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Big Loss, Big Gain Pt. 01

By: deadrabbits



Part 1, the Loss 

Laura's view 

My discussion with Kathy was over. As far I as I was concerned the decision was made. I was out. Totally out. The account, the profile, the e-mails, the fake ID, and all traces of my involvement with this whole damn thing would be closed and/or deleted within the hour. We agreed that it would never be discussed ever again, and the details of the clandestine meetings would taken to our graves. After pulling into the driveway, it felt good to be home. I was more than ready to put this dark chapter of my life behind me. My 'good feeling', however, was short lived, for soon after I had made my way to the side entrance, I discovered that my key no longer turned in the lock. All of a sudden I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, and wondered if my incredible stupidity was about to cost me...everything. 

Jim's view, 

I remember once, during my high school football days, getting blindsided with a vicious block from a guy nearly twice my size. Never saw it coming. I laid on the turf, racked with pain, desperately trying to catch my breath. I guess that you could say that finding out that your wife has been unfaithful to you is just about the psychological equivalent as getting the wind knocked out of you, but it's worse, far worse, as the feeling of 'back to normal' never returns. The roller-coaster of emotions that follow this knowledge I wouldn't wish on anyone except for the worst of enemies. Feelings of disbelieve, sadness, denial, anger, inadequacy all float around in your mind like ingredients of a bad soup making you ill. For awhile you're numb, useless, unable to concentrate or perform any meaningful work. You keep asking yourself, why? What could I have possibly done wrong? Why has she done this? How long has it been going on? 

***************

It all started with a call from Kathy's husband, Ron. Kathy is one of my wife's good friends. Ron is a good guy, although we are not close friends as his interests are quite different than mine. He's a quiet, soft spoken man whose interests include fly fishing and bowling, while I'm a little more talkative with basketball and golf as my favorite activities. When he asked me to meet him for a drink to discuss a serious matter while specifically asking me to not mention our meeting to my wife Laura, I readily agreed. Since Kathy and Laura spent a fair amount of time together, I have to admit that his call really piqued my curiosity. I left work a little early to meet him.

Jim: "Hi Ron, what's this all about?"

Ron: "You're good with computers, right?" 

Jim: "Well, I'd like to think so. I deal with them all day long at work."

Ron: "I'd like for you to put some 'spy' software on my home computer. I'll gladly pay you for your time. Kathy's been acting a little different lately. I think she might be 'stepping out' on me. I'm not sure, but I have to find out one way or another. I thought I might learn something from her computer activity. She uses the machine a lot now." 

Jim: "I'm sorry you're going through this, Ron. Of course I'll help you, and you don't have to pay me. Do you know if the girl's are still going out tomorrow night? If they are, I can do it then. Just call me after Kathy leaves the house."

************************

Well, that following night I installed a bunch of spyware on his machine. Stuff to track all keystrokes, websites visited, etc. I also set-up the hard drive to be sharable and gave Ron and old laptop from which he could access the main machine remotely and pull the various log files that the spy software created. I set him up with a new e-mail account and suggested that he e-mail the logs to me each night, because I would know what to look for and would be able to analyze them faster. I also gave him instructions on setting up GPS tracking on Kathy's IPhone, so we could now verify if she was indeed where she was supposed to be. 

It's amazing how fast a motivated learner can be. Ron paid close attention and took excellent notes. We agreed to do the monitoring for no more than two weeks, and if we didn't find anything by then, we drop the whole matter, remove the spyware, etc. However, after getting the first batch of logs from Ron, it didn't take long to figure out something was definitely going on. I searched through the keystroke history and found out she had been logging on to a rather obscure e-mail service with two different user accounts. In addition, she appeared to have an account one of those adult 'friend finder' sites. By studying the history more closely, I was able to pluck out the exact log-ins for these accounts, including the one for the 'friend finder'. I opened the first of the 'secret' e-mail accounts, and from its' history, was able to determine she had been meeting some guy named Ed for awhile and they were meeting usually on Thursday nights at the Easy Breeze Motel about 15 miles away. My heart began to sink now, because in addition to having to tell Ron all about this, I knew that Laura had to have known about this as well. Thursday night was usually 'girls night out', so at a minimum, Laura was at least providing an alibi for Kathy. The more I thought about it, the sicker I felt. I then exited out of the e-mail and went to the 'friend finder' site, I was able to log-on to her account and see her profile which included a partial nude picture, a body shot with no visible face showing, sitting on a green sofa. Most of the details seemed reasonable and accurate except for the name on the account was Katie, not Kathy. The profile had been added about 2 months ago. I went back into the emails and then noticed that I had missed the fact the the e-mails were signed Katie, not Kathy. It was evident that she was using an alias for these meetings. I then decided to do a search for all women 40+ with a 50 mile radius of our zip code. BAM! AND THERE IT WAS. THE BLINDSIDE HIT AGAIN. Right to Kathy's/Katie's was a picture of another women on the exact same green sofa, except this was of a nude body that I was intimately familiar with. The shape of her body, her breasts, right down to the small mole right above the hip, and the faint scar near the knee cap. It was definitely Laura, except she was 'Lisa G' for her profile. Laura's/Lisa's profile had only been opened for about 3 weeks. I went back to e-mail again, to access the second e-mail account I found, and sure enough, it was the one that Laura/Lisa was using. Apparently, last nights' date was with a 'Jeremy' and was at the same motel & room as Kathy, but for an hour and 20 minutes later. 

Laura was in the house while I was doing all this work, but I wasn't concerned that she'd walk in, because she rarely came to see me in my finished basement office. It was not unusual for me to be at work 'remotely'. What I was concerned about was my lack of confidence in my ability to hide my emotions. What I wanted to do was march right up to her and read her the riot act, but I knew that I had to keep my cool. If I confronted her too soon, I was bound to be on the losing end from a legal standpoint. I needed to get better evidence for the inevitable divorce, so what I did do was to text Ron, "WE NEED TO MEET IMMEDIATELY!". 

Laura had been lying to me, so the first time ever, I started lying to her. I left the house without telling her and just sent her a text saying that I had to leave immediately to deal with a work emergency. I knew she really wouldn't care about the details, and I could later make almost anything up and she would believe it. 

Ron and I were pretty somber for a few minutes after I gave him the news. 

Ron: "What do we do now?"

Jim: "I think we need to pay a visit to the Easy Breeze Motel." 

Ron: "When?"

Jim: "Right now." 

Ron: "Ok."

I explained to Ron that when we got there, I was to do the talking. He agreed.

As I expected, the Easy Breeze was a third rate motel, privately owned, and in all likelihood a family owned business. Upon arrival I asked to see the owner. When the guy behind the counter baulked, I mentioned the fact that my associate, Ron, was indeed in the employ of the county courthouse, and with one phone call he could have the whole place crawling with cops and investigators. Front desk guy decided to make a quick phone call. Apparently, the owner, Joe, lived a half mile away, and was there within five minutes. We met shortly thereafter in a back room.

Joe: "OK, what's this all about?"

Jim: "We believe that our wives are cheating on us with men that they meeting for sex at your establishment here."

Joe: "So?"

Jim: "Well, we know that they come here on Thursday nights. I want to set-up some recorders and get proof of their infidelity."

I saw the look that the two men gave each other. I knew now that they were both aware of what had been going on. 

Joe: "And what if I say no."

Jim: "Well, that that would be very foolish on your part. First, you would be missing out on some easy money, and secondly, if you refuse, several things are going to happen. The first is that you are most of your staff will be called as witnesses for both our cases. That's multiple days for two separate cases. Can you run your business here without all this staff? And let's not forget Eric Smithson."

Joe: "Who the fuck is Eric Smithson?" 

Jim: "Eric is a friend of mine, and if you don't believe me, I'll give you his address and phone number. He also happens to work for the Internal Revenue Service. I guess you have nothing to worry about if you haven't been pocketing any of the cash you've been getting for rooms. You see, we know that the girls have been here and we know the alias names that they've been using. We know that they must have used cash. What do think, Ron? Do you think an IRS audit is reasonable in this situation?" 

Ron: "Absolutely."

Jim: "I'm sure that all your workers here are either American citizens or have legal 'green cards', are are paid on a strict W2 basis and are all covered by workers compensation insurance. Believe me, Joe, I can arrange to have this audited as well." 

Joe: "OK. OK, OK. I give! What is it exactly you want?"

Jim: "Joe, I'm a reasonable man and I'm willing to pay a little for being an inconvenience to you. First, I want you to immediately share whatever information you have already. Secondly, I've give you $100 cash right now. I'll need you to guarantee that you'll have them use the same room we're going to have bugged for both audio and video. If we get the information we need, well remove the equipment, and then give you an additional $400. However, if you fuck this up, tip them off, or their dates off some how, as to the surveillance , then the IRS man arrives. Agreed?"

Joe: "Agreed."

I handed him $100 and told him we'd be back. 

When Ron and I got back into the car, he talked.

Ron: "Wow, that was very impressive how you pulled that off. I never could have done that. So, what now?"

Jim: "Now, we go shopping. Let's call Jerry." 

Jerry is my best friend, and I trust him explicitly. I called him from the car and thoroughly explained the whole situation. Being an electronics wizard, he knew exactly what we'd need. The next morning he placed a rush order that would arrive on Monday, and he put it on his personal account and informed me that I wouldn't have to pay him for a few months. He felt very bad about what was happening, and when I stopped to think about it more, so did I. 

Before dropping Ron off, I told him how important it was for him to act normal so we could follow though on the plan. He understood. The situation was equally as bad for him, but looking back on it, I think he was more mentally prepared for it than I was. I just gave him the confirmation of something he already knew. 

