Carol and Marvin

CAROL AND MARVIN By Matt Moreau Carol Caldwell slid into the booth next to the man. It was difficult to make out who he was, but it was definitely someone she knew. The spit swapping that was taking place was proof of that. What it definitely was not, was me doing the kissing. Who am I? I'm her husband, and I am watching them from across the darkened barroom seated in a booth catty corner to theirs. I wanted to vomit. I was supposed to be out of town till Sunday next, seven days hence, but I had gotten a headsup from a female friend, who works with my wife, that she, my wife, was not who or what I thought she was. So, I'd cancelled my trip to San Francisco and set myself up to follow her and find out for myself. Geezsus! I thought to myself, as I watched them, 18 years of marital bliss and fucked over by some asshole and my very own wife, make that my very own slut wife! I was angry, sick, heartbroken, and viscerally determined to not sit still for this kind of treachery. I would come out the winner here?fucking-A I would! Still in the back of my mind I knew I was going to have a hard time screwing her over. I'd slept with her, worked with her, put Christmas trees up with her, smelled her for two decades; the psychological and emotional investment in her was enormous. I had to find out the why this was happening. I had to see if there was some way, any way, that I could salvage our marriage. Here I was on the verge of divorce?probably. No amount of wishful thinking on my part was going to change that. The reality was, that even if I were to want to save the marriage, I had no idea what she would do or want. I felt sick. I got up and headed for the men's room; I did vomit thank gawd, at least now I wouldn't do it in the fucking car. As sick as my stomach was, though, my heart was sicker. There's nothing as hurtful in the relationships of men as the betrayal of trust by a spouse?nothing! I had been married to Carol for near twenty years?eighteen is close enough: I was fifty-two and she was forty-nine. We had both been married before, but neither of those marriages had produced any children. Our girls, Jenny and Marie, had come to us near the end of our first year of marriage. They'd been a bit of a surprise, but a lovely one. The girls, I knew, had been our anchor, and we, Carol and I, adored them. Because of them and for any of a dozen other reasons, it had been my apparently erroneous conviction that "our" marriage was one of the good statistics. Well, it looked like that, in the final analysis, was not to be the case, at least not for much longer. Returning from the head, I passed by right next to their table, I mean within three feet of them for chrissakes. I looked straight at them as I passed, virtually daring them to see me, but they didn't recognize me, engrossed as they were with each other. I, at that point, didn't give a damn one way or the other. I did get a good look at the man though; it was Julius Weathers, her boss at the insurance firm she worked for: good 'ole JW, as she usually referred to him. Outside, in the parking lot, I took a deep breath. My Okinawan martial arts training worked for me now: the deep, controlled breathing. Breathing is integral to the martial arts; it is from the center of our being that the ki our inner power and serenity of mind proceeds. Proper breathing allows the individual to tap into this power this serenity. I know that sounds very unscientific, but it works: I felt a ton better. I guess it's time I said something about myself. I'm five-six. I used to be five-seven, but somewhere along the way I lost an inch and I don't know why. I weigh in at about 160, and most of that is steel hard muscle. My feet have slowed some over the years, okay a lot; but not my hands. Just two things are faster than my hands, one of them is light the other scientists haven't come up with a name for yet. As for my face, well it's kind of messed up, but Carol always said I looked rugged; Till now I had cheerfully accepted her version of the facts. I had taken up martial arts to stay in shape after my boxing career ended twenty years back. Carol knew I'd been a boxer before we met, but had never shown any interest in hearing about it apart from the simple fact that it was true. Since I had quit the ring more than two years before we met, it never came up in conversation. As a prize fighter my record had not been sterling: 9-4-2. Two of those loses, though, had been against ranked opponents; I was the guy they came to for their tune ups. I had been a natural welterweight, but the tune ups had been against lightweights; both of the ranked guys had damn near killed me, but I had not gone down in either fight, and that had been my goal, just to go the distance and stay upright; I'd done that. Now, at my age, I am the inevitable middleweight; well, whaddya gonna do, I'm older now. I am; nevertheless and as I said, in pretty damn good shape. At the moment, I was thinking of how many ways I could take my aggressions out on Mr. Weathers. The man was at least six-two and maybe 240, so that would make the fight fair, right? As for what I do now to earn a living, I'm a logistics engineer for a freight line?trucks not boats or trains. It's my job to see to it that materials and cargo get to