99 comments/ 81259 views/ 31 favorites Erasing Julie Ch. 01 By: Katmai Chapter 1; The Beginning Monday, March 8th. Gus lurched into the warm-up hut and stamped his feet. He was used to the cold, but thirty-three below zero combined with a twenty mile per hour wind was a brutal environment. He took off his gloves and his arctic parka in an effort to thaw out. In another ten minutes the rest of his crew should be in position. He had started his seven week shift on the previous Saturday and immediately afterwards a Siberian Arctic front had moved over the Alaskan North Slope causing the temperatures to plummet. That morning, the pressure reading in one of the fifteen-inch re-injection lines had started to rise, possibly indicating a freeze-up, and Gus and his crew had been sent to investigate. 'I guess that's why they pay me the big bucks', he mused. Waiting for the rest of his crew to arrive, Gus sat on the wooden bench in the warm-up hut and as he often did, thought about his work and life in general. The last fifteen years had been hard; a work schedule of seven weeks on and three weeks off had been grueling, but the money was good. Unlike most couples, who spent their money as they made it, Gus and his wife, Julie, had saved and invested their money and now, at forty-six and forty-five respectively, they had paid off the mortgage on their house in Eagle River, put their daughter through college, were paying for their son, a sophomore at UAA in Anchorage, to complete his degree and had been able to purchase a retirement home in Sun City, Arizona. They had a plan. Just six more years on the North Slope and they could retire. He would be fifty-two and Julie, fifty-one, which, for this day and age, when most people had to work well into their sixties before retiring, was not bad. The seven weeks on, three weeks off schedule was tough on marriages. Almost three-quarters of the men who worked with Gus were divorced, but he had Julie; his love, his life and his rock. They were as much in love today as they were twenty-four years ago when they had married. They were an anomaly; a fifties' couple in a twenty-first century world; he made the money, which provided them with a good life, and she took care of the home. They were a great partnership and he trusted her completely. Their twenty-fifth anniversary was two months away and he wanted to do something special; something which told her and the world how much he loved her, but hadn't been able to decide on anything specific. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching heavy equipment and although he would rather have remained in the hut, it was time to leave. He stood up reluctantly, put on his coat and gloves and walked out into the frigid darkness. He had taken only three steps when he heard a noise directly behind him, but before he could turn to determine the source of the noise, everything went black. Tuesday, March 9th. Julie was aglow with excitement as she settled into the leather of her first class seat on the seven o'clock flight to Seattle. Her lover, Greg Peterson, was meeting all her expenses for this trip, just as he had for the other six trips she had made over the past two years. She was looking forward to five glorious weeks in beautiful Seattle, away from all the snow and winter weather in Anchorage. There were concerts, plays, art galleries and restaurants all waiting for her, but what she was most looking forward to was seeing Greg Peterson. Greg and she had met in college, where he had been her first lover, but after a year of living together, she had realized he was and always would be, a player, always on the look-out for the next woman to take to bed. She had broken up with him and had started to date Gus on the rebound. Gus was the antithesis of Greg; whereas Greg was capricious and unfaithful, the terms steady and true described Gus. He was a great husband and father and despite having a lover, Julie looked forward to growing old with him. She was very fond of Gus and she knew he adored her; but he was just not very exciting in bed. Now she had it all; a great husband and a fantastic lover. If she ever had pangs of conscience, she rationalized her unfaithfulness by telling herself, after twenty-four years of marriage, she deserved some play time, some excitement. She told her friends and children she was traveling to Seattle to take accounting refresher classes so she could take a part-time job as an accountant when Gus retired. She had taken a bachelor's degree in accounting at college, but had never worked after she graduated. She took the 'classes' only when Gus was on the North Slope and to date, she had managed to keep her trips to Seattle a secret by enrolling the assistance of her children after convincing them she wanted to keep it from their father in order to surprise him. To further embellish her story, she told her friends and children she was staying with an old college friend to save money and to keep it a secret from her husband. She smiled to herself at her own deviousness; she was having an affair right out in the open and no one knew! The Alaska Airlines flight attendant brought her a glass of wine, while the other passengers boarded. Yes, she thought, as she sipped the wine, this was going to be another memorable trip to Seattle. Wednesday, March 10th. "The tests came back negative, Mr. Randall," the doctor told Gus. "It's just a mild concussion and you are cleared to be discharged from the hospital today." "And the arm?" "You have a hairline fracture in your left humerus. A cast is not necessary, but you must keep your arm in a sling for three weeks. Take it easy and rest - and no driving, either. Come back and see me for another x-ray, in three weeks." "What about work?" "Three weeks mandatory leave, with another three weeks of light duty only. Depending on your recovery rate, I might extend it for another two weeks," the doctor replied. "Is there anything else?" "In the future, you might want to keep your crew from running into you with heavy equipment," the doctor replied with a smile. "And your son is here to see you." Gus nodded. "I'll send him in now," the doctor said as he left the room. As he waited for Josh, Gus wondered whether his son would be able tell him why his mother hadn't responded to the messages he'd left on the home phone. "Hey, dad!" Josh cried, as he approached his father's hospital bed. "How are you?" "It's just a mild concussion and a broken arm, son; nothing too serious, but I will be out of commission for a month or so. Where's your mom? I left three or four phone messages for her at home." Josh paused; it was a difficult question and he didn't want to break his mother's confidence, but given the circumstances he had no option. "Well, I guess I'd better spill the beans," Josh replied, as he moved a chair next to the bed and sat down. "I'm listening." "When I graduated from high school about two years ago, mom said she wanted something to keep her busy. She decided she wanted to update her accounting skills and found a series of five week classes at the University of Washington in Seattle which would prepare her to be a certified public accountant. She wanted to surprise you, so she asked Bess and me to keep it a secret. She's been down to Seattle five or six times while you were on the Slope. I keep an eye on the house for her while she's away." "I've never seen any expenses or charges for these trips." "She said she got a grant for the school work...... elder student aid or something like that. It also included transportation." "Where does she stay? On campus?" "No," Josh replied. "She stays with an old college friend; Greg Paxton or Peters or something like that. She said she ran into him here in Anchorage, about two years ago and he agreed to help her." Greg Peterson was her first college lover, Gus recalled. An ominous feeling came over him and his stomach began to knot. In almost twenty-five years of married life he'd never had reason to doubt Julie and chances were, even though the re-appearance of Greg Peterson was suspicious, it was probably innocent, but then again, it might not be. "Dad?" "Sorry, son, I was lost in thought. Can you take me home? The doctor said it was okay to be released." "Sure, dad. Do you want me to contact mom and let her know about your accident?" "Can you call her?" "No. She left me her iPhone, but I can e-mail her." "Well, your mom and I talk by e-mail every week while I'm on the Slope. Let's keep her classes a secret, okay. I don't want to disturb her studies unnecessarily. Let's pretend you didn't tell me about her trips and I'll send her an e-mail from home, pretending to be on the Slope." "Thanks, dad," Josh said with a smile. On their way home, Gus went over what he had learned. It might be innocent, but he knew Greg Peterson and his reputation with women. Once I get home, I need to check on the classes and a certain Mr. Greg Peterson. Thursday, March 11th. Julie opened one eye and looked at the clock on the bed-side table; it was ten o'clock in the morning and the sunlight was flooding in through the bedroom window. She lounged in the bed next to her lover and went over in her mind the happenings of the previous evening. It had started with front row seats at a concert, followed by a wonderful seafood dinner in one of Seattle's best restaurants, then home for two hours of intense lovemaking. Greg was fantastic, a complete contrast, both in and out of bed, to her husband. It was in bed where the contrast was most marked. Sex with Gus had never been really exciting; he made all the right moves and was reasonably attentive in his foreplay. He tried to wait for her to reach her climax and hugged and kissed her after they had cum, but it was just too programmed, just too predictable. Greg was different and whereas Gus only ever made love to her at night, or occasionally, first thing in the morning and always in bed, Greg took her wherever and whenever the mood struck him. But the most exciting part of their lovemaking was how he made use of all her orifices, including, what had been, her virginal ass. The previous night they had made love beside the pool. As soon as they had closed the front door following their return from the restaurant, he had grabbed her and ordered her to take off her clothes. She had complied readily; she loved being dominated by him, loved being made to do things she would never have contemplated doing with or being asked to do by Gus. "Outside," he commanded. She walked outside and with the exception of her high-heels, completely naked, her ass swaying provocatively from side-to-side. It was a great ass and Greg coveted it. "Great ass." "Why, thank you, kind sir." Outside was outside in name only. The pool was split into two sections; one of which was truly outside and the other, housed in a glass-sided solarium. Within the solarium it was warm, at least seventy-five degrees and a contrast to the thirty-nine degrees of the outside air. "On your knees." She knelt and waited as he took of his pants, exposing his erect cock. His cock was much thicker and longer than Gus's and when she was being fucked by Greg, it provided her with a feeling of total fulfillment, a feeling she had never had from her husband. "Suck it." She sucked. Sometimes she played with him, sucking his balls and rimming his ass, even fucking his ass with her tongue, but this time she sucked. He wanted to cum; she could sense his urgency and like an experienced courtesan, she knew what her lover wanted and he wasn't in the mood to play. He grabbed her head and started to fuck her face, pushing his cock deep into her throat and urging her to 'suck it baby, suck it'. He came seconds later; his cum spurting out and filling her mouth. She continued to suck, smiling to herself as his thigh muscles shivered under her continued ministrations. They fucked twice, the second time her took her in her 'great ass' as she knelt on the springboard, her ass in the air, her puckered hole an inviting target for his rampant cock. When they had finished, he ordered her to stay on her knees and watched as his cum slipped, creamily and lazily, from her ass and out onto her thighs. Recalling the night before excited her and her cunt was becoming wet and her nipples erect. Greg was asleep and she thought about playing with herself, but opted for the alternative; creeping down under the sheets and taking him in her mouth. Friday, March 12th. Gus was sitting at his wife's computer, trying to break her password, when the telephone rang. He answered and was greeted by the voice of Charlie Persons. The previous Wednesday, he had gone online using his home computer and researched classes at the University of Washington. When he was unable to find any five week accounting classes, he had immediately contacted Charlie Persons, an old friend who worked for a private investigator in Anchorage. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Gus, but your suspicions were correct." "Go on," Gus replied, his voice choking and his stomach tightening. "I had our Seattle office do a little checking for me. Greg Peterson is independently wealthy and lives in the Lake Washington area of Seattle, where he owns a home. He made millions in accounting software and managed to cash out of the market before the tech stock crash of a few years ago. Reliable sources say he has a number of lovers, one of whom lives in Alaska and who usually stays for five weeks. We believe this person to be your wife." He had expected the news, but when it came, found it difficult to accept. "Charlie I can't believe it. I trusted that woman and this is what she does to me." "How do you want us to proceed, Gus?" "I want pictures, recordings, anything I can take to court if I need to," he replied, angrily. "It won't be cheap, my friend. I'll need ten grand to start and it will probably be another ten before we finish." "I've got the money, Charlie. Just do it." "Okay, Gus. I'll have an initial report to you in about a week." After giving Charlie his credit card number, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone, he shut down the computer and went to sit in the living room. It was dusk and from his front window he could just make out the individual trees in the surrounding forest. His arm ached and he found it difficult to concentrate. For some perverse reason, when he had first suspected her unfaithfulness he had welcomed the pain and except at night, had stopped taking his pain medication. It was as if there was comfort in the correspondence between the physical and emotional pain. Now his suspicions had been confirmed, his mood had changed and he was finding the ache in his arm difficult to ignore. He'd loved and trusted his wife and she'd betrayed him. Twenty-four years of marriage had gone in a flash. Over! Just like that. A part of him wanted to know why, but mostly he didn't really care. He just wanted her out of his life forever. Her betrayal was beyond understanding and certainly, beyond forgiveness. He sat in the rapidly darkening room for an hour; trying to rationalize her betrayal, but without success. Realizing there was nothing further to be gained from sitting in the dark and brooding, he returned to his task of trying to break the password to Julie's e-mail account. She had changed it without telling him and he wanted to know what she was hiding. Furthermore, it gave him something to do Saturday, March 13th. Julie looked out the window as the limousine crossed the Columbia River into Oregon. She and Greg were on their way to a film festival in Portland for five days of films, marvelous restaurants, chatting with film makers and fucking. This was what she wanted; a sybaritic lifestyle featuring entertainment, good food and wine and great sex and not the boredom of a suburban existence in Eagle River, Alaska. She looked over at Greg, who was talking quietly on his cell phone. She knew he had other lovers, but they had an agreement he would forgo his other lovers, while she was living with him during her five weeks of 'classes' in Seattle. As far as she knew, he had kept his side of the bargain, but she knew he wouldn't have a problem breaking it if the opportunity arose. Gus would never have a lover and wouldn't even know how to find one, she mused. He was boring, but faithful. In her mind, she imagined combining the two men into one; a lover-husband with the libido and sexual athleticism of Greg and the faithfulness and support of Gus. She smiled to herself; maybe someday, maybe someday. Sunday, March 14th. Gus gathered up the over two hundred e-mails he had printed; they'd taken him four hours and he'd had to replace the ink cartridge on the printer twice. As a back-up, he'd made electronic copies on a flash drive. Julie's e-mail password had been fairly simple to crack; just her maiden name and the year she was born. Once in her account, he'd found a separate folder entitled 'Greg' which contained two hundred and thirty-seven archived e-mails, covering a two year period. If the number of e-mails was surprising, it was their content which was staggering. It documented the six other trips to visit her lover in Seattle and it detailed the 'accounting class' cover story she had told to their kids and to their friends. Over and over again she had written describing Gus as inadequate, boring and unsatisfying as a lover, while repeatedly praising Greg's skills in bed and more harmfully, comparing favorably his cock with the 'weenie', as she described it, of her husband. She lamented leaving Greg for Gus and in a couple of the messages, had even admitted she wished she had married Greg instead of Gus. When he first began reading, he was shocked, as he continued he was outraged, but by the time he had finished he was just numb. The deep disrespect she demonstrated in the e-mails shook him to his core. That she had disparaged him to an outsider was bad enough, that she had done it to a lover, was outrageous. He'd loved and cherished her for almost twenty-five years and all she had to say about him was how inadequate his cock was and how poor he was in bed. If there was a silver lining, it was he now knew what she thought of him and it was better to find out sooner rather than later. At forty-six; he still had time to build another life for himself. Divorce was a given, but he needed to do more than just no longer be married to her. He needed to eliminate or erase her from every aspect of his past, present and future. 