0 comments/ 111834 views/ 43 favorites Juvenile Escapades By: PAPATOAD There is no sex in this story. Sorry Thanks to the Hip and Knee doctor for editing assistance. * There was nothing juvenile about us, except our actions. Three grown men acting like a bunch of teenagers. It was a bad situation and we were trying our best not to let it eat us up. It is easy to become bitter and vengeful when your wife is cheating on you. It takes self control to keep from blowing up. As long as the three of us stayed together, we could support each other. So, which one of our wives were cheating? All of them. It all came about over a six month period. My wife, Loretta, started the ball rolling and had no trouble getting Dora and Colleen to join in. By the time the three of us figured out what was going on, it was too late to save any of the marriages. None of us were interested in trying anyhow. Things all come to a head tonight. Amazingly, none of the wives are aware that we know what the hell is going on. We spent the last month getting things ready and we actually are excited about pulling it off. Woody, Terry, and myself grew up together. We were born and raised in Womelsdorf and had originally expected to retire here. Unfortunately, things changed when the wives wandered. Tomorrow, we would be leaving for our new life in Canada. Tonight, we would have a final, juvenile fling. Why juvenile? Well, what we were planning was childish and inappropriate. We preferred that to violent and vengeful. It was Terry's idea to go to Canada. The three of us used to go there for fishing trips every summer. We always had a great time and often mentioned how neat it would be to live there full-time. Of course, we all were married and had kids. My two daughters were both married and gone. Terry had a son who was in the Air Force. Woody had two sons who were at college and a seventeen year old daughter, Caitlyn, still at home. Caitlyn would have been a problem until Woody found out that she was aware of what her mother was doing. She threatened to leave if he didn't do something about it. In the end it was three guys going to Canada and one head-strong teenage girl. It was complicated for a while, but we all agreed that we could still make it work. Terry was a chef. Actually, he was a cook. He didn't have any formal training, just a lot of experience. He and Dora owned a small family restaurant for the last ten years. Well, they did own a restaurant, until Terry sold it last week, without Dora's knowledge. I am not sure how he worked it all out, but he walked away with a hundred thousand dollars in cash. When he added that to all of the money that he withdrew from the bank and cashed in insurance policies, we had a nice little starting bundle. Woody owned an auto repair shop with his brother Glenn. Glenn had been trying to buy Woody out for years, so that was another easy hundred grand for the relocation kitty. He got almost half that much for his 1964 Vette. Today, he cleaned out all of his bank accounts. I was the only one of the bunch that went to college. I didn't have a business like the other guys, but I did have over a quarter of a million dollars in investments. I made a good salary as an electrical engineer and invested wisely. Even in the bad market, I was able to hold my own. It took a couple weeks to get things liquidated, but now it was all done. So altogether we had close to a million dollars. Our original goal was to get a fly-in fishing lodge, but somewhere along the line we mellowed out and settled for one that our guests could drive to. It ended up costing us almost five hundred thousand dollars, but we were happy. We had enough cash left over to get started and support ourselves for at least four years. If we made money, things would even be better. We were all packed up and ready. Tomorrow morning, the three-car caravan would leave for a new life in the North woods. Wow, it sounded about as exciting as 'Little House on the Prairie'. Loretta worked in a claims office for one of the big insurance companies in the area. Somehow or another, she got close to her boss, Raymond Upright. In order to get together with Raymond in the evenings, she talked Dora and Colleen into covering for her. The girls would go out together for supper and some drinks, or to attend some type of home party, so that Loretta would have a chance to meet Raymond, at his house. This went on for a couple of months and then Raymond arranged a date for Colleen. The girls didn't want to leave Dora out, so a couple of weeks later, she had a steady escort also. So as it stands now, every Wednesday evening the girls have a night out while the guys played poker. The three ladies and their paramours would spend their time having wild passionate sex in Raymond's suburban home. We never did figure out if there was any swapping going on, but it didn't seem important. Woody selected the Holiday Inn as a staging area. We waited at home until after the wives left for their night out. For some reason, they each drove their own car. I guess that was in case one of them wanted to leave early or stay late. Caitlyn was unhappy about having to wait for us at the motel, but we couldn't chance having her along. We weren't planning anything too very elaborate, but we could still get in trouble. Woody and Terry were going straight back to the Holiday Inn, so they rode together. I wanted to see Loretta one last time before leaving, so I took my own car. There were six cars parked outside of the Upright home. It looked like everyone drove themselves. About a half hour after we got there, one of the bedroom lights came on and then went back off. Shortly thereafter, the same thing happened in the other two bedrooms. Each of us had a set of side cutting pliers. It took less than two minutes to cut all of the valve stems on each of the cars. I had staked out the house the week before, so I knew just where the electrical service box was. The individual breakers were inside, but the main panel was outside, just above the meter. While I went up to the house, Terry and Woody get the smoke flares ready. Terry built ten smoke flares using PVC pipe. I don't know what was in them other than saltpeter and sugar. Terry tested them and they would burn between twenty and thirty minutes. They were big suckers. Woody went around to the back of the house and Terry to the front. When I saw the first bit of white smoke, I threw the main power switch. Using my mini-mag, I opened the box and popped out the main breaker. By the time I got to the car, all ten smoke flares were going full blast. Most of them were white, but a few were orange and red. The house was completely engulfed in smoke as we left. I used the Trac phone to call two of the local TV stations on the way home. It was at least an hour later when I heard a car door shut out front. Loretta looked like shit as she came into the house. I was sitting in front of the muted TV with a beer. It wasn't cold because