where they are going as fast as possible and at as little cost and loss of product as possible. The job pays well, six figures, and the bonuses can be substantial. It wasn't money that was luring my wife into Mr. Weather's arms; I knew I made more than him; it had to be something else, maybe the size of his cock. My five-incher had always been an embarrassment to me, but what is, is, as you might say. Carol always said it was enough for her regardless; I wanted to believe her. I had a thought; I pulled out my cell. It was a camera as well as a phone, and it had a two-power zoom. I was going to get some pictures if I could. I was no private-eye, but it seemed pretty straight forward to me. Get 'em coming out, get 'em wherever it was they finally ended up going, and then wait and confront her first and him later: the whore and the asshole in that order. I'm not sure when it came to me, but at some point in all of this, I made the conscious decision to be cold and efficient rather than emotional and belligerent. I needed to gather evidence; I realized that I was going to need proof of her infidelity when I divorced her, if I did. In fact I had also decided that I was going to do my level best to ruin her asshole lover in the process, and that whether or not I did. I began planning at that very moment. The only sticky part in my conversation with myself was how I was going to deal with the issue of telling our twin teenage daughters, Jenny and Marie, why I was leaving their mother. I did not relish that little ditty. I slipped back into the bar, doing my best to not be noticed. I got close enough to get a couple of pics, albeit in bad light, of the two of them playing around. I got out of there as soon as I had accomplished that goal. I knew I'd have to have the photos enhanced, since I didn't use the flash, but I knew that Ronnie could do that job for me as soon as I could get hold of him. Ronnie was an old friend, the geek of computer geeks. The techno stuff had not been invented that he couldn't manipulate like a thirteenth Olympian deity. The parking lot was a bit lighter than the bar, and she had parked near the entrance right under a light standard; it was bright as day. I could get pics of them when they came out for sure. It was maybe 45 minutes later that I saw Carol and Julius Caesar coming out of the bar. They stopped in the shadows and shared a lingering kiss. From behind a dumpster, twenty feet away, I was able to get a shot of it, and reviewing it immediately I was gratified to see that I had gotten a good clear picture: both of their faces were recognizable. They held hands as they went to their respective cars; his was parked next to hers as it turned out?how fucking convenient, I thought. I wasn't actually due home for six more days, so I got myself a motel room less than two miles from our house. I settled in and tried to figure out what my next move would be. I needed the answers to a bunch of questions. Why had she decided to fuck around on me? Was she planning to divorce me? She and the asshole obviously were not new at this, but how long had it actually been going on? Was she doing other men? I doubted this last. Their kiss told me that there was something more there than just sex; it looked like they were in love. Okay, I said to myself, what to do? I could hire an investigator; I could afford it. Or, I could continue to do the sleuthing myself. I wasn't stupid, but I was inexperienced. A PI would have equipment and other stuff to stick it to the two cheaters. Also, there was the fact that Mr. Weathers was married with five children; and, if I had understood the things that my wife had told me about him, his wife was the one with all of the money in the family, and that fact was most interesting. I knew that Carol would be at work the next day until 4:30PM. I had time to get my act together, but not too much time. By morning I had decided on a PI. The yellow pages were my next stop. I chose one that claimed to have been in service in the area for the past seventeen years, nothing like experience. I made the appointment for that same morning. I sat across from Mr. Carr a man in his middle fifties. There was actually a cigar in the ashtray in front of him, and his shabby office looked like something right out a Dashell Hammet novel. I thought, this guy only needed a trench coat to give Bogie a run for his money. "And that's it then?" said Mr. Carr. "Yeah, pretty much. I just got in yesterday and caught them last night. There is definitely something going on, and I need the proof. "So whaddya think? Can you do it?" I said. "Sure, no problem," he said. "With what you've given me, the pics and the rest, it'll be easy. It'd be easy for you too if you wanted to do it yourself." "I'm just afraid I'd screw up, you know, maybe give the guy a size eight suppository and get my ass thrown in jail. I don't want to give either of 'em the satisfaction of seeing me behind bars." "So that is indeed it then. We'll be on the job immediately. I will be planting the devices in the house today while she's at work," said Mr. Carr. "Good," I said. We shook hands, and I went back to my motel room to wait and consider what exactly I was going to do with my wife. I had made up my mind not to do too much until I got the report