Working Title: In It For Keeps
an excerpt

She walked into the bedroom and saw him sleeping soundly. The music was coming from the television which he had turned onto a music video channel and turned way down low. She approached the bed and gasped loudly. There, on the other side of her husband, on her side of the bed, was a sleeping woman. A sleeping woman whom she had never before seen in her life. In fact, a sleeping woman that was very obviously much younger than she was and sure looked awfully comfortable sleeping so close to her husband. For a moment she considered the situation. She tried to think of something witty to say, but all she wanted to do was pick up the lamp on Greg's end table and smash him over the head with it. However, going to jail was not on her list of things to do before she died. So she decided against that tactic. What should she do? She wasn't sure. She tiptoed back out of the bedroom, leaving everything exactly the way she found it - lamp, cheating husband and all.

She pressed her back up against the wall and tried to catch her breath and focus. She stayed that way in the hallway for a few minutes while she considered her options and tried to control her thoughts. She could wake them up, and demand to know what the hell was going on, but she had no idea what to say. She could pretend she didn't come home and leave again, but then exactly what would that accomplish and where was she supposed to go? She could go into the kitchen and drop something loudly and see if they woke up and what they would do, but then again then she would have to know what to say to them when they emerged from the bedroom. Or she could just call Claire. She always knew what to do.

She reached for her cell phone, dialed and stepped outside into the warm evening air. Claire picked up on the seventh ring, just before Megan was ready to give up. She sounded out of breath.
"Megan?" Claire asked looking at the caller ID. "How could you have possibly talked to him already? Is everything ok?"
"No, everything is not okay." Megan was trying hard not to raise her voice.
"What's wrong?" Claire sounded impatient.
"My husband is currently in bed with another woman." Megan stated flatly.

There was silence at the other end of the phone.

"Did you hear me, Claire? Greg is not sick, he's just fine. He apparently just had other plans tonight. Plans he forgot to mention. Plans that included a bed, and another woman." Megan's voice cracked as she tried to remain strong.
"Right now? Like as in, this very second, he is with another woman?" Claire asked incredulously.
"Yes like right now. As in I just walked into the bedroom and they are both asleep next to each other in the bed!" Megan's voice rose as she spoke.
"Are you in there? Where are you?" Claire asked quickly.
"I'm in the garage. Apparently they were sleeping to soundly and Greg didn't hear the garage door. They have no idea I am home. Claire what am I supposed to do?" Megan's voice crumbled as she spoke. Tears streamed down her face, unable to control her emotions, she dropped to the garage steps.

"Wait right there. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right there."

(just so you don't think she cries about it for long)

Megan was still sitting on the garage steps, her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands, when Claire and David arrived. They left Bill and Sara in charge, and suggested they just tell everyone that a friend was sick and needed them. Claire's arms were open from the moment she walked into the garage and Megan literally fell into them. David rubbed her shoulder gently.

Claire was surprised to see that Megan was not crying, since she had basically hung up with her in tears. But here she was, sitting there seemingly calm and collected with dry eyes and a smile, a weak smile but a smile."Meg, you ok?" she asked concerned.