Chapter 3

Now I had been called into work to help with a large project but I was also told that when it ended I would be returning to my mandatory vacation time. That meant I would be home for at least a week or two before the end of summer vacation. I kind of liked that idea since it would mean I could spend more time with the two women in my life. Then things turned a corner. I went into work and was told I could have the day off. A pipe had burst and water had blown a transformer in the building. This also meant that besides the nasty smoke scent, the entire computer network was shut down for a few days. I asked and they said it wouldn’t be taken out of my vacation so I headed home with a smile.

I got home and I could hear music and loud voices coming from my back yard. This told me the pool party was going full blast and I would get to see plenty of eye candy for the rest of the day. I walked in and looked around and was blessed to see plenty of topless little figures bouncing around outside. I looked out the window and looked around but I didn’t see my wife anywhere. Maybe she was doing what I used to do and take shelter in the bedroom. I went looking for her to tell her what had happened but strangely there was no sign of her anywhere. Her car was in the driveway, but she wasn’t here to keep an eye on the party. This caused me some distress so I looked for her in earnest.

As I walked through the house the bathroom door opened and one of Sissy’s friends just saw a man in a suit and screamed. I turned and she went from total fear to total embarrassment. “Oh, sorry sir, I didn’t know you were here.” She said while actually trying to cover her chest a little. “No worries, I was just trying to find my wife. Have you seen her?” The girl shook her head. “No, but she usually takes a walk sometime during the day.”

“Ah, that must be it. Well are you girls ok here alone? I thought I might go see if she is close by.” She smiled and nodded and then bounced down the hall away from me. I headed out the front door and began to look up and down the street. I didn’t see anyone, out and about, but I did see Marvin’s work truck in the drive next door. Figuring he must be home for lunch I headed over to see what he was up to.

I went between our two houses and headed for his back door. As I passed a side window I saw him leaning against the kitchen island. Just then I saw my wife stand up from in front of him and she was topless. She picked up her cell phone off the counter and it looked like she was answering a call. She was smiling at him and wiping her chin as she stroked the screen. She talked for a moment or two then looked out the window and saw me standing there. Her face went blank and she just stared at me. I smiled at her, waved and turned around and went back home.

As I walked along my mind was like a superball in a running dryer. Should I leave and be mad? Should I stay and confront her? Do I really have the right to be mad in the first place since I had cheated on her with Erin? Do I want to throw away a great relationship with my daughter over this? Did Karin have a reason for doing this to us?

I walked in the front door and just as I did Sissy came running up to the door. “Dad.” She said and I just lifted up my hand. “Thanks for warning your mom before I saw any more.” She turned white and slunk away. I had a feeling that Sissy was the one on the phone but her reaction was all I needed to know the truth. Sissy had also known and didn’t tell me.

I headed to the bedroom and waited. It didn’t take long for the door to open and my wife, now dressed, to walk in looking scared as hell. That was good because if she had come in any other way I may have just walked out on her. She shut the door and pulled out the stool for her dressing table. She sat down and just looked down at her clasped hands.

“So how long has this been going on?” I asked.”On and off for about three years.” She said quietly. I took a second to let that sink in. “Three years. I guess that’s a testimony of how much I trust you both. I never even thought the two of you could or would do that to me.” She leaned towards me with her eyes filled with pain. “I don’t know what to say Brent. It...” I held up my hand. “It just kind of happened. He was bored, I was bored, it was a lonely time for both of us, you and I were having a fight, things have been hard for him and Dolly, I hadn’t been paying you enough attention, our love lives had grown stagnate, You felt unattractive, he paid attention to you.” I looked into her eyes. “Did I miss one?” She just hung her head and shook it.

“Well I can’t say it surprises me too much. We had done a lot of those things, both ways.” Her voice was filled with real regret. “That doesn’t make it right. He and I only really met once or twice a month. But when you and I got things working again I wanted to call it off. We were happy, and I didn’t want this exact thing to happen and mess everything up.” A bitter chuckle came out. “So why today?”

“Believe it or not, this was supposed to be a fond farewell. One last time before going back to just neighbors.” She said sadly. “Dolly never caught on?” She shook her head. “So it was just you, him, and Sissy.” Karin seemed to shrink in on herself and nodded. “How did Sissy find out?” She sobbed out. “The same way you did, only he was here. She came home early and found us on the couch.” I nodded, trying to get my mind around this. “So she kept your secret for how long now.” She looked at me pleadingly. “Please don’t blame her Brent. She didn’t want us to break up. She would do anything to keep this family together, even risk making you mad at her if you did find out.”

I was shocked to notice that it had grown quiet outside. I got up and saw that the pool area was deserted and that worried me. I went out and saw Sissy sitting on the couch in Erin’s arms. “Where is everyone?” I asked. Erin smiled at me with a look that begged for forgiveness. “I sent them all home. Sissy told me something was going on before she broke down and I thought it wasn’t a good time for people to be here.” I looked at Sissy but she just buried her face into Erin’s cleavage. “I told them there had been a problem with a relative and now wasn’t a good time so they all left.”

I was so proud of my little Erin at that moment. “I’m sorry that dad did this to you Brent. I thought he was better than that.” “Don’t blame him too much Erin, we all have our weak moments when our judgment is clouded.” Her eyes told me how much she loved me and loved what I had just said. “Take care of Sissy for us please; Karin and I have a lot to talk about.” She just nodded and held onto her weeping friend.

