91 comments/ 93569 views/ 37 favorites What She Had Done... By: shuttlepilot Copyright @ shuttlepilot All rights reserved, 2011 Davis Hill sat in the other chair across from the counselor and felt like staring at the picture of Yosemite on the wall. It was his fifth session with the man and he didn't feel any better nor did he see a real solution to his problem. "Mr. Hill, what your wife has done is, without a doubt, the most painful form of abuse that one spouse can inflict on another." "I'd have rather died than experience this." Hill looked at the painting, again, wishing he was there. "You're going to have to decide if you want to stay married or not. If not, then I'll help you work your way through it but, if you do then you're going to have to be kind, patient and understanding of why she has done what she has done." He wasn't sure what Hill was looking for. He, himself, would have cut his losses, already, but he was bound to try and help the man save his marriage, that is, if he still wanted to, which was becoming less and less likely as each week passed. "I don't understand her. She says she loves us both and can't make a choice. If forced to, she says she will give up both of us. I guess I still want to work it out but she is spending quite a bit of time with him at her work. They even go on out-of-town business trips together. I think he might be married, but I don't know; I've never seen him... she might be lying about the whole thing and he's someone else, altogether." The counselor noticed that Hill was burning a hole through his painting and was glad he wasn't Superman or there'd be a missing wall behind him. Of course, if the man was Superman instead of Clark Kent, his wife's lover would be halfway to the moon by now. "My wife says she is very confused and needs time. She will not tell me when she sees him or talks to him. I've always tried... I've always done everything for her to pursue her career but how long should I wait? I can't continue like this forever and I'm not sure I love her, anymore." Finally, thought the counselor, the man is putting on his cape. ***** "I see all our paperwork is in order. You're getting a very good rate, 3.75 percent. I see you've had the house since 1995." She looked at the clock, hoping that he'd hurry with the paperwork. It was almost four and she had a date for the night. "I bought it with my parents as an investment. I never thought I'd actually live there but it's been a very nice house. I need to take care of some things so refinancing is the only choice." "I'm sure everything will turn out... and here's your check. Please sign here, here and here." Hill walked out of Western savings and loan a few minutes before four o'clock with $568,000 in a cashier's check. He would have preferred cash but realized that was an impossibility. His next stop was at Bank of America where he closed out everything, taking another check for close to $700,000 and five thousand in cash. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I've got it," he said to Sister Karen, seemingly the only friend he ever had in life, especially now. "I'll be there," the nun said, "traffic's a little heavy. Give me another ten, fifteen minutes." She said a prayer to her God, hoping She would understand. "For it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Sometimes, though, She needs a little help. "OK, thanks." He disconnected and drove the three miles to Torrance Savings. Waiting in the lot, he looked in the visor mirror, not wanting to look to morose but he couldn't help it. His wife had initiated the entire situation and now he was just doing his part to bring it to a less-than-satisfactory conclusion, but a finish, just the same. He saw Sister Karen's Camry pull into the lot and he locked his car and walked into the building. The nun, fingering the cross on her lapel as if looking for courage, walked up to the safety deposit teller and signed in. She nodded to Davis and he joined her as she went into the small room. "Thanks," he said, handing her the two envelopes. "I'm sorry, Davis, I really am," she answered, giving him her other key to the box and waited while the teller took it and relocked the box into its vault space. "You keep it. Here's the 'power of attorney' document for this box." Sister Karen looked at Davis, seeing the pain in his eyes. "Dave, I'm..." "Don't say it, Karen. I know. It's just... ah, forget it. Thanks. Here..." He handed her two thousand dollars. "Use it as you need it." "Call me, OK? I'll pray for you... and her... and whatever you decide." "I will. It'll be a while, though." He was embarrassed, needing her like this. The trust he had in her should have been for his wife... he had made such a mistake, all those years ago. "Just don't make it too long, all right?" she said and rolling up her window, drove away. ***** Davis lay on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling. "How long," he asked his wife of twenty-three years. She seemed surprised at his question. There was a long silence. "Christmas..." "Christmas... what was it? A gift to yourself?" He tried hard to keep his voice level like he had promised the counselor... like he had promised Karen... like he had promised himself. It was SO damn hard. "It wasn't... yes. It was