Concerned about her husband\u2019s suspicious behavior for some weeks, a loving wife arranges for a caring cab driver to follow the man, whatever the cost and wherever it leads.<\/p>\n
But everything is not as it seems when she eventually uncovers the truth and exposes a long-hidden secret.<\/p>\n
Jessica and Jason sat silently across each other at the dinner table, picking at the lasagne Jessica had half-heartedly prepared.<\/p>\n
True to his form over the past few weeks, Jason had arrived home late from the office with the now oft-repeated excuse that his team was working overtime on the Simmons project.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is nice,\u201d Jason remarked nervously and unconvincingly about the dinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it?\u201d Jessica replied sarcastically. \u201cI\u2019m so glad you like it. I slaved away at it all afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs something bothering you?\u201d Jason asked his wife of thirty years, whom he loved dearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, Jason, you tell me. Is there something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, honey, I\u2019m sorry I\u2019ve been working late. This project is crucial to our business right now. If we lose the account, we\u2019ll go out of business. We\u2019re busting a gut to ensure we get this one right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, is that it then? Whatever you say, Jason. Do what you must. Who am I to stand in the way of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason grimaced at the animosity in his wife\u2019s tone and feared that what he was about to say next would send her through the roof. \u201cUh, babe,\u201d he said, \u201cI know you\u2019re going to kill me, but unfortunately I have to go back to work now, it\u2019s just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Before he could finish his excuse, Jessica sprang to her feet, angrily seized her half-empty dinner plate and the lasagne dish, and stamped off into the kitchen without a word.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh dear,\u201d Jason whispered to himself. \u201cThis is bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood up, shouldered the jacket on the back of his chair, picked up the laptop bag at his feet, and exited the front door as quietly as possible.<\/p>\n
Jessica was ready.<\/p>\n
As soon as she heard the front door close, she made the call she\u2019d been planning when the time came: \u201cWhere are you?\u201d she asked the person on the other end of the line. \u201cOkay, good. I\u2019m coming out through the back gate now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrapping herself in a dark maroon shawl, Jessica shoved quickly through the backyard and out onto the street. The yellow taxi cab was exactly where she had asked it to be: on the curb right in front of the back gate.<\/p>\n
Jessica jumped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo around the block to the front of the house, fast,\u201d she instructed the driver, who nodded and stepped on the gas.<\/p>\n
They swung around, making a quick right and then another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere up ahead,\u201d Jessica said, \u201cthe black Audi, follow that car.\u201d<\/p>\n
The driver nodded. \u201cYes, madam,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot too close,\u201d Jessica said. \u201cHe mustn\u2019t know he\u2019s being followed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The driver nodded and said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, what\u2019s your name?\u201d Jessica asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am Musa,\u201d the driver replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusa, how much will it cost for you to drive me everywhere that car in front goes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMadam,\u201d Musa said, pointing towards the dashboard, \u201cthe meter is running. Whatever that says is what you pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d Jessica said. \u201cI\u2019ll pay you five hundred dollars on top of the meter if you keep driving me for as long as it takes for me to figure out what the man in that car is up to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuits me, madam,\u201d Musa said, carefully navigating a stop signal and following the Audi left onto a main street.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t mind me asking, madam, who is this person we are following? I don\u2019t want any trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere won\u2019t be any trouble, Musa. The driver is my husband. He\u2019s a mild-mannered accountant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are we following him, madam?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica was silent momentarily, unsure whether to take this taxi driver into her confidence.<\/p>\n
She studied his reflection in the rear-view mirror. He had kind eyes, soft features, and was cleanly shaven.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he is having an affair,\u201d Jessica said. \u201cHe has been behaving oddly for at least the past two weeks and says he\u2019s working late. We\u2019ve been married for thirty years, and I know when he\u2019s lying. I\u2019ve called his office several times, and the receptionist told me he wasn\u2019t in. He\u2019s never had to work late nights like this before. No, something is going on, and I will get to the bottom of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand, madam. I can understand how much this is hurting you,\u201d Musa said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you married?\u201d Jessica asked.<\/p>\n
Musa nodded. \u201cTen years now,\u201d he said. \u201cMy wife and I are from Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you lived in this country?\u201d Jessica asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelve years now, we are full citizens,\u201d Musa replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlad to hear it,\u201d Jessica replied.<\/p>\n
Musa had been driving carefully, staying a few cars behind Jason, weaving deftly through the early evening traffic.<\/p>\n
