Chapter 1

It was a beautiful Friday evening and a great place to have a party. I had worked hard to get to where I was. Lots of long hours. I really didn’t have to, but no one but me knew that. I chose to do what others wouldn’t take the time to do. My detractors called it brown-nosing. My friends called it work-obsessed. I called it a matter of personal honor.

But here I was, in OUR back yard, cooking on OUR big-ass grill, for OUR friends. Ours means my wife and me. I am Mick and my wife is Helen. We have been together for 9 years and married for 5. No kids, she didn’t want any. (Note to others, if the woman doesn’t want kids, look out.)

We had moved into the house 3 months ago and this was our first party, our housewarming. We had invited friends and co-workers who were not friends, but acquaintances. All totaled there must have been 30 people there.

Among them was my wife’s boss, Stan, and his wife Renee. We had been to their home once and had been out to dinner with them twice, since Helen joined the company. I was in a position where I worked, where I traveled a bit and had a home office. So, I could work from home or the office.

Helen and I made the rounds, she was hanging around Stan a bit more than the other guests, but it didn’t seem like a big deal since he was her boss. Everyone was having a great time. I had a great time grilling burgers and fish for everyone. Helen would stop by once in a while and give me a ginger ale and a kiss on the cheek. I don’t drink much.

By 9:00, people were beginning to leave, either to relieve their babysitters or because they were not night owls. The smaller party became a little more intimate. I was no longer cooking, so I got to sit and chat with a few of my new friends. Helen was sitting next to Stan and Renee was sitting with other folks.

By 10:30 all of our guests had left, except for Renee and Stan, and the four of us sat on the deck and evaluated the night.

“That was a really good party, Mick. You need to do it more often,” Stan said.

“Well, now that I know that I can cook all that food without turning it into a funeral pyre, I probably will. Maybe once a month or so.”

“That’s great. Now there is one more thing to do before we end the party.”

Stan stood, and Helen stood next to him. Stan had his arms around Helen and was laughing at me as they walked into the house.

“This is how it is going to be,” Stan said like it was carved in stone. “I have taken a liking to your wife. She impresses me. So, I’m taking Helen home with me for the rest of the weekend. You can keep Renee in trade. If I like Helen as much as I think I will, I may keep seeing her on days when you are out of town or during lunch at the office. Helen and I have been talking tonight and she agrees that it is a good idea, don’t you sweetie.”

Stan looked at Helen and hugged her a little closer as she nodded at me with a shit eating smile.

“Wow. One night at a party and you are ready to leave me, Helen? Really?” I asked.

“Not really. He is just trading me for Renee for a few days. Stan and I have been talking at work for a few weeks. We’ve made out a few times during lunch and after talking about it tonight, we decided it was time to take the next step,” Helen sounded like everything was settled.

We had all walked into the house and were standing near the front door.

“Ok. I guess I’ll see you when I see you,” I said in a cold tone that got Helen’s attention.

Helen gave me a strange look as some distant memory flashed through her head, but Stan turned her towards the door. He picked up her already prepared overnight bag and slung it over his shoulder. When the door closed behind them, I turned to Renee. Her expression told me almost all I needed to know.

“You didn’t know that was coming, huh?”

“No. He cheats on me all the time, but nothing like this before. I’m sorry,” Renee said, looking at the floor.

“Well, I have no reason to stay here anymore. You can stay here until they come back on Monday. There is more than enough food and drink. All I ask is that you do the dishes when you are done.”

“You talk like I am going to be alone,” she said inquisitively.

“You are. I’m packing up and hitting the road.”

“You’re just going to leave? Just like that?”

“Yeah, just like that. There is nothing to keep me here. I can work from anywhere, got no kids, and, apparently, no wife. My mom takes care of herself.”

I went upstairs to my bedroom and pulled out my two huge travel cases and began to neatly pack my clothes. First from my dresser and then from my closet. At some point in the process, Renee came into the room.

“You really are just gonna leave?”

“Yes.”

“You aren’t going to go after Stan and kill him and her?”

“Nope. I’ve done enough killing in my lifetime. I will defend what is mine, but it is quite obvious that Helen is not mine and is not interested in being mine anymore.”

I closed the first case and started packing my shoes and jackets in the second. Leaving the bedroom, I went to the hall closet and took out my winter and summer coats and returned to the bedroom to find Renee sitting on the bed crying. I folded the coats and placed them in the case. Then stopped to do a quick inventory.

I’d left out a polo shirt and a pair of slacks, socks and underwear, and a mesh laundry bag. I was going to shower and then pack my overnight bag with the toiletries and my dirty laundry.

“Renee, I have a few more things to pack up downstairs. I don’t want you to think I am ignoring you, it’s just that when I have something to do, I get a little single minded. Come on downstairs with me.”

She wiped her eyes and stood with hunched over shoulders as I lugged the two heavy cases down the stairs and to the kitchen. Setting them by the door to the garage. I turned and ran right into Renee.

“I’m sorry Renee. I didn’t hear you behind me.”

“Mick.”

She broke down crying again. I took her by the hand and led her out of the garage and to my office, sitting her in one of the comfy chairs. I began to pack up my business. I did all of my work on a laptop, and at home, I have two 5 terabit external hard drives and a big desktop touchpad. I began to unplug things and place them in the travel case I used for long trips.

“Mick?”

“Yes.”

“What about me?”

I stopped.

“What about ... you?”

“Yes, me. You are obviously bailing out of Dodge. What about me?”

“I said that you can stay here until they come back on Monday and then, I assume that you’ll go back home with Stan.”

“What if I don’t want to go back with Stan?”

“Well then I guess you go wherever you want to go.”

“What if I want to go with you?”

“Then you better get packing because when I am done here, I am out of this town. I need to make a few stops along the way, but I will be gone.”

“All I have is the clothes I am wearing, and I don’t want to go back to the house.”