from the PI. If he confirmed what I already knew to be fact, then I had just about decided come down on her with both feet. I wanted custody, the house, as much of our money as I could squeeze out of an overly forgiving court system, and I wanted revenge. She could have the asshole, and I just couldn't wait until life with him lost its new car smell and she realized what it was she'd lost. Well anyway, that's what I hoped would happen. Mr. Carr had made it clear that I was to stay clear of the both of them for the duration, the duration being the entire week if necessary. But, that did not mean I could not call the traitor. I always called her every day I was out of town. It would have raised her suspicions if I did not call her. The phone rang in her office. She answered it. "Hi ... yeah it's me ... it's fine here ... uh-huh ... me too but we'll be together this weekend unless something untoward happens ... okay so whaddya going do to not be bored ... sounds good Emily is a fun gal ... oh okay ... okay didn't mean to interrupt your meeting with JW ... yeah me too ... give JW my apologies for interrupting the meeting." I hung up. I had actually caught them in a meeting of some kind. Well, it was a business establishment after all; it might even have been legit. Still, images of her bent over her desk getting banged from the rear crowded out all others in my mind. Her voice had betrayed nothing. Well, why should it have, I was in San Francisco a thousand miles away from Lincoln as far as she was concerned. I could just imagine the two of them smirking at my timing. The thought pissed me off. Carol had noticed a guy watching them from across the barroom, but it was too dark to see who. Who cared anyway, she thought, she was having fun with her man. She was feeling a little bit guilty though. Marvin was away and she intended to be with her Julius even if it was technically cheating. But it was only a technical thing, she told herself. Marvin would suffer not at all for her doing it, at least not while they were still married; she'd treat him good right up to the end. She was planning on divorcing him as soon as the girls turned eighteen in a few months, and then he'd be free to find someone he could be happy with; she really did wish that for him. For herself, she was in love again just not with her husband. Not since high school had she felt about a boy or man like she did about Julius. True Julius could not provide the kind of living that Marvin had provided for her, but she'd get enough from the divorce settlement to make up a lot of the difference. Still, she had to be careful; this was not a "no fault" state. If caught in adultery she could be lost financially; hence, she never did anything with Julius unless her husband was out of town. What he didn't know would hurt no one, she reasoned. She did feel some regret, for what she planned to do to her husband; he had been a good man in all respects except for two things; one, he was lousy in bed. And, his skinny little weenie no longer satisfied her, not since she'd experienced Julius' very thick seven-and-a-half inches. And two, Marvin was boring! "Let's get out of here, Carol. I need to get you naked," said Julius. She smiled at him. "Happy to oblige," she said rising. He threw a bill on the table and they left. Once outside the door, he drew her to him and they kissed in the shadowy light of the bistro. They strolled arm-in-arm the few yards to their cars. "My house," she said. "We've got that meeting in the morning, and I am going to have to limit you tonight. Unlike you I have to be in early for the set up." "I know," he laughed, "I'm the boss, remember!" They laughed. They drove off not noticing the man half hidden in the darkness near the dumpster. Carol parked her car in the driveway and went in to the house. She turned on the porch light for her lover and left the door ajar. Carol had given the girls permission to sleep over at Miranda's, and that had fit in well with her plans for the evening. She and Julius could do the bedroom mambo and she could then run him off early enough to get the rest she knew she was going to need. "Jen, who is that parking in front of the neighbor's house?" said Marie. "How do I know?wait?that's mom's boss, that Julius guy," said Jenny, as the big man got out of his car and casually, as though expected, entered the house. "I don't like the look of that," said Marie. "What is that man doing in our house this late at night; it's after ten o'clock." "We gonna go in?" said Jenny. "I gotta get my clothes for tomorrow, don't I? I mean if we're all going to the water park in the morning," said Marie. "It's your fault anyway; you should've told me about the plans to go there before we left today for Miranda's." "Yeah, yeah, yeah blame it all on me," said her twin. "It's our house. Why shouldn't we go in to get my stuff," said Marie. "Marie, I have a bad feeling about this," said Jenny, starting to tear up. "Me too, Jen, but?mom wouldn't cheat on dad. Would she?" "Gawd! I hope not," said Jenny. As jenny and Marie sat in the car across the street, the porch light on their house went out. They waited some minutes before they began to worry: the man apparently wasn't coming out. "We gotta get in there and get my clothes," said Marie. "And..." "I'm