Edited by BarneyR. All errors are mine.

I am Rick Stevenson, 28, and married for four years married to Debora Stevenson nee Richardson, 26. We have no children and ‘We’ will not have any. When we became engaged I explained to Debby that I will not tolerate disrespect or cheating. If she could not commit to a complete partnership don’t agree to marry me. She said she would marry me.

The day started as a normal Friday for me. I am the head of the maintenance technicians for a large corporate banking concern. I and my team keep all of the branch vaults, safe deposit boxes, drive through and night drop boxes functioning.

We use outside sources for combo changes, opening safe deposit boxes when customers lose their keys or don’t pay the fees, and all video, audio, and alarm security. That way, we insure that bank employees do not have the complete combinations or could be accused of causing loss to the customer.

We had a problem at the downtown Grand Rapids Main branch. It was taking two people to move the vault door. The tech I sent, requested help, and I was the only one in the office that had the six foot pry bar we used to do the heavy moving and occasional door lifting.

I arrived and Dave, my tech showed me where a shim had worn so badly that it fell off the door pivot pin and that was allowing the door to drag on the floor. We did not have any more shim stock, but there was a Harbor Freight about 15 minutes away. I went there because I knew what I was looking for and that it was part of their normal stock.

I got the materials and went through a nearby McDonalds for some of their French Fries. I love them. As I was pulling past the pay window, I saw Debby’s sister, Denise walk out of the building holding hands with a guy who was definitely not her husband. They looked completely immersed in each other, and kissed when they got to their cars.

I filed that image in the back of my mind and drove back to the bank. I pried the door up and Dave pushed a couple of door shims into the hinge pin. That fixed the problem.

I didn’t mention the incident at MickeyD’s to Debby. She had become a screaming bitch causing some major disagreements recently, and of course, it was always my fault.

That night, she seemed to be trying to be nice to me. She surprisingly told me that she and her sister had spent the entire day shopping. Then she said that they had a great lunch at a restaurant that was at least 30 miles away from where I saw Denise.

The lie set off alarm bells. Was Debby conspiring with her sister to cheat on Denise’s husband? I wondered what other conspiracies the two of them were involved in? She must have noticed something because she didn’t say another word until bedtime.

That night as we were getting ready for bed my suspicions got more alarming. Debby insisted on getting undressed in the bathroom and taking a shower before coming to bed. Even when we had a major argument, she had always liked to tease me with her strip tease, and she was a morning shower person. I was determined to find out what in the hell was going on.

When Deb came out of the shower, she was in a granny nightgown that was radically unlike the normal panties only that she slept in. Now my alarm bells were clanging like there was a fire in the kitchen. I decided to see if I could get a hint of what was going on.

“Deb, why did you lie to me about today? Why have you suddenly changed your bedtime habits? Where did you get that absolutely disgusting gown from and why are you wearing it? Is there something you are hiding from me that you don’t want me to see?” As I asked each question she flinched and my voice volume went up a couple of decibels.

She looked at me with some sorrow and then I saw anger start to come to the set of her jaw, and then she screamed, “I will not answer those accusations you jealous asshole. Go sleep on the couch, you are not welcome in this bed anymore.”

Well, that didn’t answer any of my questions except that she was guilty of something. I got out of bed, got dressed and grabbed a couple of suitcases out of the closet and started packing my clothes.

Deb saw what I was doing and said sadly, “Stop. I’m sorry for screaming, please stop doing that and come to bed.”

I turned and looked at her and said, “You take off the ugly granny gown and tell me the truth about where you were all day, and I may come back to bed. I saw Denise making lover’s moves on 28th Street today and it wasn’t with Jerry. (her husband) If you don’t tell me the truth, I will continue packing and will also let Jerry know what I saw. What’s it going to be?”

She just pulled the covers up to her neck and said nothing.

I continued packing. When I was finished I took the suitcases down to the garage and put them in my car. I went back in and cleaned out the bathroom of the toiletries that I would need.

I decided to try one last time to see what the hell was going on. I went back to the bedroom, and she had closed the door. There wasn’t a lock on it but when I tried to go in the door would only move about a quarter of an inch. She must have put the chair from her dressing table under the handle.

I decided that it wasn’t worth the fight right then to break the door down. I went toward the door. As I past the entrance to the kitchen I decided to do what I normally do when I am totally pissed off. I wrote down what I was feeling.

...

Debora;

I do not understand what you are doing. I have been told by you for years that you love me. What you have done today is not love. I am beginning to think you might have only told me the truth twice in our life together, first when you said you would marry me and the last time when you said I do.

Love is not lies. Love is not deception. Love is definitely not what you are showing me.

Because of that, I will accede to your wish. I will not sleep next to you. I will not even sleep in the same house, the same neighborhood, and if I didn’t have a job in the city I wouldn’t sleep in the same city. I will return to my marriage bed when I get some truth from you.

Where in the fuck were you today, and why did you lie to me?

