shoots me a dirty look. Elz, paying no attention to her, continues spewing information. Keep it coming. I want to know everything about her.
“I’ve heard she’s very good in business.”
“Probably in bed too.”
Winnie shoots me another harsh look and slams her cupcake on the table. “Stop it! You need to get proof.”
I’m growing impatient with Winnie. Almost furious. She’s my BFF. She’s supposed to be compassionate and supportive. Helping me bring down this Sleeping-with-My-Prince Beauty.
“Well, I’m taking Jane’s side,” says Elz, chomping into a sparkly pink frosted cupcake. “I’m telling all my customers to boycott Aurora’s Secret.”
Winnie rolls her eyes and goes back to her cupcake. She licks the frosting and smiles with satisfaction.
Finally, I bite into one too. Usually, the first taste of the rich creamy frosting makes everything seem a lot better. Not today.
What good fortune that Shrink, my Faraway therapist, decided she wanted to spend more time with her twin sister, Tinkerbell, and opened a satellite office in Lalaland soon after I married Gallant. Despite being “cured” of my addiction to beauty, I still need her help. Why? Let me put it this way. I meditate. I burn candles. I drink tea. And I still want to poison people.
Like Aurora.
The timing for my weekly appointment couldn’t have been better. Shrink will help me deal with my shocking discovery. She’ll know what to do.
As usual, she’s late. I squirm restlessly on the worn velvet chaise lounge she brought along from her office at Faraway. I’ve been on this chaise so many times you can see the outline of my body.
My emotions seesaw between extreme sadness and extreme anger. How could Gallant do this to me? When Shrink finally flies in like a streak of lightning, leaving a trail of fairy dust in her wake, I’m tipped on the side of anger.
“Jane, I would like to continue our discussion about having children,” she begins, always one to get right to the heart of the matter.
I grit my teeth. And then I smirk. HA! I don’t have to deal with the baby issue ever again. The pros and cons don’t matter anymore. My “maternal ambivalence,” as Shrink calls it, is a non-issue. My mind is made up. There’s no way I’m conceiving a child with a man who’s betrayed me and broken my heart.
“There is no discussion,” I say curtly.
“Can you elaborate?” Her tiny winged-body hovers over my face. She gazes at me intensely.
“It’s quite simple. Gallant is having an affair.” The tears I’ve been holding back roll down my cheeks.
“And how do you know this?”
“I found a note. A love letter from another woman.”
I dig into my purse and hand her Aurora’s note. She slides the spectacles that are sitting atop her head over her face and scans it.
“Ah, Princess Aurora. Sleeping Beauty,” she says, pushing the glasses back up.
“You know her?” My moist eyes grow wide.
“I treated her once for insomnia. After sleeping so much, she was afraid to go to sleep.” Shrink hastily cups a tiny hand over her mouth. “Pretend you didn’t hear that. It’s privileged doctor-patient information.”
Whatever! It just figures that Gallant would go after another beautiful princess with a sleeping disorder. First, Snow White. And now Aurora. Or maybe it’s the other way around. It doesn’t really matter. An affair is an affair.
“Gallant no longer loves me!” My own words come at me like a rush of flaming arrows. I start sobbing uncontrollably. God, how many tears have I shed on this chaise? Probably enough to make an ocean.
Shrink hands me a hankie from a large bin. I blow my nose loudly and take a deep breath. My sobbing subsides a little.
“How could he do this to me?” I sniffle. “I love him so much.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions,” says Shrink, echoing Winnie’s words.
I’m an emotional wreck. Is that all she can say? I know what I need to do and focus on getting out the words
“I’ve heard she’s very good in business.”
“Probably in bed too.”
Winnie shoots me another harsh look and slams her cupcake on the table. “Stop it! You need to get proof.”
I’m growing impatient with Winnie. Almost furious. She’s my BFF. She’s supposed to be compassionate and supportive. Helping me bring down this Sleeping-with-My-Prince Beauty.
“Well, I’m taking Jane’s side,” says Elz, chomping into a sparkly pink frosted cupcake. “I’m telling all my customers to boycott Aurora’s Secret.”
Winnie rolls her eyes and goes back to her cupcake. She licks the frosting and smiles with satisfaction.
Finally, I bite into one too. Usually, the first taste of the rich creamy frosting makes everything seem a lot better. Not today.
What good fortune that Shrink, my Faraway therapist, decided she wanted to spend more time with her twin sister, Tinkerbell, and opened a satellite office in Lalaland soon after I married Gallant. Despite being “cured” of my addiction to beauty, I still need her help. Why? Let me put it this way. I meditate. I burn candles. I drink tea. And I still want to poison people.
Like Aurora.
The timing for my weekly appointment couldn’t have been better. Shrink will help me deal with my shocking discovery. She’ll know what to do.
As usual, she’s late. I squirm restlessly on the worn velvet chaise lounge she brought along from her office at Faraway. I’ve been on this chaise so many times you can see the outline of my body.
My emotions seesaw between extreme sadness and extreme anger. How could Gallant do this to me? When Shrink finally flies in like a streak of lightning, leaving a trail of fairy dust in her wake, I’m tipped on the side of anger.
“Jane, I would like to continue our discussion about having children,” she begins, always one to get right to the heart of the matter.
I grit my teeth. And then I smirk. HA! I don’t have to deal with the baby issue ever again. The pros and cons don’t matter anymore. My “maternal ambivalence,” as Shrink calls it, is a non-issue. My mind is made up. There’s no way I’m conceiving a child with a man who’s betrayed me and broken my heart.
“There is no discussion,” I say curtly.
“Can you elaborate?” Her tiny winged-body hovers over my face. She gazes at me intensely.
“It’s quite simple. Gallant is having an affair.” The tears I’ve been holding back roll down my cheeks.
“And how do you know this?”
“I found a note. A love letter from another woman.”
I dig into my purse and hand her Aurora’s note. She slides the spectacles that are sitting atop her head over her face and scans it.
“Ah, Princess Aurora. Sleeping Beauty,” she says, pushing the glasses back up.
“You know her?” My moist eyes grow wide.
“I treated her once for insomnia. After sleeping so much, she was afraid to go to sleep.” Shrink hastily cups a tiny hand over her mouth. “Pretend you didn’t hear that. It’s privileged doctor-patient information.”
Whatever! It just figures that Gallant would go after another beautiful princess with a sleeping disorder. First, Snow White. And now Aurora. Or maybe it’s the other way around. It doesn’t really matter. An affair is an affair.
“Gallant no longer loves me!” My own words come at me like a rush of flaming arrows. I start sobbing uncontrollably. God, how many tears have I shed on this chaise? Probably enough to make an ocean.
Shrink hands me a hankie from a large bin. I blow my nose loudly and take a deep breath. My sobbing subsides a little.
“How could he do this to me?” I sniffle. “I love him so much.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions,” says Shrink, echoing Winnie’s words.
I’m an emotional wreck. Is that all she can say? I know what I need to do and focus on getting out the words
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