139 comments/ 139137 views/ 8 favorites Camryn's Baby By: Just Plain Bob I really didn't have anyone to blame but myself. I could have stopped it in the early stages, but I let it go on because it just didn't matter to me. I had no idea that it would go as far as it did. Camryn and I met in college, dated for a while and then moved on to other relationships. A year later we were at the same party, got to talking and started dating again. We went steady for about a year and then broke up again. It wasn't a bitter break up, just one of those 'not ready for anything permanent' break ups. The year after graduation we met at another party and started dating again and that time it went from dating to going steady to getting engaged. One year later we were married. We were a good fit for each other and the marriage was a happy one for the first five years. Both of us were career oriented and we had decided early on that we didn't want children. I took the precaution of having a vasectomy so we wouldn't have to mess with condoms, birth control pills, diaphragms and the like. I never told my parents about that decision though because they had their hearts set on a herd of grandchildren. My father especially, he wanted a grandson to carry on the family name. I didn't worry about that because I had two brothers who could see to it the line was carried on. Camryn and I worked hard on making it in our respective fields and both of us made progress and began moving up. The promotions came along with raises and bonuses and like most couples in this day and age as our income increased our life style changed. Our little two bedroom was sold and we moved into a four bedroom which was in turn sold so we could move into a bigger four bedroom with a swimming pool and a tennis court. We joined a country club, bought matching BMWs, moved in a smarter set and in general enjoyed our success. Our success did not set well with my parents. One day my father said to me, "You are doing well enough. Camryn doesn't need to be working. It is high time she get around to starting a family." I lied to him of course, "Dad, were trying. Camryn will quit work as soon as she gets pregnant, but until then she sees no need to give up her career. We are doing every thing we can. We are watching her cycles, plotting out her most fertile times and we have even tried some fertility drugs. But until the rabbit dies she is going to keep on working." Camryn threw a birthday party for me and my two brothers were there. The three of us found ourselves out on the patio alone at one point and Harry asked Bob and me if we were getting the same pressure from dad that he was to produce an heir. I laughed, "He's on me at least once a week. I tell him that Camryn and I are trying hard, but the truth is, we don't want kids." "Neither do Laura and I" said Bob. "Ain't that a bitch" said Harry, "Nancy and I want kids, but it doesn't seem to matter what we do it just isn't happening." I shrugged and said, "You are still young bro, there's plenty of time yet." "Tell that to mom and dad." Then the economy went sour and for six months both Camryn and I worked even harder at our jobs. We could both see the hand writing on the wall and we knew if the economy didn't get better there would be some down sizing and some personnel cut-backs as our company's retrenched and we wanted to survive the cut. We both had the old fashioned belief that hard work would be noticed and rewarded when times got tough. NOT! Camryn's company went through a down sizing and she was let go. What really steamed her was that the company kept two women who did little else except spread their legs for management. Camryn did get a pretty nice severance package and she wasn't real worried because she knew that she could find something else and she was right. She got a ton of job offers, but all at a salary fifty- percent lower than what she had been making. Eventually she had to take one of those offers and that is about when things began to go bad. We had lived on what we made and what the two of us had made together was what had enabled us to live such a great life style. With Camryn no longer making as much some things had to change. First to go were the matching Beemers. They were replaced by a Honda Accord and a Buick. We had to stop giving parties, which meant that we had to cut down on going to them since we could not reciprocate. The country club membership was not renewed when the dues became due and I started packing a small lunch in my briefcase and I cut way back on going out to lunch with the guys I worked with. I didn't find out until way later about the day that tipped everything over. I was in my den and had been looking through the Yellow Pages trying to find some railroad ties for some landscaping I wanted to do behind the house. I found what I was looking for, called them and got some information and then went out back to make some measurements. While I was gone Camryn came into the den looking for me and saw the open book. She glanced at it and saw not the page that said, Railroad Equipment and Railroad Ties, but the page opposite that said "Real Estate." Camryn left the room thinking I was getting a line on a realtor preparatory to putting the house up for sale and she was determined that she would never let that happen. Camryn started putting in longer hours at work. She worked late several times each week, worked on occasional Saturdays and once she even went in on a Sunday. The one thing she didn't do was talk to me about selling the house. Two months went by and then one day my mom called me at work. "I just had to call and congratulate you. I'm just so happy for you and Camryn and I know that your father will overjoyed when I finally get a hold of him and tell him." "Slow down mom, you are getting ahead of me here. What are you talking about?" "Why about Camryn getting pregnant, what else?" What else indeed I thought. I tried reaching Camryn at her office, but the receptionist said that she wasn't back from lunch yet. Three-thirty and not back from lunch? Must be nice. Oh well, it would wait until I got home. Camryn was standing by the wet bar building herself a drink when I got home. "Make one for me too honey and then come over here and tell me all about what you and my mother talked about that has her all excited." Camryn took a long pull on her drink and I could tell she was not looking forward to the coming conversation. She refreshed her drink, made me one and then came over and sat down opposite me. "If you have talked to your mother then you already know that I am pregnant." "Do you want to shower or freshen up your make up before I alert the media?" "Alert the media? What are you talking about?" Well Camryn, we both know that I'm not functionally capable of making you pregnant so we need to let everyone know about the long awaited Second Coming." "Don't be facetious. You know