I had the same one in my hand for the last thirty minutes. "How was your evening darling?" She put down her purse and kicked off her shoes. "I had to take a cab home. The car has a flat." "Why didn't you call me?" There was no answer. "Do you want me to go get the car for you?" "No, I'll take care of it in the morning. I am tired. I need a shower and I want to go to bed." "Loretta, where are your earrings? You had the diamond solitaires on when you left the house." Her hand went up to her ear and her mouth dropped open a little. I was expecting her to say that they were in her purse, but she didn't say anything. " Let me guess. You took them off so that you wouldn't lose them in the bed. You left your purse in the living room, so you had to put the ear rings on the night stand. When the lights went out, you forgot the earrings in your rush to get out of the house. Is that about it?" She gave me a quizzical look. "How did you know that the lights went out?" I held up the master breaker that I pulled from the box. "Oh God, No! You were there? Please, John, don't tell me that you were there." I smiled and got out of the chair. "I wasn't alone. Terry and Woody were with me. We will be gone in the morning. We bought a shrimp boat down in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. I hope that you and Raymond will be very happy." "John, wait. Don't go. John. Can we talk? John." I slammed the door behind me, and walked to the car. I drove by the Upright house on the way to the motel. There were a couple of black and white's, and four tow trucks, trying to get the cars out of there. I parked down the street and walked right into the garage. Nobody tried to stop me. The house was dark and it was empty. Using the mini-mag I checked the bedrooms. I found a pair of diamond earrings in the second one along with both of Loretta's wedding rings. I thought that it was interesting that she actually took off her rings before she committed adultery. Ten minutes later, I was at the Holiday Inn. Loretta had called the other wives and they were desperately trying to mend things. According to Terry, Dora was crying so hysterically that he couldn't understand a word that she said. He turned his phone off. Colleen, on the other hand, was not as emotional. All she did was demand that Woody come home immediately and explain himself. He turned his phone off also. We had one room with two double beds reserved. Caitlyn was not nuts about sleeping in a room with three guys, but she was a last minute addition, so she had to endure it. We slept in our clothes and started out at five the next morning. We had reservations for the next night at Plattsburg. Woody promised Caitlyn that she could have a room of her own. We were on the road for about five hours when my cell phone rang. I forgot to turn it off. Caller Id showed that it was my eldest daughter, Sarah. "Dad. It's Sarah. What is going on between you and mom?" "Is she there?" "Yes, and she is a wreck. She said that you won't let her explain anything." "Did she explain it to you?" "No. She just said you are being unreasonable and unfair. That is all I can get out of her." "Sarah. Do me a favor. Look and see if your mother is wearing her wedding rings." There was a short pause. "No. What does that mean?" "Ask her where her wedding rings are?" I heard a few muffled noises and then Sarah came back. "Dad. What the hell is going on? I asked about her rings and she burst out crying and ran out of the house. She drove away, but I didn't recognize the car she was driving." "When your mother is ready to tell you what happened, I will discuss it with you. Until then, I really have nothing more to say." "I'll go by the house and see her later today." I turned my phone off. I didn't need any more grief. At noon today, each of the wives will be served with divorce papers. Raymond Upright will get some alienation of affection papers, as will Carl Wilcox and Dennis Roswell. Our mutual attorney, Seymour Schlamp, has promised to keep us updated on events, as long as he has a way to contact us. Seymour went to school with us and was proud to be included in our revenge efforts. It is really not revenge, just a way to get away from the problem. Two days later, we were settled in our new home. Hopefully, our wives were expecting us to go Alabama. It would just be easier if no one came looking for us. Terry was excited about the kitchen, his new empire. The lodge closed for two weeks so that we could get familiar with things. A few of the old employees were staying with us during that time. Woody had his hands full. Between keeping the boat motors running and the lodge generators humming, he had very little free time. Caitlyn agreed to wait tables and do the housekeeping, but since she was not a part owner, she wanted to be paid. How could we refuse? By the time our first guest arrived, we had everything ready. Terry had his menu planned out and his larder filled. Woody had all of the boat motors tuned up. The overall management of the place was on my shoulders. I relished the challenge. Skilled fishing guides, from the area, were anxiously waiting for the guests. What they made depended on how successful their trip was. It was something we didn't have to concern ourselves with. When ever I got the chance, I was working on the Web site for the lodge. The better the Web site, the easier it would be to keep the rooms filled. Terry, Woody, and I were fishermen. When the Fall arrived, we would have to start providing services for people who were interested in hunting or something else. At this point, we had no idea what we were going to do. We decided to cross that bridge when we came to it. Things at the lodge were going great. Things at home were not. Seymour called to give us an update. Dora was the only one of the wife's that signed and returned the divorce papers. She didn't want the divorce, but felt obligated to do anything that Terry asked her to do. She had, however, become a recluse. She stayed in the house most of the time and refused to talk to anyone. Colleen had disappeared, along with Dennis Roswell. Seymour wasn't even able to serve them. No one knew where she was. Seymour kept the worst news for last. Loretta refused to sign the divorce papers and Raymond Upright had moved into the house with her: our house. So much for the remorseful wife. For the next few days I was worthless around the lodge. Finally, Woody and Terry sat me down and insisted that I go back home and straighten things out. I didn't wait until morning. I woke up in the middle of the night, and started to drive South. It wasn't fair to the guys if I didn't do my share. I had to make things right. Of course, I crapped out about half way. I am not a marathon driver. I got a small room and called Seymour. I told him to sue Continental Paragon Insurance for one million dollars, with an out clause. If they fire both Loretta and Raymond, I will drop the suit. Seymour complained a little, because