'Erase'. He liked the word. Julie would be erased from his life. He began writing notes on a note-pad. He would call a divorce attorney on Monday as the first step in his 'Erase Julie'; a plan that had to be foolproof. He would let his attorney guide him through the process to ensure he stayed within the law and did not end up in jail, but he would set the agenda. The more than four weeks before Julie returned, would provide enough time to gather all the evidence he needed. Monday, March 15th. The latest offering from the twenty-six year old director/producer, Lisa Malcolm, had just finished its first showing and the lobby of Portland's Hollywood Theater was packed with the city's glitterati. Greg had invested in about a dozen independent films over the past few years, most of which had been profitable, and as an investor with deep pockets who was always looking for new film ideas, he was always welcome at film festivals; the Portland festival was no exception. . Standing in the crowd and drinking champagne, they made a handsome couple; Greg in the obligatory tuxedo and Julie immaculately coiffed and made-up, wearing four inch Prada heels and a stunning black dress, which had cost Greg over two thousand dollars when he had bought it that morning. She looked good and she knew it; a far cry from the almost dowdy image she projected in Eagle Ridge. Erasing Julie Ch. 01 Lisa Malcolm approached the couple and soon she and Greg were in an animated discussion about Lisa's next film project. Julie tried to join in the conversation, but Greg deftly took charge. What Lisa had said sounded interesting; did she have an outline? "I do, but it's in my hotel room. Do you want to see it?" "Of course. Julie, you don't mind if I go across the road and pick up a copy do you?" Although she nodded agreement, her displeasure was evident by her demeanor. She didn't want him to go, but she knew any objection from her would be over-ruled. It was two hours later when he returned to an almost deserted lobby to collect her; two hours during which she talked to people she didn't know, about subjects of which she had little knowledge. On his return, he apologized and told her he was going to be the lead investor in Lisa's next film. Julie knew well how Lisa had convinced Greg to invest and other than it being an instance where it was the producer who was on the casting couch and not the starlet, any negotiations between the two of them would have had no connections with the film industry. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised; she remembered their college days when, even though they were a couple, he would chase other girls, but to do it so blatantly, was depressing. Almost as a penance, Greg took her out to an expensive restaurant for a late dinner, where they talked politely about matters of no consequence, as if nothing had happened. When they returned home, she cornered him in the kitchen and attempted to question him about his visit to Lisa's hotel room. "Greg, you were gone for two hours with that woman, what were you doing in her room? I can't believe it takes that long to read a film outline." "Nothing happened; we discussed the film and negotiated a deal. When you're negotiating a three million dollar deal, it takes time. Now, if you don't mind, I'm tired and need to go to bed. I'm sorry about the time it took; I'll make it up to you tomorrow. I promise." He left for the bedroom and by the time she got into bed, he was already asleep. She knew he was lying; he'd fucked the Malcolm woman and ignored her. She crept into bed next to him and cried herself to sleep. Tuesday, March 16th. Getting the evidence on Julie was only half the battle. He needed an attorney and a good attorney to ensure what evidence he managed to acquire, wouldn't be lost in legal argument. Gus had an attorney, but he was only a wills and real estate man; what he needed was a good divorce attorney. He asked Charlie, who recommended John Davis. "He's not cheap, but he's good. Let me put it this way; if I were getting divorced, I'd ask him to represent me." When he contacted Davis, the attorney had listened to his story and after a few questions, agreed to represent him. They had set up an appointment for the Monday afternoon, but Gus, who had been prohibited from driving by his doctor, had been unable to find someone to drive him into the city. In the end, he had re-arranged the appointment for the next day and ask his next-door neighbor; a fiftyish widow, to drive him into Anchorage. It had been a long drive; the widow had a well-founded reputation as a flirt and a source of gossip and had spent most of the journey making suggestive remarks about the problems of loneliness, enquiring about Julie and her many visits to Seattle, his injury and his reasons for visiting Anchorage. He had fended off the questions and a number of subtle and not so subtle hints about her availability for extra-marital dalliances. She was good looking for her age, slim with a good figure, but even if he'd been inclined to accept her offer, he was not about to give Julie any ammunition to use against him. They arrived at the office building containing his attorney's office in good time for the meeting. She had suggested a coffee in the small coffee shop on the ground floor of the building while he waited. He'd wanted to refuse, but acceded to her suggestion; after all, she had driven him to Anchorage and was going to drive him home. As they entered the building, she openly scoured the list of tenants, but the building had a range so diverse it offered few clues as to his ultimate destination. After finishing his coffee he left for his attorney's office; suggesting she return in an hour. He waited by the elevator until she disappeared and waited until there was a number of other riders in order not to provide further indication of his destination. The attorney's office was large and well-furnished; it was obviously going to cost him an arm and a leg; still it would be worth it to be rid of her. A well-dressed receptionist greeted him and led him to his attorney's office. John Davis greeted him affably, showed him to his conference table and asked him to explain what he wanted and expected from the divorce. As he was listening to Gus's description of the events and his expectations, he broke into the narrative and asked, "You want to do what?" "Erase Julie. It's simple," Gus replied. "As much as legally and practically possible, I want to eliminate any trace of my wife and the marriage from my life." "Okay," John said with a slight smile, "but this is a new one on me. What do you have in mind?" "Firstly, I want to sell or dispose of all our possessions and property and convert them into cash so when she returns from her lover in Seattle, she will find no house, no car, no possessions of any kind, except for her personal possessions, such as clothes, which I will box and put in storage." "You realize your property is probably in joint ownership, which means you can't sell your house without her permission," the attorney reminded him. "I know it is, but we have given each other power of attorney for emergencies and I recovered them from our safety-deposit box." He handed the documents to the attorney and waited while the attorney studied them intently before responding. "On the face of it these documents appear proper and lawful. What else?" "Secondly, I want her to stop using my name and have her use her maiden name. Thirdly, I don't propose to give her alimony or other on-going compensation. Any cash we have will be split fifty-fifty. And fourthly, I don't want to see, talk to or correspond with her ever again." "Well, we can put the name change in the divorce decree. However, I understand Julie does not and has never worked; in these circumstances some form of alimony is customary." "It might be customary, but I intend to give her nothing. This divorce will be swift and under my terms and I expect you to convey this to her attorney. The basis of the divorce will be irreconcilable differences. If she disagrees with any of the provisions in my proposal, then the basis will be adultery and we will enter all of the Private Investigator reports and the e-mails into the public record. In addition, I will share the PI reports with our children and friends. In other words, if we do it my way it can be nice and simple, or it can be very, very nasty. Knowing Julie, I think she will choose the easy way. "Here is a flash drive with all the e-mails. Read them. It will help you to better understand why I feel the way I do." This is going to be an interesting case, John thought, as he accepted the flash drive. Wednesday, March 17th. In the time since his 'meeting' with Lisa Malcolm, Greg had been attentive and loving, going out of his way to compliment her, taking her shopping and to their favorite restaurants. On the Wednesday afternoon, after a morning visit to a local art gallery and lunch at another extraordinary restaurant, Greg and Julie retired to the master bedroom and made love until the sun started to set. It was an unusually warm spring day in Seattle and Greg had opened the large glass doors between the deck, from which there was a wonderful view of Lake Washington, and the master bedroom. As they lay cuddled together in bed after he had finished taking her doggy fashion over the kitchen table, she confided to Greg her thoughts about sex with him and her husband. "Sex with you is by far the best sex I have ever had. Gus tries, but after twenty-five years he still has no idea what turns me on. I get far more pleasure from my vibrator than I ever do from his cock. I hate it every time I have to go back to Alaska; to once a week sex with a cock not much larger than my middle finger. I need to be fucked by a man with a big cock, who knows how to excite me." Greg knew she wasn't turned on by her husband and part of his pleasure he got from fucking her was in knowing he was rescuing her from her miserable sex life, but he had to admit, the pleasure was a two-way street. Of all his women, she was the one he got most pleasure from. She wasn't as young or as attractive as some of his lover's but she was always willing, had few inhibitions and always made him feel he was the world's greatest lover. He had been thinking about their relationship and had come to a decision. "Julie, I've spent the last couple of days thinking about what I want from the rest of my life and I've come to a decision. I've suddenly realised I'm getting older and I don't want to spend the rest of my life on my own. I need someone to share my life, either as a companion or a wife, and I would like that companion to be you. We fit well together; we share the same interests -- including, or particularly, sex. What do you think? Are you prepared to swap Gus and endless snow for me and endless fun -- and sex?" His speech had come as a surprise to her and she didn't know how to answer him. "I think you know how to surprise a girl, but I must admit, the idea has its attractions," Julie responded as she moved closer to Greg and laid her hand on his cock. "But I need time to think. Give me a week or two to think about it, okay? Meanwhile, I appear to have a monster in my hand. How shall I slay him?" She had been thinking about staying with Greg before he brought it up. The excitement and fun of her affair with Greg was extraordinary; she felt as if she was a participant in a fantastic dream. But something was nagging her; something at the back of her mind which she couldn't bring to the forefront, but whatever it was, she didn't have to make her decision immediately. She still had time to recall what it was. Two hundred yards away, sitting in a car parked on the road to the lake, Lyle Olmstead adjusted the parabolic reflector and looked through the telephoto lens. So far he had taken over one thousand digital photos of the couple, many through the open master-bedroom door, and had recorded much of their intimate conversation. From their actions, it was clear his targets had no idea they were being watched or recorded. He had also filmed and recorded them fucking, both in bed and on the deck, and the quality of the film and the audio was good, good enough, he thought, to sell to a web porn site if he was so inclined and given the amount the agency paid him, he was inclined. Whether or not he sold them, the client was certainly going to get his money's worth from this surveillance. Thursday, March 18th. Two days after meeting with his attorney, Gus met with Bess and Josh in Bess's Anchorage apartment. Neither of the children had any idea of the nature of the meeting, but, as their mother was excluded, assumed it was to do with their parent's silver wedding anniversary. Once they were settled in the living room, Gus addressed them. "I'm sorry to give you such short notice, but something has come up." "We usually have mom in our family meetings, Daddy," Bess offered. "I know, but this meeting is about your mother, honey," His answer was unexpected and both children looked surprised. If something serious had happened to their mother, surely he would have phoned them? "Is it about your silver wedding anniversary?" Beth asked "No, Beth, not the silver wedding." Gus took out a three ring binder he had been holding in his hand and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. "This is difficult for me to discuss with you, but I want to be open with you on a topic that affects you both. For the past two years your mother has been having an affair with a man from Seattle. The man is a former lover of hers from her college days. I know it's hard to believe of your mother and I don't expect you to accept it on my say so only; that's why I've brought this binder. It contains over 200 e-mails between your mother and her lover detailing their affair. I want you to look through it and verify for yourselves what I'm saying is true. I'll leave you with it and will be back in about an hour." He rose from his chair and walked out of the door, leaving two stunned children. When he returned, his daughter, her cheeks streaked with tears, ran to meet him in the hallway and threw her arms around him. "Daddy, I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "How could she do this to you?" Josh, who had joined them in the hallway, offered, "It really sucks, Dad," "To answer your questions; I don't know and it does. We need to talk about it. Let's go back into the living room." When they were settled, the two children on the couch and Gus facing them in a chair, he addressed the children once again. "So, can I take it you believe your mother is having an affair?" Both nodded their agreement. "And it pisses me off she had the nerve to use us to conceal it from you." Josh added angrily. "I understand your anger, son. It's clear she used all of us to get what she wanted, but now it's our turn to protect ourselves from her. I called this family meeting so we could decide, as a family, how to proceed. I've already plotted a course of action which I'm going to outline to you, but before I do, I must have your agreement the e-mails in the binder I gave to you and other information you may have of your mother's affair will remain confidential until your mother returns to Alaska. That is, of course, if she returns, because, based on the e-mails, I suspect there is a good possibility she will stay in Seattle with her lover. Can I get both of you to agree on confidentiality?" When they both nodded their agreement, He started to outline the details of his meeting with the attorney, his intention to divorce their mother, the private investigator's work and his desire to never see or speak with their mother again. As he talked, both children listened intently. "If you're selling the house, what about our stuff?" Josh asked. "Both the Eagle River house and the Sun City house are on the market now and I have a garage sale planned for this weekend and next. Just come by the house over the next few days and show me what possessions of yours you want to keep and I will put them in storage them for a year. After that what you do with your stuff is up to you." "Can we see the PI reports?" Bess asked. "Right now, I'd rather you didn't see them. I felt you needed to know about her deceptions because she had involved you in the cover up. If everything goes smoothly, I'll keep the PI reports to myself, but if your mother fights the divorce, I'll release the reports and you can read them if you choose. Any other questions?" "What do you want us to do, dad?" asked Josh. "Basically, other than selecting the stuff you want me to store, I want you to act as if everything is normal. If anyone asks you about the house sale, just tell them we are downsizing. If they have any other questions, tell them to talk to me. "I want to serve your mother with divorce papers in the Anchorage airport when she returns from Seattle, which I expect to be in about four weeks' time. Josh, since you are the one scheduled to pick her up, you need to let me know if her plans change. If she stays in Seattle, I'll have her served there." "Okay," Josh agreed. "I'll do that." "Good. Are we all in agreement, then?" The children nodded their approval. Friday, March 19th In Seattle, things had settled down; Greg had become his usual attentive self and Julie had almost forgiven him. Friday had