When the Bastard is a Nice Guy

Just so you know dear readers, this is a work of fiction.

I wrote it for fun and I hope you read it for fun!

It has an Australian context, so I apologise to those who don’t understand, ‘Stralian’!

Many have commented on my propensity to not end my stories to their satisfaction, but that is how I usually write, leaving the reader to imagine. I hope in this story, I have given those readers enough closure to satisfy them!

Enjoy!

When The Bastard Is A Nice Guy

Before the marriage:

She was into sales when he first met her. He had come home from college and was spending the summer holidays with his folks. It was his first year at uni and he didn’t do the usual student escape to the beach. He loved his parents and decided to spend the holidays with them. Besides, he kind of owed them. They were after all, paying his tuition fees.

The doorbell rang and he raced downstairs to open it. There, in glorious splendour was an angel. – Carrying a cane basket. -With an Avon badge. “Hi. I’m Melinda, your local Avon representative. Is the lady of the house at home?” Ben was speechless. “Umm, sure. I’ll get my mum. Mum, it’s Melinda, the Avon representative,” he yelled up the stairs.

“Right Ben. Be down in a minute. Ask her in.”

“OK. Umm, come in Melinda. I’ll take you to the lounge.” Ben showed her the way and they both sat down. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was impeccably dressed and made up as if she was ready for a night on the town, not in a slutty way, but in a professional way, as if she was off to an opera performance. Her long brown hair was carefully tied back. The shadow she used on her eyes accentuated the greenness of them. It was these eyes which stared back at him with a hint of amusement.

“So, do you often take to staring speechlessly at women, umm Ben, was it?” Melinda asked with a hint of a smile.

“Umm. No. Oh sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. Yes, it is Ben. It’s just that you surprised me. I wasn’t expecting someone like you at the door. Oh God. That didn’t sound right, did it? When I say that, I mean, you really are very beautiful and it took me by surprise. Sorry.”

By this time Melinda was having trouble holding back her chuckles. “It’s OK Ben. I am usually greeted by the women of the houses I visit. Most of them know me, but this is a new neighbourhood for me. I am expanding my area. I dress like this so that I can sell my products more easily. I am, after all, selling beauty products.” She then paused and seemed to stare at Ben in the same way he was staring at her so embarrassingly before. This time she seemed a little uncomfortable. “So how come you are here? Do you go to LittleMount High?”

“No. I used to, but now I am studying accounting and business at Perth Uni. First year. I am just home for the summer vacation.

At that point, Mary, Ben’s mum, came in. She briefly studied the two youngsters and greeted Melinda. “Hi, I’m Mary Jefferson, Ben’s mum. And you’re?”

“Hi Mary. I’m Melinda and I’ll be your Avon representative,” stated Melinda as she stood to shake Mary’s hand. “It’s lovely to meet you. I hope I can interest you in some of our new products, but if not, I will leave a brochure behind and see you again next week.” They both sat down beside each other on the larger lounge seat and left Ben sitting rather awkwardly on his own. This was women’s business and he was way out of his league.

The two women were discussing in depth the pros and cons of some sort of lipstick which Melinda magically produced from her cane basket. There followed a similar process with a whole range of beauty products which, again, Melinda produced from her basket. It seemed that she had samples of the whole catalogue in that basket.

“She must have everything in there,” Ben mused. “It must take some effort lugging that basket around the streets and still look so perfect.”

Mary interjected his thoughts. “Ben, could you get us some cool water. Melinda, I’ll take each of these,” she said as she isolated some of the products.

“Mary what usually happens is that you order them with me now and I will get them from my supplier. I will then deliver them next week, along with the new catalogue. I aim to visit each week, especially during the school break.”

Ben couldn’t help thinking, “She’s going to be here again next week? Cool!”

The ladies said their goodbyes and Ben led Melinda to the door.

“Maybe see you again next week Ben,” Melinda said with a hint of promise. “I’ll try not to surprise you so much then.”

“Umm, sure Melinda. Sorry about my rudeness. It’s a d… See you then.” He closed the door before he could embarrass himself further as she walked back down the path. Ben stared at her through the glass door insert as she rounded the gate to the next house. Her ass looked divine. Actually, all of her looked divine. She was dressed and made up to look like a professional businesswoman with all the confidence in the world. It was the cane basket which was the anomaly. Yet she must be almost the same age as himself. He was nineteen, so she must be eighteen, if she was not yet at Uni. Melinda seemed to pause suddenly and glance back to Ben’s house. “Did she just do that?” Ben thought.

“She seems like a lovely girl,” Mary called out. “I think she will do very well in this neighbourhood. It is great that she carries all of the items in the sales catalogue. Sometimes it’s hard buying something just from the small picture in a brochure. I tell you, she has the poise and confidence of a real saleswoman and the looks to go with it.” Mary glanced knowingly at Ben, “Don’t you think?” she laughed. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off her the whole time she was here. I think I even saw your tongue hang out and a bit of drool escaping your lips!” This time she was in full on gasping chuckles.

“Yes, umm. Oh, come on mum. I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

“Just joking son. She is very pretty though. I am sure you will meet her again next week. She said she walks this neighbourhood every Tuesday, in case you’re interested.” Again, the chuckles as she disappeared upstairs, leaving Ben to his thoughts. Thoughts of an angel named Melinda.

The week dragged on. Ben had promised to take care of all of the yard work while he was at home. His parents also had a wish list with myriads of maintenance-type projects for him to complete if possible. He attacked these with vigour. Although he was a ‘booky’ type of kid when he was younger, he was always by his dad’s side when he was fixing this, or mending that. This gave him a set of hands-on skills which came in very useful at times. At uni, he was actually known as, ‘Mr Fixit’. Many of his friends would come to him if their bikes needed fixing, or their bed needed adjusting. His own bed didn’t need adjusting, however. His friends approached the whole freedom of uni life with gusto, dating every person at will and sleeping with anyone willing. Ben focussed on his studies. His parents worked hard to pay for his tuition and he felt honour bound to not waste their money and trust. Not that he was a saint. He dated some women and even had sex with a couple, but it wasn’t why he was there. He managed to keep the new-found freedom in perspective.

He was up a ladder, hot and sweaty, cleaning the front gutters, when the angel appeared again.

