Chapter 13

The weekend had been hell for Brent and Jeanette. He had gone with her to their parents' houses to explain what had happened in general terms and what the consequence would be. At first, Jeanette didn't want any part of revealing what she had done to his or her parents. It would be a humiliation at best and could cause a family rift at worst.

"Why are you making me do this?" she cried.

"Because I'll be damned if I'm going to explain to your parents, my parents and our kids what the hell you were doing on that stage," he shouted. "On top of that, with all the gossip-mongers in the world, how long do you think it will take for someone to tell them about it ... not necessarily factually, either! You were the one on that stage — you face the music, lady!"

Jeanette shrank back from his blast, cowering as she nodded her acquiescence.

With Brent's insistence and with him by her side, they went to each house and explained in as vague terms as possible what had happened, and what the consequences might be. It was no surprise to Brent that both sets of parents were mostly supportive and generally non-accusatory as they heard the story. Jeanette was only partially relieved, but understood that it meant there were no secrets to be revealed in surprise from some other person. Everything was out in the open.

Brent was also adamant that Jeanette should seek professional assistance to help her understand what provoked her decision. Whether that would be a psychiatrist or a psychologist was undecided, but Brent was unyielding in his insistence. Again, Jeanette was reluctant.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" she asked incredulously.

"No, I don't. But I think you did something so completely out of character that you and I both need to know why or what caused it," he said adamantly. "How do you know you won't be tempted to do something different, but just as ... bizarre again?"

Again, it wasn't open to negotiation and Jeanette reluctantly gave in. She was feeling a bit stronger and slightly more confident, but she would have to be careful not to undo all the repairs that had been made to their relationship in the past three days.

What had brought her some confidence was the desire by Brent to make love to her. He was always an attentive and thoughtful lover, but now he seemed to be a bit more aggressive with her. She didn't understand his need to do that. She was happier with the "old Brent," but she wasn't about to complain. She was just grateful they were back together and that their relationship seemed to be more stable.

Brent understood that his thoughts were jumbled up with his confusion over Jeanette's behavior. Was she insecure and uncertain of her looks or his love for her, or something else? She was one of the most attractive women of any age, and more often than not she was the focus of attention at social gatherings. She had a bright and carefree manner about her and was one of those "life of the party" people that hosts and hostesses count on to liven things up. She just made things that much more fun. How could she possibly be insecure? It was with these thoughts that he put even more effort into making sure she knew that he found her very desirable.

As they sat together after dinner on Sunday night, Jeanette knew that Brent had made a decision. He would tell her about it and ask for her opinion, but he had made a decision. That was his strength. It was the reason he would have been promoted to Sales Manager, but now ... now she thought sadly ... that was all gone. They would be starting again.

"Jeanette, I want to know if you can face a move ... to another place ... maybe another city?" he asked.

"Oh ... I hadn't thought about that. I don't know. I guess so," she said tentatively. "I'll be happy wherever you are, as long as I'm with you. If we have to move to find a new life, then we have to move. We've lived on both sides of this country already. You can't move much farther than that," she said cautiously.

"Yah ... we have. Both the kids were born on the Atlantic Coast, so I guess that means we're pretty portable," he said. "All I can do is try not to make it too far away from our folks."

He lapsed into thought as Jeanette watched his face for hints of his mood. Is this something he thought was inevitable, or was it necessary to escape what he thought was shame — shame brought on by her actions. She couldn't bring herself to relax. She was still tense, wondering what would come next. Was there more pain to follow?

"Well, Jeanette, I guess I'll talk to Lloyd and Henry tomorrow. I can't see my staying with Mountain Pine and I need to start my search for a new job. In the meantime, I'll see if I can get some advice on who we can see about some professional help," he said with a resigned voice.

"We?" she asked tentatively.

He turned to her with a quizzical look. "Of course. You don't think I'm going to leave you on your own with this, do you? We're in this together, girl," he said emphatically.

Jeanette virtually leaped at him. "Oh god, Brent. I love you. You are so good to me. I've been so stupid and you still..." Her voice trailed off as the tears began to flow once more. This time, however, the tears were not of sorrow, but of hope and gratitude. She remained wrapped in his arms with her head on his chest. They were quiet for a while until Andrea unexpectedly walked in from her room.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked with questions written all over her face.

"Have a seat, Andrea. We have something to tell you," he father said seriously.

Andrea sat in one of the two large wing chairs, her attention fully on her parents. Her instincts told her this was serious and she waited for one of them to begin.

"Something happened the other day that you need to know about," her father began. "I was taken to a strip club for a fortieth birthday lunch and got a big surprise. Your mother was one of the ... entertainers."

Andrea's sharp intake of breath was all the confirmation they needed that she was paying full attention.

"Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about it and it was a huge shock. It has a big effect on my career at Mountain Pine and I've offered to resign. That will likely happen soon and I will begin looking for another job." He had said it in as a-matter-of-fact way as he could manage. He was looking to avoid shock, but he could tell immediately that he had failed.

"Mother! Oh my god. Did you really do that? I mean, were you actually naked in front of all those men?" She seemed to be hoping that her mother would deny it. She was to be disappointed, as her mother nodded her affirmation.

"Oh wow. I would never have thought ... I mean ... jeez mom. You're hot for your age, you know ... but ... wow!" she finished, wide-eyed.

Jeanette finally summoned her courage and spoke to her daughter. "It's not something I'm proud of, Andrea. I did something very stupid and I hurt your father very deeply. I'm going to try and get professional help to find out why I did it. I can only apologize to him and to you. I don't know what tomorrow will bring. We'll just have to wait and see. We just want you to know what happened and that we love you and will do anything to help you understand." She had delivered her comments in a quiet and almost sorrowful voice.