Just back from the shadowy deserts of Iraq, Captain Jamie plunges into a very different war. Back at home, which he bravely defended for a year, his marriage now turns out to be a battlefield.
Jamie is torn. On the one hand, the indescribable joy of finally being able to hug his wife and little daughter again. On the other hand, he now also discovers all the contradictions from conversations and letters. Is there another man in his wife’s life?
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Service in Iraq
While Jamie was still stationed in Iraq, he received weekly letters from friends and family. And if he was lucky, his daughter would send him a drawing. The locker in his tent was full of them, but this time he received a drawing that surprised him.
His daughter drew herself and her mother, as always: she herself wore her favorite pink sweater, and her mother wore large earrings. This time she even drew a dog.
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The drawing
Jamie assumed they had bought a dog. But when he looked at the drawing of himself, he saw it as a completely different man. While that was strange, Jamie didn’t think much of it.
He was taught to remain emotionally distant when necessary, so there was no room for doubt in his mind. He quickly read his other letters and hung up his daughter’s drawing before going to work.
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Monthly call at home
Then came the best day of the month in Iraq: the monthly phone call home. Jamie made sure he was first in line and had twenty minutes to call his family.
He asked his wife Stacy about the dog in the drawing and joked that it should have been a surprise. But she got nervous and admitted that her daughter must have meant a dog she regularly visited.
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Ignore the signs
But Jamie continued to allow himself to be blind. He assumed that the background noise of a man’s voice during the following phone calls was only the voices of friends and family.
He managed to stay away from the possible truth until the very last day in Iraq. But then came the day of return. The plane eventually landed and the soldiers were taken to the airport lobby where their families were waiting for them.
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Back on American soil
Jamie looked for his wife and daughter but couldn’t find them. He was all alone surrounded by other families who were happily reunited. Had her new “dad” stopped Jamie from seeing her?
Jamie figured they were probably just late. Stacy could be quite chaotic and it was normal for her to be late. He left the lobby and decided to wait for her in the parking lot. And as he neared the parking lot, he finally saw her. But he was unpleasantly surprised.
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Get out of a car
Jamie saw Stacy and Lauren walk away from a pickup truck and wave goodbye as it pulled away quickly. They stormed toward the lobby and didn’t see Jamie at first.
He looked at her and noticed how much his wife had changed. She looked extremely thin and he barely recognized her. Finally the two saw him, ran towards him and Jamie forgot all his worries
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Hug
They just stood there for a few minutes and hugged. His little Princess Lauren had grown enormously in his absence but still had the same beautiful eyes.
Jamie asked Stacy who dropped her off, but she was unaware that Jamie saw them arrive and said they took a cab. Jamie was getting closer and closer to the truth.
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No trust
Jamie realized Stacy was lying. But what should he do next? He had just left a war zone and didn’t want to enter a new one. Not wanting to confront her just yet, he made a mental note to ask friends and family about what had happened while he was away.
They rode home together in a cab, and the ride was uncomfortably quiet. His little girl felt it too and asked her father to tell her some stories about his adventures.
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Back home
Jamie arrived home and automatically forgot all his worries; he had missed it all! Of course, many things changed in the house, but it still had the same smell and nostalgic feel.
After having lunch with his family, he lay down for a little nap. When he woke up a few hours later, the house was empty and Jamie felt like he was in the wrong movie.
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Still sleepy
Confused and still a bit sleepy, Jamie called his little girl over for a cuddle. But when she didn’t, he worried. He searched the whole house, but there was no sign of them anywhere.
Jamie walked around the house looking for his daughter and wife. He had slept far longer than he wanted and blamed it on his jet lag. He assumed they had told him where they were going before and he just forgot.
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To call a friend
Jamie realized he couldn’t sleep for hours due to jet lag and decided to call an old friend, Ben. He thought about asking him out for a few beers.
When he called him, he heard a woman and a little girl in the background. Jamie suspected who they were and told Ben to come over. And Ben agreed to Jamie’s request.
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Jamie had a plan
As soon as Ben texted him that he was on the way, Jamie got into his car. He knew his wife and baby girl were at Ben’s house and he wanted to pick them up there!
As he drove there, his mind was racing and he thought everything would fall into place now. That had to be what Stacy lied about… But was Ben really the “new dad” Lauren had told him about?
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His blood pumped
The drive to Ben’s house was short, but long enough for Jamie to get upset. His blood was pumping and he was getting angrier by the second. How could Ben betray him like that?
Jamie entered Ben’s house without hesitation and went in search of his wife and daughter. He entered the living room and saw a woman with a little girl, but they weren’t part of his family! Still, Jamie was sure of his guess and asked her where Stacy was. They told Jamie that they hadn’t seen his wife in ages. Did Jamie lose his mind?