Of all the emotions that were swimming around in my head, it became apparent to me that 'anger' was winning out, and to carry out my plans, I realized that this was the best feeling to have. So I needed a plan to stay away from Laura, so my next stop was to stop at the pharmacy. I purchased a small bottle of ipecac syrup, which is a vomit inducing medicine, then went to the McDonald's drive thru and got a box of 20 Chicken McNuggets. I ate all the nuggets in about 10 minutes, then about five minutes before getting to the house I downed a dose of the ipecac. When I got into the house I told Laura that I was sick and to 'stay the hell away from me', and then, right on plan, the ipecac kicked in. I barely made it to the bathroom where I puked my guts out. Hell, I was sick. The McNuggets were just about as horrid as the medicine, but in any case, my scene was quite believable. After I was done throwing up, I made it to one of the spare bedrooms and got into bed where I collapsed both physically and mentally. The enormity of the situation was really hitting me now and I couldn't stop the flow of tears. My wonderful life was coming to an end and I wasn't sure if ever I was going to be truly happy ever again. Wow, I thought, 'nearly 20 years of marriage down the drain'. As I slowly drifted off to sleep, my mind began to wander, back to happier times. 

****************************

Laura and I had met soon after I graduated college. I had seen a small "fender bender" accident and had stopped to make sure that everyone involved was alright. When she got out of the car I was immediately attracted to her. About 5' 6", slender build, perfect complexion, shoulder length hair sandy blond hair, and with a pair of green eyes that just sparkled, I knew I just had to make a move. So when I didn't see a wedding ring, I turned on the charm, and by some miracle she was not currently seeing anyone. We hit it off big time and we were married within a year and within another year, our daughter Sarah was born. Life was good, very good. We were happily married for the longest time, or at least I thought so. My career was going very well, and we had moved into what was my grandparents house, so we also enjoyed a mortgage free lifestyle. 

If you had asked me to describe Laura before this mess happened. I would have used words like classy, demure, sophisticated, and beautiful. She wasn't only my wife, but my best friend as well. My relationship with her was the important thing in my life, so I treasured it, guarded it, and nurtured it the best I could. We had our together time, of course, but she certainly had the freedom to pursue personal hobbies and activities. I assumed that it was all good, especially our sex life, which I thought had been a highly rewarding. We made love on a regular basis, and thru the years kept on working to keep it fresh. As far as I was concerned, having her arms wrapped around me while I came inside her pussy was one of the things that made life worth living. Never in my wildest nightmares could I have ever thought that Laura would want to be with someone else. I had always been faithful to her and had expected the same from her. If perhaps Laura had come to me and had explained her unhappiness, we could have talked it out and maybe have come up with a workable solution, like controlled, swing/wife swap thing. By her going the cheating route and lying to me, the outcome was inevitable. Not including my daughter Sarah, there is only one person in this whole world that I love more than I did Laura, and that is myself. I had thought for a second, 'should I just ignore it and let it run its course?', 'maybe it's just a phase?' or 'should I just tell her that I know and give her a chance to make amends?'. No, no, and hell no. I deserve better that that. I knew that I could never look at her in the same way ever again, and knowing what I knew now would just eat away at me forever if I tried to 'work it out'. I had to accept the fact that the Laura I once knew was gone, replaced by 'Lisa G', a cancerous growth that needed to cut off, no matter how painful. 

Laura's view 

Kathy and I had known each other for a long time, so when I was over at her house, just the two of us, having coffee one day, I sensed that something was going on. 

Laura: "You seem excited, almost jumpy today. What's going on?"

Kathy: "Can I trust you? I mean really trust you."

Laura: "I've known you a long time Kathy, and let's face it, eventually you're going tell me anyway. And yes, you can trust me."

Kathy: "OK, then. I having an affair."

Laura: "Oh my god, Kathy! Why? Are things bad at home?" 

Kathy: "No. Not at all. Everything with Ron is fine and I don't want to change anything with regard to my life with him. I still love him. I'm not shutting him off in any way sexually either, I'm just having I guess what you could call... some supplemental activities. Things had gotten a little stale over the last year or so, so I just wanted..you know...to try something a little different. I've been seeing this guy, Ed, once a week. Ron will never find out, I'm being extremely careful. This is just a little something special that I'm doing...just for me."

Laura: "Gee, Kathy. I don't know if I could ever do anything like that. I think I would be too guilt ridden over it, and if Jim ever found out he'd explode." 

Kathy: "I felt a little guilty at first too, but my desire to follow through on it just overpowered my hesitation." 

Laura: "How did this all start?" 

Kathy: "I stumbled upon a web site that specializes in discreet affairs, so I posted a profile using a fake name and a photo of my body, but not my face. Ron rarely uses our home commuter, and the e-mail account I use is different from our normal Verizon e-mail and I make sure to delete all browser history after every use. Like I said, I'm extremely careful and am positive I'll never be discovered. That is how I met Ed, I got a few more responses from other guys, but Ed and I 'click' sexually so to speak. So we've come to an agreement to not see anyone else other than our spouses. Last week, I let him fuck me without a condom and it was great. Look, this type of arrangement is not for everybody and I'm not in any way advocating that you should try it, especially with the handsome man you have at home. I know it is not right, but I can't help it, it's so damn exciting. Each week, by the time I make it over to the hotel to meet him, my panties are already damp." 

Laura: "Oh my God, I just could never get away with it. Jim's an IT guy and monitors all our home computers, he would find out." 

Kathy: "Well, if by some strange miracle you decide you want to try it too, we'll just set you up using my machine. Think it over carefully though, if something does go wrong I don't want you blaming me."

Laura: "OK."

Over the course of the next few days I couldn't stop thinking about the conversation with Kathy. When I was 'out and about', I started looking at men in a way that I had never done so before, or at least since before I was married. I had been with the same man for over 21 years, and started to fantasize what it would be like to be with another man. I knew it was wrong, but I was so envious of Kathy's free spirit and her willingness to push her boundaries, so a few days later I agreed to give it a try. My new secret identity would be 'Lisa G'. 

Thursday night was usually girls night out, so the guys never expected us to be home until 11:30 or so, depending on what we where doing. Kathy or Ed would book a room at the Easy Breeze Motel. It was about 15 miles away and took about 20-25 minutes to get there. They had a parking lot out back so our cars could not be seen from the street. We agreed that Kathy/Ed would have the room from 7:00-8:25 and 'Lisa G' and her date would have 8:30 to 09:55 with the girls doing the key exchange and the guys never meeting. 

Although I seemed to be calm and collected on the outside, by the time Thursday rolled around I was a nervous wreck. My first date was with a man named Jeremy, but I wound up sitting in the room for 45 minutes waiting for a knock on the door that never came. Jeremy had been a no-show. Part of me was disappointed, but as I thought about more, a bigger part of me was actually relieved. When I talked to Kathy about it later, she sounded more upset than I was about it. Frankly, I was ready to bag the whole thing when she quickly talked me out of it. 'Why punk out now after spending all this time getting you set up?' she said. I knew I was being manipulated, but I let it happen anyway. By Monday night, knowing that Jim was out of town, she had already set me up with a 'John" on Tuesday night and a 'Peter' on the usual Thursday night.


Big Loss, Big Gain Pt. 01



Tuesday morning I was cleaning the spare bedroom that Jim had used while he was sick. As I was dusting one of the bookcases, I came across our wedding album so I decided to take a look at it once again. Wow, I thought. Look at how handsome Jim is, and he's hardly changed at all. I glanced at a nearby mirror and realized that I hadn't aged quite as well. "What the hell am I doing?" I thought. I've got a Rolex of a man here that I can have any time I want, and here I am looking at Timex pieces. Oh how I wish that Kathy had never told me about her 'secret life'. I was happy until she got me going. Right then and there I decided that it's going to be 'one and done' for me. I knew that if I tried to cancel on both, she would be pissed, otherwise I would. This whole thing was absolute insanity. 

It was a good thing that both Jim and Sarah were not around on Tuesday to see me pace the floor. I was nervous as hell, and getting concerned about my ability to all this bottled-up inside me for the rest of my life, but deep down I knew a absolutely had to.

That night after I answered John's knock on the door, my fantasy of doing it with a George Clooney look-a-like soon vanished, as John's profile was a little on the disingenuous side. The photo he had posted must have been at least 5 years ago when he had a lot more hair and a much smaller stomach. In any case, he was reasonably good looking, but not nearly as handsome as my Jim. In our mutual excitement, we stripped off most of our clothes quickly, but then seemed to have an awkward moment. To get things started I got down on my knees and started sucking his cock. After I few minutes, I laid back on the bed and spread my legs so he could lick my pussy. It felt good, but I started thinking about Jim and how much better he is at doing it. However, he did pick up the pace on my clit and gave me a nice orgasm. Because of his bulk, I turned over and invited him to take me doggy-style. For awhile I enjoyed a good fucking, but then it seemed like his breathing was getting very labored. It was apparent that John was not in the best physical condition, so I started worrying about him having a heart attack. I pushed him away and suggesting that I ride him. He was all for that. So I mounted him and rode him slowly at first, but then steadily faster. I can't deny it...his cock felt nice. I gave him a nice smile and asked him if my pussy felt good. He said it felt great and 'don't stop', but I decided switch to reverse cowgirl. By doing this, I wasn't looking directly at him. I starting to pretend that it was Jim fucking me, not John. I started riding him like there was no tomorrow as I could feel another orgasm coming. I told him I wanted his hot load. Before I could cum though, much to my disappointment, John grunted and came. I realized almost immediately that something was wrong. When his cock slipped out, I felt cum dripping out of me. The condom had broken. John was very apologetic. Since I knew it wasn't all his fault I tried to make light of it, but he could sense my unhappiness. Judging by the speed in which John got all his clothes on, said a hurried 'goodbye' and left, I was thinking that John was just as new as I was about this stuff, and probably feeling just about as guilty. This was without a doubt the worst sex I'd ever had. I started to think 'why I did I let this happen?'. I was so disappointed in myself. A minute later I was on the phone with Kathy.

