70 comments/ 26877 views/ 8 favorites Gerald's Big Decision By: c1992w Author's Foreword: Once again the BTBers will be pissed, and I continue to try to reduce the complexity of what I want to say without the story coming across as trite. These people do not live next door and there is no hot sex, as usual. ***** Gerald Sudbeck pulled off the divided highway and turned down a state highway towards a neighboring town near their own small town. He said to his wife sitting beside him, "Judy, the engine is breathing fumes and if I don't refuel soon we will be pushing it home." Soon he pulled the car up to the gas pumps. Before he got out to pump the gas, however, he reached under the seat and pulled out a large brown envelope and handed it to Judy. He said, "Please study this while I fill up. I'll explain later." With a what-the-hell-does-this-mean look on his wife's face she opened the envelop and pulled out an 8 x 10 glossy photo. It showed their son's best friend on top of her in fucking her in the missionary position, naked. Judy's house coat was open and her legs were raised and wrapped around her 18 year old lover. Mrs. Judy Sudbeck instantly fainted although her husband wasn't aware of this as he was refueling the SUV. The couple had just returned from saying goodbye to their son, Craig. Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Sudbeck, Gere and Judy, had watched their 19 year old disappear behind the TSA Security Checkpoint at Dulles Airport. Afterwards they had quietly driven home. Craig was flying to Texas where he had been accepted at his Dad's Longhorn Alma Mater to study Electrical Engineering. The Dad had recently rented his son an apartment and had bought a bicycle for him in Austin and both were awaiting his arrival. The bike was for traveling around the sprawling campus. Once the limo service dropped Craig off at the address read off to him, getting himself moved in would be easy. Also, there were several candidate room mates who the landlord had lined up for the Craig to interview later. The student was a National Merit finalist and the undisputed local wizard technically. He also played Cello in the state youth orchestra. With his best friend Jason, who was one year older than him and a piano protege since childhood, the two had played a few gigs to perform at anniversary, wedding, and grand house parties in and near their wooded hometown during the past three years while in high school. Both were born and grew up in this sleepy wooded town. Gerald (Gere) Sudbeck was a HVAC design and building climate automation consultant and construction manager. He worked half time from his home, an hour or so distant from Dulles, and traveled globally for the remainder of his work time. Each time he returned from a trip his thought driving home was to someday create his own engineering firm so he could pay someone else to do all the traveling. He was good at what he did and won sealed bid as well as time and material jobs when doing warranty work or repairing screw ups. He often turned down new business opportunities reluctantly. He had worked in all phases of mechanical systems since high school and now held a PhD in Physics from the University of Texas. Judy was an English writing and literature professor and once upon a time a highly visible Modern Language Association officer. But she gave up that high-profile position for a tenured professorship for small pay at the tiny Liberal Arts College nestled in beautiful woods a few miles from their home. She taught all the language courses at this Denominational institution near Stanlyton. At 41 she was the prettiest and sexiest of faculty ladies at school as competition from the other ladies was non-existent. Over the years she became close friends with many in the community and an enemy of a very few. For example, she hosted Bridge Club parties and small dinner parties for faculty and other friends. Jason Booker, the older of the two young pals, was destined for great things in the classical piano world. He also was almost another son to Judy and Gere. He lived frugally nearby with his widowed Mother, Jean Booker, who taught all the business math courses at the college. She officed next to Judy Sudbeck on the campus. Jean, too, once made the big bucks as a high profile accounting professor in a named school and had made substantial money during tax season, on the side. Now, the mother and son lived on her meager salary plus a small annuity cash flow her deceased husband had left her. Jason and, to a lesser extent, his mother spent many hours visiting in the spacious and ornate Sudbeck showplace home. The protege loved to go there because they had a 9 foot grand piano, while at home he had to practice and meet with his teacher on a worn out upright. The Sudbeck's had given him a key to their Performance Room that housed their beautiful piano in which they entertained friends and faculty so that he could come