Chapter 1: Honeymoon Surprise

One week earlier.

I was so excited. Our twentieth anniversary was in three weeks and I wanted so much to surprise my husband, Eric, with a seven-day cruise. It took five years for me to save for it. I had to be careful though. My husband is a tightwad. Really, the lessons I learned from him allowed me to save for the cruise. I was on pins and needles with excitement. I had already purchased the tickets and made a $2000 prepaid ship expense deposit. I had to do it with no help from my husband.

I had asked him several times to take me on a cruise with him. He always had excuses and refused. I found out later the reason why.

I paid extra for several things because I wanted it to be our second honeymoon as well as our anniversary cruise.

Each day that passed brought me nearer to my surprise. Our son Roy was the only person I let in on the secret. He helped me hide it from Eric until, finally, the big day arrived. I made a marvelous meal for just Eric and myself. I wanted to start the honeymoon immediately, seven days before we cast off.

Everything was perfect. Roy helped me cook dinner and I used the best china and the finest linen napkins.

I was dressed in one of my sexier dresses with stockings and four-inch heels. I had my hair done earlier in the day and, when I looked in the mirror, I asked myself if this was really me.

Roy came in behind me while I was looking at what I had transformed myself into. “Mom ... If dad doesn’t rip that thing off you and take you the second he sees you, then he is either gay or dead...”

My son’s compliment sent shudders down my body. I turned and smiled at him and said, “Thank you son.” I hugged him. “Thank you for being here and helping me with this.”

“You are so welcome mom. I loved doing it.” He hugged me really tight.

“Eric should be here any time. He said that he had something he needed to tell me today, so he won’t be late like he normally is. I am so excited!!”

I looked at all I had done for this night to be so perfect. I was going to meet him at the door in the dress, I was going to lead him to the table where the dinner, complete with his favorite meal and dessert, was all ready to be eaten. I had the cruise tickets on his plate for the first surprise.

Roy was dressed in a nice suit and was prepared to be our waiter, though he was going to eat with us. I could never eat a fine meal while my son watched, without him enjoying it too.

Roy had to keep calming me down as my excitement started to get the better of me more than once.

Finally, the front door opened and in walked the second most handsome man I had ever seen. I smiled at him as humbly as I could, and was about to say something, but he spoke first.

“Anna ... I need to make this as quick as I can.”

His tone was something I had rarely heard from him; it bordered on anger. I could see determination in his body language.

“Eric”, I called to him, but he ignored me and continued to look through me. Finally the door opened again and in walked a woman who I recognized as his secretary. She took his arm and pressed herself to him.

Oh no ... shit ... No ... not this ... not now...

I watched Roy, our son, jump to my defense. He kicked the whore secretary out of the house and got right in his dad’s face for bringing her. Then, and I couldn’t believe he was able to do it but, he shoved Eric out of the house too.

After all the ruckus, Roy came to me, picked me up and carried me to my bedroom. He put me on my bed and then he laid with me, holding me and letting me cry onto his shoulder for hours.

I woke with him still holding me. He had a death grip on me that made me feel like I was in heaven. “Eric may want someone else, but my son wants me”, I thought to myself. I couldn’t describe how much better that made me feel.

I managed to get out of bed, and I was going to clean the table of the huge mistake I had made last night. I started to shed tears again as I saw that the meal I had prepared for my soon to be ex-husband had already been cleaned up. There was no sign of it in the refrigerator either and the trash had been taken out.