40 comments/ 70532 views/ 7 favorites What Does It Mean? Ch. 01 By: Agena What does it mean to forsake all others? Is there something, somewhere that qualifies that promise in the wedding vows? I didn't think so, but others apparently think differently. I was at work that day when Charley Hughes came back to work. He'd been out sick with the flu for a couple of days and I guess he found out it can get pretty boring sitting around the house by yourself. His wife worked and his kids were in school so he had no one to talk to. Anyway, Charley was moaning about an Ofrah show he'd watched the previous afternoon where she'd had several married women on the show extolling the excitement of having a lesbian affair behind their husbands' backs. Charley thought that this was a despicable thing to present on national TV to women who were easily impressed by Ofrah's sophistication and wealth. He wondered very vocally about the wimpy husbands of those women and what it would do to their marriages and also what would happen to the divorce rate if more women were encouraged to try it after watching the show? I guess I had to agree with Charley and when I got home that night I guess I let off a little steam with my wife, Grace, about it. She listened to my ranting about it with a funny look on her face and I guess I should have recognized something was wrong but it didn't click with me right away. When I was finished she simply turned away and shrugged her shoulders as though to dismiss my concern. "Don't get all steamed up about it. I'm sure most women would not consider such a thing and if they did, wouldn't act on it." "What if they did?" "It isn't as though she was really cheating on her husband doing it with another woman." she responded all the while not looking at me. "I don't see it that way. Our wedding vows say, "forsaking ALL others, not just persons of the opposite sex. To my way of thinking that's being just as unfaithful as giving your body to another man. Would you like to see me with another man?" "I guess you're right, but it isn't like you'd be sharing love between two people. You'd save that for the person you're married to." "Intimate sex should only be shared with the person you love. As a man and a faithful husband, my marriage is based on love, trust and respect. If those three things aren't there, then it isn't a marriage as far as I'm concerned." She was quiet as she stood looking out the kitchen window. I think I began to suspect something then. Her attitude and behavior were telling me that she was hiding something and it had to do with the subject at hand. You don't live with someone for 23 years without learning their moods and not know when something is bothering them. Something was definitely bothering her. "Do you have something you want to talk about, Grace?" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I guess I'd better give you a little background on our situation. My wife, Grace, and I had been married for 23 years. We had a son, Mark, who had just graduated from MIT with an engineering degree and was away living in Nashville working for a firm of consulting engineers. At 44 Grace was still a very attractive woman and kept herself in shape at a local health spa. Standing 5'6'' in her bare feet her svelte 135 lbs were blended into a nice feminine body with 34C breasts, blond hair cut fashionably short She was a teacher at our local high school and was active in school activities, especially related to girl's education, sport and social activities. I loved her with a passion and was awed by her love for me, her intelligence and her dedication to her family and her job. I'm Jim, a laid back guy, 6'1'' and 182 lbs. My looks are average I guess. The ladies didn't swoon when they saw me coming anyway, but I'd been hit on a couple of occasions so maybe I'm not a total loss. Anyway, I ran to keep myself in shape and was comfortable with my health and condition at 45. With our son gone and the expense associated with supporting and educating him finished, we were free to enjoy our lives. We were putting away quite a bit of money every year as we wanted to retire in about 10 years and travel and enjoy life in our maturity. Our sex was still good, at least twice a week. Not as active as when we were younger, but not bad. I thought we had everything going for us. