Day 160: Cliche
Choose a common cliche, then write something that says the same thing but without using the catch phrase.
She hesitated before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door. It opened and in front of her stood his 13 year old daughter, Eva.
"Can I help you?" She asked, tilting her and side-eyeing the strange woman.
Kayla faked a big smile. "Hi, hon, is your mother home? I need to speak with her."
The kid called out to her mother. Kayla's heart seized in her chest. She was already regretting her decision. But she knew she had to go through with this, otherwise she'd continue the vicious cycle she kept finding herself in.
A woman with thick black curls piled on top of her head in two buns stepped into the room. She was wearing paint-covered overalls and holding a paint palette. She looked wary.
"We already donated to the other lady..." She started. Kayla shook her head, slightly.
"It's, um, about your husband? Can we speak privately?" She whispered, looking nervously at Eva.
His wife froze, her face going through several different emotions at once. "Eva, upstairs. Don't come down until I tell you to."
The kid paused, saw how serious her mother was and fled upstairs to her room.
His wife, Vivian, motioned her head towards an open door. Kayla followed her through to an open space living room/patio combo room. The house was massive. He made a lot of money, enough to allow his wife to paint full-time and raise their kid.
Vivian set down her palette, crossed her arms and stared at Kayla. She didn't offer her a drink, a seat or anything. She sensed the woman knew what was coming.
"Your husband and I have been sleeping together for the last two months and I recently came to my senses, broke it off and told him to tell you. He didn't and threatened me and now here I am, telling you. I am so so so sorry." The words bursted out of Kayla, first as a statement, then dying out in as a whisper.
Vivian just stared at her. Two minutes passed. Three.
Kayla felt hot and sweaty.
Five minutes passed. Six.
Vivian still said nothing.
Kayla opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again.
"I felt awful that you didn't know and I was going to just write a note and leave it, but that felt cowardly and after what I've done...I deserve whatever you want to throw at me," she said, eyes filling with tears.
"Get out," Vivian said, quietly. Her voice didn't change but she may as well have screamed at the adulterer.
Kayla quickly obliged, speeding out the door, but not before noticing Eva sitting at the top of the stairs, glaring at her.
“Actions speak louder than words.”
“Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.”