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“You might about this, though. It’s pretty bad.”
“Alan, I’m serious. I’m on a break. I don’t want to hear anything that will upset me while I’m trying to work,” she replied in an exasperated tone.
“I’m afraid it’s going to come out. Now that people know we’re engaged, they’ll be dying to tell you everything they know.”
“I can’t imagine what that could possibly be, Alan.”
“You’re not going to be happy about this.”
“Just spit it out.”
“I had an affair with Dan’s wife, and it broke up his marriage. His wife was miserable with him. She didn’t go back to him after she dumped me.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
Finally, she said, her voice clipped, “That’s got nothing to do with me. I wish I didn’t know.”
“I needed to tell you.”
“It’s human nature to be disappointed when you hear something like that. He was your best friend.”
“The best one I ever had,” Alan replied.
“How could you do it to him, then?” Her voice had gotten an octave higher.
“I was lonely, and she came on to me. I take full responsibility, but that’s basically what happened. I wasn’t thinking about Dan at the time.”
“Was she that compelling?”
Alan cringed, not answering.
“No matter how alluring someone is, you don’t strike me as someone who has self-control issues. At least I hoped that.”
“I usually don’t,” he replied. “I’m usually a stand-up guy. But not that time.”
“I guess Dan isn’t going to be your best man at our wedding.”
“No. I won’t even ask him.”
“What does he say to you about us?”
“Just today, he said he hoped no one would come along to screw it up for us.”
“Nice.”
“You know I’d never do that, right? I’d never cheat on you, especially with a friend,” he lied. “I can’t even fathom it.”
Now she sounded pissed. “I told you not to tell me, that the past wasn’t important,” she cried. “It still isn’t. I’ve trusted you, Alan. I trusted you to be loyal to me, not to betray me. That’s all I’ve got.”
“I promise from this day forward to be loyal to you,” he said.
“Thank you, Alan. Better late than never.”
“What does that mean, Shelly?”
She didn’t bother to answer his question. “I guess I’d better get back to work. The ER is nuts today.”
“No gunshot wounds, I hope.”