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Excuse me and leave
Jamie apologized to the woman and her daughter after finding out they were Ben’s sister and niece and left to return home. He was seriously questioning his own sanity after being away for so long.
But when he got home, Ben was waiting for him in the driveway. Jamie decided to just have a good time with Ben for now instead of telling him about his troubles. He wasn’t going to tell them that he had just been to his house. They had a beer, had fun like they used to, and celebrated his achievements as a soldier. But as time passed, Jamie wanted to air his concerns, and eventually he did.
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Tell the truth
Eventually, Jamie couldn’t hold it back anymore. He just had to make it clear and jokingly told Ben that he went into his house without his knowledge because he thought his wife was cheating on him.
Ben looked surprised and paused for a moment. He immediately forgave Jamie for suspecting him. The fact that he did so without hesitation was not just out of loyalty and friendship on his part. He didn’t share Jamie’s suspicions, but told him how he’d seen his wife change over the years. He assured Jamie he would help him figure it out and told him he knew where to find her.
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How did he know?
Jamie was glad Ben wasn’t mad at him and felt reassured that he too had seen the change in Stacy. However, he wondered how his friend knew exactly where to go to find his wife and daughter.
Jamie was in the car with Ben. They drove across town on their way to Stacy and Lauren’s. But Jamie couldn’t stop thinking about how weird it all was. The drawing with the stranger, his wife, who lies to his face and then disappears into the night.
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Jamie was suspicious
“Do you actually know the right way, Ben?” Jamie finally asked after they had driven through the city for more than twenty minutes. “Yes, don’t worry. I know exactly where to go,” Ben replied.
“But why?” Jamie asked. “How do you know where they are?” Ben paused for a moment. He obviously hadn’t expected such an answer from his friend. Jamie had made it clear that he suspected him of having an affair with his wife and now, after the interrogation, Ben realized his trust hadn’t returned.
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Jamie felt powerless
Jamie hated that answer. He sat in his seat not knowing where they were going or what was happening behind his back. He felt powerless, like everyone around him knew a secret and he was the only one who didn’t know.
The more Jamie thought about it, the angrier he got. After about a thirty-minute drive, Ben finally pulled into a driveway. He stopped and parked the car but told Jamie not to get out just yet. “Why?” Jamie asked, frowning and grabbing the handle. But Ben locked the door from the inside. “What’s going on here, Ben?!”
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He had to wait
Ben sighed. “I’ll go in first, okay? I’ll text you when you can come.” But Jamie had had enough. He didn’t come here for the bastard just to get a chance to run away. He had to break into the house and catch his wife in the act. Whatever act that may be. “Let me out, Ben,” Jamie said in an angry voice. “You better let me out in a few seconds, or…”
“Or what, Jamie?” Ben answered excitedly. “You’re in my car and there’s nowhere to go. You can threaten me all you want, but you know I’m right.”
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Waiting in the car
With that, Ben got out of the car and locked it as he walked to the front door. Anger coursed through Jamie’s veins as he tried to keep his head cool. They played a game with him, and it wasn’t a pleasant one. He waited in the car for a few minutes before finally getting the text.
“I’m going to unlock the car now,” the text read, and Jamie heard the door click. He slowly got out of the car. He had no idea what to make of what had just happened. All he could think about was that his wife and daughter were in that house with someone he had never met before.
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The dog
Jamie pushed the front door and it slowly opened. “Lauren?!” he yelled. A small dog ran up to him and sniffed at his feet. Jamie recognized the dog from the drawing his daughter had sent him in Iraq.
He was definitely in the right house, but where was his daughter? “Lauren?! Stacy?!” he yelled again. He went into the living room and was surprised to see a man sitting next to his wife and daughter on the couch. It wasn’t his friend Ben who was sitting at the dining table. No, that was a new man, a bald man. Was that the man from the drawing?
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He demanded answers
“Stacy, please explain,” Jamie asked his wife angrily. “I took a nap and when I woke up you and Lauren were gone. You didn’t return my texts or calls or even leave a message.” Stacy played with her fingers and looked at her daughter.
“Lauren, sweetheart, go play in the other room.” Stacy got up and walked over to Jamie. She looked sad or even guilty. She took his hand and asked him to sit down. Jamie still loved his wife unendingly, even though he feared she had betrayed his trust in his absence, so he followed her to the couch.
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Waiting for answers
The tension in the room was almost unbearable. Jamie was waiting for his loving relationship with his wife to end. He felt hurt and angry, but little did he know that this wouldn’t be the end.
In fact, Jamie was dead wrong about the whole situation. Jamie sat down next to his wife and looked at the bald man. He hadn’t spoken a word yet. who was this man And what did he have to do with his wife and daughter?