“Hi Ben,” she said from behind him.

It was all he could do to not fall off the ladder as he turned to face her. “Oh, hi Melinda,” he replied. “Mum’s inside. I’ll go get her.” He managed to climb down the ladder with some dignity and face Melinda.

“I surprised you again, didn’t I?” she asked amusingly. “I promised that I wouldn’t do that this time. Sorry.”

“Yes, you did. But it was a pleasant surprise.” Ben couldn’t believe that he just said that. She seemed to like what he said however and Ben felt emboldened. After his mum and Melinda had completed their business, Ben met Melinda as she was leaving. “Umm, Melinda, I hear that the ‘Extras’ café sells the best cream donuts in town. Could I take you there one day?” Ben could feel the blood draining from his face as he asked the question.

Melinda looked at his eyes for just the shortest second, smiled the most beautiful smile that Ben had ever seen, and answered, “Why sure, kind sir. Here is my phone number. Call me next week. This week I am fairly busy with my street rounds.” She gave Ben a card, all printed very professionally, with her details. Melinda Hines, Avon Representative, 0403178211.

Ben took the card as if it was a precious treasure. He was still looking at it when Melinda exited the yard. A brief glance back and that smile again and she was gone.

“Pretty smooth move Romeo,” stated Mary.

“Mum! Were you listening to that?

“Yep. Good move though. She is a wonderful young lady. I see a very determined, hard-working girl. She is going places. I can tell. I would advise you not to let that one go.” With a loud chuckle, Ben’s mum disappeared into the house, leaving Ben dumbfounded, yet excited, clutching the card.

The first date went very well. Ben and Melinda hit it off from the very start. The first date progressed to a second, then a third and soon they were inseparable. Melinda always made it clear though, that she was devoting time to her selling. Many times, Ben was put to the side while Melinda pursued her business aspirations. It became a normal aspect of their relationship. Ben was not phased by this trait in Melinda. He actually admired her determination and perseverance to succeed at what she set her heart on.

The summer holidays ended and Ben returned to uni. Melinda entered uni also, studying business management and economics. She chose these as necessary pre-requisites to a career in high end business. She wanted to go places. Her relationship with Ben only deepened over that year and they both realised that their relationship was going to result in marriage. Melinda’s mum had died during that last year at uni, which made it a very difficult time for her. Her strength and determination, again, carried her through, along with Ben’s emotional support and love. Ben had started at a local LittleMount accounting firm, learning the business. Ben proposed to Melinda just before she graduated. Of course, the answer was, ‘Yes’, delighting all of Ben’s family.

The Honeymoon phase:

The wedding was a joyous affair. Everyone there witnessed the love and devotion that these two had for each other. “She’s a keeper Ben,” Mary whispered to Ben as he watched his bride mingle around the hall. “Do right by her, or I’ll have your balls!”

“Mum! There’s no need to talk like that. I love her like nothing else. Of course, I’ll do right by her. You and Dad brought me up to always do the right thing. What do you expect?”

“I’m proud of you Ben, as is your Dad. If he was still with us, he would tell you so to your face. You did well to choose her. Now go join your bride.” There were tears of joy in Mary’s eyes as she turned and found some distant relatives to catch up with. Ben reminded her so much of her long dead husband.

The next two years were hectic for the young married couple. Ben put in the hours required to finally start to get good at his job. Very good in fact. Even after such a short time, some of his colleagues hinted that he could start up on his own and do very well if he so chose. Melinda also was progressing up the ranks of management in her career. These advances had a cost. They were constantly tired. However, the strength of their love and their basic common sense allowed them to weather this storm. Often on a Saturday night, they would be sitting, cuddling on the lounge, when they would just burst out laughing at the week that had just passed. This was their way of dealing with the stresses of each of their prospective careers. Of course, regular sessions of tender love making also released the stress valves and re-affirmed their devotion to each other.

It was during one of these de-stress cuddle sessions, or ‘high-powered executive centring activities’ as Melinda jokingly called them, that they both started to say, simultaneously, “Babe, we need to talk.”

The talk:

They fell into stunned silence at their obvious synchronicity.

Melinda broke the silence first. “Ben, I have been offered a promotion.”

“Wow Love. That was quick. What is it to? I also have something to discuss with you, but you carry on first.”

“It is a senior management position. My boss called me in to his office today and couldn’t sing my praises loudly enough. He said that in all of his years, he has never seen such a determined, skilled employee. He continued to say that the company was expanding to the East Coast and that it needed someone like me to drive it there.” She paused. Her green eyes only seemed to sparkle a deeper shade of green at her excitement.

Ben’s eyes were teary with pride for his beautiful, talented wife.

“My boss also said that if you and I wanted to have children, to do it now because this position would only demand more and more of my time.” Again, she paused to let the enormity of that statement settle in. “There is a two year lead into this position, so…”

“Melinda, Melinda, that is wonderful news. I have wanted us to start a family for some time and I know you have too. I know of the perfect time to start!” The smile in Ben’s eyes hinted at a night of unbridled love-making, this time with no condoms. Melinda melted into his arms. She knew that look and loved it.

Even with all of the joy and excitement that the news brought, there was a hint of sadness in Melinda’s eyes. Ben picked up on it straight away. “What’s up Babe? Is there something else?”

Melinda looked Ben square in the eyes and said in a low voice, “There is a cost Ben. It will mean I have to split my time between here in LittleMount and Sydney. It is a two week rotation. I will be away a lot and with children, that is going to be hard on both of us, but particularly you.” The last statement was said with a deep sigh of resignation, almost as if this fantastic career opportunity would not happen.

“Melinda, my love. This can happen. My news is that I have looked into starting up my own accounting firm which would operate here from our home. My boss gave his blessing to my aspirations, saying that although he would be sad to see me go, he could see that I could make a great start and that if I specialised more, he could throw consultation work to me. Don’t you see, with Mum’s help, the children will be fine. I want you to fly my wonderful, determined, talented dove.”

Melinda dissolved into tears. Gasping tears of joy. Her loving husband wanted what was best for her and was willing to sacrifice a heap to make it happen. That night was a joyful, intense expression of their love and devotion to each other as well as an excited hope that their family had begun to expand.

The bad news:

It didn’t.

