I Knew They Were Fucking

I knew they were fucking…The wife of the asshole she was fucking told me.

Gloria, my wife, was fucking an asshole truck driver. How did I know? The asshole truck driver’s wife told me. How did she know? The asshole truck driver told her. Why did he tell her? He didn’t know he did.

His name is Ralph Godwin. His wife’s name is Janice Godwin, and like most people today, they both had cell phones. They also had a laptop computer, which they shared. His job allowed him to drive locally, which meant he was home every night. When he got home every evening, he and Janice were, again, like most married couples in that they ate dinner then sat around waiting for bedtime. While sitting around, he monopolized their laptop, staying on it for hours playing games and cruising the internet.

She, like her husband, enjoyed playing on the computer, but he seemed to hog it most of the time. Her enjoyment was jigsaw puzzles. She found a website that had them and she almost became addicted to them, but he didn’t like sharing the laptop.

She was telling one of her friends about it and her friend recommended Janice buy an I-Pad. She could get her puzzles and not have to worry about the laptop; Ralph could have it.

So they bought her one. Their phones were in his name so he added her I-Pad to his account and things were going along fine. They were both happy with their jobs, their home life was fine, they had sex once a week or so, he had the laptop and she had her I-Pad.

One evening shortly after getting her new toy, he was in their living room playing on the laptop and she was in the bedroom. She had finished her shower and was lying in bed and turned on her I-Pad. It came on, but it wasn’t the puzzle she was working on; it was a series of text messages. She started reading them and it didn’t take long to realize she was reading her husband’s text messages in real time. It was apparent he was texting a woman and it was just as apparent she was texting him back.

It wasn’t difficult to deduce the two were having an affair, especially when he told her he would meet her at the same place the next day at their regular time.

Janice lay there in disbelief as she read the things they were going to do to each other. She quietly got out of bed and went to the livingroom where she saw him on his phone.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He jumped. “Texting with dispatch about tomorrow,” he said.

She went back to the bedroom, picked up her I-Pad in time to see him telling his lover that they had almost been caught.

She put the I-pad down, crawled under the covers and started to cry. She was still sobbing when he came in, but she didn’t want him to see her so she struggled to stop.

He got in bed and stayed on his side making no effort to snuggle or kiss her good night. She was glad he didn’t.

When she was sure he was asleep, she got up and went to the livingroom where she spent the night on the sofa. It was a night spent thinking. By morning, she had made a decision. She was going to sit back, and find out who the woman was before doing anything.

That took less than week. She learned from their messages that her name was Gloria, and that she was a waitress in the local truckstop where Ralph ate breakfast several mornings a week.

The day after she learned the name, she went to the truckstop, and looked for a waitress named Gloria. She wasn’t difficult to find because she was wearing a nametag. Janice sat at a seat in her section and ordered a cup of coffee. When she brought it, Janice asked if her last name was Johnson.

“No. It’s Morris.”

“Oh, sorry. I thought I knew you,” said Janice.

Janice immediately went home, opened the laptop, went to Facebook and found Gloria Morris. She found that Gloria was married to Paul Morris, and that’s me. From there she went to my social network page, found where I was working, called, and asked for me.

“This is Paul Morris.” I answered.

“Mr. Morris, My name is Janice Godwin and you and I need to talk.”

“Why is that, Mrs. Godwin?”

“I can’t discuss it on the phone, but it concerns your wife.”

“Exactly how does it concern my wife?”

“As I said, I won’t discuss it on the phone, but I’m happy to meet you at the place and time of your choosing.”

“Mrs. Godwin, unless I have some idea of what you want to say, I’m not meeting you at any place at any time.” There was a pause. “So if you have nothing else to say…”

“She’s having an affair with my husband,” Janice blurted out.

“I beg your pardon?”

“My husband and your wife are having an affair.”

“Are you sure you have the right man?”

“I am.”

“Then maybe we should meet.” I invited her to come immediately to my office, which she did. She showed me the texts between Gloria and her husband, but nowhere was Gloria’s last name used so my position was that could be anyone, until it showed the text where her husband referred to Gloria’s workplace. That got my attention. Some of their more recent texts referred to both Janice’s and my stupidity.

The problem was what to do, and how to do it. Janice and I discussed it and came to the conclusion that divorce was in the cards for both of us, but maybe a bit of revenge was in order first. Not revenge fucking; neither of us thought that was a good idea, but maybe fucking with their minds.

It was obvious from their texts that the sex they were having was just to scratch an itch, not for any long range, “let’s run away, get married and live happily ever after” relationship. That, in my mind, made their affair worse. If they fell in love that would be one thing because you can’t help who you fall in love with. But it wasn’t like that with them. It was just sex, which made both Janice and me feel there was something she and I had done in our marriages to make our spouses feel the need to seek sex elsewhere. We were both deeply hurt by that.

She and I had discussed getting revenge, but what form was it going to take?

We decided to think about it for a couple of days not letting our spouses know we knew about them. In the meantime her little I-Pad kept tabs on them. There was no rhyme or reason to their meeting. It just seemed they met as the opportunity presented itself and always took place at the same motel.

Janice called the next day to tell me Ralph was finishing early and had sent a text to Gloria wondering if she wanted to meet. She did and it was on. Their meeting was scheduled at 2PM at their regular motel. Janice had read enough of their texts to know which motel it was, so she and I met there and waited in my car. Gloria arrived first and went into the office to arrange for the room.

Janice and I stood outside the office and about three rooms down the row of rooms. When Gloria came out of the office, Janice and I hugged each other and kissed passionately. I glanced out of the corner of my eye to make sure Gloria saw us. She did. We ended the kiss and headed for our respective cars. Gloria was trying to hide her face hoping we wouldn’t see her.

When I got home, I undressed and took a quick shower. I rarely took showers in the afternoon. Gloria came in just a couple of minutes after I finished and it was obvious what I had just done. I guess seeing Janice and I took away any desire she and he had to have sex that day. She asked why I had taken a shower in the afternoon. I told her I just felt like it. She tried to start a normal conversation, but didn’t quite know how. Finally she stammered, “What did you do today?”

