He saw the look on my face and he immediately knew. "She still isn't telling the truth Carl. After I caught them, I've gone through everything I could, and I've had my friends help me. It wasn't the first. If you want, I can show you pictures of them in the spring and the summer of this year. She's been living with me for over a year now. I bought the new couch three months ago. There's a picture of them on the old one." I hung my head in my hands then I continued. "You know they were planning on continuing it after we got married. No, this is painful. I lost what my future was going to be and now I get to find a new one."
Carl stood up and gave my shoulder a hug. "When she came home crying, she said that it was only the first time. We gave her all the time in the world to get her life back together." He paused and stood straight. "Now with this lying, she's got a week. She's still my daughter, but she only has a week." He started moving toward the door.
"I'll send a couple of people by to pick up her stuff in about an hour. Right now, could you print out a couple of her pictures of the different days? Maybe a copy of your entire video so I can show her and her mother. I going to take the stained bed sheets now while I'm waiting." I nodded and he shuffled out the door.
It only took me a couple of minutes and he was waiting in the kitchen finishing his beer with Tom. I gave him the things and on him standing up to leave, I hugged him good bye. We both cried. I lost by bride-to-be and a great father-in-law to be. He's losing a daughter and a son-in-law to be. Nobody wins.
At about 7:30 PM Tom yelled out that Carl's pickup truck was backing into the driveway and 2 more men were leaving their cars, looking like they were going to help. Carl wasn't with them. The only one Tom or I knew was Jeff.
They waved and started taking her things out from under the plastic tarp and loading up the pickup. It only took a few minutes when they started to wave good bye, but that's when Tom came out and told Jeff there was something more inside.
I yelled out that it was in the kitchen and he should come in. Tom gave him a beer, he was going to need it. He walked in and immediately knew what it was. The laptop was open as well the text message app of a phone. He stopped cold. There was sorrow on his face and worry on mine. Tom was behind him as he sat down, then he slumped into the seat as he said. "It's about Tammy, isn't it?" And we nodded.
"After I found Gail fucking Jay in my bed, my whole world turned upside down. Tom and a couple of other trusted friends have been able to help me do some of the investigating of all her stuff. You know that Tammy's her best friend. There are text messages back and forth on what and who they were doing. They even exchanged a couple of pictures. It's here for you to see."
"It was Dan, wasn't it?" I nodded as he continued. "I've suspected for a while, couldn't or wouldn't find out. Guess hope against hope didn't work?"
He took another sip of his beer. He looked at me, "So I guess I joined the club, didn't I. I hope that there won't be very many new members." We sat in silence for a few minutes. Then he said he needed to get back and unload the stuff, then get with his wife.
I gave him a package of print outs and pictures. "Jeff, do you want anyone with you? Don't do something stupid to Dan or Tammy. Don't do anything that is going to make you do jail time. There are other ways to make them pay, remember that, there will always be other ways. You'll have help." We hugged as he left.
On Thursday morning, there was a knock at the door. The police were searching for Tammy. She wasn't at work and there was concern that she might be in danger. I didn't know anything, but asked that I be kept informed. Before they left, that got a call. "They found her, she was at home alone, unharmed. It appears that all her clothes were completely ruined, all electronics destroyed, and she came to the apartment door in a torn blanket. Her husband packed up last night and left her. The windows on her car were all broken, but the car's in the husband's name and he's allowed to do that to his property. Thank you for your help."
By noon, I heard a knock on the door. It was Gail's mother Dot. I didn't invite her in. "What do you want?"
"Gail would like to say a few words to you. She will stay out here. Will you listen?"
"Hasn't she said everything she needs to say?"
"Can you give her this? You and I both know you are a much better person that she ever was."
Looking at the street, I see her getting out of the car. She's fully clothed this time. What a change from last time. I finally nodded my consent but added, "You will stay here the entire time and listen to it all. Agreed?"
She nodded yes and waved her.
