Undercover

Maggie' s husband had another woman in their bedroom. What was he up to?

Maggie had a method for getting under the bed. She laid on her back on the bedside rug, then, grasping the bedframe, she slid herself underneath.

It was easier, because the flooring wasn' t carpet, but wood-effect vinyl. Colder than carpet but easier to clean. Or so they' d thought at the time.

It had turned out to be a dust trap. Despite regular vacuuming, whirls of fluff and other bits and pieces seemed to head straight for the secret shadows that were under the bed.

There was no other option but to get right under there in person and gather up the dust in the old-fashioned way

with a floor cloth.

She wasn' t usually so obsessed with housework and awkward jobs like cleaning under the bed. But since she' d been made redundant from her job in the store where she' d worked for the past eight years, Maggie had suddenly found herself stuck at home with plenty of time on her hands.

At least Gerry, her husband, was still working. He had a good salary coming in, so she had to be grateful for that.

She tried not to appear too downhearted, or to let him see how low she felt about being unemployed.

This morning, before leaving for work, Gerry had asked her how she was going to spend her day.

I' m meeting Sarah for coffee,' she lied brightly. Her best friend Sarah was still in work and rarely had time to meet for a coffee in the middle of the week. We thought we' d try that new place in the mall.'

That' ll be nice for you,' said Gerry, wiping toast crumbs from his shirt to the floor before heading out of the door.

Sighing, she got out a dustpan and brush. She' d probably become a little too house-proud since losing her job, but at least it passed the time.

After washing-up, straightening the living room and gazing out of the window for a little while, she decided to go upstairs and do some tidying.

The bedroom was small and Gerry wasn' t a tidy man. Yesterday' s clothes were still scattered about.

He' d been more helpful when she was working, but now they seemed to have drifted into old-fashioned, traditional roles.

She took the laundry downstairs and started the machine, made herself a coffee, and then went back upstairs.

It was time to tackle the dust under the bed.

Like a flying carpet! she thought, as she whizzed herself underneath.

The first thing she saw was an annoying stray sock that had missed the laundry load. She grabbed it and then decided to just lie there for a while.

It was rather nice underneath the bed. Dark and relaxing, it gave Maggie

It was rather nice underneath the bed. Dark and relaxing, it gave Maggie time to think

Well here you are,Õ Gerry said to the woman. Would you like to put your things on the bed?Õ

time to think. She closed her eyes for what seemed like a moment but must have drifted off to sleep.

She woke to the sound of a door and muffled voices.

Burglars! Maggie panicked.

Forgetting where she was, she sat up and banged her head on the underside of the bed frame, then lay back down again.

Footsteps were coming up the stairs and the voices were more distinctive. One was her husband' s.

This won' t take long, will it? Only I really should be back at work. My wife would normally be here, but she' s out with a friend this morning.'

Oh, no, don' t worry, I' ll be very quick.'

Maggie gasped as she realised the second voice was a woman' s. She sounded quite young too.

She nearly died when the footsteps came into the room their room.

Surely Gerry hadn' t brought a woman back to their house?

Well, here we are,' said Gerry. Would you like to put your things on the bed?'

OK,' said the woman. Maggie braced herself for the mattress above her head to sink down. But whatever things' the woman had brought with her, they couldn' t have weighed much.

Right, so you' d like what we discussed then?' said the woman.

If you wouldn' t mind,' answered Gerry. Look, would you like a drink first?'

A cup of tea would be lovely, if that' s OK.'

Maggie pressed her lips together. She hoped Gerry wouldn' t leave a teabag to stain in her sink, although she realised this shouldn' t have been her top priority at that moment.

She heard his heavier tread leave the room and disappear down the stairs. The woman started circling the bed. The bottom half of a pair of shapely legs came into view. She wore smart trousers with high-heeled shoes.

The hussy! thought

Maggie.

Then she heard a rustle of fabric. If she wasn' t mistaken, some clothes were being removed. An arm suddenly appeared over the side of the bed and nearly gave Maggie a heart attack, until she realised it was only the sleeve of a jacket.

The woman started humming a tune and Maggie tried to catch what it was it was something from a musical.

I' m in love, I' m in love, I' m in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with a wonderful guy.'

South Pacific, wasn't it? Or West Side Story? thought Maggie.

Well Maggie certainly wasn' t in love. Not any more. Not with a cheating husband!

She supposed she should launch herself from under the bed when Gerry got back, and catch them red-handed. But it was all so awkward.

Getting out and up from under the bed was always a bit of an undignified scramble. And she hadn' t bothered to put a brush to her hair this morning, or even a lick of make-up.

And as for her clothes, well! She would hardly make a positive impression in her tatty old jeans and a T-shirt, would she?

But she couldn' t possibly stay hidden where she was if Gerry came back and they started to¼

Suddenly Gerry came back into the room.

Help! Maggie screamed silently.

She screwed her eyes up tightly and put her fingers in her ears.

Hello, love, I' m home,' said Gerry.

I can see that,' replied Maggie, sitting at the kitchen table with the paper open at the small ads. Had a good day?'

Yes, thanks, how about you?'

Not bad, nothing special. Oh, this envelope was pushed through the door this afternoon. It' s addressed to you.'

She passed it to him wordlessly.

Ah! That must be the quotation,' he grinned. It' s for fitted bedroom storage units. You do such a lot of tidying up after me I thought it might help us to get more organised. What do you think?'

Oh, Gerry, what a lovely idea!'

She threw her arms around his neck as if the news was an utter surprise.

The warmth of her hug was genuine though. A whole lot warmer than the chilly floor she' d had to lie on while the woman had measured up the room.

And while we' re at it,

Gerry,' she added, how about we get a nice bit of carpet to go under the bed!'