Thanksgiving Chaos: Four Stories of Family Turmoil

I read it twice as my brain refused to process the words.

Sharing my husband? Was this a sick joke? I glanced at Ryan, who was glued to the TV.

Taking advantage of his obliviousness, I picked up his phone from the counter. He’d never given me his passcode, but I knew it was Peyton Manning’s birthday. Not even our girls were as important as football.

I immediately found messages from Kelsey that confirmed my suspicions. “Can’t wait to see you later,” her first message read. “Did she get the turkey yet?

LOL. Can’t wait to see her face. Happy Thanksgiving, babe,” read the second.

That’s how I discovered my husband was having an affair, and Kelsey was laughing at me. They’d both been playing me for a fool. But not anymore.

I quickly devised a plan to get revenge. We always hosted a large family dinner for Thanksgiving. Once everyone finished their main course, I stood and ushered the girls from their seats.

I didn’t want them to see or hear what was coming. I then fetched the mystery turkey in its fancy box. The room fell silent as I placed it in the center of the table.

“Amelia, we just ate a whole turkey. Why did you make a second one?” Ryan’s mother asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “This arrived earlier today,” I announced to everyone at the table.

“A special delivery for me from Ryan’s mistress.”

Ryan’s eyes bulged as the rest of the table swiveled their heads to him. “What are you talking about?” he demanded, acting offended. I held up the note.

“It’s all here.”

His face turned as white as the mashed potatoes. “It’s just some prank, Amelia!”

“Oh, really?” I scrolled to Kelsey’s messages and handed the phone to his mother. “Care to explain these texts, which seem to be from the same woman who signed the note?”

His mother’s expression changed as she read their conversation.

“Ryan, what is this?” she asked, leaning over the table with a distraught face. My liar of a husband sat quietly, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. Ryan’s father slammed his fist on the table.

“Answer your mother, right now! Are you cheating on your wife? The mother of your kids!”

My husband looked down and started crying.

“Amelia, we-we ne-need to talk about thi-this in private. Ple—”

“Oh, we’ll talk,” I said, cutting him off. “But I have one more surprise.”

I reached under the table and pulled out a small bag containing a new set of locks and a piece of paper with a phone number scrawled across it.

I placed the items in front of Ryan. “This card has the number of my divorce lawyer, whom I’ll be calling once this holiday is over. The locks are for the house, which I’m changing tomorrow.

You have until then to pack your things. Kelsey can keep you all to herself. No more sharing!”

With his tail between his legs, Ryan stood and walked out.

For the next few days, he called and texted non-stop, begging for forgiveness. But I ignored every message. His family sided with me completely, which was a huge relief.Continue reading…