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Nothing To Talk About

By: poorrichard



This story is in response to "Something We Have To Talk About" by nici. I thought the writing was good, but the characters bothered me. The dichotomy between what the wife said she felt about the husband and what her actions showed was too much for me. This is the first of what may turn out to be three chapters. This is my first story, so constructive criticism would be appreciated.

Eventually Jonathan regained control and began to think about his situation. He had been in a state of shock and denial since his wife had calmly informed him of her infidelity earlier that night. At first he had reacted with anger. The pain caused by her admission had been all but unbearable. His immediate reaction had been to get drunk and vent his anger toward her. Now somewhat sober he began to realize how vulnerable he felt. Not since the death of his father had he felt so lost.

He had loved Susan for practically his whole adult life. Sure they had problems, but he had never considered them to be all that large. Did he still love her? Of course he loved her. He absolutely despised what she had done to their marriage. He also began to realize how easily love so intense could be fanned into hate under the right circumstances. 

Susan had been betraying their wedding vows for more than a year. While he had been working himself until he was bone-tired for months in order to have the "big house" in the "right" neighborhood that Susan had so wanted, a house he was admittedly proud to buy her, she had been carrying on with a younger man. A man she said she loved and would continue to keep seeing no matter what.

"Yes I love her", thought Jonathan,"but I can no longer live with her". She had put him in a position that no real man could agree to. He no longer even knew who she was. He had come home to what he would have proudly proclaimed as the best wife in the world only a few hours ago to find she had been cheating and lying to him for over a year. On top of that she had chastised him for not understanding and calmly informed him she was holding all the cards. She had looked him right in the eye and with a mocking smile told him if he sought a divorce he would end up impoverished and without his children. He could not fathom who this selfish, indulgent person was and what had become of his wife.

Finally, unable to stay at the scene of the demise of his happiness any longer he showered, dressed, got into his truck and drove off into the night. 

He drove aimlessly until he came to a small diner. Realizing he had not eaten in about 16 hours he parked and went inside. The diner was cozy, well-lit and clean. Shunning the stools at the counter, Jonathan found a booth in the corner and settled in with a forlorn sigh. Deep in thought, he barely remembered ordering an omelet and coffee.

Though he should have been starving, he merely picked at his food while consuming cup after cup of strong black coffee. The shock of his wife's confession was no-longer a white-hot blaze of rage and turmoil preventing any rational thought. Caffeine and cold anger now spurred his brain into action. 

He was unsure how long he sat deep in thought, nor how many pots of coffee he had consumed. Eventually he realized it was light outside and people were out and going about their business. Jonathan realized he needed a plan.With a renewed sense of purpose he paid for his meal, used his cell phone to call in sick for the day, and left the diner.

He headed for Ben Lawson's office. A friend since childhood, Ben also happened to be a reputable and competent divorce lawyer. Ben, though surprised to see him, smiled genuinely and shook his hand.

"Jon, What a surprise. I haven't seen you in months! How's life treating you?"

"Sorry about that Ben. I've been working my ass off for months now. I wish I could say this is a social visit, but unfortunately I am gonna need your professional services."

Ben couldn't help but notice the pained expression on his old friend's face.

"Damn Jon, I can't tell you how sorry I am to hear that. Have a seat and tell me everything."

He didn't think he was ready to talk fully about what had happened, but with Ben's supportive guidance he was able to relate all that had taken place. The effect of completely baring his soul was extremely cathartic. All the feelings of anger, jealousy, hurt, betrayal, loss and self-pity had come flooding out. He suddenly understood that Susan had hit him with her best shot and he was still standing, bruised and battered, but still standing.

He and Ben put together a strategy which included, among other things, hiring a private detective. It was going to be expensive, but he had been putting quite a bit of money aside for sometime now. Money Susan didn't know about. Money for a long romantic vacation for their coming 15th wedding anniversary. He obviously wasn't interested in any romantic trip with Susan now!

Next he went by hiss and picked up his children. Mary and Bert Roan lived in a modest home in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood. Mary had recently retired after 30 years of teaching higher math at the local high school. Bert owned a small hardware store. Jonathan had come to love and respect his in-laws almost as much as his own parents. When his father had died over a year earlier they had both been there for him. He hoped that wasn't going to come to an abrupt end in the near future.

His mother was obviously surprised to see him.

"Jon, What are you you doing here? Why aren't you at work?", queried an obviously perplexed Mary.

"I've come to realize I have been working too hard during the best years of my life and that I'm missing my children grow into young adults." "From now on that is going to change," he replied.

She peered at him intently. She knew something wrong. First her daughter Susan had been acting more and more strangely of late. Now her son, a man who worked as hard as anyone she had ever known, was in her kitchen in the middle of a workday.

"Jon, is anything wrong?"

He gazed directly into her eyes. Did she know anything? Was she an accomplice to Susan in his cuckolding? She returned his gaze without any sign of duplicity. For now, he would assume she knew nothing. However, he was not ready to fill her in on the details of the last twenty four hours yet. For now he would be playing his cards close to his vest.

"Mary, I can only say I am suddenly aware of how precious this time in my children's life truly is and I don't want to waste another minute that isn't absolutely necessary."

She noticed a mix of pain and loss in his eyes. Suddenly she had an intuition her daughter had put them there.

She gazed lovingly into his eyes, grasped both of his hands in hers and said, "Jon, if there is anything Bert and I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask. You are like a son to us. Please remember that!"

Promising that he would take her up on her offer if needed, he gave her a hug, gathered up his children and drove to his once happy home.

Arriving home he noted his "faithful wife's" car wasn't there yet. Breathing a sigh of relief at not having to face her just yet he gathered his children in the living room and told them he and their mom were not getting along right now and that he was going to move into the basement for the time being. He assured them they were the best kids anyone could ask for and that none of this was their fault.

Joey and Nancy ran to their rooms with tears in their eyes. Both had friend's who were now living in broken homes. Each felt as though their world was about to fall apart. Cindy sat staring at her hands for a long time. Finally she looked up into her dad's eyes and with her voice cracking wailed, "It's because of that man I saw doing those things with mom in the living room isn't it?" Then she jumped up and ran into her room. 

He heard them in their rooms, the otherwise quiet house racked with the sounds of intense sobbing.

Things had just become far more complicated.

Nothing to Talk About!



By Likegoodwine copyright July 2013

Here's another story for you, a bit longer than my usual ones. I often write stories that depict characters that are a bit extreme. This one reflects more a normal kind of guy. There is cheating in this story but no revenge: only sadness then hope. The wife isn't burnt, not even scalded. She will just be forgotten.

Thank to Scalia for his patient editing.

Your votes and constructive comments are appreciated.

Chapter 1 - Denials

My trip wasn't starting the way I like. I had to be in Minneapolis Thursday and Friday for a convention. When we were younger, Martha, my wife, would take half a day off to make sure I had plenty of good memories to last me the entire time I was away. This time, she simply kissed me goodbye on her way to work.

My name is Yvan de Badgerweedsen, Ythebadger for short. I am 49 years old and married to my wife, Martha, for the last 24 years. We have two children, Ross, 22 and Amelia 20. 

Around 3PM, I left work and drove to the airport. My flight was at 6PM. Since I hated to be late or worry about missing my plane, I always got to the airport early.

This time, everything went just fine and I spent an hour waiting for the boarding call. Because of the poor weather, the plane coming from Minnesota was delayed. A snowstorm was heading our way. After a delay of 45 minutes, we finally boarded.

Half an hour into our flight, I sensed the plane bank left. At first, I thought it was correcting its heading but I soon realized that it was turning around. True enough, the pilot informed us that the snowstorm was making a landing impossible at Minneapolis Airport and we were heading back home.

Back at the airport, I rushed to the airline counter to reschedule for a flight the next morning. I was lucky enough to grab one of the last available seats. I would be late for the convention, but I would get there.

As soon as I had a seat confirmed, I got on the phone to inform my contact in Minneapolis that I was delayed arriving and I would be there tomorrow. I also left a notice on my boss' voicemail. I then called home, but Martha did not pick up.

Although it was a bit after 8PM, the house was dark and Martha's car wasn't in the driveway. I guess she decided to work late or go to a restaurant. Now that our youngest child was away at college, the house would feel empty. I left my luggage in the car and went in. I heard voices coming from the living room. Strange! I headed that way and I realized that the TV had been left on.

That meant Martha came back home after work because I'm sure the TV was off when I left for work. I turned it off and looked around the house for her. No sign of her! I called her cell.

She picked up after a few rings.

"Hi Honey," said Martha when she recognized my cell phone number.

"Hi Sweetheart! Where are you?" I asked. 

It was such an innocent question. The kind of question I asked so many times in our marriage. I didn't ask it to pry or to be nosey. I simply asked to know where she was.

"Where else Dum-dum? At home, watching my soaps," she answered, figuratively throwing a pail of cold water at me. "And you, how was your flight? Are you at the hotel yet?"