he knew which option they would be taking, and he saw the big bucks flying out the window. I told him to bill me for the hours and serve the papers at noon tomorrow. I was up and on the road early. By eight o'clock, I was sitting across from the house, out of sight. Ten minutes later the garage door opened and Loretta and Raymond left for work, together. It looked natural and it pissed me off. It was time for some more juvenile escapades. I stopped by Kroger's and picked up a half a dozen cans of red beets, and a package of rubber gloves. By that time my favorite oriental market was open. The first purchase was five pounds of what is commonly called stinky tofu. In the frozen food section, I picked up five bags of frozen skinny fish. I don't know what the real name is. We bought them for fish bait because they smelled so bad. We just called them skinny fish. The last thing I got was a couple of Durian fruit. Durian fruit is considered to be the worst smelling food in the world. I was sure that I could figure out some way to use it. Thirty minutes later, I was back in my old house. I figured I had about three hours to do what had to be done. The first thing was to use the skinny fish before they started to thaw. All I needed was a common screw driver. I went from room to room and removed each electrical switch cover and wall socket. I dropped two skinny fish into the wall behind each fixture. It took me about ten minutes per room. An hour and a half later I ran out of fish. The sticky tofu was soft and mushy. It spread like butter. I used it on the top and bottom of the mattresses and on all the furniture cushions. The odor would permeate the fabric and could never be removed. I had to use the cleaver in the kitchen, to cut the Durian fruit into pieces. Wow, did it smell rotten. I put a piece deep into each of the heating/air conditioning ducts in the house. I walked around to inspect my work. I had carefully replaced all of the electrical fixtures so that they could not figure out where the smell was coming from. Satisfied with my efforts, I dribbled red beet juice on every rug in every room. No stain remover could get it out. I was done inside the house. Before leaving, I went to the garage and opened the breaker panel. I removed each breaker and then the main. I pulled the panel out and with my trusty screw driver undid each connection. It was an electricians nightmare, especially since I took the panel and breakers with me. My work here was done. They can have the house now. In thirty minutes, all hell would break lose at Continental Paragon. It was time to leave. For some reason, I felt that I should stop and see Dora. She let me in the house and offered me coffee. I felt obligated to accept. She asked how Terry was, but offered nothing more. We sat without speaking until I finished my coffee. I asked her if there was anything that I could do for her and she broke out crying, and left the room. As I walked to the door, she called out to me. "John. Tell him for me. Please, tell him for me." "Tell him what?" She came back, crying again. I had a hard time understanding her. "I didn't fuck him, John. Tell Terry that I didn't fuck Carl. I did some other stuff, but I didn't fuck him." "What do you mean other stuff?" "You know. He kept badgering me. I had to do something to make him stop. I didn't even want to be there. Colleen and Loretta made me go. They thought that if I did it too, I wouldn't say anything. I felt trapped." I just stood there. I didn't know what to say. "Please. John. Tell Terry that I didn't fuck him. I love Terry and I am sorry I let Colleen and Loretta talk me into going with them. I don't know what to do. Help me , John." I felt worse than before I came. I nodded to her and left. She was truly remorseful for what she did, but did not know how to make it right. Before starting back to the lodge, I stopped to see Sarah. She was no longer speaking to her mother. Loretta never told her what happened, but she found out somehow. When Sarah confronted Loretta, there was an argument, which had not yet been resolved. More damn grief. I was just outside of Plattsburgh when my cell phone rang. It was Loretta. Sarah must have given her my number. "John. You son-of-a-bitch. What the hell did you do?" "Can you be a little more specific?" "I got fired today. They said they had to either fire me or face a lawsuit. Your name was mentioned." "That is terrible, darling. I was hoping that they would just pay me the million dollars. I guess we both lost out." It was hard not to laugh. "That is not all of it. When I got home I found out that the house had been trashed. There was no electricity and it smelled to high heaven. What did you do to my house?" "It's not your house, Loretta. You refused to sign the divorce papers. It's our house. It is as much mine as your's, and I can do anything I want to it." "I called the police. You are going to have to pay to have it fixed and face charges." "Why don't you just get Raymond to fix it? He seems to be better at taking care of things than I was." "He would be happy to talk to you about that, John, especially since you got him fired too." "I'll tell you what Loretta, the next time I am in town, I will give him a call." The conversation was getting a little redundant. I was glad to hear that everything went well, but I really didn't want to talk to her anymore. I never bothered to say goodbye, I just turned the phone off. I was hoping to be back at the lodge by breakfast. Things seemed to run smoothly while I was gone, except for one slight problem. "Caitlyn, where the hell is your father?" "Hi John. Welcome back. Dad will only be gone for a couple of days. He had a small problem that he had to take care of in Vegas." "Yeah. He had to borrow a little of the working cash for the trip. He told me to tell you not to worry." Juvenile Escapades "How much working cash?" "Ten grand." "What the hell does he need ten thousand dollars for?" "I am not sure, but I think it has something to do with mom." "Oh crap. Where is Terry?" "In the kitchen, getting ready for lunch." Well other than the fact that one of the partners ran off with a big chunk of our operating capital, things seemed to be all right. Terry was busy, but seemed to have everything under control. He had figured out that it was easier to put out a small buffet every day than to let the guests order from the menu. It was working for him and there were no complaints from the lodgers. "John. Welcome back. How was the trip?" "It was a lot of fun, actually. I was glad that I went." "I guess you know that Woody is gone?" "Caitlyn gave me a quick rundown, but she didn't seem to know much." "Colleen is in trouble. She called Seymour, and asked if he could get in touch with Woody. It seems that Dennis skipped out on her, after running up a nice size bill at the MGM grand. The hotel had her arrested for defrauding an inn keeper. The bill was just under ten grand. They are holding her in