Spending too much time gaming.

Food on stove, has to only stir the sauce.

Gives her a Dilligaf.

Scene ends with her putting kids to bed, husband storming out to a 24 hour gaming arcade.

She reboots the system and discovers messages with online buddy.

‘Julian, can you please go and stir the sauce?’ Natasha yells down the basement stairs at Julian. Heading up the stairs she smiles, remembering herself as a little girl, when her father came back from his tours in Iraq. He use to chase her up these sames stairs, into the room her two kids share and tickle till she was breathless from laughing so hard. Smiling, Natasha enters her childhood room amidst flying teddy bears and two giggling toddlers. ‘What is my two munchkins doing in here?’ Natasha says grabbing her two year old son into a hug. ‘Patrick, can you say how old you are?’ Squirming in her arms Patrick turns around showing two fingers. ‘Yes my little tiger, you are two years old. How old is you sister?’ Natasha winks at Kenna, who has been helping her brother with his counting like a good big sister. Patrick proudly holds up 4 fingers before blurting out, ‘One, Momma!’ Ruffling his hair Natasha says, ‘Ok kiddos, time to bath, after we can eat spaghetti worms, the ones you love with the cheese sauce.’

With Patrick wrapped in his fluffy yellow Minions robe and Kenna in her pink Sophia robe Natasha frowns as she heads down the stairs. ‘Julian! Where are you? I can smell something burning!’ Putting the kids in the living room playpen, Natasha rushes to the kitchen. Coughing at the burnt-milk clouds of smoke billowing from the stove, Natasha quickly covers the pot with its lid. Balancing speed with keeping the pot from spilling its fiery contents she kicks open the back swing door. Placing the pot on the pavement Natasha is thankful the only damage was done to their food. As the implications of what could have happened sinks in Natasha clenches her dress in a white knuckled grip. ‘Julian!’ she shouts, storming back into the smoke filled kitchen. Barely stopping to open all the windows in the kitchen and entryway, Natasha stomps down the basement stairs.

Descending the trap door Natasha reflects for the thousandth time on why she ever agreed to making the basement Julian’s man-cave. Now it has become the only part of the house he occupies for longer than a meal. ‘Julian! For the last time answer me! I know you can hear me!’ Natasha shouts as her husband gives her a flat ignore, or Dilligaf (does-it-look-like-I-give-a-fuck) as her dad used to say. With blood rushing to her face as she stares dagger at her her husband sitting in the neuron-chair playing some or other game her eye catches the feedback screen behind the chair. The seems to be rapidly scrolling words flashing down the screen. With sudden concern replacing a portion of her rage she kneels by the back of the chair. Swiveling the screen fully open Natasha sees it is a rolling chat log. Julian’s username is Julianator666. And he is chatting with Cheekygirl96. Choking back a sob Natasha is horrified at the evidence of a failed marriage in front of her. Julian is actually having sex with this online woman. With the Neuron-chair inducing all feelings and sensations directly in his brain there is nothing to give away the affair. Flinging the screen closed with a sharp snap she stumbles to the stairs, her thoughts centered around her kids and their father who couldn’t be bothered. All he had to do was stir the sauce, but all he did was stir some slut’s sauce.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

‘You ok momma?’ Kenna asks as she sees her mother’s stricken face climbing the basement stairs.

Smiling through the betrayal Natasha kneels between Kenna and Patrick.

‘Yes my love, mommy is ok, just not in the mood for pasta anymore. Let’s go buy some cheesy fries, the ones you like so much?’

Jumping up and down Kenna’s excitement has her brother also giggling for no reason he understands.

‘Eesy eys, eesy eys eesy eys!’ chants Kenna as the soon to be smaller family climbs into their rusty station wagon.

With the striking of her father’s old grandfather clock Natasha quietly sneaks out between Kenna and Patrick. The two siblings share a queen sized bed since they get night terrors when sleeping alone. Finding her husband fuming in the kitchen she heads to open the fridge, making sure to not touch him as she plods past.

‘What the fuck happened with the food?! I am hun-‘

Slamming the fridge door Natasha spins around. ‘You happened with the food! You were supposed to help, all you had to do was stir the sauce!’ Natasha snarls at Julian.

‘I was busy with a mission, you cannot -‘

‘Cannot what, Julian? Expect you to stay faithful?’ Natasha says heaving to get air past the emotion in her throat. ‘You were supposed to just stir the sauce, not have virtual sex with some tramp! How could you?? What about our kids? Did you not think of them?’ Natasha says, her voice breaking into sobs, catching on the emotion in her throat.

With reddening cheeks Julian is shocked into silence by the sight of his wife blubbering as she sinks onto one of the kitchen chairs.

‘I… it was only… You were never willing to…’ Stumbling through the cliches Julian realizes there are no words, no justification for his actions.

Grabbing his keys he heads for the door.

‘I have to complete… the mission, you understand? We cannot afford…’ Seeing Natasha’s vacant stare Julian flees out the door.