Chapter 3

Don Simmons recommended a family services law firm, and I took his advice and gave them a retainer. I had made a decision that I would not try to hide my new income during the divorce. Although it would hurt to have to give any of it to Judy, I really didn't need the legal problems and extra expense if and when she found out the truth about my new business. I would disclose everything, but I would make any trade I could to prevent her from getting alimony. I was not about to reward her for her treachery.

My lawyer was an older woman in her sixties, Marta Kinsey. Despite her age, she was sharp and more importantly, she was out to protect my interests. I revealed everything to her, and she made an interesting suggestion. She was proposing that we play a game of bluff with Judy.

Assuming Judy still didn't know much about my new job, she might be encouraged to abandon the marriage with a promise of division of current assets and no alimony. We didn't have to spit out what those assets were unless we were deposed. I could also suggest I wouldn't sue the lab and her boss for marital interference. It would be worth a try. I told Marta I would let her know when I intended to serve my wife, but she could draw up and record the appropriate documents immediately.

The next week went by uneventfully. Judy had two more "overtime" sessions, but I didn't bother to follow her. Marta called and indicated all the documents were prepared and I could serve Judy whenever I wanted. I thanked her and immediately called Cindy.

"D-day, Cindy. I've got the papers, and now I just have to work out how I'm going to do it. Want to come over?"

"Sure. I'll be right there. Get the coffee ready."

We sat at the kitchen table and drank our coffee, chatting about inconsequential things. I couldn't stall any longer.

"The way I see it going down, I'm going to confront her tonight. I'm going to tell her I know about Robert Turnbull and if necessary, Al. Then I'll hand her the divorce papers. If she decides to kick up a fuss, I'll show her the pictures and tell her I have witnesses that will testify. I'm gambling Mrs. Turnbull doesn't know anything about their little affair, so my threat to sue might turn the tide. Marta said it was important to make it look to Judy like she didn't have an easy way out.

"The rest is going to be up to her. I have no idea how she's going to react, but I'm going to have to be careful I don't let on I'm bluffing her. If she gets aggressive, then all bets are off and I'll move out, and she can get a lawyer and we can duke it out. I hope that doesn't happen, but ... you never know with Judy."

"Have you packed a bag?" Cindy asked.

"No ... but I will before she's due home. Apparently there's no "overtime" tonight," I smirked.

Cindy leaned over and kissed me lightly and gave me a hug. "Good luck. Tell me all about it. When this is done, we need to figure out how to deal with Al. That's going to be a lot uglier."

I nodded. She was right. Al was undoubtedly going to be a problem. His ego would be wounded and I was pretty sure he wouldn't go quietly. Cindy and I had already decided that she wouldn't move out of their townhouse until the dust had settled. If Al refused to leave, she would sleep in Annie's room until she was ready to go.

For the sake of continuity and confirming my confidence in Marta Kinsey, I loaned Cindy enough for Marta's retainer, and we set about double-teaming our wayward spouses.

That night we went through our usual routine at supper, and when we finished I told Judy and wanted to talk to her. I could see her stiffen, probably assuming it was another "we're not close enough" talk.

"Judy, I am aware of your affair with Robert Turnbull. Since you have such little regard for me or our marriage, I have decided to divorce you. Here is the paperwork," I said in a calm, level voice. I was surprised at how unemotional I was considering this woman had consumed the last seven years of my life.

The look on her face was something to behold. To say I caught her by surprise would be an understatement. I thought for a moment she was going to choke to death as she gasped for air, coughing and spluttering. At length, she got herself under control.

"How ... how... ?" was all she could manage.

"You weren't very discrete. Quite a number of people beside your co-workers were aware of your affair with your boss."

"Oh ... god. I'm sorry, Jake. I wish I could say something ... I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "I'm proposing we split everything fifty-fifty. We can put the townhouse up for sale and split what equity we have in it. You can buy me out if you want. I won't be living here." Again, I was calm and clear-headed.

She nodded. "That's fair," she said, not being able to look at me.

I couldn't resist. "Why?"

She didn't say anything immediately. I wondered if she was trying to formulate an excuse, but that wasn't the case.

"I thought Robert would give me a better life. He's very successful and ... I thought he would give me a better life."