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Turning from the window to look at me, I saw her face and I knew something was wrong. "What's the problem?" I asked with a feeling of dread coming over me. The look on her face was one of intense anguish and I knew then what the problem was and it related to what I'd been ranting about when I got home from work., However, I wanted her to tell me about it. For the last several months, she and a single, fellow teacher; younger than herself, had been working together on a school project to develop curriculum for a new class on girl's health issues. This required, she had told me, that they spend an evening or two each week at the other woman's apartment. I now remembered when she had come back from those evenings that she immediately went and had a shower before coming to bed but was never interested in sex on those nights. I had never suspected anything at the time. Her attitude to me hadn't changed nor had she been less caring or loving. Maybe, she had been more solicitous if anything. With a sob, she suddenly turned from me and hurried back to our bedroom and shut the door. "Grace?" I hollered before she got the door shut but got no response. I was stunned. What the hell had she done? Collapsing in a kitchen chair I put my head in my hands as tears began to slide down my cheeks. I couldn't believe what I was thinking but it had to be true or she would never have reacted like that. She was having an affair with that other female teacher. Sitting there I thought about the 23 years we had been married and the wonderful life we'd had. I'd always wanted a daughter but she'd been unable to have more children after our son's birth. The good times, the love, even the sex were fond memories that seemed to be fill our lives up to now. Now what? I'd have to wait until she told me for sure. I'd give her an hour in the bedroom to compose herself and then we would have to talk. I wiped my eyes and went into the den and got into my recliner. Closing my eyes I prepared to wait. I knew it was not a good thing but I could feel my rage building as I waited. It was about 45 minutes later I heard the bedroom door open and she appeared at the doorway. As I sat up in the recliner, I gestured to the sofa across from me. "Sit down Grace. I'm here to listen to what you have to say. Is it about you and Clara?" She looked like hell. Her eyes were red and watery as though she'd been crying, her hair was mussed and she looked defeated. I hadn't seen her like this since her mother died. "Yes, and I'm so sorry, Jim. I'd convinced myself that it wasn't such a bad thing. It was just sex with Clara and I never suspected how you would feel about it." "If you thought it was alright and I would be OK with it, why didn't you tell me about it and not hide it Grace? It was just sex? I can't believe you. You knew it was not right yet you went ahead and did it behind my back. Was the sex exciting or was it the fact that you thought you could hide it from me that it was exciting? Just like those women on the Oprah show. All excited because they were having illicit sex with another woman. Well, you can just go live with your lover Grace, because you're out of here. Go pack a bag and move out. You broke our wedding vows as far as I'm concerned and we don't have a marriage anymore. So you can go live with your lover and not have to hide anything." "Please Jim, please. We can get around this. We can go to counseling. Our marriage doesn't have to end because of a misunderstanding." "MISUNDERSTANDING?" I hollered back in my rage. "Don't you get it? It wasn't a misunderstanding. It was out and out deceit, lying and unfaithfulness. It was not a misunderstanding. I'm giving you 10 minutes to pack a bag and get out of here. If you're not out of here by then I'm throwing your cheating ass out the front door." "Please Jim, can't we talk about this calmly? This is my home too." "If you want to argue about who gets to stay and who's going, see a lawyer, but you're out of here because I can't guarantee your safety if you stay. You have 9 minutes left." Crying, she left the room and went back to our bedroom where I heard her get a suitcase out of her walk-in closet and then the sliding of bureau drawers opening and closing. I was surprised but she had a bag packed with some business clothing on hangers in less than 10 minutes. Her eyes were still red and tearful as she headed to the door out to the garage. "I'll be at my sisters. Please call me when you think I can come home." she told me as she went by. I just stared at her and didn't respond. A few seconds later I heard the garage door go up and her car start, then she was gone and I was alone. I was glad she hadn't gone to Carla's. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ After she left I just sat there and thought about what I was going to do, but couldn't reach any conclusion. Eventually, I got up and made myself a sandwich to get something in my stomach. Grace had already started dinner but I didn't feel like a heavy meal. My stomach was in a turmoil as I tried to reason my way through my emotions. What did I want to do? Divorce? Counseling? Get back together? Could I trust her again? Did I want to get back together again? All these things were flashing through my mind in a jumble and I couldn't put the pieces into any order of logic. I was sitting back in the den in front of the TV but wasn't really watching it when the phone rang. Reaching over I picked it up and heard, Betty, Grace's younger sister. "What's going on Jim. Grace is here with her luggage and she's a basket case. She can't or won't tell me what happened. She's got me, Jake (her husband) and the kids upset with you. I guess you threw her out. "That's right, Betty. I found out she's been having an affair." "Oh shit. You've