I grinned. “Oh, nothing. I took a couple of hours off work to meet a friend.”

“Oh? Who?”

“No one you know.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were taking off? We could have done something together.”

“I didn’t think you’d be interested. You seem to have other things on your mind recently.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Oh, just a feeling.”

The rest of the evening she stuck to me like glue. She went out of her way to make dinner and afterwards asked me to sit next to her on the sofa instead of my recliner. When I did, she snuggled as close as she could get. When she started touching my dick, I moved her hand, stood and announced. “I’m going to bed.”

“Good,” she said. “That’s what I had in mind.”

“Not tonight,” I said. “I don’t feel like it.”

I feigned sleep when she came to bed. She touched my back, but I moved away from her. I slept the sleep of the weary that night.

Janice told me the next day that she had basically the same response from her husband, and she did exactly as I had done.

Three days later, Gloria and Ralph met at the motel again. Thanks to Janice’s I-Pad, we knew about it and did the same thing we did before, only that time Ralph saw us. And, again, they both almost beat Janice and me home with the same events at our respective homes that evening. I laughed as I stepped out of the shower because Gloria was there, and, again, asked why I took an afternoon shower. I made some lame excuse which I knew she wouldn’t believe.

Their texts that evening indicated the allure of their affair was waning and they were starting to blame each other. Gloria told him that if he hadn’t insisted on meeting so often, she could have spent more time with me because after all, she loved me, not him.

He, in turn, blamed her saying she was the one who wanted more sex. He insisted he loved Janice and would never leave her. Then he wondered how Janice and I ever met in the first place. That started a long winded discussion between them on how we met and why in the world we would ever have sex with each other because we were exact opposites and had nothing in common.

We played the game for another two weeks and always managed to prevent them having sex which made us happy and frustrated them in that not only were they not getting laid at the motel, but they weren’t getting laid at home, either; but by the same token, neither were we.

Finally, they gave it up. They both decided their affair was over and they both wanted to work on their marriages, but Janice and I had made up our minds that it was too late to save them. The same day they ended their affair, is the day they were both served.

Gloria and I were sitting at home. I knew it was going to happen so I sat there waiting. She kept trying to engage me in conversation and I kept ignoring her; until the doorbell rang. She answered it and I watched as she was handed the papers. She turned and looked at me.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“You know what it is. I’m divorcing you for adultery.”

“You can’t do that.”

“I just did.”

“But you have been…”

I interrupted her. “Watching you and Godwin. Janice and I never did anything. We just met so you would see us and think we were having an affair, but we never were. You and he, on the other hand, met at every opportunity. The motel records show the two of you met at least once a week for the last six months.”

“How did you find out? We were so careful.”

“Careful?” I laughed. “Everyone at the truckstop knew about the two of you. You can’t keep secrets like that from people who like to gossip, and your fellow waitresses like to gossip.” I led her to believe that one of her fellow employees told on them. I didn’t want to give away how we really found out; we might still need it.

She sat on the sofa. “Can we talk about this?” She waved the divorce papers in my direction.

“Talk all you want. Justify all you want, but none of it will do you any good. You cheated and I’m divorcing you for it.”

“Paul, it meant nothing. We did it for fun. That’s all.”

“Fun? You cheated with another man for fun? Sex with me wasn’t fun? That makes it worse. Thank you, Gloria, that makes me feel sooo much better,” I said sarcastically.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Of course you did. What else would you say? ‘It was only sex’? That’s the second worst thing you could have said. I recommend you find yourself an attorney. It will take a couple of months before we can get to court, but we need to work out property distribution before then. In preparation for that, I cancelled both credit cards and divided the money in both accounts. You still have the old accounts and I have new ones. I’ve done the same with the investments. Your phone should have been disconnected an hour ago. The house belongs to you, so I’m leaving. I’m moving my stuff to Tony’s”

I put my copy of the house key and the garage door opener on the table as I left. The last thing I heard was “Paul! Paul! Please! I’m sorry!!”

Tony was my best friend. He and his wife Sofia owned the best pizza and Stromboli restaurant in the city. I was Godfather to their two year old daughter, Diana.

My room was ready when I got there. There was no joy; we just went about getting my stuff in the house or the garage before having dinner. My first night there was strange. Gloria and I had been married four years and lived together a year before that. In those years, we had not slept in the same bed no more than a dozen times. I couldn’t find sleep until almost sunup.

The next day at work seemed to take a week, and the following week seemed to take forever. Gloria called me after she got her own telephone. After she called me six more times, wanting to talk, I blocked her number.

Janice was having the same problem with Ralph. He wouldn’t stop calling her begging her to forgive him while at the same time she was reading his texts to Gloria trying to get her to let him move in with her. She kept refusing insisting that I was going to be coming back to her. She told him all she had to do was get me to listen to her. She was convinced that would happen at our first meeting with our attorneys.

She was wrong. At that first meeting, she kept insisting the two of us talk in private, and I kept saying no. Finally, I walked out of the meeting. “Let the court sort it all out,” I told my attorney, “I’m not talking to her.”

Three months after serving her the divorce papers we were in court, and it turned out exactly the way most divorces do. Property was split down the middle except her house, which she kept with everything that was in it. She didn’t contest the adultery and I paid no alimony.

There was another divorce case immediately following ours. Janice Godwin was suing her husband Ralph Godwin for divorce on the grounds of Adultery. Her divorce was granted and she got the house and alimony. She and I went to dinner that evening and she brought me up to date on their texts. Actually, the lack of them. It seems they had a major falling out and hadn’t spoken in over two months. Ralph, however, was having sex with another waitress at the truck stop.

Two months after our court appearance, the divorce was final. Receiving the decree was anticlimactic because I felt divorced when the judge banged his gavel. The decree just made it official.

I had thought about dating, but hadn’t done any. I filled my time with more hours at work and more time with my Goddaughter, Diana. I really enjoyed my time with her. By the same token, I felt that I had worn out my welcome with Tony and Sofia so I started looking for my own place to live.