the local jail, until the bill is paid. She is looking at some jail time if nothing is done soon." "You are not telling me that Woody is going to use our money to pay the hotel bill for Colleen and her boyfriend?" "I don't think so. He was smiling when he left. He might have something up his sleeve." "Boy, I sure hope so. We might need that money for the winter." "He got a round trip ticket, and should be back this evening." I was turning to leave, when I remembered my visit to Dora. "Terry, I saw Dora while I was home. She is not doing well." "Tough shit. After what they did to us, I don't have any sympathy for her or the others." "I am not sure, but I think it might have been different with Dora." "Different? How? A cheater is a cheater. It can't be undone." "Loretta and Colleen might have pressured her into joining them. I don't think she wanted to, but she felt forced into it." "Is that what she told you?" "Not exactly, but she did want me to make sure to tell you that she didn't screw the guy." "Then what the hell was she doing there?" I didn't answer him. There was a short pause in the conversation before he started to put two and two together. "Oh crap. Don't tell me. She wasn't screwing him, but she was sucking his cock. That's great. Just wonderful." "She said that she felt as if she had to do something. She insisted that I tell you that she didn't fuck him. Apparently, Loretta and Colleen had really put the screws to her." I could tell that Terry was upset. "I am sorry, John, but as far as I am concerned, sucking a guys cock is just as bad as screwing him. She shouldn't have been there in the first place." I left him alone to brood. I think I understood what was going on in his head, but I have to admit that I didn't know what I would do under the same circumstances. It only took me a few hours to get the days business done. I had to figure out how we could make money over the winter months. We had the fishing season covered, but we needed a little more. We were not interested in competing with the hunting camps and unanimously rejected anything to do with snowmobiles. My research was interrupted by a new guest. Amanda Freese was a striking woman. Boy, was that a trite phrase. I was kicking myself for even thinking it. She was in her mid-forties, with short, dark hair and a perpetual tan. She wasn't a beauty, but her posture and demeanor compensated for it. "You are the new owner I assume?" "One of them. How can I help you?" "I can pretty well take care of myself. I am Amanda Freese. I have been coming here regularly for the past few years and I am hoping to continue to do so. I hope you haven't changed too many things, because I hate change." "If there are any changes that you do not like, just let me know." "I will, I assure you." I felt that she was trying to bait me a little, but I was unsure of her purpose in doing so. It was my responsibility to keep her happy, but I had no intention of allowing her to shit on me. "Luc Boudreau has been my regular guide. I assume he is still available?" "Absolutely." "I am going to spend the rest of the day getting settled in today. Can you make sure that Luc is here in the morning?" "No problem, Mrs. Freese." Luc Boudreau was more than happy to tell me about Amanda Freese. For some reason, she took a shine to him. He was no better or worse than the other guides, but he refused to take any guff from her. He said that she seemed to like that. The only thing that she was interested in was pike fishing. That was odd, because she came from Burlington. There were plenty of pike in Lake Champaign. She had no reason to drive herself to our place. Luc wasn't sure, but thought that she was divorced. She had a son, who only came with her on one trip. He hated spending time on the lake, so she never brought him back with her. She was a great tipper and, it appeared that she was Luc's favorite guest. Pike fishing was an unusual choice for a woman. It wasn't exactly exciting. Hooking and landing a pike is sort of like snagging a log. She never kept any of them. It was strictly catch and release. There was something fascinating about her. I was looking forward to her stay with us. Some time in the middle of the night, Woody had returned. When I came down stairs, he was half way though breakfast and seemed happy to see me. "Tell me the bad news, Woody. How much did your trip to Vegas end up costing us?" Woody was sort of quietly laughing as Caitlyn poured me a cup of coffee. "Not one cent, good buddy: not one damn cent." "You seem in good spirits. I didn't anticipate that." "I paid for my own ticket John. Round trip excursion fares to Las Vegas are pretty cheap. I took a wad of cash with me so that I could flash it in front of Colleen. It worked perfectly." "What worked?" Woody had finished his meal and pushed the plate aside. "They were holding Colleen until she could pay the hotel bill that she and dickhead had run up. He skipped out on her, but she wasn't smart enough to realize what was going on. When she repaid the $9700, plus court costs, she would be released. I showed her the money and promised to take care of everything as soon as she signed the divorce papers. I never saw her move so fast." "I thought you said it didn't cost us anything?" "John, I am not that stupid. I took the signed papers and walked right out of the court house. I am sure it was several hours, until she realized that I had screwed her just as bad as Dennis did. I mailed the signed papers to Seymour and caught the next plane back to Montreal." "You are a rotten son-of-a-bitch, Woody." "Yeah, I know, and I feel great." When Caitlyn came over to refill the coffee, I asked her to bring me some breakfast. She said it would take a little while because Terry was gone. Now what the hell was going on? Caitlyn was better in the kitchen than I was, so I helped out by waiting tables so that she could concentrate on the cooking. Luckily, the breakfast crowd was staggered out over several hours. I cleaned up in the kitchen while Caitlyn got all the housekeeping duties taken care. The lunch buffet went a little smoother. It was easier to be a bus-boy than a waiter. Caitlyn did a great job again, preparing the meal. There was no doubt that we needed more help. Luc Boudreau was waiting in my office for me after lunch. It was not a good sign because I didn't want to lose him as a guide. "Mister Mercer, I just need a minute of your time." "Is something wrong, Luc? If so, I'll do whatever I can to fix it." "Nothing is wrong, but I am concerned about Miss Amanda." "Concerned how?" "She is asking a lot of questions. She never does that. She is getting annoyed with me because I can not answer most of them. I don't want her mad at me." "What kind of questions?" "Mostly about you and why you bought the lodge. She asked me where you came from and about your wife. I can't answer any of these questions." "She never did that before?" "Hell, no. She never even talked to me before, except about