The doctors were dumbfounded as to why a young couple such as themselves were unable to conceive. God help them, they tried so much that the physical act of having sex became a chore. Very few were the times that they actually made love. Sex was an act determined by body temperature, menstrual cycle timings and moon phases! Fertility drugs were administered and eventually abandoned.

Finally, the myriad of medical specialists came to an agreement. Melinda and Ben would not be able to conceive a baby.

This devastated both of them. They were worn out to their core. Melinda often dissolved into tears and many the night, Ben just held her as she processed the fact that she would never be a mum. Ben did not know what to do. He comforted her when she was sad and held her tight when she gasped those sad sighs of resignation. He was also feeling the pain of never being a dad.

This lasted for two months when suddenly, Melinda woke one morning and a new determined look crossed her face. She bore a straight, confident look and showed the same steely deep green eyes she once held when she was determined to succeed at one of her goals.

“Ben, I am going ahead with the senior exec job. I will tell my boss that as of next week, I will begin.” She finished her statement and looked strangely at Ben. He could see the instant change in her and while it frightened him a little, because of her total lack of consultation with him, he admired the fact that she had overcome her sadness and emerged into that determined, confident person that he knew so well. He sensed that it would be a new beginning for their relationship, but, hey, that’s what he signed up for when he made those all-important vows way back when.

“I love you Melinda. Welcome back. You know I will support you with whatever it takes.” She cried tears of joy as she held Ben tightly. This hug lasted forever until with a sharp intake of breath and a squaring of her shoulders, she left for work.

Then followed a period of intense training for Melinda and lots of comforting hugs from Ben. He had made the leap into establishing his own business from home and was pleasantly surprised at the positive feedback he received. Within the short time that it took Melinda to fully embrace her new role, he was well and truly onto a firm path with his own accounting business. The extra hours that Melinda was forced to spend training and familiarising was used by Ben to expand his own business. Whilst their time together was diminishing, they both felt secure in their relationship. Both being very pragmatic people allowed them the common sense to appreciate the time they had together without feeling neglected or bitter. The elephant in the room was always the lack of parenthood, however. After so much heartache, it almost became a written rule to not bring up that subject. The future was their goal. Ben in his business and Melinda in her role as a high-end executive.

A new phase:

Then the night of the big announcement came. They were both settled into a rare at-home dinner, when Melinda quietly stated, “Ben, love, it is time for me to spend time in Sydney. The boss says I am ready to take on the big guns in that town on behalf of the company.”

Now, Perth is not a small town. It is a city known as the western outpost of Australia. It is the hub of the immense iron ore industry among others, which are situated in Western Australia. But Sydney is where all of the real action is. Sydney is the centre of all of the huge export industries. Wine, Coal, iron ore, sugar, wool, along with numerous other primary industries, all have their head offices there. If a company wanted to make it for real, they would need to have a strong presence in Sydney. Ben knew that as did Melinda. They both knew that the ask of Melinda would be extremely challenging. Melinda, with her natural confidence and determination to succeed, approached the task with excitement. Ben, with his unremitting love for Melinda, approached her challenge with pride.

They finished their meal and prepared for the next phase of their relationship. Melinda would spend two weeks in Sydney and two weeks in Perth. In between would be the five and a half hour flight infamously known as the ‘red-eye’. Ben was resigned to not hearing from Melinda each and every night. The two hour time difference, coupled with her penchant for long work meetings made this improbable and accepted by both of them.

Months of this schedule became the norm and they both settled into it quietly. Ben would see Melinda off at the front door as she entered the taxi to the airport. They both would be dreary-eyed, worn out by the night of intense love-making prior to Melinda’s departure. The sex shared on that one night had to last over the next two weeks and they both approached the task with vigour and passion. Phone calls between them would be fairly brief and at irregular hours as determined by Melinda’s schedule in Sydney. These calls were enough to maintain a comfortable intimacy while Melinda was away. On her return, the taxi would arrive and Melinda would disappear into bed for at least twelve hours after hugging and kissing her husband. The ‘red-eye’ flight always had this effect on her and it wouldn’t be until her second night home, that they would again fuck like bunnies, followed by a long period of love-making, re-establishing their closeness and love for each other. Melinda would then emerge into her role at the Perth office of the company. Ben’s business now had a very firm client base and he was becoming well-known amongst the Perth accounting firms as a reliable and knowledgeable entity in the field of forensic accounting.

Their lives were progressing nicely. The finances were excellent. Their group of friends were always there to support them and be a never-ending source of companionship and fun. The children of these friends were eagerly swamped by Melinda and Ben in order to fulfill their unfulfilled desire for children of their own.

To this group of friends, their work situation was slightly strange, but as long as they both seemed to be managing it, no one commented.

Perfect, perfect, perfect.

The revelation:

Until one night three years after the two-by-two FIFO began.

Ben was at home, finishing off some household financial tasks when something caught his eye. Melinda had just left for Sydney. He was after all, a forensic accountant, and a well-renowned one at that. He noticed a statement which had been mailed to his wife. So, nothing strange there, right? Except the it was mailed to a MISS Melinda Hines. That was her maiden name. She hadn’t used that name to his knowledge since they married. She was now MRS Melinda Jefferson. The statement was for a credit card which, again, was in her maiden name and it displayed a great number of items for restaurants, hotels and clothes shops.

The address on the front was somewhere in Sydney. This address was crossed out as it was obviously wrong and a ‘Return to Sender’ note written in. Ben again looked at the mailing address and realised that it had been re-directed to her company head office in Perth which again re-directed it to this address. He realised that the Sydney address had been incorrect by two unit numbers. The owners of that unit must have known where Melinda worked and sent it there. Ben knew the apartment which Melinda had been living in while in Sydney. What a crazy mistake! Ben’s forensic mode did not shut down, however. He saw the expenses that were listed on the card statement and analysed them. Of the fifty-three expense items, ten were for restaurants, (ok, Melinda obviously had the need to entertain clients), twenty-four were for clothing (ok, she kept a professional wardrobe while in Sydney. She didn’t take her wardrobe backwards and forwards with her. She maintained a functioning wardrobe while there.) and the others were for a myriad of sundry small purchases. Nothing strange there.