I found an unfurnished apartment and rented it. We had a retail store in town run by a charitable organization and I bought some used furniture there. The store was run by volunteers and the clerk who ran the cash register, tried to recruit me. I laughed and asked if they tried to recruit all of their customers. She laughed and said yes.

So I had minimal furniture and they delivered it the same day, but I still needed a bed. The local mattress store took care of that, but they couldn’t deliver that day. Consequently, I slept on my sofa that first night.

A month went by, then another. I’d heard that single men did pretty well on ocean cruises. Many single women reportedly went cruising to find eligible men, so I started reading about cruises. I found out that indeed, lots of women went on cruises, and ships were great hunting grounds for bachelors… if you are middle aged or older. I wasn’t anywhere near middle aged, so I decided against a cruise.

I needed another chest of drawers so I went back to the used furniture store. The same cashier was there when I checked out. She didn’t remember me, but I did her. “Are you still recruiting volunteers?” I asked her.

“Yes we are. Are you interested?”

“That all depends on what I’d be volunteering for.”

“Lots of things. Can you drive a truck?”

That was the wrong thing to ask given my recent history with Ralph Godwin. “Absolutely not.” I answered and started out.

“Wait. Stop. We have lots of other things we need help with.”

There was something in her voice that made me turn around. “Like what?” I asked.

“Do what I do: work the cash register. Or you could unload the trucks. You don’t have to drive,” she added quickly. “There’s work in back in the sorting room. You could move things around on the floor. Sweep the floor. All you need is the desire to help people.”

“Who do I talk to?”

She smiled. “The office is in the back. They can sign you up.”

Not knowing why, I walked back to the office. Sitting at the desk was a woman about 90 years old who asked if she could help me. I found out she was the store manager’s secretary.

“I understand you need volunteers.” I said.

She brightened considerably. Before I knew it, I had talked to the store manager, Arch, who I didn’t care for, and was scheduled to help load and unload trucks.

I could only work on Saturday’s so that’s when they scheduled me. We had two trucks and when we received calls that people had large furniture items or appliances to donate, the truck picked them up. I rode along in one of the trucks to help load and unload.

I didn’t see the lady who helped recruit me until my third Saturday there. We had just come back from making some pickups and she came out to see what we brought back. She never recognized me even after I introduced myself. She had only seen me twice and then just for a minute or two so I shouldn’t have expected her to.

She said hello to the driver and introduced herself to me.

“Hi. I’m Susan Blake, but everybody calls me Susie,” she said as we shook hands.

“Hello. I’m Paul Morris and we’ve met,” I said.

“We have? Where?”

“At your cash register. Twice. You’re the one who asked me if I wanted to volunteer.”

“Oh, yes. Now I remember.” I knew she didn’t. She just wanted to make me feel better. “How do you like it so far?”

“It keeps me off the streets,” I told her.

I saw Susie two more times in the next month. We smiled and said hello both times.

Another two months passed. I had one date with a woman I met where I did my laundry. It started as a drink after work, but progressed to dinner. We had fun, but no spark and no other dates.

The driver of my truck, Joseph, and I were making a pickup in the upscale section of town. They were going to remodel and wanted all new furniture. They had some really nice stuff and their daughter was there to supervise and keep an eye on us. She also helped us, I supposed, to get us out of the house quicker.

I had stooped down to pick up my end of a dresser and she came behind me carrying a drawer out of the chest of drawers. She was talking to her mother over her shoulder, never saw me, bumped into me, and tripped. She planted her body on the floor with a healthy scream and her face in the drawer. I tried to help her, but she brushed my hands away, called me a clumsy fool, and ordered me out of the house. I tried to protest, but she wasn’t having any of it, and, again, ordered me out. So I went. I had just barely gotten in the truck when Joseph opened my door.

“I saw what happened. Come on, let’s take their shit off the truck and leave it here. We don’t need it that badly.” We had just taken the first piece off and set it in the driveway when the lady of the house came out.

She apologized for her daughter. That didn’t cut any ice with Joseph.

“We don’t need to be treated like second-class citizens,” he told her, “and we don’t need your furniture, so you can have it back. Besides, it was her fault she fell. She should have been watching where she was going.”

She stood there and watched as we unloaded the few pieces we had, set them on the driveway, and drove away. The store manager, Arch, was waiting for us when we got back. He told us our services were no longer needed, so Joseph and I went down the street, had lunch and a couple of beers.

That evening my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number so I ignored it. The caller left a message. “Hi, it’s Susie Blake. I just heard what happened and I feel badly. I don’t think I would have handled it the way you and Joseph did, but I wasn’t there. Our general manager has asked me to ask you to have a chat with her on Monday, if you can. Her office at 10:15 if you can make it. I’m here if you need anything.”

I figured I didn’t need anything, especially their unpaid volunteer job, so I didn’t respond. Besides, I worked and couldn’t just leave my office to attend some meeting with someone I didn’t know.

It was around that same time that I started looking for a house to buy.

Susan Blake called back on Tuesday. She told me that the owner of the furniture we left in the driveway, called to apologize for her daughter’s conduct. She still wanted to donate the furniture so she would pay for a moving company to move it. That would preclude our staff from having to come back and move it. She was also going to send a sizable donation. “So it seems that all’s well that ends well, and we expect to see you back on Saturday.”

I called her back. “I don’t think I have the temperament for volunteer work, so I’ll pass on coming back.”

She voiced regrets, but allowed as how she understood my position. An hour later my phone rang again, and again, I didn’t recognize the number but there was a message. “Mr. Morris, my name is Cynthia Roman. I’m the General Manager of United Industries. I’d like to talk with you, please. I will not try to convince you to come back and volunteer for us again, but I would like to discuss what took place and try to understand it. I am available at your convenience.”

I ended up calling her back and setting up a meeting. Since I worked, we were going to meet in her office after regular hours.

It turned out that I liked Cynthia Roman. She explained the company’s business plan to me and told me how important donations, especially of quality items, was for their survival. She explained that the company was a 501 (c) (3) organization, which meant they were non-profit, tax exempt and survived on donations. It was the sale of items in their retail store coupled with cash donations that made it possible for them to provide support to the learning impaired children of our community, and aside from her and two other staff members, nobody else in the organization was paid. She told me that the sale of the furniture Joseph and I left in that driveway would provide two tutors for one whole semester for four children. “We can’t afford to lose donations like that. Fortunately, the home owner saw what happened and didn’t blame you and Joseph. Actually, Joseph told me the whole idea to leave the furniture was his.”