Laura: "OK, It's done and I'm done. I mean it, Kathy. CANCEL THURSDAY AND DELETE ALL MY STUFF. Thanks for helping, but I'm out. This 'extra' stuff is not for me. This is not what I'm all about." 

Jim's view 

I had a horrible night's sleep, as the ipecac worked a little too well. So I was up several times between emotional episodes. Each time I woke up, a had a split second where I thought 'it was just a dream', but soon stark reality would hit me once again. I kept thinking about all the decisions I'd made over the years, and asked myself 'what would I have done differently', 'where did I go wrong', etc. After thinking about it for hours, I realized that every decision I made was in the best interest of my family. We were comfortable, but not rich. Sure, I would love to have a fancy sports car like Bob or Larry at work, but I thought it would be more responsible to put money in an account for Sarah's college or to be able to get things for Laura. I was proud of my 'well dressed' girls. I guess that knowing that I had always 'done the right thing' gave me a little relief. I never forgot a birthday, an anniversary, and often sent flowers because 'it was a Tuesday'. It least I wouldn't be second guessing my moves or thinking 'she wouldn't have done this if I'd only done whatever', etc. No, my conscience was clear that the paths I'd taken were correct. I wouldn't have changed anything. 

I spent most of Saturday and Sunday in bed, my head swimming in thought. After calling my boss and explaining everything, I decided that I would make a miraculous recovery on Sunday night, right on time to make a business trip to the home office on Monday. Of course, I would not actually be traveling far away. I went to the airport, parked my car, then rented one. I stayed in same town as the Easy Breeze, but not in that dump. Jerry called to let me know the electronics had arrived. Ron and I met him at the Easy Breeze Monday night and installed everything. We ran some tests and the video and audio quality was amazing. Now we just had to see if the girls would take action again on Thursday. 

On Tuesday morning, I checked Laura/Lisa' e-mail. Part of me, I guess, was hoping to find the e-mail account closed and the profile removed, but that was not the case. It fact it seemed that Laura was taking advantage of my being out-of-town by booking the room for two nights. I guess things didn't work out with Jeremy because he was out and two other guys were in. John for Tuesday and a Peter for Thursday. The knowledge that multiple sex partners were involved was going to make it easier for me to go forward. I called Laura, putting on my best 'I'm OK, but very busy, so I'll talk to you later" routine. 

Jerry loved being 'Mr. Spy'. He went over on Wednesday and downloaded the video to CD. He called me later at the hotel and told me that it was good...and bad. As we expected, the quality of the recording was good, but he warned me, 'Jimmy, this is going to be very difficult for you to watch'. 

He was right, very right, as it was the worst thing I've ever viewed. She could have had me at any time by just asking, but there she was fucking some fat slob. I guess that she really didn't think much of me. My confidence as a man was just about the lowest it has ever been. I tried not to hang my head and cry, but sometimes you just can't help it. 

*********************************

The next morning I knew I needed to inform Sarah of what was going on. I honestly didn't know how bad she going to take it. I wasn't blind to the fact that her relationship with her mother had been deteriorating over the last year or so, and frankly I couldn't understand why. Especially after hearing some parental nightmare stories from my work friends, in my view, Sarah has always been the perfect daughter. Intelligent. Thoughtful. Respectful. She would be heading off to college soon to pursue a career as a Pharmacist. 

Sarah responded to my text exactly as I had asked, meaning she came to the hotel without informing anyone. As I fully expected, she arrived with a concerned look. 

Sarah: "OK, Dad, what's going on? What's this all about?"

Jim: "Sarah, I have some rather upsetting news that I need to share with you." 

Sarah: "Your killing me here! Please, just tell me!"

Jim: "I'm throwing your mother out of the house."

Sarah: "What? Why?"

Jim: "She has joined some type of on-line club and has been meeting other men for sex."

Sarah: "Come on Dad! Mom? No way! Have you lost your mind?"

Jim: "Look, Sarah. It's true. I have proof."

I showed her a copy of Laura's on-line profile picture and Sarah started to look a little more concerned.

Jim: "I have more pictures, but please do not make me show them to you."

Sarah: "I admit that the mole and the scar look like mom's, but it could just be a close resemblance. No, I'm sorry Dad. I'm need more. Look, I'm eighteen and a have seen some porn. I can take it."

I picked out 2 of the more 'mature audience' type photos as opposed to some of the graphic triple X type. As she scanned them, tears started running her cheek.

Sarah: "Dad, I'm sorry I doubted you. Please forgive me."

Jim: "Don't worry about it sweetie. You were just being pragmatic, and giving your mother the benefit of the doubt."

Sarah: "I don't know what to say other than 'I am so mad at her'. For months now, it seems that she's never satisfied with anything I do, and now this. I'm so sorry she's done this to you. In a way, I still have trouble believing it."

Jim: "Sarah, soon you will be heading off to college and absolutely nothing is going to derail those plans. We'll get through this, and don't worry about me. In the long run, I'll be OK. You have a wonderful future ahead of you. I just know it. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of you." 

Sarah: "I love you, Dad."

Jim: "And I love you, Sarah. Always have and always will."

******************************************

Laura's view

So on Thursday, I never headed over to the Easy Breeze. Instead, I went to the movies. By myself. I didn't want to come home too early, but I couldn't wait to get back either. Jim was due back and I was so horny for him. I planned on sucking his cock, kissing and licking his big balls, and fucking his brains out with my freshly shaved pussy. I couldn't wait to feel his hot cum shooting inside me, and afterward telling him how much I love him and how lucky I am to have him. 

I pulled into the driveway, stopped the car and took a deep breath. Soon I'd have Jim in my arms and the nightmare would be over, I thought, as I walked to the door. 

After being startled by the fact that my key wasn't turning in the lock, the door opened, but the security chain was still in place. It was not Jim standing there, but Sarah. She looked as if she had been sick, but the expression on her face was of anger and defiance. I'd seen this look many times before, and it usually was followed by snippy remarks.

Laura: "Sarah, please let me in."

Sarah: "Hi, Lisa. Sorry, 'Ms. G'. How's Peter doing?"

I was thinking, 'Oh my God! How does she know this?'.

Sarah: "Sorry. If you're looking for my mother, she's not here. In fact, she doesn't live here anymore, and if you're looking for my dad, he really not up for any visitors. He's started a grieving process because he's learned that he's lost his wife. You see, my mother apparently decided that he wasn't good enough, so she started meeting other men for sex on Tuesdays and Thursdays over at some seedy motel over in Pottersville. Hey, if you happen to see her, tell her that nearly all of her things what were in this house have been delivered over to her parents home, and that any minute now a taxi will arrive to take her there. They'll be expecting her." 

As she continued to leer at me, I saw Jim slowly come into view. He looked horrible as well. In all the years I've known him, I've never seen him look at me the way he was looking at me now. This was not the look of a kind, considerate, loving man. It was a cold, icy stare that reminded me of killers you see in the movies. It sent chills down my spine. 

Jim: "Well I hope it was worth it. Goodbye, 'Lisa G'."

Laura: "JIM, NO! PLEASE LET ME COME IN AND EXPLAIN. I'M SO SORRY. IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. KATHY TALKED ME INTO IT. PLEASE, I LOVE YOU. I NEED YOU. PLEASE GIVE ME A CHANCE. PLEASE, JIM. PLEASE. I LOVE YOU."

Jim: "Love me? Are you fucking kidding me? I would call it the ultimate in disrespect and betrayal. What have I ever done, or not done, to deserve this'?. All I've ever done is to take care of you and Sarah in the best manner possible. New cars, new clothes, access to an exclusive club, and a nice home. I guess that you're going to say that it was 'just sex' and it 'didn't mean anything'. Well, after all these years you should know me well enough to understand that it means everything to me. The sex between us was supposed to be private and exclusive. I valued this part of our relationship to the utmost, but apparently you don't. All that's required for just about anyone to 'have you' is an e-mail and an appointment. Yup, send an e-mail and you're 'in', literally and figuratively. So, if it's of no value to you, then it's of no value to me either. Don't worry, Laura, soon enough you will be totally free to give your body away to anyone you want. It just will never be me. In fact, as far as I concerned, I feel no need to see or talk to you ever again." 

Sarah: "Give it up, mom! Why would Dad ever want you back after you've fucked that fat slob? Yes, I seen the pictures, and some of the video.....it's' the most disgusting thing I've ever seen!"

Jim looked over at Sarah.

Jim: "Shut the door, Sarah. She's part of our past now, not our future." 

I was crying hysterically when Sarah closed the door, threw the deadbolt, and shut off the light. I could see the silhouette of their hug and the sound of their cries. I couldn't believe this was happening. How could they have possibly found out? In the midst of my breakdown, I didn't see the man and women walking up the driveway. I had already gotten dizzy and had slowly collapsed to the ground. 

Man: "Excuse me. Are you Laura Martin?" 

Laura: "Yes."

Man: "You been served."

Women: "I'm with the law office of Drilling & Associates. Please take this papers. These are copies of the restraining orders has been granted for the protection of Sarah Martin and James Martin. Until such a time that the order is lifted, if ever, you are hereby ordered to stay away from them by at least 500 ft. In addition, please surrender the keys you have for that 2013 Mercedes over there. It's registered to Jim Martin and is no longer available for your use. If you take it, it will be reported as stolen and you will be arrested." 

I couldn't believe that this was happening, but there I was tired, beaten, and emotionally spent. I handed over the keys, and seconds later the taxi appeared. I reluctantly got in. As we took off, I received a text message from Kathy, 'I don't know how, but the guys know everything. I'm so sorry Laura'. 

What's going to happen to me now, I thought. Please God, there has to be a way out of this mess. 

Jim's view

As I expected, the time period between the separation and initial court date was difficult. I should have anticipated the frequent phone calls from the group I soon categorized as 'advocates for Laura', family and friends who insisted that the whole matter could be talked out and resolved. Day after day I had to keep putting them off until I just couldn't take it anymore. I organized a 'sit down' at the house inviting them all. 

