I took one last look around the house to make sure I hadn’t missed anything I really wanted and I noticed our wedding picture on the mantle over the fireplace. I went over to it, took the picture out of the frame, and used my pocket knife to cut me out of the picture. I put the half showing her back in the frame and put it back on the mantle. One last look around and I left.

We didn’t have any joint credit cards because she wanted her own. When she and her first husband split all the cards were in his name and she quickly found out because of that she had no credit history and it took almost a year before she was able to get a credit card and she wasn’t going to chance it happening again.

Money was a different story and we did have joint checking and savings accounts. As I was at the bank taking all the money out I knew she was on a bed at the Motel 6 taking a cock in. My last piece of business was to give Stella Foray a call. Then with money in hand, U-Haul trailer behind the pickup and a smile on my face I was on my way to Denver.

I was just sorry I wouldn’t be able to see the expression on Judy’s face when she got home and found I was gone. She’d have the house, but it was underwater and she was welcome to it. My credit would take a hit, but I’d get it back after a while.

Her first call would be to my mother to see if she knew where I was, but I hadn’t clued my mom in on what was going on. Her next call would be to my brother and while he knew what was going on he wouldn’t tell her. Next she would call work and all they would tell her was that I’d worked out my two week notice and left. Wasn’t true, but they were my buds and they would tell her that lie for me.

She couldn’t call me as I’d cancelled my service and bought a burner phone at Wal-Mart. I’d call mom once I was settled and let her know I was okay, but I wouldn’t tell her where I was. She loved Judy like the daughter she never had and I knew without a doubt she would tell Judy where I was. I could be wrong. Judy might not give a shit. She might even be glad I was gone and she wouldn’t have to hide what she was doing with her lover any more.

To be up front about it the only reason I didn’t want Judy to know where I could be found was because if she didn’t know where I was she couldn’t have me served with divorce papers. I wanted the divorce, but I wanted her to have to wait a full year before she could divorce me for abandonment. And she couldn’t marry her lover until she shed me. Of course he would have to get rid of his wife too, but that was their problem.

When I got to Colorado I looked around for a place close to my new job and found an inexpensive apartment in Aurora that was only ten minute from the airport. I unloaded the U-Haul and then turned the trailer in at a local U-Haul place.

Then I opened a beer, sat down on the couch and called my mom.

“Hello?”

“Hi mom?”

“Jake? Where are you? Poor Judy is frantic. She says you left her and she can’t find you anywhere.”

“That’s because I don’t want her to find me. And yes I did leave her. I decided that I didn’t want or need a wife who was having an affair with her boss.”

“Judy? You must be mistaken Jake; Judy would never do that to you.”

“Well she did mom and I saw it with my own two eyes. She went to a motel with him five times in the two weeks I watched her and you and I both know there is only one thing you can do in a motel that you can’t do in the office at work.”

“I’m sure there must be a reasonable explanation if you would just sit down and talk with her.”

“Can’t do that. I quit my job and moved to Seattle and she’s in Michigan.”

I told her that figuring when she told Judy that Judy would waste her time trying to locate me in Seattle.

“At least call the poor girl and let her know you are safe and okay.”

“No thanks. I don’t want to talk to her right now. Maybe in a week or so. Anyway, I just called to let you know I’m fine.”

“Give me your number so I can reach you if I need to.”

“Can’t do that. We both know that you would give it to Judy if you have it. I’ll call and check in with you every Sunday and I’ll warn you right now if you have Judy there and hand her the phone I’ll hang up and I won’t call you anymore. I love you mom. I’ll talk to you next Sunday.”

As I hung up I wondered if my Tracfone number would have shown up on her phone’s screen. I guessed I’d know before the day was over.

Actually it only took ten minutes for mom to call Judy, give her the number and then for Judy to call me. When I answered the phone and heard Judy’s voice I said “I do not want to talk to your cheating ass” and I ended the call and turned off the phone. I waited twenty minutes to give her enough time to realize I wasn’t going to answer her calls and then I called Frank (my brother) and let him know where I was and he told me that Judy had called him seven times to ask if he’d heard from me and knew where I was. I told him about what had just gone down and told him I’d be getting a new phone and I’d get the number to him as soon as I had it.