I toyed with the idea of bursting her balloon, but decided not too. "Do not overplay your hand," were the last words Marta had said to me.

"Well, for what it's worth, I hope you can be happy. You obviously weren't happy with me."

"It wasn't you, Jake. You were kind and hard-working and always there for me. I guess I just wanted something more out of my life than you could give me."

"An upgrade," I said absently.

"What? No ... no not that ... well ... maybe. Robert is very well off. He will give me a good life after his divorce."

"He's married?" I feigned surprise.

She nodded. "I'm not proud of that. Me cheating on you and him cheating on her. But ... we were so good together and..." Her voice trailed off.

I'm moving out, Judy. I'll be in a local motel for a while until I find a place to live. If you agree to the settlement I suggested, you'll find the papers in here and all you have to do is sign them. You may want to consult a lawyer, just for your protection," I said, almost holding my breath. I wanted that offer at least on record.

"No ... no ... I won't fight it. I've hurt you and I'm to blame. Fifty-fifty is more than fair. I'll sign them tonight. You can take them with you when you go." She still hadn't been able to look me in the eye.

I stopped in the living room when I came from the bedroom with my bag. She registered some surprise when she saw I was already packed, but said nothing. She handed me the signed papers and I looked to make sure they were properly done, then folded them and put them in my pocket.

"If you don't mind, I'll stop by tomorrow and get most of my things. I need to download my files from the computer too."

"No ... no ... of course not. This is still your house, Jake." She looked up at me finally, and the sadness in her eyes was almost enough to make me reconsidered. She looked so defeated. I took a step toward her, leaned in and kissed her cheek.

"Goodbye, Judy." I turned and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind me.

I had won, but I had lost. I would have my freedom on my terms, but I had lost what I had hoped for. It seemed such a shabby business, but I would never kid myself that I could live with her after what she had done. I drove to the local motel and went directly to my room. I had checked in earlier that afternoon.

I phoned Marta the next morning and told her about my confrontation with Judy. She was pleased that it had gone so easily. No bloodshed. No recriminations. Not even any tears. Some remorse, some apology, but all-in-all, a quiet ending to my marriage. I thanked her for her advice and hung up. I would drop the papers off on my way to my former home.

I let myself in and instantly I was aware that it was no longer my home. I set about removing the rest of my clothes and personal items. I really didn't want anything else. Judy could have the pictures of us. The furniture and furnishings would probably be split down the middle, so it was just a matter of settling what went to whom when the time came.

I sat in my office quietly contemplating what was happening. I was putting an end to something I had started nearly eight years ago. I didn't feel particularly good about it. I had to get on with the rest of my life and when I thought about it, I remembered Cindy and I instantly felt better. I began the tedious task of downloading my files into my new laptop. It would take most of the rest of the morning.

I had advised Mr. Louie that due to personal problems, I would be unable to provide him with any translations until next week. I apologized, but he was very understanding. It was the first time I had not been able to complete my week's work on time. I promised him I would catch up next week and he was completely satisfied with that.

I would have quite a bit of time to work on my backlog from my motel room. The motel had high-speed wireless so I was at no disadvantage working there. It wasn't as quiet as the townhouse, but I could manage. I did miss my morning coffee sessions with Cindy, but we were both being careful until she served Al with the divorce papers. That would be sometime early next week. I didn't envy Cindy that task.

We did meet at an espresso shack on Friday morning, and then parked in an unused lot so that we could talk.

"How are you holding up," I asked.

"OK. I'm not looking forward to telling Al. I've decided I'm going to do it in the morning, after the kids have gone to school. It's about the only time we're alone in the house. Marta gave me some advice about how to handle the situation. She said I can insist he leave if there is no reasonable place for him to sleep other than the marital bed. One thing for sure, I'm not having him in my bed one second longer than I have to."

"What about the kids? When and how are you going to tell them?"

"Assuming Al will be gone or at work when they get home from school, I'll tell them then."

"You think they can handle it?"

"Annie will be OK. I found out something else about Al that puts the final nail in his coffin."

She stopped and sniffed as she sipped her latté. "Annie was being teased by one of her classmates the other day. The two girls got into an argument and when the other girl looked like she was losing to Annie, she said something about Annie's father being a regular visitor to one of her friend's mother's house.