Ben looked again at the clothing expense items. Five were from a shop called, ‘Dare to be Bare-Almost!’ Now that was different. He called up the shop on the internet and was shocked to see that it was an adult shop specialising in lingerie. The alarm bells started to ring in Ben’s head. Lingerie? Melinda? She never brought any different lingerie home. She knew that Ben really appreciated Melinda au-naturale and wasn’t really into sexy lingerie. But she obviously bought heaps of it! This needed to be investigated more carefully.

The next day, when the time difference allowed, he phoned the adult shop in question. “Hi, it’s Hilary, Dare to be Bare Almost. How can I help you?”

“Hi Hilary. I just received my bank card statement and was wondering if you could clarify something for me?”

“No problem. Just please remember we cannot divulge any private information. What would you like clarified?”

“Actually Hilary, it is on behalf of my partner, Mrs, I mean Miss Melinda Hines.”

“Oh, you mean Mel. She is a regular here. Are you John? I have often seen you here with her, but never actually met you. Mel is one sexy lady. You are a lucky man, what with the wide range of lingerie she buys here. Next time you are both in, come and introduce yourselves. I have a new range of daring black that you might be interested in.”

Ben was dumb-founded and the stammers and grunts he produced into the mouthpiece of the phone must have startled Hilary.

“Are you ok John? This is really a bad connection. Could you try phoning back? Maybe we can get a better line.”

The dial tone buzzed on for what seemed like forever. Ben carefully replaced the handset and sat heavily on his chair.

The facts played out in his mind as a mental checklist.

Melinda owns a wide range of lingerie which she never showed or shared with him.

She is a well-known customer who often shopped at ‘Dare to be Bare Almost’ adult shop.

She shopped there with a man named John.

She displayed this lingerie to this ‘John’ character.

She openly used her maiden name to own a credit card.

Ben was an idiot.

The feeling of despair and helplessness overwhelmed Ben. Part of him, the part which loved and trusted Melinda, argued in his head to remain calm and that there was a perfectly normal explanation for what was going on. The other part of him, the rational, pragmatic, forensic accountant part of him, argued that his marriage was toast. He was caught between the two angels on his shoulder. Never before had he felt so indecisive. Maybe that bottle of good Margaret River Cabernet would help!

It didn’t. In fact, all it did was allow him to fall into a drunken slumber and sleep until noon the next day. Ben was an alcohol lightweight! He stumbled into the kitchen and made a sandwich, the contents of which would remain a mystery forever. He ate like a robot, completely devoid of conscious memory. His indecisiveness again surfaced and as he was reaching for the second bottle of promising red, he realised what he was falling into. He shuddered and fell to the floor, overcome with such profound grief that his tears rolled freely for an indeterminable time. He didn’t want to believe what the accountant side of him was telling him. The facts were undeniable. He needed more proof, however.

Stifling his sobs, he phoned the apartment complex where Melinda stayed. He phoned the manager, a number which, again, he was able to get from the net.

“Hello, Bruce here. Nightshade Apartments Darling Harbour. What can I do for you?”

“Hey Bruce, mate. John here from apartment 276.”

“John! How are you mate? You sound a little different. You didn’t forget your keys again did you? I told Mel that if you keep forgetting your keys, I would have to charge you for call-out fees. Just kidding. Mind you, with a foxy wife like yours, I could probably understand a little mind numbness, know what I mean?” He chuckled. “No worries mate. Now what can I do for you?”

“No, no key problems Bruce. Just a strange question, but you have known both of us forever, right?”

“Of course mate. I was here long before you two shacked up here. I was manager here when it was just Mel. When you two got married, I was glad. That Mel sure attracted a lot of attention if you know what I mean!” again the chuckles.

“Can you remember the date that was? I mean the date we shacked up. I remember the date we were married, but I wanted to surprise Melinda, I mean Mel, with some flowers to remember our first shacking up, if you know what I mean.” This time Ben forced a chuckle.

“No worries mate. Now let me think. You married two years ago in January. I know, because I arranged the reception here at the apartment complex. I heard some comment about how it was a whirlwind six month romance. So, it must have been about June or July, two and a half years ago. Hope that helps John. I have to go. Cheers”

Ben let the phone slide from my hand.

The facts:

The list of facts was getting larger. Ben had to write them down.

Melinda owns a wide range of lingerie which she never showed or shared with him.

She is a well-known customer who often shopped at ‘Dare to be Bare Almost’ adult shop.

She shopped there with a man named John.

She displayed this lingerie to this ‘John’ character.

She openly used her maiden name to own a credit card.

Melinda began her affair two and a half years ago.

She married John two years ago.

They live together in her apartment at the Nightshade Apartments, Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Melinda is a cheating slut.

Ben is an idiot, an absolute fucking ‘A’ grade idiot.

The sad enormity of what was happening had a mind-altering effect on Ben. He was normally a calm, considered man. He didn’t let a lot bother him. He was happy with his life and his relationship with Melinda, until now that is. He suddenly became aware of a blinding hate. This was an emotion which was foreign to him. It was so foreign, that as he became more aware of it building in his gut, he physically shook and felt his blood pressure rise. The scream he let out was so guttural and so primal, he surprised even himself with its intensity. “That low, cheating whore!” he yelled at the walls. “That lying slut. How could she?”

Questions flooded his mind while his body raged. The first was the obvious, “Why? Why would she do this after all we had been through together?” The second became logistical. “How? How could she marry again when she was already married? How could she fool the Marriage Registrar into letting her get married twice?”

Ben knew with a certainty that his marriage to Melinda was over. He could never trust her again after what he had found out. His love for her, intense as it had been, was replaced by a seething hatred, equal if not more intense than his love had been. He knew he had practical considerations to take care of. He had almost two weeks left before she was due back home. Plenty of time to get things organised. He was pleased for his work status. Working from home meant that he could simply re-arrange his own schedule to take whatever time he needed.

Taking care of business:

First order was the finances. Melinda obviously had her own credit card under a different name from her married name, so he had to separate the finances into two accounts. He opened his own credit card account and savings account. It felt weird to do this, as in the past, he did everything in joint names. His business was the only entity in his own name. He transferred all of his cash into his own personal account and arranged to dissolve his business. He individually phoned each of his clients and explained the situation to them. Surprisingly, most were on board and were willing to sever their accounts with him, at least until he set up his business again after the impending divorce. He changed the beneficiaries of his superannuation account to his mum.