My brain froze. I was tired from the travelling delay. All I wanted was to have my wife back, to rest and to cuddle with her for a few more hours. They were such simple expectations. Despite a delayed flight, I had felt that I was lucky. I would be able to spend some unexpected bonus hours in my bed, with my wife. Until 30 seconds ago, I was happy to be stuck home.

But instead of coming back to my loving wife of 24 years, I was coming back to lies and deception. I wasn't expecting that at all. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know what to say. Did she really just lie to me? Why would she do that? There was no reason for her to lie to me if she was at work or with some friends or eating out.

My silence must have been long, because Martha asked, "Honey, are you still there?"

"Er... Yeah. Sorry! We landed in O'Hare and I gotta go," I said, hanging up on her.

My phone started to ring almost right away. I didn't answer and turned it off. I needed time to think.

Sitting all by myself on the couch, I felt numb. I was trying to figure out why Martha would lie to me. 

Maybe she's planning a surprise for me. I remember four years ago a series of lies I had to tell her. I was planning a two weeks cruise for our 20th wedding anniversary. I involved her boss and her parents. For a month, I repeatedly lied, trying to simply weave my way around the truth. All the lies came to fruition the day we took off for a weekend in Miami and ended up at the dock where I presented her with a pair of cruise tickets.

But as hard as I tried, I couldn't find a special anniversary in the months ahead. At best, my birthday and our 25th wedding anniversary would be in 10 months.

There was one thought that kept returning but that I relentlessly rejected. I refused to think about it. Not us! Others, yes, they are faced with that! But not us!

That's it! I knew one person that would know of any surprise planned by Martha: my daughter Amelia. Turning my phone back on, I was soon speed dialing her number.

"Hey Daddy! How are you?" my sweetheart said, answering her phone.

"Hi Baby! What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much Daddy. I just finished my homework and I am now watching TV," she said. "And you?"

"Have you spoken with your Mom lately?" I asked.

"No! Nothing special aside from our weekly phone call on Sunday," answered Amelia.

"Er... sorry to ask... but would you happened to know something about a surprise she would be planning for me? Don't tell me what. Just tell me if your Mom is planning something," I asked, full of hope.

"No Daddy! Nothing at all! Why do you ask?"

"Well she has been acting strange lately and I was wondering if she was hiding a nice surprise for me, maybe for my 50th birthday," I told her.

"No, not yet Daddy. Didn't we just celebrate your birthday, like last month?"

"Yeah! Well forget I ask. Good night Baby!"

"Night Daddy!"

Well that wasn't it. Why would she lie to me?

Maybe it was her coming promotion? Yeah, that's it! I don't know why she would lie about it, but it could be that she was still trying hard to get a promotion. Working for that promotion had kept her stay late so many time lately. She knew that no promotion was worth our lost time together. She knew that I was adamant that she cut back a bit her hours at work so we could be more together. She also knew that I was entitled to ask it, as I had myself refused a promotion in order to be able to spend more time with her and the kids just a few months before our 20th anniversary.

Almost five years ago, I had vied for and got an offer to become vice-president of Finance at my company. The only problem was the constant travelling to the head office in Chicago, where the board meetings were held, as well as regular tours of all our plants all over the country.

I was ecstatic when I was offered the job, but Martha soon had me thinking twice about accepting it. First, my predecessor ended up divorced within two years of his promotion. He ended up rich, but lonely and miserable. My two kids still had two and four years in high school left and they still needed both parent's guidance and support. Martha didn't relish becoming the only one involved. We talked about it for a full week before I realized that I was about to lose sight of the most important thing in my life: my wife and my kids. I turned down the promotion.

That's why I didn't take it too well the last few months when Martha started working real hard toward her own promotion. For Martha, it wasn't the same. The kids were in college and there was only the two of us. Her promotion would mean a bit more travelling, but nothing that would affect our life much. We could probably schedule our own travelling in the same time period to minimize our time apart.

The problem was the many hours spent working overtime toward that promotion. Just seeing your wife one or two hours each day for a whole week wasn't very satisfying to me, and that's without talking about the nose dive in our lovemaking. She even spent many Saturdays and some Sundays at work. When she was home, she was simply totally exhausted. I am not even sure when was the last time we made love. Three weeks ago? Last month?

We are not young anymore, but it was pathetic.

So I wouldn't be surprise if she were working when I phoned and lied to avoid my complaint. Of course that is unfair as I was travelling too and understood that some overtime would hurt nobody.

Well, there was an easy way to find out. I grabbed my phone and dialed her direct line.

"TBolt Advertising, Jake Turnbull speaking," answered my wife's colleague. 

I was a bit taken by surprise. They don't work in the same room and I sure wasn't expecting anybody but Martha to pick up. But Jake was a good guy and he would tell me if Martha was around.

"Hi Jake, Ythebadger here!"

"Hi Yvan," answered Jake. He was never able to use my nickname. "Why would you phone me here when you and your wife are spending some vacation time together?"

Decidedly, I was going from surprise to surprise tonight. Vacation? What vacation?

"Hey sorry to bother you at work Jake! I just pressed the wrong speed dial button on my phone," I lied.

"No problem Yvan. Just tell Martha that she owes me lunch when she comes back next Monday for covering again for her. See, I am at work and it is way past 9pm. She owes me big time," he said then he hung up.

Not only Martha wasn't working, she wasn't at work at all. From what Jake told me, she was off work for the rest of the week. Now that was starting to scare the shit out of me. Where was Martha, and what was she doing? 

A thought crossed my mind, unasked for and unwelcomed. Oh no! It can't be! I always refused to think the worst of people. I prefer to be a positive guy, to look at the bright side of things, to see what is best in each of us. But here I was, thinking the worst. Can it be? Could she do that to me?

Could she be with her sister, Nadia?

We were estranged from Nadia and Nadia's ex-husband, Mike. Once upon a time, we were really close. We shared evenings together, babysat each other's kids, co-hosted many family gathering and we even went on vacation together.

It all came to an end one day, when I came home with a terrible headache. I took a couple of Tylenol and lied down on the couch. Half an hour later, Martha and Nadia came back from shopping. They were chatting a storm and never noticed me.

"Have you notice the new produce manager at the grocery store?" asked Nadia.

"Sure, he's cute if I may say so," said my wife. "And he was all smile with you."

"He has better be all smile with the romp we had together yesterday in the back of my van," said Nadia.

"Oh Nadia! Not again!" said my wife. "One day you will get caught and will lose a good husband and maybe more".

"Don't worry big sister, I'm always careful," answered Nadia. "We go to go, it's time to pick up the kids."

And they were gone, leaving me wondering at what to do.

I have always been a straight shooter but in this case I wasn't sure about the right course of action.

I really liked Mike and I knew that the news of Nadia's cheating would be devastating. I also knew that he would kick her out of the house in a heartbeat. Do I really want to play the bad guy and destroy their marriage? I wasn't able to reach a decision before my wife came back home with the children. 

I was glad that she disapproved of her sister's cheating and, in a very shrewd way, I decided to leave the decision to her.

When we were getting ready for bed that night I asked her about my dilemma.

"Honey, I have a hard choice to make and I really need your advice," I started. "Let's say that I overheard a conversation today and that I learned that somebody close to us was cheating, you know, having sex outside the marriage. What should I do? Should I tell on them? Should I get mad at the cheater?"

Martha looked at me unsure at first about what to say.

"Well, it might depend of the circumstances. Is it a one-time mistake? Or is it an error while drunk? There is so many possibilities," said Martha.

"Let's say for argument's sake that it's Mike and that he picked up a woman in a bar," I said. "And I know it is not the first time either. Should we let it slide and not say anything? Should I talk to him to help him change his ways?"

Martha suddenly sat straight in bed and grabbed her phone.

"The bastard," she said. "The two-face son of a bitch. I'll show you what to do, and I will do it right away. I'll tell Nadia right away that he's cheating on her."

I grabbed the phone from her hand.

"Let me do it honey. It's my responsibility," I said. "Are you sure it's the right thing to do?"

"You bet I'm sure. I hope she kicks the bastard out of the house," Martha then turned toward me. "And we won't let him stay with us. He can find another place, I don't want a cheater in my house."

Lucky for me, Mike answered the phone.

"Hey, it's your favorite brother here. Sorry to phone this late but I have something real bad to tell you," I started.

"Favorite brother? You're my only brother-in-law," said Mike. "What is so important that you phone this late?"

"I overheard a conversation today and I have very bad news, world shattering kind of news. Er... your better half is not all yours if I may say so. Your spouse is cheating on you. It happened yesterday and it wasn't the first time either."

Mike was silent for a long time on the phone.

"I can't believe it," he finally said, his voice barely loud enough. "Are you sure you are speaking about my Nadia?"

"Yes, I heard the confession from the horse's mouth itself. Bragging is a better description than confessing if you get my drift. And I didn't hear any sign of remorse. It was like describing a game of hide-and-seek. I am really sorry to be the bearer of such bad news. I will let you deal with it in your own way, but don't hesitate to phone. We will be there for you and the kids."

"Thanks Y!" and Mike hung up.

Martha had tears at the corner of her eyes. She sadly smiled at me.

"I am so proud of you Honey! It takes courage to be the messenger of such bad news," said Martha. "Can you please hold me? I feel so lost and scared."

