When Chad\u2019s French in-laws come over, he invites his friend, Nolan, along \u2014 to keep him company while Camille and her parents converse in French.
\nWhile they have dinner, Chad discovers that Nolan understands French and reveals a family secret.<\/p>\n
My wife, Camille, is as French as they come. We met at college when she was an exchange student studying International Politics, and we\u2019ve been together ever since.
\nCamille\u2019s parents live in France but visit us twice a year. I\u2019ve learned a few odd words and phrases in French, but the language has yet to stick with me.<\/p>\n
Other than mon ch\u00e9ri or various dishes from French cuisine, I don\u2019t know much.
\nNow, my in-laws are around, and it\u2019s only been four days, but I\u2019ve started to feel left out at the dinner table when they\u2019re all chatting in French.<\/p>\n
So, I decided to invite my friend, Nolan to have dinner and meet Camille\u2019s parents.
\nThat way, I would also have someone to talk to.<\/p>\n
Now imagine this: We\u2019re all sitting at the table, enjoying our bouillabaisse.
\nNolan and I talked about an audit at work, and Camille and her parents were happily chatting in French.
\nEverything seems fine, right? Wrong.
\nWhil mid-conversation about work, Nolan\u2019s face goes as white as a ghost, and he nudges my arm firmly with his elbow.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo upstairs and check under your bed. Trust me,\u201d he whispers urgently.<\/p>\n
My first instinct was to laugh it off \u2014 it made no sense. But one look at his wide eyes told me that this wasn\u2019t a joke.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me,\u201d I said to the table. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reluctantly shuffled to my bedroom, feeling like I was stepping into some strange French noir film. I picked Camille\u2019s silver silk robe off the floor and bent to look under the bed.<\/p>\n
My heart was beating ridiculously fast like I was about to have a heart attack. But there it was \u2014 a lone black box.<\/p>\n
I opened the box with shaky fingers, going through the contents quickly \u2014 I didn\u2019t know if Camille would come looking for me. Then, toward the bottom of the box, was a series of photographs of Camille, wearing next to nothing.<\/p>\n
My heart pounded harder and nausea rose through my body. What have I just stumbled upon? I asked myself.<\/p>\n
As I was about to put everything back, the world turned black.<\/p>\n
It must have been hours later when I woke up in a hospital ward, surrounded by empty beds. The harsh light glared down on me as my eyes adjusted to the change of venue and the sharp smells of detergent. \u201cWoah,\u201d I mumbled, my throat raw.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when I noticed that Nolan was sitting next to me, his head propped up by his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou passed out in your bedroom, mate,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, it all came back to me. Camille\u2019s box under the bed, my insatiable curiosity mixed with an overactive heart rate brought on by a panic attack.<\/p>\n
But I did get a glimpse into the box. It turned out to be my own Pandora\u2019s Box. There were incriminating photos of Camille, love letters to a man named Benoit, and little trinkets, all piecing together a tale of betrayal.<\/p>\n
It turns out that Camille was hiding an affair.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were taking forever,\u201d Nolan said. \u201cSo, I followed you, and I found you passed out on the floor. I closed the box and pushed it back under before calling Camille and an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you know?\u201d I asked, thinking about the warning Nolan had given me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did French throughout high school, Chad,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile talking, I understood that Camille said something about hiding everything under the bed. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Camille?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the cafeteria, she said she needed to stretch her legs. So, she went to get coffee.\u201d I put my head back and thought of the letters that my wife had been receiving.<\/p>\n
I got discharged the following day, and Nolan drove me home. Camille fussed over me, making me a healthy juice and ensuromg that I was okay. But of course I wasn\u2019t. Nothing was okay.<\/p>\n
That afternoon, I had to set the record straight. I couldn\u2019t look at Camille and feel what I had felt before.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t continue in this marriage,\u201d I said when Camille brought me a juice. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know about the black box under the bed.\u201d Camille turned pale. \u201cI can explain,\u201d she said, jumping up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw more than enough, Cami. I don\u2019t think your version of an explanation would change that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust listen,\u201d she said. \u201cMy parents set up the meeting with Benoit. They wanted me to be with someone French \u2014 to have completely French children.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her, wondering how she expected me to sit there and listen to more.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, after they arranged it,\u201d she continued. \u201cI met him. And we hit it off, and our friendship grew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want a divorce. Immediately,\u201d I said, not wanting to listen to anything else.<\/p>\n
Camille made a fuss, hurling accusations of me snooping and invading her privacy. She threatened not to sign the divorce papers when they came, but I told her that there was just no love left in our marriage after what she had done.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me another chance,\u201d she pleaded. But I didn\u2019t want any of it.<\/p>\n
The divorce process lasted a few months, and Camille contested everything \u2014 from the house to spousal maintenance \u2014 and she even wanted me to pay for her tickets to France every year. I refused everything except the house. I didn\u2019t want to be there anymore anyway. I\u2019m living in a bachelor pad closer to my office now.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m heartbroken, sure. But at least now, I\u2019m not living a lie. And that\u2019s liberating. I\u2019m also grateful to Nolan for telling me the truth and staying by my side through the divorce.<\/p>\n
Now, I wonder if Camille will end up with Benoit or not \u2014 I know her parents will love it if she does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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