full well what my being pregnant means." "Who is the lucky daddy?" "I don't know." "You don't know? That sounds suspiciously like there has been more than one lover in your life." "There have been several and they weren't lovers. All they were, at least to me, were sperm donors and there were several because I didn't want to know who the father was." "That sounds like you set out to get yourself pregnant." "I did." "If you felt the need to have children why didn't you come to me? They can reverse vasectomies these days." "I didn't have time." "Camryn, will you please just tell me what the hell is going on and get it over with. Don't make me drag it out of you a little at a time." "Your mother had Laura, Nancy and me over for lunch about three months ago. She made the announcement that she and your father had decided that there wasn't sufficient motivation for us to start producing grandchildren so they decided to stir up some competition. She said they would give whoever produced the first grandchild two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and they would make it five hundred thousand if it were a grandson. "I don't know how Laura and Nancy took the news, but my attitude was 'who cares' until the day I came home and saw that you were looking for a realtor to sell the house. I will not lose this house. I had to give up a lot when I lost my job, but I will not lose my house!" "I've never looked for a realtor. We aren't even close to having to sell the house." "But I saw it. I saw that you had the Yellow Pages open to Realtors." "What the hell are you talking about?" "I went into your den looking for you and I saw the Yellow Pages on your desk. It was opened to the section on real estate." "I don't have a clue as to what you are talking about Camryn. This house is not for sale and I've never even thought about selling it." Her face went pale and I asked again, "Why didn't you come to me and talk it over?" "I didn't have time. I was in a race against Laura and Nancy; I couldn't afford to take the time it would have taken to get your vasectomy reversed." "What the hell happened to the logical mind that you used to have? Did you not take the time to think it all the way through? What did you think would happen when I found out? All you did Camryn, was guarantee that the house would be sold." "No baby, no. I've got it all worked out. We take the two hundred fifty thousand and pay the mortgage down and then we refinance. We'll be okay." "No Camryn, we won't be okay. This is a community property state. The house will have to be sold and the profit from the sale will be split between us in the divorce." "Divorce? What divorce?" "Oh come on Camryn. You can't seriously think that I'm going to stay married to you after this? You cheated on me. You fucked other men and got yourself knocked up by one of them. You are a whore Camryn and I'm not having anything to do with a whore. This marriage is over Camryn, it's toast!" "No baby, no. I did it for us Davy; I did it for you and me. You can't leave me Davy, you just can't." She was right, but I didn't know it at the time. And then it was more of an I wasn't allowed to leave her than I couldn't leave her. It wasn't an hour after Camryn ran crying up the stairs to the bedroom that my mom and dad showed up. My mother came rushing in the door, "Where is she? Where is my little Madonna?" I pointed to the stairs and said, "She's in the bedroom, but th...."and before I could finish she was running up the stairs. My father watched her go and then he said, "Thank God Davy. I think you may have saved your mother's sanity. Come on, fix your old man a drink and let's toast the new baby." "What do you mean I may have saved her sanity?" "You know, I've been on you boys pretty hard to get a bun in the oven and I won't lie and try and pretend that I don't care about a grandson to continue the family name, but the fact of the matter is that we needed a grandchild - either sex - for your mother's well being. I don't know what it is in women, and it may not be in all women, but in a woman like your mother there is something about children, grandchildren, and maybe even great grandchildren that just can't be denied. "She has been so upset these last few years over not having any that I've had to take her in for psychiatric help. First Harry and Nancy find out that Harry's sperm count is so low that he can never have children and then Bob and Laura just flat out told her they did not want children and never were going to have any. You were the last hope and when Camryn never got pregnant something let go in your mother. She hasn't been the same these last few months. When Camryn called today to give her the news it was like seeing your mother come back from the dead. You can't even begin to know how happy you have made her and, it goes without saying, me too. Well, here's to the newest member of the family" and he clinked my glass and downed his drink. As I sipped mine I wondered just how in the hell I was going to get out of that pickle. I had an unfaithful whore of a wife whose bastard child was the only thing keeping my mother out of a mental hospital Throwing Camryn out on her ear was suddenly out of the question. At least until some way could be found to end her pregnancy. Maybe induce a miscarriage or get an abortion. Camryn, not being stupid, was having none of it. She read the situation perfectly. As long as she had the baby I couldn't get rid of her without causing God only knew what problems for my mother. My dad wouldn't be a problem; he would just tell me to get rid of the worthless slut, but my mother? What would happen there? What made it worse was now that Camryn was pregnant my mother was around constantly and if she wasn't at the house she was on the telephone. A day didn't go by that I didn't get a piece of advice on what I should be doing either to or for Camryn. While all this was going on I had pretty much severed my relationship with my wife. I moved all my stuff into one of the other bedrooms and I didn't speak to Camryn if I could help it. The exception to that of course was when any of my family were around and then I had to try and make it look as if everything was normal. Camryn did not just lie down and accept it. She kept telling me that she loved me, that she didn't want to lose me and that she had done what she had done for us and to save us financially. But it didn't matter how much she begged me to forgive her I wouldn't. It might have been possible if she had taken a lover in a weak moment and I had found out, but that wasn't the case here. In one of the few times we talked before I shut myself off from her she admitted that all of her late nights working and the weekends she said she was working were when she met the men she fucked. She admitted to having had sex with seventeen different men on backseats and in motels in her quest to get herself knocked