got to be kidding. Grace!? I can't believe it. Who is it? Do you know?" "Its that teacher she's been working with on the school project, Carla." "Another woman? I didn't know she was gay. When did this happen?" "The last month or so, I guess." "Well, it was only another woman. Aren't you going to get some counseling and take her back?" "You women! I take this as seriously as if she were doing it with another guy. It not only says that she doesn't respect me and our marriage vows but it also says I can't fulfill her needs. That she has to go somewhere else to have her needs met. That's a real slap in the face as far as I'm concerned, but I haven't made up my mind what I want to do. I just know I want her out of here until I make up my mind what I want." "OK, Jim. We'll keep her here a few days, but if you haven't taken her back by then she'll have to find another place to live. The kids will be doubling up till she leaves. Have you told Mark (our son) yet what's going on?" "No, and I don't plan to until I make up my mind what to do. He doesn't need to know yet." "OK, Jim. I'm really shocked about this. I'll go and talk with her now that I know what's happened." "Fine Betty. Keep me informed and I'll let you know what I'm going to do as soon as I can." That night I had a restless sleep. Since our marriage we had slept in the same bed every night except for the two or three times I'd had to travel on business overnight and when she went to visit her mother. I missed her presence laying next to me. Finally, I drifted off to sleep trying to get my thoughts wrapped around what I needed to do.. When I awoke next morning I realized it was Saturday and recalled why Grace wasn't there. It saddened me immensely when I remembered, then thought it was Saturday and I couldn't contact any divorce lawyers for a couple of days. Sitting over a cup of coffee after breakfast I realized my rage had abated I could finally start to move forward on the problem. I guess I needed to know why she had done it first off and she may not be the one to be able to explain it to me. I thought we'd had a good marriage and that we found satisfaction with one another in bed. Why had she done it? She'd thought I'd be OK with it. Did she really think that or was it the only thing she could think of to justify her affair? Had she had other affairs I didn't know about? If I forgave her, could I trust her again? Was our marriage worth saving? We had 23 years invested in this marriage and I was looking forward to growing old together. Shit, I was getting too old to try to establish a new relationship but I wasn't going to be cuckolded again. That's for damn sure. I finally decided what I had to do before I could reach a final decision and I reached for the phone. "Betty, this is Jim. Can you get Grace on your extension. I've come to some sort of a decision and I want you both to hear it." "Shouldn't you be talking with your wife, Jim? I don't think I should be involved. We've been talking and I know she's deeply remorseful for what she's done. I know she wants to tell you how sorry she is but is afraid to come home to tell she'd do anything to get through this." "I'm glad she's so remorseful." I responded sarcastically, "but she may not like what I want her to do before I see her again. I want you on the phone to make sure she understands what she's going to have to do. So please get her on the extension. "All right, Jim. Just a moment." "Jim?" "Hello Grace. Are you on Betty?" "Yes, I'm here." "OK Grace, here's what I need before we can even talk about a reconciliation. I want you to go and get a complete psychiatric exam to determine why you did what you did. I need to know why and I can't accept any of your excuses. Before I can trust you again I've got to have some assurances that it'll never happen again. Do you hear me Grace?" "Yes, I hear you Jim. I'll do it but it may take awhile. Can I come home?" "I would rather not to see you again unless I think there's a chance for reconciliation. Find yourself a furnished apartment. I'll go out tomorrow afternoon and you can come and get more of your stuff. After that I'm having the locks changed." "OK Jim." she sobbed. "Betty, I want you to report to me on her progress with a psychiatrist. I would some closure on this at the proper time." "OK Jim. But you should realize she's my sister and I'm not going to rat on her." "All I want to know is if she's seeing a shrink. If she's not I'll be contacting a divorce lawyer." "OK Jim. Is that all? "No, I would like you to quit your job and break all contact with Clara." "Oh Jim, I won't see or contact Clara anymore. I'll asked to have another teacher work with me on our program and we'll do the work during my work period at the school. Please don't ask me to give that up. I will do ask you demand, but I plead with you not to make me do it." "Alright Grace, I'll back off but I would feel more comfortable if you transferred to another school for the next school year." "I'll do that Jim. Thank you." "You've really screwed everything up Grace." "I know and I'm so sorry. Have