afraid," said Jenny. "Wait, I know, I'll call mom on the cell and tell her we're coming to get your stuff." Marie smiled, "Yes, that'll work, and we can pull up alongside her car just as she answers the phone; that way she won't be tempted to tell us that we should come over in the morning to get them instead." "Hi Mom ... me an Marie ... yes we're having fun at Miranda's ... no no ... we'll be gone all day tomorrow ... yes ... uh-huh ... the waterpark ... we need some stuff ... uh-huh ... we'll be there in one minute ... we'll just run in and run out ... no-no-no ... we're pulling in to the driveway right now." Jenny hung up. Their mother met them at the door. "Hurry up girls and get what you need. I need to get to bed; I have a big meeting tomorrow. "I hope you two are behaving yourselves over at Miranda's." "We are, Mom. I'll get my suit and a couple of other things, and we'll be out of your hair," said Marie Jenny waited by the door while Marie ran upstairs to her room. Marie noticed that the door to her mom and dad's room was closed. That, coupled with the fact that their mother was already in her robe was telling. Marie got her stuff and ran down the stairs. "Bye Mom," said the twins in concert as they rushed out the door. "Have fun tomorrow girls," said their mother. The girls waved as they got in their car and backed out of the driveway and drove down the street toward their friend's house where they were sleeping over. "Shit!" said Marie. "That asshole is in her and dad's room!" Carol Caldwell turned and uttered an audible sigh of relief as her two daughters drove off. She leaned back against the door jamb and took a couple of deep breaths. She climbed the stairs to the bedroom where her lover was already naked and waiting. "That didn't take long," he said, reaching to take her in his arms. She held him off, gently, and looked into his eyes. "Jules, I have to ask you something, and I need an absolutely honest answer." "Okay," he said, a concerned look creeping into features. "You're about to do me, and that in my marital bed. My husband is ignorant of us so far, so we could back off and go back to our lives: you to Helen and the children and me to Marvin and the twins. Are you sure you want me as much as I want you? Are you sure you are willing to do to Helen what I will be doing to Marvin when I serve him with divorce papers in a few month's time? Be sure, Jules, I love you, but I don't want this to turn out to be just you getting a piece of my ass and then saying sayonara. I don't know what I'd do if you did that to me," she said. "Carol, I love you more than my life. I am as desirous of you as you are of me. I have wanted you since the first time we met at the office. Later, our intimate lunches and dinners, when Marvin was out of town, were wonderful for me. Too little and not nearly often enough, but wonderful nonetheless. I swear to you, I love you, and you are far more to me than just a piece of ass as you call it. On that you may rely," he said. He took her in his arms and she melded her body to his. The robe had slipped from her shoulders. He slid her negligee and then her skimpy panties down and off as well. She was now as naked as he. He kissed her forehead, her ears, her neck and finally her lips. He was gentle and slow and considerate of her needs. He led her to the bed and laid her down on it. He looked down at her, his cock jutting out in front of him. She licked her lips and motioned him to her. He knelt beside her face and she reached for his cock and pulled it to her mouth. She kissed it while holding his sac in one hand and the base of his shaft in the other. She pulled it into her mouth and then out for a moment and looked at it. She thought about how his massive maleness would soon be pile driving itself into her making her scream and spasm with pleasure. He owned her and she worshiped him for enslaving her. She began to suck and lick him with abandon. After several minutes, she looked up at him and said, now. She released him and got herself up on all fours presenting her ass for his assault. He got behind her and licked her secret places, both of them. She felt him press his cockhead against her labia and push into her. He moved slowly, inch by precious inch. She felt him press his finger against her anus and push it inside of her as he fucked her. He varied his tempo. He wanted the feeling to last. She played with her clit as he continued to screw her. It was some while before he felt her stiffen. He began to speed up[, ] ramming her ferociously a dozen times before he exploded inside of her. She felt the heat of his semen wash her insides as she was riddled with orgasmic thunder. Gawd! how she loved the way he fucked her. He shivered too as he began to fade. They collapsed together in a pile of flesh and sweat and carnal juices. The smell of sex and mating was all around them. "He can't do that for you," said the man. "No, he can't, he's too dinky," she said. "If he had what you have, you might not be here." He smiled. His conquest was complete. He knew without a doubt that she was his. They cuddled and slept the sleep of the sexually satisfied. It was two days later that Mr. Carr called the cell number he'd been given. He had summoned the cuckolded spouse to his office. Marvin sat