The next Saturday I was back on the truck with Joseph. He allowed as how he probably overreacted.

I had been back a month when Cynthia Roman saw me. “Mr. Morris, do you have a minute?” she asked.

I did and we walked to the front of the truck.

“May I ask a personal question?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Are you married?”

I grinned. “Not anymore.”

“Was your wife’s name Gloria?”

“Yes.”

“Ralph Godwin is my brother. Roman is my married name, although I’m no longer married.” We just looked at each other. “He’s an asshole and I’m sorry about what he did to you and your wife.”

After I got over a slight shock, I spoke to her. “You have no reason to apologize. None of us can control the actions of our asshole relatives and all families have them.”

“Anyway, I’m sorry Ralph did what he did.”

Three weeks after that meeting, I closed on my new house and Cynthia and I had our first date. Then our second. Two months after she told me her brother was an asshole, Cynthia Roman and I had sex. Not just any sex, but mattress pounding, mind blowing, down and dirty cock in pussy, trying to kill each other with passion, sex. Her body was perfect, but more important than that, her mind was perfect for it. I had never met, nor did I believe that nymphomaniacs really existed… until I met Cynthia. Her public persona never gave any hint about her private craving for sex; other than the fact that both men and women drooled over her perfect body, and nothing erotic was off limits. It was like a switch was flipped and both her body and mind switched to “automatic” and once started, stopped only when there was no more sex to be had. On more than one occasion, I wondered what would happen if other men were there when I was too worn out and she was still ready for more.

We were both very happy with our relationship for about six months.

One Saturday, there were no pick-ups for Joseph and me, so I decided to wash the truck. I was in back of the building and had almost finished the truck when I heard a man’s voice.

“You’re in trouble, you son-of-a-bitch.”

I turned and Ralph Godwin was standing there. “Why’s that?” I asked.

“You’re messing with my sister.”

“I’m not ‘messing’ with your sister. We’re dating.”

“The only reason you’re dating her is to get even with me.”

“You’re full of shit. We’re dating because we like each other. At least neither of us is married.”

“I’m warning you. Stay away from her.”

“And I’m warning you. Stay away from me.” I said and as I turned to continue working on the truck, I saw a head duck back inside the building. I assumed they had listened to at least part of the conversation between Godwin and me. I looked over my shoulder and Godwin was gone.

Cynthia called me fifteen minutes later. “Is it true?” she asked.

“Is what true?”

“That my brother was there?”

“He was.”

“And you talked to him?”

“I did.”

“What did you tell him?”

“He accused me of messing with you to get even with him. I told him that you and I were dating because we liked each other.”

“Is that all?”

“Basically. Why?”

“Are you sure it wasn’t the other way around? You didn’t tell him you were dating me just to get even with him?”

“No. He said that. I didn’t.”

“Someone overheard you say it.”

“Well that someone either heard wrong or is lying.”

“I’ve known him for a long time and he’s never lied to me before.”

“Does that automatically make me the liar?”

There was a pause.

“I don’t want to see you again, and we don’t need your services anymore.”

“Wait. Cynthia.” But she was gone. I went inside to see if she was there, but she wasn’t. Susie was behind the counter. “What men are working today?” I asked her.

“Thomas and Arch. Why?”

“Where are they?”

“Arch left for lunch just a couple of minutes ago. Thomas is running an errand.”

I left all the truck cleaning supplies where they were, got in my car, and went home. I tried calling Cynthia, but my number was blocked. I knew Arch and didn’t care for him. He was a toad and nobody trusted him; nobody but Cynthia. He was the store manager and one of the two people on staff besides Cynthia to be paid: his secretary was the other. They were the only fulltime employees. Everybody else volunteered and only worked a few hours a week.

After a couple of days, I gave up trying to talk to Cynthia.

One evening several weeks later, I was grocery shopping and ran into Susie. She told me that she was the temporary store manager because Arch had been fired. “Cynthia overheard him on the phone telling someone that he had gotten you fired by lying about you. She confronted him and he told her the truth about your conversation with her brother,” she said.

I told her the whole story starting with my ex-wife and Cynthia’s brother up until Cynthia told me she didn’t want to see me again.

“Wow. That’s some coincidence,” said Susie.

“Yeah, well, it’s all water under the bridge now.” We chatted for a few more minutes and she left.

Another month came and went. I decided to buy some new furniture for my house. I called Susie and told her I had some furniture to donate and asked if someone would come pick it up. She told they had a truck available, but just the driver. They didn’t have anyone to help load and unload. I told her I would help so they sent Joseph and his truck. We loaded everything and I followed him to the store. We chatted while we unloaded and put the furniture pieces inside the store. Cynthia was there, saw us and came over.

“May I talk to you?” she asked me.

Joseph excused himself and left.

I didn’t say anything.

“I made two mistakes and I’m sorry,” she started. “The biggest mistake was the first one. I believed Arch and not you. The second mistake was not coming to you immediately when I found out he lied. I was embarrassed and ashamed and didn’t know how to even start apologizing.”

I looked at her and she looked back. Our eyes locked and neither of us wanted to turn away, but we were forced to when the cashier called Cynthia and needed her.

“Can’t you handle it?” Cynthia asked.

“No, ma’am. We need you.”

She reluctantly excused herself and went to the checkout counter, and I was left to ponder what I was going to say or do, but did I want to stay alone and lonely when she was trying to get my forgiveness?

She came back. “Paul, I’m sorry, but this is an emergency. One of our trucks just had an accident. May I call you, please?”

I nodded and she hurried off.

Three hours later she called. “Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Yes. A new driver backed into a wall. No serious damage, and nobody hurt.” She paused. “Can we talk, Paul, please?”

“Why don’t you come over and we’ll have a bite to eat?” I asked.

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”

I took some cold cuts, cheese, and condiments out of the fridge, put them on the table with bread and two beers.