"Annie started screaming at the girl but she held her ground and said if she didn't believe it, ask the mother. Apparently her name is Mimi Tremonte and she's a divorcée." Cindy looked sad and almost defeated. I didn't ever remember seeing her look like this.

"How's Annie?" I asked.

"Upset. I calmed her down and told her not to believe everything she hears, but I think she knows ... maybe has known for a while. She might be only ten, but kids grow up so fast these days."

"I'm sorry, Cindy. It shouldn't happen to them like that."

"It isn't going to be easy telling them that I'm leaving their father. They'll still get to see him, but he's not going to be living with us."

I nodded. Despite Al's behaviour, taking the kids away from him was going to hurt him and them. I knew Cindy didn't want to deny Al visitation.

"They asked about you, you know," Cindy said after a silence.

"Oh ... I'm surprised."

"I don't know why you should be. They like you ... a lot. I think all of us being together will make it easier on them. You're more like a dad than anyone I can think of."

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to that part. That and having you nearby each day." I said.

She reached out and took my hand. "You said you wanted to see me. What about?"

"I wanted you to come with me to look at this house I'm thinking of buying. I'd like your opinion, especially since you'll be living there."

"Sure. Let's do that. It will take my mind off ... the other shit," she said with a weak smile.

I had arranged to meet the real estate agent at the house at eleven that morning. We were both right on time. I took Cindy through the house and showed her all the rooms and the areas that I thought needed improvement. It wasn't a luxury home, but it was a nice size with private bedrooms for everyone and two-and-a-half bathrooms. I was also pleased it had a two car attached garage and a three-quarter basement. Room for storage, a playroom, or if necessary, my office.

"I like it," Cindy said with a smile. It needs a bit of work, but nothing we can't handle ourselves. Lots of room for the kids and a potential playroom for them in the basement. If you're looking for my OK, you've got it," she said, staying well out of earshot of the agent.

"OK. Let's go talk turkey. We'll put in an offer and then see what happens. It's been on the market for four months and you know how slow things are right now. We may just buy ourselves a bargain."

We approached the agent and suggested we were willing to make an offer. He nearly jumped when I said that. I suspect he hadn't had too much activity in the past few months due to the economy. Finding a live buyer willing to make an offer was something to celebrate.

I deliberately made a low-ball offer, knowing that there would be a counter. I was hoping the counter would be a "tell" as to how desperate they were to sell. There was no furniture in the house, and I wondered if the previous owners were carrying two mortgages.

We left before noon and Cindy offered to buy lunch today. I agreed and we stopped at a Sushi Bar, Cindy being positive she would never find Al in a place where they served "bait" for food. I had to laugh. She was getting her old sense of humour back, but I thought it would probably be temporary until she dealt with Al next week. I wished I could be with her to give her support, but that was out of the question.

The weekend was terribly lonely at the motel. Judy was gone from my life and even though we weren't close near the end, at least it was someone to talk to. Someone to have around. That was gone now, and I couldn't see Cindy either, so I was on my own.

Saturday I went for a walk along the river, just to give myself a break. I had decided to use the time to catch up on my work, and I thought by Sunday afternoon I would be current again. I knew Mr. Louie would be happy with that.

I got through Saturday and Sunday, and as I expected, by Monday morning I was current with my work. I called Mr. Louie after I e-mailed my last manual to him and he was surprised and happy that I was once again up to date. He wanted to see me soon if I could find the time. He had a special project that he wondered if I would be interested in. Naturally, I couldn't say no to the man, so we agreed to meet on Tuesday morning.

I called Cindy and she had received word from Marta that all the paperwork was in order, and it was now up to Cindy as to how she would notify Al of her intent to divorce him. She was about to call me when I called her, and she wanted to meet to discuss her strategy. I think she was very nervous about this, and I thought perhaps it might be wiser to have someone serve Al with the papers. Cindy was having none of that.

"No ... absolutely not. He'd go ballistic and anything could happen. No ... no ... this is something I have to do myself. Maybe I can make him understand just how much he's hurt me and the children. I'm not going to change my mind and I'm not going to forgive him. He brought this on himself and I'm going to put an end to it. I let him get away with it before, and all that did was give him a chance to step on me again. Fool me once ... that's the limit."