just... I don't know. Something was just..." Talking about it actually made her ashamed as she realized what she had done to her husband. "Missing?" he asked, wishing he was dead. "More exciting?" "I guess." There was a sadness in her voice and she felt caught between her husband and her lover... between heaven and hell. "Here? In this room? On this bed?" He could feel his voice starting to rise. "Yes... I'm sorry." And, she was, too... she just couldn't make up her mind. Why couldn't she have both? Why couldn't he understand? She had wants and needs and desires, just like everyone else. "Ah, Jesus Christ, Stacy... here? Where we sleep? Where I sleep?" Davis got up and left the bed and went into the living room, shaking his head in disbelief. It was once thing to know it; it was another thing to KNOW it. He went into the kitchen and pulled the Southern Comfort and the remains of last night's cherry pie out of the refrigerator. I never used to drink but things change, don't they? At least, it's good pie. He put a spoon to the dessert and started to eat. The morning sun found him still sitting at the kitchen table, his glass half-empty and the pie gone. Stacy hadn't even bothered to see if he was OK. He went back to the bedroom, dressed and left, driving to his office. He had calls to make and people to see. ***** Davis returned to the marriage counselor, more for his own need than hers. He was having a hard time accepting what the man was telling him, forgiveness... He still wasn't sure if he was going to do anything more than what he had already done but he had to exhaust every possibility, if just for himself. Thank God, the twins were both out of college, one in the Army and the other in medical school. My daughter, the lieutenant... he never thought he'd ever say something like that. "Davis!" "OH! I must have zoned out, there, for a moment." Hill went back to staring at the painting. "People have affairs because their needs aren't being met at home, so they look for a lover that will. Your wife's lover is doing something for her that makes her feel so good she is willing to sacrifice the happiness of her children, her family and you just to get it. What does her lover do for her that is that important? What does he give her that you have not given her? Can you change so that you can meet that need? Of course, this is if you want to try and save your marriage." "Probably fucks the hell out of her... I don't know. I don't understand her anymore. I don't know what more I can do or what he's doing that I haven't. She refuses to say anything. It might be just the sex but it's still a betrayal of everything we promised to each other." Hill gripped the chair's arms, his fingers turning so white it hurt. "You're both meeting different needs. That's why she can't decide what to do. She says she loves you and that may be the case, especially since she was still sleeping with you. You are meeting some of her important needs with security and companionship and shelter and he's probably all about the sex but neither you nor her lover meet enough of her needs for her to settle on one of you. If you could do what this other man is doing, the conflict would be ended and your family would be secure." "Assuming I still want her back..." "Assuming you still want her back." ***** Davis thought back eight months when he went for a routine annual check-up. A week later, the clinic had called, asking him to return and the doctor told him he had syphilis. "There's some big mistake," he told her, "that's impossible." She looked at him and quietly asked, "Davis, are you sure? You've..." I hate this, she cursed silently. I can tell he's innocent, just by looking at him. "Never," he told her. "I don't do that." Ah, shit. "No chance it being the toilet seat?" He tried to laugh but he knew he was going to cry, it suddenly hurt so bad. "Well, we've got to get you on penicillin today. I see you're not allergic to it. Now, if you have a reaction, it'll be within a couple of hours... chills, maybe a fever, just being tired... I'd like you to stay here in the waiting room until..." She looked at her watch. "...let's say, three o'clock and I'll check you again. I'll want to see you again in three months, to make sure and maybe three months after that." "No mistake, huh?" he asked, grasping at something, anything. "No... I can run the test again but I routinely have it run twice when there's a positive, by two different labs. You'll need to talk to your wife." "Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. I'll talk to her." Damn bitch. The next day, Davis called Sister Karen, his proverbial girl next door and they spoke for several hours. Davis decided he was going to talk to Stacy, just not about syphilis. That was her problem, he decided... hers and her lover's... let them figure it out. What if it had been HIV? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became and he left work, telling them he didn't feel well. It was the truth, it just didn't show. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! ***** "Try and have a quiet discussion with her about what her lover does for her that you don't. You will be tempted to express your resentment over how much she has hurt you. You may even feel like telling her to leave so you can find someone who will love and respect you as you are. You might lose your temper, be disrespectful, and give her ultimatums..." The counselor wondered if any of what he was saying was being done but he had to try. He had an oath to honor. All in all, he knew Davis was going to leave his wife, the question just became, when? "If you do any of these things, she will withdraw even more than she already has. It will get you nowhere. On the other hand, if you can convince her that her feelings are important to you... right now, for some reason, she's not convinced you have put her first in your life." Of course, he thought, Davis' wife didn't exactly put him first, either. "After all I've said, do you think you can do this?" Not a chance, not a chance... "I don't know. I'm not sure it's worth it, anymore. I'll talk to you next week." ***** There was a note on his pillow. 'I need some time,' it said. 'I'm coming back, I just don't know when. I DO love you but I love him, too.' She didn't even bother to sign it. Bitch... Davis scrunched up the note and threw it on the floor. He opened the closet and looked. Most of her clothes were still there, so that meant something. He supposed he could find a way to check her phone records, look at her texts but what was the point? He knew where she was, even if he didn't know WHERE she was. He went into the kitchen and pulled out the phone book from above the stove. "Goodwill? Yes, I'd like to arrange a pickup. Household goods... yes, that's right, the entire house, you're going to need a big truck. Mostly new, maybe five years... yes, everything. Can you do that, today? No... tomorrow morning? Good. Here's my address. Are you going to need any paperwork? Just identification? OK, I'll see you tomorrow... nine o'clock? Good." ***** His cell rang that night. It was her. "Davis..." she started to say, not confident at all. "Are you with him?" he asked. He could hear the hesitation in her silence. "When are you coming home, Stacy? The house will be empty without you." And, don't I know it. "I... I just need some time... with him. Please, understand... if you love me, you'll understand." Now, he was silent. Selfish bitch, throwing everything away. Well, I'm throwing everything away, too. "Dave? Are you there, Dave?" She sounded worried. "Yeah. Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting." Yeah, somewhere else, bitch. "I'm... thank you, Dave. It's just..." "That's OK, Stacy... you don't need to explain. Will you call, tomorrow?" "I don't know... I'll try... yes." "Goodbye, Stacy." Goodbye... forever. Oh, God... He turned off his phone and went to the kitchen, got some black trash bags and then began putting his clothes into the doubled-up bags. He was surprised when he found his old high school letterman sweater. He remembered when Karen had given it back to him, that night he went into the Army. "I'll wait," she had said but when he went missing, so did she. For a long time later, he threw himself into whatever they had asked of him, rising through the ranks quickly until his enlistment was up and he had survived Desert Storm with a bad case of frustration in life, wondering where she had gone and who she was with. Davis left for his last appointment with the marriage counselor. At first, he thought it strange he attend these sessions, alone, but the doctor had told him that while not common, it happened quite often. Often enough, at any rate... There was a lot of hurt, out there. "Davis, maybe it's not so much him as it's the environment that she and her lover share that makes him so attractive. She probably spends many hours each week alone with him, where they give each other their undivided attention. That kind of time and privacy is essential in meeting most of the important emotional needs. It could be that you have not given her enough of your undivided attention in a stress-free and private environment. Of course, that's assuming it's someone she works with." The counselor wanted him to give her six months to re-connect with him. He had tried, without letting her know he knew. He offered small vacations, taking her to Tahoe for skiing, San Diego, San Francisco. But Stacy had turned him down often enough that he knew she was torn between two lovers and when she gave him syphilis, he stopped having sex with her. He was running out of patience and she was running out of time... she just didn't know it. "Davis... if at the end of the six months, she still hasn't changed... if she's still seeing him, then tell her you can't take the pain anymore and move out of your house. Don't talk to her, don't see her, do whatever the law requires, but no more. Let her remember you as a kind, caring person and how hard you tried to make her happy. I know it will be hard but, thank God, your twins are grown and on their own so you don't have to deal with that." Davis nodded his head, listening as best he could. She'll remember me, all right... kind, caring, trying to make her happy... you bet. How to tell the girls, though, that was another question. "When you are meeting some of her needs, and her lover is meeting others, she has the best of both worlds, at your expense. Your total disengagement from her will break the deadlock and will give her lover a chance to