up. "But I stopped as soon as I found out I was pregnant." As if that fucking mattered. One of the things that pregnancy caused in Camryn is that as her pregnancy progressed she became more and more horny and the hornier she got the more she tried to entice me back into our bed. She would greet me when I got home from work wearing nothing but heels and thigh high nylons. She would leave the bedroom door open and finger fuck herself or use one of her dildos on herself and hope that her sounds of arousal would draw me in. I won't say that I wasn't tempted a time or two, but that was just hormones and I was able to fight them off. Finally one day Camryn told me that if I wasn't going to take care of her she was going to go out and find some one who would. "Good. With any luck you'll find someone who will do something totally stupid and cause you to lose the kid and then I can get on with the divorce." "God damn you Dave; why can't you get it through your thick head that I love you and that I'm still your wife?" "The question Camryn, is why can't you get it through yours that seventeen men and a bastard child ended it for us?" If she did go out and get dicked I never knew about, but even if I would have I wouldn't have given a shit. The day finally came and Camryn was delivered of a nine-pound baby boy, apparently healthy and with a full compliment of fingers and toes. Camryn named him Bradley after my father and the baby immediately captured the hearts of grandma and grandpa and was started on a life of being spoiled on the day he came home from the hospital. My parents were constantly underfoot so I was forced into behaving like Bradley's adoring father, which I was anything but. Bradley was the constant daily reminder of Camryn's infidelity and I tried to keep some distance from him, but it was hard to do with mom and dad around all the time. Then the day came when Camryn's doctor cleared her to begin having sex again. She came home and told me and then stood there expectantly waiting for me to say something, but all I did was turn and walk away. I went into the den and started going through some papers that I had brought home from work. Camryn followed me into the room and stood there watching me for a bit before starting to talk. "You are my husband Dave, and I love you whether you accept that or not. I fucked up. I admit it. I fucked up and I let fear and greed lead me into doing something that I shouldn't have and I'm sorry as hell. But I can't undo it Dave. And I'm locked in. I care for your parents as much as you do and I'm stuck with this situation until either I die or your mother does. But I'm not made of stone Dave and I'm not going to become a nun. I love you and I want you in my bed with me honey, but if you are going to keep your back turned on me I will end up sharing it with some one else." "Well you certainly know how to do it Camryn. You have had plenty of practice. There are seventeen men out there who can testify to that." "Okay Dave, at least I tried." It was a week before she brought the first one home with her. She left the bedroom door open so I would have to see what was going on when I passed the room to go to mine. Once again she misread me if she thought I was going to quietly put up with it. I walked into the room while the asshole was in mid-stroke and said, "I am not going to put up with any shit Camryn. Anytime you leave that door open from now on I will come in her and stomp the asshole you are with into jelly." Then I pointed at the guy with his dick in her and said, "Get off the whore and follow me over to the door and close it behind me when I leave." And then I turned and walked out of the room. Thirty seconds later the door closed and two minutes later the guy came out of the room and headed down the stairs. Five minutes later Camryn came down to my room. "Was that necessary?" "Yes it was. You have made the decision to co-exist with me in this house. It will only work as long as we tread lightly around each other. You left that door open to tweak my nose and you got what you deserved. I don't give a rats ass over what you do in that room, but you had best do it with the door closed." After that first one there were a couple a week from then on. The bedroom door stayed closed, but I could still hear what was going on all over the house. I did my best to avoid Camryn and her friends, but it wasn't always possible. Sooner or later she was bound to bring some asshole home with her and sure enough one day she did. I was coming out of my den as they were coming in the front door and he looked at me and said, "Who the fuck are you?" He never saw it coming and I looked down at him stretched out on the floor and said, "I her husband you fucking asshole and this is my house. When you are in my house you speak to me with a civil tongue, do you understand?" Then I stood there and glared at him until he said, "Okay, okay man, I'm sorry." Camryn didn't get laid that night because he didn't stick around after he got up. Camryn stood there looking at me. "So, is this a sign? A thaw in our rather cold relationship? The male fighting for his mate?" "Not hardly. Just remember that this is my house too. I won't put up with shit like that in my own home. You had best make sure that the trash you bring home with you know the rules before you bring them in the door. Rule One is don't fuck with Dave and Rule Two is memorize rule one." A year passed and while things didn't get any better they never got any worse. But even though I didn't notice them noticing other people saw that things were not right between Camryn and me. I was at my parent's house for my dad's birthday and I'd managed to get myself half in the bag. When my dad asked me to join him in his study I should have found an excuse not to go if for no other reason than I'd been drinking too much and I know that my mouth runs away on me when I'm like that. He cut right to the chase. Camryn's Baby I would like to acknowledge the talents of JPB. I have enjoyed his stories. As is in most cases everyone has a different perception of how they would like a story to turn out; in a lot of cases if the story is well told then we empathize with the characters, and this is a sign that the author has done his/her job of entertaining us. I felt something for Dave and decided that I couldn't let him get brow beaten and slink off into the wilderness of forced cuckoldry. With permission from the original author here is my ending. Although it may not be necessary to read the original story it may help in understanding my ending. I decided to take up the story from where Dave has been confronted by his father about his attitude towards his wife Camryn. "What's wrong with you and Camryn?" "Nothing." "Bullshit! It has been obvious to everyone that there is something very wrong there." "No dad, everything is cool." "Dave, not talking about it does not make it go