I had two days before I was to report to my new job and I used them to get to know the area. I also found a Verizon store and got myself a new phone. I kept the Tracfone, but its sole purpose was going to be for calling my mother. I didn’t even turn it on until I was ready to call mom. When I did turn it on I found I had fourteen voice mails and twenty-one missed messages. I deleted them all and then called mom. She did just what I knew she would but hoped she wouldn’t.

“Hello?”

“Hi mom. How are you?”

“I’m fine Jake” and then “Jake? Where are you? Why did yo...” and I did just what I said I would. I ended the call, took the sim card and tossed it in the trash and on my way to the grocery store the next day I tossed the phone in a dumpster. From then on I’d call Frank and then he could call mom and tell her I was okay.

I met Judy at a party given by my boss. She was the date of someone I didn’t know. I was instantly attracted to her and when we were introduced she offered her hand and when I touched it I swear I felt sparks, but she was another man’s date and I didn’t know her or their relationship to my boss so I didn’t do anything but watch her for the entire time I was there.

I had just said my goodbyes and was headed for the door when she came up to me, handed me a slip of paper and said “Call me.” When I got to my truck I unfolded the piece of paper and found a phone number and a short message. “Any time after six.” The next day I called, made a date and during the date I found out that her date for the party was Matilda’s brother. Matilda being the boss’s wife. I found out that my boss couldn’t stand the guy so I felt free to pursue Judy.

Pursue her I did and on our tenth date we made love for the first time. At the six month mark of our relationship I proposed and she said yes. Mom was overjoyed. To her Judy was the daughter she had always wanted but never had, but dad had said no more kids after Frank was born. Dad liked Judy, but not to the extent mom did. Frank didn’t care for Judy at all and he tried to talk me out of marrying her.

“She was dating a friend of mine and he thought she was solid gold. He proposed, she accepted, but before the wedding could take place he caught her cheating on him. She will hurt you Jake. Best you get rid of her now before she does.”

I of course knew better so I ignored him.

Three years after taking our vows I found out she was fucking her boss. That time I did not ignore the source because the source was Judy herself. I had worked days and Sam, a guy I worked with, worked swing shift and had a family function that he wanted to attend and he asked me to trade shifts with him. I worked his three to eleven and when I got home Judy was sleeping. I tried to be quiet and not wake her. When I got in bed and snuggled up to her my arm brushed the side of her left tit. She mumbled “Not again Barry” in her sleep. The only Barry that I knew of was her boss.

“Not again Barry” didn’t necessarily mean I don’t want to fuck you again now, but I remembered my brother’s warning and being human it had me wanting to know for sure. Since I could account for almost all of Judy’s time I figured if she was doing something with Barry it had to be during working hours and that meant either in the office or in a hotel or motel. She worked in an office with over thirty people so I doubted the office would work unless she and Barry didn’t give a rat’s ass if everyone knew what they were doing. I doubted that because there was too much of a chance that someone might clue me in. That meant motel or hotel during work hours and to me that meant long lunches together.

I worked out a couple of day trades with Sam and two days running I was parked where I could see Judy’s car in the parking lot and the front door of the building. Both days Judy came out five minutes after Barry and I followed her to the Super 8 on Wilcox where she met Barry who by the time she got there had rented a room. I watched them kiss and then go into a room together. The first day they were in there for an hour and the second day it was an hour and a half. I watched her a couple of more times over the next two weeks while I made plans. I wasn’t going to go for a divorce. I was just going to leave and take everything I wanted with me and just before I left I was going to call Barry’s wife Stella and drop a dime on him. The airline I worked for had several maintenance hubs and I started checking out openings. I bid on openings in Huston, Minneapolis and Denver and got the one in Denver so I packed up and headed out of town.

Frank called me three weeks later and filled me in on what was going on. Apparently my phone call to Stella Foray did more damage than I’d hoped for. Frank didn’t know for sure, but it looked like Mrs. Foray put private detectives on the case to verify what I’d told her. What I hadn’t known was that Barry didn’t own the business. His wife did. Suddenly both Barry and Judy were among the unemployed and I’d bet they would have a hard time finding work with the references they were likely to get from their previous employer.

I called Frank every Friday to check on what was happening and to let him know I was doing all right so he could call mom and let her know I was okay. The next month went by and I called Frank and checked in with him every Friday. He told me mom was really pissed that I didn’t call her so I decided to change my stance. I’d call her, but it would be at random times so she wouldn’t know when the calls were coming and have Judy there.