win her over. Let him try to meet the needs that you were meeting. If he succeeds, your marriage will be over. But if he fails, which is the usual outcome, it gives your wife a chance to test the permanence of her relationship with him. When he's faced with meeting all of her needs, he may not be able to meet those you have been meeting. It's very important for you to leave her before you do or say things that will upset her. You will not be able to compete head-to-head with her lover indefinitely." The counselor took a sip of coffee and motioned an offer. Davis shook his head, 'no'. "If, after your separation, she comes to you later asking to give your marriage another try, you will need to determine if she is still attracted to her lover. If there is evidence that her lover really blew it with her, is completely out of her life, quit his job, moved out of state, married another woman, returned to his wife, or done something that convinces you they will never see each other again, go back to your original plan, and learn to meet her needs." It'll never happen, this guy is too angry, even if he keeps it hidden well. "But if she is still tempted to see her lover behind your back, I suggest that you leave the area. There's a good chance that she is addicted to the man, and he is addicted to her. The only way to overcome the addiction is to have a period of abstinence. Moving away is often the only way it can be done." He drank more coffee, knowing this was their last meeting whether Davis said anything or not. "Even if your marriage improves, your wife will still want to remain "friends" with this man. It is an arrangement that few husbands can, or should, tolerate and you will have to realize that your marriage is over, unless you're will to accept that she will cheat again." This marriage is SO over. "Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate your help with this... very much." "You're not taking her back, are you?" "I tried everything you suggested but as you just said, I can't take it any longer. I want to leave before I do something that might land me in jail. He can have her. It's not a sign of weakness. I just don't want her, anymore. The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference." "I'm sorry, Davis." "So am I, Doctor, so am I. Thank you for your time." "Goodbye, Davis. If you ever need me, just call." Davis paid for that last session in cash as he had, all along. Besides, he smirked, the plastic won't work anymore, anyways. ***** He spent the day wandering Del Amo mall, not wanting to return to the loveless house and its haunting memories. He still had to call the twins and let them know but that could wait until everything else was done. Why rush things before he was ready? He spent the night at the Torrance Marriott, hoping he wouldn't by chance run into Stacy and her lover. How inconvenient would that be? he wondered. He no longer cared to put a face to the man but it would create a problem with his plans. He needed her to stay away. The next morning, he was back at the house at eight o'clock, making sure there wasn't anything he wanted at the last minute. Karen had picked up his trash bags full of clothing, his computer, all the electronics and his model trains. He hadn't 'played' with them in years but they had been a gift from his father and he was damned if he was going to lose them. Everything had gone to her house. For many nuns, the convent was a thing of the past and Karen was no exception. The modern Church... There was a knock at the open door. "Hello?" There were four men, there on the porch. "Good morning, I'm Davis. You're from Goodwill, right?" OK, so that was a stupid question. "Yes, sir. They said it would be the whole house?" "That's right. Take it all. I'm moving away and... I'm moving away." I am SO moving away. "Can I see some I.D., please? Just paperwork, you know. You can't be too careful." "Sure. Here..." Davis pulled out his driver's license and gave it to the man who checked the address with his work order. What She Had Done... "Thanks. Take it all?" "Take it all." Take it all... twenty-two years of memories... take it all. It took five hours but the house was completely bare, down to the rugs. It reminded him of the day they had moved in, the future so bright, so full of promise, but this time, the moving truck was driving away with everything. He walked through one last time, closed the door on their life together, his house now as empty as his heart. ***** Stacy left Jim's apartment and went to her car; it had sat there all week and was almost out of gas; her personal time from work was used up and she had to return the next day. She drove down the boulevard to the station and tried to get the credit card to work but it refused to register at the pump. She walked into the convenience store and asked for twenty dollars on pump six. The old man behind the counter told her that the card was no good. "What do you mean, 'it's no good'?" Stacy looked at the man in disbelief. "Your card is no good. It doesn't work. Look, lady, I've other people waiting." Stacy snatched it back and sat in her car, crying. How had he cancelled the cards so quickly? And then, she realized she had been gone for over a week; the cards had been cancelled long before