the pike." "Anything else?" "She was asking a lot of question about the young girl: the one who does the housekeeping." "Caitlyn? Why would she be asking about her?" Luc just shrugged his shoulders. He felt uncomfortable about the whole situation, so I thanked him and he quickly left. He seemed relieved and satisfied about the conversation. Woody took care of supper. He set up some grills on the front porch and we had all the guests cook their own steaks. The weather was cool and balmy, but every body seemed to enjoy it, even Amanda Freese. Beans, Cole Slaw and garlic toast were an easy accompaniment. Woody and Caitlyn were cleaning up and I noticed Amanda Freese sitting by the fireplace with a glass of red wine. It wasn't really cold enough for a good fire, but the small one looked pleasant. "May I join you?" She didn't say anything, but shifted over on the couch to make more room. It was a good sign. I had no idea what I was going to say next. "Did Luc come to see you?" She anticipated my visit. "Did you tell him to?" "Not really, but I primed the pump a little, so to speak." "You baited him?" "In a fashion. It became obvious that Luc did not know any more about you and your staff than I did. I would feel awkward approaching you directly, so I was hoping that he could get you interested enough to come to me." "You are a very devious woman? Is there a purpose in your madness?" She finished her wine and laughed a little. I reached out my hand for the empty, which she readily gave me. A few moments later, I returned with the bottle and two glasses. "Now that you don't feel awkward anymore, are there any questions that you want answered?" "Several." "I'll make you a deal. I get to ask you a question for everyone that you ask me." "That's not fair. I am entitled to my privacy, but you are not." "Would you rather just sit here and enjoy the wine and the fire?" "No. I want some answers." "You are quite argumentative." "Yes I am. Are you married?" "No fair. You snuck in a question when I wasn't looking." I don't know if it was the wine or the banter, but we were both getting comfortable. "I am, or shall I say I was. I am presently in the process of getting divorced." She nodded when I answered and took a sip of wine. "My turn. Are you divorced?" "You asked that question backwards." "Yes, I know. I am an optimist." "I have been divorced for nine years and I have an eighteen year old son." "I have two daughters; married and gone." "I didn't ask." "I anticipated." It was a strange conversation and it continued for over an hour. I was forced to open another bottle of wine before we finished. Amanda finally excused herself because Luc was expecting her at 6AM, and she proudly announced that she was never late. I was looking forward to spending more time with her. The next morning brought several unexpected surprises. Woody and I came down for breakfast together and were surprised that our new waitress was none other than Dora. Woody and I smiled at each other as we said good morning to her. Neither of us made any smart-assed comments and tried our best to act as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. At one point, I caught Dora looking at me and she silently said "Thank you." I just nodded. Later that morning, Seymour called. Loretta had agreed to sign the divorce papers with one stipulation: She wanted to be free and clear of all liability connected to the house and that I would take over sole ownership. The house was trashed, but it still had good bones. I told him to go for it. I was six hundred miles away, but felt certain that I could figure something out. It was nice to see some positive results coming from a silly, childish prank. What truly amazed me is that she wasn't trying to get any of the assets that had been accumulated. She only knew about half of them, but it was odd that she was more than willing to walk away without demanding anything. Terry stuck his nose in at the office and gave me a wink, but nothing more. He was a better man than I was, and I felt good for him. Amanda Freese took the afternoon off from her fishing. She was in the main lodge area with Caitlyn. I glanced in at them a few times trying to get a feel for what was going on. Caitlyn seemed a bit agitated with the older woman at times, indicating that they were disagreeing about something, but she didn't walk away. I had a difficult time concentrating the rest of the afternoon. I wanted to talk with Terry to find out what happen that put him back together with Dora. I was hoping to chat with Luc a little to see if the mysterious Mrs. Freese had said anything during the morning fishing. What was going on between Amanda and Caitlyn? I was dying to call Loretta just to let her vent a little and silently gloat. I felt sure that Dora wanted to talk to me, but without being obvious. Damn it, I was turning into the worlds biggest busy body. All of a sudden, I found my self laughing at the stupidity of everything that was going on. Woody popped in with a couple of cold beers and broke the spell. Terry was bitching because we used all the steaks and screwed up his menu for the rest of the week. That beer sure tasted good. Woody and I decided that we would not ask Terry about what was going on with Dora. When he was ready, he would tell us. Shortly after Woody left, Luc stopped in just to let me know that Mrs. Freese had been in a great mood that morning. She didn't catch many fish, but didn't seemed upset about it. He gave me a smile and a wink when he left. I was not sure what that meant. Amanda Freese always sat by herself during meal time. I tried to avoid casual contact with the guests, but tonight I decided to impose on the mystery woman. Actually, she wasn't that much of a mystery anymore, just interesting. "May I join you?" "Of course. I haven't ordered yet." "You didn't go out this afternoon." "No. I wanted to talk to Caitlyn. I should have asked her father for permission first, but I was hoping to keep it casual." "How did that work out for you?" "Not too well, I am afraid. I wasn't able to explain things the way that I should have. I just hope that I didn't botch it up too bad." Dora interrupted the conversation to take our supper order. We picked one of three entrees and the rest of the meal was prefix. Terry knew how to keep things simple. "What exactly were you trying to do?" "I told you last night that I had a son." "You mentioned it, but you did not elaborate." "Jason is very smart, good looking, and physically healthy, but he has one problem. He has been mentally abused by his father since he was a baby. Although he has always excelled at everything he attempted his father was never satisfied. The constant browbeating and belittling has left him with no self esteem and no confidence. He stutters and shies away from contact with other people, whether they are adults or people his own age." "I assume that is what prompted the divorce?" "Absolutely. I also have a restraining order that