Jim: "Now that everyone is here, I want to honestly thank you for coming. I've asked you all here today so I can explain my position on the matter at hand, with the hopes that you will all help to put a stop to all these phone calls. I have a short presentation here that I'm sure will help you fully understand my viewpoint. I respectfully request that you save all your questions, comments, and prepared statements until the presentation is over. Agreed?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. So I started the slide show and proceeded to show a copy of Laura's fake ID (which I got from Joe @ Easy Breeze), the web pages of her 'adult profile' as well as the e-mails setting up her 'dates'.

Jim: "As you can see, this was all part of a premeditated, carefully planned deception designed to cheat me out of sexual activities that rightfully belong to me." 

I took a deep breath.

Jim: "OK, I'm warning all of you now. We're all adults here, but the next four slides are quite graphic. If anyone among you finds pictures of adult sexual activity offensive, then please leave the room for the next few minutes, otherwise you can now see the images that will forever be burned into my memory."

No one moved.

Jim: "All right then. Here goes."

I gave each slide about 8-10 seconds of viewing time. The start of each slide brought various gasps and groans from the audience. By the time I got to the fourth slide, I honestly thought that Laura's dad was going to have a heart attack. He was taking it the worst.

Slide 1 showed Laura on her knees, sucking John's cock.

Slide 2 showed a smiling Laura, on her knees, with John's cock head just about to enter her doggy style.

Slide 3 showed Laura riding him in an near orgasmic state.

Slide 4 showed a surprised Laura, seeing the broken condom and his seed dripping from her pussy. 

Jim: "You understand here, that this is not someone who has been seduced, coerced, or manipulated in any way. It's apparent that she's having quite a nice time for herself here."

I paused for a moment, then continued.

Jim: "I want it noted for the record that there is nothing physically wrong with me. I have no disease or erectile problems of any kind. There is nothing that this man did to her that I could not have done. You see, this is her choice, not mine. Apparently, I'm just not enough for her anymore. The images that I have just shown you here are the ones that I see every morning when I awake and that I see before falling asleep. I can only hope that over time these images will fade. How could this possibly be forgivable? Now, all you men here, would you tolerate your wife doing this to you? And you women, would it be OK if your man was out fucking other women? And remember, we're talking about multiple nights and multiple men. Not a 'one-time' mistake. Look at me straight in the eye and give me your answers." 

The looks on their faces said it all. They were all starting to understand me...load and clear. 

There was some quiet small talk for awhile and then slowly they all left. Nearly all of them apologized and said they would stop calling. 

Laura's view

I was nervous as hell waiting for them to come back. When I saw the car pulling into the drive, my heart was pounding. As they exited the car, the body language I saw among the group was not encouraging. When they got to the door, I opened it. Dad looked horrible. He walked past me with a blank expression, not saying a word, then went upstairs. 

Laura: "Well, what happened? Were you able to convince him to talk to me?"

Mom: "No. He was too busy convincing us. He showed us his 'evidence'. Good God, Laura. A secret identity, sex meetings? I don't know what's gotten into you. Jim showed us some pictures, horrible pictures of you enjoying yourself with some fat pig of a man. Pictures that a father should never see. How could you? Your husband is a kind, considerate, handsome, successful man and a wonderful father. Well, I hope it was worth it. You've ruined your life, and ours as well. Now we'll have to accelerate our plans to sell the house sale and move to Florida."

Laura: "Move to Florida? Please...you can't." 

What's when my younger sister spoke up.

Sister: "Do you have any idea on how your actions are going to reflect on the rest of us? Jim is a beloved man in this community. How are mom and dad go show their faces at church now? The 'cat is fully out of the bag now'. Do you have any idea how angry Sarah is about this? She adores her father. The word is spreading. Soon, EVERYBODY WILL KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE."

Mom: "Better get used to it, Laura. You've lost them both." 

I collapsed to the floor.

Jim's view

My attorney, Frank, told me that the divorce was going to come at a price, which I guess I was prepared for, more or less. There was no avoiding it, even though we did not reside in a 'no-fault divorce' state. No matter how guilty she was, the court was not going to have her thrown into the street nearly penniless with a likelihood of needing welfare. Frank suggested that we could probably get a better monetary settlement if the reason was changed from 'adultery' to 'irreconcilable differences'. I instructed Frank that this would only be acceptable if the monetary difference was significant. He did give me some news that I wasn't fully prepared for.




Big Loss, Big Gain Pt. 01



Frank: "In nearly all the cases I've handled, there's been court ordering counseling." 

Jim: "Oh Shit. Is there anyway to avoid this?"

Frank: "The guys I've seen get out of this had very well prepared, compelling speeches, in addition to statements from a family member or two, supporting a case that dragging the issue out longer would not be in the best interest of the families involved." 

Jim: "OK. I'll get prepared." 

Laura's view

My attorney, Pamela, laid it all on the line for me.

Pamela: "There is some cash to go after, but the family home belonged to his family long before you showed up. Jim's name is the only name on the deed and the fact that it's in the historical district doesn't help either. No one is going to force him to sell it." 

Laura: "Please, stop talking about houses and cash. I don't want this divorce! Please do whatever you can to get it stopped." 

Pamela: "Look, we're not in a 'no-fault divorce' state, so Jim is holding most of the cards here. Even though much his evidence is inadmissible, he has more than enough to prove his case and the inadmissible stuff still exists and is 'out there'. Let's face it, you screwed up in a big way. Now I believe you when you say it only happened once with one man, but the documents say otherwise, and in the 'court of public opinion', and worse 'court of family opinion', you've already been proven guilty. Look, I'm trying to help you the best I can, but right now the best I can do to insist that court ordered marriage counseling take place. If this happens then you'll at least get a chance to talk to him and maybe talk him out of proceeding. I'm trying to be optimistic here, but I have to be honest with you, and tell you not to get your hopes up. Court ordered marriage counseling is not always mandated and if it is, I think you've got quite an uphill battle ahead of you. I did speak with his attorney, Frank, I got a strong impression that they want this ended quickly." 

Laura: "So you think that you can get the counseling ordered?"

Pamela: "All I can say is I'll promise to do the best I can to get it ordered."

Laura: "OK." 

Pamela: "Do you like football?" 

Laura: "I watch it occasionally. I understand what's going on."

Pamela: "Have you watched what's happens after a fumble occurs? Players diving and scrambling after that ball like it's the most important thing in the world. Like water in the desert. Well, that's what you've done, you've fumbled Jim. But instead of huge linemen and muscular defensive backs scrambling, it's widowers and divorcees. Women who've lost their husbands either thru death or neglect, or women that have been abused physically and/or mentally. Some of these women would cut a finger off for the chance to date a man like your husband. The other day I overheard a women say that Jim Martin is the best looking 42 year old man she's ever seen. I assumed she was talking about your Jim. The heat will be on, so if you get the court ordered counseling, you will need to bring your 'A' game and make the most of it." 

Laura: "Please stop. I understand." 

Jim's view

On 'D' day, my attorney, Frank, did a great job in presenting my case. Everything seemed to be going well until the dreaded counseling came up. Laura's attorney gave a rather emotionally charged, persuasive argument, stating that her client emphatically does not want this divorce and in the 'best interest of the family' marital counseling should be mandated. Laura was whimpering on-and-off during the entire courtroom session, and I'm sure that this fact was also having an effect on the judge. Frank did his absolute best to overcome this, but I was starting to think that the inevitable was about to happen. Until an unexpected voice was heard. 

Sarah: "Excuse me, your honor. I would like to address the court." 

Judge: "And you are?" 

Sarah: "Sarah Martin, your honor. The daughter of James and Laura Martin."

Judge: "All right, young lady. I will allow you to speak." 

Sarah: "I thank you, you honor, for the opportunity to be heard. My view may be somewhat self-centered, but since I'm part of the family, my viewpoint should matter for something. After all, it's been said here that actions should be taken in the 'best interest of the family'. Well, I would like to go on-record as being opposed to this marriage counseling mandate. My father is a good man and a great father. Over the years he has turned down numerous lucrative job offers, but since these jobs would have required extensive travel, he turned them down. He thought it was more important to be accessible to his only daughter, and to sleep next to the women he thought loved him. I tell you now that I never would gave graduated in the top 10% of my class without his guidance and support. Right now I'm at a crossroad in my life, as I'm due to start college soon. However, how in all conscience can I start without this being resolved? I won't allow my father to go into serious debt on my account. The financial aspect of this divorce is most important for us. She doesn't deserve a dime, your honor. She's already wasted thousands of his hard earned dollars on frivolous hobbies and projects. Please your honor, my father has made it clear. He's drawn the line in the sand and that's it. Court ordered counseling will go absolutely no where. Please put an end to this nightmare and let us move on." 

Judge: "The court thanks you for input. OK. There will be a 30 minutes recess before I make my decisions." 

Laura's view

Sarah's statement was like a dagger to my heart.

Pamela: "Well, that certainly wasn't good for us. Her speech, in addition to your 'good friend', Kathy not showing up, may have just done us in." 

Jim's view

When the judge left the room, Laura was barely holding it together, as she shaking like a leaf. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, but she had been instructed that she could not speak directly to me. 

I guess she really hadn't thought this whole thing through. Kathy had told Ron that she was totally convinced that the two would never get caught. In any case, the time went by slowly, I talked with Frank to pass the time.

Frank: "You never know sometimes what's going on in the judge's head, but I'm thinking that Sarah's speech definitely turned the tide here. I'm thinking that she may have saved you some serious coin." 

The judge returned and spoke. 

Judge: "It is the court's decision that court ordered counseling would be of no benefit here. So it is my decision that the divorce be granted, pending a payment from James to Laura in the amount of $50,000, as well as, acknowledgment of a 401K lien of 25%."

Frank: "Agreed to, your honor."

Judge: "Court is now adjourned." 

The gavel smacked down. The case was over. Laura began to wail hysterically, scream my name over and over, before collapsing to the floor. 

