The Doppelgänger

What happens when a woman is at the park taking pictures and she thinks she sees her husband with another woman and a little boy? Will she get the bottom if this? Or will she be forced to leave him.

The ray of sunlight struggled to shine through the thick blanket of clouds at the park on a Tuesday afternoon. Every inhale scraped my inflamed throat like sandpaper. I put the strap of my camera over my head and adjusted the lens so I could take pictures. Children’s laughter bubbled in the air from family enjoying their picnic. Above, birds sounds, their wings cutting through the sky. I smiled. It was as if the scene was a film begging to be watched, framed perfectly through my camera lens. My laughter died in my throat. A splitting image of a man - my husband was with a woman and what looked like a 3-year-old kid clinging to the two of them.

The air thinned and it was like a heavy weight crushed my lungs restricting every breath that I took. This seemed like a cruel joke, was I dreaming? Was that really my husband with a woman and a kid? The pain clawed deeper into my chest, intensifying every breath. I put my camera down and quickly powered myself to the car; I didn’t take a second look. Even outside, the air was too thick to breathe with the excruciating pain that I felt.

The excruciating pain in my chest was like a knife stabbing me in the heart when I noticed that John’s car was not home. I grabbed my cane that was in the passenger side, I left my wheelchair in the car for the next time I decide to go out again. I slammed the door and stomped inside. No, no, no. It couldn’t be John. It just couldn’t. My hand started to tremor, when I was holding my phone. Then I stopped, the paralyzing fear restricting me from breathing, it was like a heavy weight on my chest. I went to the printer that was by the window in the living room so I could print out the picture that I took. Then I went in the room.

My cane clanging against the wall as I threw it," I flop down on the bed and closed my eyes. Was that really him? Does he have a twin that I don’t know about? Does he not love me because of my disability? These questions swam through my mind and made the room spin like a roller coaster at high speed. The image tormented my thoughts of the man that looked like John," my husband.

Footsteps heavy and it reverberated throughout the house; startled me awake. My heart racing making it hard to breathe.

“Honey, I’m home,” John said. His voice calm but it did nothing for my racing heart. It was as if there was something heavy on my chest to prevent me from breathing. I rose to my feet and my eyes felt damp, so I wiped it with my sleeve. I shoved the incriminating picture that I printed out and put it under the pillow. John walked in the room. “Hi babe,” John said leaning in to kissed me. When he hugged me his dark chocolate cologne usually is a comfort, but now it felt like a suffocating blanket pulling me to a hug.

“Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?” I yelled; my voice tremored, and tears fell perfectly on my cheeks. It felt hot against my skin. John snatched the photo out from under my pillow. He examined it.

“This is not me, I just got off work,” John said. His voice laced with defensiveness.

“Are you fricken kidding me right now?” I asked frantically.

“Babe, I love you, you have to believe me. I don’t know who that guy is with that girl and child,” John said. John flickered his eyes to search for any truth

I ran in the bathroom to avoid his lies and slammed the door behind me and locking it. My hands empty - no phone in hand. I left it on the bed. Instead of leaving the comfort of the bathroom to get it, I laid down on the floor and closed my eyes. My heart sank deeper and deeper as if it were sinking into an ocean of doubts.

“Babe?” John pleaded. But I didn’t trust my crackling voice, so I kept silent. Drifting off to sleep.

The floor was wet when I woke up. I touched my face, and it was warm with tears still on my cheeks, my eyes felt puffy. I grabbed the washcloth that was on the counter, and I used it to clean my face and then cleaned the floor so I wouldn’t trip. I stood up and looked in the mirror, I did not care that my face was still puffy. I took a deep breath and got my bearings under control before I walked out of the bathroom. Dishes clanging together echoing against the thin walls. John was washing dishes. I joined him. I quietly went into the kitchen. He turned to face me.

“Babe, are you okay?” John asked me. I didn’t know how to answer that question. I just nodded. Somehow he knew I was lying. “I love you; you got to believe me.” I nodded. I protected my heart by not saying another word. I got my cell phone that was on my nightstand. Instead of saying another word to John, I talked to my friend Jane who is a detective. I texted Jane what was going on, so she knew how to help me.

“I’m so sorry, Jane said. “What do you need me to do?”

“I want you to find out if it’s really John,” I said.

“I don’t know what he looks like,” Jane said. I sent a picture of John and the man that looked like John.

“Okay, I’m on it. I’ll do that tomorrow morning, is that okay?” Jane asked.

“Yes, that is fine,” I said.

………………………………………………………………

A pleasant and delicious scent woke me up the next morning.

“Good morning, you’re just in time for breakfast,” John said as if nothing happened last night. As John put my plate and a cup of orange juice on the table before me, Jane texted.

“I took a picture of him and the woman,” she said. Pushing my plate away from me.

“What’s the problem now?” John asked.

“Are you honestly going to tell me that this isn’t you?” I asked.

“Yes, I was home all morning, I slept on the couch last night,” John said.

“I want you out now!” I said. Pointing towards the front door.

“Babe, please,” John pleaded. He grabbed his phone and keys and went out. After 20 minutes John came back in the house without saying a word. He didn’t have the energy to fight with me again.

“I love you April,” he said.

“I love you too,” I said. Even though I was hurting I couldn’t deny my feelings.

“I’m not cheating on you. I promise you’re the only one I love,” John admitted. “And I’m sorry you thought you saw me.” Then Jane texted me.

“I’m tailing him right now, he’s at a restaurant by himself, it looks like he is waiting for someone,” Jane said.

“John is here with me now,” I said. For the first time since this whole thing started I was relieved.

“Then who is that guy that I am following that looks exactly like John?” asked Jane.

“I don’t know,” I said.

I looked up from my phone and stared at John. I didn’t say a word after I discovered that it was not John. It’s just a guy that looks exactly like him. I held my phone in front of John and showed him the picture.

“My friend just sent me this picture,” I said.

“See I told you it was not me,” he said relieved.

“I’m sorry I did not believe you,” I said.

“Next time will you talk to me before you jump to conclusions?” John asked. I nodded at him.

“I’ll try,” I said.

“I love you so much,” John said.