I took her in my arm and started to rock her gently.

"I wonder if they will go in therapy," I asked after a little while.

"I believe it wouldn't do any good," said Martha sleepily. "Once an cheater, always a cheater."

"You're right!"

I was drifting toward sleep when the ringing of the phone woke me up.

"Yeah, hello!" I said yawning and speaking softly, trying to avoid waking up Martha.

"You son of a bitch! What did you tell Mike?" asked the very angry voice of Nadia.

"Just the truth! I told only the truth," I said, glancing at Martha who was waking up. "I talked about it with Martha this evening and we decided it was better to tell the truth however upsetting it might be".

"I can't believe my sister would rat me out," answered Nadia, her voice full of venom.

"Sure she would. She was about to do it herself, but I took the phone from her and I decided to tell your spouse myself," I said. "We agreed that cheaters should pay the price whatever that price is."

Nadia started to cry.

"But what can I do? Mike kicked me out of the house," Nadia said between sobs.

"Well if you've been kicked out of the house, it is well deserved," I said.

"But what can I do? Where will I go? Can I come at your place?" asked Nadia.

"No way! Martha and I talked about it too and there's no chance that we would offer shelter to a cheater. You're on your own."

"I can't believe my sister would say that. She loves me," said Nadia.

"Martha, what do we say to a cheater that asks to come over here after being kicked out?" I asked Martha, turning the phone toward her, placing a finger on the opening for the speaker.

She had a mischievous smile on her face. Her mouth came closer to the phone.

"I don't want a cheater in my house. Get lost bastard," Martha said with real pride.

I quickly put the phone back to my ear.

"I'll talk for the both of us and say it only once. You're out of our lives. Stay away from us, don't come and don't phone. If you want a place to stay, go at your parents and try to explain to them why you've been kicked out of your house," I said and then hung up the phone.

Martha began to hold me tighter.

"I'm real proud of you, Honey," Martha said. 

We drifted to sleep.

The next morning, the shit hit the fan as the old Scandinavian saying goes. Luckily, the kids were still sleeping.

Martha's Dad phoned early and Martha answered. I could hear him yelling at his daughter. Martha lost her initial smile and paled. She was crying when she hung up the phone.

"What did you do Y?" asked Martha.

"What did WE do, Honey? I asked for advice and to tell about the cheating was your idea. To cut all ties to a cheating slut was also your idea, and I completely agreed," I said.

"But you said that Mike was cheating on Nadia."

"I said 'For arguments' sake, let's say that Mike picked up a woman in a bar and had sex with her'. I didn't say that he was cheating on her. Anyway, what's the difference between Mike cheating on Nadia or Nadia cheating on Mike?" I asked Martha.

"Well, Nadia is my sister," answered Martha.

"So you say that it is alright for her to cheat on her husband because she is your sister? Is it a family thing? Do I have reason to be worried?" I said, exasperation clearly audible in my speech. Martha was speechless.

"Honey, I'll say it once and you are better to believe me. That sister of yours is a bad role model for our kids. I don't want her around and I don't want you to have anything to do with her. She is not welcome in this house and around our kids," I said.

That was three years ago. I know that Martha was still seeing her sister once in a while but it was a forbidden subject in the house. It was no surprise for me that she would go visit her sister while I was gone and that she would hide it from me. She was still somebody not very likable but as Mike bounced back from the drama and was soon to be remarried, a lot of my resentment was gone. I simply didn't give a shit about the slut and was glad not to have her around.

Martha, Martha! We should talk about it. It's not a pleasant subject, but it would be easier on us to clear the air. I am pretty sure that she felt bad lying to me about that, when I didn't care anymore...

Chapter 2 – The discovery

 I was facing a crowd of at least a thousand attendees at the convention. They were all looking at me, an anonymous crowd without faces. I took a deep breath and started my exposé.

"Studies reveal that there are two kind of people in the world of tissues. There is the first group, the denial-ists, the people that blow their noses, that don't look down, and dispose of the tissue right away. And there are the people that face reality, they blow their nose and look inside the tissue..."

Somebody in the crowd was waving its arm to attract my attention. It was Dave Millicent, Martha's boss.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Well," he said with a smirk. "Face this reality... I fucked your wife."

Just behind him, an all-smiling Jake Turnbull stood up.

"Me too I fucked your wife."

A third guy, unknown, also stood up.

"Me Three!" and he started to laugh loud. "No, not really, I just always wanted to say that."

And the whole crowd started to laugh real loud; a thousand unfriendly faces smirking at me... 

I sat up straight on the couch. Shit, I had fallen asleep on the couch. I swipe the drooling on my face and got up. I looked at my watch. It was midnight. I must have dozed off for over an hour.




Nothing to Talk About!



Maybe Martha came back home while I was sleeping and didn't see me, as I wasn't supposed to be here. I went to the bedroom but there was no sign of her. 

And then I remembered that she was probably with her sister. I wanted to phone Nadia and ask for Martha, but I realized that if I knew where she lived – I picked up her kids there a few times – I have no idea what was her phone number. Or do I?

I gripped my smart phone and just as I was about to go to my contact list, I saw the apps icon for Findmyphone. I had that installed on both our smart phones last year when I lost mine somewhere between New York City and Cincinnati. 

In a matter of seconds I had the location of Martha's phone. Mills Lake? What the fuck was she doing in Mills Lake? Nadia was dead broke and certainly had no money to buy or even rent a cottage in Mills Lake. It was a very exclusive community, most cottages worth many times over the cost of our house. I used Google earth to pinpoint where she was exactly. 

Her location wasn't in the village proper but seemed on a very secluded estate surrounded by a large stonewall. What Martha was doing at a millionaire's place?

Mills Lake was about an hour drive from town. I had to know what she was doing there. I was not ready for a confrontation – if ever – and I had to find out what she was up to. If I were to simply ask her, she would probably lie, as she already did. Within minutes, I was in my car.

All the time I was driving there, I kept kicking my ass for refusing to believe the worst from Martha. I should had looked right away at the GPS locator of her phone instead of finding excuses for her lies.

When I arrived at Mills Lake, I still didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't know what to expect. I kept hoping for a simple explanation. I drove toward the estate where Martha was. Shit, there was a huge gate blocking the entrance and I sure didn't intend to drive there and buzz the house asking for my wife. I looked around and a parked car along the road would be an eyesore for the locals and would certainly attract a police car or whatever security guards that was working for this select community.

I drove a bit before I found a wooden trail where I could park the car. I didn't even know how I would climb that wall. That's when I realized that the estate was fronting the lake and that there might be a way to access the property from that side. I soon found a pedestrian access to the lake. At the shore, I wasn't even sure at which huge cottage Martha was. I had to keep checking back on the GPS locator. I finally arrived at a big mansion.

There were still some lights on at the mansion, but it was coming from the second floor. The first floor was dark. One drape was open and light was pouring out that window. I found a tree and climbed high enough to have a look inside the house. I first saw a man wearing a white terrycloth housecoat. I didn't recognize him at all. He was older than myself, maybe 60. He moved away. A few minutes later, a woman appeared and I instantly understood why Martha was there. It was Nadia. Her own housecoat was open and she looked outside while sipping champagne from a flute. She was naked underneath the housecoat. Well, she was still a very good-looking woman at 40. There was almost no sag in her breasts and she still had a flat tummy.

So I was right. Martha was with her sister. I wasn't surprise to learn that Nadia was after a sugar daddy knowing that the divorce had been hard on her financially. But I didn't really like to learn that Martha was dragged into that kind of life. You never know what can happen with these people. 

The man I first saw came behind Nadia. He gently grabbed her, his hands roaming all over her body. They settled on her firm breast and he was tweaking her nipples that seemed real hard seen from this far. He took the glass of Champagne from Nadia and left it out of sight on his left.

His hands went up to her shoulder and he removed her housecoat that he let slip down on the floor. I should have climbed down from the tree, to avoid seeing my sister in her full splendid nakedness. But I didn't.

The old man still had his own housecoat on and the only visible part of him was his very erect penis sticking out the housecoat.

He grabbed Nadia again, one hand massaging her breasts while the other was caressing her mound. His foreplay didn't last long. He pushed Nadia forward while holding her ass to his hips. Bending her further, he had her soon ready for a good doggie style fucking. I saw Nadia winced in pain when he entered her from behind.

It seems he didn't have much time to waste as he increase his speed rather quickly. He was now ramming her real hard. He was fucking so hard that Nadia had to brace herself on the French door so as to avoid hitting her head.

I thought for a second that her lover was done when he stopped fucking and took a small step back. Then I realized what was about to happen. The intense look of pain on Nadia told me everything I needed to know, He must have been all the way up her ass and he started to ram her even harder. I couldn't comprehend the picture in front of me: Nadia with tears streaking down her cheek while the old man behind her had a fiendish smirk on his face. He knew he was hurting her and the bastard was enjoying it.

I am really old fashion. For me, love and sex are simply two sides on the coin of a union between a woman and a man. What I had just witness was totally devoid of love. I didn't like Nadia, but I would never wish something as bad.