I went back to the bedroom and I saw concern in Karin’s eyes. “What’s going on?” “Erin sent everyone home. She told them there had been a family emergency and sent them packing. Right now she is taking care of Sissy.” Karin nodded and her shoulders sank again, the mom reflex had died down. What worried me was that she would even think I would ever take anger out on my daughter. “Why were you defensive of Sissy? You should know me well enough after all these years, let alone what has happened in the last week, to know that I would never harm her.” The way she looked at me, and then looked away told me she was hiding something. “Karin, if you want this to blow over you can’t hide anything from me again. It’s bad enough that I just learned that my wife was sleeping with my ex-best friend. But there is more and I won’t be played a fool any longer.”

There it was, my statement that my trust in her was no longer unconditional. Her face caved in as she let it soak in for a minute. “I don’t want details, I just want the truth.” She nodded. “Marvin is a good man but a hard one. With me he was usually gentle, but over the years I saw he has an edge when he’s angry. I’ve never seen you get this angry before. You have a tight control over it but I can feel it in the air.” She was right, I was just barely keeping myself in check, but even then I would never lash out. “That’s why I was scared. I’ve never seen you like this and to tell you the truth I am scared. With someone who gets mad often, or even once in a while, you learn how to deal with it, but not you.” She looked into my eyes and I could see her emotions were everywhere. “You have always been loving and sweet. You weren’t a wimp or anything it’s just you always let the anger roll off your back and dealt with things.”

She looked down at her hands. “The perfect man and the perfect marriage. I guess you don’t know what you have till you throw it away.” I sat back and looked at my wife. I had known her, and loved her for many years. Could I actually throw it all away out of jealousy? “So, what lead to today? After everything we had worked to bring back into our marriage why do this now?” Karin looked just about everywhere but at me. “I wanted to call it all off. I told him that I you and I were getting things together and I didn’t want to keep doing things behind your back.” I could see the tension in her shoulders which told me she was fighting with herself. “He asked for one last time. He said if he and I were going to go on from here and forget what happened he wanted one last time. I stalled him for a while but I felt that edge last time we were talking. I guess I was afraid he would do something to expose us.”

So, she felt blackmailed into today. That made it hurt a little less, but only a little. “So you’re telling me that is why you have backed away from me the last few days?” She looked at me and nodded. I waited but I figured she was through. “Let me tell you what I saw. I looked in that window, and when you stood up, you had a big smile on your face. It didn’t look like you were being forced a bit, in fact it looked to me like you were more than willing.”

“Brent, you have to believe me...” I held up a hand. “No Karin I don’t. I don’t have to believe anything you say to me because I really don’t know what the truth is anymore. This isn’t something I can just shake off. The worst part is that I can’t deny that I still love you very much. I feel like I should hate you but I can’t.” I took a deep breath. “Right now it is contained, three people know about this and I guess that is enough damage done. I’ll keep my mouth shut about this as long as I feel that this affair is over with.”

Some of the tension eased from her shoulders and for some reason I was glad to see that. “I can’t believe the two of you cared so little for the people who love you so much. If it had been a one time thing I would have been pissed but that would have been forgivable, but three years?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Dolly is such a good person and I don’t think she deserves to feel this way. I want to spare her at least.” I stood up and stretched. I was so tense it felt like every muscle in my back was cramping. The anger was draining away, but the pain was still there. “Dolly can still come over and visit, Erin still has free run of the house as usual, but that bastard had better never darken my doorstep again. Tell Dolly that Marvin and I had a fight and it almost went to blows. It was a personal matter and while I still think the world of her and Erin I don’t want to ever have him in our house again.”

Then I looked at her and she could feel the anger rising again. “Call him, tell him what I just said and then tell him to stay the hell away from you and this family or I will tell Dolly why.” She pulled out her cell and dialed. She then put it on speaker and looked at me pleadingly. After three rings his deep voice came over the line.

“Hello?” “Marvin it’s me.” “Hey baby, I didn’t want this to end up this way. Are you OK?” “Yeah, but I think it would be a good idea for you not to come over ever again. I told you this would be the last time, and it was.” “Come on Karin, you know Brent, he’ll get over this.” “No he won’t and neither will I. It’s over and that is that. Brent told me to let you know that if he even thinks you were here, or that we have seen each other he will tell Dolly.” “I can’t see him doing that. That would fuck up your family and mine. He wouldn’t do something so mean.” “Marvin he’s mad. Mad enough he scared me and that has never happened. He said the girls could still be friends, and so could Dolly and I, but he never wants to see or hear from you again.” “Well maybe...” “No Marvin, never again. I’m not going to risk losing my husband or my family for you. It was fun, but a huge mistake. Right now I am just hoping he can forgive me someday.” “Well, we’ll see.” He said with an edge I had heard before and hung up.

She turned off her phone and looked up at me. “I mean that Brent. I will do anything to gain your trust. I don’t know if I can, but it’s the one thing I really need to do.” I looked into her eyes and knew she meant it. Hell I knew she was sorry for ever doing anything in the first place. She had let her frustrations force her into it and once she was in it she didn’t see a way out. If she had she wouldn’t have let him manipulator into today.

Internally I had forgiven her to a large degree, but I couldn’t let her know that too soon. I had been played the fool and cuckold, I had to make sure that she understood that level of trust was not coming back easily. I took a deep breath to break the silence. “For now, I think it would be best for you to move into the guest bedroom.” I was about to say more when there was an outburst in the front room. We both ran from the bedroom and into the living area.