away. Not talking about it doesn't help fix it." "It is beyond fixing." "Nothing is so bad that it can't be helped." "Oh yeah?" And then the whole story came pouring out of me - all of it, every stinking little thing - and then I said, "So dad, you tell me, how do we fix that?" He stared at me for several moments and then said, "I don't know. Let's look at it and see what we have. Camryn panicked when she thought that all you had worked for was going to be lost. She panicked and did something that she thought would save everything. Right so far? "Yes, I guess so." "Okay, I don't condone what she did, but I can understand it and at least she did it right." "What?" "She did it right. What she did was stupid, but she was right to make sure that she could never know who the father was. So anyway, she did what she did, got herself pregnant and then called your mother. Your mother called you and that was the first you knew of it. Right so far?" "Yeah." "You went home, found out what the deal was and were all set to throw her out on the street and then your mother and I showed up. I told you the sad tale about your mother and all of a sudden you decided that you were stuck with Camryn and the baby because of your mother." "That's it." "It doesn't matter to you that Camryn obviously loves you? Everyone can see it; it is as plain as the nose on your face." "Bullshit dad! It had nothing to do with her love for me and everything to do with her losing her house, not to mention the money you and mum waved in front of her face. If she loved me she wouldn't have done what she did. If she loved me she would have come to me and we would have both made a decision together. No she just panicked when she saw there was a chance of half a million dollar going to one of my other brothers. " "Bullshit back to you Dave. That's just you trying to vindicate yourself from your own complicity. Did you never consider the fact that she sacrificed a piece of herself for you? She set out to save her home Dave. She knew when she got pregnant that you would know what she had done. There was no way she could hide it from you or convince you that you were the father, but she did it so that her home would be safe. You are part of the home she tried to make safe. I'll grant you that there might have been other, better ways of doing it. Everyone sooner or later makes a stupid mistake for what they think are good reason. Camryn made a whopper, but it doesn't mean that she doesn't love you; if anything it shows how much she loved you. People make mistakes all the time Dave and people are forgiven for making those mistakes. "I seem to remember a stolen car and a drunken joy ride somewhere in your past, but you were forgiven. You could have just as easily gone to prison for ten years, but you didn't because the man whose car you stole looked at you and saw a good kid who had stupidly fucked up and he let it slide. "Ok I'll grant you that dad; so she loves me. She loves so much that she's prepared to condemn me to a life of cuckoldry. I can tell you now that she hasn't stopped her infidelity. I didn't keep stealing cars dad! I learnt from my mistake!" "Don't be stupid Dave. What she is doing now is what you have consigned her to by ignoring her. She is your wife, she loves you, but she is human and has certain basic needs which you have absolutely refused to meet. What is she supposed to do, lock herself in a room and wait for your mother to die so she can get on with her life? By your own admission she has tried to get you to fill those needs and you've turned your back on her." "That is such a load of horse shit dad that I'd have trouble in swallowing it even if was directed at a male. The reason she's out there fucking her brains out is to rub my nose in it; she thinks that if she blatantly fucks around then I'll knuckle under and toe the line just to get her to stop. What's she going to do the next time we disagree on something? If it's of any interest to you; I haven't gone out and found comfort in other women. I believe in fidelity and my marriage vows, and I'll not go and break them even though I have every reason to do so. You, my mother and she have condemned me to a life of chastity until mum kicks the bucket." Dad didn't have an answer for that one; I think even he knew his argument was weak, so he changed tack, "And what about Bradley?" "What about Bradley?" I enquired with some surprise. "Anyone who is or has been a parent can look at the two of you and see that something isn't right." "Of course it's not right, he's not mine dad. I have no connection to him other than he's the son of the woman I married and one of seventeen men she copulated with in order to produce him." "I'm getting pissed off with your constant derogatory reference towards Camryn. He may not be in the physical sense, but he is yours. You accepted him as yours the day you made the decision to keep Camryn and the baby for the good of your mother. You accepted him into your home; you allowed your name to be put on his birth certificate. You said, "Okay Bradley, you are my kid now so get out there and keep your grandmother happy. By doing that Dave, you took him to raise. He didn't ask to be part of this mess. He didn't have any choice in the matter, but he is here now and he deserves better than he is getting. Accept him Dave. He is doing a lot for your family; do something for him in return. Think about it Dave, think about it hard." "I have thought about it; I haven't thought about much else ever since she stuck me with it. I haven't accepted anything. Accepting something implies you have a choice, and you and that slut have pretty much made it clear that I have no choice in the matter. I'm as innocent in this fucked up situation as that poor bastard. Camryn never came to me to discuss our options; she just went ahead and got herself knocked up, then told mum and you before me, so she could effectively cut me off at the knees. So no I haven't accepted the bastard, and never will. I'm locked into feeding and clothing the little prick; I'll let you, mum and that slut give him the love he needs; he's your responsibility not mine." Dad could see that he wasn't getting through to me and I really didn't care, "Come along, we need to get back to the party." As expected things didn't change much; except that my mother was a little more annoyed with me for my perceived lack of interest in my family. If she wasn't on the phone then she was at our house lecturing Camryn on how to raise children or me on what I needed to do for my ever loving wife so that she could be more comfortable in caring for my child. A man can only suffer so much and I felt like strangling my mother, "You know David! It wouldn't hurt you to be a little more proactive with bringing up your son. It certainly wouldn't hurt you to play with him or change his diaper once in awhile. How are you ever going to bond with