Gail walked slowly up the walk and stopped 4 feet from the door. "I'm sorry that you were hurt, I didn't mean to hurt you. It was just sex. It didn't mean anything."
"I'm not sorry I exposed you to the world. I did mean to hurt you and your future. You took ours away from me." I stared into her eye with total venom. "It was just trust. It meant everything. My lawyer will be sending you a bill for the wedding costs. This is a civil suit. Maybe you and your lover will cough up the cash."
I backed away from the door a foot. "Live in your dream world, but I suppose you will have to be moving soon. Your face and your ass are very recognizable now. I hope that piece of steady extra fuck was all worth it." She yelled at me to wait, but all I did was call back, "Oh, by the way, I got a call from Maria, Jay's wife. You two could move in together. He doesn't have a place to stay either." The door slammed and I went to the living room crying.
By 4 PM, I called work and put in for a transfer to another state. Then a call to a friend that is a realtor. The process to sell began immediately. The memories from me growing up here were the only things keeping me here. It's time to keep certain mementos of my childhood here, and go and have a future.
24 hours, 5 years, 10 months(romantic story series)
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romantic_story
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romantic_story
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Re: 24 hours, 5 years, 10 months(romantic story series)
24 hours, 5 years, 10 months Ch. 02
bywieliczka©
"Ok Bill, you don't have to tell me again. I told you I'd meet your wife's friend. It's just a low keyed dinner with your wife Theresa and her friend Marie. Ok. I get it."
"Look, she's a really great person."
"Oh no, that means she's 80 lbs over weight and has 25 cats."
"Stop it Jim. No she isn't and she doesn't." He looked at me in exasperation. I gave him grief whenever he tried to fix me up. Working together for the past year and a half and we've became great friends. This is the latest in his getting a date for me. It has been a year since my divorce. It was not a good marriage but thankfully, the divorce was not angry or overly painful. We both realized that we shouldn't have gotten married. We parted friends. She moved to the west coast and I stayed in Milwaukee.
"Look Jim, a couple of years ago Terry and I introduced Marie to Chuck, a friend of mine. It all looked good. I never knew his mean streak. Marie worked hard to keep the marriage going. She went to see a counselor and was able to drag him along a couple of months. Then he fought her tooth and nail. We didn't recognize what he was. He and I went to high school together. I never saw it. The day he slapped her in front of everybody, Terry grabbed her and I ran interference. It was pretty messy. It still took months of therapy and doing other things and then filing to get the divorce. She's been as dry as you are. It was like pulling teeth to get her to come. So please, just enjoy the company of somebody new. Can you just be nice to her?"
I laughed. "You know me Bill, you I'd give grief. This Marie sounds like she gone through difficult times. I will be more than a perfect gentleman. I will be social and you and Terry will be proud of me." Bill breathed a sigh of relief.
Five years ago at the age of 20, I was a pretty mean bastard. I lashed out when I found out Gail cheating on me two weeks before our wedding. Kicked her out, exposed her to the world, sold my house and transferred to another city. Heard later that she also disappeared. We both lost our futures that day.
Took me quite a bit of time to get my act together again. I finally went into therapy with a Social Worker therapist. It was the best decision I ever made. I stopped running from me. Even getting married and divorced, I'm pretty solid emotionally. At 25, I have a few more life experiences to build on for the future.
One of my work decisions was to get into network administration and away from copier repair. The last couple of years I have been studying and getting certifications. For never having gone to college, I'm in a technical field that I'm good at and have to keep learning.
Bill and I walked into the restaurant and I saw Bill's wife Terry wave to me. Marie was sitting with her back to the door. Jet black hair on a medium build. To be honest, even if she was 50 pounds overweight it wouldn't matter. Some of my best dates were with people that would never be on the glamor magazines. It all depended on who they are underneath. The one's I liked we discovered that we didn't click due to other things, not appearance or weight. I do have a couple more great women friends now.