you told Mark?" "Not yet, but I guess he's got to know we're not living together. I'll tell him that we decided to have a little free time from one another. He'll know there's something more to it but I won't tell him. You can if you want." "Thanks Jim. I appreciate it." We signed off and I went out to cut the grass. As I was doing this I was thinking about my marital problems and how to keep tabs on Grace. When I finished the grass and went in and got on the computer and searched for GPS tracking equipment. I found what I wanted and placed an order with express delivery. Using this I could track Grace where ever she traveled in her car as long as she was within a five mile radius of home or my laptop. Now, I would have to plan on how I would get the transmitter installed in Grace's car. It was expensive but necessary to keep track of her since I couldn't count on her sister to keep me informed. That evening the phone rang and I saw by the caller ID it was Carla. My rage returned as I picked up the phone. "Yes?" I spoke. "Jim, this is Carla. Is Grace there? She didn't come into school today and I wondered if she was sick? We have a meeting tonight." "Grace doesn't live here now Carla." I told her through clenched teeth. "The slut is finding herself a new home. I'm surprised she hasn't contacted you, her lover, for a place to stay. Please do not call here again and I would stay a long way from me in the future." "Oh, my god!" Then she hung up and I was left with a dial tone. I was sort of glad she'd called because it meant Grace hadn't tried to contact her. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I got to thinking, however, that if Grace suddenly decided to end our marriage and go live with her lover I should protect my financial assets. It would be a simple matter to change back if our marriage continued. So, Monday morning I went down to the bank and moved half of our joint accounts into new accounts with just my name on it. I did the same with our non-IRA investments. I returned to work and called our insurance agent and had Grace removed as my beneficiary and replaced her name with that of our son Mark. Calling our family lawyer I asked him to prepare a new will listing only Mark as the recipient of my estate I also asked him the name of a good divorce attorney and after expressing his regrets referred me to Donna Sinclair as the best in the area. After I finishing talking with him I gave Ms Sinclair's office a call and made an appointment for the following afternoon. Although I didn't know whether I'd eventually proceed with a divorce, I thought it would be good to sit down and talk with her and find out my options. Submerging myself in work I was able to forget my marital problems but when I went home in the evening to an empty house it depressed me. A call from Betty cheered me up somewhat. She reported that Grace had made an appointment with a psychiatrist and would be going in for her initial visit on Thursday. She also told me Grace hadn't gone into work that day but would probably start back tomorrow and she was slowly coming around, having stopped her continual crying. Good, its nice to know she's been suffering. On Wednesday the GPS tracking equipment arrived and after reading the instructions proceeded to set it up and install the necessary programming on my laptop. The system would automatically alert me by cell phone if preset boundary limits were crossed. When finished I installed the tracking transmitter on my car and drove it around. It worked fine. Next I had to get the transmitter on Grace's car. The tracking transmitter was very small with a magnetic attachment capability. That night I went over to Betty's place and found Grace's car parked in their drive way. It was a simple matter to reach under the rear and attach the transmitter to a steel bar behind the bumper and leave. With fresh batteries it would transmit up to a month. That would be time for me to find out what I needed to know. That is, will Grace still be seeing Carla? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TO BE CONTINUED What Does It Mean? Ch. 02 My days were filled now with waiting for my cell phone to alert me that Grace had driven outside the boundaries I'd established in the computer program. I'd deliberately established the boundaries in the program to put Clara's apartment outside it but most other innocent places inside the boundaries. I figured that Clara would not go to Betty's house but if they were to meet it would be at Clara's apartment. What I couldn't control was if they met elsewhere, but it didn't seem to make sense for them to do that. But then, what makes sense when you're dealing with a cheater. Betty was keeping me posted on Grace's activities as far as visits to the psychiatrist were concerned but except for the tracker all I knew was that she went to work at her school every day, where she may have met Clara. However, according to the tracker alert she wasn't going over to Clara's in the evenings. I'd have to see what would happen when she moved into her own place. About a week