him if you continue to neglect him? Camryn went through hell and high water to give you a child; your son David; so be the father I expect you to be. Camryn needs time to herself, so that means you need to be a little more loving. It certainly wasn't below your own father change your diaper when necessary." I glared at Camryn and storm out of the house; disappearing until she was gone. Camryn waylaid me in the kitchen one morning, weeks later. Even though I was expecting it, it still made me angry, "We're having a birthday party for Bradley on the weekend, and the whole family will be here." "So?" "So I'm asking you to be you to be on your best behaviour this weekend. Your mother has been planning it for months now. The whole family is coming over for a bbq and cake cutting. It's a milestone in our child's life and I would appreciate it if you could atleast be civil and atleast look as though you care about your family." I shrugged and went back to reading my paper, "It won't make any difference! I won't be here; I have to make a trip for work and I expect to be gone over the weekend, so you can safely say that there won't be any conflict on my part." "Whether you like it or not Bradley is here to stay. I'm turning myself inside out trying to make this up to you, but you're not prepared to even meet me half way. What have I got to do to get you to understand that what I did, I did for us Davy; for our family. I don't see him as anyone else's son Dave, as far as I'm concerned he's yours and no amount of bitching or sulking on your part is going to change my mind. If things were different then it would be your biological son I gave birth to, but unfortunately it wasn't, and I'm now forced to accept that he's now here and you're going to have to accept it and stop being so damn selfish. You are his father so deal with it David. I can't believe you're attitude. I can't believe that I fell in love and married such a self-centred pea brained an asshole. " "Yeah well, welcome to my world Camryn. I never thought I'd marry a round heeled slut and whore, but I did!" Camryn glared and stood defiantly in front of me, "I'm not a slut or a whore and I resent you saying so. I'll stop getting my itch scratched by other lovers as soon as you decide to apologise and get back to being the husband I thought I married. That includes being a devoted father to YOUR son. Grow up David! We all have to make sacrifices for the good of the family; the sooner you realise that life isn't always fair; the sooner we can be a loving family once more." I couldn't let that comment slide, "Ok Camryn! Let's talk about sacrifice. What did you give up for the family good? I'll tell you what sacrifices I've made and we'll compare. I'm looking at my wife who's cuckolded me with numerous men! Can you say the same?" "I told you that as soon as you return to our bedroom I'll stop going out looking for affection. I gave up my virtue for our family David; I hated every minute of it, but I did it so we could be secure." "What a load of crap Camryn! I know you sweetheart; there is no way known that you just laid there and felt nothing while they fucked you. It wouldn't surprise me if you didn't have multiple orgasms. You may have started out not liking it, but I'll bet my left nut that you soon got into it." Camryn just stood there clenching her fists; knowing full well I was right on the money. "Shall we move on? I'm forced to live with a child that's not mine! Can you say the same? "I'm forced to financially support a child, not of my choosing, and had no say in whether he should be brought into this family! Can you say the same?" "I'm being hounded by my family at every turn. How about you Camryn?" "I won't bother starting to work out what my mother and father have sacrificed. Don't you dare stand there and preach to me about fucking sacrifice. You wouldn't know what sacrifice was, even if it jumped up and bit you on the ass." "Why did you ask me to behave myself this weekend?" "Camryn wiped a tear from her face with the back of her hand and in a meek voice replied, "I know you David, and I know you'll sulk; you'll standoff in a corner and make it difficult for anyone to converse with you. You'll be a wet blanket on the whole day. It will make your mother unhappy with how you're acting. The whole family will be here and they'll see your refusal to interact with your son. Hell! I haven't ever seen you so much as even touch him, let alone pick him up if he's crying." I almost laughed at that, "You don't know me at all Camryn; if you did we wouldn't be in this fucked up mess you made. One reason I don't want to be at this party is because every time I get anywhere near my brothers; their snide comments and innuendoes make me angry enough to want to start knocking heads together. Do you know what they're saying? That I got you knocked up just so we'd get the prize; they're saying that I've snuck in and grabbed a pocket full of money that is rightfully theirs. If I show up then I can guarantee that there will be atleast two of us stretched out on the floor, because I've had it up to my eye teeth with their smartass comments. And as far as not touching him! I'm doing you a favour there Camryn; if I were you I wouldn't trust me anywhere near him! Hell it makes me sick just knowing I don't trust myself around your son." Camryn's face paled at this latest confession and she ran from the room in tears. Camryn was in her bedroom and I was staring at the tv; not that I was actually watching it, when my father walked in the back door, "What's this I hear about you not being at your son's first birthday party?" I just looked at him with contempt, "For a start dad; when are you going to get it through your thick skull of yours that he's not my son, and if you're here to chew my ass about this coming weekend then the whore has already told you why I won't be there." I could see dad was losing his cool but I didn't care, "I will not allow you to keep referring to your wife in such a derogatory manner! I don't know where I went wrong in your upbringing but I seem to have failed miserably in your case. Your lack of respect is pitiful to say the least. If your damn ego means that much to you then I'll speak with your brothers and tell them to back off." I launched myself off the couch and stood nose to nose with my father, "Don't go there dad! I only give respect to those who show me respect, and I've had damn little of that since this has started. What are you going to tell my respectful brothers dad? That my wife did exactly what they're accusing me of? That she went out and got herself fucked by seventeen difference guys just so she could get herself pregnant and take the half million dollar bounty? As far not being a whore; I think that, that definition is rather accurate. Don't you? Whores fuck for money, and that's what she did. I'm pissed off that I'm being included in this