As Bill and I walked closer, something changed. Marie was talking with Terry and I saw something. It was a specific hand gesture, it was a Gail hand gesture. It was Gail's hair and build. This was getting more weird with each step. Name is different, it can't be Gail. Another step and I hear Gail's voice.
I knew what I wanted to do, I knew immediately what I needed to do. As Bill got to the table, Terry and 'Marie' turned toward us. Gail's mouth immediately opened and a look of fear came across her face.
Looking at her, I got out the first words. "Hello, you must be Marie. I'm Jim. May I join you?" She was still sitting there in shock and I added, "May I join you, please?" elongating the word please. It was a question asked with a pleading. Bill heard that, but it was Terry that saw the changes in her friend Marie, Gail Marie. In her fear, she nodded yes.
"Bill has been telling me a bit about you. Sounds like we both went through divorces. Mine was easy but yours was very difficult." Gail was trying to read me. It's been 5 years after we destroyed each other. Now we are sitting at the same table, in a different city, looking at each other. Older, wiser? Maybe even willing to talk with each other? "I'm very sorry, it must have been a very difficult time for you."
I think that she finally started to understand that I wasn't going to do anything negative, that I'm not angry, that I'm not going to take her down again. She's just out of an abusive relationship. I can't ever do that to another person again.
I'm not going to blow her cover. After I exposed her for cheating on me two weeks and change before the wedding, I'm sure her name would be cannon fodder for the internet. Bill told me that I was going to have dinner with Marie Wilson. Her wedded name I guess.
She started to speak, "It was pretty bad, I did everything right this time and it didn't matter. But that is past and can we move to the present?"
I nodded yes and she relaxed slightly. Terry, wonderful Terry, began to ask about possibly getting wine or a cocktail before dinner. She looked over Marie then at me. The seconds are dragging into hours. Everyone at the table felt it, saw it.
The tension was thick, and this is not contributing to anything good. I turned to Gail, for indeed, she was Gail to me. "This is very awkward and it was a shock to me too. It might be better if I just bow out and you can have dinner with your friends now. I don't mean to cause you anymore pain." And I started to get up to leave.
"Sit down Jim. Please sit down Jim." She elongated the please like I did. It was a plea, not an order. I stopped getting up and slowly sat back down. "Terry, Bill. This is Jim. The Jim of 5 years ago." There was a look of shock on both their faces. "We haven't seen each other in 5 years. This is the man I told that my stupid cheating was just sex, it didn't mean anything. He was the one I damaged. And after 5 years, he is sitting here in front of me wanting to not cause me any discomfort."
bywieliczka©
"Ok Bill, you don't have to tell me again. I told you I'd meet your wife's friend. It's just a low keyed dinner with your wife Theresa and her friend Marie. Ok. I get it."
"Look, she's a really great person."
"Oh no, that means she's 80 lbs over weight and has 25 cats."
"Stop it Jim. No she isn't and she doesn't." He looked at me in exasperation. I gave him grief whenever he tried to fix me up. Working together for the past year and a half and we've became great friends. This is the latest in his getting a date for me. It has been a year since my divorce. It was not a good marriage but thankfully, the divorce was not angry or overly painful. We both realized that we shouldn't have gotten married. We parted friends. She moved to the west coast and I stayed in Milwaukee.
"Look Jim, a couple of years ago Terry and I introduced Marie to Chuck, a friend of mine. It all looked good. I never knew his mean streak. Marie worked hard to keep the marriage going. She went to see a counselor and was able to drag him along a couple of months. Then he fought her tooth and nail. We didn't recognize what he was. He and I went to high school together. I never saw it. The day he slapped her in front of everybody, Terry grabbed her and I ran interference. It was pretty messy. It still took months of therapy and doing other things and then filing to get the divorce. She's been as dry as you are. It was like pulling teeth to get her to come. So please, just enjoy the company of somebody new. Can you just be nice to her?"
I laughed. "You know me Bill, you I'd give grief. This Marie sounds like she gone through difficult times. I will be more than a perfect gentleman. I will be social and you and Terry will be proud of me." Bill breathed a sigh of relief.
