa posting another photograph.
This time, she was sitting in her backyard with several wine glasses arranged on the table.
The caption read:
Saturday is going to be unforgettable. Sometimes life gives you exactly what you want when you stop being afraid to ask.
I stared at the screen.
Then I closed the app.
She had no idea how unforgettable Saturday was about to become.
Friday passed quietly.
Irvin mowed the lawn.
I changed the bedsheets.
We ordered Chinese food and watched a detective movie.
At one point, Irvin looked at me and said, "You seem different.""
I turned toward him.
"Different how?""
"Calmer.""
I thought about that.
"Maybe I am.""
He reached for my hand.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, I want you to know that I don't need anything else. I don't need excitement from some stranger. I don't need somebody telling me I'm attractive.""
I smiled.
"That's good, because I don't plan on sharing my husband.""
He laughed.
"Fair enough.""
Then he kissed my forehead.
Saturday arrived warm and sunny.
By four-thirty, the neighborhood was beginning to gather.
I wore a simple navy-blue dress, small silver earrings, and comfortable sandals.
Irvin wore dark jeans and a light blue shirt.
He looked handsome.
Not that I was surprised.
We placed a bottle of sparkling cider and the wrapped gift box in the back seat.
When we reached Vanessa's house, music was playing in the backyard.
Several neighbors were already there.
A long table was covered with burgers, grilled chicken, salads, chips, and bowls of fresh fruit.
Vanessa stood near the patio doors wearing a red sundress.
Her blonde hair fell in perfect waves around her shoulders.
She looked delighted when she saw us.
"Claire! Irvin! You came!""
She walked straight toward my husband.
"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me.""
Irvin gave her a polite smile.
"Hello, Vanessa.""
She touched his arm.
"Come on. I want to show you something.""
Before he could respond, I stepped forward.
"Actually, Vanessa, I brought you something.""
Her attention shifted to me.
"Oh?""
I reached into the car and lifted the cream-colored box.
"I wanted to thank you for inviting us.""
Her eyes moved to the ribbon.
Then to the card.
A wide smile spread across her face.
"That's so thoughtful!""
She accepted the box with both hands.
"Goodness, Claire. You didn't have to do that.""
"I know.""
She laughed.
"Can I open it?""
"Of course.""
A few people nearby turned to look.
Vanessa seemed to enjoy having an audience.
She positioned herself beside the outdoor dining table and carefully untied the ribbon.
"Everyone, look!"" she announced.
"Claire brought me a gift!""
A couple of neighbors smiled.
I stood quietly beside Irvin.
Vanessa removed the lid.
Then she lifted the tissue paper.
Her smile remained for another second.
Then it vanished.
She stared into the box.
Her fingers stopped moving.
Her lips parted.
And for the first time since she'd moved into our neighborhood, Vanessa looked genuinely afraid.
"What's this?"" she whispered.
I tilted my head.
"Something I thought you should have.""
She looked up at me.
Then down into the box again.
Her face had gone pale.
One of the neighbors leaned forward.
"Is everything okay, Vanessa?""
Vanessa didn't answer.
Instead, she pulled a folded document from beneath the tissue paper.
She opened it.
Her eyes moved across the first paragraph.
Then the second.
Her hands began to tremble.
Irvin looked at me.
He hadn't seen the document before.
"Claire," he whispered, "what did you put in there?""
I didn't answer immediately.
Because Vanessa had finally reached the last page.
And printed beneath the final paragraph was a name she clearly hadn't expected to see.
Her former husband's.
She looked at me with wide eyes.
"Where did you get this?""
I held her gaze.
"From someone who knows you much better than I do.""
She took a step backward.
The document slipped slightly in her hands.
Then a man's voice came from behind us.
"Vanessa?""
The entire backyard fell silent.
A tall man in a gray polo shirt stood near the garden gate.
He looked at Vanessa.
Then at the papers in her hands.
His expression hardened.
"Why do you have those documents?""
Vanessa's mouth opened.
No sound came out.
And suddenly, I understood that the barbecue wasn't going to end with Vanessa embarrassing me.
May you like
It was going to end with someone else discovering what she'd been hiding.
Someone who had every reason to make sure she never got away with it again.
Related Stories