brothel by proxy as her perceived pimp." We both turned as we heard Camryn wail in a fit of anguish at what I had just said. I didn't know she was listening to our conversation, but it made little difference. Dad was turning a dark shade of purple, "I don't think I want you as a son anymore David. I'm ashamed of how you're acting, Camryn only wants a loving family and you can't seem to get your head out of your ass long enough to see it." "The one who's got his head up his ass is you dad. Just because you say he's your grandson doesn't make it so. Mum still doesn't have a grandson; there is no genetic link between him and our family. Mum doesn't have a grandchild and never will if she's relying on me to do it for her. Bradley is someone else's grandson; someone who because of a neurotic mother, a stupid father and selfish money hungry bitch will never get to meet their grandson. There's a man out there that will never have the chance of being a father to Bradley. Camryn stole his son as sure as she had lifted him from his stroller. You seem to think women have the right to bear children without the consent of the father. I'm sure that if the courts were to get involved then Camryn could very well be sued. There's more to this than a simple placating of a neurotic woman's fantasy of family. Don't worry about it dad; maybe I'm not even your son anyway. Maybe mum was so fanatical about offspring that she went out and did exactly what Camryn did. Maybe you're a cuckold as well dad; have you thought about that?" I didn't see it coming and before I could get my bearing dad was standing over me, "You are a sorry piece of shit Dave; how dare you imply that your mother could do something like that to me." I rubbed my jaw as I looked into his steely eyes, "Do what dad? Do something terrible and make you a cuckold? Go out and fuck seventeen guys to get pregnant, because her husband can't get the job done? Not so nice when you think of the boot being on the other foot; is it dad? You're so high and fucking mighty when someone else has to live with the consequences, just as long as you get what you want, but when your manhood is called into question you hit out at the first opportunity. You make me sick; all of you. I want nothing to do with any of this so called family." I kept out of Camryn's way for the next day or so and left for my trip on the Friday morning. I could have left it until Monday to go, but I had no intention of being anywhere around a gaggle of clucking hens, fawning over Camryn's son and admonishing me for not getting into the spirit of the occasion. I was settling into my hotel room when my cell phone started going off. I knew it wouldn't be the whore or my dear father wondering as to my comfort or wellbeing and I was right, "Hello mother!" I waited while she complained bitterly and chewed my ass about my absence at the party, "No mum I have to work; as you well know and made sure of; I have a damn family to support." I felt a twinge of anger that I had to lie just because my dear old dad and the whore couldn't convince her that I had to be somewhere else on this particular weekend. "No mum I can't put it off; my job depends on me being here this weekend. As I have been reliably informed many time over the last twelve months; we all need to make sacrifices, and this is mine. Look mum I have to go; yeah, yeah give them my love." I almost puked at having to saying that. The status quo was held for another six months and I was thinking that I'd have to accept my lot in life when the final straw was loaded onto the poor camel. Camryn had stopped bring her lovers to the house and I'm sure that dad had something to do with that, but that didn't mean she had stopped her fucking around and it meant that she had to take Bradley over to one over the rellies to babysit for her. She came into the lounge and stood staring at me until I acknowledged her, "What now?" Camryn wrung her hands in front of her while she tried to come out with what it was that she needed me to hear, "Ummm...David, you know I love you more than life itself, and what I have to tell you isn't going to make it look like I do, but I do and want more than anything to make things right between us. I'm lonely and I need my man to comfort me. I need you David, now more than ever." I held my hand up to stop her, "Camryn! That is a dead horse as far as I'm concerned. Just tell me what it is that you feel you need to interrupt my evening with." She cut to the chase almost tripping over her words, "I was thinking that it would be a nice idea for Bradley to have a little brother or sister to play with!" I just looked down and shook my head, "You were thinking ...or have you done something more than just thinking about it?" My eyes were in line with her stomach and the little bulge was suddenly noticeable, "By the look of your belly I'd say it's the latter!" Camryn straighten her shoulders in a defiant pose, "Ok then; you're right! Bradley is going to have a little brother or sister to play with. I'm just telling you so that you won't be surprised when your mother comes to congratulate you on our next child." Camryn's Baby I didn't say anything and Camryn knew not to say anything else and left me to my nightmare. This wasn't getting any better and I really didn't expect it to, but the few feeling I still had for Camryn was clouding my judgement; I was still hoping for a status quo. Now I realised that it will only get worse as Camryn slowly loses all respect for me as her husband. Camryn and my father didn't seem to understand what this was doing to my self-respect. Yes my ego had taken a battering and they seemed to think that I should just take it like a wimp and knuckle under; allow my wife to run my life and family. To say yes dear and bow as I shuffle backwards out the door to do their bidding. I was starting to think that my mother had more of a hold on Camryn than I originally thought. My wants and needs were being trampled into the ground and all for the sake of a neurotic mother; hell bent on repopulating the world with grandchildren. I suddenly realised that I couldn't go on with it any longer. Camryn was surprised to say the least when a suit knocked on her door one bleak Monday morning, "Camryn Summers?" She had thought that since I had wimped out up till now that she had carte blanche to dictate the rest of our life, and this man standing in front of her was about to dissuade her of her authority. "Yes! Can I help you?" "You are served! I suggest that you acquire to services of a lawyer to deal with this matter on your behalf." I was ready for the fallout and it came as expected, "What's the meaning of this Dave?" It was my father along with Camryn who stormed rather than waltzed into my office an hour after the serving. "I see that the whore has brought her favoured minion. I would have thought that it was obvious what it means. I'm divorcing