Chapter 2

I took an hour nap in the afternoon. I took time to lay out my Lone Ranger suit. I had a feeling someone might want to see me dressed that way. We met the Rockford's at the door. Cindy handed the baby to Melanie to coo over. Rich shook my hand and eyed my wife closely. She smiled at him saying, "I'm glad you came to dine with us."

"Have a beer, Rich?"

"I shouldn't but sure, I'd like one. I'm not driving yet. I can manage the cast on my arm, but I don't have my license back yet."

"I'm sorry you lost it. I mean that."

"Yeah, I should have known better than to get drunk and trying to drive. Not your fault."

"Thanks for saying that. Maybe we will wait until after dinner to talk about things. How does it feel being a new father?"

"It is great. A big responsibility. Makes a man want to stop doing foolish things. 'Course a few have been curtailed all ready. Cindy has seen to that."

Dinner was fun and Rich and Melanie both told about funny things that happened to them and others in school. I had a few anecdotes to relate myself about the accounting business. The baby cried when we were clearing the table. She was hungry. "Does anyone want to watch me feed Annie? Brad, how about you? It would seem only fair."

I thought before answering. "No, but thank you for the offer. I'm not going to do anything that would cause friction between any of us Melanie, so it is better to refuse." Melanie looked at me and I knew I was going to get lucky tonight.

She surprised me by declaring, "Brad, I'm glad you turned Cindy down. You will be seeing some full breasts on me in a few months. I'm hoping to get pregnant soon. This is why I have been so insistent in putting our problems behind us and smoothing things out for a happy future ahead." I immediately rose and hugged Melanie. She followed Cindy in and Rich and I sat over coffee.

"Where do we stand, Rich?"

"I'd kind of like my suit and my wallet back. There are a few things in it that I could not replace. I guess this is the time I should apologize directly to you about that picture. I think we both got our licks in, but I know I am sorry for starting it."

"I can accept that. What I did to you certainly turned out more harshly than I anticipated and I'm sorry about that as well. You know, your car and all. I'll go get your things."

Uh, could you put on that Ranger outfit and stand where you were when you first got my attention? I want Cindy to see you just as I saw you."

"Sure, but I won't shoot my gun with the baby here."

"Good thinking. Both women would kill us if you did and knew I suggested it."

Rich's wallet was in the cupboard here in the kitchen. I handed it to him. He opened it, saw there was still money in it and then asked, "Did you see the pictures of yourself?"

"Yes. Where did you get the photo of me in the mini bathing trunks that you used for the other one? Did Melanie give it to you?"

"No, of course not. I kind of stole it. I was in the Rite Aid drug store and I guess you were having some film developed. The clerk was busy. Just as she took the pictures out of the processor, another clerk asked her something. She piled the pictures on the counter. One slid off the top and onto the floor right at my feet. When she wasn't looking, I picked it up and put it in my pocket.

"I forgot about it for a few days and then at the poker game with my buddies I remembered it. Tim Jenkins suggested I doctor it up as a joke. He even told me how to do it. I made a half dozen copies and they were spread around the neighborhood. I wish now I had handed it back to the clerk when I picked it up. I'm damned sorry about all this."

"It is in the past, so I guess we better drop it. Melanie kept saying just forget it. That hurt more than anything you did. I mean I felt she should be really pissed off about me being dissed. I almost came to believe she had supplied the original snap to you. This was about my manhood and it was taken from me."

"I understand though, that just the opposite of the image in the faked picture is true."

"And how would I prove that? I'm not going to have a real picture of me naked floating around out there for the public to see."

"Maybe a real image of you did get out. Stop and think how quick people stopped referring to you as having a needle dick? Why was that do you think? Suppose there was such an image? Who would have one and what would she do with it?"

I stared at Rich. It slowly got through to me who and what had been done in my interest. I got up and went to the door of the living room. "Melanie, remember when we were fooling around with the camera and we took pictures of each other? Where are those pictures?"

"Brad, I destroyed them."

"Let me ask you a more specific question. Did you happen to show the picture of me naked to anyone?"

"I don't want to answer that. If I did it was totally in your interest."

Cindy spoke up, "I saw it. Melanie is a very lucky woman."

I looked at my wife. "Is she the only one who looked at it?"