started with a leisurely fuck in the shower. It was a preferred venue for Greg and when he walked in on her as she was soaping her body, it didn't take long for him to join her. She smiled as he walked into the shower, his erect cock a clear indication of his intention. "Let me help you." She handed him the sponge and relaxed against his body as he rubbed the soap-filled sponge over her breasts before working his way down her body and to her cunt. "Open your legs." She opened her thighs and shuddered as the rough sea sponge rubbed against her clit. Greg laughed. "Like that do you?" She nodded; it felt good. If he kept it up, it wouldn't take long for her to cum. He stopped rubbing and slapped her ass, leaving the outline of his palm. She winced and told him, "That hurt." "But did you enjoy it?" She had and nodded. Other than her two relationships with Greg, she had never engaged in any form of sex play. Gus had no imagination. Sex had been a matter of going to bed and lying there waiting for Gus to initiate proceedings which consisted of five minutes of foreplay in which he fondled her breasts and she fondled his cock, followed by sex and then only in the missionary position. She had once tried to introduce some variety in their love-making, but had been rebuffed. Gus had made in known blow jobs and doggy fashion were not to be part of their sex life. With Greg sex -- although she preferred to refer to it as fucking -- was never repetitive. He took her wherever and however he wanted. Sometimes in her cunt -- she thought pussy was a word for wimps -- but quite often in the ass and often with her eight inch vibrating dildo in her other orifice. Since she had re-discovered true sex with Greg, she found it difficult to enjoy the vanilla flavored sex she had experienced with Gus. They ate breakfast naked, at the end of which Greg leant over and tweaked her nipple. "God, they're beautiful. They must have been six inches long when you were feeding your kids. What I wouldn't give to have the opportunity to suckle at your nipples." Julie laughed; the notion of Greg making her pregnant had never crossed her mind. "Well there's still time, although I don't know how long." "I thought you were on the pill." "You know I am; I started taking it when you started fucking me, but I don't have to be." Greg had never had a child and as he contemplated a pregnant Julie, her body swollen with his child, her tits distended by her milk, her nipples proud and erect, he became excited and his cock filled with blood. Similar images were running through Julie's mind, only she was picturing a post-partum scene with their baby at one breast and Greg at the other. Five seconds later she was lying face forward on the kitchen table, her legs spread-eagled and impaled upon Greg's cock. They spent the rest of the morning reading and lying naked in the solarium, basking in the sun. Neither bothered to dress and as a result, provided Lyle with some of his best photographs. At lunch-time, Greg looked out of the window and asked, "Do you want to go sailing after lunch? The weather's good. We can take the sailboat out onto the lake" "Yes, please. I'd love to." They launched the boat from his private dock just after one. Although she had only been sailing twice, both times during visits to California with Greg, Julie loved everything about it, from the sound of the water smacking against the hull, to the feel of her hair blowing in the wind as the boat tacked across the water. Greg was a good sailor and although the wind was light, he was deftly piloting the boat, shifting the wheel to take advantage of each shift in the wind. In the bow Julie was alternating between day dreams, watching the terns diving for fish against an almost cloudless sky and watching Greg at the wheel. Alone on a boat with Greg; she couldn't envision a more idyllic setting. Erasing Julie Ch. 01 A sour note interrupted her musings. Gus never took her sailing they didn't even own a boat. With Gus it was always save, save, save for retirement - and for what kind of retirement? A dingy little house in an Arizona retirement community, surrounded by people their age or older; waiting out their time until they died. What kind of life would that be? Certainly not the kind of life she wanted. Saturday, March 20th The garage sale was a success. Gus had hired a neighbor's daughter, a college student, to collect the money and to keep records of each sale. By noon, over one hundred bargain hunters had walked through the items that lined the edge of their driveway and at least one half of their possessions had been sold. The previous day, the movers had packed the family's possessions and taken them to a secure storage facility. Those belonging to Julie had been deposited in one bay, while the rest had taken to a separate bay in the same facility. He kept only two items of Julie's jewelry; her original engagement ring, which had belonged to his grandmother, was given to Bess, while her wedding ring and engagement set they had purchased on their fifteenth wedding anniversary, was put aside. For obvious reasons, Julie had omitted to take either ring on her trip to Seattle and once he had found them, he had decided to do something special with them. The previous afternoon he had disposed of all the anniversary gifts they had received; ranging from a crystal bowl given to them by Julie's parents for their first anniversary, to a set of china given to them by his crew on their twenty-fourth anniversary. He had taken a picture of each and then had smashed them with a hammer; which, using one arm, had not been an easy task. Once smashed, he took pictures of the shattered remains and disposed of the debris in a dumpster which had been delivered the day before. The one item he could not bring himself to destroy was an original Sydney Lawrence oil painting they had purchased for their twentieth anniversary. It was a combination of history and art and he sold it to a private collector at an excellent price. Yes, he thought, as he watched the bargain hunters at the garage sale, everything is coming together very nicely. Our life together is being swept away by anonymous strangers. The erasing of Julie has begun. Sunday, March 21st. The local children's hospital was dedicating a new wing and Greg, who had donated a generous sum towards the improvement, had been invited to the ceremony. Julie had accompanied him, both to the ceremony and afterwards to a party in the foyer of the new wing, hosted by the hospital and attended by a large group of donors, local dignitaries and hospital administrators. Initially they had circulated together, talking mainly to other donors and local dignitaries, but, as the afternoon wore on, they became separated. On her own and looking for Greg, Julie was approached by an elderly man. "You look lost. Can I help you?" "I'm not really lost. I'm looking for my friend -- Greg Peterson. Do you know him?" "I do. I think I saw him a couple of minutes ago talking to one of my fellow doctors. By the way, my name's Huntington." "I'm Julie Randall, Dr. Huntington," she replied. "Hi Julie, it's not often I often I get the opportunity to talk to such a beautiful woman. By the way; please call me George. I know why you are at the party; Greg is a generous man. If you're wondering why I'm here, I'm afraid I'm only here because I'm a retired doctor." "Did you work at the hospital?" "Yes. Yes, but many, many years ago. Then I went into private practice. I'm a psychiatrist." "Oh," said Julie. George laughed at her response and said humorously, "It's funny, whenever I tell anyone I'm a psychiatrist, I get a similar response. Don't worry, dear, I promise I won't analyze you." "Thank you!" "I notice you're not wearing a wedding ring. Are you Greg's wife?" "No, Greg and I are just good friends. We knew each other in college." "Well, just as a casual observation; it's clear your relationship didn't end in college. You treat each other as if you were more than good friends," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "Oh. Is it really that obvious?" It was obvious to George she was in love with Greg, whether Greg was in love with her was not as apparent. "Yes, my dear, it is - and you seem to have a lot on your mind right now. Here's my card, drop by for a chat sometime. Call me first, but I generally keep my afternoons free." "Well, I couldn't impose on you," Julie replied, taking his card and putting it in her purse. "Nonsense. I'm retired, but I'm a good listener and I would certainly enjoy the company of a beautiful woman." "Thank you for your flattery, George." "Just the truth, my dear. Just the truth." They parted, the doctor to the bar and Julie to continue her search for Greg. She spotted him, next to the punch bowl, talking animatedly to a very young and striking blond woman in her early twenties. What else could she expect? Monday, March 22nd As Gus was still unable to drive, Charlie drove out to Eagle River to present the report on Julie's activities for the previous week. Seated in Gus's living room, now only partially furnished as a result of the garage sale, Charlie started on his report, "Okay, I'll begin. On my way out here I dropped off two copies of everything in my report with your attorney; this is your copy," Gus nodded as Charlie handed him the orange binder containing his report. "The report contains everything, including transcripts of the audio recordings and twenty of the digital photos enlarged to eight by ten." Gus accepted the documents and glanced at several of the very explicit photos without comment. "This is a flash drive with about two thousand photos plus all the audio files. It also has a PDF version of the written report." "So what's the bottom line here, Charlie?" "Well, based on our surveillance, it would appear they lead a hectic life. They are always on the go and spend most of their time together. Most days they go out; usually to a party, a play, a museum or a restaurant. As to their sex life, our investigator had been able to compile a lot of evidence. It would appear they have sex every day, usually more than once, and basically wherever and whenever the mood takes them and it would appear, without much regard for who may be watching. Our agent managed to take over two thousand photos, many of which caught them in flagrante delicto. Some of the photos are included in the original group of photos I gave you, the rest are in the report. It would appear they have few preferences as to location; I should warn you there are graphic pictures of them making love in bed, on his deck and on his boat. Your counsel should have a field day with them. "From the audio recordings, we have also ascertained she may be considering staying with him permanently. She hasn't agreed to his offer, which includes marriage, but he has been pressing her for an answer. It is difficult to tell what the answer is likely to be, but she certainly seems to be enjoying herself." "Damn!" He exclaimed, shaking his head. "Is this enough for you, or do you want any more evidence?" "I don't know," He replied, looking down at the unopened report. "Well, what you have in your hands cost you about eight grand and it is probably enough for any court. If you want; we can do a reduced surveillance for about fifteen hundred a week. Why don't we try that for a few weeks, okay?" "Okay. Go ahead, Charlie and thanks for your help." "I'm sorry, Gus." "Yeah, me, too." After Charlie left, he read the report, looked at every digital photo and listened to every conversation. It was well after midnight when he finished and if there had been any doubt about his course of action, it was eliminated by viewing the report. Damn her! Tuesday, March 23rd Greg seems to be going all out to convince me to stay, Julie thought, as she lay next to her sleeping lover. The previous evening they had been to an outstanding Seattle Symphony concert, followed by a post-concert party, then back to Greg's home for an extended love-making session. Greg had never been as caring and tender as he had been with her that evening and if she hadn't have known him, she would have thought the leopard had changed his spots, but she knew him and knew any change would be transitory. He had asked several times, both before and during their love-making, whether she had made up her mind about living with him permanently. She had said nothing; she was still confused about her decision and wanted more time to consider her choice and as he was leaving the next morning for a three-day business trip to Chicago and would not be returning until Friday evening, she knew she had time. Julie knew he had at least one lover in Chicago, would probably be fucking her in the evenings and may even be saying the same things to the lover he had been saying to her. Infidelity was something she would just have to accept if she chose to stay with him. Greg was not Gus; would never be Gus and would never stay faithful to one woman. It was just who he was. She closed her eyes and moved closer to her lover's warm body. Decisions could wait until tomorrow, she told herself, as she drifted off to sleep. Wednesday, March 24th Gus was seated in a booth in his favorite Anchorage restaurant and its oldest steakhouse, the Club Paris. It had been around since before statehood and had successfully weathered both economic downturns and the 1964 earthquake. He loved the dark, warm interior and the friendly, no-nonsense waitresses. He looked up from the menu and saw, to his left, his children approaching. He smiled, waved and watched them walk over to the booth. As they sat down, he greeted them. "Hi, kids. Thanks for joining me for lunch." "Hi, Dad," they chimed, as they sat in the booth across from him. "Thank you for asking us." A middle-aged waitress, who had been watching their entrance, came over to the table. "Can I get you folks a drink?" The men ordered beer and Bess a white wine. After the waitress left, Gus began, "I wanted to give you an update on my activities, but before I start I want you to know whatever happens, I love you both and want the best for you." The children nodded their understanding. "First; Josh your college fund is secure and untouched. Enough money is in the account to cover your next two years at UAA. If you want to go to graduate school, you are going to have to fund that effort yourself. Okay?" "I understand, dad," Josh replied. "Next, the Eagle River house is under contract for sale and will close the end of next week. The Sun City house has also been sold and will close about the same time. After I move out of the house next week I will be living at an extended stay hotel in Anchorage. "Here is the information on your belongings in storage," said Gus as he handed them each a packet. "I have cancelled our cell phone service. I have a new phone and a new number. Josh you need to let your mother know when -- or if -- she returns to Anchorage her cell phone won't work until she gets another plan. She's returning on April the thirteenth, right?" "Yeah, that's her planned return date," Josh answered. "What's your new cell number, dad?" "I'm not giving it to you," he replied. "What! Daddy, no," Bess cried. "We have to be able to get in touch with you!" "You can, though my attorney," Gus answered and handed each of them John Davis's business card. As the children studied the card, the waitress returned and after dropping the drinks on the table, asked what they wanted to eat. The decision was simple, all of them ordering the daily steak special. After the waitress left, Gus continued, "I don't want you mother contacting me in any way. She has used all of us to get her own way and I believe she wouldn't hesitate to use you two in order to contact me. I will eventually open a blind post office box so you can send me mail and if you need to contact me in an emergency, you can call the attorney and he will arrange it, is that okay?" "I don't like it, Dad," Josh said emphatically. "I understand, son," Gus replied. "After a time, perhaps it may be different, but right now, this is the way I want it to be. "I read the first PI report and it confirms my worst fears. It appears your mother is seriously considering living permanently with her lover in Seattle - and before you ask; no, you can't read the report at this time. Perhaps later. You should also know, I will be working out of state for at least two years. My company has approved my request for temporary relocation to the lower forty-eight and I will be leaving Alaska on April the ninth." "Wow, dad," Josh offered. "You have been busy." "How is your arm, Dad?" Bess asked. "Healing nicely, thank you Bess," he answered. "I go back to the doctor next week for a checkup." Their food was delivered to the table and they ate in comparative silence; their only conversation; small talk. When they finished eating, Bess looked at her dad, a serious expression on her face, and asked, "Daddy, I have something important to ask you. Brian asked me to marry him this past weekend and he wants to ask your permission." "Honey, congratulations, but you're twenty-three years old and you don't need my permission to get married. Brian is a good man and you two will make a nice couple." "Dad, he's rather old-fashioned about certain things. It's important to him to formally ask you for my hand." "Okay, then," Gus replied. "Let's do it right and in public. I'll make reservations at Simon and Seafort's for seven next Friday evening. It'll be my treat. You should come, too, Josh. It will be a family gathering." "Thank you, daddy," Bess cried. "Thank you so much!" Thursday, March 25th. It was raining lightly as the chauffeur Greg had hired dropped Julie off in front of a modest Queen Anne Hill town-home. As she left the car, he reminded her to call him at least fifteen minutes prior to her planned departure. She walked up to the house unsure of what to expect. George had been right; she