We fixed sandwiches and ate in silence. No more talk or apologies were necessary. After eating we took our second beers to the sofa and sat. She ended up snuggled close to me and I didn’t object. In fact, I liked it. We weren’t like that long before we had our first kiss. Then the second, then third, then the frantic tearing off of clothes followed by some very enthusiastic fucking which lasted until early the next morning. It started again that evening and lasted almost as long as it did the night before.

My life was almost perfect for another four months. Cynthia and I discussed one of us moving in with the other. We had almost decided on her moving in with me and renting her house when Jonah appeared.

Jonah and Cynthia had been friends for most of their lives, and his sudden appearance changed our lives. He had spent the last several years digging for gold in Alaska, and to all appearances, had been moderately successful.

He and Cynthia met while grocery shopping. They met and he asked her to have dinner with him and she accepted thinking it would be fun to spend time with an old friend. When she told me she was going with him, I agreed with her that it be fun for both of the old friends to spend time together. I just never knew how much fun it would be. That dinner led to another dinner and another. It wasn’t long before she and I stopped communicating altogether. We never talked about ending our relationship, it just died.

My life went on, but I really missed the sex and companionship she and I had.

I was driving near the retail store one Saturday and saw Joseph putting fuel in his truck at a fuel stop near the store, so I pulled in. We exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a few minutes. As he finished fueling, he asked if I had talked to Cynthia lately. I told him I hadn’t. He told me that she was pregnant and her boyfriend was back in Alaska.

I told him I didn’t care, and I realized I truly didn’t. What she did with her life was up to her and I was no longer part of it. I did briefly wonder if she was going to move to Alaska or if he was coming back to town.

Joseph told me that Susie mentioned me occasionally. The store had a new, permanent, manager. The position had been offered to Susie, but she turned it down. She had no desire to work full time.

I was food shopping one day and felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see a very pregnant Cynthia.

“Hello, stranger,” she said,

“Hello.” We just looked at each other for a couple of seconds. “You’ve gained some weight,” I said.

She turned a pale shade of pink before speaking. “Yeah. I guess I have.” There was a pause. “How have you been?”

“Not too bad. You?”

“The same.”

The silence was deafening.

“Well, it was good seeing you again.” I said as I started to push my cart away.

“Uh, Paul. Would you like to have dinner sometime?”

I made it a point to look down at her stomach. “I don’t think so. I’d be afraid another old friend might come along and ask you to have dinner with him.”

“That was a mistake, Paul, and I’m sorry.”

“Besides,” I added, “what would Jonah say?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a couple of months.”

“Does he know you’re pregnant?”

“He does. When he found out, he went back to Alaska.”

“That’s too bad. Well, I have to go.”

“Of course. It was good seeing you again. Maybe we…….”

I was moving away from her and never heard anything she said after that.

Another couple of date-free months went by. I would see the trucks around town occasionally, but not Joseph, Cynthia, or Susie.

I was in a meeting one day and my boss announced his immediate retirement. He never elaborated, but we found out later that his wife was ill and he wanted to spend time with her. He introduced us to his replacement, a man I had heard of, but never met.

His name was Frederick Johansen and he invited his senior and mid-level staff to a cookout at his house the following Saturday afternoon.

His house looked familiar as I pulled in the driveway.

I had just gotten a drink and was chatting with one of my fellow employees when we were approached by a young lady about my age.

“Hello. I’m Christine Johansen, Frederick Johansen’s daughter.” She shook the other employee’s hand then reached for mine and looked at me. “Don’t I know you?” she asked.

“We’ve met before.” I said and immediately excused myself, put my drink on the nearest table, and headed for the door to leave. I hadn’t gotten far when I heard her speak again.

“I remember now. You’re the guy who made me trip and fall.”

I turned to her. “I did no such thing. You weren’t looking where you were going and tripped.”

“Bullshit,” she said.

I ignored her and left. I went straight to my office. I figured I’d empty my desk and get everything I wanted before Security escorted me out Monday morning.

Sure enough, as soon as I walked in Monday, I was told that Mr. Johansen wanted to see me. I went to his office and was sent in immediately.

“You left the party before we had a chance to eat. Then this morning I saw from the video logs that you came in Saturday.” He was smiling.

“Didn’t your daughter tell you?”

“Yes, but I want to hear your side.”

“It’s pretty simple. Some months ago, I was at your house taking your old, donated furniture when she tripped and fell. She accused me of tripping her. I assumed that when you found out who I was, I would be fired, so I decided to come in and take all of my personal stuff.”

Frederick Johansen started to laugh and stood. He reached his hand across his desk. “Paul, I want to shake your hand. I’ve heard nothing but how some clumsy S.O.B. tried to kill her and it gets funnier every time she tells it.” I reached and we shook hands. “And it was even funnier when she told me you were at the party; but you don’t look anything like the ogre she described.” He sat back in his chair. “Sit down, sit down.” Frederick Johansen and I talked for over an hour. Most of it was about the company and his plans for it, but some of it was about his daughter. “My wife saw everything and agrees with you that it was Chris’s fault, but like she’s done all her life, tries to blame everything on others. Tell me. Why were you working for them? Don’t we pay you enough?”

It was my turn to laugh. “My pay is never enough, but that was volunteer work, and I only did it on Saturday.”

“Good. Good. I wish everybody who could, would do some volunteer work. Are you still doing it?” So I told him about my time there. He laughed again. “You’re a smart guy or you wouldn’t be where you are. As you probably know, that charity you volunteered for pays tutors to help kids with learning problems, but they need unpaid volunteers as well. People to work in the office and schedule the tutors. You will find that most of the tutors stop taking pay after a short time with these kids, but the pay is used as an inducement to get them onboard. I’d like to open one of the admin offices right here with us and we can become a corporate sponsor. I’d like you to consider helping organize that office; only you won’t be volunteering. You’ll be doing it as part of your regular job. What that means is you’re busy now, but you’ll be even busier then. What do you think?”

“I think I have to think about it.”

“Of course. Take all the time you need and tell me by next Monday.” He grinned.

