Chapter 3

"Hi Dad. It has been a long time." I walked into my daughter's home just after she arrived from the factory. Kitty ran and jumped into my arms, telling me she hated me for leaving her alone for so long. Her kisses belied her words. Brian came in a few minutes later. I agreed that I had been too long away. Elaine immediately called Tim and Betty to bring Randy so they could get reacquainted with their father and grandfather.

The discussion was general around the table until the kids went into the play room. "When are you coming home Pop?" This was Tim asking.

"I'll be here for the Christmas holiday. Actually I'm here to look for a place to live." I described what I would be looking for in a dwelling.

Elaine's eyes went up when I specified a three bedroom. I calmly answered that there would be a woman and her child living with me. "Shari is working out a two-week notice. I am also looking for a business, most likely a convenience store to purchase. That is what she knows and that is what she wants to do."

"Are you buying it for her?"

"I'd like to, but no. She owns the house where we have been living. She's going to sell it and use the money from the sale. She will be my housekeeper and draw wages from me." I thought I might as well give the whole plan to Tim and Elaine. "I will be sleeping in her bed, but that isn't really any of your business. I want you to know all the facts. If there is any other questions you want answered, ask them of me or her, now or anytime in the future."

"This is the damsel in distress you picked up the day you left last June, I take it?"

"That's right. I don't know if you will like her. That will be between the two of you. I think you will. I think you will come to love the little girl, Cindy. She reminds me of Kitty."

"You may be so taken with this child because you haven't had Kitty around."

"That may be a possibility. We'll have to see. You'll meet her at Christmas anyway. I would like to be invited here, and if you do, I'll ask you to invite them to join me." Both Tim and Elaine expressed a desire to have us all celebrate with them.

"Will you be marrying her?" I smiled as this was the most obvious question. Results that would unbalance the status quo.

"I've asked her, but she is bothered by the fact that I have money. She would rather have me poor than rich." I heard someone enter the room behind me, but I was concentrating on explaining Shari to my family.

Brian snickered, "I'll bet."

"Brian I understand the feeling of doubt in your mind. I'm sure you all feel that way. I think you are wrong. It doesn't matter, you will change, because I know Shari. I married Olivia and I was too busy making money to tend to her needs the way I should have. I admit I was ignorant, but she is more at fault than I was. She never took the time or trouble to teach me how to satisfy her.

"This I'm going to share with you. The first time I made love to Shari, she looked me in the face and said, 'That was awful! No wonder your wife left you.' I was mortified. This is the measure of this woman. She said she would teach me not only to make love, but to have sex as well. There is a difference, I found out. There are some kinky things she likes that I don't care for and there are some that I prefer that she dislikes. We do them all on special occasions and are both happy and satisfied.

"She warned me that if I ever had my wife again for only one night, I never would get rid of her. There is no chance of that ever happening. The bitch has called me 'that poor dumb bastard' for the last time. I'll tell you true, I get more sex in one weekend than I ever got from your mother in a whole year. That part of my life with her is over, thank God."

"You don't speak very well of me, John." I didn't turn around although I was surprised to find it was Olivia who had come in behind me.

"No, I don't. How have you been Olivia?"

"Fine, John. I do miss you, though. The kids and grandkids do too."

"I know and I miss them. They have been letting me know how much. I've just told them, I'm coming back. I'll be here in a couple of weeks and I'm spending Christmas with the family."

"I'll be here too. We'll have to get together and talk over old times." There was silence. I mean it seemed to go on forever. "What?"

"Mom, Dad is bringing a friend and her daughter. He wouldn't come if I didn't invite her to join us. Dad, tell us all you can about this woman. We are interested."

I was talking to Olivia now. "Sure. First of all she is ten years younger than you and I. Cindy, the child, is six and is as pretty as Kitty. She and I are especially close, as she has never had a father. Shari has had boyfriends, but none ever took an interest in Cindy. The day I met Shari she was running away from one of them.

"All summer long we toured the United States seeing a point of interest or some other thing that caught our eye. We visited Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon. We even got out of the car and walked a mile up the old Chisholm Trail, where it crossed into Kansas. If we heard about a festival somewhere, we went and had fun.

"We lived out of motel rooms. Sometimes there would be all three of us in the same bed. It was like a fun game that we knew was going to end someday. Cindy had to go to school so when we found a store that Shari could manage, we settled in Ohio. I've been working as a night clerk and stock boy since then. Shari is the day manager."

I started grinning. "I bought the house across the street from the store. I put her name on the deed and in return Shari promised to teach me all about sex. It has been a great deal for both of us. I get Cindy's breakfast and take her to school in the morning and then I sleep. I'm a new person, now. I have no worries and my only chore is to make two people happy.

