Three's Company

7. Nightly Terrors

Bumping into your ex-husband's mistress can really take a toll on your well-being.

Mona stared back at her reflection through the mirror in contemplation. while her awkward morning encounter replayed like a broken record.

She had gone into the town to get some essentials like toilet paper and body wash when she spotted the beautiful brunette coming into her aisle.

She was sure she must've looked bat shit crazy, stopping there, frozen in place.

It was hard not to be taken aback. This was the very woman she had wondered about on so many restless nights- the questions were running through her mind like wildfire and they couldn't be more random.

What did she smell like? How did she laugh? Did she sleep on the right or left side of the bed?

He always chose the left.

Her hair looked so perfect and in place, it was thrown into what she suspected was her version of a messy bun and yet she still looked beautiful.

She dressed nicely too, in a sweet little sundress that had daises printed over it and small little sandals.

The thirty-year-old hated the fact that she felt compelled to compare her attire and self-worth with the younger woman.

She seemed to have the ability to catch his eye, something she was sure that he walked into a room, he could feel her overpowering presence.

She flourished like a daffodil in the spring and Mona, well, she wilted. It was as plain as that. She sank into herself and stayed invisible.

For instance, unlike the stylish and put-together nurse, she had slipped on whatever she could bother to find in her closet for the day and didn't bother to redo her bed hair. She hadn't known she would see anyone, which now she regretted entirely.

The second their eyes caught one another, she knew those green eyes were judging every inch of her.

And she didn't blame her.

The mirror in front of her spoke volumes. Her hair was lacking in volume, and undeniably frizzy in odd places. Her skin was dull, lifeless almost. Compared to the twenty-something-year-old, she knew she was unattractive.

There was no way to compare them both when she looked old enough to be her mother.

Okay, maybe that was more exaggeration than necessary, she mused.

God, nevertheless, she was ancient in comparison to her.

Maybe if she had taken care of herself better and chose to look nice regularly, then her marriage wouldn't have failed so miserably.

Taking a step away from the bathroom mirror, she turned around and headed for the light switch, turning it off.

"What does she possess that I do not? Is my love not enough?" She asked herself in her mind.

As much as she envied the way he chose her in every possible situation, there was never a second where she felt enmity towards this woman that held her lover's attention.

It wasn't the poor woman's fault that she had fallen for such a man. Just one look was all it took for her to possess his soul.

Somewhere deep down, she wished she could be more like her.

At least then, he would notice her.

〆

It started light. A mere drizzle at most, and then it advanced into an extreme shower. Pellets of hail stones started to thump at the windows, enough for the panic to kick in.