Chapter 14: The Fates Intervene

We had decided to stop at Dory's house first and let her parents know about our engagement. It seemed the right thing to do. I already knew we had their approval if Simone's comments were any indication.

"Hi, Mom, we're back," Dory called as we walked in the front door. I didn't hear a response, but a few seconds later Simone came out of the kitchen area and into the living room. She looked different.

"Mom ... are you all right?" Dory asked, seeing what I could now see. Her mother was red-eyed and looking very unhappy. She was shaking her head.

"No ... I'm not, dear," she admitted wearily, hugging her daughter to her.

"What's wrong? Where's Dad?"

"He's gone, Dory. He's left. We had a big fight and he left."

"Why, Mom? Why?"

"He's been seeing another woman. He's been cheating on me. I told him he had to choose. He ... he didn't choose me," she said, breaking down in tears.

"Oh, Mom. I'm so sorry. Why would he do that? You love each other. I know that for sure."

"I thought so too, but I was wrong. This other woman ... she's younger, sexier. I can't compete with that."

I felt like a spectator and I was almost about to leave them, giving them some privacy. Dory must have sensed that.

"Mom ... is this about the parties? The swap club?"

The look on her mother's face was one of complete shock.

"You know! How? How long have you known?" she said between sobs.

"A long time, Mom. Stevie and I both know."

"But you didn't say anything. What must you think of us?" she wailed.

"Mom, it's too late for that. Stevie and I thought about it for a long time. As long as it didn't interfere with your marriage and our home, we just kept it to ourselves. We didn't like it and we wouldn't do it, but we weren't going to interfere."

"Oh, I feel awful. You've known all this time and didn't say anything."

"What if we had? What would have happened? Would it have stopped Dad from cheating on you?"

"I don't know. I think it's been going on for a while and I was too blind to see it. When I discovered it, he said it was just a fling and he'd stop ... but he didn't. I caught him again this week and I told him to leave."

"Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry. This is so wrong. Do you know who this woman is?"

"Yes. She's one of the women that come to the parties. She's single. I can't believe she's serious about Bobby, but he's infatuated with her. She's barely your age."

"Is her name Merilee?" I asked, getting a sinking feeling.

"Yes ... how did you know?"

"It's a long story. I know her parents were involved in the parties and I know she was too because she told me so. It's hard to imagine she'd do this with the consent of her parents, but then, it's just as hard to believe she'd be involved with them in the first place."

"You know her?" Simone asked me. I could almost read her mind. She knew who Merilee was. The question in both our minds was: could I do anything about this situation?

"Yes, I dated her once. She's a real chameleon. She appears like a nice, quiet, co-ed on the outside, but obviously something very different on the inside. I didn't like what I learned about her, so I stayed away. She is very attractive and I can see why men would be drawn to her, but I think she's messed up in the head. She'd have to be to live two different lives."

"Do you think there's a chance she might be persuaded to leave Bobby alone?" Simone asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "If she's done this deliberately, then I'd say no. If it's just a fling like your husband said, then maybe. I'm going to call her and see what I can find out. She can't hurt me and she's already done enough damage to your family. It may be that I can't convince her, but I'm going to give it a try."

"Thank you, Steve. Whatever happens, thank you for trying. I'm so happy you and Dory are back together again," she said, smiling for the first time.

I wondered just how smart I was volunteering to get involved in this mess. It could turn very ugly if I wasn't careful. I was lost in those thoughts until Dory spoke up.

"Mom, Stevie and I are engaged. He asked me and I've said yes. It won't be right away, so don't panic. We're waiting to see what happens about my job applications."

"Oh ... that's wonderful. I can't think of anyone I'd rather see Dory marry than you, Steve. I'm very happy for both of you," she said, hugging her daughter and then me. "I hope I'll be included in the wedding planning."

"Of course. We haven't told his parents yet, so that's next. It will probably be sometime later this summer before we decide when, so there's no rush."