"Shari picks Cindy up from school and gets supper. In the evening I lay down with Cindy when it is her bedtime. Then Shari and I have time for ourselves. On weekends, we cater to Cindy in the daytime and then we have the nights together."

I paused to tell about our decision to come east and home. "For five months, Shari had no idea but what I was running from a wicked wife who had divorced me and had taken most of my money. I didn't tell her otherwise, because I had so much wonderful going for me. I didn't want it to end, and I knew it would when she found out.

"She was aware that I was receiving a dividend check the first of October. She thought it was for three hundred dollars. I put it in with some papers when it came and was trying to figure out how to tell her how much it amounted to. She asked what we were going to do for Christmas presents. I said I would use my dividend check and I would split it with her. Last week she got curious and opened the envelope. That's when she found out the truth about me."

"So she is a little gold digger after all. She must be, after finding out your net worth. Why are you still with her?"

"Maybe she is what you say, but I trust she isn't. She has refused to marry me. I think I'm going to give you back the thirty percent of the corporate shares you signed over to me. That will help take that worry off your mind."

"Keep them. Your little whore may figure out how to get them from you yet. I would hate to be the one to disappoint her."

I questioned, "Whore?" Tears came to Olivia's eyes and she broke up sobbing right in front of all of the family. "Olivia, I'm sorry. I want to get past name calling."

"I do too. This is so hard for me. You seem so happy with your new woman. I'm jealous, I guess." I didn't say anything as I watched her escape to the kitchen. Tim, Betty, Elaine, and Brian had to work the next day so we closed down my welcome home early. I didn't see Olivia leave. I had driven most of the day so after a quick call to Shari, I went to the guest room and to bed. As I passed into sleep, I remembered I hadn't got to the part about telling the family how attractive my Shari was.

I made the rounds of my attorney and my accountant. Elaine was my banker and the one who paid the bills and kept my accounts updated, but with the weekly contact, there wasn't much to go over. I wandered into the factory before lunch. I staked out the largest lunch table to hold court for those employees that were interested in knowing what I was up to.

My former personal secretary even came and sat on my lap, kissing me in front of everyone. "I have always wanted to kiss you." I kissed her hard enough to shock her. "My God, if I knew you kissed like that, I would have said to hell with convention when you were still here." I knew she was kidding, because she was happily married. She and her husband were my good friends.

In the afternoon I visited a Realtor who dealt in commercial property to get a listing of convenience stores. I would take the listings with me when I went back to Ohio. Next I went across to the residential sales section and looked at several listings for single homes. There were a wealth of these. I couldn't decide. A house was something that Shari and I would have to look at together and pick the one best suited to us.

Perry had been informed I was in town and he called me on my cell to invite me to dinner. My mother-in-law was sickly and had a nurse, so we would be dining at his club. I joined my father-in-law in the lounge. It was early so we had a chance to talk before dinner. Perry was seventy-five. Life had been good to him and he kept himself well and was still active.

I caught him up on what I had been doing in the last five months. As the evening wound down he posed a question. "You wouldn't consider taking Olivia back, would you? She would drop the divorce complaint in a minute if you would."

"Perry, if I was still floating around the country, as I supposed I might when I left here, I would. I have found someone that has made me happy in my personal life. More so than I could ever envision. So happy that I very seldom think about Olivia."

"Well I had to ask. Olivia was doing fine until you left. She could go out, cheat, and then come home to you, her nice solid husband." I held up my hand to stop him.

"Yes, and she thought of me as that poor dumb bastard that lets his wife get away with everything."

Perry continued his line of thought. "She went wild in the first couple of months and then she had the incident and scandal where she made the papers. I'm glad to say the family has closed around and supports her, but you weren't there, of course. Her circle of friends is so small now you can count them on one hand. Tough, but she brought it all on herself by treating you like shit."

Then he said, "Tell me about this woman you have hooked up with."

"When I first picked Shari up, I didn't think her looks were anything out of the ordinary. I want to take credit for making her cares go away. After I had known her awhile, I looked at her again and she looks much like Olivia, only happier. But that may be because I'm in love with her. We traveled around for two months. We more often than not slept in the same bed. I never made a move, which puzzled her, giving her the impression I must be gay.

"Olivia had never taken much interest in sex with me after Tim and Elaine were born. This left me thinking sex was no big deal. My feelings about that have changed. Shari is five, five, nicely proportioned with all of the equipment a man could ask for. She has a very attractive face and her personality just makes you want to hold and hug her. What else do you need to know?"

"What is her background?"

"She is a child of an unwed mother. She grew up poor and struggled through school balancing working and studying. Her mother died when she was twenty-two. She met her husband when she was twenty-five and went with him on a couple of tours overseas that didn't take him into any battle zones. They started a family when he headed out for the last one. Two months later he was transferred to an active theater where he was killed just a few short weeks before he was due to rotate.