and go as he wished. Jason's additional claim to fame in the small community was his athletic ability - he was tall and had been the captain of the high school Basketball and Track team and was well liked. In that respect he was like his deceased father. Jason's father had been a a very Black Pro athlete and his mother was a blue eyed, blond hair woman descended from Vikings. Their offspring was noticeably a Black in appearance, but ethnically he appeared White, with his light skin, at least at first glance. Finding dates was never a problem for him but his sex drive seemed to have been replaced by the burning desire to get into Julliard to pursue a concert pianist career. With that goal in mind, countless hours were spent at preferably the Sudbeck's keyboard or otherwise at his own. He had performed Chopin and Liszt at recitals where the overwhelmingly excited small audience would not stop calling for encores. His very proud mother along with Mrs. Sudbeck and Craig were always in attendance - and Gere was there as well when he was in town. Six months ago Jean Booker and her son took a Greyhound bus to New York to register Jason at the famed Julliard school where he would be attending on full tuition scholarships. Jean watched her son sleep soundly as she glowed with pride while the Greyhound made its way up the New Jersey Turnpike. She recalled her meeting Jason's Dad when she was a Freshman in college 26 years ago. The local championship Pro team was being honored by the city in a parade. The float stopped right in front of Jean and eye contact was made between Jean and a second string player, Marvin Booker. He held out a card and Jean broke ranks from her friends and got the card from the player. She put it in her designer jeans and forgot it for the time being. In time she called the number on the card and he answered, "Marvin Booker." They both remembered the incident of their first eye contact and arranged to get together. He right away took her cherry and Jean's addiction to the athlete started. On the fifth weekend meeting for sex, Marvin was keen on sharing her with his friends but she absolutely refused and broke up with him at that moment, very upset and went home to talk to her ailing mother. Her mother's counsel was to 'seek Jesus' and she did. Jean set about organizing her life so that she could finish her degree, and afterwards sit for the CPA exams. Jean became very studious and religious and went on to graduate school and even earned a PhD, in time, got a tenure-track assistant professorship at a famed college. She did taxes in the early part of each year and developed quite a small business following. In time she 'backslid' from her Mom's teaching again, and she restarted dating and usually had sex on about the second or third date with the string of men who found her attractive when she was attracted to them. In moments of lust such as these her mind always raced back to Marvin Booker - "I wonder what ever happened to him?" The first Sunday night in April, 20 years ago, Jean was in a rented office she subleased during tax season at about 10:00 P.M. Someone pushed the buzzer at the street level and she answered, "This is Sunshine Tax Service, may I help you?" The voice came back from the street, "I am Marvin Booker from Seaboard Drywall Contractors and my bookkeeper says I need a professional to look at my business taxes this year and recommended you." Jean thought as she looked at her appointment list of her regulars and said, "Tell me your gross sales and how many employees." Having heard the name she half listened to his descriptions and thought, "Is it just a coincidence? He doesn't sound like my Marvin, but he might be. I can not possibly work him in to my schedule but he might be my Marvin?" She then replied, "Do you have all your documents with you?" "Yes." She pressed the unlock buzzer while giving the office number and said, "Come on up." Her Marvin walked into her small office carrying a plastic hanging file holder by its handle. Both froze on looking at each other. Finally her former lover said, "Jean, I think about you everyday, and I have changed in that I no longer party or 'talk the game' with peers or half-ass do anything. I work 18 hour days managing as many as four sub-contracted jobs at once. A thousand times I have regretted trying to mix you up in my party world of the chumps I hung with in those days. Please give me another chance? I still love you, as I did then. But I don't know why I once was so horrible and mixed up. I can only ask that you forgive me." Jean stood and smiled, business as usual, and said, "Thank you for pulling yourself together after your basketball career. You look healthy enough so let me see how successful you are," as she pointed to his plastic cabinet. At 12:45 A.M. she signed and he signed the tax filing forms for the Federal and state. After bundling up his papers and standing to leave, Marvin said, "I