I was walking out of his office and someone was leaning over his secretary’s desk. She straightened up and turned and bumped right into me. Our eyes met and hers flashed. “You are the most clumsy asshole I have ever met,” she said.

“Me? Do you ever look where you are going or are you always like a bull in a china shop charging around willy nilly?

“Willy nilly? What kind of expression is that?”

“It means haphazard, something you are apparently intimate with. I suggest you find yourself a guide dog to keep you out of trouble. They’re smart enough to look where they’re going.” I heard laughter and turned to see Frederick Johansen standing in his office door.

“Call me, Paul, and let’s get it going.” He said as I left.

I was busy most of the rest of the week and had little time to think about his plan. I figured since it was a pet project of his, that I could earn some “brownie points” if I did it, but then I thought that would be doing it for the wrong reason.

Monday morning I found myself sitting outside his office, still not having made a decision. I wasn’t aware until after I saw him face to face what my decision would be. I walked straight to his desk and stood.

“Well, Paul? Are we going to do this thing?” he asked.

“Yes, sir, we are.” I had made the decision at that very moment.

“Good man,” he said.

“Aw shit.” I heard from behind me. “Daddy, I can’t work with him.”

I turned, saw her and asked what she was talking about.

“Sit down both of you.” We sat glaring at each other. “Paul, Chris has been doing this for a long time and knows what we need and how to do it. Chris, Paul wants to help, so I suggest the two of you kiss and make up and come up with a plan to help these kids. Do I make myself clear?” I looked at him and started to retract my consent, but he’s a smart man and knew how to stop me. “It isn’t about egos, Paul. It’s about kids who deserve some help if they’re going to succeed in this world.”

“Yes, sir. I’m all in.”

“Good. Now move whatever of your work you can to Thompson. I’ve talked to him and he knows you might be bringing it. Then I suggest you spend some time with Chris and find out what she needs from you. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir” and “Yes daddy” came out at the same time. We left his office and stood in his reception area not saying anything to each other. Finally, I spoke.

“Where would it be best to work?”

“The conference room, I suppose. I’ll bring some files for you to look at and get an idea of how we do things.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at nine.”

“Fine.” And she left, but not before tripping on the edge of an area rug and almost falling. She looked at me. “Don’t say a word!”

I didn’t.

The next morning she used a two-wheeled dolly to bring in several boxes of files. We set up in the conference room and worked relatively peacefully all morning. Had lunch; separately, then worked all afternoon. At the end of the day, she said she would be back in the morning to continue. I informed her I had a real job to do and that I would call her when I had more time to work on the tutor project.

On Thursday of that week, I called her and asked if she were available the next day. She was and we worked the same as before.

That went on for two weeks, she and I worked, comparatively peacefully two days a week. The following week, she suggested we talk to one of the sources of funds we had. I agreed and she set up a lunch for us. I was surprised to see Cynthia show up at the restaurant. A very, very pregnant, Cynthia I might add. I had forgotten about her.

Chris introduced us and Cynthia told her that we already knew each other and that we were old friends. “In fact, it was Paul who left the furniture in your driveway you may recall”

“Oh, I recall, but I had forgotten that it was your company.”

I basically sat back while the two of them discussed budgets and targets and tutors and shit. When they were finished and we were ready to go, Cynthia asked me if I had seen Susie.

“No. Should I have?”

“Not necessarily. She’s dating a really nice guy.”

“Good for her.”

There was a bit more chitchat before Chris and I were in my car on our way back to the office.

“Is that your baby?” she asked.

I looked at her. “What in the world prompted you to ask that?”

“I know you used to fuck her, so I assumed……”

“How do you know that?”

“I watched her watching you.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means she wants to fuck you again.”

“Not in this lifetime… or any other.”

“How did she do it?”

“Do what?”

“Piss you off.”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“If you won’t tell me, she will.”

“Then let her.”

There was a long pause.

“The Susie she mentioned. Is that the Susie who works in her store?”

“Yes.”

“Did you fuck her, too?”

“What’s the matter? Are you jealous?”

“Ha! Jealous? Don’t even think about it.”

“Susie and I were just friends.”

There was a pause before she spoke again. “I don’t see a ring. Are you married?”

“No.

“Have you ever been married?”

“Yes. Have you?”

“No. Why did you get divorced?”

“She cheated.”

It was quiet the rest of the way to the office.

Things changed after that. We had worked pretty well together, but it got even better. She was attentive, and she thought most of my ideas were pretty good. I even started liking her and making excuses to spend more time with her. Finally, I couldn’t handle the dual workload so I went to the boss and told him. He told me to work with Chris and he would make sure my other work was done, that it would only be another couple of weeks of the hard stuff, then I should be able to handle it in five or six hours a week.

Chris and I started seeing each other socially. Dinners. Dancing. Piano bars. Everything but sex. I tried a couple of times but was told in no uncertain terms that was a non-starter. Our time together was still fun, however; until it wasn’t.

We had finished with the planning portion of the project and we had discussed telling her father that it now only needed one person to actually run it. She had left the conference room and her father called wanting to see me, so I went to his office. I had just started into his reception area to update him and I heard her voice.

“He must not have any real interpersonal skills, otherwise he wouldn’t have lost two women.” I heard Chris say.

“Really?” I recognized the voice of Mr. Johansen’s secretary.

“I feel sorry for him, so I’m spending time with him to build up his self-esteem.”

“Good for you. He’s really a nice guy.”

“Yeah, and cute, too,” said Chris. “He’s funny, intelligent, and fun to be around.”

“He just needs a little work?”

Christine laughed. “Yes. He needs a little work.”

At that point, I walked in. I knew they were talking about me, and they looked up when I entered. “Boy, am I glad my self-esteem is fine. I feel sorry for the poor slob you two were talking about. For a second, I thought it might be me, but realized you, Christine, would tell me if I needed ‘a little work’.”

“Uh, shit. Paul, I’m sorry. I was, uh….”

“But speaking for men everywhere, thank you for your efforts on his behalf. I know he would thank you himself if he knew what you were doing for him.” I looked directly at Christine. “Since you are so concerned about the other guy, you don’t have to spend any more time with me. You can concentrate on him.” She stammered a bit and turned red. “I came to update your father.” She tried to speak but just sounds came out. With that I went in his office with her close on my heels.

