It has been six days and no one has missed me. I am Rob Rowland, a nice middle aged man who wouldn't be picked in a crowd, ever. I am also the father of Leanna and Tory, 19 and 18 respectively where I hold the joint title of a parent with my wife Erika.

While I am nothing to write home about Erika is an absolute stunner and even at 39, looks for more desirable than most women half her age. I am also a hen picked husband who has done everything in his life as directed by his wife. She wanted a bigger house so I started working overtime, she wanted a bigger car so I started working weekends and when she wanted fancier dress I just handed her my credit cards.

My net worth is in minus. I am in debt up to my ears, twice over. I try to be a good father but all this time at the warehouse, where I am inventory manager, leaves me with nothing. It is a very stressful job because always someone or the other is in the mood to pocket something and walk out. The security at the warehouse is strict and my movement is hampered because I cannot dare leave the inventory on someone else. The inventory is very important for your kids in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other parts of the world.

My typical day would be getting up at 6 and rushing to the warehouse before the first truck docked in and stay back till the warehouse is locked up. I got this job after being hit badly during a black ops effort in an ugly part of the world. I lost a bit of right leg and have a slight limp. I met Erika after the whole deal but she knows I was in black ops in my youth. I am 8 years older than she is.

We enjoyed a healthy sex life till about a week back. Healthy means three times a week no holes barred sex, some weeks more. The problem though is the sleeping arrangement. Since I wake up too early in the morning and start my routine I sleep in a different bedroom than my wife. Recently, I got promoted and moved out of the warehouse to the procurement department which meant regular hours and more money. I also got a week off to adjust my life back to normal before beginning and at the end of the week I moved out of the house.

When I got my promotion I hid it from my family, because I wanted to surprise them by waking up late on my next office day and coming back early. When they would enquire what was wrong I would tell them I was a normal office man now. Something happened in that week that I did not anticipate happening. I heard my daughter Leanna on the phone talking to her boyfriend. Here is a good recollection of what I heard.

"Robs on leave and is driving everyone nuts. You know he wanted to come to my softball practice to cheer me! Like I will ever be seen public with an ugly limping bastard. I do not know why mom stays married to him. My guess is that it is because her boyfriend Rufus makes next to nothing and cannot buy all the stuff Rob can. I think Rufus likes my dad too considering my dad's income pays for his rent. Yesterday mom was complaining that Rob was insisting on sleeping in her bedroom. Who the fuck he thinks he is, disrupting our lives?"

Well, the language was not as decent as I have mentioned but I do not want to type out the adjectives that were spoken about me. I was dumbfounded to say the least and it has been that way since that day. The day I was to join the office on my new position I quietly removed all my personal effects from the bedroom and loaded it into my car and drove off. I was surprised how little I was getting by on. Nothing outside of my room was mine. It was sad state to be in but you tend to get that way fighting to keep your head above the water. I am sure my personality trait of avoiding confrontation had a lot to do with how Erika treated me and the kids just did what they saw was getting the work done.

Erika has not worked a single day in her whole life and things were going to change for the three of them. They haven't noticed me gone whole week because everything was the same for them. Their credit cards worked and there was food on the table. They would miss me today. Erika would be served divorce papers today and a restraining order, which was very tough to obtain. I had to put in a false affidavit stating that I was slapped around by my wife and daughter the last time I refused to give them money. The house phone was being tapped for the last week and would have plenty of information on how lowly they thought of me. This would support my claim of being slapped around. I had the taps removed last night so any conversation stating their surprise at the battery charges would not be on record.

It was 11 when my mobile phone rang. I got a phone each day from wife at around 4 in the evening asking me what time I would come and I had been giving her bullshit of working past midnight and eating out for the last six days.

I picked up the phone and it was Erika.

"What the fuck is the meaning of this?" Erika shouted "I am served with divorce papers and your stuff is missing from your bedroom."

"I moved out about a week ago, didn't you notice?" I asked, "Divorce was the next logical step to take."

"What is the meaning of all this?" She was still shouting, "Where are you?"

"No use telling you where I am because if you come within 500 feet of me I will have you arrested I don't want to be slapped around again." I said, just in case she was recording the conversation.

"I am going to find you and what is the bullshit about us slapping you around?" She howled.

"I do not have anything to say about anything to you. It is best you get an attorney and get the divorce on the way." I spoke, "I think your attorney will find the settlement quite adequate. I have given you half of the house, half of our savings. I have also liquidated my 401K and paid off the loans on all four cars along with my credit card. I have also undertaken to pay off the credit cards for you and your daughters till yesterday. I am offering a good alimony."