would like to walk you to your car and take you to dinner the first Saturday night after tax day. May I?" She replied, "Oh thank you for being my security. Let me think about whether or not we should get involved again, however. If I agree, it won't be in a moment of lust. I have your number, I will call you, Marvin, one way or the other, after the season is over." Back in the present Jean watched her peacefully sleeping son on the moving bus and marveled, "So, I am bursting with pride at my child-prodigy now grown up son, fathered by an abusive lover who became my abusive husband who just could not stop himself from going back to his old ways. I then fell in love with a gentle man at an academic conference. Marvin was petrified with grief when I told him but agreed to our divorce. Two days after he was served, his grief and depression was so severe until he suicided by taking a bottle of muscle pain pills. "One month after his burial, my academician, the only man I ever loved, wrote me a short note that said, 'Dear Jean, I am remarrying Vivian and this is good bye.' Now I will never again experience the ecstasy that Marvin gave me or the gentle, what-life-is-all-about type of love that the Department Head gave me. My son and his career will bloom and and my fate is to be alone forever. So be it. Maybe Mom was right - it's the wages of sin." On arrival in New York City Jean managed the checking in and getting him set up in student housing associated with Julliard. She said to her 20 year old son, "It is impossible to tell you how proud I am of the opportunity you now have to attend the best school in the world. The living expenses will be very high but I will get a second job if necessary to pay them." "Oh, thank you Mom. I also thank you for very good guidance growing up. But, Craig's Mom insisted that I eat good healthy food and if I couldn't afford it she would help, so don't worry about me. You will be alone now, Mom, and you need to focus on the direction of your life - is a new love possible?" Jean gave him a motherly smile and said, "Thanks for reminding me son, and that may or may not come. But, we must not forget that we are so lucky to have had the Sudbeck's as friends and mentors because there is no way I could have provided the opportunities growing up so that you might become a world-class pianist someday. God has been very good to us ever since your Dad took his own life when you were a third grader." "Mom, I am quite certain I could earn a living playing Rock or Blues in a band if I had to, although that world offers nothing for my soul. So, I agree luck is definitely on my side to get this opportunity. I will exploit my good luck and have every intention of succeeding." Back on the Sudbeck's trip home from Dulles, Gere finished pumping the gasoline and returned to his car. He was alarmed that his wife was out cold from having fainted, he presumed. So he gently slapped her face and poured water on her and wiped it off with a tissue. She finally sat up but said nothing. The only sign that something was wrong was that all the blood had drained from her face and she was speechless. Gere said to her, "The photo was extracted from security video footage taken in key areas when the motion detection switch was triggered. If you will recall we contracted to have this high end security system set up right after we moved into the house because of your and my expensive art and artifacts we both inherited." Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the circular driveway of their prize winning house. Southebys had recently told him to ask one million five when he lists it for sale. The performance room was set off from the rest of the house and parking places for a dozen cars were available for the frequent times they had visitors. There was a connected passage way from the house to the Performance Room, where their grand piano was housed. The house itself was middle 20th Century rambling architecture set on six acres and had appeared as a photo in many magazines. Gere parked near the main door of the residence structure and got out, saying nothing to his wife. He unlocked and opened the massive wooden door to their home and then disarmed the alarm and went straight to the master bedroom. He got out two suit cases and started packing clothes and toiletries. He earlier had packed two boxes of business items from his office. He rolled the two suitcases out the front door towards the hatchback door of his BMW. His wife sat petrified and still was unable to speak. He returned with two boxes on a dolly and placed them in the back. By this time his wife had exited his BMW and silently stood by the back hatch door as Gere approached with the boxes. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out and her face was still ghostly white. At that point a pick up truck rumbled into place behind the BMW and an overweight driver lumbered towards the two. He said, "Mrs. Judy Gleason Sudbeck," while looking at the woman?" She finally shook her head and whispered, "Yes." "You have been served," handing her a thick envelop. Judy almost fainted again except she held on to the hatchback, still having said nothing to her husband. Gere returned to the house to load his digital electronic items, and continued to check each off of a list as he loaded it so that nothing would be forgotten. He closed the lid and locked his car and said to his wife, "I am going to use the crapper but I will be on my way after that." Ten minutes later he returned only to see Judy standing by his car door. She finally could only say, "Please talk to me, Gere." "No, Judy. My attorney is Joe Hoskins. The terms in the petition split our joint assets acquired after we were married 50-50. But you should get your own attorney. The four of us will talk about any contested issues together in a joint lawyer conference later. My anger Is so close to boiling over right now until ..." at which point Gere's fists were painfully clenched. Tears streamed down his face, and nausea tugged at his stomach. He got into his car and drove away leaving Judy standing where she was. When he was alone he finished his previous thought out-loud, "I might go nuts and you might become unsafe!" He drove a half hour to a bedroom community nearer Dulles and unloaded his SUV into his previously rented apartment. —— Judy Sudbeck stood in her driveway and continued 'talking to her husband' as if they were in a conversation even though Gere's SUV had driven out of sight a couple of minutes ago. She then went into their empty house and took out a nearly full bottle of wine. She gulped a generous swig from the bottle and continued 'talking'. After several drinks on her empty stomach she slurred, "Yes, Jason seduced me when he was an eleventh grader. He spent so many hours on our piano bench until I would sometimes rub his aching back and neck and turn the pages of his sheet music while sitting beside him. I graded papers often on the small couch in there while I listened to him magically play several Chopin Nocturnes he had already learned. "Once when you were working in Jakarta and Craig was throwing his paper route, Jason stood and grabbed me pressing my body to his after I had been turning sheet music pages for him. I felt his erection as I was fighting to free myself from his grasp pleading with him to stop. He then reached into my housecoat and grabbed my pussy and I squirted a stream into his hand. I saw him lick his hand and I was electrified with a desire that I couldn't control. I lay down on the throw rug and he took me - I was his first sex partner. For several days after that I noticed that his ability to play the delicately flowing notes also diminished and got worse. And so we had a talk and agreed that we did a horrible thing and to pretend the sex never happened. My relationship with both you and Craig improved, but Jason never quite got back up to the skill level he had before. I will hate myself forever primarily because I cheated, but secondarily he probably will not come back to the skill level he had. And, yes, I am the Bitch that is responsible for that! Worse he started playing that dreadful blues and pop music - but stopped when I finally told him that he was not welcome to use our piano to play that. So, from then on he only played and learned new classical pieces at our house. I no longer engaged in touching him or even sitting beside him turning pages." It finally dawned on Judy that she had been talking to herself, that Gere wasn't here - nobody was here. Then she remembered that even the housekeeper would not be coming in for two days. She got up to fix some food all the while racking her brain trying to think of someone to talk to and what could they talk about before she went completely mad. She went to a large portrait of her Mother on the wall and said, "Mom, what have I done? I need you so badly!" She finished off the wine bottle with her food and fell in bed about to fall into a lush's sleep when the bedside house phone rang. She fumbled to grab the phone and hoping against hope that Gere was calling, and answered it, "Hello." "Hi Mom, I just let Dad know that the limo has delivered me and my suitcases and boxes into my apartment safe and sound. But, he said that he is in an apartment closer to Dulles but wouldn't give me any details. What is going on? It sounds like you guys are splitting up since I am no longer in your hair. Care to enlighten me?" She replied, "Not tonight son, but perhaps later. Whatever happens between us doesn't change the fact that we both love you and are very proud of you." "Have you been drinking, Mom?" "Yes, and I need to sleep it off. Thanks for calling and take care of yourself - I heard those Texans fight with fists a lot, is that true?" "Heh heh Not quiet, Mom, sleep well." —— By the time Craig Sudbeck hung up talking to his Mom