When Piper returns from a trip with her friends, she cannot wait to get home to her husband. But as she unpacks her car, a neighbor approaches her, complaining about the noise from her apartment. If Piper wasn\u2019t home, who was Matthew entertaining in her absence?<\/p>\n
I had just returned from a blissful week-long camping trip with my friends. It was all about us taking time away from our lives and enjoying being away from the city.<\/p>\n
My husband, Matthew, had stayed behind, claiming that he needed to stay at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to be home, Piper,\u201d he said, when I was packing my bags. \u201cIt\u2019s just work responsibilities. There are meetings and presentations coming up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d I asked him. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come along, and then we can find you a place to work in between it all?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew smiled at me and sat down on the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay, sweetheart,\u201d he said. \u201cYou go and join the others and have fun. You need some time away from this place.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued to persuade me to go on the trip, and eventually, I gave in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re sure, then it\u2019s settled. I\u2019ll go,\u201d I said. \u201cBut I\u2019ll meal prep your food for you before I go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, I was back home, feeling rejuvenated and happy to be back with my husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cI missed you,\u201d I said when I walked into the house.<\/p>\n
Matthew was cooking for us, music was playing in the background, and I felt grateful that I could come home to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just going to unpack the car,\u201d I said. \u201cBut dinner smells great!\u201d<\/p>\n
I went outside and began to unpack my things when our downstairs neighbor, Mrs. Peterson, approached me by the car. Her stern expression made me pause everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everything okay?\u201d I asked her, ready to jump at whatever she needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Piper,\u201d she said, crossing her arms. \u201cI know that you and your husband are a young couple and stay up until the late hours. But could you try and keep it quiet at night? At least from about nine-thirty. For the past week, I could barely sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked, taken aback.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Mrs. Peterson, I haven\u2019t been home all week. Are you sure that it was coming from our place?\u201d<\/p>\n
The old woman frowned, and I could tell that she was trying to see if I was joking or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, someone was making a lot of noise, Piper,\u201d she said. \u201cIt sounded like a party every single night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t sure what I was listening to. I knew that Matthew was a good guy, but we were on the top floor, and there wasn\u2019t anyone living above us.<\/p>\n
Was there a possibility that I didn\u2019t know my husband as well as I thought?<\/p>\n
I apologized profusely, my mind racing. As soon as she walked away, I rushed upstairs to confront Matthew. I needed to know what Mrs. Peterson was talking about.<\/p>\n
If he had been entertaining people, then that was one thing, and it was okay.<\/p>\n
But what if he was having an affair?<\/p>\n
\u201cStop it,\u201d I muttered to myself as I stood in the elevator.<\/p>\n
I found my husband lounging on the couch, watching TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatt, we need to talk,\u201d I said, my voice giving me away.<\/p>\n
He looked at me, picked up the remote, and switched the TV off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Piper?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Peterson just complained about noise coming from our apartment every night last week. I wasn\u2019t here, Matthew. What the hell is going on, and who were you making so much noise with?\u201d<\/p>\n
My husband\u2019s face paled, and he buried his face in his hands. My heart sank.<\/p>\n
There was something about the resignation of his body that made me think that he was guilty. But guilty of what?<\/p>\n
Was he simply guilty of having friends over? Or an affair?<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, just tell me the truth,\u201d I pleaded, sitting down on the couch across from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not having an affair,\u201d he muttered, barely audible. \u201cAnd I know that\u2019s what you\u2019re thinking. But I was just ashamed to tell you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
\u201cWhat truth? What do you mean? What\u2019s going on?\u201d I asked, the questions hurling themselves at Matthew.<\/p>\n
My husband took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes filled with something that I couldn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost my job a few months ago, Piper. I didn\u2019t know how to tell you. But I\u2019ve been desperate to make money so that you wouldn\u2019t notice the shortfall. While you were gone, I rented out our apartment to make some money. I stayed at Trent\u2019s place while the apartment was rented out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sighed, the relief and confusion dissipating from my body.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, the noise was from the people who rented out the place?\u201d I asked, needing to hear it from him.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, love,\u201d Matthew said. \u201cI just didn\u2019t know how to tell you. I didn\u2019t want you to worry. And I didn\u2019t want you to miss the trip just because of me. I also had an interview during the first week, and I wasn\u2019t about to reschedule it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just tell me, Matt?\u201d I asked. \u201cWe could have figured something out together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d he said, his voice breaking. \u201cBut I was just scared about letting you down.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
I took a deep breath, trying to process everything. I looked at the clock on the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a team, Matthew,\u201d I said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to face things like this alone. We can deal with this together. That\u2019s what marriage is about.\u201d<\/p>\n
My husband smiled and pulled me toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
We sat in silence for a while, both trying to figure out the next move. I knew that he would have been trying to find another job, and I didn\u2019t want to ask him a million questions about it.<\/p>\n
He would tell me when something came up.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
We sat down at the table, and Matthew asked me about the trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me everything,\u201d he said. \u201cDid Liam get drunk and do something stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/ins><\/div>\n
\u201cOf course he did!\u201d I laughed as Matthew poured me a glass of wine. \u201cHe tried moonshine from some other campers and ended up streaking, running through tents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI bet Sasha wasn\u2019t impressed,\u201d Matthew laughed. \u201cThat couple is always disagreeing.\u201d<\/p>\n
As we did the dishes together that evening, Matthew sighed and leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for understanding,\u201d he said. \u201cThank you for not thinking that I was covering up an affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled at my husband, ashamed that I entertained the thought of him having another woman in our home.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut did you make sure to change the bedding?\u201d I asked him. \u201cI\u2019m not about to sleep in a bed that other people have been in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew laughed loudly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur bedroom was locked, darling,\u201d he said. \u201cThey only used the guest room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next few days, we talked about everything. We spoke about the loss of his job, the financial strain, and our plan moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m actively looking, Piper,\u201d he said over coffee and toast the next morning. \u201cI\u2019ve set up alerts for job positions that I would fit into. And I\u2019ve cut down any other unnecessary expenses. This isn\u2019t going to be for long. I can promise you that.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Mrs. Peterson, I went downstairs to her apartment, ready to explain everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d I said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know about everything Matthew was going through. And he ended up letting our apartment out as an Airbnb for the week, just to make some money off it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, honey,\u201d she said, her eyes softening as she put the kettle on. \u201cIt\u2019s okay! I understand it now. I just thought that you two were taking advantage of the situation. But I get it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for understanding,\u201d I said. \u201cWe just need a minute to get back on our feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Peterson faffed around the kitchen, making us some tea.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, Piper,\u201d she said, giving me a plate of biscuits. \u201cI\u2019m here and willing to help you out if you ever need the help.\u201d<\/p>\n
It turned out that in her youth, Mrs. Peterson had been through tough times herself and knew how hard it could be to ask for help.<\/p>\n
SEE MORE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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