Camryn on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. We can't seem to reconcile the fact that she's a cuckolding slut and keeps handing me babies that aren't mine; and expecting me to raise them as my own. I got a call from mum this morning all bubbling over with congratulations on becoming a father again. I can't tell you just how close I came to telling her the truth." "You can't do this Dave! If you divorce me then I'll have nothing; I love you sweetheart and you're killing me. If you continue with this then your mother will be devastated, and I don't know what it will do for her mental state." Was her teary retort. "Stop with the drama queen shit Camryn. You and I both know that you're the goose that lays golden eggs. You have my father by the short and curly's; you'll have mother doting over you for the rest of her neurotic life." Camryn went into a fit of crying and dad was grinding his teeth, "Your concern for my mother is touching to say the least. I had an epiphany after the last pregnancy punch you gave me. I don't feel that she will worry too much, because she has what she wants; she has her acknowledged grandchildren. I just want out of this nightmare!" My father paced back and forth, "I won't let you do this; we will fight it and I'll make sure that Camryn has the full backing of the family fortune to do so. It will cost you everything you own and then some and in the end you will be coming back with your tail between your legs; begging Camryn for forgiveness." I saw the look on Camryn's face as my father backed her to the hilt. Up until now I still believed that she loved me in her own way; the disrespect and conceit I saw on her face just now was all I needed to feel less effected about what I was doing. I felt a pang of guilt at the thought that I had allowed it to come to this, even as the last vestiges of love for Camryn faded into obscurity but now dad was escalating it beyond the pall of good grace. "You won't do that dad; not if I read you and this situation right. All this has come to a head because of your unrealistic need to protect your wife; my mother and her mental health. If you don't convince Camryn to allow this divorce to go through uncontested then I'll withdraw my filing of irreconcilable differences and refile with adultery. And before you go off ranting that this is a no fault state; you're right, but that doesn't stop me citing adultery as a cause for the dissolution of the marriage. I have already got DNA results to prove that Bradley isn't my child, and I'll get a court order for a DNA sample of this one she has now. I have tried to make this as painless as I can and to allow you to protect your precious wife's sanity, but if I have to; I will drag all our dirty laundry out into the open and let the chips fall as they may." My father's face fell as did Camryn's, they understood the implications of what I was saying and they didn't have a leg to stand on, "If you will read the documents you will see that I'm not asking for the house or contents, in fact all I'm asking for is what's in the savings and cheque accounts and my personal belongings. Camryn has access to the half million that you have given her for the birth of her son; she can have the house and I'll walk away and not bother the family ever again." Camryn was crying by the time I finished, "So you're willing throwing away seven good years of marriage because you feel that you aren't the man of the house?" "No Camryn! It wasn't seven good years at all; it was five good and two made in hell. And I'm not throwing away anything that means all that much to me now; what I'm doing is cutting my losses. If you have any interest in what I think then here it is. I don't think my mother is at all in jeopardy of going insane; what she is in jeopardy of, is losing control of her family. Ever since I can remember, she has been the driving force in our family and dad here has allowed her that leeway. She is the supreme matriarch of the family; she snaps and everyone cowers or jumps to attention and says "Yes Maam!" What I believe is that when my brothers and I left to pursue our own lives she realised that she had lost control of her flock and decided to meddle in our to regain it. This last eighteen months have all but confirmed my suspicions; she has been in our faces and interfering in our lives more than being where she belongs, and that is in her own home looking after her own husband. My father here has sat back and allowed it in the first place and now is actively going about ensuring it. I believe that while she'll be pissed at me, and I dare say at both of you for allowing me to get out from under her control; she won't be heading off to the loony bin because of it. As long as she has her perceived grandchildren who she can bring up as she sees fit and you as her faithful obedient lapdog, kissing her ass; then she'll do just fine. What you have to decide is; are you willing to take the risk? You made your bed Camryn, now you have to sleep in it by yourself, or you could ask mother to join you, but don't complain when she tells you what pattern she wants on the sheets or which side you're sleeping on." Dad was sitting in a chair and staring at the floor. I think he knew that most of what I had said was true and his juggling act had come to an end, "There is one apology I have to make to you Camryn. I am truly sorry for bringing you into this fucked up family; you definitely didn't deserve to be confronted with them. I understand that your background made you vulnerable; not having family of your own; you latched onto something you had no experience with. Just because there is family doesn't mean that, that family is at all balanced. In my own defence; just like the Spanish Inquisition; I never thought it would get to this stage. If it makes any difference to you; I did love you Camryn, I loved you with all my heart and in some stupid way I still do. I loved you enough to spend two years in purgatory; trying to find a way around this mess. Every time I opened a door to an idea, all I found was a brick wall. It took two fucking years for me to find the only door with no brick wall behind it, and that door had divorce printed on it in big red letter. I didn't want to go through the door, but I finally realised that it was the only door to get out of my hell hole you stuck me in." "You killed our marriage by not talking to me about your concerns. The lack of communication and my meddling mother was what brought us undone. It pains me to have to do it but I will do it; don't make the mistake of thinking that I'll come around and knuckle under and be a good little boy, because I won't. I really do hope things will turn out well for you and your children Camryn; you atleast deserve that much." I turned to dad, "I have also put in the divorce papers that you and mum look after Camryn. The two of you were the primary reason