EPILOG

Jim's view

I still have a lot to be thankful for, good health, a wonderful daughter and extended family, and a group of loyal friends, in addition to, an understanding employer and supportive work colleagues. However, as fine as this support system is, it doesn't address the loneliness I feel each night. With Sarah off to college, the house is so empty.

Sometimes, as I lay in bed alone, I wonder if I'd made the right decisions. Laura seemed to be extremely distressed the night she was served, and truly remorseful during the court proceedings. I began to wonder if my anger and pride has sent me down the wrong path, but on the other hand, those images of her fucking John just brings up my anger all over again. In any case, happiness doesn't seem to be waiting around the corner. 

Laura's view 

After my parents moved to Florida, Kathy and I moved into an apartment a few towns away. Unfortunately, while coming home late one night from her waitress job, she fell asleep at the wheel and struck a utility pole. She died instantly. So I'm more alone than ever now, in addition to having to pay all of the living expenses. As you can imagine, my life sucks now...big time. Before this whole mess started, I drove around in a late model Mercedes, and had fancy lunches 2 to 3 times a week at the club. Wherever I went I could always look forward to seeing smiling faces with warm greetings and loving hugs, but that's a thing of the past now. I've lost nearly all my friends and family, and are no longer welcome at the club or at church. I drive a 6 year old Toyota now, and those warm greetings have been replaced by looks of cold indifference. 

So, for all you married women out there thinking about having an affair. Think hard, think long and hard, before taking action. Think about what you could lose. Don't let what happened to me...happen to you. After being married for over 20 years, I should have known that my husband would have no tolerance for what I did. They say 'you don't know what you've got until you lose it'. Well, let me tell you that it's 100% true. I had a wonderful life, but decide to play with fire...a very dangerous fire.... and got burned. Now I have to live with the consequences. The only thing that is keeping me alive is a slim sliver of hope that someday Jim will have a change of heart and decide to give me another chance, but as each day goes by, it seems less and less likely that that will ever happen. 

As I fall asleep the radio is playing an oldie.

'Why does my heart go on beating? Why do these eyes of mine cry? Don't they know it's the end of world. It ended when you said ...goodbye'.

*

Lyrics from the song entitled 'End of the World'

Performed by Skeeter Davis, 1963, RCA Records

END OF PART 1

Authors note:

What will happen in part 2?

Will Jim meet a new love?

Is a reconciliation with Laura at all possible?

In any case, please be patient, I have some other stories that will come out before part 2 of this one. 



Big Loss, Big Gain Pt. 02



Note from the author:

With regard to my first posting (part 1 of this story), I'd like to extend a sincere thank you to those of you that gave positive reviews and/or constructive criticism in a respectful manner. I've been a Literotica reader for over 10 years now and often thought about posting stories, but with regard to free time, raising children and assisting elderly parents were of a higher priority. Now that the parents have 'moved on' and the kids are more self sufficient, here I am. 

I hope you enjoy part 2, the conclusion of 'Big Loss, Big Gain'. 

Present day

The gun wobbled in her trembling hand and through tear filled eyes she stared at her frighted target. A few moments later she spoke. "It's all your fault. All your fault. Everything could have turned out OK if it wasn't for you." The intended victim was quivering with fear, wondering if these were to be her last moments of life here on earth. 

Three months prior

Jim's view 

I must have checked my watch more than a dozen times in the last half hour. As far as I was concerned, time couldn't go by fast enough. As Debbie babbled on from the other side of the table I was thinking about strangling Jane at office tomorrow. I wouldn't, of course, as she was just another one of the well-intentioned trying to help, but holy crap! How could she possibly believe that this women would be a good match for me? Thankfully, the waiter was within earshot. "Excuse me. I'll have that next drink now and please...make it a double". Normally I wouldn't be hitting the hard stuff, but from the way this thing was heading I was going to need it. No doubt this was the worst date so far and more than half of them were pretty damn bad. Debbie was indeed beautiful, but that was about it. Her status of '39 years old' and 'never been married' should have been a big red flag. It was apparent that no one had ever explained to her what a conversation is. I was hardly afforded the opportunity to talk at all while she rambled on, totally clueless. The last monologue I had to tolerate was on the importance of living near a florist. It lasted 10 minutes. Dear Lord, if I had to endure much more of this I was going to slip into a coma. 

When she excused herself to go to the ladies room I finally had an opportunity to escape. A quick call to Jerry was all I needed to arrange a 'bailout' call that he'd give me in 15 minutes or so. After the call I would be on my way to work(ha-ha) to handle an emergency. As expected, Jerry didn't let me down. 

During my ride home I began to reflect on dating, post-divorce. Not all the dates were as bad as this last one, but none of them could be considered a rousing success either. Many of the women I met came with various amounts of 'baggage' and it soon became evident to me that there are a lot of bad men out there. For example, Brenda could not carry any subject of conversation without mentioning her ex-husband who had apparently left her without any explanation other than saying he needed to 'find himself'. And then there's Nancy, who explained that the burn mark on her arm was from one of her ex-husband's cigarettes. A lot of these women had dark clouds hanging over them from events and circumstances that were none of their own doing. Just raw deals from meeting the wrong man. I thought that a few of these women really needed professional help and I felt sorry for them, but I certainly wasn't in any position to become anyone's savior. I'm no hero, just a guy looking for a relationship. 

The relationship criteria I had established was pretty straight-forward. I needed someone who sees the glass as 'half full' and then some. Someone to lift my spirits, not someone to commiserate with. Someone who has something interesting to say and isn't afraid to say it. Someone who could listen as well as talk. 

I realized that the chances of finding someone as pretty as Laura was not very realistic, but I didn't need a trophy wife or girlfriend. I just needed a woman who had 'it', that undefined combination of looks and personality that would compel me to want to be with her. 

The Narrator

Later that same night in Jim's bedroom, his radio quietly plays. 

As I lie awake resting from the day

I can hear the clock passing time away

Oh, I couldn't sleep for on my mind

Was the image of the girl I hope to find

-

Lyrics from the song entitled "Image of a Girl"

Performed by The Safaris, 1960, Eldo Records

Jim is in bed, but he cannot sleep, not yet. He needs release. He turns the dimmer on his night side lamp down low, just enough so he can barely see. He slides open the top drawer on his night side table and pulls out a small bottle of lube. After pulling off his shorts, he drops a liberal amount on the backside of cock and then slowly starts to spread it around with his right hand. With this left hand massaging his balls, he wraps his right hand around his shaft and slowly begins stroking. With his eyes almost closed, he envisions a girl in front of him. It's no one that he knows and other than being abstractly attractive and naked, there are no discernible features to her other than two things. She has dark hair and big beautiful eyes. After a while he starts to stroke faster and in his mind she speaks to him. 

"Touch yourself for me, Jim. I can't help touching my clit and slipping a finger in my pussy while I watch you. It feels so good. Don't stop, baby. Go faster. I want to see you cum. Oh fuck. Oh fuck, I'm going to cum first.....I'm going to cum....Oh baby....please cum for me." 

As the imaginary girl writhed in orgasm, Jim came. His warm load landed in a few places on his stomach, but most of it coated his right hand. After a short rest, he cleans up, slipped his shorts back on and turned out the light. His final thoughts before sleep were typical of the times. He missed having a live body next to him, a body that had loving arms to hold him. 

Miles away, Laura was involved in a similar activity to Jim at just about the same time. While only wearing a t-shirt, she laid on her back with her legs in the air, knees bent. Her left hand was under the t-shirt tweaking one of her nipples while her right hand was reaching around her buttock, moving a dildo in and out of her moist pussy. However, her scenario had one very major difference. The image she saw was crystal clear, forged by a distinct memory of a real event that had occurred literally thousands of times before. With eyes tightly shut, she saw Jim's face looking back at her and it was his swollen cock sliding in and out of her. From the look on his face it's obvious that he loved being inside her. She moved the dildo faster to match the images in her mind and because of the change in his breathing she could tell it was going to happen soon. In her mind, he spoke to her.

"Oh Laura. Your pussy feels so good. So good. Oh Laura. I can't hold back any longer. I'm going to cum. I'm going to cum." 

That was it. The movement of the dildo coupled with the thought of Jim cumming inside her was enough to send Laura over the edge. A few minutes after her orgasm subsides, she slips the dildo out and pulled the covers up. Although her orgasm was satisfying, she knows it's no substitute for the real thing. She yearns for the moments that often occurred after sex with Jim. The warmth of his body against hers, the gentle kisses on her cheek and neck, and most of all, his soft whisper in her ear of 'I love you Laura'. 

Jim's view 

Two days later I decided to put an end to all the matchmaking. I know that all the people involved meant well, but the results were poor and my wallet was shrinking from all the expensive meals. 

In the past, I never found love when I was actively looking for it. The dance clubs, the bars, etc. They never worked. Love always found me. Whether it be an auto accident to meet Laura, stuck in a elevator with Susan, or having Gina assigned as my lab partner. No, I decided that I was better off leaving it all to fate. 

*****************************

Part of my growing depression was related to my finances. The $50,000 I had to surrender to Laura represented a substantial amount of my savings. Savings that I had counted on to pay Sarah's tuition bills. I knew I was going to have to borrow money against the equity in the house to keep her in school, so my goal of retiring at age 60 was rapidly going out the window. Cash flow was certainly better since I had decided to cancel the family membership at the club. Laura had been spending upwards of $300 a month in lunches at the club. That, combined with not having to pay the monthly fee was freeing up about $500 a month, but it still was not enough. 

I had no idea that things would be dramatically changing in the near future. 

A few days later my boss came to me, "Jim, I need you to stay a little late today so you can meet with Mr. Stanton." Oh, boy, this might not be good. A one-on-one meeting with the principal owner can either be very good thing or very bad thing. At 5:00 I headed down to Mr. Stanton's office. 

