Her husband never told her she looked nice, or pay her any kind of compliment. For him, she was there and that was where it was normal for her to be. So when the other man came into her life she was literally a sitting duck.
She did not stand a chance. He was kind and thoughtful in a way her husband had never been. He asked if he can help, he seemed to actually listen to her, he looked at her as if she was someone special, someone to be appreciated and adored, not merely tolerated and put in her place.
He was good looking too, in that simple human way not in the soap opera star kind of way. So, without knowing how it happened Fionnuala found herself on the verge of having an affair.
She huffed and laughed at her own ridiculousness. Women like her did not have affairs, she was too old, too provincial and too set in her ways to do anything of the sort. Her husband hadn’t noticed anything, not when they went to the pub, not when they went shopping or went to the church.
He knew the other man, of course he knew him, everybody knew everybody, in their small village, but he was so confident that his wife was his that he never even bothered to question the other man’s niceties.
Who would want her? A middle aged woman, normal, with no exceptional features or talents. Barely knew how to cook, he would laugh, she was a good mother though, he had to give her that. What he would call a mother with a talent for it, she was just amazing with the children, taking care of them, educating them, organizing everything for them.
Of course, it was easy when he provided her with everything, but still, she did well, he had to give her that.
Three times a week, in the afternoon, Fionnuala would walk to the leisure center and swim for one hour. It was her passion and it was what kept her strong to care for all the people and things that needed to be looked after in her life.
Strong mentally and physically. Water was her element. She would often say that she should have been born a fish … the other man said ‘A mermaid most likely … a beautiful, dazzling mermaid.’
She blushed and swam away quickly. She blushed later when she revisited the memory, snuggled under the duvet and battling insomnia.
She’d known him for a long time, but they never went further than the weather. Just recently he had started to chat to her, to ask her things, show up in church or at community events.
Soon Fionnuala found herself looking out for him in the street. She was surprised how easy she found it to talk to him. He watched some of the same shows as she did, seemed to like to read and was very knowledgeable about some of the things she was interested in.
As the months passed Fionnuala developed a very inappropriate friendship with the other man. Oh no, she did not cheat on her husband, but she thought about the other man and sometimes would wonder. ‘What if?’
The phone rang. A video call from Maureen, a good friend of hers, who was so well connected in the village that she knew everything, sometimes even before it happened. She had a knack for it Maureen.
‘Are you sitting down?
Their conversations were like a continuous one, they never said ‘Hello’ or ‘Good bye’.
‘Maureen!’
The phone laughed at her.
‘Fine! You will absolutely not believe this!’
‘Hmmm …?’, Fionnuala was folding laundry in the kitchen.
‘Siobhan has run away with that pool guy, you know which, the one that swam there, Sean his name is.’ Maureen’s voice was delighted.
Fionnuala had to sit down.
‘What?’
‘They had been having an affair for some time now, it seems they were planning this escape together for months. She took all of her family’s money. Her husband is in bits. I am sure your husband will tell you everything tonight. They are best friends right?’
They chatted for a bit, Fionnuala working hard to hide her true frame of mind and blaming her absentmindedness on a cold. When the phone went silent she burst into tears.
He had been having an affair with another woman all along! She felt so stupid, so ridiculous … so lucky!
The sitting duck had dodged a bullet.
God All Mighty!
When her solid husband came home he was all shook up.
‘You will not believe what happened!’
She pretended she had no idea.
‘What?’
‘Siobhan took all her family’s money and ran away with the electrician. You must know him, he was always there at all the events and church... She just emptied the joint account and ran with him … Can you imagine?!’, it was obvious he couldn’t.
Fionnuala continued to chop vegetables working hard not to give herself away. She startled when he came very close to her and watched her intently.
‘You would never do that, would you?’, he sounded pleading and worried.
‘I mean we have a good life, we love each other, our children …’
Her heart melted and felt so lucky again.
‘Oh come on, don’t be so dramatic! I am not Siobhan! Go wash up! The food will be ready soon …’
He gave her a big hug and went upstairs to change into his house clothes and wash up.
Fionnuala said a quick prayer and felt gratitude for her normal, settled kind of life, and for her unromantic husband she could count on.
Some things are more important than others … or so she thought!