It was the last thing that I would have expected to find after twenty years of marriage, but there was no denying it. It sat there on the kitchen table waiting for me to snatch it up and tear it to pieces or burn it or do whatever it is that you do with things like that. I suddenly realized why Simone had been so happy and excited during the last week. I picked it up and read it for the forth or fifth time:

"Dear Ron,

I am sorry for doing this to you, but chances like this only come once in a lifetime, if ever, and I'd be a fool not to take advantage of it.

You have been the only man in my life since the eighth grade and even though I love you and have always loved you since the day I met you I am still curious about what else is out there and now I have a chance to find out.

My lottery ticket, you know, the ones you always told me I was stupid to buy because they were a waste of good money? Well mine hit two weeks ago for 6.4 million. After taxes I collected 4.1 million. Don't be surprised when you get your next bank statement and see that you have a deposit of 2 million. Don't spend it all in one place because there still might be some tax liability, but the money people I have talked to say that you should be safe up to 1.7 million. I hope it's enough to help you get over what I'm doing to you.

Simone"

Simone and I were both virgins when we were married. We raised three fine kids and started to grow old together and I had never conceived of having to live my life without her. Oh I knew that the day would come when one of us would pass on and leave the other, but that was supposed to be years and years in the future. Christ, I was only forty-five and I expected us to at least get to seventy. But this? I got a bunch of money now so goodbye? I crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash and wondered how to go about getting on with my life.

The first week I was like a zombie. I walked around in a complete fog. I just couldn't accept the fact that Simone had just up and left me. Then my kids took a hand in things and went to work trying to straighten me out. Apparently Simone had called them and simply said, "I've left your father. Please look in on him from time to time."

The two girls, Sherri and Mary, took turns coming over and helping me clean house. Mary was trying to get me to change my diet and trying to teach me to cook and eat healthier food and my son Sean was doing his best to get me out of the house. He drug me out to play golf on the weekends, got tickets to football, basketball and hockey games and in general tried to keep me busy.

Sherri and Mary came over one day while I was at work and stripped the house of everything that was Simone's and gave it all to Goodwill. Then the three of them started to play matchmaker and every time I got invited to dinner or a party they had someone who was "just dying to meet me" or that they "just had to introduce me to." Some of them were really nice and under other circumstances I probably would have liked to get to know them better, but it was just too soon - I wasn't even close to being to being over Simone. Truth be told, I probably never would be.

From time to time I heard about Simone through the grapevine. She had gone to a spa, lost some weight and gotten a complete makeover. She seemed to have a new beau on her arm every time some one saw her. I overheard one acquaintance tell another that Simone had turned into a cock crazy slut. Simone called the kids once a week to see how things were going and they said she always asked about me, but I never knew whether or not it was bullshit. Why would she care?

Eventually my memories of Simone began to fade and I looked around, took stock, and started out to get a new life. I began dating again and eventually found myself in bed with a woman and it was a disaster. I had a hard on when the two of us climbed onto the bed, but as soon as I tried penetration my cock died. The lady was very understanding and even tried to get me back up orally, but it wouldn't come back up. I reciprocated and managed to give her an orgasm and we parted friends, but the damage was done. In my own mind now I was impotent and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I had a couple of more dates that made it to the bedroom stage and though I could not get my dick to stay hard I did go down on my dates and I was usually able to bring them to a climax. Unaccountably I became very popular and women were calling me up and asking me out. Both of my daughters thought it was hilarious. Since most of the women I had been going out with were the same ones that Sherri and Mary had been trying to set me up with I shouldn't have been surprised when my girls started telling me that they had heard I had a magic mouth and an inquiring tongue. I would blush and then they would laugh and tease me for hours.