Part 2: Matt comes home to a surprise.

I'm Matt Hearn and I had just come back from one of our insurance meetings — a convention in Las Vegas. It wasn't a long trip but I missed my wife, Lynn, and besides picking up some flowers for her, I stopped by the travel office to pick up two tickets for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas. I was going to surprise Lynn for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, in three months. I knew that she would be excited about the cruise and maybe spark up our life, not just our sex life but also our relationship. Lately she had been somewhat moody, even a bit edgy at times. Well, she was mine now! She would love this.

As I got to the house, I noticed a moving van in front of it. I was a bit confused about why there would be a truck there. I entered the house and Lynn looked a bit surprised to see me, because I came back from Las Vegas a day early. I didn't want to stay away from home any longer than I had to. I was able to catch an early flight back to Canton and home.

"What are you doing here? You aren't suppose to be back until tomorrow," exclaimed Lynn.

"I came home early to surprise you but it looks like I'm the one being surprised. What the hell is going on?" I asked. "Why are these movers here?"

"I'm leaving you, Matt. I told you eight years ago when I caught you cheating that I would only stay with you for the sake of the kids and Bill is now in college. The other two are married and we have no more children at home that need to be taken care of."

"Lynn, that was eight years ago. I thought we both got past that and went on with our lives."

"You got past it," replied Lynn. "I lost all respect for you but I knew I could never trust you again. I didn't really even like you. I told you then as I'm telling you now that our marriage is over."

"What about the kids? Who's going to tell them? What about our house and our future plans we made together," I asked.

"I have already told the kids. They're not happy about it but I didn't expect them to be. I told them we would both still be part of their lives, just not as a couple. The house is yours as well as whatever furniture I don't take."

"What about our loans, savings and everything else?" I asked.

"All taken care of. I split the savings and paid off the joint credit cards. You still owe on the ones with your name only on it. I took the CD savings. You have the equity of the home. You can either sell it or live here," she said.

"Damn! You've been planning this for the last eight years, haven't you?"

"Yes, I hated what you did to me. I was a good wife to you but you just had to go screw around. I didn't know love could turn to hate so quickly but I vowed to stay with you until the kids were gone."

"But, we still made love and did things together. Didn't it mean anything to you?" I asked.

"Every time we had sex I pictured you fucking Marie I felt as long as we were married I would do my wifely duty... but I have to tell you it was a chore more than anything that I enjoyed. I want you to know that I never cheated on you, even though there are many chances that came up over the years. I knew how to say no, something you were obviously unable to do."

"Is there any chance at all that you might reconsider, Lynn?" I asked.

"None, zip, zero! I have lost my love for you and I'm not about to try to find it again. It's finished and I'm starting over the same as you."

She handed me the dissolution papers and said, "If you don't like this, we can fight it out in court. That would be messy, expensive, and would hurt the kids. All I need now is your damn signature!"

I have to be honest here. We got married early in life and I did sow some oats. I got wise and straightened up... that is until I met our neighbors, Marie and Ed, at a party. Lynn and I had had an argument earlier in the day and it carried over to the party. When I found out just how easy Marie would be, I set up a meeting with her at her house for a few weeks later.

To this day, I don't know for sure how Lynn knew I was there. But no question that Marie and I were fucking hot and heavy when she walked in and caught us cold. Marie thought that her husband phoned Lynn and told her I was there — they were swingers... not really big time but they did have somewhat of an open marriage.

It's funny when I think about it now. I figured Ed wanted in Lynn's pants and when he wasn't able to do it, he phoned her to tell her where I was. Ed and Marie were divorced about two years ago when Marie left town with a lawyer from Denver she met at a bar. I've never talked to Ed since, and seldom see him.

Lynn and I went through a very rough couple of months back then and Lynn did say she was going to leave me, but that was eight years ago. I will admit that love is an odd thing. I always thought I loved Lynn but throughout the years, it seemed to change. I guess when two people stop communicating and trying in a relationship it does slowly disintegrate. That's what happened between Lynn and me. We both just stopped trying.

I went ahead and signed the papers. What the hell was the use in fighting it? Even if I could talk her out of it, the marriage was over anyway, so why drag it out.

She left to do her thing — whatever that was — and I decided to sell the house and find me something smaller. After looking around for a few weeks, I found a nice two bedroom condo in a better than average area. I never told her about the cruise tickets — hell, it had nothing to do with her anymore. The cruise wasn't for another three months and, of course, I didn't buy the insurance that would allow me to just return the tickets. I would either be finding a date or going on the cruise by myself.

Later, thinking about what she had done — and how long she had been planning it — I have to confess that I was rather dumbfounded. I thought about it and decided that I didn't hate her... but I damned sure didn't love her either. It was somewhat of a strange feeling. For those who have been through it, they might understand — it was something you had to experience.

For the next few months I went on with my life, such as it was. I still had the kids and, even though I no longer desired Lynn, I was still lonely. My small Insurance business was doing fine. I had two great secretaries who were licensed to sell insurance and I paid them well. They got their wages plus a percentage of any business they brought in. They deserved all they got and did a nice job of covering for me, even protecting me at times.

They felt sorry for me and were really surprised at Lynn wanting a divorce. As I mentioned, it was kind of a shock even to me at the time. The gals in the office didn't know of my past affair. I had kidded with them in the past but never anything overtly sexual. It was just too close to home and they both were married with nice families. I knew better than to screw up the business. Not to mention that I liked both of them and their husbands a lot.