“Oh, good. Both of you are here,” he said. “How about an update.”

I started before she could. “We’ve reached a point where only one of us is needed, and since Christine is experienced, I think it should be her. That way I can get back to my regular job.”

“Do you agree, Chris?” he asked.

She looked at me before answering. “Probably.”

I never looked at her, but I could feel her eyes on me, and I could see his eyes shifting from me to her. He wasn’t in the position he was in because he was stupid. “Okay. Both of you take the rest of the day off. I’ll think about it and let you know Monday. Chris, if you could stay for a minute, Paul, have a nice weekend.”

“Thank you.” I was out of the building in less than five minutes.

It would have been very easy to stay home that weekend and feel sorry for myself, but I didn’t. My best friend Tony and his wife, Sofia, were going out of town and asked if I wanted to watch my Goddaughter, Diana. Of course I said yes, packed an overnight bag and headed for their house.

It was a fun weekend. I did what godparents and grandparents are supposed to do; spoil your charges rotten and then give them back to their parents. We did everything she wanted to do until Sunday evening when her parents returned and I went home.

Christine tried to call me half a dozen times Friday afternoon and evening, same on Saturday, but only twice on Sunday. I wasn’t looking forward to going to work Monday, but I didn’t want to delay a confrontation either. As I usually did, I went to my office first to clean up anything I had gotten over the weekend, then to the conference room. She was already there and working so I turned and went back to my office.

Just before the end of the workday, I was summoned to her father’s office; she was already there.

“Okay. I’ve decided. Chris, it’s all yours. Paul, you’re back to work at your regular job for the most part, but I want you to help Chris on an as needed basis. I also want you to help her recruit more tutors and find more kids who need us. There are plenty of both of those out there. Let’s find them and get them together.”

We acknowledged his decision and returned, in silence, to the conference room. When there, I started closing down my part of the job and explained its status to Christine. She nodded, but said nothing. When I finished, I went to the door, opened it, and started to leave.

“Paul.” I stopped, turned, and looked at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said.”

I looked at her. “No interpersonal skills, Christine? Have you any idea how devastating that was to hear? And then to hear that the only reason you were spending time with me was because you felt sorry for me?” I shook my head. “The other women just broke my heart. You destroyed my soul.” Tears were in her eyes and she was sobbing before I could walk out the door.

I spent the rest of the week in my office playing catch-up and never saw Christine.

It was like that for the next month. I buried myself in my work and ignored everything else. Then I was asked into Mr. Johansen’s office.

“Paul, I have a situation, but first I want to tell you that the work you did with Chris has been great. Early results are in and it looks like lots of kids will be receiving lots of help. Thank you. I’m working on the next step and I will probably be asking for your input if not your assistance.”

“Thank you.”

“Now to my situation. Robby Singlaub resigned today, so I need a Manager in the Planning Division. The job calls for someone with an MBA. You don’t have one, but on one hand you do have the talent, knowledge and leadership ability. On the other, if I promote you above a couple of others, I will be accused of favoritism because of the outside work you did for me and the fact that there is a rumor going around about you and my daughter.” I had heard the rumor, and two guys in my section had even mentioned it openly. I thought so little of it that I never even responded when they did. “So, I’m between a rock and a hard place. You and I both know there is nothing between you and her, but rumors never seem to be able to be squelched, despite overwhelming proof to the contrary.”

Mr. Johansen had come from Barnes, a competing company. Even when he was their CEO they sought to recruit me, and I had received overtures from them as recently as two weeks prior to that meeting with him.

“Let me pose a hypothetical to you,” I suggested. “Barnes has asked me to join their staff as their Planning Division Manager; the same job you’re talking about here. You have at least two qualified candidates for the position. Why don’t I take Barnes’s offer? That would solve a couple of problems.”

“The hell it would. Barnes would be getting the better of the deal, so that option is not on the table unless you out and out resign; which I’m hoping you won’t.” We sat in silence for a while. “What happened with you and Chris, anyway? I thought you were getting along fine.”

I chuckled. “As you know, we started off wrong, but managed to get a bit friendlier for a while.”

“So what happened? She won’t talk about it.”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”

“Okay. To hell with it. You’re the new Planning Division Manager effective immediately. That makes you the youngest manager of any division this company has ever had. HR will go over your new salary and benefits and you’ll move into Singlaub’s old office; it’s the only other corner office on the seventh floor. I think you’ll like it, and you can either keep his secretary or find one of your own. Tell maintenance and logistics if you want any changes made.”

“Thank you. I’m honored.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’re going to be working your ass off. And by the way, Division Managers and spouses or guests are having dinner at my house on Friday at 6:30. Black tie.”

I’ll be there, but have neither spouse nor guest.”

“Good enough,” he said.

I arrived at his house at 6:15 and was ushered into the livingroom. I took the offered house aperitif and wandered around chatting with the other guests. I looked in the dining room and saw that each place had a name plate. The name plate on the right of my seat had the name Christine Johansen.

I was staring at it when I felt a presence at my side. I looked and it was her. “My mother is a stickler for boy-girl, boy-girl seating at formal dinners, so I was drafted. I’m sorry. I will talk as little as possible.

She and I didn’t speak through the appetizer, but I began to feel a bit embarrassed ignoring her, so started making small talk before we were finished with the salad course. A couple of times, I found myself glancing at her and wondering why I had never noticed how attractive she was.

She excused herself after dessert was served and I never saw her the rest of the evening.

My first month at my new job was not as bad as I thought it might be, and I started relaxing a bit.

One morning, my secretary came in and told me that Christine Johansen had called asking for an appointment. “I gave her one for tomorrow morning, but I was wondering if she needed one or if, being who she is, she could just walk in.”

My first thought was the rumor mills were still at work and had reached my secretary. “What do you mean her being who she is?” I asked.

There was nothing in her voice or demeanor to indicate she meant anything other than what she then said. “I didn’t know if being the CEO’s daughter gave her special dispensation.”

