Chapter 3: The Confrontation

It took Sonya about an hour to round up all the guests and get them to head home. During that time I thought about what I had seen and tried to make sense out of it. How long had this been going on? Had they been together before? Had she spent time with him over the last two days while I was out of town? If this was the first time what do you call it? If you defined sex as having intercourse then they didn't have sex, but he had his fingers inside her. The biggest question on my mind was if I hadn't interrupted them would she have let him fuck her? I believed that she would have.

I thought about how I would start the conversation. I kicked around a lot of ideas but none of them seem to work. They came across to me as being either too calm or too angry. I knew anger would not get me answers to my questions and if I was too calm Sonya might not understand how upset I was. In the end I decided to wait until she was in front of me and then just say whatever came to me.

When Sonya finally came into our room she didn't even look at me. She just went to her closet and started getting undressed.

"It was a good Party honey," Sonya said. "Everyone seemed to have a good time. The house and the yard are a mess but I am too tired to deal with that now. We can clean things up in the morning."

"I know you were having a good time," I said.

Sonya looked at me as if she was trying to read my face. I didn't say another word as I watched Sonya remove her panties. She dropped them on the floor at her feet and when I looked down at them I imagined that I could see Kaplan's finger prints on them. I felt a strange pressure that seemed to be crawling up my spine. I felt like I was going to explode but I managed to stay under control.

Sonya had slipped into her night gown and was starting to get into bed.

She said, "Honey, aren't you coming to bed? I thought that you said that you had a headache."

"I am getting one," I said. "I need to talk to you about something and I think it would be better if we went down stairs. Besides, I need to freshen my drink anyway."

"I you have a headache you don't need another drink. Can't this wait till morning," Sonya said. "I am really tired."

"No. This can't wait till tomorrow," I said. I needed to talk about this now."

I tried to speak calmly but I wondered if Sonya could hear the growing anger in my voice.

Sonya got out of bed and started coming toward me.

"What is this about?" She said. "What is so important that it can't wait till tomorrow?"

I didn't answer her and I didn't wait for her to reach me. I just turned and headed downstairs.

I went into the kitchen and even though my stomach was already burning and I didn't even want anything more to drink I poured some more bourbon in my glass.

"Do you want a drink," I asked Sonya."

"No. I have already had more than enough to drink tonight."

I took my drink and joined Sonya in the living room. She was sitting on the sofa and she patted the cushion next to her indicating that she wanted me to sit next to her but I chose one the chairs facing the sofa and sat there instead.

This seemed to tip Sonya off that something was wrong. I could see the worry in her face as she waited to hear what I had to say. I took a big swallow of my drink not because I wanted to but to give myself more time to think of how to start this conversation. As the warming sensation of the liquor spread through my body providing none of its usual comfort I made my decision. I had thought about slowly working my way around to what I had seen but I was afraid that Sonya would see where I was headed and it would give her time to start making up lies to tell me. I decide on 'Shock and Awe.' Hit her with the worst of it right up front and then keep her off balance so that she can't make up a coherent lie to cover what she did.

"Wasn't it fortuitous that I was able to catch an earlier flight?" I said.

Sonya looked puzzled. "Yes, I was very glad you did."

"You were glad that I caught an earlier flight? I don't think so," I said. Tell me this; if I hadn't arrived when I did, were you going to fuck him?"

All of the color drained out of Sonya's face.

"Who... What are you talking about?" She stammered.

"I am talking about Kaplan. Were you going to fuck him if I hadn't shown up when I did?"

Sonya was scared.

"Where on earth did you ever get an idea like that?" Sonya asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was when I found the two of you down stairs alone when everyone else was outside."

Sonya said, "We just went into the basement to use the bathroom. He was just there waiting for me to come out."

It was obvious that Sonya hadn't figured out yet that I had seen them together.

"There was nothing going on then?" I said.

"Yes. I mean no, there was nothing going on. It was just a coincidence that we were both down there at the same time."

I said, "That's a relief. I am sorry if I jumped to the wrong conclusion. Can you forgive me?"

Sonya said, "Well, it's very upsetting to be accused like that, but I love you and I'll get over it."

Sonya said this without once looking at me.

I said, "It's just that when I saw Tony put his hand inside your panties it didn't look like you were getting ready to take a piss."

Sonya's eyes quickly filled with tears as she muttered, "Oh God no. Oh please God."

"It looked to me like the two of you were getting ready to fuck," I said. "So let me ask you again, if I hadn't arrived when I did were you going to fuck him?"