he was shaking inside, in spite of his facade of calmness and humor he radiated to both parents. Trying to think analytically, he said to himself, "I wonder if she caught him fucking around or he caught her fucking around? Well, they are 21 and certainly know they are responsible for all their decisions. There is really nothing I can do except hope for the best and that my 529 funds will continue to stream over the coming months. But, after the analysis he finally broke down and started crying in spite of his attempt to think of their separation as a personal matter of theirs. Gerald's Big Decision He called his best friend in New York, Jason Booker. The phone was answered on the first ring and said, "Hi Craig. Have you arrived in Texas already and have you witnessed any fist fights yet Heh heh?" "No, not yet. But I am in this apartment house that seems to be decorated with hot and cold running girls so maybe I will do some 'fishing' later. I think I will like it here." After five minutes of pal talk bringing each other up to date, Craig asked, "How are your piano drills coming, Jason?" The musician said, "I am excited. The downer is that I am surrounded by players who are so good until I am like playing chop sticks compared to them, but I am sure learning a lot. In fact, I have a test session of a Liszt piece with one of my drill instructors in the morning. I thought it was perfect after I had spent 2 hours on it this afternoon, but shit! I might wake up in a different world. I will let you know." "Uh Jason, My Mom and Dad split and I am depressed and I just wanted to talk to a friend. I hope this information doesn't upset you or anything." Jason said, "Oh no! Why?" "Neither parent would say but it happened right after they got home from taking me to Dulles." There was a long pause and forcing himself not to shake, Jason finally said, "Craig, I am sorry. Also, I don't feel so good about this as I am sure you don't either. Keep me posted on this and let me know, if you would. I got to get back to work." "O.K. Seeya Buddy!" Craig broke the circuit. —— In his New York room Jason didn't sleep a wink that night. He vacillated between studying the music timing phrases and calling Mrs. Sudbeck and probably waking her up and then kicking himself for even thinking about calling her. He then began thinking about his youth. "I remember going into Mom and Dad's bedroom as a third grader and watching Mom dial 911 and hearing her say, "My husband has taken a bottle of pain pills and left a suicide note." Then he remembered a few days later, hearing his Mom tell his grandmother, "He deliberately overdosed because I told him I was leaving him for another man, and taking Jason with me. We had agreed on a divorce that was in progress." Jason asked himself in his New York City bed, as he tossed and turned, "Will Mrs. Sudbeck be depressed because her husband has found someone else? Or worse, did he find out about her and me? Jason closed his eyes and counted sheep but sleep still did not come. His recurring question was, "Why did I come on to Judy and does her husband know? My God, that was over after the one event. If they divorce the news will ultimately get to my mother. That will just kill her - just as Mom's fucking around was the reason my father suicided, which almost killed her then as well. Will my talking to Judy Sudbeck ease her anxiety? Hell no! It will just make it worse." After a one-hundred percent sleepless night Jason heard his alarm ding and he sat on the side of his bed. But, he did his morning preps and showed up in the sound proof booth ten minutes before the teacher was to arrive. His warmup practice was crappy and his heart sank because he just knew he would fuck up the Liszt piece. The teacher came into the booth and said, "You ready to show me what you can do with the Libestraum we discussed?" Before Jason could reply the instructor's phone rang and after he looked at the LCD he said to the student, "I have to take this. Can you continue to warm up and we will get started in a moment?" Alone again in the booth, Jason went into a yoga breathing exercise to calm himself. He thought, "Mr. Sudbeck is the smartest man I have ever known and after I tell him that I was the one who moved on his wife and not Judy on me, he will figure out that she is not a slut, and what we did was my youthful indiscretion. I know he will forgive her and me because she is such a super woman and I am playing 'marbles' in this elitist of elite 'ring with big marbles' in it and he made it all possible. I have seen him tremble with pleasure listening to me, and to Craig and me in a duet." Jason hadn't prayed since since the onset of puberty but stated the 23rd Psalm out loud from memory. For some reason the student felt his whole body relaxing as if the hangover of being confronted with what had happened between Mrs. Sudbeck and him was not so badly fucked up as it first seemed. In a few