Two lives

Tom had lasted six months.

Later, when the hurt had worn off, Lynette had told Bree that she was surprised he lasted as long as he did. The vast majority of men just couldn’t hack it. Being stay at home husbands wasn’t as easy as it looked, and most of them simply couldn’t or wouldn’t do it. But Tom had lasted six months.

When the kids had been in school, things weren’t that bad. He was able to at least make an attempt at taking care of the household like he promised. However, it was Lynette who ended up doing a vast majority of the work.

Then summer hit, and Tom was at a loss. The kids went wild in the summer sun and Tom just couldn’t control them. Lynette had enough trouble and she had “mom look” at her disposal. Tom just didn’t. And he was out numbered and way out of his league.

Eventually he convinced Lynette to hire another nanny. That way he could do more work around the house while the nanny took care of the kids. The plan did work for awhile, but the nanny was pretty and Tom was a man who was stuck at home with the kids and never saw his wife anymore.

Tom lasted six months.

Lynette had managed to get home early for once. She was the new kid on the block which meant long hours but that night she managed to get home at a decent hour. She was surprised to find the house clean, and quiet. She was surprised to find the boys in bed.

And she was surprised to find her husband in bed with the nanny.

Bree had been surprised when Lynette knocked at her door that night. Since Lynette had started working again they hadn’t spent as much time together as they used to. However what surprised her more was the look of complete devastation on her face.

Bree had known immediately what that look meant.

Without a word she had invited Lynette into her home. Lynette had spent the night at Bree’s house. Tom had come over at one point but Bree had sent him away. Tom had tried to apologize but Lynette who by that point had one too many glasses of wine, told him loudly to get the Hell away from her.

The next morning the nanny was gone and Tom tried to apologize. He tried everything but Lynette wanted none of it. Then Tom tried to blame Lynette and suddenly he found himself sitting on the curb with a suitcase.

Everyone wondered what would happen next. Lynette had just started working again. Quitting wasn’t really an option, so who would take care of her hellion children?

The answer was a surprise to everyone. Bree had volunteered to watch the kids until Lynette could find a new nanny. It was only supposed to be a few days. Maybe a few weeks, but months later nothing had changed.

People, of course, began to talk. Neither woman seemed interested in dating again. They spent way too much time together. And yet there were no leaving the others house like a thief in the night. There were no longing looks across the room. No eye contact that lasted a moment too long. And people looked. They looked hard. The gossip mongers wanted so much for it to be true. However no one could prove anything out of the ordinary.

They were just two friends who helped each other out. Yes, it was a little unusual, but it seemed to work for them. Lynette worked, and Bree watched her children. The funny thing was under Bree’s careful eye Lynette’s rambunctious children became almost well behaved. It wasn’t just a one way thing either. Lynette helped Bree out with her own children and on occasion some of Bree’s bills. Since Rex’s death money had become tight, and with her children starting college, every penny helped.

Eventually the gossip died down, like it always did and things went back to normal. The truth was that whether or not Bree and Lynette were lovers was only moderately interesting. Bigger scandals happened and the women’s relationship, whatever it was, became old news.

Nothing really changed all that much. Bree still went to church every Sunday. She still baked the best muffins in town. She still belonged to the NRA. And Lynette still worked un-godly hours at the ad agency. She was still like a bull in a china shop when it came to her children.

And she still never back down from a fight.

Nothing changed.

Years went by and Bree still walked across the street to Lynette’s home in the early morning. She took Lynette’s kids to school and picked them up when school ended. It became like routine. So much so that people expected it.

People expected to see Lynette and Bree at restaurant together every Saturday night. They expected to see Bree at all Scavo family functions. Hell no one was surprised when Lynette took Bree to one of her corporate parties.

Lynette’s kids loved Bree. Even as they grew up and became teenagers they kept their fondness for their mother’s friend. They loved her cooking and were heard more then once to joke that they couldn’t eat at a friend’s house because they were eating “pretentious” tonight. Bree had a second chance to do things right with Lynette’s kids. Her own rarely came home anymore. They exchanged birthday and Christmas cards but little else.

If Lynette’s kids knew what if anything was going on between the two women, they never said a word. They never even hinted.

The truth was no one ever really knew for sure. There was no great coming out moment. There were no public displays of everlasting love.

There was nothing but two friends, living in two houses, sharing one life.