was worried, but of what help he would be to her, she was not certain. She paused for a moment on the step, wondering whether she was doing the right thing and then, reasoning she had little to lose, rang the bell. Inside George, who had been looking forward to the visit of the attractive women he'd met at the party, heard the door chime and went to the door; looking forward to seeing her again. George opened the door and smiled as he invited her in; she really was as attractive as he remembered, but nice tits and a lovely ass were not the type of thoughts a professional should entertain. "Thank you for coming, my dear," She entered and stood in the entrance, as if waiting to be convinced to stay. "I don't really know why I'm here, George, but what you said yesterday when we talked on the phone, convinced me to come. "Don't just stand there, come in, come in," he replied, a broad smile on his face. "Let's have a cup of tea in the study, shall we? I would have suggested the patio, but we would have to sit in the rain." George led her to the study, left and returned, a few minutes later, carrying a large ornate teapot and two cups on a wooden tray. For fifteen minutes they sat, drinking tea and chatting about Seattle at the end of which, their topic exhausted, he got down to business. "Julie, I believe you are conflicted about something. I'd like to help you and want to offer you, on a pro bono basis, my expertise as a psychiatrist. You know, as I'm a psychiatrist, anything you say to me is confidential and I am bound to keep that confidence." "Why? Why are you doing this for me, George?" "Because I like you. Because I think talking with me may help you resolve your conflict and because, I believe your situation, is similar to a situation I faced many years ago." Julie considered his offer in silence for at least a minute. His offer was tempting and assuming he had made the correct diagnosis, what did she have to lose? "All right, George, under those conditions, I accept your offer." He nodded, smiled at her and suggested, "Why don't you start at the beginning and don't be afraid to tell me everything; it will make my job a lot easier. Julie spent the next forty-five minutes recounting everything that had happened over the previous two years and, in particular, detailed details of her affair with Greg. George listened; interrupting only occasionally to ask clarifying questions. "So, that's it, George," Julie concluded. "In a nutshell, the question I face is whether I should abandon my family in Alaska and stay in Seattle with Greg? Or should I return to Alaska and leave Greg behind? It's the hardest decision I've ever been asked to make and I've not much time to make it. Greg will be back in Seattle the day after tomorrow and expects his answer then." "Thank you, Julie, both for your honesty and for putting your trust in me. I'm going to tell you a story which, out of embarrassment, I've never shared with anyone else, "My wife, Betty I were married for forty-four years. She died seven years ago of cancer and after all these years, I have to admit, I still miss her terribly. When we were in our early forties, which, I suspect, is a similar age to you, we ran into a rough spot. I discovered Betty was having an affair with her old high school boyfriend. It had been going on for over a year when I discovered it. Interestingly enough, it was one of my patients who told he had seen a woman, who looked like my wife, in the company of another man. I couldn't believe it, but I hired a private investigator and it didn't take him long to confirm what I'd been told. "I confronted her with the information the investigator had provided and without apologizing in any way, she confirmed it. My first reaction was to throw her out, but I gave her a choice; it was to be him or me and she had one week to decide. It was a difficult week for me. I moved out of the house for the week and went to live in a nearby motel - if she was still seeing him, I needed to know. I knew I still loved her; but there were two questions which had to be answered; one by her and the other by me. Did she still love me? Was I capable of forgiveness? "She opted to stay with me and although the next year was a difficult period for both of us, we worked through it and became a couple again. I never told her, but I was sure she chose me because I was a doctor and could provide a better life for her than her old boyfriend, who was a mailman. But she never did apologize, which was a major disappointment." "So, were things the same afterward?" Julie asked. "No. No, they weren't. I tried, but I never really got over her lack of respect for me; the fact she had betrayed me for over a year. And I was never able to completely trust her again. We became intimate afterwards, but we had lost the innocence we'd had. Every time we made love I wondered why she had chosen him over me. Was there something wrong with the way I made love? Was he better in bed than me? I even wondered whether I was less well equipped than him. She never mentioned him or compared me with him and from her reactions in bed, she appeared to enjoy our love-making, but it was never the same. Some of the trust and respect returned over time, but always in the back of my mind was the feeling I was second best and if she had been totally free to select a lover, would not have chosen me. "When she was in the hospital, we had a final conversation about the affair a few hours before she died. She told me she had never regretted the affair; it was something she had enjoyed and something she felt she had to do. If there was one thing she had regretted, it was the pain she had caused me and the loss of trust it had caused in our marriage. She told me I was a good man, better than she deserved and she had remained faithful to me after the affair. I wanted to believe her, but still wonder as to her faithfulness. Erasing Julie Ch. 02 This is part two of a three part story. I recommend reading part one before starting this part. Sorry for the delay in posting part two; unexpected interruptions and a re-write were the causes. Part three is being re-written due to the changes in part two, but it should be posted soon. A heartfelt thanks to my editor, Lindsey Marsh, for his patience and excellent advice. K ************************************** Easing Julie Chapter 2: Decisions Friday, March 26th. It had been almost five years since Gus had visited Simon and Seafort's restaurant, but he had remembered tables with a view of Cook Inlet were difficult to get and by calling ahead, had managed to secure the last table overlooking the water. He had arrived a few minutes early and as he admired the view, he sipped his wine and let his mind wander over the day's events. That morning he'd had a curious visit from his friend Charlie that had left him slightly bewildered. During the previous week's surveillance of Julie and her lover, the field agent for Charlie's firm had recorded a suspicious conversation between Greg Peterson and another man. The recording had detailed a business deal with international implications and Charlie's firm had contacted Federal authorities in Seattle. A short time later a Federal 'alphabet' agency had appeared at the firm with a search warrant for all of its observation material of Greg and Julie. Charlie's firm had been directed to cease all surveillance of the couple and in a gesture of good will, the agency had paid Gus's bill with the understanding Gus would be satisfied with the information he had already received and would cease his investigations. Much to Charlie's relief, Gus had agreed to his request. It was a good idea to take a break from his divorce deliberations and the morning's drama with Charlie; erasing Julie was taking more time and effort than he had expected. He had, however, spent the better part of the afternoon on a far more congenial task; preparing a short talk on marriage for Bess and Brian. It hadn't been easy; if he'd had to prepare it a month ago, his task would have required little effort, but his wife's infidelity had made it significantly more difficult. In the end he had decided to make use of the lessons he had garnered from his situation and impress upon them marriage wasn't an eternal state of bliss, but an ongoing relationship which, if it was to succeed, required work from both parties. If he could save them from making the mistakes Julie and he had made, he would be pleased. It was his son who arrived first to interrupt his father's musings, followed closely by his daughter and her boyfriend. As usual Josh and Bess were effusive with their greetings, Brian a little hesitant. After shaking hands with his son and accepting a kiss from his daughter he turned to her boyfriend and extended his hand. As they shook hands he looked closely at his future son. Brian would not have been his choice for his daughter, although he wasn't sure if anyone would really be good enough. It ought to be enough that Bess loved him, but there was something about Brian which, while he couldn't articulate what it was, he didn't like. "Daddy, thank you so much for meeting with us! Brian and I have wanted to get married for a while, but wanted to wait until he graduated." It was clear Bess was excited by the prospect of being married, but would she feel the same way in a year -- or ten years? He could only hope. "Before we start, I'll tell you what I've arranged for the evening." Gus began. "The staff knows we have some business to conduct before we eat. They will take a drink order and once they have delivered the drinks, will leave us alone until we finish our discussion. I've asked Josh to video our meeting because I think you should watch it every year on your wedding anniversary, to remind you how it all began. Okay?" Bess and Brian nodded and as they did, as if on cue, a waiter appeared to take their drink orders. They chatted about the weather, school and jobs until the drinks were delivered. Once the waiter had left, Josh stood up and stepped a few feet back from the table. "Okay, you can start," Josh told them, holding up the video camera he had brought to record the proceedings. "Brian," Gus began formally, "I understand you have a question for me." "Yes, sir," Brian replied. "I want your permission to marry your daughter." Gus turned to his daughter, "Bess, do you want to marry Brian?" "Yes, daddy, I do. Very much." It's easy to say at this moment, he thought, but would you have given the same answer if you had caught him sleeping with an ex-girlfriend? He realized it was the thought of a bitter man and had no place in what should be a happy occasion, but he had good grounds for his bitterness. "Brian and Bess," he asked, "do you both agree to love, support and honor each other above all others for as long as you are together?" "Yes!" Brian and Bess said in unison. "Then you have my permission and blessing to marry," Gus said solemnly. "Thank you, sir," Brian replied, before leaning over and kissing Bess. It was time for his speech. He knew it was florid and might even be seen so by Bess and Brian, but it was what he believed. "I know you might think me an old fogey, but I think I've got some advice to offer you on marriage and relationships which you will find useful. Marriage can be the most rewarding and fulfilling activity you experience in your life, but it can also be frustrating, difficult and challenging. There will be joy and pleasure, but you will also be faced with many difficult situations. "Marriage is never a completed journey, merely a work in progress. To succeed you must invest in your marriage every day. When a marriage becomes stale it is an indication one or both spouses have stopped working on the relationship. Make your marriage your priority; your focus in life." He paused to glance at his notes, he believed in what he was saying, but knew people were capricious and it only required a single slip by one of the parties to upset a lifetime of endeavor. "Marriage comprises three pillars: love, respect and trust. All the pillars are necessary if the marriage is to be successful. If any one of them is absent or lost, the marriage will be sure to fail. "Love is the easy one. It is obvious you two love each other and that is good. But love by itself is not enough. "Respect means you consider, at all times, the effect your actions may have on the other and the marriage. You must be selfless, not selfish and place the well-being of your spouse ahead of all other considerations. "Trust must be complete and absolute. You can't half trust someone; you either trust them or you don't. If there is trust you know your spouse is always there to support you and it makes marriage much easier. Be each other's best friend and be each other's confidant. "The cement holding the three pillars in place is communication. Talk to each other - often. Make time in your day to express to each other your feelings, your wants, your fears, your doubts. From bitter experience I can tell you that failure to communicate is the beginning of the end of a marriage. Remind each other of the love you feel for each other. Say "I love you" daily. Make communication a top priority. It's more important than sex. "Sex is over-rated. I know it's pleasurable, fun, legal and there's no other feeling like it, but you will spend less than one percent of your married life having sex and sex by itself won't support or sustain a marriage. Without love, respect, trust and communication a marriage is doomed to failure." As he finished his homily on marriage, he paused. He believed what he had said, but what if Julie had not subscribed to the idea sex was over-rated? Had she slept with Greg because he had failed her in some way? He had enjoyed making love to her and had thought she had felt the same. He had to admit they had made love less often over the years, but working on the Slope was tiring and left them little time together. Perhaps he had not been as adventurous as he might have been, but she was the only women he has slept with and he'd had no experience to bring to the marriage. If there was anything he regretted, it was turning down her offers to add some variety to their sex life. He had been surprised by her suggestion they engage in oral sex and try making love in a position, which he had since learned, was called 'doggy fashion'. He had refused her offer out of embarrassment; he didn't know how to do either. If there was one thing her infidelity had taught him; it was the next time he made love to a woman he would be more open-minded. All he had to do was to find someone he could trust. His musing were broken by a word from his daughter, "Thank you Daddy, that was lovely." "Thank you Bess. You know if you ever need to talk, I am here for you, either as a couple or individually. If you ever need help, please ask me. If I can help, I will. "God bless you both." Having finished, he smiled at the couple and put away his notes and as he did so the silence was broken by applause. He looked around to see a number of the people at the closest tables looking at him; some of whom were clapping. A few came over to congratulate the couple and to compliment him on his speech; embarrassing him, but pleasing Brian and Bess. After the well-wishers had left, Josh told them a number of their friends had indicated they would like a copy of the video and he was going to post it on his Facebook page as soon as he got home. As he sat down he congratulated his father, "That was great, Dad." "Thanks, son." Saturday, March 27th. It was another beautiful day on Lake Washington; Greg was expertly piloting the sailboat across the almost still water while Julie was sitting next to him, lost in thought. She was replaying her conversation with George. Initially, his story about his wife's infidelity had not bothered her, but now, two days later, it was preying on her mind. Love or excitement? George's wife had opted for a kind of love and obviously one which she had decided was right for her. While she had been listening to George's story Julie had been certain George's wife had made the wrong choice; that she had made it for the wrong reasons and a life full of excitement, sex and fun was preferable. Now, she wasn't so sure. Damn! she thought, I just don't want to think about it anymore. I just want to be in the moment, enjoying my lover and sailing on the lake. She snuggled closer to Greg; he'd promised to make love to her after they had finished sailing and she was looking forward to it. Being fucked by Greg was always an experience to savour. Greg felt her breasts against his thigh and leaned over, fondled her tits and kissed her lightly on the lips. Julie smiled, looked out over the lake and admired the view. What a perfect day for sailing and an even better one for fucking and not the day for thinking negative thoughts. Sunday, March 28th. Gus stood in his almost empty house and looked around. The garage sale was over and all that was left was for the Salvation Army to come around the following morning to pick up the few possessions remaining in the house. What they didn't want would go into the dumpster, leaving an empty house for the new owners. Both cars had been sold; Julie's much-loved Subaru Forrester to a couple from Peters Creek and his Toyota Tundra, to a friend. Now carless, he was waiting for Josh to pick him up and drive him to an extended stay hotel in midtown Anchorage. When he was cleared to drive the following week, he would rent a car for the ten days or so before his departure for Texas. He wandered through the house for one last time. He had lived there almost half of his life and his children had been raised here. He stopped at the doorway to the master bedroom and looked inside. He had been so busy for the past two weeks erasing Julie, he had not had time to feel very much, but now his emotions, which he had somehow managed to contain, were finally