Five years ago at the age of 20, I was a pretty mean bastard. I lashed out when I found out Gail cheating on me two weeks before our wedding. Kicked her out, exposed her to the world, sold my house and transferred to another city. Heard later that she also disappeared. We both lost our futures that day.
Took me quite a bit of time to get my act together again. I finally went into therapy with a Social Worker therapist. It was the best decision I ever made. I stopped running from me. Even getting married and divorced, I'm pretty solid emotionally. At 25, I have a few more life experiences to build on for the future.
One of my work decisions was to get into network administration and away from copier repair. The last couple of years I have been studying and getting certifications. For never having gone to college, I'm in a technical field that I'm good at and have to keep learning.
Bill and I walked into the restaurant and I saw Bill's wife Terry wave to me. Marie was sitting with her back to the door. Jet black hair on a medium build. To be honest, even if she was 50 pounds overweight it wouldn't matter. Some of my best dates were with people that would never be on the glamor magazines. It all depended on who they are underneath. The one's I liked we discovered that we didn't click due to other things, not appearance or weight. I do have a couple more great women friends now.
As Bill and I walked closer, something changed. Marie was talking with Terry and I saw something. It was a specific hand gesture, it was a Gail hand gesture. It was Gail's hair and build. This was getting more weird with each step. Name is different, it can't be Gail. Another step and I hear Gail's voice.
I knew what I wanted to do, I knew immediately what I needed to do. As Bill got to the table, Terry and 'Marie' turned toward us. Gail's mouth immediately opened and a look of fear came across her face.
Looking at her, I got out the first words. "Hello, you must be Marie. I'm Jim. May I join you?" She was still sitting there in shock and I added, "May I join you, please?" elongating the word please. It was a question asked with a pleading. Bill heard that, but it was Terry that saw the changes in her friend Marie, Gail Marie. In her fear, she nodded yes.
"Bill has been telling me a bit about you. Sounds like we both went through divorces. Mine was easy but yours was very difficult." Gail was trying to read me. It's been 5 years after we destroyed each other. Now we are sitting at the same table, in a different city, looking at each other. Older, wiser? Maybe even willing to talk with each other? "I'm very sorry, it must have been a very difficult time for you."
I think that she finally started to understand that I wasn't going to do anything negative, that I'm not angry, that I'm not going to take her down again. She's just out of an abusive relationship. I can't ever do that to another person again.
I'm not going to blow her cover. After I exposed her for cheating on me two weeks and change before the wedding, I'm sure her name would be cannon fodder for the internet. Bill told me that I was going to have dinner with Marie Wilson. Her wedded name I guess.
She started to speak, "It was pretty bad, I did everything right this time and it didn't matter. But that is past and can we move to the present?"
I nodded yes and she relaxed slightly. Terry, wonderful Terry, began to ask about possibly getting wine or a cocktail before dinner. She looked over Marie then at me. The seconds are dragging into hours. Everyone at the table felt it, saw it.
The tension was thick, and this is not contributing to anything good. I turned to Gail, for indeed, she was Gail to me. "This is very awkward and it was a shock to me too. It might be better if I just bow out and you can have dinner with your friends now. I don't mean to cause you anymore pain." And I started to get up to leave.
"Sit down Jim. Please sit down Jim." She elongated the please like I did. It was a plea, not an order. I stopped getting up and slowly sat back down. "Terry, Bill. This is Jim. The Jim of 5 years ago." There was a look of shock on both their faces. "We haven't seen each other in 5 years. This is the man I told that my stupid cheating was just sex, it didn't mean anything. He was the one I damaged. And after 5 years, he is sitting here in front of me wanting to not cause me any discomfort."
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romantic_story
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Re: 24 hours, 5 years, 10 months(romantic story series)
Both Terry and Bill were speechless. Gail had shared her history with them. They know about me, what I did 5 years ago. Now they brought the two of us together unknowingly. Terry started to stammer. "Bill only told me that he was a sys admin named Jim. I didn't know. I'm so sorry Marie. I didn't want to.."
