Page 39 of The Affair
“And this makes me you happy? That your husband is bad at something?”
Candace’s head bobbed up and down as moved Penny from her hip and placed her on her lap, facing me. “I’m not thrilled that there are paint buckets and tools all over my house, but does it help my own insecurities to know that he’s human, just like the rest of us? Oh, heck yes.”
“And do you think your marriage is better off—because you see each other’s flaws?”
“Oh sweetie, that’s what marriage is. Heck, that’s what love is. Seeing another for who they really are—the good and the bad—and loving it all.”
I thought back to my own failed marriage. “I think I put Reed on a pedestal.”
Her face tilted slightly. “Are you saying he’s not blameless for what he did?”
I shook my head. “Oh no, definitely not. But I think I overlooked his flaws because I was convinced our love was perfect—that he was perfect—and because of that, I never really knew the real Reed. Instead, I created this fantastical version of him.”
“What do you mean?”
I leaned back in my chair and tried to articulate my words. “Looking back, there was so much I missed. It was like I was in some sort of haze—a Reed haze. Today, I saw him; he came by the store to rant about Sawyer working for me.”
Her eyes widened. “He did?”
“Yeah, it was crazy. But it wasn’t so much what he said that was crazy; it was a validation that this was just how Reed behaves. It was like a veil was lifted, and I saw him in a new light.”
“And what did you see?”
“A jerk.”
It was an admittance I hated to make. But the more and more the veil disintegrated from my eyes, I saw the truth.
“I’m not wrong, am I? About Reed?”
I could tell Candace was trying her best to be as politically correct as possible. “He’s not a bad guy,” she said, her eyes shifting down to baby Penny. “But he’s not about to win any Citizen of the Year awards either.”
I let out a frustrated huff, and she immediately added, “I could always tell in high school that he tried. Like the community service he did during senior year.”
“That was detention.”
“Oh, really? Wow, what did he do?”
“Senior prank gone wrong. I think a teacher’s car was vandalized. He got off easy,” I replied with a slight roll of my eyes. “Well, his dad persuaded the school to let him off easy.”
“Okay, well, what about this one? Dan works the toy drive every year with the rest of the firehouse, and he said that for the last decade or so, someone anonymously donates a bunch of bikes.”
“So?” I said, a little surprised. “That could be anyone.”
“It could be, but it could also be Reed. You know his family sponsors it. And we all know who in this town is synonymous with bikes.”
“Well, if he is, I wouldn’t count on the donation this year. After the fight we had today, I doubt he ever wants to see a bike again. Plus, he’s got someone new in his life.”
“He does?”
I nodded. “The girl from the bar.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, Elle.”
Holding up my hand in an effort to stop the emotions, I pressed on. “It’s fine. I’m over it. Over all of it.”
“Is that why you finally took me up on my offer to visit—because you needed somewhere to cool off?”
I nodded. “That, and I needed someone to talk to.”