overtaking him. His eyes began to tear and then, he cried. He was engulfed by a wave of emotions; anger, loss, betrayal and fear all played in his mind. He had lost Julie, who had been his wife, his lover and his best friend. They were going to grow old together and she had destroyed that dream. Over the previous two weeks he had succeeded in erasing all the outward manifestations of their life together, but in doing so it had felt as if he had erased a major part of his own life, leaving a void he didn't know how he was going to fill. Josh had arrived half an hour later and had found his father, still sobbing and sitting on the floor in the hallway next to the master bedroom. He had helped him into the car and driven him to his hotel, but during the journey had become so concerned about his father's state-of-mind, had decided to stay the night with him. Once he had seen his father to bed, he had called Bess to let her know what had happened and promising to update her in the morning. Monday, March 29th. "Hello, my dear. You are quite beautiful. My name is Helen Parker," the elderly matron extended her hand. "Hello, Helen. My name is Julie Randall. Thank you for inviting us to your party this evening." "Well, Greg is one of my favorite people. He generously contributes to the symphony and we are grateful." Helen paused for a moment and then continued, "Randall. Randall. Hmm, are you related to a Gus or Bess Randall?" Julie was startled at the mention of her husband and daughter. "They were so wonderful on the internet. It was on YouTube or Facebook; I think. It was so cute, the boyfriend asking the father for the daughter's hand in marriage. It's so romantic and old fashioned, don't you think?" "No, I haven't seen it. I am related to the two of them," Julie replied, regaining her composure. "Would you like to see it? It's not very long and I'm sure no one would miss us for a few minutes. Come on, dear. Follow me." Helen led Julie down a long hall to a well-appointed office where they gathered around the computer, while Helen accessed her internet account. In a few minutes, the video Josh had filmed and posted was showing on the screen. What the hell is going on? Julie thought to herself. Why is Gus wearing a sling and why hadn't Bess told her Brian was considering proposing? Why hadn't anyone e-mailed her and let her know? She was both angry and hurt and vowed, once she and Greg had returned home, to send a scathing e-mail to her daughter. How dare she get engaged and not tell her mother! "Thank you, Helen," Julie offered as they returned to the party. "I enjoyed seeing the video. It was as charming as you suggested." "You are welcome, Julie," Helen replied, with a smile. Tuesday, March 30th. It was early afternoon and Gus was sitting in the waiting room waiting to see a therapist. At his morning appointment with his doctor, he had been told his arm was healing very well and as he no longer needed to protect it with a sling, he had permission to drive. As he was leaving, his doctor had asked him how he was feeling in general and had been given a potted and censored version of his problems with his wife. The doctor had listened sympathetically, signed him off work for a further week and assigned him a therapist through his employer's Employee Assistance Program. "Mr. Randall?" The voice shook him from his deliberations. He looked up and saw a middle-aged woman, a bright smile on her face, looking at him. She was about forty-five, the same age as Julie and attractive. She was wearing a green, just above the knee dress, which showed off her trim body and complemented, perfectly, her long red hair, matching four inch heels and a gold coloured brooch. When he had envisioned his therapist, he had pictured her as an earnest, dark haired woman wearing a dowdy sweater and ankle length skirt; this woman was nothing like that. She was almost beautiful and for the first time since he'd learned of Julie's infidelity, a woman had invoked, albeit muted, sexual feelings. "Yes." "Welcome, Mr. Randall, I'm Shelly Green. Come in my office and have a seat?" As she led him into her office she looked him over. She had received his doctor's notes electronically and knew of his problems. From his body language he appeared depressed; but she wasn't prepared to make a judgment until she had talked to him. Once they were settled, she asked him the few questions necessary to complete the paper work and once the administrative function was complete, began the session. "What has been going on in your life recently, Mr. Randall?" He had told the doctor his story that morning and he had a good idea the therapist had already been provided with the information and was asking him to repeat his story in order to hear it for herself. He didn't mind, there was a certain catharsis from recounting his experiences and whereas, he had foreshortened and censored his story for the doctor, he related the events of the previous three weeks in detail; from his accident on the Slope, his discovery of his wife's betrayal, his decision to erase his wife from his life and finally, his minor emotional breakdown of two days before. It took him a half an hour and when he had completed it, realized it was the first time he had recounted the story in total and what was more; he felt much better for it. "Thank you, Mr. Randall," Shelly offered. "It took some courage to go through all of that drama with me. I appreciate your trust." He nodded and shrugged his shoulders while Shelly looked, first at her paperwork and then at him. "Mr. Randall, I see from your file you are re-locating in about ten days. Is that correct?" "Yes, I'm going to Houston." "Okay. Well, there's not really much we can do in that amount of time, but I do have a proposal for you. I can use a 'shotgun' approach which will get you started in the right direction, but you will have to do some work on your own. In addition you must promise me to see a therapist once you are settled in Houston. Are you prepared to agree with that?" "I guess I have to, if I want to feel better." Gus replied. "Okay, I'll write down my instructions and that way you can take it with you. With respect to how you're feeling at this moment, you must understand, it is normal to feel angry, depressed and miserable when things like this happen. The feelings may last weeks or even months, but as you recover your depression will become less intense. If you are still feeling depressed in a few weeks, you should ask your Houston therapist to refer you to a doctor and get a prescription for an anti-depressant. "Part of the reason you are feeling depressed is that you are focused on the past, on what you have lost. You need to focus on the future, on rebuilding your life. What you need is a post-marriage plan. "I want you to make three lists. The first list will be short: it is the list of people from your past that you want to take into the future. I suggest your children be on that list. The second list is what you want to accomplish, where you want to be, in six months. The final list is the same as the second list except, this time, the timeframe is two years. "I also want you to keep a journal and write down what you are feeling. Write in it daily. The journal will be useful in a few months: you can read your earlier entries and see how far you have improved over time. Erasing Julie Ch. 02 "Finally, if you want to heal completely, it is essential you make peace with your wife. It doesn't have to be now, it could take some months, but somehow or other, you will have to release her completely in order to move forward. Usually the process involves forgiveness." So far the therapist had made sense, but forgiveness, was unacceptable. He scowled at the suggestion and under his breath, but loud enough for her to hear, said vehemently, "Never!" "I understand how you feel now, Mr. Randall. I really do, but you have to consider forgiving your wife. Now, do you agree to work on the three lists and start a journal?" He nodded assent. "Good," Shelly said bringing the session to a close. "I have a time slot open next Wednesday at 2 p.m. Does that time work for you, Mr. Randall?" "Yes." And if it didn't I would certainly make it work, he thought. This women was worth seeing again. "When you come, please remember to bring your lists and your journal. Oh and by the way, I saw your son's video on Facebook yesterday; the one where you talked to your daughter and her fiancé. You're obviously a loving and caring father, Mr. Randall. Your daughter is lucky to have you." "Oh, thanks. I haven't seen it yet." "You should. It appears to becoming quite popular," Shelly said with a smile. "I'll see you on Wednesday." Wednesday, March 31st. Julie looked out the window from her airline seat revisiting the details of the deal Greg had been working on; beside her, Greg was sleeping. They were an hour into a seven hour flight to Mexico City, heading for a five day stay at a five star resort. Greg had returned from Chicago after mid-night on the Friday night and when Julie had greeted him at the door he was clearly excited, but tired. Without asking she had poured him a single malt and once he was seated, asked about his trip. Chicago had been cold, windy and rainy and while the negotiations for the business deal had gone well, they had been exhausting. The US end of the deal had been completed, but he still needed to meet with people in Mexico to finalise the negotiations. From the little he told her, it seemed certain the deal was going to make a lot of money and while he was rich, after the deal he would be very rich. Julie had only a vague idea of his worth and really didn't care. He was obviously rich enough to support her in a manner far more luxurious than that of her life in Alaska and in the languid post-coital moments following their 'welcome home' fuck, had promised, if she was interested, he would explain his finances; possibly during their trip to Mexico, which he would book first thing in the morning. She had been happy about the unexpected trip and his promise on his finances, but was still ambivalent about his request she live with him. On the Friday before they left, she had spent an hour or two on her own contemplating; trying to make up her mind about her feelings for Greg. Did she love him? Did he love her? If she stayed with him, could she accept him continuing to have sex with his other lovers? And who were his lovers and how many were there? What about Gus? Did she love him as much as Greg? Could she be happy as Gus's wife after her affair with Greg? What about her children? Damn, she thought, as she continued to look out the window at the landscape below; why is this so difficult for me? The flight attendant brought Julie a light snack and another glass of wine. Even in first-class it was the usual airline fare, but it was edible and filling. While she ate she took a break from her thoughts, concentrating on her food and drink, but once finished, she returned to her musings. She needed to resolve her dilemma. She couldn't go on as she had over the last two years; she needed to choose between Greg and Gus. Perhaps the resort stay would clarify her choice. She hoped so and if it didn't, at least she would be wined and dined and fucked and being fucked by Greg, certainly took one's mind off anything other than his cock. Thursday, April 1st. "Thank you, Mr. Randall. Here is your check." The closer smiled, and he ought to, he was getting money for nothing. "Yes. Thank you," Gus replied as he took the check from the sale of their Eagle River home. The Sun City house had closed yesterday. The Arizona sale was more complicated because of the distance involved and the money from that transaction wouldn't make it to his Alaskan bank account until early the following week. Gus left the title company office and sat in his rental car. It's over, he thought; I'm now one of the officially homeless; but fortunately, not one of the official poor. The houses were the last of their illiquid assets to have been converted into cash. The numbers were impressive; over three hundred thousand each in cash and an equal share of the half million in the investment accounts. For an oil-field worker and a home-maker, it wasn't too bad. As he drove to the bank to deposit the checks, he went over the tasks Shelly Green had asked him to complete. The journal was fairly easy, but required him to set aside time every day to update it. One thing he had noticed was he felt better after he had finished writing down his feelings; perhaps that was the point of the exercise. The lists were more difficult. He had no idea what he wanted from his life six months and two years into the future. For the previous twenty-four years his life had revolved around his marriage and his family and after erasing the past twenty-four years, he had no clear idea where he was going or wanted to go with his life. He needed patience, he told himself. After all, he had the rest of his life to make his choice. Friday, April 2nd. Dressed in an almost obscenely small, red bikini; the top barely concealing her nipples; the bottom so small, every time she moved she was in danger of exposing the hair of her landing strip, Julie sat under a canopy near the pool in the warm Mexican afternoon. Her skin was tanned and gleaning, in part from the heat and in part, from the sun tan lotion Greg had lathered on her body before she had left for the pool. She had enjoyed the lathering. When Greg had volunteered to cover 'the places she couldn't get to', she had known the only outcome would be a cock in her cunt. She'd been right, he had started on her tits; surely not a place she couldn't get to; and had only managed to finish oiling the left one before he had pushed her down onto the bed and mounted her. Their love-making had been intense. She had never known him to be as excited as he'd been that morning. By the time they had finished she was sore, her cunt from the pounding of his cock, her nipples from the attention of his teeth and her bum from the action of his hands. She had waited in her room for an hour after he'd left, waiting for the red marks on her cheeks to become less noticeable before she dare venture to the pool. Remembering their love-making had excited her. She could feel her nipples growing and the tell-tale tingle in her groin, which usually heralded a moistening of her cunt. If she wasn't careful her juices would leak out and stain her bikini bottom and while she didn't want to swim, a wet swimsuit and the cool water would cover any evidence of her arousal; hiding any wet spot and providing an explanation for her erect nipples. Finishing her swim, she returned to her lounger and lay on her back, her eyes closed, enjoying the light breeze blowing over her bare skin. I'm living a dream, she thought. I'm lying by the pool at a resort, which two years ago I couldn't have imagined and in the company of a man who wields a cock so incredible they should mount a statue to it. How can I forgo this for a small three-bedroom house in Alaska, sharing a bed with a man whose tiny cock offers no excitement, merely more predictable, vanilla sex? Her thoughts were interrupted by her lover, who had finished his business meeting and still dressed in his business suit, had joined her by the pool. "Baby you look gorgeous. Great tits and a really great ass. I bet all the men have been wishing they had their cocks in your cunt - and those who haven't, must be queer." One thing about Greg; he might be crude, but knew how to make a woman feel good. "Well, all the meetings are finished. It's just me and you for the next few days." He leaned over and kissed her tenderly; 'accidentally' brushing her right nipple with his hand and laughing when he saw it respond. "Hmm," she responded. "That kiss was nice. Had you anything else in mind?" "Maybe, but let's talk for a few minutes, first. Okay" "Sure. Go ahead." "I promised you I would explain my finances and I'm going to do so now. Thirteen years ago, when I sold my software company, I was worth about eight million dollars. In the past thirteen years, I have invested in a wide variety of enterprises, many of which have been really successful. I am now worth just over thirty million dollars," he said; a hint of pride in his voice. "Wow, I'm impressed." "Good. I hoped you would be, but are you impressed enough to live with me?" She was impressed; but rather than answer, she just smiled and let him continue. "My goal has been to have a net worth of fifty million dollars and this current deal could put me over the top. I plan to invest ten million and if all goes well, in eight weeks from now I will get back all of my original investment plus a further twenty million." To Julie it sounded like Monopoly and a world away from the money Gus and she had saved. "Greg, how is that possible? It seems too good to be true. This deal isn't illegal is it?" "When you have as much money as I do," Greg said laughing, "nothing is illegal! Now; have you considered staying with me instead of going back to Alaska?" "I have thought about it," Julie started, "and here's where I'm at. I like fucking you and all things being equal, I would spend the rest of my life impaled on the end of your cock. But all things aren't equal. I'm married, you're a womanizer and while I can get divorced, can you stop being a womanizer? If we are to live together, we have to be married and you have to give up your other women. I'm not going to share you with another woman, either in the same bed or when you are away." Greg looked at her; her last statement had thwarted an arrangement he had suggested to his lover in Chicago and had hoped to broach with her during their stay in Mexico. It looked like he would not be enjoying a ménage-a-trois anytime soon. "Before I make my decision I need some information from you. I propose we each write down what we want out of any relationship