Next came the house. He and Melinda were joint owners, so there wasn’t much that could be done with it. He really wanted to sell it, but knew he couldn’t legally. Fortunately, it was paid off, so it would be a fifty-fifty split of any forced sale.

Her belongings? Ben decided to box all of her belongings up and have them ready to be shipped out. The receiving address was where she stayed in Sydney. He would arrange to send them on the day before she was due home. That way they would arrive there at least a week after she arrived back in Perth. She would have no idea where they went until they arrived there. She would arrive here in the Perth home to an empty house.

Ben arranged to rent an apartment in the centre of Perth. He would be closer to his client base and could still work from there when the dust settled after the divorce. All of his belongings were sent there and set up. It didn’t feel like home, but it was better than the house which now brought up sad memories and bitter feelings. Nothing was in the new apartment that would remind him of Melinda and their past life together.

Now the legal stuff. He saw a divorce lawyer and got the paperwork started so that she could be served when she arrived home. Ben knew the timing of her arrival as it never varied and let the court server do their work.

Last order of business was the bastard who ‘married’ her. He deserved some payback. Ben booked a flight to Sydney which coincided with her flight back to Perth. He would hopefully arrive in Sydney before she arrived in Perth. He needed this to happen so that she could not warn that bastard John.

The day of the flights arrived and Ben arrived in Sydney one hour after Melinda departed for Perth. Perfect. She was incommunicado for at least four more hours. He made straight for the apartment complex and requested to speak with the manager. Bruce greeted him with a curious look. “Yes mate. What seems to be the trouble?”

Ben outlined the sad tale and showed him pictures of Melinda, Melinda and him at their wedding and his own driver’s licence. Bruce was flabbergasted to say the least. “Strewth mate. This is a real shit storm. I don’t know what I can do, but I want no trouble here. Understand?”

“Bruce you’ve already done a heap, but can I ask one favour? Firstly, is John in the apartment right now? And can I get up there to meet him under some pretext? Maybe tell him that I am a prospective apartment buyer and could I preview his apartment very quickly because the one I want to buy has the same aspect? Would he buy that?”

“Ben, I have to tell you mate, that John is a really nice guy. I have spoken with him quite a bit. He is friendly and seems true blue. I don’t think he has it in him to be a bastard, especially one who would pull this sort of stunt. Just lay easy on him, alright?”

Reluctantly, Ben promised that he only wanted to talk to John, that’s all.

They made their way to apartment 276. Bruce knocked on the door and when it opened, there stood John. It surprised Ben to see that he was almost the splitting image of himself. There were obvious facial differences, but everything about him reminded Ben of himself. His stature, dress, body shape all mirrored his. His face had a gentle demeanour and when he spoke to Bruce, his voice was calm and measured. This was not what Ben expected. He expected to at least see a man who projected, ‘asshole’. He expected a smart ass with a hard cruel voice, someone dressed as an arrogant playboy. Ben was taken aback. By this time, Bruce had convinced John of the truth of their cover story and he introduced Ben to John.

Meeting the bastard:

“Ben, this is John, the co-resident of the apartment. John this is Ben.”

They shook hands and Ben immediately felt a genuineness in his handshake. It was warm, yet firm. “John, pleased to meet you. Thanks muchly for allowing me this chance to see what an apartment at this side of the building is like. I won’t take much of your time. May I quickly look around?”

“No worries Ben. This is a bit unusual, but go ahead. Sorry the lady of the house isn’t in, but she has unusual work schedules and flew out just this morning. To tell you the truth, it is probably a welcome interruption to my work day.”

“Oh. What work are you in?” Ben asked while glancing around the lounge area. What he saw took him by utter surprise. The furnishings were nearly the same as Melinda and his house in Perth. Even the photos were in the same photo frames and in the same places. He could feel his anger beginning to surface and had to fight to keep it under wraps. There was much he had to learn first and going nuts right now would not achieve anything. He barely heard John’s answer.

“I work from home as a software engineer. It suits me perfectly as I could never work in a crowded office. Far too many distractions. What about you Ben? What do you do for a crust?”

Ben considered telling him a made-up story but thought better of it. “Hey, we could be brothers. I also work from home as a forensic accountant. Like you it suits me perfectly as well.”

By this time Bruce was getting nervous, expecting at any moment to see fireworks.

Ben decided to glean as much info as he could. “I couldn’t help but notice that wedding photo over there. May I?”

“Sure. Go ahead. That’s Mel, my wife. We have been married for two years. Bruce here arranged our reception, right here at the apartment complex. Again, sorry she isn’t here right now. She works strange hours, but it works for us.”

There was a pause while Ben studied the photo. It was Melinda alright. He felt tears begin to well up as he once again felt the depth of her betrayal. To hide his watery eyes, he quickly replaced the photo and walked cursorily around the apartment, even glancing into the main bedroom. It struck Ben again how similar everything was to the Perth house.

Eyes under control, but anger still bubbling, he surprised himself at not feeling any animosity for John. Everything about him oozed sincerity and friendliness. He just couldn’t hate the guy. Ben was torn. One part of him just wanted to extract his pound of flesh from this bastard. The other part of him wanted to learn more and understand how all of this came to be. He would need closure to this sad chapter of his life. “Look John, I really appreciate your letting me in like this. Can I repay you with lunch? My shout. Bruce, do you know any good eateries around here where we can grab a better lunch than burgers and fries?”

Bruce was almost speechless, but managed to blurt out, “Yeah sure. “Mario’s Italian, right around the block. You can walk there. The lasagne is to die for and they stock the biggest range of San Giovese red to suit. John knows where it is. He and Mel often go there, right John?” He paled as he added the last part. Now he expected the altercation, but it didn’t come.

“Right John, let’s go. Bruce did you want to come as well?”

“Ahh, no. I’m good. Got work to do, you know. But you two go right ahead.” This situation was going to be part of his bar talk for years to come!

The walk around to Mario’s was pleasant enough. John was indeed a real friendly bloke and it was hard for Ben to maintain any ill-feeling towards him. As he took part in the easy conversation with John, he decided to come clean with him. John was also obviously unaware of the true situation.