prevent his father from contacting him even after he became of legal age. I have good lawyers." The conversation stopped momentarily as Dora served our food. "Luc had said that Jason came here to the lodge with you on one occasion." "Yes. I was hoping that it would help him relax, but he hated the lake and hated the fishing. Since then, He has stayed with my sister when I come up." Do you feel bad about leaving him alone?" "Yes, but I think it is necessary. I don't want him to be dependent upon me. At some point, he will have to be on his own. I try to stay away a little longer each time to condition him. Unfortunately, leaving him with my sister isn't helping much." " I think I see where this is going, but why Caitlyn?" "She is the same age as Jason. She seems to be poised and confident. She works hard. Other than that, I don't know much about her. She is attractive and people seem to feel comfortable around her." "What is it exactly that you were expecting her to do for you, or should I say for Jason?" "All I wanted her to do, was spend some one-on-one time with him. I was hoping that I could bring him here for a few weeks and that maybe he would open up some. He is scheduled to start at Princeton in six weeks. In his present condition he will not be able to go. I spent thousands of dollars on professional therapists and it was all wasted." "That is probably too much to expect in two weeks." "I have to try something." "I noticed that Caitlyn did not appear to be too responsive." "She promised to think about it, but I am afraid it doesn't look too promising." "Would you like to talk to Woody?" "I was hoping that you would be able to do that for me." "Why me?" "I am a good judge of people. Unfortunately, I allowed my father to select my husband for me. I will never make that mistake again." "I'll see what I can do. Are you having desert?" "I will, if you join me." I found Caitlyn and Woody out on the porch. It was chilly, but beautiful. "Can I interrupt?" "By all means. Caitlyn and I were waiting for you do come out. How was your supper?" "Interesting. Your beautiful daughter was the topics of our dinner discussion." "That is what we were hoping." "Uncle John, she pissed me off. I can't tell if she wants me to be a baby sitter or a prostitute." I wasn't really her uncle, but she got used to calling me that years ago and it seemed to stick. "There is a big difference between those two options." "Well, I am not nuts about either one of the choices." "Is that how she presented it to you, or did you come to that conclusion?" Caitlyn waited a moment before replying. "No, I just assumed that was what she was getting at. In any event, I have no intention of spending my time with a retard." "Wow baby! Bad choice of words." Woody seemed a little annoyed with his daughters insensitivity. "Well, I don't know how else to describe him. Mrs. Freese tried to explain what was wrong with him and I really didn't pay attention. My mind was jumping all around." "Caitlyn, he is starting at Princeton in a couple months. He is not stupid or retarded. In fact, as I understand it, he is pretty damn smart." Woody and I watched as his daughter paced back and forth on the porch. "No. It is still not right. She is offering me money to take care of her son. I am not a baby sitter and I am not a...." She paused in mid-sentence. "I am not an escort. You don't pay somebody to spend time with somebody else like that." I smiled at her defiance. "I have an easy solution. Why don't you tell her that you will do want she wants for no charge. That way your reputation will stay untainted." "What reputation? I don't care what other people think. I have to live with myself." Woody was quietly laughing at his daughter's attempt to act grown up. What she was saying made sense, but it was a long stretch. "How can I get my work done and watch him at the same time?" "Dora can take over all of your kitchen and dining room duties and Jason can help you with house keeping in the mornings. That leaves the afternoons free." "And what am I supposed to do with him then?" "Run naked through the woods and make mad passionate love." Woody tried, but couldn't keep a straight face. It was a silly way to tease his own daughter, but she left herself wide open for it and he just couldn't resist. "Damn it, Dad. Quit it. This is serious and you and John are turning it into some kind of a joke." Caitlyn plopped down on the bench between us. Juvenile Escapades "Okay, I'll do it, but only for two weeks." Woody gave her a hug. I am not sure why, but I guess he was proud of the decision that she made. We all got up and started back into the lodge. "Dad. How come I can't go to Princeton?" Woody just groaned and smacked her on the backside. Later that night, Amanda and I had coffee in front of the fireplace. She seemed happy with the way things were going and decided to extend her stay at the lodge so that she could be here at the same time her son was. She seemed a little upset while I voiced disapproval of her idea. We did reach a compromised, however. I promised to keep her entertained if she promised to leave Caitlyn and Jason alone. She thought the idea was humorous and wanted to know exactly what I had in mind. I still hadn't got to talk to Terry or Sara about why she was at the lodge. It could wait until they were ready. After I went to bed I couldn't get to sleep. I had one thing that kept playing over and over in my mind. Why didn't Loretta try and get any of the money that was in the bank. Why was she so quick to settle. What was it, that I didn't know? Amanda was already on the water when I came down for breakfast. Woody and I had some blueberry pancakes, but didn't waste any time on frivolous conversation. He had two outboards to overhaul and I had bills to pay. I waited until later in the morning to call Seymour. I had that damn itch that needed to be scratched. "John, I had the same concern as you did, but I didn't want to muddy the waters. I figured that getting Loretta to sign the papers was the most important thing. I did however, put one of my girls on the problem." "Was it a problem, or something else?" "Do you remember when Loretta's father died?" "Yeah. It was about six years ago. It was pretty sad because she lost both of her parents within two years." "Loretta's father had a one hundred thousand dollar life insurance policy. Did you know that?" "She never mentioned a damn thing about that." "Loretta deposited the insurance into a money market account at the Berkshire Credit Union under her maiden name." "You're kidding, right? Why the hell would she do that?" "John, we will probably never know, unless she decided to tell you. I figured that she didn't want to try and get any part of your joint assets because she didn't want to risk losing her insurance money." "Ray Upright did not even come to town until last year, so he had nothing to do with it." "No, but that brings up another interesting point. Mister Upright has a wife