she had decided to return to her husband. She should have called but she just kept forgetting after the first few days. The bank! Oh, Jesus, the bank! She drove to Bank of America and waited forever in line, hoping that her fears were unfounded. "I'm sorry," the girl said, "but those accounts have all been closed." "When?" was all Stacy could say, holding the counter to keep from falling. "Early last week, on the seventh. Is there a problem? Would you like to speak to the manager?" "No... thank you." Stacy walked out of the bank, defeated by her husband's actions. She thought he would love her, no matter what. Why didn't he understand? Maybe it wasn't all his fault but he should be understanding. She had needs and desires that he could no longer help her with. Jim was younger and better looking and made her feel special. She pulled out her cell phone to call Jim and while it came on, there was no service. He had cancelled her phone, as well. She was alone, with little gas and no cash and no phone. What to do? What to do? A car pulled in next to hers and a young woman got out. Stacy could see a baby in the car's back seat, playing with his rattle. "Excuse me," Stacy called. "My phone doesn't work and I desperately need to call my sister. Can I borrow your phone? Please?" She could tell the woman was skeptical but gave her the phone, anyway. "Thank you, thank you." Rapidly punching in her sister's number, she anxiously waited for the phone to ring. "Hello?" "LuAnn, it's me. Listen, I'm in a lot of trouble and I'm stuck at the gas station on the corner of Sepulveda and El Segundo... yes, the Chevron station. Please, come as soon as you can." Stacy gave the young mother back her phone, thanked her again and then pulled her car over to the side away from the pump stations. It took almost an hour before her sister arrived. "What's the matter, Stacy? You had me worried to death. Is something wrong with Davis? And, why are you here?" "Davis threw me out. I don't have any cash and my cards don't work and I've got nowhere to stay." "What do you mean, he threw you out?" Davis loved her, he'd never do that. "He found out." "Found out what? Oh, my God, you were having an affair? Jesus Christ, what made you do that? He loves you and gave you everything you've ever wanted." You stupid bitch! "Can I stay with you for a while? And, I don't have any gas. Can you fill me up? Please." LuAnn looked at her sister, disgusted at what she heard. What a fool, she thought. "All right, here, take my card and meet me at the house." LuAnn left her sister standing there in the station's lot and drove away, shaking her head in disbelief. "Davis, this is LuAnn. What's going on? I just talked to Stacy and I can't believe what she's just said. Please, tell me it's some kind of mistake." "Hello, LuAnn. No... there's no mistake. I'm sorry, LuAnn, I've always liked you and Bill but Stacy and me, we're through. It's been going on for at least since Christmas... this time..." His voice faded away. "Oh, God, I'm SO sorry, Davis. Did she say why?" This time? Oh, shit! There was a pause. "No." "Oh, Davis... I... ah, shit, Davis, I don't know what to say. I always thought my sister was a better person than that. Look, she's going to stay with us for a few days until we can figure this thing out. Can I call you if something comes up?" "Yes, LuAnn, I don't have any problem with you. I just... I just can't believe she did this to me." "I can't either. Didn't she say anything? Did she even say she was sorry?" "I didn't ask and I don't care. Look, LuAnn, I've got to go. I've a plane to catch to Vegas for a couple of days. I'll talk to you when I get back." ***** Davis checked into the MGM and took the elevator to the fifth floor. He had a nice view of the New York skyline across the street and cringed as the roller coaster came screaming around the faux skyscrapers. He changed his jean shorts into a pair of brown slacks, put on a light yellow shirt and then his tweed sports coat. He looked in the mirror and brushed his hair back with his hand; satisfied with what he saw, he made sure he had the room's key card in his wallet and went downstairs to the buffet. Every time he had come to Vegas with Stacy, the only part he really liked was the buffet. Gambling was a tax on the stupid. Someone was paying for all the lights burning in town but it wasn't going to be him. He enjoyed looking at all the ladies, though, and for the first time ever, without guilt. This time, he ate slowly, trying to enjoy the food and the ladies in front of him. Every other time, Stacy had been so eager to gamble at the slots that he always had to rush. Stacy was one of those gamblers that kept playing until there was no more money left. She took the same chance with their marriage and lost. Davis drove his rental car to The Dam. That's how he always thought of it... The Dam... It was incredible and he never tired of seeing it. One trip, he had parked the car and walked over to the side of the hillside collecting rocks and when he returned home, he got a geology book and deciphered the hidden secrets they held. He stayed there for a good half-hour before the heat started to bother him and he returned towards Vegas. On the way, he surprised himself and headed towards Pahrump, sixty