Mr. Stanton started things off. "Hi, Jim. Thanks for stopping by." 

"Of course, what can I help you with?". 

"Well, I want to start off by telling you how grateful we are of all your years of service with us. We know that over the years you have turned down several rather lucrative offers to join one of our competitors. We also appreciate your continued efforts during this past year which I know has been difficult for you. However, the real reason I've asked you here today is to discuss with the possibly of having you take on some new responsibilities with the company. Now that Sarah is off to college, I'm hoping that you would now be more amenable to doing some sales and account management for us. As you may have heard, the presentation at DFG Corporation didn't go all that well. Suresh is a brilliant programmer, but he stumbled on a rather lame objection that should have been easily overcome. Since English isn't his native language, at times he is at a disadvantage. This account is potentially a 1.5 million dollar deal for us and that's just the subsidiary. If we can get the parent company, we're talking about 15 million. Since you know the business and the technology, we're confident that you can fix this whole situation. Of course, there is some travel involved, but with videoconferencing available now, we try to limit it. So, what do you think?" 

"Sure, I'll do it."

"Perfect. By the way Jim, we will increasing your salary by $12,000."

"Thank you very much sir."

"Well, wait a minute. That's not all. I want you to go over to see Ed Smith, our corporate CPA, tomorrow morning. He going to create an S-Corporation for you. Now listen, all this is just between you and me. It must be kept quiet. You will be submitting invoices to the company under this new S-Corporation of yours to the tune of about $5000 per month, say for the next 4 years. Ed will discuss the tax ramifications of this set-up with you. Are you getting the picture here? I don't want you worrying about how to pay for Sarah's college." 

"Mr. Stanton. I'm speechless. I never expected anything like this."

*********************

After my meeting with Mr. Stanton I was absolutely stunned. My financial outlook had just taken a monumental leap forward and my new duties were going to make my job a hell of a lot more interesting. To celebrate I decided to go buy myself a nice big steak dinner. 

I don't know whether or not it had anything to do with the fact that a huge burden had just been lifted off my shoulders, but from soup to dessert the dinner was just fabulous. Everything was great until I was leaving the main dining room and noticed a family having dinner. A man, a women, and what looked to be a pair of twins which I pegged to be about ten years old. Not an unusual thing to see, but I kept thinking I should known who that man was. It was still bugging me when I decided to stop at the men's room one last time before walking out. As I finished my business, it hit me. HOLY SHIT! IT'S JOHN! LAURA'S FUCK PAL! No sooner had I come to that realization when all of a sudden he walks in. The timing was perfect. It was just the two of us in the room. 

"Hi. John".

"Sorry, you must have me confused with someone else."

"No. I don't think so. Your John all right. The same John that was fucking my wife...sorry..I mean ex-wife, over at the Easy Breeze over in Pottersville. Hey, why don't we just go ask that pretty little wife of yours all about it? I'm sure she'd enjoy the video I have of it."

John immediately lost all color in his face and stumbled backward grabbing his chest. 

"Oh god....Please...Please don't tell her..I.. only did it...that one time."

"You're an asshole. You have a beautiful family, but you take horrible care of yourself. You owe it to your them to take care of yourself and stay alive. I bet that pretty wife of yours would give you more sex if you'd lose that stomach, then you wouldn't need to go look for it out on the net." 

John was looking worse by the second and when he peed himself I quickly ran out and called out to the hostess to send for an ambulance. I hung around for awhile and eventually the wife actually talked to me just before the ambulance arrived. 

"What happened?"

"I'm sorry. There's not much I can tell you. He came in. I said 'Hi', then he stumbled against the wall and grabbed his chest."

"Well, thanks for helping." 

There was no need to hurt her and her girls, and besides, I probably had caused more than enough damage already. I left and got the hell out of there. 

**********************************

I made a big mistake when I got home when I decided to listen to my phone messages. When I pressed the button I learned that I had four messages. I heard a message from a mortgage company wanting to refinance my mortgage (a mortgage that I didn't have), two hang-ups, and a message from Laura. Normally I would have deleted it immediately, but by then I was across to the other side of the room folding some laundry. Her voice was full of emotion.

'Jim honey, I know I hurt you. I know I hurt you real bad, but please, we were great together for so long. I know you haven't met anyone special yet, so please, I beg you to give me another chance. I swear I'll make it up to you, every day, for the rest of my life. You'll never find anyone that loves you the way I love you. Please call me.'

After I finished the folding, I deleted all the messages then flopped into bed. Maybe she was right. Maybe I wouldn't find anyone else. Maybe the devil you know is better than the devil you don't, and maybe there just isn't any angel out there waiting for me.

I proceeded to have a horrible nights sleep, tossing and turning for most of the night. Words and phrases kept going around and around in my head, like 'planned', 'betrayal', 'multiple men', 'multiple times'. WHY THE HELL DID I LISTEN TO THAT MESSAGE! 

*******************************

On Friday night the phone rang. It was Sarah. 

"Hi, Dad."

"Hi, sweetheart." 

"Dad, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Mowing the lawn, I guess."

"Oh poo. That's no fun. I was hoping that you would take me and the girls over to the beach."

"The beach. Oh Sarah...really?"

"Come on. It'll be fun. Look, I'll buy you that new Brad Thor novel, and we'll bring the nice umbrella so you won't fry."

"Ok. I'll ask Uncle Charlie to switch cars with me for the day. If we use his Suburban we'll have plenty of room to carry all the crap." 

"Yay."

*****************

So there I was heading off to the beach early Saturday morning with Sarah and two of her friends. The problem with the beach was not the beach itself, but dealing with the traffic getting there and the parking hassles upon arrival. However, eventually we made it and got ourselves settled. Sarah was right. Once you're at the beach, it's great. What a beautiful day, hardly a cloud in the sky. The girls were off down by the water when I decided to take a little nap, but just as I was about it drift off I was awakened by the sound of a crying child. When I opened my eyes, there stood a tear filled girl who I guessed to be around six years old. 

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"It's my mom. I can't get her to wake up."

"OK. Why don't you take me to see her?"

As I stood up, she reached for my hand. 

"Come this way." 

"My name is Jim. What's your name?" 

"Jenny. Jenny Richards."

"Oh that's a nice name. What's your mom's name"

"Holly."

We quickly got over to where her mom was sitting, but we found her slumped over to the side in a very unnatural position. 

"Jenny. Do you see that girl down by the water in the yellow swimsuit?" 

"Yes."

"She's my daughter. Her name is Sarah. I need you to run down to her as fast as you can and tell her that I need her right away. Can you do that for me?"

Jenny was off in a flash while I checked the woman. 

"Holly! Holly! Holly!" 

Totally unresponsive. 

The attractive brunette was breathing, but just barely. I checked her pulse and it was weak. My heart was beating wildly. There were no lifeguards in the area and any help was nearly a half mile away. Seconds later all the girls arrived and I started giving out orders. First I looked at Sarah's friends Melissa and Katie". 

"Melissa. After I leave, I want you to take all their stuff and put it over near ours. Then stay and guard it all."

"Ok, Mr. Martin."

"OK Girls, help me get her up. I need to carry her." 

"Katie. Once I get her on my shoulders, I need you to show me that track star form of yours once again. Run ahead of me over to the main concourse/visitors center and locate help. Tell them I'm coming and then look for me. Wave your arms and call out to me." 

"Sarah. Walk with Jenny and follow me. Grab the woman's purse and her cell phone if you can find it."

"Dad. Are you sure you can do this?"

"I have to try. Look at that traffic over there. It would take too long to get an ambulance over here."

With a slumping Holly over my shoulders I headed out, first towards the water where the sand wasn't so deep. I guessed that she weighted about 120 pounds and soon I was going to find out just how good my own physical condition was. I wasn't running. It was really a fast paced walk. By the time I got parallel to the concourse, turned away from the shoreline and headed away from the water, my legs and arms were burning. Then I saw Katie waving frantically and saw two EMTs and a policeman running towards me. They came in the nick of time as I was just about to collapse. 

One of the EMT's spoke, "Are you her husband?"

"No. I don't know her. Her young daughter came to me for help and I found her like this, totally unresponsive. Where will you take her?" 

"Shoreline Hospital." 

"Ok. Go ahead then, I'll make sure the girl gets there."

"Thanks."

Katie said, "Mr. Martin, are you OK?" 

"Ya. Just give me a minute to catch my breath again."

"Mr. Martin, what you just did was unbelievable. You may have just saved that woman's life."

"Well I sure hope so, because I might not be able to walk the same ever again."

As I slowly stood up, a whole crowd of people started clapping, and one man called out 'Well done, man. Well done'. 

I nodded my head in acknowledgment. 

Sarah and Jenny arrived.

"Is my Mom going to be OK?"

"I hope so, sweetie. Smart medical people are helping her now and will be taking her to the hospital as soon as they can. I'm going to arrange a ride for us to get to the hospital. OK?"

"OK."

"Sarah. Why don't you and Katie go back and join Melissa? There's still a lot of the day left." 

"OK Dad, but this really stinks for you."

"Don't worry about me. The beach will be here tomorrow and the day after that as well, but this little girl needs help now. We'll play it by ear. I'll send you a text when I know more. I just wish I knew who to call." 




Big Loss, Big Gain Pt. 02



Sarah reached into the woman's bag and pulled out an Iphone and then stooped down to talk to Jenny.

"Jenny, is this your Mom's phone?"

"Yes. It has leopard spots on the back." 

"Do you know your Mom's phone password?

"No. I just know that when she starts using it she always says her name, 'Holly'."

Sarah thought for a minute and then pressed some numbers and the icons appeared.

"Got it!. We're in! Holly. H-O-L-L-Y is 4-6-5-5-9."

Wow. I did raise a smart kid.

She added, "There is a contact for 'Mom'."

Sarah handed me the phone and I pressed the 'mom' contact. A woman promptly answered and it was indeed Holly's mother. I explained what had happened and indicated that she would meet us at the hospital as soon as she could. The policeman was able to get one the local teenagers to give us a ride over to the hospital. 