"Oh, you don't know how good this makes me feel," Simone said, genuinely happy for us. "I know you're going to have a long and happy life. And I'll be waiting for grandchildren to spoil too." Despite the tears, I was sure her smile and her happiness were genuine.

"I'm going to go with Stevie to his home to tell them now, Mom. I'll be back later on."

"Okay, Dear. I'll be here. Bring your bag in and I'll get started on the laundry."

"I'll get it," I volunteered, anxious to give them a few private moments.

When I returned, both women were in tears again, hugging each other closely.

"Do you really think you can talk to Merilee, Stevie?" Dory asked as we drove to my home.

"I don't know. I think she's trouble and your father probably doesn't realize it. I'm just wondering if her parents know about this. If they don't, they soon will."

Our greeting at my home was a good deal more upbeat. Dad wasn't home from work yet, but Mom, Nana and Pam were all present to welcome us back.

"Well, Mother, Nana, Pam, I have an announcement to make," I said with a big smile. "Dory and I are engaged."

The response was unanimous. "It's about time," they chorused, after which we were showered with congratulations.

"Hey, I'm finally going to get a big sister to go with my big brother. Isn't that great?" Pam enthused.

"I think the most important thing is that my son is going to marry a very lovely young woman who will make him happy." Mom was blinking back some tears at the time.

"Welcome to the family, Dory," Nana said as she hugged her. "You're going to make me a great-grandmother I hope."

"More than once, if we're lucky," Dory said, her upset and sorrow over her parents pushed to the back for a while.

My father arrived a few minutes later and was greeted immediately by Mom with the news. He was equally happy for us. That was the unanimous consent that we all hope for when events like this take place. Two happy families. Well, one-and-a-half, at least.

I was going to suggest we invite Simone over for dinner, but Dory thought it might be too soon. She wanted to go back home and be with her mother and give her moral support for a while. I couldn't argue that and asked her to wait while I made a phone call first.

"Hello, is this Mrs. White?"

"Yes, who's calling please?"

"My name is Steve Black and I'm a friend of Simone and Bobby Paulson. I'm sure you know them."

"Yes," she answered cautiously. "What's this about?"

"Are you aware that your daughter, Merilee, is having an affair with Bobby Paulson and that they have been conducting this affair for some time?"

"No! That's not true. She wouldn't do that. Why are you calling me about this?"

I'd weighed my options in talking to either Shirley White or Merilee and decided this direct and threatening approach would be the most effective. I just hoped I could pull it off. The truth was, I didn't have very much leverage with Merilee, so I was better off talking to her mother.

"Your daughter has convinced Mr. Paulson to leave his wife and be with her. I'm sure you wouldn't want her to be the cause of a messy and public divorce ... with all the gory details of how they met coming out."

"What do you mean, 'gory details?'"

"I mean the monthly swap meet club you and she attend in West Vancouver."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, trying to sound indignant.

"Mrs. Paulson certainly does, Mrs. White. I suggest that if you want to maintain some secrecy and privacy about your activities that you cooperate and convince your daughter that breaking up the home of a long time member of the club probably wouldn't go down very well with the other members. They could see that as a threatening move."

"Who are you and why are you involved in this?" she asked, still trying to keep her cool.

"As I said, I'm Steve Black. I went to school with Merilee and I know the Paulson family because I am aware of their involvement with the club. I'm also engaged to their daughter and she's aware as well. You might ask yourself if we found out about it, how many others might know?"

There was a silence on the line for several seconds before she responded.

"Very well," she said meekly, "I'll talk to my husband about it. If you're telling me the truth, I won't be happy with our daughter. We'll deal with it, trust me."

"I hope so, Mrs. White. I'm sure neither you nor the members would want your activities to become public knowledge."

I hoped that not-so-veiled threat would get her to do what was necessary to deal with Merilee. As far as I knew, Merilee had no job and no way to support herself. If she were isolated from Bobby, she'd pretty much have to toe the line at home. At least, that was my hope.