and a half after she left home Betty informed me that Grace was moving into a furnished apartment and she would no longer be able to keep me posted on Grace's appointments with the psychiatrist. Now, I was dependent on the tracker to keep me posted. When Grace moved to the apartment I readjusted the boundaries in the program to include her new domicile, the school and Betty's and the psychiatrist's office. I continued to monitor her. The only thing the tracker wouldn't tell me was if Clara came over to her apartment. However, I didn't think Grace would allow that as I knew what Clara's car looked like and I might see it at her apartment. I did go over some evenings but never saw Clara's car there. Finally, one evening I received a phone call from Grace. "Jim, I just wanted you to know that I've had three sessions with the psychiatrist and she would like you to come to my next session, Thursday afternoon, so she can explain some things to you. Can you come?" "I'll be there Grace. What time and where?" I knew where it was, by means of the tracker, but I wanted to ask so she wouldn't be suspicious that I was following her. "Its at 4 PM in room 204 in Medical Plaza West on Graves street.. Thank you so much for supporting me, honey." "I want to get this resolved as soon as possible." I heard her sob then speak, "You don't know how much I've missed you." "OK, Grace, I'll see you Thursday." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thursday afternoon I was at the psychiatrists office early and had to sit in the waiting room with Grace for a few minutes. I was hopeful that when we left there we could go home together. When we finally got into the psychiatrist office she had us sit in an alcove in the corner of her office where there was a couch with an easy chair facing it. She waved us to the couch and took the chair. The psychiatrist was a pleasant appearing woman about our age with a nice body. It looked like she exercised to keep in shape. "Jim, I'm glad to finally meet you. As you know, Grace and I have had three sessions now and I think we need to talk about her visits here. First, can you tell me what you expect to get from this? Grace has told me what you've told her, but I'd like to hear it from you." "You know Grace had an affair with another woman and I can't and won't differentiate between having an affair with a man. I'm not sure she sees this the same way I do, but I look on it as a serious breach of our marriage contract. I want to know if her actions were due to a mental illness or what would cause her to break her wedding vows and if so is there a way to cure it so that she will never be tempted to do it again. I can forgive her transgression and continue our marriage if I felt that I could trust her again." "I can understand your concern about your marriage and how important trust is to you. However, you must know that psychiatry deals with mental illness and I've determined that Grace is not suffering from a mental illness that requires psychiatric care or that would require a cure. She has normal mental responses and some minor hangups but no illness. I would recommend a psychologist or marriage counselor as your best means of resolving your marital problems." "All right, she doesn't have a mental illness, but why would she suddenly take up a relationship with someone else? Or have I been wrong?" I asked as I turned to face Grace. Was that your first time with someone else?" "Oh Jim, there has never been anyone but you and I'm so sorry for me affair with Clara." I had to believe her. Grace was not someone who could hide her feelings easily, especially under stress. "I'll try to answer your question, Jim, without a lot of psychobabble." the psychiatrist continued. "Psychologically speaking, Grace might have felt she was missing something in her life. When a woman hits forty she has a lot of trouble accepting that her looks may be going to fade and she becomes very susceptible to suggestion and seduction. Also, in our society today there is more acceptance of different life styles that tend to compromise previous taboos related to sexual activities. She just downplayed in her mind the importance of mores regarding her relationship with someone of her own sex and how it related to your marriage. I know that you take your wedding vows very seriously and Grace lost track of that fact and she's having to pay for it. Hopefully, not at the cost of losing her marriage. You know she will never make that mistake again. She is totally focused now on doing everything she can to making it a success. I would say that you can trust her implicitly now." "I would recommend again," she continued, "that you both see a marriage counselor and get your marriage back on track. You've been married for 23 years and I know that you both have too much invested in each other and your marriage to throw it all away now. Does this address your concerns?" "I believe I can accept your assessment of the situation, but I gather you think my strict observance of our wedding vows is unique. Is there a reason for that? When we say