and what we are willing to do to make the relationship work. Then we can sit down and discuss our lists. You should view it as a business contract of sorts. Remember, if I stay with you I will be walking away from a financially secure marriage and a faithful husband, so I'm going to need some assurances from you." "I like the way you think," he said with a smile, "and I'm prepared to accept your proposal. When do you want to compare our lists?" "One week. One week from today. Okay?" "Agreed. Now let's go back to our room; I need to see if those tits and ass look as great out of that bikini as they look in it." Julie grinned; she was sore, but she had been looking forward another encounter with his cock and mouth all day; besides her ass wasn't sore and she was sure it wouldn't mind a visit from his statue-grade cock. They ran, hand in hand, to their room; as excited as teenage lovers. They were sleeping soundly, intertwined on the king-sized bed when the masked men entered their room. The first they knew was when the leader put a gun to Greg's head and told him to be quiet. The gang was efficient; within five minutes they had both been forced to dress; the members making obscene remarks and gestures to Julie as she tried to hide her nakedness, blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs using nylon cable ties. Outside the house a stolen van was waiting; its engine running and the rear doors open. They were thrown into the back and joined by two members of the gang. Julie was scared. Why had she been kidnapped? Were they going to be ransomed? She'd heard kidnapping for ransom was common in Mexico, but why were they kidnapping her? She hadn't any money, so why hadn't they just taken Greg? Perhaps she had been the target. Perhaps they were rapists and were going to rape her, but it they were, why had they taken Greg? She couldn't answer the questions she'd posed, but throughout her deliberations ran the fear, whatever their motive, they would kill her. He fear didn't last long. She felt two hands grab her arm; a needle prick and in ten seconds she was asleep under the effect of a powerful sleeping drug. Saturday, April 3rd. "Daddy, thanks for meeting me for lunch on such short notice," Bess said as she joined her father at booth at City Diner. "You seemed upset, dear," Gus said. "What's going on?" "Mom saw that Facebook video and she sent me this e-mail a few days ago," Bess replied. "I just don't know what to do!" She handed Gus a single sheet of paper and watched as he read it. Bess: Just what's going on, young lady? I saw that Facebook video tonight. It appears you and Brian engaged? Why didn't you tell me? I am your mother. With my accounting classes and studying, I am very busy, but I can make time to talk with you about Brian and marriage. You e-mail me back, Bess and pronto! We can arrange a time and I can call you. And why is your father wearing a sling? Is he in Anchorage? Is he alright? You e-mail me right back and let me know what is going on. Your Mother. "Well, well, well," chuckled Gus. "I see she's still pretending to be a student. What do you plan to do?" "Daddy, I don't know!" cried Bess. "Part of me is so angry with her I just want to ignore it and wait until she returns. I don't feel she's a part of our family anymore." "All right, my advice is this; she is your mother and I think you should answer her." "What should I tell her, Daddy? I'm very confused." "Just tell her the truth, Bess. Be direct and firm; tell her what you know and what you feel. But be respectful. Whatever she has done to us, she is still your mother and you should treat her as such. In the meantime I have two requests; wait until Wednesday to send it and copy me." "Okay, Daddy," Bess agreed. "This is so difficult for me - and it's all her fault." "You are right, Bess. Your mother has made decisions which have made it very difficult for our family and she is about to discover the consequences of her actions. Observe her carefully, Bess, and make sure that you don't make the same mistakes, okay?" Before Bess could answer Gus's cell phone rang. He picked it up from the table; it was either his attorney or Charlie, as they were the only two who had his new phone number. He excused himself to Bess and answered it. "Hello." "Mr. Randall?" "Yes. Who is this?" Gus didn't recognize the voice. "Mr. Randall, my name is Grayson. I work for the Drug Enforcement Agency. We've had your wife and her boyfriend under surveillance for the past week and I'm sorry to have to inform you they were both kidnapped yesterday in Mexico by a drug cartel." "They were what?" "They were kidnapped, Mr. Randall. Your wife's boyfriend had been under investigation for some time and we are sure he was financing a large drug deal involving Columbian cocaine. Our investigation was going quite well until someone in the Mexican drug enforcement agency leaked our involvement to the cartel. We believe the cartel thought they were being setup and as a result has kidnapped both of them. There was no set-up, at least on our part, but your wife is being held by the cartel and we believe she is in considerable danger. We are doing are best to find her, but we cannot promise anything." Gus didn't know how to take the news. He ought to be concerned, but his anger outweighed his compassion. She had made her proverbial bed and now she had to lie in it. "Mr. Grayson, I don't know if you're aware of it, but Julie has been cheating on me for the past two years and I am in the process of divorcing her. At this point, I really don't give a flying fuck what happens to her." "I see. I'm sorry you feel like that, Mr. Randall, but I will keep you informed of any developments. I would ask you to keep her abduction confidential, even from your children. Do you agree?" Gus agreed to the agent's request and put the phone down. Well, well, well, he chuckled to himself. The slut is in trouble and all because of her slime-ball of a lover. This could work out quite well for me. Quite well, indeed! "Daddy, what's going on? Is mom in trouble?" "There's nothing to worry about, dear," Gus lied. "I can't talk about it right now, but maybe later, okay?" "Okay. I love you, Daddy." "I love you, too." Sunday, April 4th Julie was blindfolded and spread-eagled on the bed; tied by her wrists and ankles to the bedposts. She had been tied to the bed for almost a day, only being released to visit the washroom. Her wrists ached, but not as much as her cunt and ass. Her worst fears had been realised, she had been raped repeatedly by the five gang members, one of whom had the largest cock she had ever had in her cunt or her ass. At the moment the smelly rapist, as she thought of him, the one who stank, was pumping away at her, intent on adding to the pool of cum leaking out of her cunt. The previous day she had been interrogated by the gang leader. It had started out as a friendly talk between two people. How long had she been working for the DEA? What did the DEA know of their cartel? She had denied everything; she'd had to; she wasn't and never had been associated with the DEA. Then things turned ugly. They started to use physical intimidation; hitting her, burning her tits with cigarettes and finally breaking two of her fingers and all the time they kept asking her questions. She had passed out several times, only to be brought back to consciousness with cold water and slaps across the face. After twelve hours, it became obvious she didn't know anything. She wasn't a drug agent, merely the Gringo's whore and as she was a whore she deserved to be treated as a whore. They'd stripped her, tied her wrists and ankles to the bed and offered her to anyone who wanted a free fuck. If she'd had rape fantasies -- and she had - the reality soon disabused her of the notion. The men were like animals mounting her without a break; poking their cocks and fingers into all of her orifices. After the fourth rapists she was sore and had initially felt relief when the fifth decided to take her in the ass. There was no relief. The fifth man had an enormous cock, one more suited to a pony than a man, and his forced entry into her ass had torn her, causing her to bleed profusely. When he had finished the fifth man looked at the blood, laughed and in broken English said, "You like my big dick in your ass? Next time I fuck you in the ass and Jose fuck you in the cunt." An hour later he was true to his word. Jose took her in the ass while he, Javier, fucked her in the cunt. Under normal circumstances she might have enjoyed it, but both her cunt and ass were bleeding and sore. "Gus, Gus, I'm so sorry. Help me, help me, please," she cried out, all thoughts of Greg absent from her mind. She wanted her husband to hold her, to comfort her, to make the pain go away. I must be in Hell, she thought. Help me, Gus; please help me! Erasing Julie Ch. 02 Her entreaty went unheard. As the two dismounted, they were replaced by another of the gang. Weren't they ever going to be satisfied? Monday, April 5th In Anchorage a spring snow storm had let up in mid-afternoon and by the early evening the main roads had been plowed, ensuring the family dinner at Club Paris could take place. After ordering their meals and an exchange of pleasantries, Gus told them of his plans to leave for Texas in less than a week. The news startled his daughter. "What about my wedding? You are coming, aren't you?" "Of course, I am. I've got the sixth of August blocked out in big red letters in my diary. I'll be there, tuxedo clad and ready for action. I promise." The waitress brought their meals and for a few minutes they ate in silence; the children because they didn't know how to start, Gus because he thought he had nothing to say. It was Bess who broke the silence. "Dad, how are you doing? And don't fob me off; I want you to tell Josh and me the truth." He looked at his children. His first thought was to tell them everything was all right, but he knew they were old enough and perspicacious enough to realize everything wasn't all right. They deserved the truth. "If you really want to know; I've been seeing a therapist. I went on Tuesday and I'm going back next Wednesday. I like her. I'm following the exercises she gave me and I am feeling better, but I'm still angry, hurt and depressed by your mother's actions. I trusted her and she betrayed me, she stabbed me in the back. It's clear, based on her e-mails, she has no respect for me and since I can no longer trust her, we no longer really have a marriage." The two children listened, but remained silent. It was clear from their father's attitude, there was no hope of reconciliation and having read her e-mails, they weren't sure they wanted one. But she was their mother and unlike their father, she had been the ever-present in their lives. They might find it difficult to forgive her, but it didn't stop them from loving her. "I never want to see her again. There is nothing she can say and nothing she can do which will change the way I feel. I have erased her from my life. I need to start over. The only thing I want to take with me from this family is the relationship I have with you two wonderful children." He started to cry and paused to wipe his eyes with his napkin. As he did he thought about his children. They were wonderful children and he had made them with his wife. It had been fun for both of them; they had tried for nearly for two years to have a child before Julie announced she was pregnant. As her pregnancy progressed, he had thought her never more beautiful, marveling as her belly began to swell, her tits started to grow and her nipples and areolas become a deeper brown. They had fucked more during her two pregnancies than they had done either before or after. But now she was fucking someone else, allowing him to make use of the cunt which had ushered their children into the world and no doubt, letting him suckle on her nipples. His thoughts made him angry and almost irrational. She wasn't on the pill and it would serve her right if she got pregnant again. From what he remembered of Greg; it was unlikely he would be anxious to be responsible for a crying baby. Julie had looked beautiful when she had been pregnant in her late twenties, but now she was it her mid-forties and would Greg still want her when her tits were drooping to her belly button and her body lined with stretch marks? He wouldn't and she would be left on her own with a bastard to care for - he couldn't imagine a more fitting fate. His thoughts were interrupted by a cough from his son. Gus had said nothing for over a minute, looking vacantly into space and creating concern he was suffering another bout of depression. "Dad, are you all right? When Gus nodded, he smiled and continued, "Have you seen our video on Facebook?" Gus shook his head and added a 'no'. "Well, it has become very popular; you've become an internet star; in fact they have a name for you; it's 'The Marriage Dad'. There were over fifty thousand hits on my Facebook page in the last week and I'm thinking of uploading it to You Tube. Before you know it, you'll have a million fans." "How about that?" Gus replied, shaking his head. It obviously meant something to the children, but he was only concerned with his marriage and in particular, Greg's use of his wife's body; a body for which his love should have bought exclusivity. "You must decide what kind of relationship you want with your mother. That is up to you, but you must understand, I never want you to mention her in my presence. As far as I'm concerned she's persona non grata, I have erased her from my life; to me she no longer exists. Do you understand?" "Yes, Dad. We both understand." "Thanks. You're great kids and I'm a lucky father." Tuesday, April 6th Julie was finally awake, lying in a bed and dressed in a hospital gown. Her broken fingers were splinted and she was being given fluids from several intravenous bags. The morphine was gradually wearing off and her broken fingers were starting to hurt, but not as much as her much-abused cunt and ass. She didn't know where she was other than she was in hospital. When she had awoken, she had tried to talk to the hospital staff, but they either didn't speak English or had been ordered not to speak with her. She looked at the clock; it showed seven, but which day was it? She tried to think, but could only recall it had been Friday when Greg and she had been kidnapped. As she tried to remember what had happened to her, a tall, casually dressed man entered her room and approached her. "Mrs. Randall. I'm Agent Grayson," "What?" "Mrs. Randall, I work for the US government. You might not have known it, but your boyfriend was financing a large drug deal and we have had you both under surveillance. Two days ago you were kidnapped by a local drug cartel who thought he was planning to double-cross them. Luckily for both of you, it appears they discovered your boyfriend was playing it straight with them and they released you both. They kept his ten million, of course," Grayson said with a slight smile. "I thought I was going to die," Julie whispered through her tears. "We thought you would, too. Normally you would have been killed; life in Mexico is cheap and the cartels don't like loose ends. In your case it appears the cartel was mindful of its business interests and didn't want to scare away future investors, which killing Mr. Peterson might have done. You were just collateral damage. When they found he hadn't double-crossed them, sometime yesterday afternoon, they put you both in a taxi and had you delivered to this hospital." Julie just nodded. She was alive, but felt degraded and lost. "The doctors say that you have no permanent injuries, but it appears you have been in contact with several types of venereal disease and the hospital has started you on a course of antibiotics. It is important you see a doctor and continue treatment once you return to the States. I would also suggest that you get tested for AIDS." Julie began to cry. Only whores got VD, and she wasn't a whore, and as for AIDS, it was unthinkable. "Mrs. Randall, you must leave Mexico as soon as possible. Since it was a leak from their drug enforcement agency that precipitated your kidnap, we have managed to convince the Mexican authorities to release you without any charges. However, you are to be banned from entering Mexico again. If you try, you will be arrested and it will not be pleasant. Conditions in Mexican prisons are awful and the judicial system is slow-moving and riddled with corruption. You can expect to languish in prison for at least two to three years before you come to trial. Do you understand?" "I never want to come back here," Julie sobbed. "The Mexican authorities will take you and your boyfriend to the airport tonight and escort you to the gate for a flight back to Seattle. Your belongings have recovered from your hotel and are at the airport." The agent started towards the door and then as an afterthought, turned to her and said, "Before I go I'm going to offer you some friendly advice, Mrs. Randall; lose the boyfriend. He is trouble." Julie nodded through her tears as she watched Grayson leave her room. Wednesday, April 7 "You look much better this week, Mr. Randall," Shelly Green observed. "I'm glad you kept your appointment. I was worried about you when you left." "The exercises you gave me did help. The journal helps the most. It keeps me aware of my feelings, but I'm having a hard time with the lists." "Keep writing in your journal. You will find it valuable six months from now and as for the lists, don't worry about them. As I explained to you last week, the purpose of the lists is to get you focused away from the past and towards the future." They spent a pleasant half hour discussing the past week, the therapists trying to gauge his state of mind, Gus trying to keep up his end of the conversation while trying to imagine what she looked like