and two children in Colorado Springs. As far as we could determine, Loretta was not aware of it." I couldn't help myself. I started to laugh over the phone. "I am sorry Seymour, but that is funny as hell. She threw everything away for a man who was married and she didn't even know it?" "It looks that way, and it gets worse." "How is that possible?" "She cashed in the Money Market Account yesterday, and left with a cashier's check for one hundred and twenty four thousand dollars." "It sounds like she is getting ready to leave town." "All we can do is wait and see. At least you are out of the woods." I hung up the phone and I was sitting quietly laughing to myself when Dora walked in. "John, I just wanted to thank you for talking to Terry. I really appreciate it." She was looking at her feet as she talked. "Is everything all right?" "Pretty much so. It is not like it was, but it is a lot better than it might have been." "Dora, I think he really loves you. I am glad things are back to normal." There was a short pause and then she looked up. "Things are good, John, but not back to normal. Maybe in a little while, but not yet. I can wait." "What does that mean?" Her eyes were starting to water up a little. It was not my intention to cause her any grief, so I decided to drop the subject. She started to turn and leave, but stopped. "He won't kiss me, John. My husband refuses to kiss me. We do everything else, but he cannot bring himself to touch my lips with his. I feel like a whore. It hurts, but I guess I deserve it." She was quietly sobbing as she left the office. I didn't know what to say. Jason Freese arrived shortly after lunch. He was good looking and carried himself well. You would be hard pressed to believe that he was as socially inept as his mother indicated. Caitlyn noticed him as soon as he entered the lodge and she immediately got a big grin on her face. I don't think he was what she had expected. The next two weeks were going to be interesting. Amanda coerced me into going out fishing with her several times. I didn't mind going out for perch or walleye, but I found pike fishing to be boring. I think part of that was because I could not tell the difference between a strike and a weed hang-up. Luc found the whole thing to be hilarious, although he made every attempt to control himself. She finally stopped forcing me to go out with her, if I agreed to some nature walks in the afternoon. Terry and Woody were happy with the way things were going. The three of us got together often to discuss the business. Terry never talked about his relationship with Dora. Woody and I, tactfully, did not bring it up. Of course, all of us were watching Caitlyn and Jason. It started out slow, but picked up after the second day. Woody and I finally cornered her and forced her to tell us what was going on. "I don't think the problem is as bad as Mrs. Freese makes it out to be." "Why is that?" "He is just super shy, and it is mainly because of his stutter. He can't speak normally at all, and because of that he avoids other people at all costs, especially girls. I thinks he must have gotten teased a lot when he was younger." "He seems comfortable with you." "Not at first, dad. It is getting better now, but I think it might take longer than two weeks." Woody started to laugh. "You mean you want it to take longer than two weeks." "I didn't say that. Don't make stuff up." "John, I think my daughter has got herself a boy friend. What do you think I should do about that?" "We should consider a chaperone." It was a weak attempt at teasing her, but she did react. "You guys, quit it now. He is just going to be here a few weeks and then I will never see him again. He is a nice guy and I don't understand what the fuss is all about." "Does he have a girl friend?" "Uncle John, that is not important, but the answer is 'no'. I don't think he has ever been out on a date. Between his father beating him down mentally and his mother over protecting him, he hasn't had a chance." "Did you kiss him yet?" "No dad, I did not kiss him, and I have no intention of doing so. Will you guys let it go? We are doing fine. Stop trying to screw things up." With that short lecture, she stomped out of the room. Woody and I looked at each other and smiled. Amanda and I had supper together that evening. She seemed pleased with the way that Caitlyn and Jason were getting along. I think she realized that part of his problem had been that she was playing the role of mother hen. It was good to see that she was getting ready to let him go out on his own. She also teased me about not holding up my end of our agreement. I had promised to keep her occupied, and she felt that I was not doing enough to fulfill that promise. Things at the lodge were running smoothly. The guests were happy and we were actually making a profit; it was small, but it was a profit. We made contact with several of the ice hut operators in the area. They were more than eager to place as many units on the lake by the lodge as we could handle. We would only be able to operate it for about ten weeks, but it would fill in an other wise dead period. There were several birding organizations in the area. This gave us another opportunity to fill in some slow months in the spring. We had enough of our own property and adjacent public land to create several birding trails. We were hesitant about having guests wandering around the woods during the fall hunting season, so we decided that autumn would be the best time for maintenance and upkeep of the entire facility. I was spending every evening with Amanda. It was becoming natural and comfortable for both of us. It was almost ten days after Jason's arrival when Woody and I got a little shock. Caitlyn got together with Amanda to brief her on the progress that she was making with Jason. According to Amanda, things were going far better than she had ever expected. The two of them talked for about an hour and then Woody's little girl calmly asked Amanda if she could get her some birth control pills. It was something that Mrs. Freese had not anticipated. Without thinking, she agreed to do it. After Caitlyn left, smiling, Amanda had second thoughts. That was where Woody and I came in. Amanda had no problem with doing what Caitlyn asked, but would not consider it without Woody's approval. This is something a father should not have to endure. Mothers were put on this earth to take care of situations like this. Amanda and I tried our best to alleviate Woody's anxiety about the request. Reluctantly, he finally agreed that it was for the best. It appeared that Caitlyn had done a better job with Jason than any of us had expected. The next morning I got an unexpected call from Loretta. "John, I need a little help. When I signed the papers for the divorce, I didn't ask for anything, you know, money wise." "Yeah, I know." "Well, I am in a small bind right now, and I was wondering if you could spare a few thousnd dollars to tide me over." It