Secret Life

Jennifer lies. She lies like a rug, like a third grade student with stained purple fingers and blue tinged teeth who claims she did not eat that blueberry pie. That deep dish, warm from the oven, baked fresh for Mother's bridge night pie. Yet Jennifer's not in the third grade. She is a grown woman, married to a grown man, mother to an eight year old son, minder of one dog, three fish and a hamster. She is high functioning, relatively happy, decidedly well off and in above average health. Her hobbies include yoga and pilates, the occasional spin class, a monthly book club and improv comedy on Tuesday evenings with 11 other women. She has a BA, a Master's Degree and could have been a lawyer but she chooses to stay at home with her son instead. And she lies. As well as being an upper middle class overly educated mother, wife and social butterfly, Jennifer has a secret. She hides this from everyone. Her family, her friends. It gives her an air of mystery, untouchable-ness. She is beholden to no one as she runs her family and keeps her home on point. Her carefully plotted schedule, filled with appointments and errands, meetings and trips affords her the perfect cover. A secret life that is hers alone. Another name, another town, another life. Another family. No one knows. It provides Jennifer with more vigour and purpose than her familiar, simple, traditional existence ever did. She never planned this. It just sort of happened. So she lies while she lives two lives.