Prologue

Saturday 2 October 2005, 1643hrs

Harry Crabtree had just seen his beloved Villa go 2-3 behind in the 88th minute and was in dismay at the certainty that they would stay in the bottom three relegation area for the next fortnight. Then, he felt his Palm PDA vibrate to show he had received an email. Glancing at his mate Gary, who was using Harry’s wife’s season ticket seat for this game, he apologised saying, “I must just check this out.”

Harry’s wife was absent from this game because of a last-minute wedding present shopping for her best friend Karen’s granddaughter, and other pre-wedding shopping, otherwise she never missed a match. However, the preparations for her friend’s Christmas Day church wedding was reaching a critical stage. It was probably her now, asking if it was all right to spend some ludicrous amount on something. Harry and his wife both knew he’d approve anything that she asked for, but she would still call him to ask, just as he would call her if he wanted permission to buy a new set of golf clubs. It was these little niceties that reinforce a good marriage and Harry thought he had a great one.

He pulled the Palm out and checked his message. It wasn’t from the missus, but from someone called “kayleigh.wilson@hostname.com”, a name he’d never heard of before. He opened it, holding his breath as the message unfolded in front of his eyes.

“You dont no me mr crabtree but Ive workd in mrs crabtrees office as summer intern & no 4 certain that shes in adulterous affair with coworker im a christian & cant let this sin go by sorry im barer of sad nuws.”

Almost automatically, he took off his gloves and typed a brief reply on his thumbs, “What? how? who?” and sent it.

Seventy-five-year-old Harry was in shock. The last two minutes of the match were a complete blur to Harry as he awaited a reply and thoughts about his sixty-four-year-old wife and near thirty year marriage flashed before him.

From Spring 1976 until October 2005, twenty-nine and a half years, I thought that Gina and I were a strongly devoted couple and the pivotal part of a loving family.

When I found out about her affair, that fateful day in 2005, I resigned from all the boards and broke all contact with King’s. I was only pleased that Gina’s sweet parents were no lo, nger around to be disappointed by her betrayal.