"Since then she has had several live-ins, most of whom treated her like shit. That is until I came along. Now I'm happy, she is happy and Cindy, the daughter, is the happiest. I'm going to see to it we all stay that way."

"I can see that Olivia is out of your life now. I'm sorry for her, but I'm happy that you have found this other woman. Elaine tells me you will be here at Christmas time. I would ask that you not flaunt this woman too much in front of Olivia, even though you have the right to."

"No, and Shari will keep in the background as well. Cindy is a child and what she will act like is an unknown. I will not chastise her in any way."

"As adults we will all love the child, I'm sure. John, I know this may not be proper, but when you come back and until you get settled, I would like to extend the invitation for you to stay with me and Ellen. Olivia won't like it, but I do know she is having a house full over the holidays. All of her remaining friends are giving her support and they know within two weeks after the first, she will be fully divorced."

"Thank you. I'll relay this to Shari and call you before we arrive. I imagine we won't stay with you very long. We want to find our own place as soon as possible. I would like to stop by and see Ellen before I leave. When would be the best time?"

"Tomorrow morning would be the best. She begins to sink as the day progresses and might not even remember you when you see her again."

I did visit. Perry was there, but had to remind my mother-n-law who I was.

"Oh yes, Olivia's husband." We talked about Elaine and Tim. When I mentioned Kitty and Randy, she offered that she guessed she liked them, but they were awful noisy. Suddenly she asked, "Perry, is Olivia still living with that poor dumb bastard? I disremember his name. She says he is stupid, but I kind of liked him. At least he is faithful to her."

She glared at Perry. I surmised there was a story behind that remark, but I didn't pursue it. I left shortly after. I gathered my two grandkids when they got home from school.

"What would you like to do?"

"Monopoly, let's play Monopoly. You haven't been home to play with us for ever so long." I went for it. In a way this had brought the family millions. I wanted the tradition to continue.

I was on my way back to Ohio in the morning. It was a long journey and I had time to reflect on my family. Olivia was still a beautiful woman, but I didn't really miss her. She had been replaced by a woman infinitely more desirable.

Perry and Ellen--I had never heard a breath of scandal, but there must be one in Perry's past. I wondered about Perry, as I knew Ellen hadn't been the easiest person to live with. Olivia was a lot like her mother in some respects. I smiled, thinking that Perry most likely had his indiscretions hidden from the family until now. Ellen's disease frequently made her forget some things. Other times she might say something that was dredged up from the back of her mind that was embarrassing, either to herself or others near to her. With his wife having mental problems, the past might come out into the open. If Perry was guilty of any transgressions, it would be sad. Perry did care deeply for my mother-in-law.

It would be an extra day before I saw Shari and Cindy. I didn't take the scenic route west this time. I headed south until I hit Interstate 80. By this time I was heading into the teeth of a winter storm. I got off the thruway in Du Bois and called Shari. "Stay right there until things clear up. I don't want you in an accident. Everyone has been coming into the store all day. We are already out of milk because people are stocking up. Honey, I have to go, I've got customers lined up around the counter. Love you. Bye." I lay down tired from bucking the weather and figured I would sleep.

There was something bothering me. I thought about Tim and Elaine. They and their families were fine. I was proud of them--proud of myself too. They had a fuller, happier life than I had. That was possible because I had stayed on a more focused path. Guiding them as I had, I knew that wouldn't work, so I had made sure they had interests outside of the factory and business.

My thoughts swung to Olivia. Damn her! No, not for cheating on me. More for hiding it so well from me and for so long. I could've found a woman that much sooner in my life. Of course, I knew it would not have been Shari, but it could have been someone like her. Oh well, water under the bridge. What was bugging me was connected to Olivia. I felt there was something.

I listened to the weather reports all night long and when I figured I could make it home by evening, I checked out of the motel. I had trouble getting out of the parking lot. A couple of guys came along and rocked the car enough to get me going and I busted through the snow bank the plow had left. I slued half around when I hit the street, but soon straightened out.

Again my thoughts drifted back to my family. There was something just out of reach in the back of my mind that I should be able to latch onto, but God only knew what it was.

I pulled into my driveway about six that evening. Cindy was all over me with kisses and hugs and I missed yous. I looked over her shoulder at Shari. I could see from her expression she missed me too. Supper was on the table. "Your special, Johnny. We have garlic bread because the bread truck made it to the store this afternoon."

I knew what she was talking about. I wasn't much of a cook and one time I had cooked some macaroni. There wasn't enough sharp cheddar cheese to put in it, just a little hunk of about two ounces. Knowing this wasn't enough for the three of us, I dumped in a can of tomato soup and a half can of milk. Sometimes we had a small hamburger with it and sometimes not. Tonight we did. This meal became a favorite anyway.

