Chapter 2

My plan for revenge was coming along nicely. Over the next few days Amanda signed a flurry of papers that ensured that she would get nothing out of this marriage if it ended. She was well aware of the content of each of the documents and she signed it anyway. She was hopeful that I would stay together with her for the sake of Ralphie and I encouraged her to believe it.

"I will like you to go to this tattoo parlor" I said, handing her a business card of a tattoo shop. "You will meet a guy named Tomthumb there. He will tattoo something on your back. He already knows what to tattoo. You will not know the content of the tattoo until after the tattoo is done. If you have any reservations about it, you are free to decline and move out of the house."

I could see her struggling with the decision. It was not much of a struggle, though. She was already resigned to the fact that I will be putting her through some really tough tests before making her stay.

"I am ready." She said with a sigh and retired for the day. She was sleeping in the guest room and that is how it was going to stay till she finally ran away.

"Additionally, he will also tattoo on both your forearms and your claves. I am sure you will realize why when it is done." I said as she reached the door. A nod and she was gone from the living room.

Next evening she came back with her tattoos in place. The one on her back read "I will never cheat again." With a dagger beside it and her forearms and her claves read, "I cheated on my husband."

She had worn a sleeveless dress that came up to her knee while going out and she realized that with these tattoos, any dress that showed her back, forearms or calves was history. Oh, did I tell you she loved swimming?

That night at dinner she wore a dress that canceled every single inch of her body except her face. I was delighted at her plight. The next step of my revenge was to be even better.

I booked a large resort and invited the whole family over a vacation. We were going to spend some time in Vermont soaking in hot tubs and swimming in freezing lakes. By some mistake of my secretary only her side of the family received the invitations. So, here I was stuck at a resort with my in-laws, right? Wrong. I was having the time of my life. My dear wife could not swim and could not wear anything that showed even her ankles or wrists. While the whole family swam around and enjoyed in the hot tubs, she pretended to be sick and stayed under the cover all the time.

When we returned from the vacation I sat down with Amanda and had a long conversation.

"Amanda, you must, by now, be aware that I am going to control every aspect of your life. I will deprive of most of your pleasures just as you have denied me the pleasure of fathering my own child. This is the point of no return for you. Today, I am going to exert a demand that will change your whole life. But before I do so, I will ask you again. Do you want out? If you do want out, there are three options for you. One, you take Ralphie and walk out with nothing but the shirt on your back. How you support yourself and Ralphie will be your problem, not mine. I will not as much as look in your direction. I will agree to give you a sum of fifty thousand if you agree to move to a different state. If you stay in Massachusetts, I will not give you a penny. Two, you can leave Ralphie and move out. I will love him and care for him just as I have done all these years. Third option, you take all the abuse I throw your way and stay here as my flatmate and at the end of 10 years from date, we will sit down and talk about a fresh start. My punishment will be just as long as your infidelity." I stopped talking and looked at a listless Amanda sitting in front of me.

"I will take the third option." She said in a hushed voice.

"You will still have the option of make a choice between options one and two after I have listed my conditions." I said, "Do you understand this?"

"Yes, I do." She replied in a lifeless tone.

"Okay. So, here it is. I will have no sexual contacts with you for the next ten years and you have to stay faithful to me for the next ten to prove to me that you want this marriage to work. I will, as per my discretion, have sexual relations, as many times and with as many women as I feel like, to fulfill my physical needs over the next ten years. I will not be public about it and I will make sure that no one comes to know about it. So, in essence, I am asking you to be celibate for the next 10 years. It is an impossible ask, and I am sure that you will not be able to carry out the sentence to the fullest. My pragmatic advice to you will be to cut your losses and run." I looked at her and wondered if I was pushing things far enough. I desperately wanted her to run. I could not stand looking at her and my heartiest pleasure would be to get regular updates on how she is doing without me as a provider. She had no skills to get a job and her family was deeply religious. Amanda's father was married once before and her father's first wife cheated on him. Since that day his views on cheating were clear. I need not tell you what they were, do I?

"Can I take a day or two to think about it?" She asked.

"Take all the time in the world. We will be singing on a business contract later which will cover these clauses one way or the other. The essence of the document would be the same as I have outlined." I said and ended the conversation.

She tip toed around me for the next few days and I could see that she was struggling hard to decide one way or the other and failing at it. Sometimes I could see her looking in the direction of the storage room (that's where the luggage can be found) and then at times I would find her sitting in the guest room with a picture of three of us in her hand.

I was surprised to find her parents and mine in the living room when I came home on Friday. I was not ready for this twist in the tale.