The cab began to slow, and Jessica looked to see where they were. She recognized the building up ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d she said. She was surprised. \u201cThis is his office building. Maybe he\u2019s telling the truth after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you like me to do, madam?\u201d Musa asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep on going slowly,\u201d Jessica instructed, \u201cthen make a U-turn and pull up on the opposite side of the street. Let\u2019s see what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musa did as he was told.<\/p>\n
Jessica watched through the rear window and saw Jason\u2019s car disappear into the building\u2019s underground parking lot. The two of them sat silently in the taxi cab and watched the office block solemnly.<\/p>\n
After some time, Musa asked: \u201cWhy do you suspect your husband of an affair, madam?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it\u2019s not just the excuse of working late,\u201d Jessica replied. \u201cAnd the look in his eyes when he lies to me. My best friend saw him during lunchtime a week ago in his favorite cafe, not far from here. He was there with a much younger woman, having coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps a coworker?\u201d Musa suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, perhaps,\u201d Jessica replied. \u201cLooks like he was telling the truth about coming to the office now. But still, something doesn\u2019t feel right. Let\u2019s wait a while longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo problem,\u201d Musa said.<\/p>\n
Half an hour later, after no action, Jessica was about to call it a night, satisfied that her husband had told the truth\u2014when suddenly the black Audi came barreling out of the underground parking exit.<\/p>\n
Sitting alongside Jason in the passenger seat was an attractive young, blonde woman elegantly dressed in a black coat. Jessica sank her head into her hands in despair.<\/p>\n
Her friend had been right. Jessica\u2019s suspicions were confirmed.<\/p>\n
Maybe tears will come later, Jessica thought. All she could feel right then was anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollow them, please,\u201d she asked Musa. He had seen Jason\u2019s car and was already accelerating in pursuit.<\/p>\n
Jason was driving fast. Does he know we\u2019re following him? Jessica thought.<\/p>\n
Yellow cabs are everywhere in this city. This was why she\u2019d decided on this method of surveilling him\u2014of course, she couldn\u2019t follow him in her car. He\u2019d know right away it was her, and besides, she wasn\u2019t a good driver.<\/p>\n
But Musa was. He kept the cab hot on the Audi\u2019s heels away from the office block.<\/p>\n
They were heading for the park, a short drive away.<\/p>\n
Jason pulled his car into a space adjacent to the park, and Musa followed suit a few spots back.<\/p>\n
Jessica and Musa watched Jason and the young woman exit the car. They were talking earnestly. The young woman stepped close to Jason, and he held out an arm.<\/p>\n
She linked her arm through his, and the two walked arm-in-arm, heads bowed close together, entered the park, and disappeared among trees lit by electric light.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen enough,\u201d Jessica said sadly.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease take me home, Musa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, madam,\u201d Musa said sympathetically.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry this trouble has befallen you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica nodded and closed her eyes as the tears sprang unbidden. She reached into her handbag for a tissue and cried quietly as Musa steered her home.<\/p>\n
He glanced in the rearview mirror when they were nearly at Jessica\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay, madam?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Jessica shook her head. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
The taxi driver sighed. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I know this must be difficult for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica nodded. \u201cIt is,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m glad I found out the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musa pulled the cab up to Jessica\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
Jessica exited the taxi, paid the tab on the meter, and handed over the extra cash as promised.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d she said. \u201cI appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope you feel better soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica walked up to the front door and turned the key. She went inside and closed the door behind her.<\/p>\n
Jessica stood in the foyer, staring at the blank wall.<\/p>\n
She felt lost and alone.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t know what to do next.<\/p>\n
But she knew one thing for sure. She had to confront Jason. She had to find out why he had betrayed her like this.<\/p>\n
Jessica took a deep breath and walked upstairs to the bedroom.<\/p>\n
She lay awake with many questions and worries coursing through her mind: Maybe the young woman was simply a coworker\u2014Jason had picked her up at his office.<\/p>\n
But why had they gone for a walk in the park, arm-in-arm? Should she confront him?<\/p>\n
How would she explain that she had seen them because she had followed them?<\/p>\n
She heard Jason come home a short while after she went to bed. He\u2019s home already? That must be a good sign, she thought.<\/p>\n
She pretended to be asleep when he came into the bedroom. I\u2019ll deal with it in the morning, she decided.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Concerned about her husband\u2019s suspicious behavior for some weeks, a loving wife arranges for a caring cab driver to follow the man, whatever the cost and wherever it leads. But everything is not as it seems when she eventually uncovers the truth and exposes a long-hidden secret. Jessica and Jason sat silently across each other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n