without the white, low-cut blouse and grey pencil skirt she was wearing. Probably small, pert tits and a neatly shaved cunt. He didn't usually look at women and try to guess what they looked like naked and certainly not since he had learned of Julie's infidelity. Perhaps I'm starting to get better, he thought. When Gus mentioned Julie's e-mail to Bess, Shelly asked if he had brought copies. "Here are the two e-mails. My daughter's e-mail is on the top portion of the page," Gus said as he handed Shelly a sheet of paper. "She just sent it this morning." Shelly read Bess's e-mail: Mother: I asked daddy how I should answer your e-mail. He told me to just tell the truth, but be respectful because you are my mother. It's hard to be respectful to you, mother, when we all know that you have lied repeatedly to our family. We know that you are not taking a class at the university. You are living with your lover. Mother, you have destroyed our family. You have devastated a man who loved and trusted you unconditionally. I don't want to talk with you right now, as I don't believe I could be civil to you. Yes, Brian and I are engaged and we plan to be married. If you send me your address, I will mail you an invitation. But I don't want you involved in the wedding at all; it would be hypocritical for a woman who has repeatedly broken her wedding vows to be a part of her daughter's wedding, don't you think? I love you, mother, but I don't want you in my life right now. Bess Shelly quickly read the e-mail and when she had finished, looked at Gus and asked him what he thought. "I'm quite proud of Bess. Her e-mail is direct and truthful. I feel it is somewhat harsh and in time I hope she can have a better relationship with her mother." "It has been my experience that time heals all wounds, ," Shelly offered. "Have you anything else to share with me before you go?" Gus had received another call from Grayson yesterday telling him that Julie had been released and was on her way back to Seattle. As he had promised the agent to keep information on their kidnap and release confidential he had decided not to share it will Shelly. "Just this," Gus replied handing her a thin booklet of photos. Shelly looked at the photos, flipping quickly through all the pages. It contained picture of his efforts to destroy their shared mementoes. "You destroyed everything, including your wedding rings," she stated, returning the booklet to him. "Yes. I went to a jewelry manufacturer, had him melt our rings into scrap and then sold him the scrap gold. It was my final symbolic gesture in erasing Julie and our marriage. She turned our marriage to scrap and so I turned the symbol of our marriage into scrap. It seemed fitting, don't you think? I plan to give her the booklet with the divorce papers." "It's healthier than being depressed. If this is what you needed to do to feel better, then there's nothing wrong with it. She betrayed you, she cheated on you and she broke her marriage vows. It's all right to be angry and furious, but sooner or later you have to let it go. You have a life ahead of you and you get to choose the kind of life it will be. Will it be mired in the past, full of hate, anger and resentment or will it be looking forward to love, friendship and happiness? The choice is yours, my friend." She stood and shook his hand. "Thank you for all your help," said Gus savoring the warmth of her hand. "Good luck, Gus. Come back and see me sometime." He would. Thursday, April 8 "George, what the hell am I going to do? I really fucked this up!" Julie cried as tears ran down her face. George poured them each a cup of tea, handed her a box of tissues, relaxed into his favorite chair and waited. Julie poured out her story of the past week, from time to time wiping away tears and blowing her nose. She told him everything including the Facebook video, the Mexican resort, the kidnapping, the torture and rape and her permanent expulsion from Mexico. As she told her story she felt a range of emotions including pain, guilt, fear and anger. When she had finished, she waited for the soothing words she expected from her confidante. "Julie, it's clear you have been severely traumatized by your stay in Mexico. I strongly recommend you work with a therapist to help you heal, but I should warn you, it may take some time." "George, I can't sleep at night. I'm always frightened that if I go to sleep, they will come get me again," Julie sobbed. "I'll write you a prescription that will help you sleep at night, but you need to find a therapist to help you process these experiences. Meanwhile, are you and Greg still a couple?" Julie shook her head. Greg had kicked her out of the house under the guise his attorney had recommended that they not see each other for a while. It was a ploy; she knew it was a result of the rapes. He had been forced to watch the gang as they violated her and now saw her as damaged goods. He hadn't said it, but she knew Greg and knew the thought of sticking his cock in the same places as those greaseballs had was something he couldn't consider. "So what do you plan to do?" She had no idea. She had gone over her alternatives, but none offered a real solution. She had no money and so couldn't stay in Seattle, but, Alaska, her only other alternative seemed impossible. It appeared everyone, including her children, knew about her affair with Greg and she couldn't face the approbation and humiliation likely to accompany her return. "I don't know." "What about your husband? You haven't mentioned him at all. You two have been married for what -- twenty five years? He must be devastated. Have you thought about him?" "I haven't thought much about Gus," Julie confessed. "I saw him on the Facebook video and I was upset with him. I should have been there, too. I should have been sitting next to him when our daughter announced her engagement." "And instead you were probably making love to Greg at the time, right?" "Damn it, George. That's not nice." But correct; she had worked it out. At the same time Bess was pledging her troth, she had been propped up on her knees, her ass in the air, Greg's cock in her cunt and her blue, ribbed vibrator whirling merrily in her ass. "Julie, you made a choice to leave your family for a lover. Their only choice was to go on without you. I watched that video and it's obvious that your husband is a loving parent. Your daughter is lucky to have him. His lecture on marriage clearly came from the heart." She hadn't had to choose; her life had been perfect; she'd had a loving family and a lover. It was everything she had wanted and now, through no fault of her own, it had all turned to crap. If Gus hadn't had the stupid accident at work, she'd still be experiencing the best of both worlds; Greg's cock and money and her family's love. "George, I'm sorry, but you don't understand how exciting it was." "You're right, I don't, but you were living two lives and sooner or later you were bound to have been found out. It's happened sooner and your family knows all about your lover and the lies you've been telling them for the last two years. To make matters worse, your lover had dumped you. My only question to you is; what are you going to do about it?" "I don't know, George," Julie said quietly. "I just don't know." George let the silence hang, sipping his tea and waiting. "Help me, George, I need your help." Julie whispered. "You chose money and excitement instead of love." She had but she didn't want to be told; she needed practical advice, not his moralizing. It sounded as if he was using her as a whipping-boy for his long-repressed feelings about his wife's infidelity. "You have acted irresponsibly for over two years in pursuit of your own satisfaction. You have hurt people who loved you, who trusted you and who counted on you. It's time for you to stop this silliness and to start acting with integrity. It's time for you to start telling the truth. It won't be easy." George paused to observe Julie. She was looking down at the floor and crying. "You need to go back to Alaska and clean up your mess. Find each person you involved in your lies and apologize, ask their forgiveness and where possible, make amends. It's going to be difficult, but in the end you will feel so much better. Your therapist can help you work through it. It's time for you to take control of your life. It's time for you to live a responsible life. It's up to you." "You're probably right, George," Julie responded. "It appears I don't really have a choice anymore. I guess it's time for me to grow up." They finished their tea in silence. Julie felt safe with George and didn't want to leave. Finally George stood and escorted Julie to the front door. In the entry she gave him a heartfelt hug, delaying the inevitable departure. "One more thing, George," she whispered as she hugged him. "I think I'm pregnant." To be continued... Erasing Julie Ch. 03 Sorry for the delay in posting the final part: both technical and personal reasons. This is the third and final part to the Erasing Julie story. It is suggested that you first read the other two parts. No sex in this chapter. Sorry. Enjoy. Erasing Julie Ch. 03 Julie's headstone had the inscription: "Loving wife and mother". Well, a few strokes with a felt marker and "wife" became "slut". He chuckled to himself. What a great joke – and it was true! Yes, the maintenance crews would quickly undo the vandalism to the headstone, but he had taken a picture with his smart phone so he could view his handiwork at any time. And urinating on her grave was quite satisfying. She had pissed all over him and their marriage, so it was only fitting that he piss all over her. Damn, he thought, how he hated that woman. Gus unlocked the car and sat down in the driver's seat. He had returned to Anchorage about a week before the wedding to help Bess with organizing. It was the least he could do. She only had one parent now. And he wanted to look up Shelly Green. He started the car. "That was childish, Gus. You're a better man than that." "What!?" Gus looked all around. He was certain the cemetery was deserted and no one saw him. He checked the back seat and drove quickly away. "What the fuck?" he said under his breath. "Slow down, Gus. A police car is hiding two blocks ahead." "Who's there?" he shouted, but he took his foot off the accelerator. A few seconds later he saw the partly hidden police sedan with a laser speed gun pointed at his car. "Fuck, what is going on?" Gus shouted as he looked all around the car. "Slow down, Gus. Pull into the parking lot on the right ahead and stop. You might get into an accident." Gus followed directions. He parked and turned off the car. "Okay, now who's playing a trick on me here?" Gus said angrily. "Look at the passenger seat, Gus." Gus turned and saw Julie sitting in the seat. She was wearing jeans and a white blouse. She smiled at him. He reached out with his right hand to touch her and it passed though her. "Jeez! Julie? You can't be here! You're dead!" Gus shouted. "My body died, Gus. But I am very much alive." "Damn you! Damn you to hell! Leave me alone!" Gus screamed. "There is no hell, Gus. Sorry." "Why are you here? What do you want?" Gus cried desperately. "We need to talk, Gus. But not now. Tomorrow night, when you are alone in your hotel room." She disappeared from the seat, leaving a very upset Gus in the car alone. "Shit," he said, "no one is going to believe this." Gus waited until he felt calm, then, he drove to City Diner for breakfast. Sunday, August 1 Gus unlocked his hotel room, threw the key on the desk, kicked off his shoes and collapsed on his bed as the hotel room door slammed closed. God, what a day! He thought to himself. Bess had run him ragged. First the caterer and reviewing the reception food list. Next the reception hall, then the florist, then visiting the church. The cost of the wedding was over twenty-five thousand dollars, and the amount was climbing by the thousands every day. He had the money, and he wanted Bess to have a nice wedding. But the sheer amount of things to orchestrate for a wedding was overwhelming. He forced himself out of bed, shed his clothes and took a hot shower. The hot water revived him somewhat. He dried off and walked back into the main room. "You're a good father, Gus. Bess is lucky to have you." "What?"cried a startled Gus as he used the towel to cover his nakedness. "I have seen you naked before, Gus." "Where the fuck are you?" he shouted. "Look at the chair opposite the bed, Gus." Gus looked at the chair and saw Julie. She was dressed in the same jeans and white blouse as yesterday. "Have a seat, Gus. We need to talk." "I really have nothing to say to a cheating slut," Gus said as he sat on the bed. "I'm glad you are dead and out of my life for good. Just go away a leave me alone." "Okay. I'll talk, and you just listen, Gus." "What if I fucking don't want to listen to you?" "Then I will remain in your life, Gus. If you want to get rid of me, the first step is to listen to me. Do you want your dead wife haunting you for the rest of your life?" "Fuck, no!" Gus admitted. "Okay, I'll listen. I don't know if you are real or just a figment of my imagination. I just want you the fuck out of my life!" "I'll give you the short version. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them." Gus just shrugged his shoulders. "Gus, when I died we had unfinished business between us. Here they call it a karmic debt. Until the debt is cancelled I am tethered to you with a karmic cord and I can't move on. I have to stay with you until you die." "Bullshit!" exclaimed Gus. "Your forgiveness will cancel the karmic debt." "Julie, you are a lying, cheating slut. I'll never forgive you," Gus replied forcefully. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Gus. That is unfortunate." "Maybe, I'll forgive you after I die, slut. Then again, maybe not. You will have to wait a long time, because I intend to live a long time." "Well, Gus, that won't work. You can only forgive when you are incarnate, in a body. And you may not have as much time in that body as you think." "What do you mean?" "Have you noticed how you've changed in the past few months? The Gus I knew and loved hardly ever used the word 'fuck', yet you use it all the time. Have you noticed how negative you've become? Have you noticed that you have less energy now? The karmic cord between us is draining your life energy." "That sounds like a threat." "If you don't forgive me, Gus, you are going to have a short, miserable life. You will probably not live to see your second grandchild." "Well, fuck you very much. And you are the cause of it all, slut. You are responsible for all of this, not me. We had a great life together until you fucked it up. Literally." "It's not what I did or didn't do, Gus. It's about the choices you make. You can choose a path of happiness and love, or you can choose a path of misery and hate. Isn't that what Shelly said? Right now you are choosing to hate me, and it keeps me connected to you. It affects every part of your life. You won't like the consequences." "What do you mean?" "If you don't forgive me before you die, we have to do it all over again, Gus. We keep doing it over and over again until we get it right. It's one of the Rules here." "Shit. I don't want to do this over again." "We were so close. If you would have come to the hospital and forgiven me, we would have been complete around the karmic agreement." "Bullshit! I don't believe you! You're just lying to me, just like you lied to me for the past two years. You fucking betrayed me, Julie." "I can't lie, Gus. People can only lie when they are in a body." Gus just stared at her. "You are feeling overwhelmed, Gus. Think about what I said. We will talk again in a few days." Julie disappeared in an instant. "Fuck!" whispered a confused Gus. Monday, August 2 "Hi, Dad!" Josh said as he slid into the booth. Josh had invited his dad to a late lunch at the Bear Tooth Restaurant, and Gus was glad to excuse himself temporarily from the wedding preparation chaos. They chatted for a few minutes about school and Bess's wedding. "I haven't had time to talk much to you since I arrived back in Anchorage, Josh. I wanted to let you know that John Davis has been negotiating with the Muni over your mother's accident. John estimates that I will be getting a sizable settlement. I plan to set up a family trust with the money, and I also plan to retire." "That's good news, Dad," Josh replied. The waiter came and took their order. "Something seems to be bothering you, Josh. Is everything okay with you?" "Yeah, Dad, something is bothering me. It's around Mom's dying. That hit me really hard, you know. Bess, too. Did you know that she has started going to church every week since Mom died? She told me that she prays for Mom." "I know she does, son." "It doesn't bother you at all does it?" Josh asked me directly. "Mom's dying, I mean." "No, it doesn't," Gus replied shaking his head. "I miss her," Josh admitted. "I'm still really angry about the lies and the deception and all. She used us, Bess and me, to hide her actions from you, Dad." "She used everyone who loved her, Josh. She took our love and twisted it around to stab me in the back. Your mother became selfish and self-centered. The only thing that mattered to her was getting what she wanted." "I think she realized that in the end. She apologized to Bess and me, Dad. We both forgave her. It meant a lot to her to have us forgive her. She was dying and all, you know." Gus looked at his son and noticed that he was trying not to cry. "Dad, I've got to know. Why didn't you come to see Mom before she died? Were you really someplace where you couldn't get back up here in time, like John Davis said?" Gus considered how to answer his son's question. After they married, Julie and Gus had matured as a couple. They became each other's best friend and shared every