Oh...oh my. It looks like I am the last one after all. Tonight Trip and Grace invited me into their home. I promise I'll do my absolute best to help these two! Adam, Sarah, Ellen, Brian, don't worry, I WILL end this charade!
I'm sure you guys remember me right? I was the one who decided we should introduce Grace and Trip to each other when I was studying business in college. We all agreed eventually that we should and I helped them get together. Perhaps because of that, I felt the most responsible for their situation. If anybody could do something about it had to be me!
I went there the night of Christmas Eve. Trip and Grace had started this holiday night out with their usual rounds of bickering. Something about Trip wanting to find the wine glasses and Grace not wanting to turn this into a big issue. Waiting for them to finish took only about a minute but it felt as though it took hours.
Trip greeted me with his usual enthusiasm. "Kha! How are you it is so great to see you after so long!"
"Hi dude" Was the only response that came out. Best to not bring their issues up until they were both there. At least that is the way I figured it ought to be.
Trip looked at me as if I had said something truly horrible, but formed a smile in a second. "Wow you should visit more often." I breathed easy as he headed off to get Grace.
I went towards the window and spent the time pretending to admire the view. No snow but it was a nice view of the city near the top of the apartment building. They even had a huge green plant in the corner, though I'm not sure if that was a Christmas tree, and even if it was it was their only seasonal decoration. In reality I was listening in to their fights and thinking about what I should say. I guessed that me and the "happy couple" were good enough friends that I could just come right out and say it.
"Are you two okay?"
"No...what? Were fine and it is really great to see you again!" Grace shot back with very visible hesitation.
Steering the topic of conversation was quite easy that night. As Grace began to talk down about her decorating I took the Brass Bull Ellen had mentioned before off the shelf and asked what it was.
Grace went on for a few minutes about not wanting something from Barcelona in this house. When I asked why though they were conspicuously quiet.
Trip began reminiscing about how it had been almost ten years ago tonight that they were introduced. As it was actually 10 years since Trip proposed I said it had been more than that. They were both getting worried.
This was a sore topic for both. Though I tried to get them to talk it over once again Grace wanted to talk about her decorating. She seemed to hate the current style. I guess artists aren't satisfied with their work, but then again she had every reason to be. This style didn't work in my eyes.
"This style is bad" Grace breathed a heavy sigh came closer, and happily proclaimed that she had waited for someone to say that. Trip seemed offended by this, probably because they were spending too much on decorating as it was.
Grace sighed for the second time in a minute. Something clearly on her mind. I was a little nervous myself but I didn't let stop me from what I said next.
"Listen to us were arguing in front of our friend" Grace began.
"Grace...come on that kinda statement is not helpful" Trip replied with a hint of regret and fear.
"Trip its okay if we disagree in front of our friend." She said trying to comfort her husband and bring this situation down.
"Disagreeing!?...Were not disagreeing!" There was no hiding it now. Trip was the one who wanted this Facade to stay in place the most and it was hurting them both.
"Please don't lie Trip." I told him firmly. Both of the couple's mouths hung open before they said anything more.
"Wait...you think I'm...not...lying?" Huh...apparently he didn't hear my correctly. I told him no but he didn't seem to react.
"Maybe some drinks would help." Getting intoxicated should have been the last thing I suggested but we were never even served drinks.
Grace and Trip got into an argument over what I should drink. I asked them once again if they were okay but they ignored me. After a few more overheard arguments I agreed to what Trip felt like drinking and this led Grace to explain that Trip had been a bartender in the slums back in college.
Of course this was never a big secret. Just like Grace's other relationship back in those days. But our dear friend Travis acted as though this was the most embarrassing things one could reveal about a person.
"Argh your driving me insane!"
"No I'm the one going insane." My cries to have them calm down went unheard. Saying I obessed about the Brass bull all night and that I tried to explain too much was more appropriate evidently.
