Cheat

Martin was drunk when Marlene came back after sunset. He had completely forgotten about his wife. He'd been slumped on the couch for hours, staring at the wall with a glass and, later, a bottle of whiskey in his left hand. He usually didn't smoke inside, but he'd smoked almost half a pack in the last few hours. The air around him was heavy with smoke. His eyes stung. Once in a while, he'd start crying, then forget why he was sad and return to staring with a furrowed brow. His consciousness kept sweeping to and fro. One minute, he was Martin; the next, he was Franz. They were warring for control. And the more they drank, the more Franz could grasp his body back. 

He heard the little bell ring over the front door. The little jingle jolted Franz into complete control, banning Martin into the back of his mind. He got up abruptly, clutching the bottle, and ran into the hallway. He saw the hem of Marlene's wet and stained skirt disappear up the stairs. "Marlene!" He roared and charged down the hallway after her. 

She picked up her skirt and ran up to their bedroom. She quickly peeled the clothes off and desperately hid them under the bed. But Franz came in and saw as she frantically shoved them under the bed, down on her knees. His chest heaved. He took in the sight of her flushed face and trembling hands. 

Marlene thought he would shout at her, maybe even lay his hand on her. But he just stood there. Her heart raced. She knew how bad it looked. If anything screamed cheating or at least lying, it was trying to hide the evidence. But his eyes lost all their fire, and even though his eyes rested on her bedraggled state, he'd already seemed to have forgotten about it. Franz sank to his knees, and he started to cry. 

"Oh, Marlene! I feel dead! I've felt dead for months. Sometimes, I don't remember what I did, or if I remember, it feels wrong, like I'm just observing what someone else is doing. Someone's got a hold of my body, Marlene. Something is taking me." Seeing her husband break down freaked Marlene out. She'd seen him drunk and emotional before, but she'd never seen him crash down on his knees wailing. Ignoring the cold, wet fabric that still clung to her skin, she scrambled over to him and hugged him. "He kills me from the inside, Marlene! He gets the wrong reactions to things; he has different feelings. He doesn't love you Marlene, not like I do. And it tortures me because he's almost always in control." 

"It's alright, Franz. I'm here." Marlene cooed as she softly rubbed his back. He grabbed fistfuls of her skirt and tilted his head upward. He screamed. "I can't do this anymore, Marlene! He took my life." His chest rose and fell rapidly. "He took my life." His voice bubbled over his lips, thick with spit and smoke.

"He killed me." 

"Shh, Franz, it's alright." She pulled him closer. His hands bunched in the wet material, but he didn't notice that the water was soaking through his clothes. 

"No it isn't." He hiccuped, falling silent for a few seconds." "It isn't!" He wailed again."

"Please don't be so loud you'll scare the children." Marlene hushed.

But it was too late; they already had. Theodore, the bravest and oldest of the lot, was peering down the hall. He saw his father kneeling on the floor, his head raised and tears streaming down his cheeks. His mother was next to him, trying her best to calm the crazed man. The bottle of whiskey lay knocked over on the carpet. 

"Mama?" Theodore called out softly. "Papa?" 

Franz immediately turned his head to look. He saw his son's face free of Martin's influence for the first time in months. He got up, swaying slightly, and walked toward his son. Theodore watched his father stagger over in horror. Franz was still crying, but now they were tears of happiness. Marlene got up. She was nervous. Franz was drunk, what if he accidentally gripped the boy too tight? "Theodore." He mumbled and stretched out his arms toward the boy. But the movement messed with his balance and he fell face first onto the floor. His nose bust open, and started to bleed. But Franz didn't notice. He propped himself up and reached for Theodore. "Komm her (come here)." He begged. Theodore shook his head and started to cry.

"Papa, du machst mir Angst (Dad, you're scaring me)." 

Marlene rushed past Franz and picked Theodore up. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then told him to go back to bed. "Papa's just a bit upset. He'll be alright, I'm going to take care of him. Just like when Gretel cried last week. It's going to be fine." She set him down again and pushed him in the direction of his room. 

"Am I a good father, Marlene?" Franz croaked. He'd pulled himself off of the floor and was leaned against the wall. His hand covered his bleeding nose, muffling his speech.

"You're a wonderful father, Franz." 

He reached for her. Then his eyes widened. "Why are your clothes wet? You were outside, weren't you? So late? Who were you with?"

"I...I, Franz I'm-."

He shook his head sadly and smiled. "Don't tell me. I understand. I've been distant. How about we take a bath together, you and I? I think we both need it."