05: Am I A Jealous Wife?

→ Agatha ←

It’s been a week since that lunch with my family and I haven’t spoken to any of them since then. I walked into our bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed with my phone in my hand.

I tried calling Oscar again, but the line only rang a few times before going to voicemail just like the last three times I had tried.

I had just finished cooking his favorite food and the containers were already packed on the kitchen counter. I wanted to drive to his office and give them to him, but the other part kept hesitating because the last time I showed up at the company without telling him first it had not gone well at all.

He made it very clear he did not like me dropping in unannounced.

I was still sitting there trying to decide what to do when my phone started ringing. I looked at the screen and saw Mom’s name.

Strange.

My family never called me unless it was something that actually required my attention. I was already trying to figure out how to reach Oscar, so whatever this was had to be important.

I answered the call.

“Mom?” I said.

“Agatha, I need you to come to Naomi’s house right now.” She used that firm voice she only brought out when something was wrong.

“What for?” I asked as I stood up.

There was a short silence on the other end before she spoke again.

“Naomi’s husband was on a plane that crashed over the ocean this morning. Your sister isn’t herself right now.”

I froze in place. Mom's words hit me so hard that I just stood there holding the phone to my ear without moving.

Naomi’s husband involved in a plane crash? My mind kept turning the information over because it did not want to accept what it had just heard.

I hung up without saying another word. My hands were trembling as I set the phone down on the bed. She didn’t say he was dead. She only said the plane crashed. Maybe he survived, maybe they already found him.

I started pulling clothes on as fast as I could without even checking if they matched. Meeting Oscar could wait, right now the only place I needed to be was with Naomi.

~

I pulled up outside Naomi’s house and barely put the car in park before I was out and rushing through the courtyard. A black car was already parked near the entrance and something about it felt strangely familiar, but I didn’t stop to think about it.

I heard voices coming from inside. I could hear Dad and Mom, and then another voice that I recognized but couldn’t place yet.

I walked straight into the living room and the sound of sobs grew louder.

Naomi was on the couch with Mom sitting beside her, rubbing her back in slow circles.

“Naomi.” I called as I moved closer.

She didn’t even look up. She just kept sobbing into her hands like she hadn’t heard me at all.

A figure stepped out of the kitchen and I stopped walking.

Oscar.

The car outside was his. He was holding a glass of water and walking toward Naomi.

“Oscar, you’re here. I thought you were at the company.” I said. He gets really busy at the office and barely has time to get off work.

Was he here the entire time I called him?

“Your mom called me first. I was the closest person she could reach and Naomi was inconsolable. She thought I might be able to help. Got a problem?” He asked as he kept walking.

For a second I felt a wave of relief. This was exactly what a good husband and brother-in-law should do. He had dropped everything to come support my sister when she needed someone. I told myself that was a good thing.

Oscar held the glass out to Naomi but she shook her head and kept crying. He sat down beside her anyway.

“Has there been any update from the police?” I asked.

“They’re still searching for the aircraft and the bodies. There are no confirmed survivors so they can’t say for sure that he’s dead. I can’t accept that I might never see him again.” Naomi’s voice came out shaky.

I moved closer and knelt in front of her.

“They’re going to find him, sis. Don’t lose hope, okay? Just hold on.” I said.

Naomi turned her head toward Dad. “Has there been any new information from the search teams?”

“There isn't. I'm still speaking to the head of the search team.” Dad answered quietly.

I watched her fall apart and thought about how much she had loved her husband. He proposed the same day we graduated from college, right outside the hall while everyone was still throwing their caps in the air.

She had cried then too, but those had been happy tears. She had been so sure of him, so sure of their future.

I looked at Oscar as he tried to calm her.

“Don’t cry so much. You’ll get a headache.” He said softly.

Naomi covered her face with both hands and leaned against him. Something in my chest lurched at the sight. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on.

“I can’t lose him, Oscar.” She said into his shirt.

Oscar put one arm around her and started stroking her hair.

“Shh. It’s okay.” He murmured.

I understood that Naomi was grieving, I really did. But watching her hold onto my husband like that made me really uncomfortable and I couldn’t just sit there and ignore it.

“Naomi, I understand you need comfort right now, but maybe you shouldn’t be holding Oscar like that.” I said.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me at once. Mom, Dad, Oscar, even Naomi. The sudden attention made my face heat up and my hands go cold.

Why am I nervous? He’s my husband.

If the situation was reversed and I was clinging to her husband like that, everyone would call it inappropriate without hesitation.

Naomi lifted her head and looked at me as if what I said irritated her.

“Are you seriously worried about that right now while my husband might be dead? Are you trying to accuse me of something?” She asked in a shaky tone.

“I’m not accusing you of anything,” I said quickly. “I just meant that Oscar is my husband and–”

“I was only looking for comfort!” Naomi cut me off, crying harder now. “I’m terrified and I don’t know what else to do. Why are you making this about you?”

“Agatha, that was incredibly insensitive.” Mom’s face hardened immediately. “Your sister is falling apart and you’re worried about how she’s sitting with your husband?”

“Mom, I–”

“Naomi is in a vulnerable state, Agatha. This is not the time for you to start acting all possessive. Read the room.” Dad cut me off.

Oscar looked at me with clear disappointment.

“You should have some compassion for your sister, Agatha. She’s going through a difficult moment in her life right now.” He said.

Their eyes and their words pressed down on me at once. Shame clouded in so fast I felt sick with it. My chest felt heavy and I nodded, staring at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.”

Naomi turned back into Oscar’s arms without another word and he held her again, one hand moving slowly over her hair. I stayed where I was on the floor, watching them.

I kept telling myself I had let my own jealousy get the better of me at the worst possible moment. My sister’s husband might be dead and all I could think about was how close she was sitting to mine.

What kind of person does that make me? I swallowed hard and forced myself to stay quiet, because anything else I said would only make it worse.