A bit embarrassed by the sideshow, I was about to climb down when the couple moved away from the window. That's when I caught a glimpse of Martha. She was sitting on a couch further back in the room, a silly drunken grin on her face. My heart froze. Her housecoat was not only open; it was open all the way down to her hips, held in place only with the belt. A second man approached her, opened his housecoat and offered a very erect penis. Martha sealed the fate of our marriage when she put her drink down and grabbed the offered cock and started to lick it. I was so shocked that I took a step backward... and fell from the tree. Branches broke my fall and I wasn't hurt too much when I landed.

Like a zombie, tears streaking down my face, I limped my way back to my car. I was hurt. Really, really deeply hurt! Not from my fall from the tree, but from my fall from grace, from the loss of my love.

I though for a few seconds to rush to the cottage, break down the door and cause as much mayhem as I could. But the idea of spending the next three to five years in jail for Breaking & Entering and for Assault was not very appealing to say the least.

A mix of emotions was fighting in my head as I walked alone through the night. There were no more denials in me. There was just a sense of loss, an immense sadness, and a rising anger that I didn't dare risk to let loose unless it overwhelmed me and screwed my life even more than it was. I knew that even if my anger turned to rage, I would never do something that would physically hurt Martha. But I almost did.

I could have simply driven home, packed my stuff and left her. Living in a no fault state, with our own wages and no more underage kids living at home, the divorce would be straightforward: split everything 50-50 and bye bye bitch! But I needed a little payback. I played a few minutes with an idea and decided to go for it and see how it would play out.

I took my phone and dialed Martha's number. As expected, she didn't pick up and I got her voice mail. I was hoping that she would check her voice-mail immediately after I left it, just in case.

"Hey Honey!" I said. "You didn't pick-up the house phone so I am now trying your cell. I just wanted to tell you not to panic when you hear my keys in the door in a few minutes. It was a crazy evening with a snowstorm diverting our plane toward Chicago then finally being sent back here. They are not sure exactly when we will be landing, but I should be home 30 minutes after that. See you shortly."

Now she must have heard the ping sound telling her that she had a voice-mail. As we were in the middle of the night, she must be curious and distraught enough to receive a message this late. That is really out of character for me. Now she is reaching for her phone and going to voice-mail. Please let her be drunk enough not to realize that I couldn't have used my cell phone in the plane. Now she is in a panic mode. She is about to get caught. She is not sure, but she thinks that she might just have time to jump in the car and beat me back home. All the while, she is dressing up real quick and probably answering question from her sister and her lover.

My phone startled me when it started to ring. I didn't think about it. It made sense that she would try to figure out exactly when I would be home.

"Hi Honey! Sorry if I woke you up!" I said.

"Er... it's alright. Are you on your way home?" asked Martha.

"I should be there in about an hour, give or take a few minutes," I answered knowing that it would be touch and go for her to beat me back home, but doable. Will she bite?

"Ok, see you then," she said and hung up.

Within a few minutes, I saw her car coming from the estate's gate and drive rather fast toward the interstate. Shit! She almost ended up in the ditch. She must be drunker than I thought. It is one thing to play with Martha, it is another one to sit here while she might be involved in an accident and kill some innocent strangers. I was mad at her but not at the risk of the life of the mother of my children. Think fast! Think fast!

"911 what's your emergency?"

"I would like to report a drunk driver. The car almost ran into me then sped away, swerving like crazy. It just got on the interstate at Mills Lake heading south. It's a dark blue Ford Taurus and I got the four last digits on the license plate. It's 7714. Somebody better stop that car before the driver kills somebody."

I was thanked for my assistance and reassured that a patrol car would be checking the drunk driver. I kept my distance and followed Martha. Two exits later, I saw a Highway Patrol car way up on a bridge over the freeway. As soon as Martha's car came into view, it took off and headed back on the interstate. Sure enough, they pulled Martha over. I passed them. Forty-five minutes later, I was back home.

It is almost funny if it wasn't so sad that in a matter of one night, the life of one of the persons I loved so much would become of no consequence. I really had to take a few seconds to weight the possibility that Martha might die in a car crash and the sadness and misery my children would suffer. Nowhere was my love for her a factor in the decision I made. Not that I didn't love her anymore, but that I wasn't able to see our lives going forward together.

I turned the house phone ringer off and turned my cell phone off. I needed to think. I can't believe I spent the last hours trying to find an explanation to Martha's lie, when the obvious one kept jumping in my face.

I opened a bottle of wine and tried to figure out what I would do. For years I believed that my love of Martha would be like a good bottle of wine, that it would reach its peak with age. As it is, it seems that it turned to vinegar.

I loved that woman so much that the pain of her betrayal was killing me. No, it's not only the betrayal that was killing me. It was also the discovery of the loss of our love that was killing me. Without that love, I was nobody. I was nothing. It had defined me for the last 26 years, 24 as husband and wife. Can I survive that? Wouldn't it be less painful to just go to the next bridge and simply jump off it? I never thought that I would have to plan a life without Martha. I didn't know how to start about it. 

I never made decisions without first discussing it with Martha. Now I couldn't even contemplate the idea of speaking to her.

It's simple: my family has been my whole life. Every single decision has been made thinking about my wife and my kids. Even our social life was focused on the needs of our family. I didn't congregate much with my fellow workers. I attended social functions like the annual Christmas party and such, but I was always heading home right after work. I could count on the fingers of one hand the times I had gone out with people at work over the last 10 years.

With the kids now out of the house, it was only Martha and I. Now it was only I. I was left alone with my grief. I was left alone with nobody to love. Alone for the first time in my life!

Why did she do that to me? Why the deception when a simple divorce would have been still painful but more respectful of all the years and happy moments we shared? When did she stop loving me? Was she only staying with me till the kids grow up and leave? When did she stop caring? 

I saw the departure of our kids as an opportunity to concentrate more on Martha and on us. It seems she saw it as the end of the road for us. My thinking wasn't that clear but I now realized that she probably didn't know how to break it up. Somewhere, I think she still care about me. Unless it was only cowardice...

I kept seeing that stranger pushing his cock in her mouth. The way she grabbed it, without hesitation, and started to lick it showed me how comfortable they were with each other or how easy it was to cheat on me. Martha and her lover! Me alone without love brought only one thought: we were dead as a couple.

Amidst my despair, my pain was a link to life. Pain reminded me of my loss, of better moments, of my kids. I must think about them.

My kids saved me that evening. I didn't have enough self-esteem left to extract me from the deep well of my despair. My kids did it! The though of them helped me cling to a little bit of self-preservation. Ross and Amelia will soon get married and start their own families. I realized that I wanted to be the grandpa to spoil their many kids. I just won't do it with Martha.

I had to get away from all that before the grief kills me. It wouldn't be very hard, just painful. I know that I will always remember Martha the way I loved her. I know that I will also always remember her with another man's cock in her mouth. I had to get out of Dodge.

I had always been a man of modest expectations. My parents were not rich, but I grew up in a very loving family. I could do without all the flashy stuff I now owned. Thinking about everything we owned, my clothes, my car, and my laptop were the only things I would take with me. The more I though about it, the more obvious the resolution of my problem was. I'll pack up my stuff and disappear. I don't want to set my eyes on the woman I once loved more than life itself. The sight of her would just remind me of what I lost, and of my constant pain.

I got up, grabbed a few bags and started to put all my clothe in it. It took me only 30 minutes! I had all the bags in my car in a matter of minutes. It was close to 6AM when I finished packing. I then took a nap, as I was confident that Martha would remain in the drunk tank till mid-morning.

Chapter 3 – Taking off, moving on

I slept like a rock and my phone alarm clock woke me up at 9AM. After making an emergency appointment with my lawyer, I took a shower, removed my wedding ring and left it on the table beside my phone. I decided to take a few minutes to write a Dear Jane letter! We had nothing to talk about but I had to vent my disappointment.

"Martha,

I should have known that you would turn like your sister: a stupid oversexed lonely divorced woman. Genetic I guess!

By the time you read this, I will be gone from your life, never to see you again. I loved you so much that your betrayal hurt like crazy. I never thought that I could hurt that much.

For the 24 years of happy life together, and thankful for the two kids you gave me, I will be fair and quick so you can go back to your lover. I just wish you had been as fair and divorced me before you went whoring around on me. Did you get paid? The guy seemed loaded if I can judge by the mansion you were in.

I don't wish to see you or to talk to you. We have nothing to talk about. My lawyer will contact yours and just sign the divorce papers.

Y

PS Fuck you!

At 10AM, I was at the bank. I paid up our joint credit cards and cancelled them. I had the bank make a cashier check for all our savings and CDs and transferred just enough money in the checking account to cover the mortgage and utility bills for the next two months. I then removed my name from the joint account. I left the bank with a check worth close to $250,000.

I was at my work place just before noon. My boss was surprised to see me as I was supposed to be in Minnesota. He was even more surprised when I announced that I was quitting and moving out of town. 

My relationship with my boss is special. He is my boss because I refused the promotion and he felt a bit awkward about it at first, feeling indebted to me. When he went through a divorce two years ago, I came in his office and told him that it was the reason I refused the promotion. Since then, we have been more equal partners than boss and employee.