across from him now having heard the basics. The PI had gotten what he needed sooner than anticipated. "Yes, there is an affair and they apparently are in love. I'm sorry Mr. Caldwell, but it's all there in the package." "Thank you. It's disturbing to finally know, but I knew in my heart after that night at the bistro that this would be the result. I know what to do now. Thank you again," I said. Out in his car I cried. I let the tears flow without any attempt to restrain them. I would cry now, for a little while, and then I would get down to business. I hadn't seen or heard the tapes yet; I wasn't sure I wanted to. I knew what they contained; the content was in the written report. The report was bad enough, but in the cold descriptive sentences that Mr. Carr had given me there was no tone of voice, no facial expression, no intensity. The written report had spared him all of that. The tapes would be far more cruel and destructive of his mind and soul. Betrayal was always bad?the worst. I drove immediately to my bank. I took half of all of the assets depositing the proceeds in an untraceable offshore account I'd already opened; I was taking no chances. I figured I might give her the house; I couldn't bring himself to live in it anyway knowing how it had been desecrated. But the cash, she'd only end up getting half of what I'd left in the account. So, of the original three hundred thousand dollars, three-quarters would be mine. I cancelled our common credit cards. I retained only my company credit card; it would have to suffice for the present. my meeting with the lawyer that afternoon would be brief. I had already set the wheels in motion. I would give Sam, my good friend and long time associate, the go ahead to file the divorce papers and to have her served. Finally, I had to face the fact that I had to meet with my girls and let them decide what they wanted to do. This wasn't about them, but it would affect them greatly. If I held any bitterness toward my wife at all it would be as a result of what her selfishness was going to do to my babies. I was angry at her for that, very angry. But, my greatest ire was focused on the man that had seduced my wife and cuckolded me. I actually hoped the asshole didn't show, because if he did, I could not guarantee that I would let him be. At 10:00AM a man with a briefcase walked into the offices of Sierra Insurance Ltd. and enquired after Mrs. Caldwell. He was ushered into her office. There was a man with her leaning over her desk scanning some documents. "Mrs. Caldwell?" said the visitor. Then, looking over at the big man beside the desk, he smiled. "And, I believe you are Mr. Weathers if I am not mistaken," said the man. "Yes, I am." "Good, it saves me a trip." He opened his briefcase and pulled out two manila envelopes. He glanced at the names on each and handed each of the parties theirs respectively. "You are both served. You Mrs. Caldwell for divorce, and you sir for alienation of affection. Mr. Caldwell asks that neither of you attempt to contact him. He has moved out of your house, Mrs. Caldwell," he said. He handed each a card: Sam Kellerman, atty. "Any contact should be through Mr. Kellerman's office." The man then turned and left. Carol Caldwell was stunned. She almost fell into her chair. She paled. An involuntary tear dropped onto her breast. It wasn't supposed to be this way. She had planned to make it as painless as possible for her husband, but he had gone and usurped her good intentions. Everything was a mess now. The girls! She had to get to the girls! Nothing else mattered for the moment. She stood and moved to go. She looked at her lover but said nothing. They'd talk later. Julius just stood there, also shocked and irresolute. Alienation of affection? What had he done but fallen in love? That it was with another man's wife didn't strike him as meaningful. Helen! My gawd, he thought, she'd divorce him immediately. The children! It was going to be messy. The two girls and their dad sat in the booth at Denny's. "Girls, I hate to have to tell you this, but I am leaving your mother. We have problems," I said, "big problems." Marie started to cry. "You know don't you, Dad?" "Huh?" I said. "You know about mom and her boss," said Jenny elaborating. "You girls know too?" I said. "We've seen the asshole at our house at night," said Marie. "Yes, we know." "We want to stay with you Dad. I don't want to be around that big fat asshole. If I see him trying to kiss mom, I think I'd try to kill him," said Jenny. "Wow," was all I could think to say. "You can stay with me, girls, of course. But, I do not want you to cut yourselves off from your mother. I don't want to see her for a number of reasons, but you two need to. Okay?" The twins nodded. "Here is my new address and you have my cell. Get your stuff and come tonight if you wish. It's a three bedroom condo that I've leased. You'll each have your own room; they're pretty nice too," I said. "Girls, I want you to know, that whatever you decide is fine with me. I want you with me, but I would never force you. If you change your mind and then even if you change it again and again and again; I will understand and accommodate your wishes as best I can. I love you both with my whole heart and soul. None of this is your doing, but it