aspect of their lives: hopes, fears, and desires. What enabled them to grow together was trust and integrity; they trusted each other one hundred percent, and they were certain that each would each act with integrity to protect and maintain the relationship. "Two years ago something changed for your mother, son. She had a number of ways she could have dealt with that change. She could have trusted me and told me what was going on for her. Instead she engages in a cold, calculated deception for over two years. She was playing the role of devoted wife while I was home, then running to be with her lover when I left to work on the Slope." "Josh, our marriage ended two years ago when your mother threw away over twenty years of trust, integrity and love so that she could get her needs met at the expense of those who were closest to her." Anger and hate boiled up in Gus. "She was a lying, cheating slut. And I don't want people like that in my life, Josh. I don't want to talk with them. I don't want to listen to them. I don't want to be around them. I hate people who act that way. I erased her, Josh. She doesn't exist for me anymore!" "So, no, I didn't come see her. I wouldn't have come see her if I was in the next room, much less in Houston. I don't give a fuck if she wanted to see me. Don't you see, Josh? It was her last attempt to get what she wanted, and the hell with everyone else. Well, I decided I wasn't going to play that game anymore – ever!" Josh listened to his father with wide-eyed attention. When Gus finished, the silence hung in the air. "I didn't know about all that, Dad," Josh commented quietly. "I'm really sorry. She hurt you bad, really bad." "You got that right." "But I don't think you really erased her, Dad", Josh observed. "I think you are still carrying her around with you along with a whole bunch of anger, pain and hate." Gus just stared at his son, recalling the two appearances of Julie's ghost. His son was right. "Maybe I need some help," Gus whispered. "Yeah, I think you do," Josh confirmed. Tuesday, August 3 "Thanks for seeing me this afternoon on such short notice, Shelly," Gus offered as he sat down in the comfortable chair in front of her desk. Over the past few months he had forgotten his attraction to Shelly and being in her presence allowed him to relax. "Well, I did have a last-minute cancellation," Shelly replied. "But I must admit I am curious how you have fared since our last therapy session. When was it? The end of March, I think. About four months ago. How are you doing, Gus?" Gus related his life over the past few months beginning with Julie's death. He ended at his conversation with his son the previous day. "I guess my son helped me realize that I need some help, Shelly," Gus concluded. "Did you continue writing in your journal and going to counseling sessions in Houston?" "No. It really didn't seem necessary. Julie was dead. I had erased her from my life. Everything was tied up neatly. No more Julie! Now I could get on with my life." Shelly observed Gus and felt that something was wrong. She was beginning to really like this honest and faithful man. With two failed marriages due to cheating spouses, Shelly was well aware of how rare a man of Gus's caliber was. But something was just not right with him. "Are you happy, Gus? Are you dating anyone? Are you really moving on?" "I guess, "no" to all your questions," Gus admitted. Shelly just waited. Gus was hiding something, she was sure of it. "Shelly, if someone sees something that is impossible, that doesn't make them crazy, does it?" "Not necessarily, Gus." "I mean, you won't report me or anything, right?" "No, Gus, I am here to help you. Everything you say is confidential unless you admit to a major crime. Then I have to report it." "You can tell her, Gus. She will help you." Gus looked at the chair next to him and saw Julie. Gus weighted his options. He really liked Shelly and if he moved back to Anchorage, he would really like to see more of her. He didn't know if she was married, but an attractive woman like Shelly probably had a husband or steady boyfriend. Gus probably didn't have a chance. "Shelly is divorced, Gus. Twice. Both of her husbands cheated on her. She's not dating anyone right now. Tell her about me. What do you have to lose?" "Uh, well, I've seen Julie two or three times since I've been back to Anchorage," Gus hesitantly explained. "I mean, not Julie really because she's dead. It's like I see her ghost." Shelly smiled. This one was easy. Gus was imagining Julie as a method to work through his issues around her cheating. Her untimely death did not allow any face-to-face resolution or forgiveness. In fact her death cheated Gus of closure that divorce would have brought. It was yet another betrayal by Julie. At some level Gus knew that he needed to release Julie before he could move on. "Okay, Gus, it's not all that unusual. Does she say anything to you?" "Yeah, well, she said that if I want to live a long, happy life, I have to forgive her. Stuff like that. So, I'm not crazy?" "No, Gus. You are not crazy. You are just unhappy, and down deep you know the reason why. You really still love Julie, but you hate what she did to you and your family. You also never grieved her death." Gus nodded in agreement and felt relieved. "You made this ghost up, Gus," Shelly continued. "It's just a projection – like a waking dream – that you created to help you see what you need to do." Gus looked over at Julie, and Julie smiled back at him. "She looks damn real to me!" "Be gentle, Gus. She can't see or hear me." "Is she here now?" asked a concerned Shelly. "Yep, she is." "She's not real, Gus. Here, I'll prove it to you. Ask her a question for me: What are the names of my two sons?" "Shelly has only one child, a daughter named Anne Marie. Shelly calls her Annie. Tell her, Gus." "Julie says that your only child is a girl named Annie," Gus relayed. "What? How did you know that?" demanded Shelly. Gus didn't want to alarm Shelly and he now wished he hadn't told her about seeing Julie's ghost. "Julie told me," he simply answered. Shelly stared directly at Gus without saying anything for a minute. Was he checking up on her? Spying on her? Gus appeared to like her, but all Shelly seemed to attract was losers. She needed to confront Gus. "I don't believe you," Shelly finally replied. "Tell me how you knew about Annie? Don't lie to me Gus." "Gus, please tell Shelly that it doesn't make any difference if I am real or not. She can help you heal. That's all that matters." "Shelly, I guess it really doesn't matter to me if Julie's ghost is real or not. What's important is that I get the help I need to heal and move on," Gus stated. "Can you help me?" Shelly considered Gus's request. His knowledge of her personal life unsettled her, but she couldn't shake her strong feelings towards Gus. He did believe that he saw his dead wife, but what he really wanted was to let go of the pain and hate. Shelly could help him. Gus deserved that much. "Yes, Gus, I will help you." "Good," Gus affirmed. "I'm ready now." "Gus, one more thing before I go. She likes you. You would be good for each other." Julie disappeared from Gus's peripheral vision and he was able to completely focus on his therapist. Shelly was a beautiful woman who dressed to discourage any male attention but he wanted to lavish attention and love on her. It had been months since he desired to be with a woman. Sadly, he realized that he would be able to pursue her only after he released Julie from his life. "Okay. Let's begin," said Shelly as she took back control of the session. "Gus, the best path to release Julie is to forgive her." "Hell, no!" Gus cried. "The other path is release," Shelly continued. "Release is not as complete as forgiveness, and certain emotions and energy may remain with you that forgiveness eliminates. However, release will allow you to rebuild your life." "How does release work?" "You must be completely transparent about everything that happened with Julie over the last two years," explained Shelly. "With everyone?" "Yes, Gus, with everyone. If you hide nothing, if you have no secrets, you will be releasing Julie. And as you release Julie, the anger, pain and hate will be released as well. Are you ready?" "Yes, Shelly, I am." Wednesday, August 4 "How does that fit now, sir?" Gus moved his arms around and shrugged his shoulders. "It's much better thank you," Gus replied. "These tuxedos are not that uncomfortable when they fit right." "Yes, sir," he replied. "Hey, Dad," Josh strode over to his father. "You're lookin' mighty fine in that tux!" "Thanks, son. I'm just glad I only have to wear this for one day." Gus was grateful for his son's help not just with the wedding preparations but also with his assessment a few days ago that Gus needed help. He had grown closer to his son in the past few days and he was pleased that his Josh was becoming a fine young man. "You seem much better today than on Monday, Dad. Did you see that counselor?" "Yes, I did. And I plan to stay in Anchorage and work with her. Three times a week for a while." "Glad to hear it, Dad." "I guess it's what it needed to do, son." Josh gave his father a hug. "What was that for?" Gus asked. "It's just what I needed to do," Josh replied with a big smile. Thursday, August 5 Ting! Ting! Ting! Gus rang the empty wine glass with his fork and stood up at the head of the table. "Thank you all for attending the wedding dinner with us," he said looking back at the twenty-four pairs of eyes staring at him. "Tomorrow Bess and Brian will be married," Gus continued. The assembled group applauded and shouted their approval. "Several months ago, I gave them my blessing to marry. And I shared my advice about marriage with them." "Yeah," someone in the back spoke up. "You're the Marriage Dad." "Yes," Gus replied with a smile. "I understand that the video Josh made was a big hit on the internet. I'm glad. I hope it helped other couples." "It sure helped us, Dad" Bess added. "Tonight, I want to amend to my earlier advice. A chapter two, if you will. It seems that I left out something important last time, Bess. So, I'm offering more advice tonight for the two of you," Gus said looking at Bess and Brian. Gus's palms were sweaty and he was working to keep his voice from cracking. He had asked Shelly's advice on this short speech and she told him that he might be rushing things. But Gus needed to put the past behind him, so he could have a life again. Erasing Julie Ch. 03 "This advice is born of my pain, suffering and unhappiness. Listen closely so that you don't repeat my mistake," Gus continued. "No one really likes to talk about the Dark Side of marriage. This is where errors, mistakes and misjudgments occur together with the hurt, pain and heartbreak that result. I know what you are both thinking: it won't happen to me! I'll never do that! You are wrong. It will happen. And not just once, but many times during your marriage. Sometimes it will happen accidently, and sometimes it will be purposeful. Sometimes the incident will be small, and sometimes it will be enormous. Suddenly you will find yourself in the role of Darth Vader wondering how you joined the Dark Side." Gus labored to control his breathing. He began to doubt the wisdom of giving his talk the evening before Bess's wedding. It could ruin an otherwise joyous occasion. "With the help of a lovely lady, Shelly Green, I have discovered two ideas, two tools, to extract myself from the Hell of the Dark Side, and I want to share these with you both. "The first idea is: you are the only one responsible for your own happiness. You and only you. It's easy to be a victim and give up responsibility for your happiness to someone or something else. Victims feel at home in the Dark Side of marriage. You want to leave the Dark Side? Simple: take back the responsibility for your own happiness. Stop being a victim!" Gus looked directly at Bess and Brian. Both looked surprised at the intensity of his words and that told Gus he had to continue. He didn't want his daughter's marriage to fail as his had failed. "The second idea is: release. Release isn't about the other person, either. It is all about the person who is releasing. It's about letting go of all the anger and pain so that you can love once more. You don't release for the sake of other person, you release for yourself. So release and be happy. Or don't release and stay miserable. It is simple, really," Gus summarized with a forced smile. He looked around the table and saw the stunned looks of the guests. No one could have imagined Gus would discuss such dark, serious topics on the eve of the wedding. A movement caught his eye, and he looked at the back of the room. Julie was leaning against the back wall. Gus took a deep breath and continued. "For the past four months I have been living in the Hell of the Dark Side. But as my son, Josh, observed, I was still carrying the hate and pain with me every moment of every day. I certainly was not happy, nor could I be happy. Thank you, son." Gus glanced at Josh and saw the smile and thumbs up from his son. At least one person was supporting his efforts. "And tonight, I take the next step," Gus continued as he looked at Julie. "Four months ago I discovered that my wife of twenty-four years had engaged in a clandestine two-year affair with an old college lover in Seattle." The guests were shocked and began whispering among themselves. Many of them had suspected something was amiss in the marriage, but Julie's untimely death had silenced any rumors. No one wanted to speak ill of the dead. "She returned to Anchorage a few days before her accident. She was pregnant with her lover's child." Loud murmurs circulated around the table. Gus knew that he had to ignore them and just keep going to the end. He clasped his hand together to keep them from shaking. "We were in the initial stages of a nasty divorce when Julie died as a result of a traffic accident," Gus continued. "It was nasty because I chose to make it so. I was angry, and I wanted to punish her. "I will never forgive Julie for all her actions concerning her affair with Greg Peterson. But I will no longer hide the truth and keep it bottled up inside me. The truth about Julie is dark and ugly, and telling that truth will set me free from the pain, anger and hate that I have been living for far too long." I'm sorry, Gus. Gus watched the back of the room as Julie disappeared. Bess bolted from her chair and embraced her father. "Daddy, I'm so glad you are getting help," she sobbed. "That's the best wedding present you could have given me." Brian stood nearby smiling. Several people left their chairs to shake Gus's hand and console him. Gus sat back down in his chair, put his face in his hands and wept. Epilog: Five Years Later "I forgot to tell you" Gus said to his wife. "I had a dream about her last night." They were holding hands walking down the hall to the maternity ward. He loved sharing his dreams with Shelly. It made Gus feel closer to his wife. "Her?" "Julie. I hadn't thought about her for almost two years. Now she's in my dream. What do you think it means." "Tell me the dream." "I don't remember much. She just appeared in my dream and said 'See you soon, Gus' then she walked away. You don't think I'm going to die soon, do you?" Shelly laughed and hugged her husband. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her and her daughter, Annie. She wasn't about to let him go anywhere! "No, you are not going to die. Your dream may have been triggered by the birth of your first granddaughter, Gus. Or maybe it was a touch of indigestion. Don't read too much into it, okay?" "Sure." They continued walking in the hallway until they saw Josh approaching them holding a small bundle. "Here she is, Dad," Josh said with pride as he presented his daughter to his father. "She's is beautiful, son," Gus replied. "My first granddaughter." "Well, we have to catch up with Bess and Brian's two boys, right?" "Have you and Linda picked a name for her?" Shelly asked. "Yeah. We wanted to run it by you first, Dad. How does Marie Juliette Randall sound?" "Your mother would be very pleased, Josh" Gus replied hesitantly. "It's a fine name, a really fine name. May I hold her?" Josh's selection for his first granddaughter's name unsettled Gus. It would be a constant reminder of his first wife, someone he wanted to forget. Josh gingerly passed his daughter to his father. Gus accepted the bundle and held her close. Shelly peered at her face and saw that the child was awake. Gus looked closely at his granddaughter. She was looking around as if searching for something. Finally she looked Gus straight in the eyes and he thought he saw a slight smile. For a child born a day and a half ago, she seems unusually aware of her surroundings, Gus thought. The infant continued to stare at Gus. Those eyes reminded Gus of Julie's eyes. Yes, the infant definitely had Julie's eyes. "Hello, Gus." Gus was so startled by hearing Julie's voice in his head that he almost dropped the child. "Fuck," Gus said under his breath as he quickly passed her back to Josh. "What?" Shelly asked. "Josh, I'm suddenly not feeling well, so I'm leaving now. I don't want to give it to Marie." Gus turned, grabbed Shelly and quickly walked away. "Gus, what's wrong? It looks like you've seen a ghost," Shelly inquired. "Worse than that. Much worse. Let's get the hell out of town, Shelly. Far, far away from this place. Okay?" "Sure, Gus, sure," Shelly replied. She was very concerned for her husband. His actions were uncharacteristically abrupt. Over the past five years with Shelly's help Gus had convinced himself that Julie's ghost was just a figment of his imagination. And after he began to work with Shelly to release Julie, she never appeared again; the wedding dinner was the last time. And now... Was he going crazy? Or was Julie back in his life? The End.