"Listen Y, I have a proposition for you," he said. "I'll accept your quitting from your current position, but I won't ask HR to terminate the employment and write you a check for your 401k. Instead, I have an opening in our new optics division in Tucson. It pays less than you make now, but I hear that you can find a decent place at a very good price out there."

We shook hands on that deal after he agreed to spread the rumor that I had quit my job.

Next, I stopped at my lawyer and explained that I was leaving Martha, plain and simple. He was to serve her with divorce papers and give her a power of attorney so she could sell the house. That would become her 50% share of our wealth. My attorney tried to talk me into counseling, as he was also a friend of the family. But he rapidly understood that I would be out of town, out of state, and out of a wife by midnight. 

By the end of the afternoon, I was on the road. I was very tired and stopped around 8pm at a rather decrepit motel. Hey, what do you expect for a 60$ a night motel. All I needed was a place to crash. 

I dialed Ross phone number on a throwaway phone I bought earlier.

"Hello!"

"Hi Ross, it's Dad," I said.

"What's that phone number Dad?" asked Ross.

"Well, save it, it is my new phone number," I said. "Any news from your mom today?"

"No! Why?"

"Well, I have to be direct with you Ross," I said. "I caught your mom cheating yesterday."

"Oh shit Dad! Not her too! What are you gonna do about it?"

"It's already done Ross. I packed my stuff, I cleared the bank accounts, leaving enough for her till she sells the house, I quit my job, and I am on the road, heading south. I'm done with her. I will give her the freedom to fuck around, but it won't be as my wife. She will be served with divorce paper later this week."

There was a long silence on the line.

"Does Amelia know?" Ross asked.

"No, not yet! Everything happened so fast. You're the first one to know. I am not even sure if your mom knows yet that I left her. She wasn't around when I packed," I said. "I'll phone you regularly. Keep me inform."

Another silence.

"I love you son! I am bushed and I need to go."

"Love you too Dad!"

My phone call to Amelia was as sad. It was crushing my two kids to learn what their mother did to us. They had seen what the damage Aunt Nadia did to her family and, like me, they couldn't understand that their mother would do the same thing to us.

"I wonder how long she had been doing this Daddy?" said Amelia, always straightforward. "How long it was that we were not enough for her anymore?"

"It doesn't matter Honey! I just wish she had been honest with me and divorced me before cheating. Now it doesn't matter for how long or why. To me, all that matters was that I loved her, that I trusted her with my life, and that she betrayed that trust. Nothing else matters anymore," I said.




Nothing to Talk About!



"Please, don't talk like that Daddy. Tell me you will be fine."

"I am all right now, very sad, but I will get over it if I can avoid all contact with your mother," I said. "I will let you know where I live."

"Can I come stay with you after my school year?" asked Amelia.

I had tears in my eyes when I promised her that she would always be welcome to live with me.

***

The division in Tucson was small with only 30 employees and the district manager was more a father figure than a ruthless boss. I liked the instant familiarity of the crew and they made me feel welcome. Within a month, I had my eyes on a nice condo. 

I never was in contact with Martha, but I had regular news from my attorney and my kids. Moving on was anything but easy. There were some instances where it was really hard.

First, my attorney informed me that she was ready to contest the divorce. She said that she didn't want a divorce and was ready to fight it to the end, even if it would bankrupt both of us.

"Fine," I told my lawyer. "Forget the divorce. I don't fucking care. It was only to give her a chance to move on with her life for the 24 years of happiness we shared together. Just tell her I don't want to have any more dealings with her, to have a nice life, and that I say 'Fuck you bitch'. Can you say that?"

"Because you are my friend, it will be a pleasure, but I will still bill you an extra 50," said my attorney.

It was a bit harder dealing with the kids. One by one I had to convince them that there was no turning back. The first snag was with Amelia.

"Dad, Mom went crazy when I told her I was going to live with you this summer," said Amelia. "I told her that I would come and visit, both her and grandpa and grandma. She was so weird that I had to avoid my phone for days."

Martha also went the deep end when Ross decided to split his summer between her and me.

I never inquired about Martha. It was my way to move on and get on with my life. It was hard because I still had some feelings for her, mostly feelings about our lives before the betrayal. However, the kids keep giving me information about her.

To my surprise, it seems that she was as depressed as I once had briefly been. That's simply unbelievable after what happened with her sister. It's simple: you cheat, it hurts the people you are supposed to love, it destroys your marriage, and you move on with your life. How could she be depressed when I went out of my way to make sure that she could move on without having me around?

Her refusal to divorce seemed a way to avoid facing the fact that her behavior caused the destruction of our family. Stupid, isn't it? I had been in denials for a few hours. She has been in denials for the last two years.

Knowing that the kids spoke regularly with me, she used them to convey her apologies for her behavior. From the information provided by my kids, I learned that it had been the first time she had let herself dragged by her sister into a sexual escapade. I didn't really believe it. She apologized to the kids (and indirectly to me) for her betrayal. She admitted that it was intentional, that she knew well what would certainly happened if she went with Nadia, her lover, and a male friend of his. She told the kids of her shame when she thinks back about that evening. She had cold feet for a while but decided to drink heavily to alleviate her shame and guilt. When she got my voice-mail about my imminent return to the house, she had just finished a fuck with her blind date. She was leaking cum when the highway patrol took her to the drunk-tank.

She believed that I would reconcile with her if she atoned long enough for her betrayal, and if she could let me know that she loves me. Through the kids she tried to convince me that she would do anything to show me her love.

I knew that the kids hoped that I would reconcile with her. But I didn't find it in me to even contemplate to speak with Martha.

The fact that I was living so far away from their mother was also hard for them because they had to make a choice: her or me.

Martha was always after the kids to tell her where I was living. All she knew was that it was in a southern state.

Almost three years after I left her, she finally discovered where I was. One day, as I was leaving work, I saw her stalking the office. I was certain of my kids, so I didn't know how she was able to discover the city where I lived. 

I knew from my kids that she was sure that I would change my mind if she could meet me. I sure wanted to change HER mind about that.

She didn't see me because I left from a side door. I grabbed my phone and punched a number.

"Hi Louisa!" I said. "You remember what I was telling you about my ex-wife? Well she's here and will probably follow me back home. Be prepared. See you in a bit."

I managed to walk in sight of Martha so she would follow me. When I pulled from the parking lot, I had Martha close on my tail. I drove around town a bit, stopped at the grocery store then headed back home.

Arriving home, I pulled into the driveway of my condo. I didn't have to get my keys as Louisa, a very pretty Latino woman in her early thirties opened the door to let me in. Two minutes later, the doorbell rang. Louisa, a toddler of 12 months on her hips, went to open the door.

From my vantage point in the kitchen, I could see the surprise of Martha.

"Si!" welcomes Louisa, and she added with her heavy Spanish accent. "How can I help you?"

"Hi, ... I would like to speak to Yvan," said Martha.

"Y, somebody at the door for you," yelled Louisa.

As I was coming from the kitchen, acting as if I was surprise, Louisa handed me the toddler.

"You take care of your daughter now while I finish the supper," said Louisa.

I took the young one and turned toward Martha.

"Well, well, well! I can't say I never expected that, but it is still a surprise," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "You know that I should thank you for what you did."

Martha was looking at me, speechless.

"If you hadn't betrayed me, I would never had moved in this part of the country, and I would still be in the cold, surrounded by concrete back in the Northeast. Now I live here, I have a beautiful mistress, and I am starting to build up new family memories with Louisa and Tamarita, my young daughter."

Martha was openly crying. After that long a time, my sorrow and my anger were gone. I was tempted as an empathetic human being to comfort her, but it passed. I was on a mission.

"So Martha, what do you want after almost three years?" I asked.

I had to listen carefully to what she said as it was hardly above a whisper.

"I needed to apologize. I needed to tell you how sorry I was for what I did and for how much I did hurt you. I needed to tell you that it was never about you, but only about how stupid I became. I needed to tell you that I loved you then, despite everything I did, that I love you now, and that I will love you forever. You were the best husband and father a woman could want. I was just a cheap tramp. I'm sorry for what I destroyed."

Her apologies were getting at me. It was time to finish that charade as soon as possible.

"Well, no harm done," I said, faking to be in high spirit. "Water under the bridge as the saying goes. It has been so long since I thought about that, that I can say for sure that I forgive you." 

"I wish you a very happy life," I said while looking at Tamarita in my arm. She was all smile. "A life as full of love as mine is."

Tears streaking down her face, Martha mumbled something, came to me, gave me a small hug and fled the house. I closed the door behind her.

Louisa came out of the kitchen and grabbed Tamarita. I leaned my back on the closed door and let my own tears flow down.

Louisa gave me a heartfelt hug, kissed my forehead, and picked her phone.

"I'm better let Horacio know that I will be back home soon with his daughter," said Louisa. 

"Thank you Louisa," I said. "And tell Horacio that I am expecting you three for a BBQ Saturday."

"Will do boss! See you tomorrow at the office!"