moments the instructor stepped back into the booth while Jason was doing his finger drills. The renown instructor said, "You know, Jason, you are endowed with an almost two octave span in both hands - you will have a distinct advantage when you get into your first major competition." The student replied, "Thank you, sir. I intend to exploit that advantage." At that point the teacher brought his sheet music to the top of his clip board and said, "O.K. Show me how well you can do Libestraum. He watched as Jason began the opening notes. About five minutes later it was over and the Instructor excitedly said, "You aced it, Jason, congratulations." He watched his student just beam with pleasure and continued by asking, "What is next in your plan?" After Jason told him, he continued, "Thanks for your encouragement." After he was by himself in the booth again, he suddenly called Judy Sudbeck not giving himself time to think about it. He was desperate to see how she was adjusting to being alone. He dialed her cell phone number which she picked up after four rings and said, "Hello Jason," "I passed a major exam this morning and my principle instructor thinks I am on my way." "Good for you, Jason, I knew you could compete with the best of them." "But that is not why I called, Judy. Craig told me that you and Mr. Sudbeck have split. Is it because he found out about what we did when I was a high school junior?" Judy's whole insides ached now as she sat in bed thinking about her options. Pain racked her hungover brain thinking, "If I tell him the truth, it may well destroy Jason's concert career chances. If I tell him a lie, the truth will surely come out in divorce court anyway and it still might ruin his career chances." She then lied to Jason and said, "I have a call waiting and it might be an attorney, may I call you back in a few?" "O.K. Bye." —— This early morning Gerald Sudbeck was studying mechanical specifications on a set of blueprints for a medium rise building to be constructed. There was a bid opening to be conducted one week from today. He was doing this work on the kitchen table of the furnished apartment he had rented. His mind vacillated between preparing an HVAC bid and thinking about his wife and missing her. He had a crick in his back because the mattress that came with the apartment was too soft for him - he missed his tempur-pedic mattress at his home and he missed his wife. He silently cursed because he needed a reference work to proceed and then decided to bring his entire library to his new apartment so he could get some work done. Once on the road he continued to have a very bad feeling about his coming divorce. No matter how hard he tried, he could not explain the bad feeling. But, Gere was a 'plan your work and work your plan' type individual. He had planned every single facet of this divorce completely, and the only thing he knew to do now was 'get it done.' He said out loud to nobody, "Lets get you divorced." ——- Judy had dozed off again after Jason called and now her alarm went off and she sat up. For a moment she thought she would vomit again after drinking the glass of water on her night table, but, she forced herself to get up and start her day. She only had one class and decided to let the students take a walk. Then she suddenly had Debussy's opening notes of 'Claire de Lune' lodged in her brain and couldn't get them out. She did her morning toilet and walked into the performance room and to the piano bench that held her sheet music. She finally found that piece and put it in the piano's holder as she sat down. Once she began playing it, the melody buzzing in her head finally gave her some peace. About the second time she replayed it, a calmness descended on her. Her shoulders and arms moved into the correct position as she had been trained for the first 20 years of her life. In time the delicate sounds caused her skin to tingle as she kept playing. The movement she noticed in the driveway was Gere's SUV pulling in and stopping near the front door of the main house. She stopped playing and stood up to watch her husband roll a two wheeler into the house. She went back to her bathroom and refreshed herself and forced a smile on her face. She then went into Gere's office. He was there boxing more technical books and placing them a two-wheel dolly and putting others in a garbage bag. She said, "Good morning, Gere." Her husband ignored her. In fact, he didn't even look at his wife. She continued, "Jason heard about us from Craig and Jean's distraught son called from New York. He wants to know if my one indiscretion when he was a junior is the cause of our splitting up." Gere shrugged his shoulders and continued what he was doing, faking a look of complete indifference to her presence and words. Judy continued, "If I tell him the truth it will destroy Jason's chance at a career. We both have dreams for him to become a world class pianist. If I lie to him