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I feel uncomfortable
Looking back at Stacy, he realized something strange was happening to her. She was red and sweaty and breathing heavily. Jamie just assumed she was nervous about talking to him and telling him the truth.
He was about to tell her to come clean when something happened. Stacy asked, “Can I get some water, please?” and it was obvious she wasn’t feeling well. It seemed like she was having a really hard time telling the truth and opening up, but in reality something completely different was happening.
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She collapsed
Stacy just said “Jamie…I’m sorry…” and dropped to the floor. Jamie gasped and rushed to help her get up, but Ben and the bald guy were already with her.
He couldn’t see exactly what they were doing because they were moving so fast. It looked to Jamie like they’d done this before, which only raised more questions.
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Lauren came in
Ben and the bald guy had just laid Stacy down on the couch when Lauren entered the room. She had a worried and sad expression on her face. “It happened again, didn’t it?” she asked the bald guy.
He just nodded and she quickly hugged him. Jamie just stood there, looking at her and didn’t understand anything. He now had many more questions and was worried about his wife. What had happened to her? Judging by Lauren’s question, it must have happened more than once.
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Lauren sat with Stacy
Lauren had now gone to the couch and was sitting next to her mother, waiting for her to wake up. She didn’t take her eyes off her, other than glancing at Jamie a few times.
Jamie felt terrible seeing his wife and daughter, the two people he loved most in the world, like this. Stacy slowly started to wake up and Lauren hugged her tightly. When she was awake and feeling a little better, she asked Ben if he could take her home. “We’ll talk there,” she said to Jamie. Ben and the bald man helped her up and to the car, and Jamie followed them in silence.
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Feel excluded
He didn’t like having to wait any longer for an explanation, but he did his best not to show it on the outside. He knew it was a bit selfish and he realized the most important thing was that Stacy was okay.
It was obvious that Ben and the bald guy had spent a lot of time with his family while he was away. Lauren hugged the bald guy and whispered something in his ear. They both looked at Jamie and the bald man gave him a nod in greeting.
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A quiet drive home
The bald man waited outside while the others got into the car. Ben drove her home and no one said a word for the entire drive. The radio was on and Lauren was in the back seat with her father, holding his hand.
When they got to Jamie and Stacy, they all got out. They helped Lauren walk to the front door and Ben went again, leaving the family of three alone. They went inside and Lauren went straight to her room – she probably knew her parents were going to have a serious conversation.
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She started to cry
Jamie and Stacy sat on the couch and just looked at each other. Stacy started crying and Jamie hugged her. That only made her cry more. As Jamie sat with her, he had a feeling something far worse was going on than he had anticipated.
“I’m really sorry, Jamie,” Stacy exclaimed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you beforehand.” She explained that she didn’t want to upset him while he was on duty. Jamie still had no idea what she was talking about, but it was obviously something very intense.
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Finally he understood
They spent the rest of the night on the couch, talking and crying. Stacy had told Jamie everything she had kept secret for the past two years and he couldn’t believe it. He felt terrible about it, but he was relieved to finally hear the explanation and everything had found its place.
Shortly after Jamie was posted to Iraq, Stacy became ill. At first she thought she was just a little stressed and that was the reason she wasn’t feeling well, but that would pass soon. But the more time passed, the worse she got. Eventually she went to the doctor and found that she was very, very ill.
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A janitor
Soon she was spending most of her day in bed. She could no longer work or do anything in or around the house. Luckily, she was soon able to be treated in hospital and was also provided with a full-time caregiver to help her at home.
The caregiver helped cook meals, clean the house, and take Lauren to school. And then it clicked. The caretaker was the bald man! He had spent time with Stacy and Lauren to help them and therefore Lauren saw him as a father figure. Suddenly, Jamie felt very guilty and ashamed for ever thinking that his wife had cheated on him.
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Fainting from the medication
Stacy explained she just left the house like that because she wasn’t feeling well — the medication she was taking made her pass out at times. She didn’t want to wake Jamie because she didn’t want to tell him she was sick just yet, but she needed help so she had asked Robbie, the caretaker, to pick her and Lauren up.
As for Ben, he was Jamie’s best friend and when he heard Stacy was sick he knew he had to help her. He ran errands for her and delivered groceries to her home. Not being there to help made Jamie feel responsible – and he knew Jamie would have done the same for him.
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Getting better
The good news was that Stacy was slowly getting better and she didn’t have to take her medication much longer. Jamie was relieved to see his wife getting better and he continued to help her along with Robbie who often brought his dog to their house – Lauren loved to play with him.
In the end, Stacy made a full recovery. She became strong and healthy again and was able to go back to work, so they no longer needed Robbie’s help. However, they remained good friends and Jamie really appreciated what he had done for his family. Stacy, Jamie and Lauren lived long and happy lives and shared many beautiful moments as a happy, loving family.