is going to affect you, and for that I am truly sorry." The two young women came around to him and hugged and kissed him. Tears were common all around. It was the next day at my work that the opening salvos in the divorce wars were fired. Julius Weathers came storming into the yards of Driscoll Logistics and Engineering. He saw his quarry with two women, apparently clerical workers, near an open receiving bay. "Hey, Caldwell, you asshole," said Julius. I saw the big man run walking toward me. I set myself to avoid his rush. I'd been in too many set-tos not to realize what was coming. "She was your wife, and you shit on her you prick," he said, as he lunged for me. I side-stepped him easily and he crashed into the wall swearing like a sailor. "I'm going to tear you up. Your fancy ass karate isn't going to do it for you shrimp," he snarled. Shrimp! Now I was going to have some fun. He lunged again and I side-stepped him again. He fell to one knee. Hmm, I thought, maybe I hadn't lost as much foot speed as I thought. I decided to stop letting him slide. He got up and stood; he was a little more wary. I just stood there, arms loose and ready at my side. He came at me more deliberately. I bobbed under his wild haymaker. I fired two vicious cuts into his rib cage. I could hear his lungs deflate. He tried vainly to catch his breath. I walked slowly up to the gasping assailant and fired no less than a dozen short, flashing hooks into the side of his face and head. His eyes glazed over and he sort of melted to the ground. He was out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her. Carol had been with him. But she didn't come to him; she ran. Well, why wouldn't she; she had to be afraid. Jenny and Marie were retrieving their things when their mother came through the door. "Thank gawd you girls are here!" said Carol. Then she stopped. Her face suddenly became a mask of fear. She looked at the suitcases and full trash bags behind the couch. "Girls?" "We'll be staying with dad, Mom," said Jenny. Their mother fainted. After they had gotten her conscious, up, and onto the couch the girls stood in front of their mom's seated form. "Mom, we don't like your boss. Never did," said Marie. "But, we hate him now, and we are very disappointed in you." "Marie..." "Mom," said Jenny, taking her shot, "Marie and I don't want the family to break up. We know it's not up to us. But, if you divorce dad and marry that shithead, count us the hell outta your life." Carol was sobbing big time now and was totally incapable of coherent speech. The girls headed toward the door. Jenny stopped and turned. "Mom, you're an asshole. Get a grip and figure it out before it's too late." Then they were gone. "I bought the condo, girls. So now we have a real home," I said. After the initial blow up, things had calmed down, as they always inevitably must, and I settled into my new routine as a single parent. I made a point of seeing to it that the girls spoke to their mother face to face once a month. The divorce had been final in just under seven months, and I heard from the girls that their mother had married the asshole in Vegas within a week after the final decree. It hurt me to hear that, but I had expected it; the woman was in love or so I'd heard her say on the tapes. The girls had softened their threat to not have anything to do with their mother again if she married shithead, but they adamantly refused to have anything to do with him; this gratified me. Though in point of fact it caused their mother no end of disappointment. Mr. Julius Weathers had, of course, been kicked to the curb by his wife. She had raped him financially, and between him and his new wife they had to struggle to make ends meet. He also knew the horrible feeling of essentially losing all but minimal contact with his own children. It is said that one of the happiest days in a father's life is when he is able to give his daughter's hand to a just and honorable man in marriage. The twins were to be given in marriage?both of them in the same ceremony?to two brothers, not twins, the following day. It had been three years since Carol's and my divorce, and I had not seen or spoken to my ex in all of that time. I would see her tomorrow. The girls had said that she could even bring Julius if she wanted, to escort her, but that was all; he would have no part in the wedding. Time does dull the pain if not completely erase it. I saw her for the first time standing by the artificial arbor that had been set up for the special dinner Jenny and Marie had planned for the evening. Their fianc?s, Bob and Howard Roberts, were speaking to her. Carol was smiling. I looked around but did not see Julius. I had had to promise the girls that I wouldn't pound the guy again like I did the last time. I knew that they had said what they said tongue in cheek, but the message was nonetheless a serious one. I had had to promise not to offend. The prospective grooms looked his way. I nodded. I was waiting for my friend Ronnie to show up. He was going to be the official photographer. I was surprised to see the pair each take an arm of his ex-wife and head my way. I looked around for a graceful exit. There was none. "Sir," began Howard, "our brides have given us a mission. They told us in no uncertain terms that we