right now the truth will come out in court so the net effect will be the same. Plus it will kill his mother after what happened to his father. Add to that the 15 thousand dollars we have donated to the world class pianist teacher to drive all the way here to give Jason lessons - plus the standard rates that his mother has paid - will all be wasted as well. Do you want all that on your conscience over one time that I failed you in all these years? Do you want the boy who is another son to you, since he lost his own Dad as a 9 year old, to wind up playing keyboards in a monkey-music night club band to make a living? You really want that on your conscience?" For the first time, Gere stopped what he was doing and looked at his wife but remained silent. She continued, "Gerald Sudbeck, there was one lustful act of sex when he was a junior in high school. You can go through every scene of video clips you have and you won't find but that one. And there never was any other man in my life nor will be whether or not we split or stay together. Gere, sex was just not that big of a thing to me until now that I am faced with losing you. I realize it's the biggest thing going for men, especially men like you." For the first time, Gere spoke and said, "Yes, It is a very big thing to me. Our account manager at the home security firm passed this photo to me as one man doing another a favor - I didn't go looking for tracks of your cheating." But then there was a pregnant pause while the technical genius paused to remember a floor show in Singapore where the Belly Dancer's performing excited him so much until he later purchased her for the night. It was the first time he had paid for pussy since a freshman in college. He never told his wife about that. Mostly, he recalled waking the following morning and seeing the sleeping beast in his bed wearing no make up. The body stocking had been removed. He especially remembered her flabby and plump hips spread loosely over the sheet and her mellon-type belly that went poorly with her cob-web like hair. For the thousandth time, he grimaced at the memory. Judy, sensing the wheels turning in her husband's head, said, "Please call off the divorce, Gere. I will move into Craig's room and you have my permission to bug and video me where ever I go, if you think I still have the hots for Jason - or for anyone else beside you." "You don't understand, Judy, there is more involved than a Mentor simply screwing her Mentee and then saying you are sorry and then apologizing afterwards to make it all right again. You have given to another what was mine only. That hurts and will for a long time." Tears were profusely streaming down both of their faces now. She replied "I am well aware that it does, Gere. I plead with you to give us the chance to make this incident so trivial until it won't even register in the total scheme of things. I love you so much and have done so for so long, until there is nothing for me if we part like this." Gere looked at his wife for a moment restraining himself from reaching out to hold her but said, "Another less important matter is that my friend at Southeby's assures me that he has a Chinese client with government connections. This man has a million five budget cash looking for a house and acreage just like ours. We both would net out nearly a half million each. We need to have an amiable divorce and sell the place." Being the erudite rational thinker that she was , Judy said, "On the other hand you have told me repeatedly about the dream of your starting your own engineering firm so that you could triple your revenue while reducing your globe trotting after hiring increased staff. We could raise enough money to do a start up with the assets that we have plus a second lien note on our home. Jean Booker hates our campus and she would hire on and work cheap to be comptroller and Financial Manager." She noticed Gere scratching his head, and then continued, "Consider this. Even with a hot half million in your pocket you will still be globe trotting repairing problem installations and correcting screw ups, won't you?" For the first time, his wife had her husband's complete attention. He opened his mouth and said, "But..." While Gere was collecting his thoughts Judy burst out with, "How fun will it be flying everywhere because a contractor has installed the automated climate control equipment incorrectly inside of a high rise commercial building, solving that problem, and then, returning home to an empty apartment or this house. The feeling you would have will not go well with the fact that the people for whom you busted your arse working 18 hour days don't give a shit about you as a person - plus you will not have earned one extra dime." At that point Judy's cell phone rang again. It was Jason in New York. He said, "Mrs Sudbeck you were going to call me back, did I miss your call?" She immediately changed gears mentally and turned on