miles to the west. He had heard about the brothels in Nevada and had never had the inclination to visit but, now... It seemed to take forever to get there but he kept to the speed limit. Davis found Sherri's Brothel and saw Michelle standing there with the others. She was relatively tall at five foot six and a comfortable 34 28 34. For a moment, the three thousand dollars he had was burning a hole in his pocket. He explained his situation with her and asked if she was willing to work with him. Finding that she was agreeable to his request, he gave her two thousand and followed her to her room. They called it the 'girlfriend' experience and he hoped it would be worth every penny. He waited in the restaurant and then Michelle came in, modestly dressed with going to church clothes. He stood and pulled out her chair. "Hi," he said, more shyly than he thought he would be. "Hi. I missed you," she said. "How was your day?" If anything, she knew how to listen and sensed that he needed listening more than most of her 'dates.' "There were these stupid Japanese contracts that had to be cancelled because of the tsunami, right? And, they were saying they could still meet the production quotas but they've already missed two deadlines so it became time to cut our losses and move manufacturing back here." "That's too bad. Have you ever been there?" "A few times.... it's crazy over there, so many people and all the lights at night... it's like Disneyland on steroids." During dinner, he talked and she listened and found him to be quite entertaining, almost wishing it was a real date instead of what it inevitably was. Her husband would not have appreciated that, though. "...and then he says, 'What do you mean, it wasn't Godzilla?' and we got arrested." She laughed, honestly, this time. "You're very funny. I'm having a good time. Really." "What would you like for dessert?" "I've got to watch my figure but I'll share." "Fine. You pick." "Chocolate cream pie?" "Great." She fed him, a spoonful at a time, sometimes licking the whipped cream and then putting it to his lips. He was glad the STD his wife gave him had been cured months earlier. He would have felt miserable if he had done something wrong to this young woman trying so hard to please him. "Let's go," she said, standing. For a moment he had no idea what she meant, having fallen into the charade completely. She took his hand and he remembered, becoming hard almost immediately. He was embarrassed by his body's reaction to her touch. "C'mon. I'll make you forget whatever your troubles are." ***** "What are you going to do, now?" LuAnn asked her wayward sister. "I don't know? How long can I stay here?" How could he do this to me? after all these years? "Only a couple of days... I told Bill that Davis was away on business and you wanted to visit. That's the best I can do. If he finds out, you're out of here. He's unforgiving on something like this. You're going to have to go home." "OK, I understand. I'll try and think of something. Will you go with me?" "Look, I spoke with Davis after I left you at the station. He's out of town, now. He said something about going to Vegas." "He never goes to Vegas... why would he... oh, shit, he took all our money! I've got to go home. Please, come home with me." It was the longest half-hour of her life, trying to drive home as fast as she could and it seemed like every red light in town was against her. A few minutes later, her sister pulled in behind her car and as they approached the front of the house, they could tell something was wrong. The front door was open and the house was dim until they walked inside. The house was empty. Even the drapes, curtains and blinds were gone, only the setting sun giving any light and warmth to... to nothing. Stacy collapsed onto the rug, sobbing. "Oh, God, what am I going to do?" Doesn't he know I love him? LuAnn called her brother but the phone went into a 'voice mail' chant. Davis was thorough, she thought, wondering just how badly her sister had destroyed her marriage. From the looks of things, totally... "Look, we can't stay here. Let's go." She almost said, 'let's go home,' but knew that wasn't going to be true for Stacy. As soon as Bill discovered what she had done, she was gone, sister or no sister and she was damned if she was going to ruin her own marriage for her adulteress sister. No, better she stay one more night and then leave. She could always tell Bill she didn't know. Out of habit, Stacy locked the door as they left and taking one last look at what had been her home, she followed LuAnn home, trying to drive through her tears. "Bill, Stacy's staying the night but she'll be gone tomorrow." LuAnn wondered how much to tell her husband. "She and Davis had a little fight." "Davis? You've got to be kidding. That guy loves her." Bill spooned some more mashed potatoes onto his plate. He worked at the refinery and no matter how much he ate it never seemed to affect him. "Well... something happened. Um... gravy?" Look normal... "All right... why don't I give him a call?" He reached for the bowl. "I tried but his phone is off or something," she said, passing the butter and rolls across the table. "This doesn't sound like him. This is strange." Bill was quiet the rest of the evening, occasionally