"Alright you know what? Kha, I need to ask you something." I'm surprised Trip managed to say that without fuming. The situation had gotten so bad that I was wondering if one of them was going to storm out of the apartment. I knew they were going to ask me to take a side.
"Is it okay for a married person to talk and be friendly with somebody of the opposite sex?"
"What!?" Grace asked exasperated with all that had happened tonight. I was going to say yes but I thought better of it before it came out. After all his definition of "friendly" apparently meant having affairs with his clients so I waited for him to finish.
"I mean a bit of harmless flirting isn't so bad right." Though I wanted to say no I had the strangest feeling that it would only lead to disaster.
"It depends."
"What!?" Trip blinked a few times and stormed off into the kitchen.
Grace cried in front of me while I lied down on their couch. Distraught over all she had been through in the last month. The five of us had managed to bring out at lot of things they both didn't want to hear. Maybe the key was to help both of them? I thought. I asked Grace if I should leave but she couldn't hear me through her tears.
With a heavy heart Grace managed to hold back any more tears. "Kha...From what you said before about harmless flirting. I think we already learned something about Trip."
"Oh so were talking about me are we?" Trip cut her off before she could say any more. It was way to hostile in here.
The first thing I did was asked about Maria. Trip stammered out a response but I told him it wasn't a secret anymore. Grace was relieved until I mentioned Vince.
It wasn't much of a secret that she was in love with him. Vince was a fellow art student who none of us really knew but most people in our social circle knew that Grace had a relationship with him. Even if it was short.
"Oh...god." Trip's secret had already been revealed maybe if I revealed both of theirs it would help. Though I hated to do it this way.
"What is? This is making no sense?" Trip didn't know luckily for Grace.
"Grace loved Vince back in college" Her expression changed at the mention of that again and she gave me a weird look and said we already talked about that.
I told Grace to make art. The others obviously knew it was her passion and that she couldn't do it seemed to be one of the most upsetting things according to her.
"Kha. Your saying I don't communicate? That's ridiculous why would you say that?" I have no idea how she got the idea that I said she needs to talk more but I didn't get another chance to say anything.
"Okay I've had enough of this bullshit! I know what you're hinting at okay!?" Trip was angry and this was going to end now. I got up from the couch and came right up to him. Maybe if we talked face to face it would help.
"About us...about our marriage. Do you two want to hear the truth? Huh?"
Obviously we had all been trying to do that since Adam talked to us. So I said yes. Grace said so as well. Trip began a speech, I had a feeling my next answer would decide the fate of their marriage.
"Do you really think that? Criticizing me? Asking if were okay? and worst of all suggesting that I'm cheating on Grace, but especially what you said about harmless flirting. That it's all supposed to help us realize something about us."
I expected they were going to break up, and everything in me wanted to not answer. However the second I said yes he began admitting something to Grace.
Finally the truth began to come out! The Facade of this "perfect marriage" that they had begun breaking and they could begin recovering. In the next few minutes Trip admitted he was ashamed of his ignorant parents while Grace had admired them all these years.
Next the couple admitted they had both been unfaithful to each other. Grace with Vince the night before Christmas Eve ten years ago, (the day Trip proposed to her)and Trip with the client in Barcelona, Italy named Maria. The girl who gave Trip the Brass Bull.
At last they began looking at each other again. Having to face the hard truths their partner talked about. In that moment they seemed to begin to trust each other again. Looking at each other they both turned to me.
"Look we need to talk." Trip said. They thanked me I said no problem and they told me not to say anything more. I had a feeling that even though there was a lot left unresolved, like whether Grace could be an artist, could they trust each other, and whether they still fought over simple things I somehow had a feeling that it was gonna work out. On the way out I nodded and wished them luck before getting into the elevator.
The Facade is finally broken and these two are okay!
So that is how it happened. Although everybody seemed to think it was hopeless somehow last night we managed to get through to them at last!