Jenny and I waited at the hospital for quite a while waiting for her grandmother. During this time I tried to keep her mind occupied with 

questions and stories to make the time go by. 

"Jenny, is there anyone else we should be calling about you're mom? What about your daddy?"

"I don't have a daddy. Not any more. He was mean."

I knew there was a story behind that, but I really didn't want to pursue that at this time, so I quickly asked another question.

"What does your Mom like to do for fun?" 

"She paints."

"Paints? Like houses?"

"No silly. Like pictures of houses or grassy fields and flowers. And some "

She stopped mid-sentence.

"There's Grammy!"

The woman heard Jenny and came directly come over to us.

"Hi Jenny. Are you Mr. Martin? I'm Marilyn Richards."

"Yes. I'm Jim Martin. Nice to meet you, I just wish it was under better circumstances. I'm sorry. I don't know anything more since we talked earlier. I'm not anyone of standing to anyone around here, not a husband, boyfriend or blood relative. So they won't tell me a damn thing. Right now they only see me as a baby-sitter."

"Thank you so much for taking care of Jenny."

"Of course, Mrs. Richards. I'm glad was I able to help. Now that you're here, I'm sure you'll be able to get some answers." 

"I sure will!"

"Mrs. Richards, here is my cell phone number. Will you call or text me and tell me what happens? I'm going to head back to the beach to be with my daughter."

"Yes. Of course."

"Ok then. I look forward to hearing from you. Bye. Bye Jenny."

"Bye Mr. Martin."

I thumbed a ride back to the beach and plunked my ass back in the beach chair. It was about 1 o'clock. What a day so far! I really needed a nap now. 

What seemed like 5 minutes later, Sarah was nudging me.

"Hey Dad. Dad. Dad."

My eyes opened. 

"Dad, it's almost five. Maybe we should think about packing up?"

"Sure. Let's do that."

We got everything packed up, including the stuff belonging to Holly and Jenny, and headed out. Then I could hear the sound of an incoming message from my cell phone. I handed the phone to Sarah.

"Sarah. I'm driving, why don't you read it?"

"OK. It reads: Jim, we're hoping that you haven't left the beach yet. Is there any way you could stop at the hospital for a couple of minutes on the way out? Holly is in room 327. It would mean a great deal to us. Marilyn Richards."

"Girls. Are any of you hungry?"

"Dad. We're starving."

"Ok. Let me stop at the hospital for a couple of minutes, then I'll buy us us all a big fat dinner."

The girls were psyched about that. I was psyched that Holly was in the hospital and not the morgue. 

******************

Traffic wasn't so bad on the way out, so we got to the hospital in about 10 minutes. The girls waited in the car while I ran in. As I was approaching room 327 I received a rather warm welcome as Jenny ran and hugged me.

"You saved Mom. You saved her."

A teary-eyed Mrs. Richards walked over and hugged me as well. 

I said, "Gee, I should save people more often."

A man who I assumed to be Mr. Richards spoke, "Hello, I'm Steve Richards, Holly's Dad. I talked to the emergency room doctor. The EMTs told him flat out that if 'that guy hadn't carried her over to us', she never would have made it. The doctor agreed with that assessment. Young man, you've saved our family and for that we'll be forever grateful."

"Wow. It's been a long time since anyone has called me 'young man'." 

We all laughed.

I then proceeded into the room where I could see Holly, but when she looked at me for that first time it froze me in my tracks. The attractive, formerly unconscious woman had transformed into a very much alive, stunning beauty. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn't quite place her. Then it occurred to me that perhaps it was because she looked a lot like the soap actress Rena Sofer. In any case, she looked like she was a model or at least a former model. I guessed she was about 30 years old. She had the most beautiful blue byes I'd ever seen.

"So, you're my hero. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Holly Richards."

"And I'm Jim Martin. Well, you certainly look better than you did this morning." 

Jenny interrupted, "Are you married, Mr. Martin?"

"Jenny! You shouldn't ask Mr. Martin a personal question that that!"

Holly turned to me, "I'm sorry."

"It's OK. No Jenny. I'm not married. I used to be, but not anymore."

Jenny smiled, "My mom's not married either."

"Jenny!", Holly exclaimed.

We all laughed again.

"So, you're going to be OK?", I asked.

"Yes, I'm OK, but my pharmacy is in a whole heap of trouble, they screwed up my prescription refill."

"Wow, my daughter will be interested in hearing about this. She's studying to become a pharmacist. And that reminds me that her and her two friends are waiting out in the car for me. I really should be going. It was nice meeting all of you. Goodbye." 

Holly's view

I was thinking about how nice it was to meet Jim when Mom spoke. 

"Are you feeling OK?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Dad interjected, "Gee honey, it looked like fate gave you a slow one right over the plate and you didn't even swing."

Mom added, "You should have at least invited him to dinner."

I felt like a fool. They were right. 

Mom said, "Don't worry. I have his cell phone number."

Jim's view 

On Sunday morning I noticed that I had an unread cell message. It read: I was wondering if you and Sarah could come over for dinner tonight. I checked and found 3 Jim Martin's in the area. I'm hoping that you're the one from Plainville, meaning your only about 20 minutes away. Jenny and I would love it if you could make it. Holly. 

I sent a acceptance reply back to Holly, but indicated that Sarah was already traveling back to school and would be unable to attend. 

Holly prepared a wonderful dinner and I had a nice visit. As I anticipated, Jenny was highly entertaining. So innocent and so full of curiosity. She minded so much of Sarah when she was her age. A lot of the initial conversations revolved around her activities. 

After Jenny went to bed, Holly and I were able to talk a little more freely about adult subjects. I found out that she had taken over an 'event planner' business from a woman who had retired and moved to Florida. It was a perfect business for her, whereas she could manage her own hours and be there for Jenny when she got off the school bus. Eventually, the topic of our marriages came up and that's when I heard her story. Apparently, the first few years of her marriage were good, but when her husband Vince lost his job in the recession, things went sour. He began to resent Holly's business success and then started to drink a lot more. As it turned out he was not a very happy drinker and became physically and psychologically abusive. One day he slapped Jenny and that was the end. Holly called the police and he was history. She admitted that for quite a while she hated men, but eventually she softened and started to date now and then. I was a little surprised at the fact that she currently had no 'significant other' in her life. She was so beautiful I was thinking that there should have been a line of guys from here to Canada just dying for the chance to date her. 

This first invite led to many more and as we spent more time together, our friendship grew. I really loved spending time with her and Jenny. It seemed rude to not reciprocate, so I wound up inviting them to the house a few times as well. There was a lot to like about Holly. For one thing, whenever I visited she always turned off her cell phone and gave me 100% of her attention. She was an excellent conversationalist. 

Eventually I learned that Holly was 34 years old. To bad she was too young for me. Eventually I knew she'd meet the right guy and what a lucky bastard he'd be. I thought that Laura was very pretty and if she hadn't strayed I would've been happy to grow old with her, but I'm sure if I was to poll a group of guys, 9 out of 10 would say that Holly was more attractive. 

I was convinced that the string of invitations were completely fueled by a feeling of obligation to me for saving her life and as I thought about it more, I realized that at some point it was going to end. However, Holly rarely let me leave without having us schedule our next meeting. Whenever I left, we hugged and gave each other kisses on the cheek. I felt that this was nothing more than what 'good friends' would do. This changed during one of my last visits. She did not ask about scheduling the 'next time', but there was no hug either. It was a full kiss, on the lips, with her arms wrapped around me. 

I spoke first, "That was nice."

"If you come back, I have more."

"You must be going broke feeding me so often."

"If I had my way, I'd be feeding you every night."

"Ok. I'll call you when I get back from St. Louis."

My head was spinning. I drove home like a zombie, then hardly slept a wink all night. This couldn't be happening. Could it? 

***********************

I got back from St. Louis a few days later. I signed the deals with DFG Corporation for both the subsidiary and parent company and Mr. Stanton was ecstatic. I was feeling on top of the world. Work was going great, and it appears that I was on the way to having a girlfriend, then the phone rang. It was Holly. 

"Hello."

"Hi, It's Holly. Why didn't you call me?"

"Sorry. My flight was held up. I didn't get in til after 11:00."

"I need to see you. Can you come over tonight?" 

"Sure."

So later in the afternoon I arrived at Holly's. Holly's neighbor had a big gathering so I had to park down the street a bit, so she did not hear my car pull in. As a walked past the kitchen window to approach the side door, I heard Holly in a rather heated conversation. It was impossible for me not to hear it and I was compelled to stop and listen for a moment. Of course I only heard her side of the words being spoken.

"No." 

"No." 

"No way." 

"Look, there's no way I'm giving him up. I'm in love with him."

"Tonight. I'll know tonight."

"And don't call me back. I might be busy."

She hung up the phone, so I proceeded to the back door and knocked."

"Come in." 

"Hi. Where's the welcoming committee?"

"Jenny's over at Mom's for the night. I wanted us to be able to talk freely." 

"Oh oh. I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

"OK then, I'm going to get right to the point. Jim, your friendship means a great deal to me, but frankly I'm hoping for more. I see the way you look at me sometimes and I keep thinking something's about to happen, but it never does. I didn't get much of a reaction to the kiss I gave you the other day."

"Holly, I guess I was in a little state of shock. That kiss was quite unexpected. I really thought that a friendship is all you were looking for, at least from me. You're an incredibly attractive woman, but...well, you know... I'm nine years older than you are." 

"DAMN IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THINKING! Do you know what nine years is. Nothing. Jack shit. Nothing. Maybe it would have been a problem when you were twenty-one and I was twelve, but sure in hell not now. I'm a grown woman who knows exactly what she wants and what I want is you. I'll always be grateful that you saved my life, but its got nothing to with any type of obligation complex or anything like that. Just you. And I don't need your money either. I have my own. My parents adore you. My Jenny adores you, and you're a great father. And most important of all, I adore you. I might be wrong, but I don't think so. I think you love me, too. Please, just let it happen. We could have a wonderful life together." 