she got herself in this situation so I feel it only right that you bear the responsibility of financially and emotionally supporting her and her children until they reach adulthood. You once told me that I was responsible for my actions; well I now ask you the same question. Will you take responsibility for your actions?" Dad had nothing to say and only nodded his understanding. My father and Camryn left my office; Camryn with one last sorrowful look over her shoulder as my office door closed behind them and I haven't seen or heard from them since. When they arrived I was in the process of typing up my resignation. I left my resignation and company cell phone on the desk, along with the keys to the company car and walked out with a measure of regret that brought tears to my eyes. I had got everything I wanted out of the house the weeks prior to the papers being served on Camryn. The divorce went through uncontested, and I not only left the state but the country as well. I even changed my complete name just so it would be harder for them to track me down. David Jeffery Summers cease to exist; he disappeared into the ether the minute I left my lawyers office for the last time. The last two odd years had been so traumatic for me that as I walked through the door I felt the weight of the world lift from my shoulders. I won't tell you what my new name is or where I now live but I can say that the weather is sunny, the women are gorgeous with long tanned legs, and work is more than I could hope for. I have bought myself a house of my own and I have two cars in the garage. Will I go back and see what has become of them? I doubt it; although I do have times when I consider it a possibility; only time will tell. Will I ever get married again? Who knows, but I seriously doubt that as well; the family I grew up with wasn't all that great and I thought I could make mine better. We now know that never happened. But I am happy and what more can a man ask for? I am finally master of my own destiny and I intend to stay that way. Camryn's Baby "What's wrong with you and Camryn?" "Nothing." "Bullshit! It has been obvious to everyone that there is something very wrong there." "No dad, everything is cool." "Dave, not talking about it does not make it go away. Not talking about it doesn't help fix it." "It is beyond fixing." "Nothing is so bad that it can't be helped." "Oh yeah?" And then the whole story came pouring out of me - all of it, every stinking little thing - and then I said, "So dad, you tell me, how do we fix that?" He stared at me for several moments and then said, "I don't know. Let's look at it and see what we have. Camryn panicked when she thought that all you had worked for was going to be lost. She panicked and did something that she thought would save everything. Right so far? "Yes, I guess so." "Okay, I don't condone what she did, but I can understand it and at least she did it right." "What?" "She did it right. What she did was stupid, but she was right to make sure that she could never know who the father was. So anyway, she did what she did, got herself pregnant and then called your mother. Your mother called you and that was the first you knew of it. Right so far?" "Yeah." "You went home, found out what the deal was and were all set to throw her out on the street and then your mother and I showed up. I told you the sad tale about your mother and all of a sudden you decided that you were stuck with Camryn and the baby because of your mother." "That's it." "It doesn't matter to you that Camryn obviously loves you? Everyone can see it; it is as plain as the nose on your face." "If she loved me she wouldn't have done what she did." "Bullshit Dave. Did you never consider the fact that she sacrificed a piece of herself for you? She set out to save her home Dave. She knew when she got pregnant that you would know what she had done. There was no way she could hide it from you or convince you that you were the father, but she did it so that her home would be safe. You are part of the home she tried to make safe. Granted that there might have been other, better ways of doing it. Everyone sooner or later makes a stupid mistake for what they think are good reason. Camryn made a whopper, but it doesn't mean that she doesn't love you, if anything it shows how much she loved you. People make mistakes all the time Dave and people are forgiven for making those mistakes. "I seem to remember a stolen car and a drunken joy ride somewhere in your past, but you were forgiven. You could have just as easily gone to prison for ten years, but you didn't because the man whose car you stole looked at you and saw a good kid who had stupidly fucked up and he let it slide. "If she loved me dad, she wouldn't be doing what she is doing now." "Don't be stupid Dave. What she is doing now is what you have consigned her to by ignoring her. She is your wife, she loves you, but she is human and has certain basic needs which you have absolutely refused to meet. What is she supposed to do, lock herself in a room and wait for your mother to die so she can get on with her life? By your own admission she has tried to get you to fill those needs and you turn your back on her. And what about Bradley?" "What do you mean?" "Anyone who is or has been a parent can look at the two of you and see that something isn't right." "He's not mine dad." "Maybe not in the physical sense, but he is yours. You accepted him as yours the day you made the decision to keep Camryn and the baby for the good of your mother. You accepted him into your home, you allowed your name to be put on his birth certificate. You said, "Okay Bradley, you are my kid now so get out there and keep your grandmother happy. By doing that Dave, you took him to raise. He didn't ask to be part of this mess. He didn't have any choice in the matter, but he is here now and he deserves better than he is getting. Accept him Dave. He is doing a lot for your family; do something for him in return. Think about it Dave, think about it hard. "Come along, we need to get back to the party." The two of them were surprised to see me standing there when they came in the front door. To be honest I was a little surprised at being there myself. Camryn had an "Oh shit!" look on her face and I'm sure that she was expecting some sort of confrontation. Well, that is what is was, but not the kind she was expecting. "Hi, I'm Dave" I said as I stuck out my hand. Warily he took it, we shook and then I said, "I'm the husband and I've decided to do my own work tonight and not subcontract it out so she won't be needing you." I opened the door and said, "Thanks for coming by." He looked from me to Camryn and she shrugged and said, "Sorry. His house, his wife." He looked back at me, shrugged his shoulders and turned and left. As the door closed behind him Camryn looked at me, "Okay, now what?" "Now we try to put it back together."