The following week, my attorney received the divorce papers signed by Martha. 

I am certainly moving on, but at my own speed. I have a few female friends, intimate with only one, but nothing serious. I think that I am finally getting over what happened to me. I am definitely less skittish when a woman moves in my vicinity. I know that I should give carte blanche to Louisa to set me up with a nice young woman, and now I believe that I will just do that.

However, after that visit, I am second-guessing myself. I am second-guessing not about leaving Martha but I always thought that I had nothing to talk about with Martha, that she knew exactly what I thought about a cheating spouse and the way to deal with it. But having heard a bit from Martha, maybe I should have confronted her at the time even if I always hated confrontation. 

I know one thing for sure: it was better for me to just disappear as I did. I loved her so much that if I had confronted her I would probably had believed her remorse and heeded her apologies. And I would probably have lived a miserable life of distrust before going through the divorce route.

But now, three years removed from her betrayal and our live together, Martha's apologies helped me feel like I can now really move on. It was the closure I needed. I can let go of my pain and start again to believe in love. One day, I might even let her know that I don't really have a second daughter. I just might but I doubt it! I don't owe her anything anymore.

The end



Nothing To Talk About Ch. 02



Okay. Here it is. Sorry it took so long. Once again I want to say this is a continuation of a story called "Something We Have To Talk About" by Nici. The characters bothered me so much I felt compelled to write my own ending. I apologize to Nici for jumping the gun. You know how we guys can go off prematurely sometimes when we get too excited. Anyway it was difficult to work with the characters as written to arrive at a destination I felt was more realistic. I hope I was able to come to a satisfactory conclusion that is somewhat believable.

*

As Susan left Peter's house the next day her mind was in turmoil. She had been upset when she had arrived the night before and sex had been the last thing on her mind. Hoping that Peter would hold her in his arms and comfort her, she found instead that he was quite worked up. Grabbing her roughly he had pulled her into a deep kiss while practically mauling her breasts. Pushing Peter away she had told him with tears streaming down her face that she was too conflicted to be with him that way right then. 

Unsympathetically, Peter had insisted that sex was just what the doctor ordered to get her mind off her problems. Things had merely gone from bad to worse from that point. They had a rather loud argument and ,not feeling she could return home that night, she had slept on Peter's couch.

The conflict she was feeling was not new. This past year had been a time of joy and agony. Joy for the selfless love she had given to what she felt to be a broken man. Agony over the secrets hidden from her husband of almost 15 years.

Intelligent, rational thought had been her hallmark for as long as she had been old enough to develop good critical thinking skills. Last night a seed of doubt had been firmly implanted. Awake for most of the night replaying the events of the past year, she had a glimpse of the person she had become. Not fully ready to face that demon, she none the less had a sudden urge to pick up her children from her parent's house and then find out how her husband was faring.

Arriving at her parents house she was shocked when her mother explained that Jonathan had already taken the kids. Noting the pensive look on her daughter's face Mary asked,"Susan what is going on with you and Jonathan? He looked so distraught today! And I have never seen him off on a work day. He's the hardest working man I have ever known."

She noted that her mother was almost staring through her with a look that was all too knowing.

Unable to keep looking into her eyes she said, "I'll talk to you later mom", and left hurriedly. 

She started driving around without a destination in mind hoping to get her tumultuous emotions under control. Finally, after an indeterminable amount of time she drove home. Pulling into the garage and noting her husband's truck, Susan steeled herself and went into the house not knowing what she would face, but certain that it would probably be less enjoyable than a root canal.

Peter Welch felt as though he were on top of the world. Though he hadn't "gotten any" last night, he knew there would be lots more in the future. Peter loved seducing married women. He had seduced many into his bed over the years. He loved their experience and their willingness to please. He could often get them to do things they were unwilling to do for their husbands. He really loved it when that happened. He especially got off on the fact he was cuckolding their husbands.

Though he knew it was dangerous he loved to cuckold them in their own beds. That was the ultimate rush for him. So far he hadn't been able to get Susan to do it. He felt he had almost succeeded when her oldest daughter had walked in on them. Fortunately they had only been kissing with their clothes on, but that had put a fast stop to his plans. Susan had been agitated and highly embarrassed, ushering him out the front door immediately and unceremoniously.

That is what had inevitably led to her telling her husband of the affair. At first Peter had been apprehensive about their tryst coming out. However, the more he though about it, the more he felt he could manipulate events to his ultimate advantage. It could be cuckolding at it's best, leaving her husband a broken man, and Susan a willing and guilt-free concubine.

Susan had fallen for the same lines he had used for his other conquest. In truth he really had been sad his wife had died in the accident. He was no longer in love with her, but he didn't want her to die. If she had not flown off the handle after finding out about the other women and started hitting him he would not have lost control and flipped their SUV. Crazy bitch had almost killed him too.

The insurance money had gone a long way toward healing his sense of loss...oh yes!

It hadn't taken long...maybe one month after meeting Susan and dejectedly and seemingly reluctantly telling his story. When he saw the tears and compassion in her eyes he knew it wouldn't be long until he fucked her. Soon he had her doing things she wouldn't do for her husband and telling him how much she loved him. She was one of his favorites... not that she knew about the others. 

After the incident with her daughter she told him she had to tell her husband. She said she loved them both and the guilt she was feeling was making their love seem wrong. Hell, he knew it was wrong. That's what made it so good. But he didn't want her to know that, did he?

So he had sat her down and convinced her how to tell him. He fed her a bunch of bull about how she could take her husband to the cleaners and make him destitute if he tried to divorce her. He told her how beautiful she was and how her husband would never be able find anyone as fine as her. 

Was any of it true? Maybe. Who knows? No one ever knows for sure how a divorce will go. But she believed it, and that's what counts. Now he would get to have her and cuckold her husband with his own knowledge. Wow!

Did he love her. No, he LOVED FUCKING HER, and fucking over her husband was also a turn-on! Sooner or later he would dump her. Especially since he'd almost gotten everything he could have wanted from this affair. Still...for a while at least, the best was yet to come.

Jonathan heard the garage door open and with a gush of acid in his stomach prepared to face his tormentor. As Susan walked into the living room he wondered who he was confronting, the vile bitch from last night or the loving wife he as recently as yesterday thought he knew so well.

Noting the contrite look on her face, the smeared makeup, and the slumped posture, he thought that at the very least the bitch might not be in attendance for the moment.

Remembering the last words he had heard from his daughter he looked at his probably soon to be ex-wife and said, " Susan, as you so eloquently said last night, we have something we have to talk about."

She looked up somewhat frightened at how sharply he had spoken to her.

Deciding that tonight he was going to be the one keeping her off guard, he proclaimed, "Our daughter is in her room right now balling her eyes out because of, I quote "the things that man was doing to mom in the living room." "What the hell did she see?", he growled, fighting to keep his voice under control for the kid's sake.

"Oh my god Jonathan. It's not what you think"

"You don't even want to know what I think right now!"

" Nooo. It's true, Cindy came home unexpectedly and saw....him...kissing me. He had surprised me by coming to the house unexpectedly. You've got to believe I have never had him in the house until that day. I was trying to get him to leave when he grabbed me and kissed me. Just then Cindy walked in, saw us and ran to her room. I was horrified. He apologized, saying he had been having a bad day thinking about his dead wife and just wanted some comfort. I told him I was sorry, but he had to leave and never come to the house again. I knew then things were getting out of hand and that I needed to confide in you before you heard about us from someone else and got the wrong idea."

" Well wife, how can I believe anything you say right now. You've been lying to me for so long. And isn't it special that you waited until someone ( our daughter) had seen you with him before you decided to come clean."

"Honey don't make it sound so sordid and mean. I didn't do it to hurt you. I told you yesterday I did it to help someone who was broken. I wanted you to feel happy for me that I was doing this for someone, happy for what it meant for me. I thought our love for each other would still be strong. You really disappointed me last night with the hurtful things you said."

Jonathan looked at her as if she had just done a table dance at church. "I don't even know who you are right now, but if you don;t want my lawyer and child protective services making your life a living hell for the foreseeable future I suggest you shut up and let me speak. You got your say last night."

She gulped, sat down opposite him and for the first time since she had known him felt a small knot of fear.

" Now Wife, he said with a sarcastic tone, allow me to sum up what has been going on and how I feel about it." 

"You run around behind my back, cuckolding me with some asshole for over a year."

"You tell me you love said asshole, had great sex with him, and will continue seeing him and presumably having sex with him."

"You get caught doing something that at the very least was inappropriate and at the most vile and illegal, in our home, by our daughter. Then, of course, you see the light and decide I should be a part of your precious love story."

"You ambush me at the end of a long day with this sick tale of betrayal, threaten me with poverty and loneliness, use the children against me, tell me I'm more or less too fat, old and ugly to attract anyone else, and that even if I did find someone you would destroy my life. Oh yes...you also reprimanded me for breaking my vows of marriage, for getting upset with you and saying hurtful things. And yet, when did you think about your marriage vows just once wife? If I had known you planned to go around giving solace in the form of intimacy to whatever other asshole out there needed it, there would have never been a wedding for you to have received my vows."