It was during the main course, the renowned lasagne, that Ben brought out a photo of him and Melinda. It was their wedding photo. “John, you allowed me to look at your lovely wedding photo, so I think it only fair that I do the same. Have a close look.” Ben carefully laid the photo out for John to see.

“Wow Ben. That’s freaky. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that that is my wife Mel. They say that everyone has an identical somewhere in the world. That’s amazing!” He continued to study the photo. “What’s your wife’s name?”

Ben kept wanting to say, “Not wife, but soon-to-be exwife.” Instead, he replied, “Melinda. She used to be Melinda Hines.”

John didn’t register the surname straight away, but seemed focussed on her first name. “Melinda? And my wife’s name is Mel. That could be short for Melinda, right?” There was a long pause while John took a long drink of his red wine. “Wait a minute. Is this some kind of joke? Are we on candid camera or something? Did you say Melinda Hines? H-I-N-E-S?”

“Yes John. I did. There are things we need to talk about.”

The colour drained from his face to be replaced by a flush of anger. “Now listen here, you bastard. Are you trying to tell me that you married my wife Mel? You wife-stealing scumbag!” He rose from his chair in rage and was about to grab Ben when two large well-built arms grabbed him from behind.

Mario whispered forcefully into John’s ear. “No trouble in my restaurant, OK? You want fight over woman, OK, but take into street. Comprende? You enjoy my lasagne but you not destroy my place. All these other good people come to also enjoy my food. Don’t spoil it for them.”

John nodded. He was still a bright red, but sat down reluctantly.

Ben sadly added, “John, you married Mel, or Melinda two years ago. I married her over five years ago. Look at the date on the photo.”

He did so. After glancing at the photo, then Ben several times, the truth took him over. Ben had never seen a man so physically collapse into his seat as John did. It seemed as if every bone in his body melted. The absolute desolation of his body was reflected in the hollow look of his eyes which were tearing up uncontrollably.

“You mean, she, Mel married me while she was married to you? Isn’t that illegal? I’m sorry man. This is just too much for me to take in. I love, loved, her with all of my being. She was my world. How could she do this to me, to us? Why would she do this? It is the ultimate cruelty. When I met her, I thought I would spend the rest of my life with a beautiful, smart, loving, determined woman. We couldn’t have kids. The doctors made that very clear. She even showed me the medical reports. I, I, loved her.”

At this point his head fell forward and he dissolved into fits of sobbing. Mario was not impressed, but allowed the obviously distraught man to let out his feelings. It was also the Italian way. Just to be sure his fellow patrons were OK with this, he shouted them all a free beer. He, himself poured a generous shot of grappa which he kept behind the counter. Displays of such emotions were just so manly for an Italian and it reminded him of his own divorce.

John’s sobbing finally sort of ended. He looked up into the teary eyes of the messenger of his reason for such sadness. “Ben. I am sorry. You have also felt what I am feeling. Forgive me for accusing you. It should be me that is the brunt of your anger.”

“I admit that I came here to beat your ass to pulp. When I met you and started talking to you, I realised that you were also a victim of this cruel situation. I am lucky in that I have had two weeks to process this betrayal. You have only had one hour.”

John’s ayes took on a determined look. One Ben had seen in his own mirror days and weeks ago.

“That lying, scheming bitch has to pay. We can’t let that level of betrayal go untouched. She has to pay and she has to pay hard.”

“I know what you mean John. In about a week, all of her stuff from Perth will arrive at your apartment. Melinda should be arriving in Perth soon, so be prepared for a phone call from her. The house we used to share is completely empty. I moved all of my stuff to a new apartment which she won’t find very easily. I left no clues. I left the divorce papers in the hands of a court server who will be waiting at our old home for the moment she arrives, to serve her. I suggest you do the same. No doubt she will think of a way to get back here as soon as possible to see what you know.”

John looked overwhelmed by the situation, so over the next three hours, at their apartment, I took him through the steps needed to distance himself from Mel. The financial stuff was taken care of by the end of that day. His business, also, was able to be sold as mine was, also with the same conditions. His clients were only too happy to wait for a re-establishment of his business after his impending divorce. Seems like it was a more common occurrence here in the big smoke.

He knew a lawyer who could get the papers prepared very quickly. As usual, it wasn’t a case of what you know, but who you know. Surprisingly, the papers were ready to be served the next day. This speed was unheard of. John’s lawyer must have really pulled some strings for it to happen so quickly.

It was during this preparation process that John got his phone call. Melinda couldn’t call Ben, because he had blocked her number in his cellphone. There were some numbers from unidentified callers, but he ignored them. She had obviously tried to use different phones to call from.

John looked at his mobile and saw the caller id. He was conflicted as to answer or not. Ben convinced him to, but not give any hint that he knew what was going on.

“Mel! What a surprise. You don’t usually call me so quickly after arriving in Perth. Is everything OK?”

John put the phone on speaker, so that Ben could be party to the conversation.

“John, love. No everything’s fine here. Has anything unusual happened back at our apartment over the last seven hours or so?”

“No. everything’s the same old, same old. Why do you ask?”

Ben admired the way John was keeping it together. He didn’t think he could have if it was him receiving that call. It brought on a new level of respect for this bloke.

“Oh, nothing. Just asking, that’s all. Hey great news babe. I am able to return to Sydney earlier than expected. Something has come up at work there. I will fly back on Wednesday night. Love you. See you then. You know what time to expect me, bye.”

“Goodbye Mel,” returned John with a grim sense of finality. He didn’t wait for Melinda to question his grim tone. He ended the call abruptly.

They both sat there, lost in their reminiscences of what they had both lost, or were about to lose. They had both been sucker-punched by the same woman.

Ben helped John gather all of his stuff. The packers he had called arrived and took all of his stuff to another apartment which they were able to rent with Bruce’s help. They both looked at the half-empty apartment and sat heavily on the remaining lounge furniture.

“You know John, when I first walked into this apartment, it was freaky how so much of it was similar to our house back in Perth. It seems like the bitch wanted both places to be as similar as possible so that she felt like she was at home no matter which place she was in. Is that a bottle of fine Margaret River red I see over there?”

