Lonely Wive's Club

Into to the Club

         It was a few weeks into the New Year and Alison began to wonder if retiring would be the right decision.  She had been an actress and lived in England most of her life. She wanted to make some changes, having her daughters home from boarding school was one of them and the second was her husband, Jack.

         She and Jack’s careers had consumed their lives.  Alison was always off somewhere filming her next movie, doing interviews or making appearances.  While Jack was off being the ultimate entertainer, touring to promote his latest CD, making appearances and doing interviews.  During the little free time that he had, he was working out the final details for his next movie.

         Alison stood in the sitting room of their London home looking at the memories that filled the room.  She glanced at the wall she filled with pictures of her daughters.  Pictures of Holly and Jill covered the wall.  Alison looked at the photos lightly touching the glass in the frames.  She became distant as her unfocused gaze went from picture to picture.  She found herself touching her wedding rings for comfort.  At that moment she did not have the ability to see were her future was heading if she remained on the current path.

         The chime of the grandfather clock in the entry way alerted her that her best friends, Frannie and Beth would be there soon. The three of them formed a lifelong bond when they were just kids living in California. They had been friends most of their lives and they had always been there for each other. She knew they would be there to support her in anything that she decided to do.

         Alison walked into the kitchen and began looking for something to serve her best friends as she told them about her latest movie.  Alison noticed the family’s Old English Sheep dog chasing and barking at anything that moved in the back yard.  “Sherman!”  Alison yelled to get the dogs attention.  “It’s a leaf.”

         Alison stepped out onto the patio and enjoyed the cold London air.  The sky was blue but the grey clouds off in the distance would surly bring rain.  As she stood there Alison slipped into a daydream. She could see Holly and Jill sitting on the stone wall that lined the patio.  The girls would talk about school, their friends or what they might do over the weekend.  She could hear Jack playing the piano and rehearsing the song he would sing during his next T.V. appearance.  Her home used to be a place that made her happy.

         “Hey.”  Alison was jolted out of her daydream.  “We’ve missed you.”  Frannie asked coming up next to Alison.

         “I’ve missed you guys too.”  Alison answered coming out of her daydream.

         Beth leaned in to give Alison a hug.  “You ok, you’re shaking.”

         “I’m fine.”  Alison answered as she grabbed her friends and hugged them tight.  “It is so good to see you both.”

          “Let’s go in and you tell us all about your trip.”  Frannie asked.

         The ladies turned and walked into the house.  “Why does she call it a trip?  She makes it sound like I was on vacation.”  Alison asked Beth. 

         “Fine, how was Sweden?”  Frannie asked humoring Alison.

         “Cold.  They got snow and we had a few days off, which put us behind schedule.  The director is thinking about reshooting the end, which means another trip.”  Alison answered getting the tea kettle ready.  She turned her back to her friend hiding the tension building up.  She wanted to let go and tell Frannie and Beth everything.  How unhappy is really was. 

         Alison turned ready to let go of her thoughts. “Have you heard from Jack?”  Beth asked before Aliso could say anything.

         “Not since I left Sweden.  I have tried calling but all I get is his voice mail.”  Alison answered as her voice became emotionless.  Jack was the last person she wanted to talk about. 

         “The girls have been missing you.”  Frannie added trying to comfort Alison.

Alison’s mood quickly changed. Her daughters were the ones that truly made her happy.  “I talked to the girls last night and this morning and we have made some decisions.” 

         “What have you done?”  Frannie asked beginning to get worried and concerned about her friend.

         “I haven’t done anything yet, but I want to retire.”  Alison answered.

         “Does Jack know about this?”  Beth asked.

         “Do you know what our conversations have consisted of?”  Alison asked.  “He talks about the venue, the sold out crowds, soaring CD sales.  He then tells me about the crowd and the fans he met afterwards. Let’s it forget that right before he hangs up he tells me that he has to bring me back for a small vacation.” Alison’s voice became sharp, she crossed her arms on her chest and sat back in her chair. She hated the direction that her life was taking and her relationship with her husband. “But does he ever take me back to those places?”

         “So, no.”  Frannie confirmed.

         “No, I haven’t.  He is going to ask me why and I am not sure I am going to have the answer he will want.”  Alison answered.

         “What do you mean, you won’t have the answer he will want.”  Frannie asked trying to get more information.

         Alison took a deep breath and poured some coffee into her cup.  “I don’t what to do this anymore.  I hide in my house to get away for the fans, the constant requests for autographs, the requests for pictures and the people that just what to stare at me. I had a guy bring his girlfriend up to me and instructed her to smell me.”  Alison had become annoyed with the way her had turned out.  She wanted, what she called a normal like, were she was able to be in public and not be bothered by anyone.
 
