Chapter 4

After the amazing night of sex Rachel and I had shared, I was in a very positive state of mind when I met with Charles to go over the pre-nup Rachel's father insisted on. Those feelings would be replaced with anger and despair a short time later.

Charles was trying to read the document I had brought for him to review while eating the sandwich I had bought for him so that I could not tell if he liked or disliked what he was seeing in that document. After he finished eating, I could tell from his expressions that he did not like what he was reading. He looked at me when he had finished reading with a frown on his face.

"Did you read any of this, Don?" He asked me.

"No, I told you I didn't and that you would be able to understand the legal mumbo jumbo better than I could. Why?"

"Before I answer that, what kind of promises have you made pertaining to the pre-nup?"

"All I said was that I had no problem signing it if it was fair and reasonable."

"Then we have nothing to worry about because there is nothing fair or reasonable in that piece of crap."

"What do you mean, Charles? What does the pre-nup say?"

"It basically says you're screwed if you and Rachel divorce in the future no matter what the reason or who's at fault. You don't even get to keep anything of value you had before the marriage and that's definitely not fair or reasonable."

"I can't believe that Rachel knows anything about what that document says. She loves me and wouldn't try and screw me like that. Her father is behind this, I guarantee it. He doesn't think I'm good enough for his daughter and his lawyer is the one that drew it up. How much do you want to bet that Rachel will tear that "piece of crap", as you called it, up when I show it to her later today?"

"I would not take that sucker bet. Rachel's had to have seen this because her signature is on the next to last page, dated and notarized. Maybe you don't know Rachel as well as you think you do, Don. It goes without saying that I recommend you "Do not under any circumstance" sign the last page of this document. I'm done talking as your lawyer now, but as your friend. You need to take this to Rachel and find out what the hell is going on."

"I had already planned on doing that as soon as we were done. I'm having a hard time believing Rachel would do this to me. Can you put together a counter that would be as offensive to her as that one is to me?"

"Yes, I can but it will take a few days for me to prepare it and I don't want to waste my time and your money unnecessarily. Take this to Rachel, let her know how unfair to you it is, and see if the two of you can work this out. For all we know, she trusted her father to do the right thing and signed it without reading it."

"Okay Charles, I'll go see her right now." I told him as I rose to leave, snatching the pre-nup and the manila envelope it had been in up off his desk before stomping out of his office in anger.

At that moment I was mad at Rachel's father because I was sure he was the one trying to screw me over. That anger would bounce from one person to another much like a ping pong ball in the next few hours before it would be replaced by a vindictive mood.

I drove straight to Wells Industries and hurried up the back stairs to Rachel's office. I threw the pre-nup down on her desk without uttering any pleasantries. I could see by her expression that Rachel was frightened by my obvious angry mood.

"Tell me you signed that without reading it, Rachel." I yelled at her.

"I can't do that, Don, because I did read it. I don't sign anything before reading it first, not even documents from my father. Why are you so angry?"

"I'm angry because there is nothing fair or reasonable about that piece of shit and now I'm even angrier because the woman I thought loved me unconditionally is okay with me getting the shaft in case we don't make it as a married couple. I guess the wedding is off and maybe our relationship is over. I won't sign that and I think I need to reevaluate the way I feel about you now that I know you're not the woman I thought you were.

"I'll move my things into a storage unit and stay in a hotel until I can find myself an apartment. I probably ought to be thankful that your true colors came out before we got married. I wouldn't let Sylvia disrespect me and I can't let you do that either. Goodbye, Rachel."

"No Don, wait. Something's not right here. Please Don, give me a chance to read the pre-nup again because I swear the one I read was very generous toward you in case we didn't last which until this very minute I wasn't afraid of. I do love you with all my heart and swear I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Please, wait a few minutes and then we can figure this out together. Please!"

"Okay, I'll wait in the outer office, but don't take all day."