the speaker phone and said, "Jason, I was trying to remember exactly how you and I had sex when you were a high school junior. Would you refresh my memory?" "Sure. You sat beside me turning the sheet music pages while dressed in your housecoat. At one point I saw your breast and I stood and brought you up to embrace me. I held you close while you beat on my chest pleading, 'Stop this. Behave.' Then I wrestled you to the throw rug. I am so sorry and have wished a thousand times I had restrained myself." She said, "Thanks for reminding me, Jason. I still don't know if Gere and I are headed for the divorce court but neither outcome affects you. As for as you are concerned, you were a consenting adult and what is important is your future - I love you like my son and if you stop struggling to be a world class performer then you go way down in Gere and my estimate. Thanks for..." Her husband grabbed her phone and said, "Jason, this is Gerald Sudbeck and I was eavesdropping on your conversation. If Judy and I do get a divorce the principle reason won't be because you seduced my wife. So relax and get to work, as whatever happens does not revolve around what you two did. So get your guilt trip finished and get off your Arse and go to work. I mean it and I expect great things." "Oh Thank you, Mr. Sudbeck!" The circuit was broken. The two looked at each other and said nothing. After a full minute Gere said, "Don't you have class today?" After she explained her decision she said, "Let me make a pot of coffee and lets look over the business plan I put together last year where I showed you how we might do a start up of an Engineering Firm. Now that commercial building leases remain at crash price levels, it will free up some of our need for outside cash. Please Gere?" The brilliant physicist thought with a look of pain on his face, "There is a wedge driven right through the middle of my mind. She knows I love her madly, and that I want that start up so badly I can taste it, and Jean Booker would make the buffalo on every nickel shit because of her attention to details and besides that I am convinced my wife loves me totally. And, being so armed my wife is giving me a full court press to call this divorce off. But, she gave to another what was mine even though I am quite sure it was a fluke because Jason worshiped her and she worshiped his talent that she could never have even after another 20 years of her piano lessons." He finally forced a smile and said, "Lets look at that start up plan again." ———- Two and a half hours later they lay on damp sheets atop his marvelous mattress, naked and spent from their record-breaking vigorous coupling that went on and on for both. Gere's cell phone rang and it was his attorney Joe Hoskins. The husband said, "Wait, wait Joe. Judy and I have reconciled. Send me a bill for your time. Yes, for sure. Thanks." Judy was crying profusely from happiness. Gere suddenly remembered that he had a sealed bid to prepare in less than a week and said to his wife, "I need help moving back in. Will you help me?" She jumped up naked and said laughingly while mimicking her husband, "Let's get it done before you change your mind!" The End. Epilogue: Twenty years later, a grey-haired couple in their sixties parked in a visitor slot and walked up to the entrance of the three level building that had 4 truck bays. The large sign beside the road said, 'Sudbeck Engineering and Construction Company.' Beneath the company name, the logo said, 'The goal of our 110 employees is for you to be comfortable, 24/7.' Inside, the receptionist smiled and said, "I will tell Craig you have arrived. " Their son came out and hugged both goodbye warmly and said, "Oh, ready for your summer in the South of France, are you?" His mother spoke and said, "Yes, we are staying in the Mediterranean villa of long time friends and former customer of Gerald's back when he worked 18 hour days to earn enough for a start up venture." Their son said, "Say goodbye to Jean because she has been training her replacement and will soon join Jason on his current world tour." Once in Jean's office the young gentleman with her was introduced and excused and then the neck-hugging and tears of happiness were the next order of business. After a few minutes of conversation, Gerald asked about Jason. She said, "The Paid attendance in Cologne was 10,243 night before last with 3 encores. I am joining him in Berlin on his next stop. Today is my last day working for you two. Thank you again for rescuing me from the 'Jesus-in-the-woods' school years ago and providing me this marvelous career opportunity. More importantly, Gere, I thank you for being in love with my best friend and making possible my son's success - yes, I quietly learned of your paying the Master to give Jason piano lessons. God bless you, Gerald Sudbeck. And you, Judy. I can only say I am envious of you two, who made the right choices when you were young."