The Durex in the Briefcase
1379 Words
On a sunny May day, I stood in front of the courthouse, angrily turning to Leo, who was still my legal husband, and said, "Did you bring the marriage certificate?"
Leo looked somewhat helpless, patting his briefcase. "I brought it, I brought it..."
Yes, today we were here for a divorce.
I rolled my eyes at him, suppressing my anger. Hmph, I was the one who bought that briefcase for him, but the thought of him keeping condoms in it, I never used with him, drove me crazy.
A month ago, while tidying up Leo's dirty clothes on the couch, I accidentally bumped into his briefcase, and a small rectangular object fell out. I froze, picking it up as carefully as if it were a needle, and the word "Durex" on the packaging immediately struck me like a bolt of lightning. At that moment, a thought crossed my mind, one that’s all too common in today’s world—my husband was having an affair.
Leo, how could you do this to me? How could you treat me like this?
When you had nothing at 20, I, a 17-year-old girl, threw everything aside to be with you. You were a first-year student, and I was in high school. I skipped class to visit you, standing for two hours on a broken-down bus just to have a meal with you on the streets of New York. A KFC meal! How innocent I was back then—just a simple meal was enough to make me happy for an entire week.
I followed you for ten years, and you told me we'd passed the seven-year itch, and even the eight-year battle was behind us. You said we'd face any future storm together. So, what’s this Durex about?
I shook my head, pushing aside those old memories, and held up the condom, kicking Leo awake. "Leo, what is this thing?!"
Leo groggily opened his eyes, saw what I was holding, and sprang up from bed, "Ella, this isn't mine!"
Hah, men—besides sweet talk, they’re also born liars.
I threw the Durex at his face, "So, is it mine?"
"Ella, I swear, this is not mine, I swear..."
I took a deep breath to calm myself, smiled, and said, "Alright, you have a chance to explain." I wanted to see how Leo would talk his way out of this.
Leo hesitated, unable to say a word. He probably didn’t expect me to confront him like this.
The room grew cold. Leo’s eyes shifted from pleading to helplessness, then to resignation. I knew he had silently admitted to it. All he could do was mutter "I swear" repeatedly.
I suddenly remembered, in that quiet church, when he said—I swear, I, Leo, will love you, Ella, forever. I’ll care for you forever, never leaving, never betray you.
I swear. Such beautiful, useful words!
Leo, Leo… we’ve been together for ten years, but we’ve only been married for a year. We saved our precious first time for our wedding night. And now, just one year in, you’ve grown tired of me? For nine years, you tolerated it, and you even called yourself a gentleman. I was proud to tell my classmates—my Leo never gets handsy with me, my Leo truly loves me!
My Leo never gets handsy with me, my Leo truly loves me… Ha, how proud I was back then!
The more Leo stayed silent, the angrier I became. Never did I imagine that the man I thought I would rely on for life would betray me in the first year of our marriage. Is this my misfortune, or his?
"When did it start?" I asked. Though my heart ached, I still wanted to know, as much detail as possible. Women are like that, even when the wound is deep, we keep rubbing salt into it to prove just how much it hurts, to show just how badly you’ve wounded us.
But Leo still said nothing. Maybe, back then, he didn’t want to lose me, so he didn’t want me to know too much about what he had done behind my back.
This past month, I didn’t know how I survived. For the first week, Leo came home on time every day. I could tell he regretted it. The moment I mentioned divorce, he held me tight, begging me to stay, claiming it was a moment of impulse, that no one meant more to him than me. Alright, I’ll admit it—I also mentioned divorce out of impulse that time.
I love him. Over the past ten years, during the best years of my life, I loved him wholeheartedly. My love was pure, my devotion selfless. I loved him, even when he had no money, I was willing to follow him. So I couldn’t stand even the smallest betrayal.
Leo, it’s been ten years. Don’t you understand? Maybe, if I didn’t love you so much, I could forgive you...
In the following week, he started staying late for work, or at least that’s what he said. But I didn’t completely believe him. My trust in him had been repaid with that Durex. What could I still believe in?
After that, he didn’t even come home anymore. When he did, I didn’t give him a good look. An affair wouldn’t be so bad if it hadn’t been caught. Who told you to leave evidence? I think I have every right to be angry!
When Leo didn’t show up for an entire week, I finally came to my senses. What was I even waiting for with such a man? Why should I keep making myself angry? If I really let this make me sick, my savings and my house would all become his, and how many packs of Durex could he buy with that? I didn’t dare to think about it.
Just as I was about to pick up the phone to call for a divorce, the landline rang first. I answered, "Hello?"
"Ella..." It was Leo, that heartless guy, finally remembering the home he left behind. "Since you want a divorce, let’s just get it over with..."
I cursed. He beat me to it. How could he?! This one step… it was like I was bound to be trampled under his feet!
"Fine, let’s divorce!" I hung up angrily.
Leo and I walked into the courthouse one after the other, the hall full of people waiting for their cases to be heard.
Leo was smoking, holding the cigarette between his long fingers. I used to take his handsome hand, lay it on my lap, and carefully trim his nails one by one. I smugly thought to myself, Leo, after the divorce, you'll regret it. You'll never find a woman better than me, humph!
"Ms. Ella," someone holding a form called out.
"Is that me?!" I tensed up.
Leo calmly stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can. "Let’s go, it’s our turn..."
I glared at him. He instinctively took a step back, still a little cautious around me. "Ella, if you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to divorce, we can go home."
It was better if he didn’t say anything, but as soon as he did, my anger flared up. "We’re already here, what’s there to regret? I’m definitely getting a divorce!" And I marched in resolutely.
"Marriage certificate and ID, please," the lady inside, around forty years old and dressed in a dark blue uniform, said.
Leo took out the marriage certificate and ID from his briefcase, didn’t even glance at them, and tossed them on the table with an impatient “Here, just process it already.”
I was furious—so that’s what his earlier words were about? A challenge?! This man seemed so dejected on the outside, but who knows how eager he was to get rid of me on the inside! Thinking about it made me feel even more wronged. How come I’ve spent all these years with only one man like him?
I angrily reached into my bag, but then… I realized, I was so focused on reminding Leo to bring the marriage certificate that I forgot to bring it myself.
Now I was stuck, a true discarded wife.
- Writer