"Holly, I'm sorry I've been slow on this with you. It's just the last time this happened to me I really got burned. I'm not sure my heart could handle another disappointment."

"Jim, I'll never, repeat NEVER, hurt you the way Laura did. Look, I'm showing all my cards here....face up. A long time ago I made the mistake of marrying the wrong man and for the longest time I didn't date at all, but that experience taught me that when another man came along I'd know what to look for. I know 'the goods' when I see it and you're 'the goods'. There's only one avenue about our relationship that we haven't explored yet and you know what I'm talking about. I want to travel down that avenue...tonight. I'm positive that you're the right guy for me. Now please excuse me, but I'm going to be blunt."

She paused for a moment, then continued.

"I need you to tell me that you love me....and mean it. I want you to kiss me and make out with me like you're a horny teenager. I want you to take me upstairs and take off every piece of my clothing. I don't want there to be one square inch of my body that you haven't kissed, touched or explored. I want you to play with my breasts and suck on my nipples. I want you to run your tongue along my slit. I want your cock to stretch my pussy open. I want to feel your cum shoot inside me. And when we're finished, I need you to tell me again that you love me and then tell me that while we're together you won't do these things with any other girl. 

"Holly, I don't know when it happened, but sometime between looking into your eyes in the hospital that first day and sharing a bowl of popcorn while watching a movie, I fell in love with you. I can tell you without hesitation that I am totally in love with you. Please excuse me, but I'm going to be blunt."

I paused for a moment, then continued.

"I want you to kiss me and make out with me like you're a horny teenager. I want to take you upstairs and have you remove every piece of my clothing. I don't want there to be one centimeter of my body that you haven't kissed, touched or explored. I want you to run you hands along my chest. I want you to gently kiss my balls. I want to see my cock disappear into the warmth of your mouth. I want you to spread your legs before me and offer yourself to me so we can become one. I want you to experience an orgasm to my touch. I want to fill you with my cum. And when we're finished, I need you to tell me again that you love me and then tell me that while we're together you won't do these things with any other man. 

She extended her hand to me. 

"Take me upstairs.....second door on the left."

I led her upstairs to where I experienced the greatest night of sex I've ever had. To say that Holly and I were sexually compatible would be an understatement. Her responsiveness, athleticism and enthusiasm set her high above any partner I'd ever been with. I've never met any girl who could move her hips with such speed and flexibility and she seemed to know instinctively what I would like. Towards the end of that first session, we had accomplished everything on each others 'want' list except for one thing, and she was bound to make sure it happened. She guessed a little 'hot talk' might do the trick. She was so right. We were in the missionary position when she spoke softly to me.

"Does my pussy feel good? Your cock feels so good inside me, but you've already made me cum twice. Now it's your turn now. Go ahead, fuck me faster. Cum in me. You know you want to. I bet those big balls of yours built a big load for me and I want it. Every drop. That's it, fuck me faster. OH YA, I CAN FEEL IT. I can feel your cock twitching...that's it, cum for me."

I erupted inside her, having a orgasm with an intensity that I hadn't felt in years. A few moments later, I looked down at her. She had her eyes closed, but a look of total contentment on her face. Then suddenly those big beautiful blue eyes were looking up at me and her face widened with a huge smile. The look she gave me made one thing very apparent. Laura would never be getting a call back. 

John's view

I was having a cup of coffee at the mall food court when I noticed him sitting and talking with a young girl who I assumed to be around six years old. If he wasn't alone I'd have gone over and talked to him. Kind of ironic though, wanting to thank a man who nearly caused me a heart attack, but there was no denying it, what he said to me that night turned my life around. He told me I had a beautiful wife and family and that I was an asshole for not taking care of myself. He said I owed it them to be around for as long as possible in order to take care of them. He said if I wasn't so fat my wife would have more sex with me. He was right. 

After my hospital visit, I took a long hard look at myself in the mirror, and frankly I didn't like what a saw. The reflection showed a selfish, fat pig of a man. No wonder my wife's interest in sex had diminished so much. How could I have let myself go for so long? I was ashamed. So I joined a gym, hired a fitness trainer and dedicated myself to get in the best physical condition of my life, as well as, to become the best husband and father I could be. More importantly, I'd have thanked this guy for not divulging my most darkest secret of all. To tell him that his silence, along with my significant weight loss and hair transplant, has allowed me to reconnect with my wife both physically and spiritually. I'd have shared the news that I was going to be a father again. 

Just as I was about to finish my coffee, a stunningly beautiful women came over and kissed him. The little girl said 'Hi Mommy'. Wow. This guy really knew how to attract beautiful women. However, this was not the pretty blond I had been with on that fateful night and, in a way, this made me sad. Apparently, he wasn't kidding when he said 'ex-wife' and I felt bad being involved in the break-up of a marriage. Thinking back on that night at the motel, I remember feeling bad about getting dressed and leaving the room so quickly, so I turned around and looked for her. By the time I caught up with her she was totally despondent. As she got into her car, she said, "Please don't try to contact me in any way or talk to me ever again. I have a husband at home. A man I love more than anything in this world. A man that I can't live without. I'm sorry, but this was a big mistake." I started to wonder whatever happened to her. 

Present day

Pamela's view 

I really didn't want to work late tonight, especially alone, but I really needed to finish the trial prep. It was taking longer than it should have because I was distracted thinking about my husband. I had turned him down for sex last night and was feeling very guilty about it. I was determined to make it up to him in a big way when I got home. 

With all this going on in my head, I never heard Laura come in. I must have jumped a foot in the air when I realized her presence. But then my worst fears were coming true when she reached into her handbag and pulled out a gun. 

"It's all your fault. All your fault. Everything could have turned out OK if it wasn't for you. I just need to know why. Why would you do this? You were supposed to be on my side." 




Big Loss, Big Gain Pt. 02



"Laura, it's not what you think."

"DON'T LIE TO ME. I SAW YOU WITH HIM, AT THE MALL, WITH YOUR DAUGHTER!" OH, YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD STEAL HIM AND KEEP HIM ALL TO YOURSELF!" 

I grabbed the family portrait and held it up for her to see.

"Laura, please. Was the little girl around 6 years old? Look, my daughters are older. Laura, please understand, I'm not with Jim. He's with Holly, my younger sister. Believe me, Laura, I tried to stop it. They met while I was on an extended vacation in California. By the time I realized who she was seeing it was too late. My sister has never gone against my wishes or refused any request I've ever made until now. She flat out told me that there was no way she would give him up. Laura, I am on your side. I called Jim several times. You were here when I made one of those calls. I'm sorry, I really thought he was coming back to you. Please Laura, don't hurt me. My girls and my husband need me."

Laura's eyes started to fill even more, then as the tears started falling, she slowly put the gun on my desk. I came around it and extended my arms to her. We held each other and I tried to comfort her.

"Please help me Pamela. Please help me. I don't know what to do." 

I really didn't know what to say or do at that point either and then I looked down at the family portrait and saw my husband. For a split second I thought about what life would be like if I lost his love. I started crying just about as hard as Laura. 

Jim's view 

Holly and I had taken Jenny and one of her school friends over to the park. While the two young ones were off having a little tea party, I was talking to Holly, who seemed to be smiling a lot. 

"You seem to be really happy today Holly."

"I am. I've never been more happier in my life."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with that piece of jewelry on your left hand, would it?" 

"It has everything to do with it. For the longest time I prayed that a special man would come into my life and then you came along. All my hopes and dreams are coming true and it's only going to get better. In a few months I'll be able to look at someone and say 'Hi, I'm Holly Martin and this is my husband, Jim' and I know that will be one of the happiest days of my life. 

EPILOG

Jim Martin continues to reside in the home that was formerly occupied by his grandparents. However, now he is far from being alone. Each night he sleeps next to his beautiful wife Holly and down the hall you can peek in on his daughter Jenny. If you listen close enough, you just might hear laughter from a small child. A child named James Martin Jr. 

Sarah Martin graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy with honors. Her hard work and determination resulted in an internship and eventual full-time employment at a busy pharmacy in Boston's hospital district. One day she filled a prescription for a well-dressed, handsome man with a big smile. He left only to return ten minutes later to wait in line behind six customers for the chance to ask her out. They are now happily married and raising two sons. 

Roy Timson was fortunate to have an older brother who sold insurance. Kathy's death led to a FedEx delivery and the envelope that Roy signed for contained two checks totaling $643,000. Mortgage insurance of $143,000 and a straight-life benefit of $500,000. Roy sold the house and moved to Florida, buying a combination house/ fishing & bait shop. One day a woman walked into his shop with her eleven year old son who was crazy about fishing. Fours month later, the two of them moved in. 

With Pamela's help, Laura began seeing a therapist. Pamela shared the therapist's reports with Jim who ultimately decided to pay for future sessions. Jim agreed that Laura was obviously having trouble moving on and was paying a heavy price for her actions. He learned that as Sarah became more self-sufficient and less reliant on her mother, Laura felt left out, especially since Sarah always seemed to seek out her father for schoolwork assistance. This led to the irrational arguments and the general breakdown in their relationship. Jim, in general, seemed to accept this explanation, but had trouble agreeing with some of the other aspects of the report. According to the therapist, Kathy's influence couldn't have come at a worse time, when she was questioning her value as a mother and possibly as a wife and desirable woman. In his opinion, if it had occurred a year sooner or a year later, her decisions would have been different. 

At Pamela insistence, Laura eventually posted a profile out on 'ChristianMingle' where she met a nice man who was able to provide the love, support and companionship she needed. Although she is grateful that this man has come into her life, every so often as her new man sleeps nearby, you can see a tear in her eye as she recalls the only true love of her life, Jim Martin. 

THE END