had to get you two to talk to each other." "That's right, sir," said Bob. "They said to remind you that this was their day, uh er, evening, and they want it to be special for the ones that are responsible for bringing them into this world." With that, the two men withdrew. I wasn't sure, but I thought that I heard them laugh as they retreated to safer territory. We stared at each other. I was the first to speak. "How are you, Carol." "Okay, Marv. And you?" "Okay, I guess." "Where's Julius?" I asked, looking around. "He's not here," she said. "Oh." "I didn't have anything to do with this, Marv. The boys just came up and got me. I don't know why. I mean I don't know why the girls are doing this. They know you..." "I don't hate you, Carol. I was hurt by what you did to me, but I never hated you. Oh, and you can tell your man he has nothing to fear from me anymore. I got it out of my system that one time, and it's in the past as far as I'm concerned." "You know," she said, "I never had a clue just how tough you were until that day. I mean I knew you had been a boxer and stuff, but well, I just had had no idea." "Thanks, I think," I said. It was her turn to smile. "Today is s special day for our girls," I said. "I think it would be nice if we sat together at the table. It would make them feel good, I think." "Marvin, I think that is a wonderful idea. "Marvin, I mean since we'll be sitting together, I mean..." "Yes, I think we should talk some," he said. "I guess we should've had our conversation a long time ago. But, time got away from me, and well..." She nodded her understanding. "That said, Carol, I think it should not be tonight. I mean not about the big stuff. This is kind of an unusual gathering. I mean aren't grooms supposed to stay away from their future wives the night before their weddings. I think we need to focus on the girls tonight. I'll call you in a few days and we'll have lunch or dinner or something," he said. "You're right of course," she said. At the dinner, I noticed the twins watching me. Or, was it the both of us, Carol and me. I saw them whisper to each other every few minutes while keeping an eye on our table which was no more than twenty feet away from their own. The next morning the brides looked wonderful and the grooms looked pretty good too. The wedding went off smoothly. It should have, it had cost a small fortune on the part of their father, I thought to myself. On the day of the wedding Julius still had not showed, and Carol was once again paired with me. I noticed that she seemed to walk with a slight limp, and she was wearing a long sleeved blouse in spite of the hot weather. I began to feel that something was amiss. The wedding and the reception had turned out to be wonderful in some ways, but bittersweet in others. I would miss the girls noise and problems and messy room and all of it. After the girls had slipped out of the reception and headed off on their honeymoons, Carol and I were left standing next to the bandstand looking at each other. We were each aware of a new era beginning in our lives. It was an awkward moment. I turned to her. "Carol?" She had a pained look to her. She looked up at me. "Yes?" "Something wrong?" I could see her fighting back tears, at least I thought that's what I saw. "We fought. He wouldn't come. It was a bad fight," she said. My mood darkened. "He hit you didn't he?" I said, trying to control myself, but not doing a very good job of it. She just looked away. "I'll kill the motherfucker," I said, between gritted teeth. Her head snapped around and she said, "No!" I saw she was scared to death. "Okay, okay, I'm cool," I said. I made a mental note to not actually kill the bastard. "Marv, we split up last night. That's why he?well, he lost it. We were never able to get around the loss of our families. His ex makes it difficult for him to see his own children and mine, ours, hate him. He's not in a good place emotionally," she said. "So you get to help him out by being his punching bag," I said, not quite sneering. "Marvin Caldwell, you have to promise me you won't do anything foolish. This is my fault, all my fault. If I hadn't cheated three years ago, none of this would be happening. Marvin! Promise me!" she demanded. "I won't kill him," I said, "But, he is going to get an ear full from me if he's still in town when I go looking for him. And, Carol, don't ask me for more than that." She nodded. I paced back and forth outside of the bar that I knew he was at. Some early arrivals at the establishment eyed me. I was making up my mind if I should go in and talk to him or wait him out. I had enquired of a parking attendant at his place of work where he might go. The young man hadn't hesitated. "The Green Field bar," said the young man. "You can see it from here. It's just over there. He goes there a lot. They got great hamburgers too." I thanked him and pressed a fin into his palm. The day was hot. I finally decided to go inside. The place was cool and dim, but not dark; I could see easily. And what I saw was him talking to one of the serving girls. I approached. The girl saw me. I guess the look on my face made her think of something else to do; she broke off her conversation with Julius and sashayed away from the bar. Julius was nonplused. He turned to see what