I paced back and forth while Rachel read the papers I'd thrown on her desk. My pacing became too much for her secretary and she left her desk using the "Going on Break" excuse to flee. Forty five minutes later I heard a sob form the doorway into Rachel's office and looked over in that direction. Rachel was struggling not to burst into a major crying jag while tears ran down both her cheeks.

I did not think, only reacted, and had her wrapped up in my arms in a flash. Although she was trying to say something between her sobs, all I heard was her crying and some mumbled, indecipherable utterings. We stood like that until she had cried herself out and when she had; she grabbed the back of my neck and held me tight as she plastered her lips to mine and that sensation of electricity between us occurred again.

"Don, I swear to you on my mother's grave that piece of filth is not what I read and signed. I don't know how Daddy did it, but the next to last page is the only one I've seen before today. Please, can we sit down together and try to figure out what he's done?" Rachel implored of me.

"It's not hard to figure out, Rachel. Your father showed you one document, got you to sign it, and removed the page with your signature before placing it in the one he sent me. He must have thought I'd see your signature and sign mine without reading it. We both know he doesn't think I'm good enough for you, don't we?"

"Yes, as much as it hurts me to admit it; in the back of my mind I knew he didn't approve of you. He sees us both as stupid kids that don't know anything about life and from different ends of the social structure. Appearance is still big to him and my marrying you would tarnish his appearance in the social circles he is a part of.

"Don, I swear to you that I don't care about any of that. I love you and know you love me and will make me happier than I've been in a long time. That's what I care about. Please Don, let's get married and to hell with Daddy's precious pre-nup."

"We could do that, but what would your father do next to sabotage our relationship? We have to confront him about this now so that he learns that we won't let him dictate how our life together is going to go. If he tried this and we let it slide, he'll try something in the future to tear us apart and you know it as well as I do." I told the new love of my life with apprehension controlling my emotions at that moment. If she would not have my back in standing up to her father then our relationship was over before it got any farther along.

"You're absolutely right, Don. Let's go and tell him we aren't going to put up with any more bullshit like that worthless bunch of papers over there." Rachel exclaimed to me in anger and my apprehension was replaced with elation.

"Hold on one moment, baby. I need to do one little thing first." I said to the woman I knew was the true love of my life before using the multi-tool I always carried to remove the staple from the pre-nup I had received.

When Rachel and I looked closely at the page with her signature on it, we could see the two sets of staple holes that were in it. We walked hand in hand to her father's office, ignored his secretary as she tried to stop us, and entered his inner sanctum; interrupting him during a phone call to someone named Louie.

"What the hell... ?" He started to yell after hurriedly hanging up the phone before Rachel yelled over him.

"SHUT UP, DADDY! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

I squeezed Rachel's hand hard enough to get her attention and mouthed to her to calm down. Even though I was as angry as she was, I seemed to have mine under better control than she did so I began to speak in a close to conversational tone to Mr. Wells.

"This farce of a pre-nup you tried to trick me into signing is "What the hell", sir." I said to him before flinging it at him and watching as the pages separated and flew in all directions.

"Did you think I would sign on the dotted line without reading that because Rachel had already signed it? I love your daughter, but I'm not blinded by that love like some immature teenage boy would be. I've already told Rachel so now it's your turn; I can not and will not sign that or any other pre-nup that is not fair and reasonable.

"Rachel and I both know you don't approve of me as husband material, but I love her more than any other man can or ever will. I'll do everything I can to make her happy for the rest of my life and I'll do all that I can to provide her with what she needs, also."

"You can't possibly support her in the life style that she's used to and you know it." Mr. Wells blustered at me.

"He doesn't have to, Daddy. I can learn to live the lifestyle that he can support us in if that's what it takes for me to be with him. I finally know what love, true love, feels like and I'm not giving it up for anything.

"Don and I are going to get married when his divorce is final with or without your blessings. I don't need country club memberships, big fancy parties, or any of those other things that go along with the lifestyle you think I need to live. All I ever wanted was to find someone who loved me totally and unconditionally and now that I've found that someone; I'll do whatever it takes to hold onto him.