"And don't forget you told me how much you loved me. Thank god you don't hate me, there's no telling what you would have done to me."

"Does that about sum everything up for you Susan?"

She did not look at him...could not look at him for long moments. 

Finally she looked up with a mixture of fear, antipathy, and oddly a hint of compassion. "You make everything sound so sordid. Can't you see I did not do this to hurt you? Can't we get past this and love each other? Can't things be like they were before yesterday? 

He just stared at her for a long time. Finally she had to turn her gaze away and stare at her hands again.

"No Susan, things will never be the same between us again. You've taken something I cherished with all my heart and broken it irreparably. You still have not said you're sorry about it and you obviously are going to keep seeing the asshole. I feel more tired right now than I have ever felt in my life. I have moved some of my things into the basement for now. Goodnight."

Susan stared blankly at the spot her husband had just vacated. She could not understand why he was so upset. She knew that his ego might get hurt, but she still couldn't understand why he wasn't more empathetic. Finally she decided to go to bed herself. She was also feeling as tired as she had ever felt.

Though she tossed and turned for some time, she eventually fell into a troubled sleep.

She heard the moans as soon as she walked through the door. With a sense of foreboding she moved toward her bedroom. The door was open and it was easy to make out her husband supine on the bed. It was equally easy to see his cock disappearing into the mouth of the too young, too cute little red headed floosy in bed with him. 

"Ooohhh yeah...just like that baby. It feels sooo good, he moaned. I'm going to come so hard." No sooner had he said the words than he bucked up into her mouth and grunted in time with his spasms. When he was finally done cumming, and she was done swallowing his load, they embraced and kissed passionately.

Finally finding her voice Susan yelled out, "Whats going on in here? Who's this bitch in my bed?"

They both looked at her,but their hands kept languidly rubbing and exploring each other. 

"Hi honey," croaked her husband. "This is , uummm, Brandy. She .....ooohhhhh...lost her husband in Iraq and has...aaahhhh...been having a real rough time of it."

Just then Brandy turned around in the reverse cowgirl position, grabbed his once again hard cock, and with a long groan, slowly lowered herself until she was resting on his groin.

"Jonathan, shrieked Susan, you stop that this instant!"

"I can't Susan, can't you see how much this means to her and to me? " Don't worry, this won't go on forever, but right now it's so right. I thought you would be happy for me."

The looks of ecstasy on their faces were more than she could bear. She turned to run and almost fell over her daughter. "Cindy what are you doing here?"

"Don't they look good together? Is she going to be my new mommy?"

"NNNOOOOO, she screamed."

Suddenly she was sitting up in bed, wondering who had screamed. Then she realized the scream had come from her. The linens were drenched in sweat and her heart was beating wildly.

Unable to sleep, she lay in bed and tried to think. Slowly, she began to look at what she had done through her husbands eyes. Realization came at a snails pace. After all, she had been rationalizing her actions for a long time. The old Susan slowly began to emerge. The actions of the past year began to play across the tapestry of her mind. It was almost as if she were watching the actions of a stranger...no not quite a stranger...someone somehow familiar, yet not, almost like a favorite actress.

If not an epiphany, it was at least an awakening. As if for the first time she became aware of all she could lose...probably would lose... and she began to think about how she could extricate herself from this disaster of her own making.

Finally unable to remain in bed any longer she took a shower, got dressed and went downstairs to fix breakfast. As she was puttering around the kitchen she was surprised when the front door opened and her husband came in dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, breathing hard and dripping sweat.

"Where have you been honey and why are you so out of breath?"

"Don't call me honey, he said with a glare. You gave up the right. I was out for a run. One of the things I've decided is to take more of an interest in my welfare. I have gotten a bit out of shape and I'm going to change that."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to fight. Go take your shower and I'll have breakfast ready for you when you're done."

He looked at her as if about to say something, and then finally with a shake of his head he headed for the basement.

When he came back about a half hour later he was dressed for work. They ate in silence, both deep in thought, brooding over the turmoil that their lives had now become and what to do about it.

Later Susan became aware of the garage door opening and the sound of her husbands truck leaving. She could not remember a time since they were married that he didn't give her a kiss and tell her he loved her before heading off to work. The enormity of what had just happened was more than she could bear. Overcome with tears she ran to her room sobbing uncontrollably.

Jonathan had decided he needed to go to work today. His family depended on him to bring home the bacon. Besides, he didn't think he could stand a whole day of being around his wife without anything to do right now. Funny how he felt loath to be around someone who just a couple of days earlier he could never get enough of.

Thankfully he had gone in to comfort his daughter after she had dropped that bombshell on him the day before. As he held and comforted her, he was able to ascertain that she had come home a little early a few days ago and when she walked in the door she had seen her mom being kissed by a man she didn't know. And while, in her opinion, the man's hands were all over her mom, she admitted that her mom had seemed to be pushing him away. They were also both fully dressed.

This seemed to confirm what his wife had told him the night before. While he was extremely pissed off that this had happened in his house in front of his child, he felt safe that his wife would not do something really stupid like screw the asshole in their house where the children could so easily be scarred by such a display. Susan had turned out to be a disappointment as a wife, but she had always been an excellent mother.

They had made the decision early on in their marriage when she had become pregnant to have her quit working and stay home with the children. Susan had actually been a nurse when they had married, and although she had not worked as a nurse in some time, she still kept her nursing license current and read many nursing journals to keep up with advances in health care.

Yes, Susan was a born nurturer. Unfortunately she was nurturing someone she had no business with in a way that was totally unacceptable to Jonathan.

He had intentionally gone into work a little early so that he could talk to his boss, Dale Murphy. He had always gotten along well with Dale. In fact Dale had often pestered him to become a foreman. But Jonathan had always steadfastly refused, preferring to work with his hands without the stress of management. When he stepped into his bosses' office, Dale looked at him with concern. He had never known Jonathan to miss a day of work. " Hey Jon, how are you feeling. I figured you must have come down with a case of the plaque or worse to miss a day of work," he half-joked. 

"Dale I almost wish it were the plaque. I think I could have handled that better." Then he told his boss everything he had learned in the past couple of days. When he was done they were both in a somber mood.

"Jon anything I can do, and I mean anything at all, just ask. I still think you ought to think about that foreman job. It's better money and lot's better hours. You are gonna need more time for your kids if nothing else."

"Thanks boss. Your concern means a lot to me. I'll think about that foreman gig and let you know. I am definitely looking at things from a different perspective now." 

With that he got to work. It felt good to work with his hands and get his mind off his troubles. Before he knew it his work day was done and it was time to go home. He was anxious to get home and do something with the kids. He had not realized how much of the pleasure of sharing in his children's lives he had been missing. He hoped that he would be able to amend that and be a part of the rest of their lives.

Gradually Susan calmed down. She got up, took another shower and put on some make-up. Calling Peter she was able to persuade him to meet her at his house at at one o'clock. He had been curious as to her intentions, knowing from her tone that something was up, but she had not given him a hint. 

Susan had made up her mind. It was time to end the affair. The costs were already too high and they just kept mounting. If she were to have any chance at all of saving her marriage she had to cut off all contact with Peter from this point on. Apprehensive at how this meeting would turn out, she still felt it was only right to tell him in person. A phone call would not be right after all the time they had been seeing each other.

When she arrived at his house he was already waiting for her. As soon as she knocked on the door it swung open. Peter grabbed her in the doorway and started kissing her lips insistently, while grabbing hold of her rear end in the process. It was as if he knew what was coming and was trying to reestablish his claim on her.




Nothing To Talk About Ch. 02



Neither noticed the nondescript car or the man behind the wheel snapping photos at a frenzied pace.

Pulling Susan inside and closing the door behind him with his foot, Peter continued his assault.. Finally she was able to push him away. She looked at him with a penetrating stare that was somehow both angry and compassionate. "Peter, none of that. We have to talk!" Still he came toward her to grab her again, but she raised one hand up in the universal gesture to stop and grabbed the door handle with her other hand.

"Peter if you don't stop I am leaving right this minute,"she cried. "Don't make this harder than it already is."

Peter back-up, put his hands up and with a disarming grin said, "Okay. I can't help it if seeing you has that effect on me. You're just so damn sexy."

"Peter let's go sit down at the dining room table, we have something we have to talk about, she said, not appreciating the irony of her statement.

"You know I have strong feelings for you. We have had some really good times, but I have come to realize that I am a hair's-breadth away from totally messing up my marriage and family. I have come to tell you we can't see each other any longer."

He looked shocked and yet there was a hint of something else in his eyes. Anger? Contempt? Arrogance? She wasn't quite sure, but it unnerved her.

Finally he spoke. "You can't mean that after all we have shared. I thought we talked about this. Your husband doesn't really have any options. He will get taken to the cleaners if you divorce." 

There was a smugness about him that was making her more uncomfortable by the minute. 