John looked over and a wry smile crossed his lips. “Yep. That collection is Mel’s pride and joy. She spent months combing the Margaret River wineries, even all the way to Mt Barker. That collection represents the finest and most expensive reds that part of Australia has to offer. I think we owe it to ourselves and those fine wine-makers to sample at least ninety percent of the collection before we leave here. What do you think?”

“Well said good sir,” replied Ben with an equal sense of mischief. “Shall we start with this pinot noir? I am sure the light fruitiness will help pave the way for the more solid shiraz, and maybe, the cabernet sauvignon.”

The drinks began and with each new glass, the two compared notes of their lives with Mel/Melinda.

The first bottle of wine, a fine pinot noir, saw them comparing her dress habits. The quirky way she put on her stockings under her power suits. How she always put on her left shoe first. How she adjusted her blouse at least three times before putting on her business jacket. How she looked in the full-length mirror at least three times before being satisfied. How the colour of her briefcase always had to match that of her suit.

The second bottle, a fine merlot from Swan River Winery, saw them comparing her speech habits. How she always came home with the same greeting. “Hi babe. How was your day? Mine was the same old busy, busy, busy. Can’t wait to tell you all about it.” How she always complimented the meal they were having with the same words, “Oh my god! What have you done to these,(whatever)? They’re delicious!” How she always left in the mornings with the same words, “Ok babe, I’m off to conquer the world today. Catchya! And love ya.”

The third bottle of wine, a stunning cabernet from Mt Barker, saw them comparing her love making. By this time the two were feeling no pain and were open about their most intimate moments with Melinda.

“Did you notice that just before she orgasms, her eyes do this little flutter? That’s when you know it’s on.” They both nodded in agreement, being careful not to spill the wine. “She loves to be eaten out using the alphabet technique. That’s always a sure fire way to get her to squirm. I always get to about ‘w’ before she loses it completely!” Again, the nodding in agreement. “We couldn’t get enough of each other during the night before she left. We made love for hours. I sometimes envied her the first class ride back to recuperate. She wouldn’t have sex on the first night back though. I always thought it was the ‘red eye’. I now know different. It was because of the intense fucking she endured before the flights.” Nodding followed by laughter at this stage.

The fourth bottle of wine, a deep shiraz, saw them quietly sitting, eyes hooded, speech slurred. Thy weren’t going to get anywhere near ninety percent of the cellar’s offerings! “That bitch has to pay. I haven’t been so glutted, I mean gutted in my whole life.”

“You’re right brother. What can we do to make her pay?”

They may have come up with some sort of revenge plot, but as is the way of over-use of alcohol as a tool for creativity, it completely wipes the memory clean before the next session of consciousness begins.

The next morning was not pretty. Both Ben and John stumbled to the kitchen where toast and vegemite were in order. To their credit, neither of them ‘drove the porcelain bus’ to sobriety. It took them until lunch time to be in any way respectable. It was time to visit Mario’s again, this time John’s shout. Mario greeted them with a knowing look and a promise to give them just what they needed to overcome their obvious pain. Lasagne! He came to join them after they had finished and placed the bottle of good Tuscan grappa and three glasses on the table. “So, my friends, I see that you have sorted your woman trouble out.” Bruce had filled him in, along with any in the bar who would listen. “You know I am Italian, from Sicily. We have a way of sorting out such matters, but I do not think that it would be allowed here in Australia. What do you propose to do about the putta?”

Both Ben and John were taken aback by Mario’s up-front statement and question. They each had the same question. “What happens in your village to be so bad?”

“Ahh,” Mario replied. “The bitch is simply escorted to a waiting fishing boat and taken across the sea to Libya. There are lots of rich Arabs wanting a sex slave for the right price. We are renowned negotiators, so the husband gets a fair reward for his loss. The same also happens to a straying husband, although the offended wife usually gets double for him.” He laughed with that deep belly laugh that can’t help but be infectious. They all laughed while Mario poured out generous shots of grappa. “Salut!” he shouted and they all downed the shots. Ben and John spluttered and coughed which brought on more bouts of laughter followed by another generous pouring.

“Always catch the snake where it thinks it is safest,” said Mario suddenly. “Where does this snake think she is safest?”

Ben and John looked at each other and then at Mario’s grim face. They said simultaneously, “At work.”

“Then that is where we must cut off its head,” stated Mario while pouring another.

There followed a detailed discussion about how to create the maximum amount of hurt at work for Melinda. Work was everything to her while she was everything to Ben and John. She had betrayed their trust and love to the ultimate degree and now it was her turn to be betrayed to the maximum degree.

The lawyer who was engaged by Ben was in Perth, but had provided a colleague here in Sydney who could do the work required. Basically, both Ben and John wanted to sue Melinda for damages brought about by her marriage to two people at the same time. In New South Wales, section 92 of the Crimes Act 1900 makes it an offence punishable by a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment to marry a person whilst already married to another. This is known as bigamy. This made the betrayal enacted by Melinda a criminal act which would have to be dealt with in a criminal court before any civil action could be taken. The criminal element had to be dealt with first. This was the job of John Bills Esq, barrister, to deal with. He accepted the brief from Ben’s solicitor’s friend with glee. He hadn’t seen such a clear cut case of bigamy for many years. Melinda’s company, so eager to be settled amongst the big businesses in Sydney would not take kindly to having a convicted criminal in its top rank executives.

Also, in the wings, John’s solicitor was prepping to sue Melinda for civil damages.

All of the legal ducks were in a row, so to speak. What both of them dreaded, but both needed was closure with Melinda. The showdown was looming as her flight was due within the hour. Both Ben and John prepared the apartment. There were tissues, wine and coffee, along with a tape recorder hidden carefully amongst the sparse furniture. The wine was mainly for Ben and John.

When she arrived, John greeted her at the door as usual. “Hi babe. Am I glad to see you. All sorts of shit has come down here at the office and the boss allowed me to return here as soon as this.” She hugged John as normal and entered the room. Ben winced at the obvious show of affection from Melinda to John. This was how she normally would greet him. The pain of the situation again came to bite him. He couldn’t help but stifle a small sob. At first it didn’t register with Melinda who was there, but the sparseness of the room alerted her first to the scenario to come. “What the hell babe! What did you do the apartment? Where is all of your stuff?”