         Beth raised a single eyebrow in disbelief. “Smell you?” 

         “He liked my perfume and wanted her to smell like me. Do you know how annoying that is?”  Alison stopped once again handing the sugar and creamer to Frannie.  “I have made this house I once loved into a prison.

“Talk to him, he will understand.”  Frannie said trying to make Alison feel better. 

“And if you do this, what are you going to do with yourself?”  Beth asked. “You can’t just mope around the house.” 

         “She’s right.”  Beth chimed in helping Frannie.  “You need something to do.”

         “I have something to do.”  Alison started.

         “You can’t shop for the rest of your life.”  Frannie informed Alison

         “Why not?”  Alison asked.

         Frannie sat across from Alison at the kitchen table and gave Alison a reason. “It won’t fill the void. You will still be coming home to an empty house.” 

         “What do you suggest I do?”  Alison asked annoyed.

         “Make new friends.”  Beth suggested.

         “What’s wrong with the friends I have?”  Alison asked getting suspicious.

         “Not all of them like me.”  Beth said jokingly trying to lighten the mood.

         “We would never want you to replace us, we just think it would be a good idea to make some new ones.”  Frannie added.

         “How and where do you suggest I make these new friends?”  Alison asked getting suspicious.

         “I thought you would never ask.”  Frannie said smiling. 

         “What is she up to?”  Alison asked Beth.

         “Beth and I get together with some ladies once a week and we complain about our lives.”  Frannie carefully tried to explain. 

         “They’re married to workaholics too.”  Beth said simplifying Frannie’s statement.

         “Oh, AA for lonely people.”  Alison stated sarcastically.

         “No, more like a bunch of friends getting together and having a good time.”  Frannie explained trying to convince Alison.

         “And where do these bitch sessions happen?”  Alison asked wanting more information from her friends.

         “At the church around the corner.”  Beth answered quickly. “We meet once a week and we want you to come along.” 

         “Oh no!”  It finally sunk in what Frannie and Beth were talking about.  Airing her deep dark secrets about Jack, the kids and just here live in general would surely be a disaster.  “I am not walking in to a room full of strangers and rant about my imperfect life.  You know as well as I do that the press will have a field day with that.”

         “I told you she wouldn’t go for it.” Beth said looking at Frannie knowing she was right.

         “It won’t be like that.”  Frannie started trying to sooth Alison’s emotions.                    

         “What will it be like?”  Alison asked angrily, but continued not letting anyone answer. She put her hand up to stop her friends from answering and continued. “No, don’t answer.  I know what it will be like.  I will walk in there and they will gawk, there will be whispers, they will want to know how perfect Jack is, what it is like living with him.  I will answer with a lie, because we all know he has been working so much, I am not even to sure what it is like living with him.”

         Beth stopped Alison and calmly tried to explain. “Als, it won’t be like that. 

         “They all have husbands that have chosen their careers over their families and kids in boarding school?”  Alison asked still angry.

         “Well, not the boarding school part.”  Beth answered trying once more to lighten Alison’s mood.

         “Come on, Beth and I know you have not been happy with Jack gone so much. We are all in the same boat as you.”  Frannie started to answer.  She remained calm knowing Alison would come around. 

         “What about the two of you?”  Alison asked calming down a little. “What’s changed since I’ve been away?”

         “We lost one of the waitresses and Jeremy has been working a double shift at the pub.”  Sadness came over Frannie as she answered.

         “Michael has decided to teach some evening classes at the university.”  Beth confessed her secret.

         “They may gawk for a little bit, but they can be trusted.” Frannie started

         “Frannie and I both think this would be a good thing.” Beth said continuing to convince Alison.

         “No one will judge you.”  Frannie said knowing that would get Alison to at least think about giving in.

         “Not being judged, what a concept.”  Beth said smiling.  Both she and Frannie knew they were winning.

         “Not sure if I want my dirty laundry exposed.”  Alison said getting nervous.

         “You talk about what you are comfortable talking about.”  Frannie said trying to reassure Alison.

         “We will have to warn Gail.”  Beth snuck in.

         Frannie noticed the look on Alison’s face and knew what her question was going to be.  She answered before Alison could get her question out.  “Gail is a big fan.”

         “Well, more like a major fan of Jack’s, but she likes you too.”  Beth said cautiously.

         “See, this is what I am talking about, now I have to think of some lies to tell to make sure she remains a fan.”  Alison began getting annoyed once again.

         “Does this mean you’ll go?”  Frannie asked gently biting her lip waiting for Alison to answer.

