Chapter 1

I'm Joe Harper and have been an over the road truck driver for the past eighteen years. After the death of my father I inherited enough money so I was able to buy my own rig.

Before becoming a truck driver I worked for the trucking company in the warehouse and moved the trucks into the loading docks as well as loading and unloading them. They wouldn't hire me as an over the road driver because of the cost of insurance on me, even though they knew I could drive the big rigs.

Once I became an independent driver and had my own rig they didn't hesitate having me drive. The money was good, but I was always away from home. That was the drawback on being a long-haul truck driver but I loved my job. I learned how to drive from my dad. He drove for thirty years till he passed away from cancer. He and my mother had been divorced for years.

She was remarried and moved out of state. When they divorced I was a teenager, and I chose to live with my dad. My Mom didn't want a lot to do with me after that. I see her maybe once a year. I do send her a Mother's Day card, that's about it.

I got married while I still worked in the warehouse. I was twenty at the time and my wife Marge was twenty-one. She went to college for two years and got a job as a secretary. In the following two years both of our daughters were born. We named them Barbara, who we called Babs, and Bethany who I called Beth.

Marge decided to be a stay at home mom until the girls started school and then she got a job as secretary in a large law firm.

When driving, which was most of the time, I would be on the road for an average of four days, sometimes more. I could stay home as many days as I wanted since I had my own rig but to make the big money I needed to be on the road.

Needless to say, it made for a rough home life. I always tried to do as much as I could with the family when I was home. It just didn't work out. We were only married nine years when Marge asked for a divorce.

Our sex life when I was home was great. Even after the girls were born I know we made love every day I was home. Marge never told me no, or that she had a headache. She even told me that it wasn't about sex. It was about wanting a more fulfilling life.

My problem was the more I worked, the more money I could bring home and get things for the family. I guess it was a choice; she could have me at home or have all the material things she wanted. She never did tell me which she preferred.

To be honest I would have to say that I might have made the wrong choice. Even though I loved my job, I really loved Marge. She was right when she said I wasn't there for them. She said she spent more time at her parents than she did at home. At least at their house she had adult people to talk to.

Marge's parents didn't care for me a whole lot. They thought I should have given up driving and spent more time home with my family. They would often berate me in front of Marge and the girls. It often started arguments. Since it was her parents I often didn't talk back but left their house. They never offered to help with child support and the groceries, if I stayed home and had a lower paying job. Besides, I wanted to take care of my own family.

Unfortunately driving truck was all I knew. We already had kids so I couldn't give up driving and go to college. How could I support them? Besides, I wasn't the brightest bulb in the box.

As I talked to her about maybe cutting back my hours and spending a little more time at home she let me have it; the truth. She told me she had found someone else who was a lot more dependable and would be there for her and the girls.

It hurt, it really did. I was angry but I was as mad at myself as I was Marge. Getting married so young and starting a family wasn't an easy thing. I wasn't brought up in a loving two-parent household. I fended for myself a lot.

I had to pay a large amount of child support, which I didn't mind because I loved my girls. I saw them every time I was home. I would usually have them for two days before going back on the road. I made sure they went to school and we enjoyed our time together.

I never met Marge's boyfriend till after our divorce. I was surprised the divorce went through so quickly. I didn't fight it: what good would that have done? I just took the stuff I wanted, cause I didn't need much and got a decent apartment.

After the divorce, Marge married her boyfriend that she met where she worked. He was an attorney. It shouldn't have been a surprise seeing she saw him every day and me a couple of days every two weeks. His name was Mark. He was recently divorced; I found out later that his wife had found out he had been cheating on her and it was with my wife.

When I first met him I thought I would really hate him but I didn't. He seemed like a regular guy, until he apologized for sleeping with Marge. How lame is that? Hitting him wouldn't have solved any problems anyway but would have created a few more. I did believe through karma or whatever he would eventually get payback.

Marge got the house in the divorce along with the house payments. She didn't get any alimony because it was easy to prove adultery seeing she admitted it, besides she married Mark two months after the divorce was final.

I moved out and he moved in. I told Marge I would never step foot back in the house again. It may seem a little funny but I still had feelings for her and I believe she did for me also.

Whenever I talked with the girls, they told me Mark was good to them and treated them nice but that I was still their dad. Life went on for all of us. As I mentioned I was spending more and more time on the road. I was now gone sometimes for a two weeks at a time, but tried to take two days in a row off to be with my daughters.

I lived in a two-bedroom apartment, one for me and one for the girls when they spent the night. It wasn't overly fancy since I could care less about decorating it but I did keep it clean. It was a nice apartment and the facility had a pool and a hot tub for the tenants. I would spend some of my free time sitting at poolside while the girls swam. It was just nice being near them.

As far as Marge goes, I never stepped foot in the house after I left. I talked to her out front or on the phone. One day about a year after the divorce, she asked me why we couldn't be friends, at least for the girls' sake.

"Marge, you cheated on me while we were still married and making love. If you would have told me you were unhappy with me sexually maybe I could have done something about it."

"Joe, I wasn't dissatisfied with you sexually. In fact you are twice the lover that Mark is and I miss having sex with you."

"What? So you want to have sex with me?" I asked, surprised.

"No, I couldn't do that to Mark," she replied. "I would still like to be friends. You could visit with us or at least sit with us at the girls' events."

"That's bullshit! That sucks! You had no problem cheating on me! As far as being friends goes, no way! I will stay cordial to you for the sake of the girls." I left, knowing I still had feelings for her, but she made a fool out of me. I could never forget that.

I saw the girls less and less as they got older. They would stop by to see me, but they were busy with school stuff and meeting new friends. Sometimes they would bring their girlfriends over to swim.

If I was at home and the girls had any school activities to go to I would be there. I never sat with Marge, it would have been too awkward. The girls were into softball and volleyball. They were pretty darn good and I was proud of them.

Most of the time at the games I would see Marge with her sister Gloria. She was a pretty good looker also. Gloria and I have become good friends in the last couple of years but more on that later.