Perfect Strangers

Silent and morose, Veronica got into her car and turned the key in the ignition. Her own car came to life, illuminating the scene in front of her, showing her nothing. She put the car into gear and did a U-turn as well, driving back to her home.

~~~

Veronica turned into the driveway and saw Greg's car already there. A wave of panic ran through her. She looked at the clock. 12:32. Whenever he went out with his friends he would wake her up by stumbling into the house at around 2 or 3 in the morning. Turning off the car, she got out and walked up to the house, her heart beating quickly in her chest.

She put her key in the door, unlocked it, and slipped inside. The kitchen light was on, the rest of the house completely dark. There wasn't a sound coming from the kitchen, but Veronica was pretty sure Greg was in there, waiting. She slipped off her shoes, hung up her coat, and walked into the lighted room.

She saw him sitting at the table, a glass of water in front of him. He wasn't doing anything, and he didn't look up when Veronica entered.

"Oh, hi sweety," she said, trying to sound nonchalant as she stayed in the doorway. "Back early?"

"I wasn't really planning on staying out late," he said, still not looking up. "I was planning on coming home and surprising my wife."

"Oh, well," Veronica said, unsure of how to respond. "Umm, did you have a good time out?"

"Where were you?" Greg asked, not answering her question.

"I told you, I was out with Nancy," Veronica said, her heart pounding.

"Where?"

Veronica froze, wracking her brain. She hadn't thought of an alibi past Nancy herself.

"McDonald's," Veronica said, saying the first thing that came to mind. She immediately regretted her decision, and this was made doubly so when Greg looked up, his brow furrowed.

"McDonald's?" he repeated.

"Yeah, she loves it there," Veronica kept going. "She insisted. She says it reminds her of her childhood."

"I don't know of any McDonald's around here that's open until twelve thirty in the morning," he said.

"Well, we left it when it closed," Veronica said, "and then we just sort of ... talked in her car."

"Talked in her car?" Greg repeated again. "For three hours?"

Veronica swallowed. "Yeah," she said, feeling flustered. She could feel her story falling apart but she stuck with it all the same. "We really had a heart to hea-"

"I called Nancy's house," he cut her off, and Veronica's voice died in her throat. "You have the number up on the fridge, for some reason. I spoke with her. She said she had no idea what I was talking about, and that I shouldn't call so late and wake up her and her kids, since I was phoning at around 11."

Veronica felt frozen, not saying anything.

"So you weren't with Nancy," Greg continued, "And if you weren't with who you said you were with, then where the hell were you?"

Veronica's throat was dry but she forced herself to open her mouth and speak.

"I was out," she said.

"You were out?" Greg repeated again, louder this time. "What the fuck were you doing? Who were you out with? You don't know anybody else!"

The words slapped Veronica in the face and for a second she thought she was going to cry. But a part of her held on, and she forced herself to keep looking, not to drop her gaze from Greg. Inside of her, deep down in a spot she'd long since forgotten, she felt something bubbling up. A heat, an anger. Something that she knew was there, and had been there the whole time, but had been buried under years of servitude and complacence.

"Who was I with?" she heard herself say. "Why should I need to be out with somebody? Why couldn't I have been on my own?"

Greg stood up and Veronica almost took a step back but she stayed where she was.

"You were with someone," he told her. "Why would you lie to me if you weren't?"

"Why is it always about you, huh?" she asked him. "Why should you have all the fun and just leave me here to rot on my own inside of this God-forsaken house? Maybe I lied because I didn't want you knowing where I was. Maybe I just needed some time away from you on my own terms, not whenever you decide it works for you!"