Marie cut her off. "Neither of you" looking at her friends, "or you" looking directly at me, "knew any of this. I think that we're all adults now. We're here, it's dinner time." Then she stared at all of us. "Would we all like to have dinner together, the four of us? I'm up for it. Jim, would you please have dinner with us? Will this be OK for you?"
Without a second of hesitation I blurted out "Yes, I would very much like to have dinner and a bit of conversation Marie." The two others nodded yes.
Bill grabbed the wine list. This is somebody who knows nothing about wine except red or white, or pink. And he was most familiar with pink from a big box. "How about some VAL POLICE SELLA?"
Both Marie and I busted out laughing. He was quickly reading off the first thing he saw and I knew that he'd mispronounce every wine, except MD 20/20. I know Bill, he'd do anything now to change the subject. Marie took the lead on this one, "Bill that's Valpolicella. Try it slowly, 'Val' 'pole' 'it' 'chell' 'la'. It's northern and central and lighter, not a robust southern grape."
Bill is a peasant. Always was, always will be. Direct, honest, salt of the earth. Damn good person, damn great friend. But I can't help myself on this one. "Bill, Are you going to be a Pollock your entire life?" At this we both laughed. Anybody can make an ethnic joke, ONLY IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THAT ETHNIC GROUP. Marie was a little shocked at first, but it finally clicked. There were a pair of 'Ski's' sitting in front of her.
I took the list from his hands and gave it to Marie, "Would you please pick something, I don't think that it's going to work with Bill doing it." I chuckled and lightly punched him in the arm. Terry started laughing, half from Bill's nervousness and the other half hers.
Knowing the two of them well, Marie turned to me to ask what I wanted. "I'm a dry red kind of guy, but I'll drink anything. Whatever you choose that will fit for you and Terry, will be OK for me. I know that Bill is going to have a beer. I'm here for the company. Let's order a couple of appetizers too."
She gave me a second glance, and then signaled for the waitress. It was going to be a merlot. She started rattling off a couple of appetizers and we were all nodded yes.
As the waitress walked away with our initial order, Maria turned to me. "I don't know if you've eaten here before, but this is a place for red meat, that's why I got the merlot. It was between that and a cab." I nodded and we all started talking about what was good and what was better. To be honest, I wasn't paying that much attention to the details.
It had been 5 years. It's also been a couple of disjointed months in therapy before, during and after my marriage. I wanted some form of closure with Gail, I mean Marie. I guess it's Marie now. Her parents called her Gail Marie. I wonder if they still do. I'm starting to feel that Gail was with the old Jim and Marie was for the closure for the newer Jim? Hope springs eternal.
One of the big things I learned in therapy was to own what I did. Whenever I hear people own what they did, I give them a high level of respect. Marie broke the ice doing that today. No bullshit, just honest painful truth. I was still thinking of walking away, and she talked about her saying she was stupid, it was just sex, and she damaged me from that.
A couple of years ago I made a decision to be truthful and take whatever comes from that. I'm not speaking nasty truthful, but honest and caring truthful. Sometimes it was bad news, like when Charlene and I realized we couldn't work it out. I put it into words and it took some weeks for us both to agree that we couldn't make it work.
I felt my arm being jostled, it was Terry. "Have you figured out what you want?" The wine had arrived and a glass was waiting for me.
"Actually, no," I was stalling to cover for my thinking of the past, "But I'm open to suggestions. I think that I'm pretty easy when it comes to food. Hey, I eat my own cooking, don't I?"
Both Terry and Bill laughed. Burnt hotdogs on a grill is about my measure of culinary expertise. Mac and cheese too. I am great reheating with the microwave.
Then Marie surprised me. "Why don't you order the lamb?" I haven't had lamb in 5 years. I nodded yes, and then asked her what she was looking at.
"Oh, I've had the duck, but I don't know. Maybe..."