was evident that something had happened in the past few days; something bad for my soon to be ex-wife. "I don't understand. I thought that you had plenty of money." "What do you mean, John? I didn't take any from you or from the accounts." "No, I meant from your fathers insurance. There should have been plenty there to last you for a long time." There was a pause at the other end. "John, did you know about the insurance?" "Of course. I am not that dense. What happened to all that cash from the Money Market Account?" "Oh God, John. I am so embarrassed. I did a stupid, stupid thing." "How stupid, Loretta?" "Raymond and I opened a joint bank account with the cashiers check that I got from the credit union." "Let me guess. Raymond skipped town and the bank account is empty." "Yes. Yes, and I don't know what to do. John, I need your help." "Are you going to go and get it back?" "What do you mean? Go where? I have no idea where he is, or might go." "My guess is that he is on his way to Colorado Springs, to his wife and kids." There was a long silence. "He is married?" "Yes, and he has two kids." "Why didn't you tell me? If you knew this you should have told me, damn it, John." "I am sorry darling. I got the distinct impression that you wanted me to butt out of your life." I could tell now that she was crying. It was time to end the torture. "Loretta, stop by and see Seymour tomorrow. I will call him and tell him to give you five thousand dollars. That should be enough for a while, at least until you can get to Colorado and get an Attorney there to help you." "John?" "Yes?" "Thank you." That was the last time I ever had contact with Loretta. I guess a lot of guys would say that I shouldn't have given her anything. That was my first inclination. She screwed up so bad that I just couldn't help feeling a little sorry for her. Jason's visit to the lodge had been over a month now. It was soon going to be time for him to leave. Caitlyn had been spending all her time with him and had been avoiding Woody and I. We started to joke about it. It was as if she was grooming him for his debut into our lodge group. We all had a brief introduction, but none of us, other than Caitlyn, had spent any time with him at all. There was a small library or reading room at one end of the main hall. One afternoon, Woody and I noticed that Caitlyn and Jason were there with Amanda Freese. It wasn't a casual gathering; it actually looked like a formal meeting. Caitlyn and Jason were both dressed up, compared to their normal attire. Amanda noticed that Woody and I were watching and gave us a small smile. After about an hour, the kids got up and walked towards us. They both had big grins on their faces. "Your turn now, daddy. Mrs. Freese wants to talk to you and Uncle John." Woody and I entered like two kids who had been sent to see the principal. It appeared that Amanda Freese had more money than Woody and I had imagined. We knew that she was loaded, but never imagined that she was filthy rich. Amanda's father had endowed a great deal of money to his old alumnus, Princeton,; so much, that Amanda could pretty well get anything that she wanted from them. The only thing that was left to do now, was to get the approval from Elwood F. Perry to allow his daughter to attend Princeton starting in less than two weeks. As far as Woody was concerned it was a no-brainer. Terry joined the two of us on the front porch later. It was too chilly for beer, but we drank it anyhow. We were trying to figure out if Caitlyn really liked Jason or if she was just putting on an act in order to get a free ride at college. We didn't spend too much time dwelling on it. Terry still hadn't opened up about Dora. Woody and I had known that this was a topic that would never, ever be discussed. Later that evening, Amanda joined me in front of the fireplace with the antique pop corn popper. The popcorn got better in the microwave, but it was more fun making it in the fireplace. I sort of liked the burnt, crunchy kernels. I never really considered wine appropriate to drink with popcorn, but tonight seemed special. It was the first night in a long time that I did not sleep alone. We thought that we had been discrete, but forgot that Caitlyn was the one that made the beds in the morning. Amanda's unslept bed did not go unnoticed. Amanda and I endured the ribbing from Caitlyn at breakfast. Later that morning, Amanda moved her things into my room. Jason, who was usually very quiet and reserved, gave me a wink at lunch time. I assumed that I had his approval. Weathergard Recovery Enterprises agreed to fix up the trashed house for fourteen thousand dollars plus 5% of the reasale profit. They specialized in repairing storm and fire damaged structures. The entire agreement was taken care of on the internet. I never saw the old house again, and ended up with over sixty thousand dollars profit at the end. Sarah called to let me know that her mother had succesfully recovered almost all of the money that Raymond took from her. Loretta had left Colorado for Los Angeles. She was planning on staying with a cousin she had out there. Amanda went with Jason and Caitlyn to help them get settled at school. They had spent the last two weeks at the lodge sharing a cabin, so Woody had no problem agreeing to let them share a condo while they attended school. He realized that if he tried to do anything else, he would just frustrate himself. Before Amanda returned, she stopped by her home in Burlington to gather up clothing and personal belongings that she would need at the lodge. Her decision to stay full time was welcomed by all of us, especially by Dora who was dying for a little female companionship. Amanda was going to be taking care of all the advertising and correspondence, two tasks that I had done, but never enjoyed. To Luc's dismay, Amanda stopped pike fishing. Her obsession seemed to be over. Things slowed down during the late fall, since we were one of the few places in the area that did not cater to hunters. It gave us time to catch up and clean up. Money was not a problem. We had a small Christmas party that included a tree and some gifts. Amanda had hung up some mistletoe and Dora was elated when she got her first kiss from her husband. Things seemed to normalized between them after that. Poor Woody was the only one who spent the holidays alone, but he didn't seem to mind too much. He never heard from Colleen again. Although my divorce had been finalized, Amanda and I never discussed marriage. Things were fine the way that they were, and neither of us wanted to screw it up. Jason and Caitlyn did not finish their first year at Princeton. After a quickie marriage in Maryland, Jason transferred to the University of Vermont and the two love birds moved into the Burlington family home. Amanda's was excited about her first grand child. I guess the birth control pills didn't work. Yes it was juvenile, but it was a hell of a ride and a lot of fun. I would do it again.