"Peter, she said imploringly, I know what we talked about, but I realized I don't want to lose Jonathan. It may be too late for that already, but if I essentially castrate him by making him a cuckold against his will, I will have lost him for sure. I don't know what I was thinking. He hurt me with some of his comments, but I began to realize just how much I was hurting him. I always told you I loved my husband. Maybe after the things I've done that is hard to believe, but it is none-the-less true."

"Come on Susan you're just having second thoughts is all," he said reaching for her hand, "that's normal, but how can you end it after all we've meant to each other?"

She pulled her hand away from him and sat idly twisting her wedding ring around her finger. Looking at him with tears in her eyes she shook her head. "No, we have to stop. It's over. I finally figured out that for the past year I thought I could have my cake and eat it too. I convinced myself that Jonathan was not missing out on anything, after all I was home whenever he was. I never denied him anything and he was not ever supposed to know about you. I told myself that I would actually only make my marriage stronger, because I was feeling so fulfilled. In the end though I came to see that I was hurting him. I was rationalizing everything I did, even if it meant throwing some of the blame on him. I was inevitably losing my respect for him. I couldn't help it. After all I was hiding half of my life from him. I just can't hurt him anymore."

He saw that he wasn't going to persuade her with the tact he was taking. Truthfully he was getting pissed off. How dare she end it with him? He would decide when he was through with her. What the hell kind of game did this bitch think she was playing anyway?

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he knew she would be unable to resist him once he started getting physical. He jumped up from his chair and forcibly pulled her into his embrace. Pulling her lips to his and using his free hand to pull up her dress and seek out the juncture between her legs. She was fighting against him trying to pull away. He used one leg to pry her legs apart. Just as his hand was reaching it's desired goal he felt excruciating pain emanating from his groin. The air rushed out of his lungs as he fell to his dining room floor. Rolling, he thought he might throw up.

"You bastard! I thought you cared for me. How could you do that? What am I some kind of possession to you." She glared at him with fire in her eyes. "We are through. Don't ever come near me or call me again!" 

With that she spun on her heels and fled though the front door. 

Once again she did not notice she was under photographic scrutiny.

The week went by quickly for Jonathan. On Thursday he received a call from the private detective agency telling him that their report was ready for him to pick up. He made arrangements to meet with them on his lunch hour the next day.

That night he had a difficult time sleeping. He knew he had been avoiding decisions he would ultimately have to make. He had been avoiding his wife at home...telling her he was not ready to talk at this time. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a chain saw. His wife had been pleading with him to sit down and talk, and it was getting increasingly harder to avoid. With the PI report in his hands he knew he would have to face up to some difficult choices.

The next day upon his arrival, he was ushered immediately into the office of Jason Proud, P.I. 

"Mr. Freemont, can I get you anything? Coffee, tea or a soda perhaps?" Seeing his client shake his head he went on. "Okay Mr. Freemont, let me just say that I am sorry , but we have some rather bad information to go over with you." Handing Jonathan an envelope, he went on, " these are photographs I took of your wife a few days ago entering and leaving the house of one Peter Welch."

Jonathan looked over the stack of photos and visibly flinched as he looked at his wife being kissed and handled by someone else. Going through the entire stack he also noted her leaving the house with her hair, dress and make-up rather tousled and a flush about her face.

He closed his eyes and just tried to concentrate on breathing for a while. Even though she had told him of the affair herself, seeing the evidence in his own hands made his eyes burn and his emotions blaze.

Jason waited patiently for his client to absorb what he had been told. He had been doing this kind of work for years and was used to the emotional minefield caused by the content of many of his reports.

When he judged that his client looked ready he began where he had left off. "In addition to those photographs we have come up with quite a sordid past for this Peter Welch. The most interesting aspect of this case is that Mr. Welch's former wife had retained us to follow her husband. She had suspected he was having an affair. Normally I would not divulge this kind of information, but since Mrs. Welch died only days after we filed our final report I don't feel it is now client privilege and it has a definite bearing on the investigation we have done for you. It seems this character is quite the cad. Your wife is only one of many he has managed to seduce She is not even the only one he is....ahh seeing at this time. You'll find names and addresses of everyone we were able to confirm that he is having or has had an affair with for the past several years. The report is quite thorough...thanks partly to the ground work from his deceased wife's initial investigation. Please if we can be of any further assistance let me know."

They shook hands and Jonathan left his office with his mind in a fog. Finally coming back to the here and now he made a call to his attorney and told him to start divorce proceedings. It was time to start taking control and moving forward. He was saddened that he felt compelled to divorce someone who had been his best friend, lover, and confidant, but even though he still loved her deeply, he could not see how he could ever trust her again. The marriage they had all these years had been almost a fairy tale. Now it had become a tragedy. He only hoped the future held some promise of hope.

That night when he arrived home his wife was once again sitting at the dining room table with a pensive look on her face. The house was quiet. Obviously the children were not at home. He steeled himself once again and sat down across the table from his soon to be ex-wife.

"Hello Susan. Planning to ambush me again? What have you done to hurt me now?"

She hated seeing the vengeful look on his face. He had never looked at her that way until the past two weeks. What really hurt her is that she knew she was responsible for that new look.

"Please Jonathan," she began with as compassionate a look as she could display, "I don't want to fight with you. I now know that I am responsible for wounding you probably as deeply as you have ever been hurt. For that I am truly sorry. I know my actions and particularly my words from....that night...make it hard for you to believe it, but I love you more than I could ever love another man."

She noticed the disbelieving look in his eyes, but quickly continued, "As I said I know you will find it hard to believe and I really can't blame you. I now wish that I could go back in time and none of this could have ever happened. Unfortunately I can't do that, but I will do everything in my power to make up for what I have done. I have ended my affair. I told him I did not want to ever see or talk to him again. I am go......

Suddenly Jonathan jumped up and began pacing. Anger boiled up into his voice, "Susan I don't believe you." He dug into the large brown envelope he had been carrying when he walked into the room and threw some photographs on the table in front of her. "It doesn't look like you broke it off with that asshole, Peter Welch, to me wife."

Susan looked up sharply at the mention of Peter's name, alarm clearly written across her face.

"Yes, I know the asshole's name and a lot more. Doesn't look like you broke it off to me. Looks to me like you could barely get through his door without jumping him."

She looked at the pictures before her, saw how incriminating it all looked and felt faint.

"It's not what you think. How did you get these? How do you know his name?"

"Well since you weren't going to tell me, in fact you told me it was none of my business, I hired someone to find out for me. I used some of the money I was putting aside for our 15th wedding anniversary. The anniversary we are never going to have now." 

She looked as if she had been slapped across the face.

"No, please don't say that honey. Please don't say that. I will do anything to stay together. I already have made arrangements to start seeing a counselor. Please Jonathan I love you. Please don't say you don't love me."

" I won't lie to you. I do love you, but I also hate you, hate what you have done and planned to do. On top of that I have lost my faith and trust in you. I could never stay married to you without that. I have already told my lawyer to file. I'm hoping it can be more amicable than you had planned. I won't lay down and let you run over me."

"Please Jonathan, I don't know what possessed me to say those things to you. I hope the councilor can help me figure out why," she said between broken sobs, " I won't hurt you that way, but can't we somehow make it through this?"

He gave her a compassionate look for the first time that evening. "No, I don't think we can. I think if you truly put yourself in my shoes you would understand. If I had had a year-long affair and then said the things you said to me, you would have tried to castrate me."

He pulled a copy of the P.I. Report out of the envelope and grabbed a hold of her hand. He gave her a loving look and said softly, "Susan, I don't know whether to believe you about breaking it off with the asshole, but you need to. He is bad news. I don't want to see you or the children hurt."

He handed her the report and left the table for the basement. He still had some matters that needed his attention.

*

The next two weeks were full of ups and downs. A weeping Susan was served divorce papers. However she continued with her counsellings and was hopeful that somehow she could get her husband back.

Jonathan joined a gym and was already starting to tone up. In fact he had already been rather aggressively flirted with by a cute little brunette who looked to be a few years younger than he. He had taken the job as foreman and had moved in with his mother for the time being. He wanted to save money until the divorce was finalized and he knew where he stood financially. He also wanted a place that was large enough for the kids to come over and stay.

Peter Welch had been fired from his job. Jonathan had Fedexed copies of the P. I. Report to all the husbands whose wives had been seduced by the Peter. Seems one of the husbands was a partner at his law firm. Jonathan thought it wasn't very bright for a supposedly intelligent attorney, but apparently he only thought with his dick.

Then Peter Welch had apparently been jumped by person or persons unknown coming out of a bar late one night. He was hospitalized with a ruptured testicle, a broken jaw, and all his front teeth were missing.

The police investigation was somewhat ambivalent, possibly because one of the his paramours had been a cop's wife. Jonathan was questioned, but nothing ever came of it.

As soon as he was released from the hospital, Peter left town for parts unknown.

Jonathan still had mixed feelings about the divorce. He began going to meetings with her and her councilor. He's not sure exactly what his future will look like, but it doesn't look as though he will be penniless and alone. By taking control of his life he had managed to protect his dignity and his balls.

He no longer wore his wedding band, but he had not thrown it away yet. He kept it in a bag in the top drawer of his dresser.

The only other occupants of the bag being four adult teeth.