I heard a faint "No."

"So you broadcast a picture of my genitals all over the neighborhood, is that correct?"

"Just to the wives of the men who saw what you call a needle dick. Most of the men are envious and the women are all jealous of me. I did it for you dear. I made them all promise that they would not show it to their husbands. I knew you wouldn't want any man to see you that way."

"Well thank you for that. Gees', I don't know what to think now."

Cindy giggled, "Be proud. I know Rich would have been."

"We'll talk about this later." I turned back to the kitchen, shaking my head.

Rich was grinning. "It is hard to keep ahead of a woman, isn't it?" Now I grinned a little at the situation, myself.

"Open us another beer. I'm going to go put on my outfit." I went out and around to the deck and came into my bedroom from there. I donned the whole outfit and was dressed just as I was the night that Rich was here. I positioned myself and I could see Rich lounging in the doorway. I could see the baby was asleep on the couch between the two women. I nodded to him.

In a loud voice, he exclaimed and pointed, "Look Cindy."

I spoke in a gruff voice immediate after he had the words out of his mouth. "Me, Kemo Sabe." Cindy ducked and rolled onto the floor. Melanie knew what to expect at some point, but she still flinched. Both pistols were drawn and I held that pose until Cindy was sitting on the couch again. Then I walked out into the room. With my Stetson on, I must have looked larger than life.

"Cindy, just think if you were pretty drunk and you looked up and saw him standing there, and then he fired one of those big pistols and ordered you out of your clothes while saying you were going to die. Do you wonder I was rattled enough to smash up my car?"

"Cindy, believe it. He did almost the same thing to me. I about peed my panties."

"I can believe it."

Rich and Cindy didn't stay late. Cindy wanted to get the baby home and to bed. I tackled Melanie when they had gone. "You actually took one of those nude pictures of me and showed it to some women. What in hell were you thinking?"

"Brad, I just wanted you to get beyond what was bothering you. It worked. The women all got after their husbands about it. As I said before, I was proud of what you had and wanted other people to know it was all mine."

"If that asshole hadn't altered the photograph in the first place, it wouldn't have been necessary."

"Damn it, don't go back to that. You forgave him and that ended it."

"I did, but I still think he is an asshole. I don't like him any better now than I did before. I only did it to save you from some scandal. Think about this, how about I take some nude pictures of you and show them around to the men. How would you feel about that?"

"Go ahead, I'm not ashamed of my body. In fact I'm proud of it."

I was shaking my head in disbelief. Melanie and I had been married four years. Right now, she didn't seem like the same person she was when I married her. I decided to tone it down. "What's this about us planning a baby? I thought you did not want children until you were past thirty. I was tickled to hear you say that."

"I haven't changed my mind. I just said that as a way to stay in the conversation. No way do I want my boobs all stretched out the way Cindy's are. I may decide not to have any kids at all. If you want kids, you should be married to Cindy. She claims she wants at least three and wouldn't mind four. Poor Rich didn't want this one, but Cindy went off birth control without telling him. She'll be lucky if he is around for the second one."

"Poor Rich--that sounds as if you were in agreement with him. I'll tell you this. You stay away from him. I don't like him and I don't want you near him."

"I'll be around him if I want. You may be my husband, but you can't tell me who to be friends with."

"You're entirely too friendly with him already. No more."

"Says you!" Melanie stomped into the bedroom and I heard the door slam. When I went up after the late news, I found the door locked. I went into the other bedroom and went to sleep. In the morning, Melanie was waking me up.

"Brad what you must think of me? I locked the door and then I fell asleep. I am so sorry and I will think about having a baby sometime. I really am sorry and I didn't mean to shut you out. Would you like to fool around? We usually do on Saturday night. We just missed this one."

So, we fooled around. Nothing was settled, and I was sure with Melanie being so adamant last night about not having children, I probably would never have any. I didn't bring up the subject the rest of the day on Sunday. We did profess that we loved each other and we both went out the door to work on Monday. Something between us had changed, but it was something I couldn't define. Time will tell.

Melanie's summer job ended 20 August. I took a week's vacation and at the end of the week, I had another reenactment. We were together until then and had a wonderful time together. Melanie said she guessed she would skip it, as she had to get her school clothes ready. This time I won first prize in the fast draw contest. School commenced and we settled into the routine the same as we always did.