Frank told me that Judy was staying close to mom in the hoped that someday I would let mom know where I was. He let me know that Judy got her job back. She threatened to sue for wrongful termination. She claimed that Barry told her that if she didn’t put out for him he would fire her and give her bad references. True or untrue who knows, but she had a perfect attendance record and six years’ worth of yearly reviews saying she was an excellent employee behind her. If she sued and it went to court she stood a better than average chance of winning so Mrs. Foray bit the bullet and took her back.

Then I made the call to Frank where he told me there were new developments.

“Judy says she’s pregnant and you are the father.”

“So? It changes nothing. When she has the kid I’ll send you something to give her so she can have a DNA test done. If it is mine I’ll decide what to do then.”

“What if it is true and her story of why she was screwing her boss is true? Maybe you should give her a chance.”

“Whoa up there Bro. Who was it who told me I was making a mistake in marrying her and why?”

“I know but things change.”

“Ain’t buying it. If you are being blackmailed you don’t hold hands with your blackmailer and you don’t hug and kiss them in motel parking lots and I saw that much with my own two eyes. Besides that all she had to do was come to me and I’d have taken care of it.”

“Maybe she was afraid of that. She tells you, you go after him and you end up in jail.”

“I’m sorry Frank, but it just won’t wash. I’ve put her behind me and she can stay there. If the bitch hits the lottery and she still wants me back maybe I’ll change my mind.”

Of course I got it all again when I next called my mom. I told her the same thing I told Frank and got “What is wrong with you Jacob? I raised you to be more responsible than this. You haven’t even let the poor girl explain things.”

“What’s to explain? Five one hour visits to a motel room with another man is self-explanatory and that’s just the five I know about. The chances are fifty fifty the baby isn’t mine. I’ll wait until I see the DNA test. If the baby is mine I’ll decide what to do then.”

“But...”

“Bye mom. Love you” and I hung up.

Two months went by and then there was a surprising development. I came home from work on a Thursday and when I got out of my car a woman got out of a car, came over to me and said:

“Hi Jake. How have you been?”

It took me a second or two to recognize her.

“Mrs. Foray. What brings you here?”

“I never got the chance to thank you in person for what you did for me.”

“For what I did for you?”

“Opening my eyes to what my ex was doing to me.”

“Your ex? How did you get a divorce so quick?”

“It isn’t final yet, but it helps when the judge is your brother’s best friend.”

“How did you find me?”

“My maiden name is Brandt. Ring a bell?”

“Bob is your brother?”

“He is.”

Bob Brandt was my supervisor back in Detroit and was one of the few who knew why I’d moved and where.

“And you came all this way to thank me?”

“No. I’m here for a conference and I thought I’d look you up while I’m here. I assume you have a suit?”

“I do.”

“Good. I have a dinner to go to tonight and I could use a good looking escort.”

I hadn’t spent any time with women since I walked out on Judy and Mrs. Foray was a hottie so I didn’t hesitate to say okay. I invited her in and told her to help herself to what was in the fridge while I showered and changed. I was just rinsing the shampoo out of my hair when the shower curtain slid back and a naked Stella Foray got into the shower with me.

“I’ll scrub your back” she said. She also got part of my front and it was what she did to the front that led us to my bed. “Shush; we’ll talk later” is what she said when I tried to ask her what was going on. She sucked my cock until she was ready and then she got on her back, spread her legs and said:

“Come on sweetie; do me.”

I took a look at what was spread out and waiting for me and decided I might never get a shot at something that nice ever again so I’d best enjoy it to the fullest while it was there. Instead of climbing on like she expected I went down on her. I licked and sucked on her until she cried out:

“In me damn it; in me. Please!”

I slid in and her hands grabbed my ass and pulled me into her. I hit it hard as she cried “Yes yes yes oh God yes. Fuck me fuck me fuck me.” I gave her my best and I got us both off. When I pulled out she noticed the bedside clock and said:

“We need to hurry if we are going to get to the dinner on time.”

We didn’t talk as we rushed to get ready, but once in the car I asked her why.

“You won’t like the answer.”

“Try me.”

“I want to be able to tell your wife that I took you to bed and that you were so much better than my ex. It is true. You are head and shoulders above Barry when it comes to the bedroom.”

I shrugged and said “I’d much rather you didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“It would clue her in as to where I am. I did my best to try and convince her I’m in Seattle. It is probably common knowledge in your office that you are in Denver or a conference. If you tell her we met and made love she will know where to look for me.”