         “I better not regret this.”  Alison warned her friends.

         “You can hold it over Frannie’s head if you do.”  Beth said giggling a little.

         “And yours.”  Alison warned pointing her finger at Beth.


Alison fumbled through her clothes in her closet taking down everything and holding it up to see if anything would be ok for the meeting.  “I have no clothes, nothing looks good on me.  Maybe if I leave now, I can go shopping before Frannie gets here.”  Alison said to Sherman.

         “You just bought new clothes.”  Frannie announced.

         Alison bent over ad grabbed a small pile of cloths from the floor showing Frannie before tossing the cloths back on the floor. “Nothing looks good, they are last season’s and I hate the colors.” 

Frannie knew what Alison was trying to do.  “Quit trying to get out of this.”

“I’m not.”  Alison reassured then quickly changed her mind. “Ok, maybe I am.”

“Here.”  Frannie began handing Alison a dark blue sweater. “The color brings out the color of your eyes.”

Alison took the sweater from Frannie and tossed it into the pile of clothing laying on the floor in the bedroom.  “Jack bought that for me, give me the green one.”

“Beth said that she would meet us there.”  Frannie said reading the text message she received from Beth.

Alison gazed out the car window taking in the scenery she had not noticed in a long time. Alison was always focused when going over her lines in her mind that she never noticed the church, even though she drove past it every day.  She noticed a flower bed on the corner, and how it was the only one by the street.  The street was lined with cars and the trees stood proud letting their branches sway lightly in the breeze.  There were bits of the sky peeking through the trees, the rain clouds in the distance would soon cover what was left of the blue sky. 

         Frannie finally pulled into the church parking lot and the two friends exited the car.  Alison stood on the sidewalk looking at the old stone church. It was small and quaint.  The large over grown trees stood proudly in front of the church. 

         Beth joined Frannie and Alison as they stood looking at the church for a few minutes. They watched as a couple of ladies walk to the old oak doors.  Alison noticed they whispered to each other.  Frannie broke the silence.  “Ok, are you ready?” 

         “I have walked on stage with Jack in venues that held over twenty thousand people, I can handle a few women.”  Alison knew that Frannie meant well. 

         “Then why are you shaking?”  Beth asked. Alison began to tremble slightly.  She was unsure of how she was going to be received.  She knew how the press and audiences received her, but this was a little different.  This audience was not being prompted.

         “Take a deep breath, put on your celebrity face and you will do just fine.”  Frannie instructed.  Being the celebrity was something Alison did that all the time, being herself was something she longed for and was not sure she even knew how any more.

         The friends walked in. Heads turned and the whispers began. Alison stood in the tiny room listening to the chatter. She began looking around the room.  A few chairs sat neatly in a circle.  There was a table sitting against one wall with drinks and food.  The thin red and white checked curtains were pulled back to frame the old window. 

         Alison leaned over to Frannie and whispered. “They’re gawking at me.”

         “They are not.”  Frannie tried to reassure Alison.

         “Yea, they are.”  Beth agreed. “I’m wondering if we should have said something to them first.”

         Alison started walking up to the women that were already in a small huddle.  She put her hand out to receive a handshake from a blonde woman.          “Nice to meet you, they call me Rosalie.”  The lady said nervously shaking Alison’s hand

Frannie introduced Janet. She was an auburn haired woman about average height. She approached Alison putting her hand out to receive a handshake. “Nice to meet you. 

Alison noticed a petite redhead.  As Alison watched her, she untucked her hair from behind her ear, letting it fall to cover her eyes.  She hoped it would hide her insecurity.  Alison took note of her shyness.  “I’m Gail.”  She quickly retreated to her chair trying to hide her low self-esteem.

“Very nice to meet you, Gail.”  Alison said trying to make her feel comfortable. Alison noticed her bright blue eyes, they were pretty but they were hiding a secret.

Gail sat quietly holding her hand to keep them from trembling.  She had always wanted to meet Alison, but was afraid to talk to her.  Alison took a chance and held her hand out to shakes hands.  Gail held out her trembling hand and Alison gently grasped it smiling gently at Gail.
         
“It’s nice to meet you all.”  Alison was putting on the charm.  She was being the actress that everyone sees and not the bitter, lonely person Frannie and Beth knew.
         
         Alison stood in the room listening as the chatter filled the room.” “She married to Jack Simon.” Gail whispered to Janet.

Pursing her lips slightly, Alison leaned into Beth and said. “You didn’t tell them who I was.

         “Well.”  Beth began trying to defend herself.

         “This is off to a good start.”  Alison whispered sarcastically to Frannie.