My house sold sooner than I would have expected and all I was waiting for was the final decree that my marriage was over. It would probably be while I was on my cruise or soon after. I kept in touch with my kids but at first, it was hard talking to them. They did their best at trying not to side with either one of us.

I decided to go on the cruise alone. I couldn't see myself asking just any woman if she wanted to go to the Bahamas for a week. Most of the women I knew were married and I didn't feel like I wanted to take the divorced ones... or that they would even go. I figured it would give me a chance to just take it easy for a week and meet some new people.

I live in Ohio and would be flying to Cincinnati, and then on to Florida. I didn't worry about the business. I knew it was in good hands. Besides, it would only be for seven days. It seemed strange taking my two tickets and boarding the plane. It was after all a package deal.

If there was a stranger at the airport who needed a flight, I'd almost be willing to give them the ticket. I felt it was just a waste of money. I did find out after I was in the air that even though it was a package vacation, the airline would have refunded the ticket. Boy, was I ever dumb — why didn't I at least ask? I figured I could cash in the return ticket when it was time to return after the cruise.

It felt good as I got on the plane. It was like I was leaving all my cares and woes behind. The flight to Cincinnati was quick but it was just a short stopover. We picked up more passengers and left for Florida. I was hoping that some good-looking woman would sit next to me but it didn't happen. The seat was empty. I had the ticket for it in my pocket.

I've traveled many times alone on business trips but this time it felt different. I had plenty of time to think about my mistakes and decided that it was time to truly start over. At the airport, there was a bus to take all the cruise passengers to the ship. The porters took care of my luggage and I got on the bus.

I arrived at the ship and was shown to my quarters or cabin if you prefer. I was told my luggage would arrive shortly. I had to laugh when I opened my cabin door. It only had one single sized bed. I couldn't believe it. I never thought to ask about the beds when I ordered my tickets. I guess I made the big mistake of assuming I would have at least a full size or at the worst twin beds.

I thought about Lynn and how mad she would have been. It was supposed to be an anniversary cruise for us and we wouldn't have even slept together. It was really kind of funny now that I thought about it. I really wasn't cheap; I just bought the best priced deal. For those who have never been on a cruise, other than your cabin, everyone is treated the same on board.

When my luggage arrived, the kid asked if I wanted the upper berth opened up. Not knowing what the hell he was talking about I just nodded an okay. He reached up for a latch, and, lo and behold, another bunk slowly opened up. It was clearly on some kind of piston that made it open slowly. When he left I laughed at my naiveté. Still, I could see the huge argument I would have had with Lynn. Shit, the way I felt now I would have made her climb up to the upper bunk. That would have pissed her off. I laughed to myself at the image of her generous butt as she climbed up the short ladder.

I pushed the bunk back up — I could see it was a head-banging hazard — and I put my clothes away and took a shower. After I was all spiffed up, I headed for the Captain's reception. There were free drinks and it was a good opportunity to meet some of the other guests. Everyone was drinking and having snacks as the ship slowly pulled away from the shore. We all ran to the side of the boat and waved at the people watching us leave. I was waving like crazy to the people on shore even though I didn't even know anyone. I guess I got caught up in the excitement.

I was meeting all types of people. For some it was, like me, their first cruise. Others had clearly been on many cruises. I learned a lot about what to do to make the most of my cruise. I took some time and just roamed around the ship and to see what all was going on. It was a huge ship. I stopped at the casino and did a little gambling. I decided that I could lose up to two hundred dollars a day at most. I was having a pretty good time at the slots: I would go up about a hundred and then lose it.

At dinnertime, everyone was seated at the same table each day they ate in the main dining room. Our table seated eight people. Harold and Mary were an older couple who took a cruise most every year. Then we had Mark and Susan, our newlyweds. The last couple seated at our table was Marsha and Brenda. By what I could figure out, they were just good friends who decided to go on a cruise together. I wondered if they were lesbians but later I found out they were married and Marsha won the trip in a drawing at work. Her husband didn't want to go so she asked Brenda.

Of course, there was an empty seat and I because Lynn wasn't there. When asked about it, I told them my partner couldn't make it tonight. I didn't want to tell anyone I was alone yet. The food was fantastic. We had anything and everything on our menu. It was all included in our cruise fare. After dinner, I headed back to the casino. After I had lost about a hundred dollars, I went over to one of the lounges to see if there was a good dance band.

I was told by Harold earlier to get a card for all my buying of drinks or anything else. I wouldn't have to carry money around; they would put all my drinks on the card and I could pay it when I got home. I decided that made sense.

I headed for the lounge and the waitress asked me if I was alone. When I told her yes, she asked a couple of people at a table if they minded if I joined them. That was how it was on this cruise. The people waved me over and I sat with them and enjoyed the entertainment. Later a band started playing music and I spotted Marsha and Brenda. I asked them to dance and they accepted and invited me to their table. I bought a couple of rounds of drinks and enjoyed the company of the ladies.

I found out that not every woman on a cruise is on the make. Marsha and Brenda were two nice women who were just out to have a good time. I spent most of the evening with them. I even ended up telling them I was alone on the cruise and why. I guess the drinking did that to me.