In spite of my anger and hurt, I love you. With that being said, I am leaving to go to a hotel. I will not be back until I get answers to the questions in this note.

No answers, no return.

You have shown me nothing but contempt for several weeks. Not everything is my fault in spite of what you have said. My attitude was fine until you trashed it.

What I saw and heard today makes me think you are not being faithful, and you and Denise are covering for each other. I will be informing Jerry of what I saw today. I only wish I had taken pictures because I believe you will tell your sister that I saw them and between the two of you there will be a plausible lie that you two concoct.

Richard Stevenson

No answers, no husband.{
...

I knew that she would see the note, because I put it in the cupboard in front of the coffee can. Debby cannot function mornings before two cups of coffee.

After I got to the hotel and settled in, I called my boss, Fred, and told him where I was and that he could only get in touch with me by email or my cell phone. I told him I would need a couple of hours each day for the next few days to take care of some major personal problems.

He said to take the time as needed, as he would want me totally focused and alert. I thanked him, hung up and sat down to decide what I was going to do from there.

Saturday morning dawned with me waking up confused and disoriented. It took a moment to realize where I was. I realized that I was not in my home. Then I realized that my marriage was almost certainly over.

After a few minutes wallowing in sorrow over what my life was doing, I got angry. I did not do anything to destroy our marriage. It seems Debby did, or was planning to.

I took my cell phone off the charger and looked at the missed calls. There were no calls. Apparently, my note made no impression. I must not have conveyed the correct amount of outrage and anger.

I went to the local Denny’s for breakfast. As I was sitting there my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen. It was my mother. I called her back as I wasn’t quick enough.

“Hi mom, is there something that you wanted?”

“Why is Debby crying over the phone?”

“She got caught in a lie and told me that I was not welcome in our marriage bed. So I left the house. I am warning you, I know you like her, but if you try to come to her defense, I will not be talking to you for a very long time. She has hurt me very badly, and until I get the truth, I will not be going back home.

“If she calls you again, ask her why she hasn’t called me. Yours is the first incoming call I have had since I left work yesterday. I left home at 10:00 last night.”

I heard a sob, and a very soft; “But I love her, I can’t shut her out.”

“Fine mom, I love you but this is the last time I will talk to you if you try to interfere. Good bye”

I finished my breakfast and drove to Lake Michigan to just see if the water would help me calm down and think straight. It did and it didn’t. I had no real proof that Debby was cheating on me, but her actions did not point to any other answer. I still needed to call Jerry, but I only had Denise’s cell phone number on my phone.

Fortunately I remembered that Jerry worked on Saturday. He had Sunday and Monday as his days off. I called his work.

“Gerald Compton speaking” he answered; “how can I help you?”

“Jerry, this is Rick. Can I come over to your office and talk to you. I need to tell you something, and it’s bad. I don’t think I should tell you over the phone.”

“Now you’re scaring me Rick, what could be so bad?”

“I need to tell you in person. Can I come over there, or meet you somewhere after you are done working?”

“How about lunch at the diner, you know where it is. I won’t be able to do much now after you get all cryptic on me.”

“OK; let’s plan on 11:30. I will buy.”

“OK, see you then.”

That was done.

Then my phone buzzed again, it was Denise.

“Rick, I just got done talking to your wife. Please don’t say anything to Jerry. Nothing happened yet. It was going to and now that Jerry will know, I am afraid my marriage is in the shitter. I promise that it is over, and you seeing us and last night woke me up to what I was planning.”

“What about my ‘loving wife’ and my marriage. Did she tell you she tried to cover for you, and when I called her on it she kicked me out of our bed. Just so you understand, I am meeting Jerry at 11:30, and if you don’t tell him before then, I will.

“Oh one other thing. I hope that lunch at McDonalds was worth your marriage. It wasn’t worth you screwing up mine. Good Bye,”

I ended the call.

Jerry was there waiting for me. He started talking as soon as I sat down.

“Denise called me and told me what you saw. She claims it was innocent.” He added; “She said she was with her insurance agent trying to price a new policy.”

“Does she normally hold hands and lean her head on the agent’s shoulder when she is walking him to his car? Does she kiss the agent goodbye normally?”

I saw a flash of anger come over Jerry. I held up my hand.

“Please let me finish. I came home from work last night and before I could say anything Debby told me of the wonderful lunch she had with her sister at a restaurant more than 30 miles from where I saw Denise. Then when I confronted her about the cover up, she told me to sleep on the couch, as I wasn’t welcome in my own bed. Does that sound like an innocent lunch?”

“She did that?”

“That is not all. She has always, since the day we were married been a morning shower person and has always teased me as she gets undressed and ready for bed. Last night for the first time since we were married, she got undressed and ready for bed in the bathroom behind a closed door. She took a shower before coming to bed and came out of the bathroom in a head to toe granny gown. She has never worn more than panties to bed since I have known her. What am I supposed to think of that?”

I didn’t wait for an answer, my anger from retelling things was topping out. I excused myself, threw some money on the table and I left.