the words 'forsaking all others', what is unique about that?" She looked stunned for a moment and was at a loss for words momentarily. "I'm sorry you got that impression. Fidelity in a marriage is very important and I didn't mean to imply anything when I mentioned your strict interpretation of those words." she apologized. "Can you provide another interpretation?" "No, I guess I can't." "Are you married?" "Yes, I am and I believe, very happily." "I notice you don't wear any wedding rings." "I wear them when I'm not involved professionally with a patient. I don't want them to be a distraction." I noticed she was slightly flushed and nervous as we talked and acted like someone who had something to hide. I didn't push it further but it indicated to me that some people might take their wedding vows too lightly. "Thank you doctor. I guess we'll go as I need to go and help Grace pack and move back home." I said as I turned to Grace and gave her a hug. Tears were running down her face as we said our goodbyes. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Grace came back home that evening and after going out to dinner we went back home where I helped her unpack some of her stuff so we could go to bed. I was afraid that I might not be able to perform but sight of her body was all I needed to regain our marital intimacies. The next morning we had breakfast together before going off to our respective and we smiled and laughed together like newly weds. Still a little shy but as if enjoying a new found relationship. As I picked up my laptop to carry out to my car I thought about the tracker still on Grace's car and decided I would leave it there for awhile in spite of the psychiatrist's professional opinion. However, I would have to reestablish the boundaries and replace the batteries in the tracker. I felt confident I could trust Grace now but we still had to have counseling to finally put the trust issue to bed and it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on things till then. We did start seeing a marriage counselor and after two months of meetings we were feeling more comfortable together. My tracker surveillance had failed to detect any unusual or suspicious activity on her part and I began to relax. She started go back to see the psychiatrist again on Wednesday evenings since Grace felt she needed some psychotherapy and she felt comfortable with the psychiatrist who had agreed to do more psychotherapy with her even though it wasn't her field.. I changed my alert boundaries to account for travel to the psychiatrist's office again. Grace had told me that she had applied for a transfer to another school in the district for next year and was sure she would get it even though it would be further to drive each day. I felt it would be worth it to keep her away from Clara. One evening after Grace departed for and appointment with her psychiatrist I was sitting at my desk working with my laptop on and the surveillance program running. I was always fascinated by the technology that allowed me to track her car. Grace was taking evening appointments at the psychiatrist's office on Wednesdays now so she wouldn't have to leave her job early. I noticed that she arrived at the office for her appointment and a short time later her car left the parking lot and moved up the street two blocks and parked again. I tried to remember what was up the street such as a restaurant or something that would account for this movement but all I could recall was that there was a motel at or near that address. It was within my preselected cell phone alert boundaries so if she had been going there before I wouldn't have been alerted.. I went to the phone book and confirmed that the address was for a Best Western motel at that site. I was stunned. What the hell is she doing there? Realizing that I needed more information I went out, got in my car and headed to the motel. When I got there I confirmed that her car was indeed parked at the motel. Tears came to my eyes as I sat and waited for her to come back. It was an hour and a half later that I saw her and the psychiatrist emerge from a first floor room near her car and leave. During the time I'd waited my rage had grown and my thoughts had turned to revenge. If I confronted them now I would have to forego any thought of a satisfying retaliation. As soon as they left I went into the motel office and found the night clerk. He looked as though he would be agreeable to a little extra remuneration when I accosted him. Taking a $50 bill from my wallet I held it so he could help but see it. The party that just left room 125. Can you tell me who registered there for tonight?" He looked at the $50 before replying. "I'm really not supposed to tell you that." "I'm sure you're not but can you tell me anyway?" I asked as I pushed the $50 across the counter at him. Picking up the bill and putting it in his pocket he worked to computer keyboard and announced the psychiatrist's name and the information she paid in cash. Looking back at the monitor he provided the information that she'd rented a room every