I feasted my eyes on the two across the table from me as I told about my trip. "We will be staying with my father-in-law when we get home. Just until I can find a place to live while we look at property. Ellen, my mother-in-law, is sick with Alzheimer's disease. She knew me early in the morning, but soon forgot who I was. I have a bunch of property listings that I thought might be suitable, but I couldn't make a decision without you."

"You're sweet. I'd live anywhere with you. Did you see your wife?"

"Yes she came in after supper one night." I stopped there.

"Well, are you going back to her?"

I got up and went around the table, pulling Shari to her feet. I whispered in her ear as I hugged her. "Nope. I found someone better. My father-in-law asked me to take her back, but I declined."

"Boy are you going to get some loving tonight!" I backed away. "So what did you do?"

"Played Monopoly with my grandchildren. They are pretty sharp. The world better watch out for them when they come of age. I went over my finances with Elaine. Went into the factory and kissed my secretary. She misses me. Looked at listings for stores, and residential properties. The rest of the time I was away, I thought about my two girls back here in Ohio." This bought kisses from both and a night of bliss from one.

The next day while Shari was across the street working, I contacted the agent who handled the house sale when I purchased it. I wanted to sell complete with most of the furnishings that we had supplied our home with. There also was a message board outside of the store and I placed a listing on that.

The Realtor said it might take a month or six weeks. Spring would be the best time to list it. However, he might find someone that would go for a three or six month rental agreement, as it was basically furnished. That is if I didn't need the property sold immediately. I went to the store and talked with Shari.

"I'll advance you the money to buy a store if this doesn't sell before you have papers to sign."

"Johnny, it is your house. You're just playing games with me."

"No, I promised you ownership of the house if you would teach me how to make love. I guess it comes down to whether I'm satisfying you or not."

"Okay, okay, I own the house." She grinned, burst out laughing and took me behind the stacked shelves to kiss me.

The owner was working, training a new manager, and he grinned at both of us. "Why don't you two get a room? I'm sure going to miss both of you. I never had a couple work for me who are as much in love as you two."

The owner gave us a little party Thursday evening and many of the patrons were there to wish us well wherever we were going. Christmas was on Sunday this year. I had our car all packed. We hadn't collected much in the short time we had lived in the house.

Cindy had her doll, I had my lock box of personal papers. Shari only had the cardboard box she kept her papers in. When she was running away last summer, she didn't have any time to pack much. We had clothes, but all would fit into the trunk. I planned on leaving just after midnight Thursday night which would put us into my hometown, very early Saturday morning. We would arrive in time for breakfast.

I planned to visit Elaine first as I wanted Kitty and Cindy to get to know each other as soon as possible. The weather was clear and cold. The highways were dry and we had a straight shot going east. We pulled into my daughter's driveway just before midnight Friday. Shari had driven the car to spell me instead of getting off the highway for a few hours.

I woke Brian up and offered to find a motel if there wasn't room here. There was. Shari and I had the guest room and Cindy slid into Kitty's bed, Kitty never even roused up. Elaine got up to meet Shari.

"I just had to meet the person who has captured my Dad's heart. You know I was so worried when he packed up and left so suddenly last June. Then when we got onto the fact that he had a female traveling companion we worried more. Welcome. Dad's happy and that is all that counts with me."

Then Elaine hugged Shari to make her feel even more welcome than with just the words. When we crawled into bed, Shari declared she loved my family already and couldn't wait to meet Tim and his family. Then she questioned when she would be meeting Olivia. "I'm not sure. She is holding court at my former home with her remaining friends. I don't think she will skip Christmas with us entirely. She loves Tim and Elaine as much as I do. She'll show up bearing gifts for Kitty and Randy, for certain."

I chuckled, I thought to myself, but Shari noticed. "What is funny?"

"Olivia has to check out the woman that captured my heart, so you can be sure she will be over. I'm anxious to have you meet my father-in-law too. I have never had much to do with him because I was always too busy. Now though, he is pretty much on my side against Olivia. You'll like him. Ellen, my mother-in-law, may or may not be here because of her condition."

I snuggled closer. "Go to sleep. My family will love you just like I do."

Kitty came out of her room with Cindy tagging along behind her. "Mom, you got me the best Christmas present ever. I woke up this morning and found a new friend. She said she would be forever. She tells me Grampa is her Daddy. How can that be?"

"Kitty and Cindy, come here." I hugged both little girls to me. "I found Cindy and she didn't have a daddy. So I said I would be. She is going to be my little girl forever just like she is your friend forever."

The talk was general around the breakfast table. Elaine called Tim, telling him I had arrived late last night. I was invited over for coffee after breakfast. The Christmas Eve festivities were to take place at Tim's tonight. I had to go over there anyway and leave some presents this morning. Shari thought she would go with me. Kitty and Cindy were inseparable already, so she elected to stay at Elaine's.