"Honey, would you mind if I rode back and forth with Rich? We finish class at the same time. Then we spend an hour or so getting our class ready for the following day. We often come out the front entrance the same time."

"What does Cindy say?"

"It was at her suggestion."

"I guess it is okay. Sure go ahead."

I always got home an hour before my wife. If it was a good day, I grabbed a beer and sat on the front porch. Cindy usually was pushing Annie up to the little grocery on the corner about this time. Eventually she would stop and talk and soon she was picking up the baby and sitting on the porch with me. I offered her a beer, but she declined.

A couple of times she was still there when Rich and Melanie arrived from school. They joked about us hanging out together. Rich had got his Firebird repaired and there was never room enough to put the stroller in it. "Offer me a beer and I'll push it down after dinner."

"You're on." Melanie showed a jealous streak and accused me of flirting with Cindy.

"Never happen. It is a long walk to the store and she is tired when she is on the way back. It gives her a chance to rest for a minute."

"Well you watch out, Buster."

This soon ended as Cindy inherited her folk's house when they downsized. She and Rich moved twenty-five miles away. Rich kept his job and commuted the distance. Melanie was out of sorts over this, saying she never bonded with other teachers and didn't have someone to joke with anymore. Why did Cindy have to spoil things?

I didn't say anything, but I missed the easy camaraderie I had with my neighbor Cindy, as well.

It was warm for a day in October. I was on the porch having a beer. My cell chirped. "Me, Kemo Sabe."

I recognized the voice. "Hi Cindy. I can't break the habit. I'm right where you saw me the last time. Want a beer?"

"I wish I was there and I'd drink one with you. Brad I wanted to talk to you. Is Melanie coming home from school the same time she used to?"

"Pretty much. She is late an hour or sometimes two one day a week. Something about a class she has to attend on disciplining the students. Why do you ask?"

"I found faint lipstick on Rich's shorts when I was doing the wash this week. Rich and Melanie have always had a thing for each other so I was just wondering."

"Let me guess you washed on Wednesday."

"Yes."

"Her late day is always on Tuesday. What are we going to do about it if they are getting together? We don't know it is Melanie even."

"I know. You know the last car rally is Saturday, November 3. Rich is going with his Firebird and it is in your town. Can you watch and see if they pair up?"

"I can't Cindy. I'm going to be out of town that weekend at a conference."

"Damn, that kills that plan. I'll have to think of something else."

"You think they will pair up?"

"I don't have any proof, but, yes I do."

"Cindy, I hope not. What would you do if we found out they were cheating?"

"Divorce his ass, most likely. I would be all right financially. I have money in my own right that Rich can't touch. What about you? It will just about kill me if he is cheating."

"If I went through a divorce, I'd lose half of everything, I believe."

"I'd just have to share with you then wouldn't I?"

"Cindy, don't joke around. Anyway, I'm sure you are wrong about our spouses."

"I hope so. I'll call you tomorrow if I think of some way to find out about them."

Cindy called and had no plan. "Cindy if you think they are really cheating, I can have the bedroom bugged."

"I do think they are and I'll pay."

"That's not necessary."

"I wish you were home where we could catch them together."

"I can't get out of this conference. I tell you what. Would you like to borrow my Lone Ranger suit? I can lend it to you as an excuse to be here in town. I'll send you a key to the house and you can pick it up at your convenience. That way you could come in check for both of us."

"The guns, too?"

"Yes, but there are only blanks in the shell belt. Even those are dangerous if you are too close or hit someone in the face."

"I'll remember that."

I mentioned in passing to Melanie that someone was coming by to borrow my Lone Ranger suit, but I didn't know when. I was turning away from Melanie so she wouldn't question who I had lent it to.

I mailed Cindy a copy of my house key the next day and called a friend to put a camera lead in both bedrooms and a sound pickup in the living room. The receiver was in the cellar to record the action if there was any. I hoped I would only get Melanie preparing for bed--alone.

A week before I was to leave, there was a half-page ad about the Classic Car Rally. I asked Melanie if Rich were coming to the rally. "That Firebird of his might win a prize."

"He hasn't said that he was. Do you want me to ask him if I see him?"