had interrupted his little get together with the girl. "What a way to ruin a perfectly fine day," said Julius, seeing me behind him. "I'm here to have a few words with you, asshole," I said. "Then you'll be talking to yourself because I ain't listenin'," he said. "That would be your choice, but you better find a way to hear me or you are going down," I said. "Yeah right." "If you come near Carol again, I'm gonna be there, and you won't like it. If you call her on the phone, I'm gonna find you. If you write her a note, I will hunt you down and make you eat it. She made me promise not to tear your cowardly ass up, but I won't be hearing her if there's a next time. Good day Mr. Weathers." I stalked out. I spent the next few days packing some things for a little vacation that I had planned. I would be spending some time alone. I couldn't get Carol out of my mind, and had almost called her; I had to think. I had promised her that we would talk, but for some reason, I just couldn't pick up the phone and dial her number. The betrayal of three years earlier still rankled, and yet having seen her, what she had become; I had come to realize that I wanted her back. All of my procrastination notwithstanding, fate was about to take matters out of my hands. The phone rang. I picked it up. It was Carol. We talked for some minutes. She was on her way up to see me. I could sense the hands of my daughters in all of this. I answered the rapping on my condo door. She stood there, pretty and subdued. "Come in," I said, finding my voice. "Thank you Marvin." I indicated that she should have a seat. She sat herself gingerly on the couch. "I hear you talked to Julius." "I didn't touch him," I said. "I know. The bartender told me," she said. "He's a dear friend." I nodded. "Marvin, three years ago I thought I was in love with another man, Julius. I now know it was just a serious case of stupidity. A genius I clearly am not." "You're saying it was stupidity, not his enormous cock?" I said rubbing it in. "I heard what you said about me on the tapes." She winced. "You're a proud man, Marvin. I know my words hurt you. I beg your forgiveness for that; I really do. He has got a big cock for sure; he is bigger than you, Marvin, I won't lie to you; you'd know I was lying anyway. I'm done with lies. But his cock by itself would never have been enough to lure me away from you or the girls. It was much more than that, and at the same time much less, I suppose. The truth is I was bored, and the thrill of the chase overcame my inhibitions, and I blundered." "You said you loved him," I said. "That was on the tapes too." "Like I said, I thought I did, but I didn't; I know that now, as self-serving as it sounds." "It does sound self-serving, Carol. "Carol, for me it was not just the cheating, as bad as that was. It was not even the fact that you ripped my heart out when you said on the tape that you loved the asshole. Or the way you made me feel inadequate talking about my cock. It was the fact that I had trusted you and you betrayed that trust. I need to be able to trust the woman I sleep beside each night. I need her to be on my side, not some other guy's." "I know, and I guess I will never be able to convince you that I am trustworthy now. I am trustworthy though. I know I am, but how to convince you? I don't know how," she said. "I met with you tonight," I said, "because I wanted to see what you'd say. I know our girls want us to get back together. Hell, at odd times, I want us to get back together. But, how can I be sure that you won't get bored again, or look around for another big cock to satisfy you," I said. She was crying, but I could see she had something else on her mind. "I'm looking for happiness now, Marvin, not just some high schoolish thrill. I need a man to sleep beside and to trust me and be trusted by me too. If you give me a chance, I will prove myself worthy, I promise. I need a chance. Once burned twice warned, Marvin. I won't make a mistake like that again no matter what." I walked toward the wall and banged my head against it. It startled her. "Marvin!" "Call the girls to come up, Carol." "Huh?" "I know they're with you tonight. They're your back up aren't they?" "How did you know?" "I have my sources, and no, it's not the girls," I said. I didn't say that I had promised Bob, Jenny's husband, that I would not double-cross him and let the girls know he'd told me what they were planning to do to get me and their mother back together. The two newlyweds must have been listening at the door. They arrived in less than eleven seconds. Julius married the bargirl I saw him talking to that day. We see them on a rare occasion. Carol still works for the agency, and so does he but in a different town. He stays clear of us, but big company affairs include some people we are not keen about. Carol and I are living together, but not remarried. I am not sure we ever will be. I am not a big fan of divorce, and Carol knows that just one more mistake, even so much as a passionate kiss given to another man, will end us forever. Whatever the future holds remains a mystery, but at the moment things are pretty cool. Jenny has let us know that we will be grandparents in seven months. That is something that Carol and I are really getting in to. 5723 1.48/512345