And I answered for her, "The medallions of beef have your name on it." She smiled.
Marie cut her off. "Neither of you" looking at her friends, "or you" looking directly at me, "knew any of this. I think that we're all adults now. We're here, it's dinner time." Then she stared at all of us. "Would we all like to have dinner together, the four of us? I'm up for it. Jim, would you please have dinner with us? Will this be OK for you?"
Without a second of hesitation I blurted out "Yes, I would very much like to have dinner and a bit of conversation Marie." The two others nodded yes.
Bill grabbed the wine list. This is somebody who knows nothing about wine except red or white, or pink. And he was most familiar with pink from a big box. "How about some VAL POLICE SELLA?"
Both Marie and I busted out laughing. He was quickly reading off the first thing he saw and I knew that he'd mispronounce every wine, except MD 20/20. I know Bill, he'd do anything now to change the subject. Marie took the lead on this one, "Bill that's Valpolicella. Try it slowly, 'Val' 'pole' 'it' 'chell' 'la'. It's northern and central and lighter, not a robust southern grape."
Bill is a peasant. Always was, always will be. Direct, honest, salt of the earth. Damn good person, damn great friend. But I can't help myself on this one. "Bill, Are you going to be a Pollock your entire life?" At this we both laughed. Anybody can make an ethnic joke, ONLY IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THAT ETHNIC GROUP. Marie was a little shocked at first, but it finally clicked. There were a pair of 'Ski's' sitting in front of her.
I took the list from his hands and gave it to Marie, "Would you please pick something, I don't think that it's going to work with Bill doing it." I chuckled and lightly punched him in the arm. Terry started laughing, half from Bill's nervousness and the other half hers.
Knowing the two of them well, Marie turned to me to ask what I wanted. "I'm a dry red kind of guy, but I'll drink anything. Whatever you choose that will fit for you and Terry, will be OK for me. I know that Bill is going to have a beer. I'm here for the company. Let's order a couple of appetizers too."
She gave me a second glance, and then signaled for the waitress. It was going to be a merlot. She started rattling off a couple of appetizers and we were all nodded yes.
As the waitress walked away with our initial order, Maria turned to me. "I don't know if you've eaten here before, but this is a place for red meat, that's why I got the merlot. It was between that and a cab." I nodded and we all started talking about what was good and what was better. To be honest, I wasn't paying that much attention to the details.
It had been 5 years. It's also been a couple of disjointed months in therapy before, during and after my marriage. I wanted some form of closure with Gail, I mean Marie. I guess it's Marie now. Her parents called her Gail Marie. I wonder if they still do. I'm starting to feel that Gail was with the old Jim and Marie was for the closure for the newer Jim? Hope springs eternal.
One of the big things I learned in therapy was to own what I did. Whenever I hear people own what they did, I give them a high level of respect. Marie broke the ice doing that today. No bullshit, just honest painful truth. I was still thinking of walking away, and she talked about her saying she was stupid, it was just sex, and she damaged me from that.
A couple of years ago I made a decision to be truthful and take whatever comes from that. I'm not speaking nasty truthful, but honest and caring truthful. Sometimes it was bad news, like when Charlene and I realized we couldn't work it out. I put it into words and it took some weeks for us both to agree that we couldn't make it work.
I felt my arm being jostled, it was Terry. "Have you figured out what you want?" The wine had arrived and a glass was waiting for me.
"Actually, no," I was stalling to cover for my thinking of the past, "But I'm open to suggestions. I think that I'm pretty easy when it comes to food. Hey, I eat my own cooking, don't I?"
Both Terry and Bill laughed. Burnt hotdogs on a grill is about my measure of culinary expertise. Mac and cheese too. I am great reheating with the microwave.
Then Marie surprised me. "Why don't you order the lamb?" I haven't had lamb in 5 years. I nodded yes, and then asked her what she was looking at.
"Oh, I've had the duck, but I don't know. Maybe..."
And I answered for her, "The medallions of beef have your name on it." She smiled.