Losing it

Nate was going to make tonight a memorable night.  Nate and his wife, Rebecca, hadn’t had any private time for the last week with his surgeries running late into the night.  His mind wondered with anticipation, and his car weaved through traffic so that he could have all the time he could with his wife.  He was even happier when he remembered that the kids, Brandon and Alyson, were at his bother’s house for the night for a slumber party with their favorite uncle, their only uncle.

 A smile broke across his face when he pulled into the driveway and saw that Rebecca was home.  He nearly forgot to shut the car door when he ran into the house. Opening the door he yelled, “Buttercup, I’m home.”  He didn’t hear a response.  He could hear her listening to music in her room.  It was off though she didn’t like hard music.  Who was it singing?  Muse?  When did she start listening to that?  It was rough music, it kind of excited him.  “Honey?  You up there?”  Then it hit him. She was probably in the tub. “That makes things easier.” He said as he leaped up the stairs two at a time to their master bedroom. 

The room was massive; he imagined it in his head as he made his way up.  There was a huge king sized bed, and an entertainment center that was on the same wall as the door, the radio on it would be where the blaring music was coming from. There was a big bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub, that door was on the far side of the room.  It was one of his favorite spots in the house. 

With every step the music roared louder and louder.  It almost hurt his ears.  How odd.  “Honey?” he half yelled.  Then he pushed open the door.  The room was dark except for the candlelight that glowed yellow from some candles he had bought Rebecca for her birthday.   They were lit and on the headboard of the bed.  He stared at the untidy bed.  “Hmm…” he told himself, “she must’ve forgotten to make the bed this morning.” 

He looked across the bed to the far side of the room to the bathroom door; maybe she was in the Jacuzzi after all.  Once again he was excited.  But this wasn’t like anything he had ever seen before.  She never just left candles out.  He went and blew out the candles.  He didn’t want a fire.  “Wait!” he thought, “Maybe she knows I’m here and she’s gunna surprise me!”  It was more a desire than a rational thought.  More candlelight flooded into the newly darkened room through the slightly opened door of the bathroom.  It either supported his idea, or it didn’t.  This was stupid, Nate trusted his wife.  So why was he so nervous to open the door?  

He didn’t have to open it. 

The bathroom door began to open and the soft candlelight illuminated the dark room.  And he saw his wife.  Her nude back was to him. “Well not the usual approach.” He thought. She was a huge fan of lingerie.  The door opened more and Nate saw a man who leaned forward and kissed Nate’s wife hard and very passionately, then Nate’s wife led this stranger to Nate’s bed.  They didn’t even notice the new addition to the room.  

Nate didn’t breathe, he couldn’t.  As they twisted and kissed on the bed, Nate walked over to the radio, and simply switched it off.  He was too shocked to do anything else.  His heart had stopped in his chest.  Staring at the radio he listened as the two lovers on his bed realized what was happening. 

“Oh shit!” He heard a man’s voice shout.

“NATE!?!”  His wife shouted. “Wha..What are you doing here?” She stammered as Nate turned to look at the whore on his bed. 

 “What am I doing? What am I doing?  WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?”  He screamed at her.  She looked at Nate then at the other guy there.  Nate didn’t recognize him at first, and then it sunk in.  “The banker? What the hell are you doing with our banker?  What are you some sort of tramp now, sleeping with everyone?”  He shouted at her.

“NO! Damn it! You’re not supposed to be here.”  Nate stared at her as she started to cry.  “Nate…I…I…”

“What? Is that all you can say. ‘You’re not supposed to be here. You’re not supposed to be here’.  What the hell! You’re my wife!” Nate paused and looked away from the scene before him.  He looked back at her, disgust in his eyes, “Get out of my House!”   Nate shouted.  He was madder than he had ever been in his life.  He rushed the bed, and grabbing his wife’s arm, threw her from it to the floor.

“Damn it! That’s hurts!” She cried, throwing herself backwards to break his grip on her.

“Let her go you crazy fuck!” The naked banker cried as he lunged at Nate.  Grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him away from Rebecca, and punching Nate in the face.  Nate stammered back, touching his face, he felt the warm blood flow from his now broken nose.  “You don’t touch her!” The banker yelled.

“Who the hell are you to even talk to me? You’re smut…you. You’ve been sleeping with my wife!” Nate shouted and threw himself at the banker and tried to hit him back.

The banker sidestepped him and dropped a shoulder into Nate’s stomach, knocking the air out of him.  Nate buckled over and fell on all fours.  The banker started to kick Nate in the stomach. Once, twice then Nate couldn’t hold himself up and he crumbled to the ground.  Then the banker leaned over and punched him in his face. “Looks like you lose.” He whispered. 