I grinned at her. “Do you think it should?”

She grinned back. “Absolutely.”

“Then so do I. Call her back and tell her she’s free to stop by anytime, and I will see her the moment I’m available.”

Her grin became a laugh and she returned to her desk.

The next morning at her scheduled time, Christine was announced, and I stood as she came in. “Good morning,” I said as I indicated she should sit. “What may I do for you?”

“Do you remember Cynthia from the charity store?”

“I do indeed. You thought I was the father of her baby.”

She turned pink. “I didn’t think that. I just wondered if you were.”

“So what about her?”

“She wants to host a Barbeque for some of her biggest partners and she’s asked you and me to attend; so I was wondering if you might be available.” I started to say something, but she interrupted me. “Paul please don’t say anything like ‘wouldn’t I be embarrassed by your lack of interpersonal skills’. You know I wouldn’t and I regret having said it. It wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. I can’t explain why I chose those words but I wish I hadn’t. I think I was just trying to make myself look good to Daddy’s secretary, but I did say it and I can’t take it back. I can only apologize.”

I looked at her and she was trying to hold back tears. “When?” I asked. She told me, and I checked my calendar. I was available. “I’ll meet you there.” I told her.

She started to say something else, but decided against it.

The day of the barbeque came and I was there. Joseph was manning the grill while Cynthia and Susie shared hostess duties. When Christine arrived, Susie took our arms and introduced us to some other ‘partners’ and was effusive with her praise about our contribution to the program. Christine knew most of the people there.

As soon as I thought I could get away with it, I headed to where Joseph was grilling burgers. We were chatting away and sipping on beers when Susie joined us. “How have you been?” she asked.

“Great. How about you?”

“Not too bad.” She answered.

We chatted until Christine joined us. “May I get you another drink?” she asked.

“No, thank you. I’ve done my duty and am going home.” I took the last drink of my beer and tossed it in the nearest trash bin, reached to shake hands with Joseph, said goodbye to him, Susie, and then Christine and started to leave. I was almost at my car when I felt my arm being pulled. I turned and it was Christine.

“We need to talk,” she said.

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“Yes, we do. I said I was sorry for what I said. It isn’t true and I regret having said it.”

“Okay. Apology accepted. NOW we have nothing to talk about.” I walked away before she said anything else. Sitting next to her at dinner, looking at her and recognizing her good looks was one thing, but I still had the words, “He must not have any interpersonal skills, otherwise he wouldn’t have lost three women.” And “I feel sorry for him, so I’m spending time with him to build up his self-esteem.” were burned into my psyche and, I feared, would be there for a long time.

I had nothing to do with her for three months. My office was on the same floor as her father, but at opposite ends of the building. I heard she had been given an office on the fifth floor where the accounting offices were, so I rarely saw her.

One time I was on the elevator going down. I was the only one on it and it stopped at the fifth floor. The door opened and she stood there. She looked in saw me, and stepped back. “I’ll take the next one,” she said.

I reached and held the door open. “That’s crazy. Get in here.”

She stepped in and we rode in silence to the garage level. We each had private parking spaces. Mine had my name on it and hers had ‘Reserved’. Our silence continued as we made our ways to our cars.

Another month went by. I was sitting in my office when my secretary ushered in two police officers. She had a big grin.

“Mr. Morris, you have to go with us,” said one of the officers.

I was stunned. “Why?”

“For the tutor program. Someone has signed a warrant for your arrest and you have to stay in custody until your bail is paid.”

The tutor program was having a fund raiser and some fake arrests were being made until family and friends of the arrested person donated enough to pay bail. I was not allowed to pay my own. I laughed and went with them. They took me to the retail store and told me to sit in a roped off area with other “arrestees”. Our deputy mayor and one of the most popular local TV personalities were already there. The TV personality was actually doing a remote broadcast to promote the fund raiser as part of her arrest. She started interviewing me and asked who had me arrested.

“I have no idea.”

“Well,” she said pointing the microphone in my face. “This is your chance to ask your family and friends to donate enough to get you out of here.”

I laughed, took the microphone, looked into the camera and copped a plea to anyone who would listen. They wouldn’t tell me how much I had to raise, however.

In our “Jail” area, there was plenty of food and drink and comfortable places to sit and every 15 minutes, they would tell each of us how much had been donated in our names. I was enjoying myself and the TV lady, whose name was Julie, and I had fun. She went live on the air every 15 minutes asking for people to donate her bail money. I had been there a couple of hours when Susie walked by, saw me, and started laughing.

“Who had you arrested?” she asked.

“I have no idea.”

She stood there and we chatted for a couple of minutes.

A couple of minutes later I heard the bailiff say, “You’re free to go Mr. Morris.”

Julie gave me her card with her cell number on it. “Call me and we’ll talk about having served time together.”

I smiled and walked out. The same two police officers who arrested me took me back to my office.

I have my own private entrance, so Shirley, my secretary, only knew I was there when I told her; which I usually did by coming out and getting a cup of coffee. I had opened my door to do exactly that when I heard her talking.

“It was so funny when they came to get him. He laughed the whole time, and wanted to know who had him arrested.” Pause. “No way. I wasn’t going to tell him it was you. He would kill us both.” Pause. “No, I haven’t heard from him. When are you going to bail him out?” Pause. “Oh, you did? When?” Then she laughed. “No, I haven’t seen him, but I don’t think he’ll agree to it.” Pause. “Well, good luck. Let me know what happens.” She ended the call and started to work but looked up and saw me. “Oh, you’re back.”

I smiled and confirmed that I was, in fact, back, turned and went back into my office. I had just sat at my desk when she came in and stood. “Was it okay?” she asked.

“Of course. It was almost fun.”

She grinned. “Christine told me she was going to have you arrested for the charity thing. She said she was going to pay your bail if you agreed to have dinner with her.” I couldn’t help but laugh and told her there was no chance of that happening. Her phone rang and she went to answer it, leaving the door open.

“No. In fact he was laughing about it.” Pause. “I think it’s a lost cause, Christine, but it’s up to you. Good bye and good luck.” She stood, closed the door and went back to work.