Anniversary Party

ANNIVERSARY PARTY The small private dining room was full. There were thirty-two people there : family, a few friends, and co-workers, to celebrate Marsha and Harold's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Marsha was flattered that they came. Their three sons were there: two with their wives, and one with his fiance. The meal was a little on the generic side, but nice. Things between Harold and her had not been great lately, and it was mostly her fault. Because of the situation, she had assumed that Harold would skip the party, and just have a small dinner out. The waiters cleared the table and were bringing coffee, when Harold announced that he had a slide show set up for the guests viewing pleasure. In the back of the room, the old slide projector was ready, aimed at the far wall. At the signal from Harold, Robert, his oldest son turned off the lights. The first few slides were from their wedding, and were followed by ones with the boys as babies and toddlers. The machine was clicking through the pictures at a slow, consistent pace. The pictures reflected the passing years. There were the new houses, the boy's graduations, and several from vacations they took. Marsha's pleasure was suddenly dashed when the next picture showed her with her boss, Phillip Craig, standing in front of a motel room. The guests became quiet. The next slide showed them together again at another motel. This time, Phillips arm was around her, as they came out of the room. Marsha turned her head toward the back, but her eyes were unable to focus. There were some gasps from the group, and she returned her concentration to the screen. She was in a hot tub with Phillip, laughing and drinking wine, and then she stood up, exposing her bare breasts. "Harold? What's going on? Harold! What the hell is this?" There was no answer to her inquiry. The next group of five pictures ended the slide show. They were taken through the windshield of Phillip's car. In the first picture, the two of them were just sitting and smiling. The second showed Marsha's head lowering towards Phillips lap. The next was just Phillip, smiling. The fourth showed Marsha's head coming back up, and in the last one they were both smiling again, as Marsha wiped her chin with a tissue. The room was perfectly silent, except for the sound of chairs being moved, and the clicking of the empty slide projector. As Robert turned the lights back on, Marsha noticed her parents leaving. Several other people were getting up. Nobody was speaking. Marsha glanced around and Harold was not there. The slide projector continued clicking. No one attempted to turn off the infernal machine. Marsha was afraid to move. She had been so careful to keep her affair quiet, and now the whole world knew. There was no explanation that she could offer. All she could do was sit, as everyone silently left. She noticed a look of disappointment from her mother- and father-in-law. The looks she got from her sons were far more devastating. She was trying not to cry, but she couldn't stop the tears from coming. Finally, she was alone: in the empty room with the damn-clicking projector. 13159 1.69/512345