Sonya covered her face with her hands, bent forward and began sobbing loudly. I didn't say anything and for about two minutes the only sounds in the room were the ticking of the grand father clock and Sonya's sobs. Finally Sonya lifted her head up and looked directly at me.

Sonya said, "Yes. I am so sorry. I never meant... I never intended for... Please give me a chance to explain."

"Yes, what?" I said.

"Yes I... I was going to have sex with him."

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"No. Well... No. I don't love him," she said. "Not the way I love you."

I said, "What the fuck does that mean?"

Sonya said, "I don't think I could ever explain it to you. It's just too complicated. I am not sure I understand it myself."

"Well you better fucking try," I said, "because if you don't I am out of here and our marriage is over."

Sonya said, "Is there a chance you could ever forgive me?"

I said, "I don't know. Maybe if you can explain how this could happen there could be a chance, but without an explanation there is no fucking chance in hell."

Sonya put her head into her hands and began to sob again.

"I never intended for any of this to happen," she said. "I am so sorry I hurt you. I want to be able to explain this to you but I can't seem to concentrate right now. I don't know how to begin."

"You can start by you answering some questions for me," I said. 'First, how long has this been going on? How many times have you fucked him?"

"Tony? She asked. "I have never had sex with Tony."

I said, "Come on. I saw you guide his hand inside your panties. I watched him push his fingers inside your cunt. So don't tell me you never had sex with him."

"Please don't talk to me that way. Tony and I never did anything more than that," she said. "He has never been inside me?"

"Are you saying that Tony never fucked you?"

"Yes."

"But he has had his hand in your panties before?"

"Well... Yes but..."

I cut Sonya off before she could finish.

I said, "You told me earlier that if I hadn't come home when I did you would have fucked him tonight. Now you're telling me that he has had his fingers in your cunt before tonight but you expect me to believe that you have never fucked him before?"

"It's the truth," she said. "He has never been inside me. Please John, when you talk to me that way it sounds so hateful."

"Right now a part of me does hate you," I said. "Did you ever suck his cock?"

"No. Absolutely never."

"Has he ever gone down on you?"

Sonya said, "No. The farthest we have ever gone was his hand inside my panties."

Sonya said that this asshole had his fingers in her pussy more than once, and by her own admission she would have fucked him that night. She also said that they had never fucked. It didn't make sense but somehow I believed her or at least I wanted to.

"So, how many other men have there been?" I asked.

"What?"

I said, "Other than that asshole, how many other men have you fucked or did you only let them finger you?"

Sonya said, "John, please stop. You know I'm not like that. Other than what happened tonight I have never been unfaithful to you nor have I done anything that would hurt you or our marriage."

"Other than tonight?" I said. "You already told me that you let that asshole get his hand in your pants before which means that you have cheated on me before tonight doesn't it?"

Sonya said, "No. I have to explain..."

I cut her off.

"Are you trying to tell me that he had his hand in your pants more than once tonight?" I asked.

"No," Sonya said with anger. "If you would give me a chance I can explain that to you."

"All right, I won't say a fucking word," I said. Go ahead and explain."

Sonya stood up and pace back and forth in front of the sofa for a minute and then sat back down. Now she was looking directly at me as she spoke.

"Everything I have told you is the truth. Yes, if you had not come home tonight when you did I probably would have had sex with Tony. I did let Tony get his hand in my pants one other time but that was thirteen years ago, before I ever met you. You have to believe me when I say I never intended for this to happen and I don't understand it myself. I mean I know what happened but I don't know why."

I said, "So, in the whole time we have been together, tonight was the only time anything like this has ever happened?"

Sonya said, "Yes. I swear to you that's the truth. I love you and I have loved you almost from the instant we met. That's why it is so hard for me to understand my own behavior."

I began to wonder if Kaplan was trying to pull something. Could he have drugged Sonya? I knew that wasn't very likely but I wanted to find a reason that would allow me to continue loving her. I had to know more about her relationship with him.

"Tell me about Kaplan. How did you get involved with him? How is it he ended up here in Raleigh working for SA?"

Sonya started pacing again and then began to answer my questions.

"I met Tony toward the end of the spring semester of my freshman year in college. He was in his sophomore year but was planning to transfer to a west coast school for the final two years. We dated four or five times before the end of the semester and then I came home to Raleigh and he went home to Charlotte. One Sunday afternoon Tony drove up to Raleigh to see me. We went to a movie and then we went back to my house because my mother had invited Tony to have dinner with us.