She scanned the apartment again and saw Ben for the first time.

“Oh shit! Oh holy shit! Ben. What are you doing here? I tried to call you while in Perth babe, but.” She paled significantly and her knees shook noticeably. Her normally deep green eyes took on a hooded look. She didn’t know where to look.

She stopped talking as the reality of the situation dawned on her. The tears started flowing and the sobs were genuine, but both failed to impress Ben and John. They waited grimly while she got her emotions under control. “I can explain,” she whimpered. They waited.

“Ben, I, John, I,” she started.

“We just want the truth please,” Ben stated. “Not that it will make any difference to the outcome of this betrayal, but please, just please explain why! Why would you betray our years of marriage to lure another man into believing he was the one? Why? Just why?”

Melinda took a deep breath. The game was up. She was cornered and to her credit, she didn’t attempt to lay any more bullshit on either of them. Her determination, normally an admirable character trait, kicked in to allow her to tell the truth. “I loved you both. I still love you both. Ben, when I left to take on this job, I honestly thought we could survive the two week separations. What I didn’t bank on was the utter devastation of my infertility. I felt as though I had failed. Failed as a wife and failed as a future mother. I missed you terribly Ben, but I didn’t want to admit my weakness. My pride wouldn’t allow me to give in. I knew you were there for me. You always have been. But I needed to be stronger. I needed to succeed at this no matter what my feelings were. I realised soon after that this pride and determination were only driving me deeper and deeper into the pit of despair.

“I don’t know how I managed to hide it when I was again with you in Perth, but I did. I focussed this devastation into my work and felt a little relieved that it filled the void somewhat. My work kept me busy. Busy interviewing new employees. New employees like John. When I first met him, I was stunned at how like you he was, Ben. I was drawn to John like a magnet. He had the same mannerisms, the same style of dress, shit even his walk was like yours. My loneliness for you Ben only increased every time I saw John. After a while it was like you two morphed into the same being, my loving husband. John, do you recall all of those so-called follow-up interviews for your role as a software developer for our company? Only the first one was needed. I knew you were right for the job after the first interview. The others were solely for my benefit. I was stricken by you, just as I was stricken by my first husband, Ben. I thought that I didn’t need to feel that loneliness anymore. I willingly made a play for you John. Part of me admitted the wrong, but I was too weak to say no.”

“But you were already married Melinda. Married to me. I was completely devoted to you. Why would you need another to take my place?” sighed Ben.

“I don’t know Ben, my love. I just knew that I could. I missed you so much, but my pride wouldn’t let me come home and admit that to you. I couldn’t let John go. John, I honestly loved you and still do. You were, are, so much like Ben, it was like you were cloned. How could I not love you as well? Ben, I loved you and still do. I don’t know how I can ever make it up to either of you. I cannot choose between you. I need and love both of you.” Again, the sobs and tears. Tissues were produced but the grimness and hard-heartedness of Ben and John remained. When she again regained control, Melinda looked at both men. She saw the grimness and loss of love in both of their eyes. She knew then that what she had done had lost the love of both men that she professed to love. There was nothing more she could say. Her betrayal was laid bare for everyone to see. The pragmatic part of her psyche took over. No amount of tears and begging was going to make any difference to her destiny. She knew it. The di was set, the game was set in motion. She had to accept what was coming. Her body seemed to shrink as she resigned herself to her fate.

Ben added, “There is only one thing I can say Melinda. You betrayed me and set aside our love and trust, simply because you thought you could. All of the times I have comforted you, encouraged you, supported you in those dreaded days we faced together, all of that was swept aside like so much rubbish. I can never forgive you for what you have done. I also will never forget what you have done. You have destroyed a valuable part of my psyche. My ability to trust those I love and will love in the future has been destroyed thanks to your selfish actions. I hope and pray that I can recover from this poisoning of my soul and live a satisfying life. Thanks for nothing. John, brother, you know where to find me.” He got up and left without another word.

Melinda sobbed again and hugged herself in a vain attempt to find comfort. “John,” she began. Her pleading eyes displayed the desperation she was feeling. Could she at least find comfort with one of the men she so cruelly betrayed?

John interrupted her. “Don’t Mel. Don’t even try to justify what you have done. You have destroyed a wonderful part of Ben’s character as well as mine. I thought the world of you Mel. When you came into my life, I thought that I had died and gone to heaven. I loved you so much. When you explained about your work situation, I readily accepted it. I accepted it because I loved and trusted you. I would have given my life for you Mel. What was a small time of two weeks apart as a sacrifice, compared to that? Like Ben, I don’t know if I can ever trust another person like that again. You know what they say, ‘once bitten, twice shy’. Goodbye Mel. Enjoy your future, but know that neither Ben, nor I will be part of that future.” John left and left the door open.

Melinda collapsed onto the floor and remained there until well after dark. The desolation felt in her soul was mirrored by the starkness of the nearly empty room of the apartment. When she roused herself, she didn’t know because everything she did from that point on was a blur. Worried neighbours, saw that the door was open to apartment 276 and Mel, the lady they occasionally saw, was strewn across a lonely lounge seat quietly sobbing. The ambulance attendants took her to Sydney North Shore Hospital where she was kept for observation.

Epilogue

Ben left for Perth on the next available flight. He never visited Sydney again. It had only sad memories for him. Fortunately, the divorce proceeded without contest and after six months, the decree nisi arrived in the mail. The last nail in the coffin of his marriage. His mum remained mystified by the whole sorry tale. She would often tell anyone near her, or anything near her, “I liked that girl. What happened?”

John also had his divorce completed. It was quicker for him as the court decided that his marriage to Mel was null and void in the first place.

Melinda’s boss got a very legal-looking letter informing him of the circumstance surrounding the strange behaviour of his protégé. It was enough for the company to sack Melinda immediately, but not enough to stop a lawsuit brought on by both Ben and John regarding the apparent condoning of this bigamist behaviour. The company settled out of court.

Melinda was tried by the Perth Supreme court of one count of bigamy and sentenced to five years in Sydney’s Long Jail.

Both Ben and John have re-started their businesses thanks to the start-up funds granted by the successful civil action. They remain good friends to this day and often meet up in Uluru, the mid-point between Perth and Sydney. They call each other, ‘the good-guy bastards’.