other week for the last six weeks. I then gave him my wife's name and asked if she had stayed there also. After a brief consultation with the computer he announced that she had paid for the alternate Wednesdays and she had used our credit card. This may have been a mistake on her part that I thought could be to my advantage. She usually looked after our finances so maybe she thought she could slip it by. Slipping him another $50 I asked for a copy of the registrations for the six weeks and both parties. It only took him a few minutes to print off the information and give it to me. "I expect they'll be back next week." I told him. "Will you to be on duty then?" "Yes, I'm the regular swing shift desk." "I'd like to get together with you later in the week to work something out with you that would be beneficial to both of us." A plan was forming in my brain and I needed a couple of days to work out the details. "I'll be here after six, Monday through Friday.." he told me. "Good, I'll probably be back Friday." I told the clerk as I left hurriedly to get home before Grace. I didn't want her to suspect I might be on to her. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The next day I called the divorce attorney, Donna Sinclair, and told her what I'd suddenly discovered and asked her some questions about privacy laws. Then I called a private eye who specialized in electronic surveillance and made an appointment with him for that afternoon. Friday evening I was back at the Best Western motel talking with the friendly desk clerk. My excuse to Grace for going out was to pick up some milk at the convenience store. When I got to the motel I told the clerk I wanted to rent a first floor room away from the office for a week. When my wife came in on Wednesday to pay and register for a room I wanted the clerk to give her a key to to the room I'd rented. After she left he was to give me the registration and credit card originals. He indicated he didn't have a problem with that since she was my wife using my room. I slipped him $100 and left. Tuesday morning I took my work lunch break and met the surveillance expert at the motel. We went to the room I'd rented and he and showed him what I had in mind. He indicated he had done this type of surveillance before and pretty much knew what was required. He would hide two mini digital cameras in the room with the bed as the primary focus. One camera for closeup and the other to monitor the room. He would hide the transmitter in the closet behind some extra blankets. The system would be controlled by a remote that he could operate from his vehicle outside where the recorder was located. I left him to do his thing and went back to work. Meanwhile, at home, I tried to act normally but it was hard when I thought about her adulterous behavior and how that psychiatrist had misled me. I was going to make my revenge just as devastating as possible to both of them. What was confusing to me was that Grace could hide her infidelity so well from me. She acted as though there was nothing else but home and work going on in her life. Actually, I thought, she acted the same way when she went with Clara. I never knew until some stress was put on her. After Grace left for her appointment with the psychiatrist on Wednesday evening I watched on the tracker program as she repeated what had happened the week before. She picked up her lover and drove to the Best Western. Now, I just had to sit back and wait. I was pretending to be asleep when she got home so we didn't converse as she undressed and slid quietly into bed. I guess she didn't want to talk either. The next morning I was up and gone from the house early, stopping for breakfast at IHOP before going into work. I had done this before on occasion so I didn't think it would alert Grace that anything was wrong. Shortly after 10 AM I got a call from my surveillance guy telling me he had the what I wanted on a DVD and asked if I wanted to come down to his office to see it first. Indicating I would, I left work with an excuse to my boss about personal business, and drove to his office. The cameras revealed just what I hoped it would and with great clarity. Normally, watching two women making love would have been a turn-on but this time knowing who the participants were really enraged me. When the surveillance expert gave me his large bill I wrote a check for the entire amount with relish. I then took the DVD over to the divorce attorney and we watched it at her office together. She nodded her head when it was ended and said she thought it was a fine piece of work and totally sufficient for what she was going to do. I also gave her the copies of the motel reservation data. I asked how long it would take to have Grace served with the divorce papers charging her with adultery and whether they could be served on her at her school. She indicated two days and for an extra cost she could be served right in her classroom. I told her to go for it. Then I asked about the psychiatrist. The attorney told me that she could be sued for alienation of affection but