Coughing up blood Nate almost passed out.  He looked up as the naked banker, with Nate’s blood on his hands, turned to Nate’s cheating wife and said. “Let’s get out of here.” He said it simply, like they were leaving a restaurant or some boring movie.  

Nate followed his gaze and realized that Rebecca wasn’t even looking at him.  She wiped a tear off her cheek, smiled lightly at the banker, and then leaning in and giving him a kiss she responded.  “I’d like that.”   Then they both quickly pulled on some clothes.

“Bye Nate.” She said as they walked out hand in hand, leaving Nate balled up in pain and unable to move. 

“Go to hell!” Nate coughed.

He was confused.  What was happening?  Why? The banker?  Nate didn’t even know his name.  He felt his ribs; he didn’t need anyone to tell him what was broken in his body.  A few ribs for sure, and his nose without a doubt, Nate needed a doctor.  He pulled himself to his knees, and stopped as a sharp pain shot up the right side of his body.  “Shit!” He cried. Then he lost it.  He fell forward breaking the fall with his hands; he rolled to his left side and just wept, and wept.  His tears mixed easily with the blood on his face.  His whole body hurt, throbbed with pain.  His heart was completely torn to shreds, he felt empty, and alone. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and slowly dialed. “Victor, I need your help. I’m at my house. Venga ya.” Victor was Nate’s most trusted friend, and also a doctor.  He was from Costa Rica, They had met in med school, and had always been friends since.  Nate had learned Spanish from him.  And now Nate needed his help.

“What happened?”  Victor asked shocked at the sound of Nate’s voice.

“Just come.” And then he hung up.  Then Nate made his way to the bathroom.  There were still candles lit on the Jacuzzi tub.  With the swing of one arm he hit them all into the bubbly water.  Suddenly it was all dark, he struggled to find the familiar light switch, the one he had used every day for the past 5 years.   When he flipped the switch the bright light blinded him.   Throwing his right hand to cover his eyes he brushed his nose, sharp pain shot the short distance to his brain, and for a second his whole head throbbed.  His eyes were watering even more now.  Nate didn’t know that someone could hurt so much.  He looked at himself in the mirror.  It was a sad sight. Blood covered the bottom half of his face, flowing from his nose, which was smashed to the side. 

“Oh man. This is gunna hurt.”  He said to his reflection in the mirror.  Placing his hands on both sides of his nose, he pulled and pushed it back into place.  With a loud crack he righted his nose.  Fire shot through is body and he slammed his hands down on the sink to stabilize himself.   His left hand landed on something oddly cold and wet, a used condom.  He gagged loudly as he threw it across the room.  Then he dove for the toilet and vomited from the nasty taste that had invaded his mouth.  He vomited till he dry heaved.  Then he lay beside the toilet and quietly cried till he heard Victor come into the house.

“Nate! Where are you man?” Victor shouted from the entryway on the first floor of the house.  His voice echoed off the walls of the huge house, cutting into the silence with his Central-American accent.  Nate didn’t answer, he just lay there numb from shock and some disillusion that told him that if he didn’t answer maybe it would all just go away.  “NATE!” Victory shouted even louder, the sound of his voice ringing in Nate’s ears.

“Up here.” He whispered.  Then a little louder, “UP HERE!” his throat aching as he half yelled to his friend.   Swallowing the pain and forcing himself up to a sitting position he waited as Victor raced up the stairs and into the master bathroom. 

Victor stopped when he saw Nate. With his eyes wide open he whispered, “Shit…what happened to you? Nate, are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?”  Nate half laughed to answer his question.  Nate didn’t make any eye contact with Victor, but staring forward into the floral wallpaper as if trying to decipher some hidden code within, he continued. “She’s gone…Rebecca left.”

“Nate, look at me…Damn it, you need to go to the hospital.” Victor analyzed his friend’s condition.  Nate’s face was covered in blood, nose swollen 3 times its normal size, his left eye was swollen shut, and his arms held his stomach as if his innards were going to spill onto the Italian tiles of his bathroom floor.

“Victor, that’s why I called you. You’re a better doctor than all those damn quacks at the hospital.”  As he spoke, Nate looked at Victor for the first time.  His one eye that wasn’t swollen shut showed all the pain that was walled up inside of him.  His tears flowed red once they hit his cheeks. “Victor…oh god…she’s gone. She left me for him…the banker. Ha, of all people...”  He leaned his head back against the toilet seat, which was covered in his bloody handprints.