looking at his sister, wondering what was happening. Nothing good, he knew, if Stacy was here and not home. He went outside and pulled out his phone, calling his brother-in-law. The call went through. "Hey, Bill... how are you?" Davis sounded almost normal but then, he never seemed to lose his temper. He's the most even tempered person I know. "What's going on, Davis? Stacy's here and..." "That's good and surprising. I didn't think she'd leave him." "What are you talking about? Leave who?"What the hell? "I don't know, some guy she's been shacking up with off and on since Christmas, maybe before." "Holy shit! Are you sure?" There was a break, the silence profound and Bill wondered if the call had dropped. "Yeah, I'm sure. She admitted it." "I'm kicking her ass out, right now." Bill felt the veins in his head throb. "Do what you want but as a favor, let her stay the night, will you? It's getting late and I know the only other place she could go would be back to him." "Where are you, anyway?" "Vegas. I've been gambling... not so good, though." "What do you mean?" Oh, shit, he thought, what had Davis done? "I lost it all, Bill. I guess I wasn't as good a poker player as I thought." "Anything left?" "Enough to get home but there's no home to come home to." "How much, Davis? How much did you lose?" "I don't know, close to a million." "YOU LOST A FUCKING MILLION DOLLARS?" Bill sat down on the porch step, unbelieving. "Yeah, I guess I did. So what? I lost my marriage; the rest is only money and stuff." "Are you going to be OK?" Jesus Christ, Davis lost a MILLION dollars! "I don't know, Bill, I don't know. Probably not... hey, I went to one of those whorehouses. Cost me two grand but it was worth it. I had forgotten how much fun it could be, sex, I mean. Oh, yeah, Bill?" "What?" "Don't kiss her; she's got syphilis from her lover. I wasn't going to say anything to her but I don't want you or LuAnn to get sick." "SHIT! Look, call me tomorrow, OK?" "I'll probably be coming back but I'll call." Bill sat on the porch, still not believing what he had heard... and, syphilis. He jumped up and ran into the house. If Davis didn't tell her, I'm sure as hell not going to. ***** "Hey, Baby, hi..." "Jim, I'm back to stay." "Oh?" The college student didn't like what he was hearing. Stacy was a fun lay, a desperate lay, willing to do anything just to be with him and the gifts she had given him were first rate but to have her around ALL the time? "What do you mean?" "Davis left. The house is empty. The money is gone." She collapsed onto the tired sofa. Looking around through her tired eyes, his apartment didn't look as glamorous as it had these last months. "Look, I've got to go to class. I'll be back around three. We'll talk, then." He kissed her on the cheek and walked out. Stacy walked into the bedroom and lay on the bed, her arm over her eyes, trying to block out the world. The room smelled of sex and sweat and grass. What had she been thinking? Around noon, she fell asleep, exhausted. "What's the matter, Jim? You look like you've seen a ghost." Peter handed his friend a beer. "That old broad I've been fuckin'... her husband threw her out and she wants to stay with me." "She's not that old. Besides, she's in pretty good shape for someone her age. What was she? 50?" "42..." "42? Damn, dude, that's still ancient... however..." ***** "Stacy Hill? You've been served." Trembling, Stacy reached out and took the envelope. How could he do this to me? How could he be willing to throw away all the years we've had together? It was just... it was just... it was just... I don't know what it is. She sat there, looked at the envelope and then put it into her purse. Whatever it is, it can wait. I need this job, now. The rest of her day went by unexpectedly quickly and she was back at Jim's apartment at six. She was surprised to see Peter, there. "Hello, Stacy. Jim's told me about your problem and we've come up with a solution." "Oh?" "If you want to stay, you're going to have to share." "Share?" God, he thought, how dense WAS this woman? "Yes, share and it's my turn." ***** "Will there be anything else, Mr. Hill?" The waiter stood there, taking the sun into his eyes rather than the guest's. "Not right now, thank you. When Miss Crosby arrives, please call me." "Yes, sir." The man put down Davis' rum and orange. Hill gave him a fifty and the man's smile lit up like the Jamaican sun still shining in his face. "Thank you, sir." Hill fell asleep in the warm sunshine until a gentle push woke him. "Davis... wake up, Davis." "Karen! You made it!" He sat up, the largest smile on his face. "Are you hungry? The food here is excellent." "No, I ate on the plane." "Oh, God..." "No, it was first class. Thanks for that." She sat down on the next chaise over. "Are you going to divorce her?" "Does it make a difference? Of course, it does. Yes. I should have done it, already. I just..." "I know... it's all right." She reached over for his hand and held it tightly in hers. Karen put her cell phone into it. "I'll wait," she laughed. "Did you?" he asked, hoping. "Yes... I quit. They released me from my vows. I'm here. You're here. We're here." She smiled. "You're good?" he asked, looking at his future. "The best..." she answered, thanking God for what She had done.