the big thing would to pursue having her medical license revoked on ethical grounds. She would have to bring charges against the psychiatrist to the state licensing board. We could also make the psychiatrist's husband aware of his wife's infidelity and see what he wanted to do. I asked if I could handle notifying the husband. The attorney suggested I give a copy of the DVD and the registration data. If they had an open marriage or the husband didn't think his wife making love with another woman was that important the matter could end there. My attorney had copies of the DVD and registration data run off before I left her office and I went about the task to discover who the husband of the psychiatrist was while I waited for the papers to be served. It didn't take long but as I expected they weren't listed in the phone book so I had to look elsewhere. A friend who was a doctor did a little research on it for me through the local medical society and I quickly had a name, address and phone numbers for work and home. He was an architect with offices downtown. Rather then spoiling the surprise I was about to give to his wife and mine I decided to wait until after they were served to contact him. The day finally came and my attorney called me at work the day before to let me know it would happen the following morning. I quickly made arrangements to have a friend with a truck at my house the next morning after Grace had left for work to help me move. I'd already rented a furnished apartment near my work. I was going to leave Grace the house to live in this time. I didn't want to live with things that reminded me of the 23 years of my life I was going to write off as a loss, except for our son. I wanted to be out of the house with the few things I wanted before 10 o'clock because I figured she would not be able to stay at the school after she's been served and would be coming home quickly. We had the truck loaded by 9:45 and we were gone. I left my wedding band on the kitchen table before leaving. When we got to a furnished apartment I'd rented, my buddy helped move my meager belongings inside then wished me luck and left. As I was putting stuff away my cell phone rang. Checking the caller ID I saw it was Grace and answered it. "Jim, why did you do that? Why did you have me served in my class? I'm now the laughing stock of the school and will probably lose my job." she sobbed. "If you wanted a divorce Grace, why didn't you tell me. You should have know there was no way I was going to let you cuckold me again. It would have been much simpler if you'd have told me you wanted a divorce to pursue your other interests and we could have separated amicably. You left me no other recourse but to make this as ugly as possible for you and your lover." "My lover? What did you do?" she sobbed. "After she's done answering my legal action against her for alienation of affection she'll be fighting to keep her license in the state and will probably end up divorced." "Oh my god. My god." "Grace I do not want you calling me again. If you have anything to say to me do it through the lawyers. I'll be calling our son tonight and letting him know what's going on with us and I'm not going to pull any punches. You have destroyed our marriage and our lives. I was looking forward to retirement with you someday but its all gone now. Maybe Ofrah will pay you to tell your story on her show." I had to get that dig in. "Before we hang up," I continued, " Can you tell me why you took up with another woman again?" "It wasn't supposed to happen. She called me one day after that meeting we had in her office and asked if I wanted to meet with her in the evenings at her office for consultation. She thought I might have a fixation on lesbianism. When we got together she suggested we act out some of the things I did with Clara and the next thing I knew I was hooked again. I'm so sorry. What Does It Mean? Ch. 02 I could hear uncontrolled crying on the phone as I hung up. EPILOGUE The divorce went through and it had so much notoriety involved in it that Grace moved to Nashville, near our son. He really didn't want her nearby but she was his mother and he couldn't divorce her as I had done. He tells me she's taken up with another woman there and I guess that's what she wanted all along. The psychiatrist lost her license to practice in this state and her husband divorced her. The alienation of affection suit won me a $100,000 judgement against her and I bought a cabin on a lake a couple of hours away so I could pursue my fishing hobby. I've found another woman who hates Ofrah as much as I do and we get along great together. We're getting married next week and I'm looking forward to a happy retirement with her someday. We'll honeymoon at the cabin since she likes to fish also. THE END This was just a story created from a wild imagination. It would probably never occur in real life as described, but I wanted to address the unfortunate de-emphasizing of wedding vows in our society today. I'm sure there are others who are just as concerned. Thank you for reading it. Agena