30 Silver Coins

Maggie went to shower and the bed without wasting any further words on me. The next morning I was told what had happened the previous evening. But the guys didn't know what had caused the terrible stink in Sonny's house. The only thing they knew was that Maggie had rushed out from the house after not more than one or two minutes and Sonny had opened all windows in the house. Once again I had won a battle but got Maggie feeling even more sorry for Sonny.

Sonny caused his next problem by himself alone, without help from any others. When he hadn't heard anything from the police about his damaged car in two weeks he went to the police station, found the female detective who was responsible for the case and began threatening her with getting fired by his father's connections if she didn't find the marauder very soon. She tried to explain that they took the cases in order and for the time being she had five burglaries, three cars scratched at a supermarket parking and one stolen bulldozer to take care off before his matter got at the top of her pile a papers. He had began shouting that as one of the most important tax payers in town he had right to demand fast action when he got problems. That didn't impress very much on the local police because they are employed by the state and ruled from the county capital, where none cared about some Sonny Anderson in a distant small town.

However, the local police did but in a different way than Sonny expected. They happened to have a speed and drunk driving control one evening at the road between Sonny's office and his home. They got "Bingo", 25 km/h speeding and 0,5 pro mille alcohol. Not enough for a ticket to jail but enough for a "good bye" to the diving license for a long time and heavy fines expected after trial. He demanded his lawyer to accuse the police for harassing but the lawyer refused because the police had succeeded to catch five other speeders and one further drunk driver at that control point. One more battle for my account and this time Maggie didn't blame me.

Sonny was used to getting what he wanted and had a reputation of a man who didn't give up his intentions, especially not when the road to his goal happened to be a challenge with problem filled path. He had no plans to give up his plans for my wife but understood that he had to invest much more than he had done so far. While planning on how to get her impressed enough for ending up in his bed, he got a gift from above. Not from heaven, but with air mail from America. One of his best friends from boarding school, now living in the Silicone Valley invited him and his spouse to his wedding in Las Vegas. Sonny understood that he had a real bingo, which would solve his problems. He invented an errand to Maggie's job and invited her for lunch and offered her a very expensive trip for free if she wanted to act as his spouse during the wedding. His offer included all flights in first class, everything, for free in Las Vegas and a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon. He even promised her that he had no intentions about seducing or demanding any kind of sex during the trip.

When she had promised to think about it, he had continued that she, of course was paid her usual salary from her job and her clothes for the wedding were for free.

She was much more interested than she had pretended to be during the lunch and back at her job she did a quick check with Google and found out that his offer was worth something around 10,000 in US dollars.

She told me about his offer the same evening, which was a plus in her account. But to my great disappointment she had already accepted his offer. I couldn't shut up and asked, " Only a ten thousand dollar trip means that he regards you to be much cheaper than his ex wife, who cost him five times more for a BMW before she spread her legs for him for the first time."

Nasty thing to say to her and she screamed back, "Do you think I'm a cheap whore?"

"What else can I think if that asshole can buy your love for such a cheap price? I don't blame you, ten thousand dollars is at least a bit more than thirty silver coins."

"Your problem is that you envy me because my job gives me such opportunity to travel."

"Your so called job for Sonny will give you more than that. Much more, indeed."

"You ought to trust me."

Nothing more was said in that matter during the evening. The next morning I went into my boss' office and told him the bad news that Sonny had taken a new, probably successful step against his goal with my wife.

His reply had me a bit confused, "I've heard that and believe me, it is under control and you don't have any reason to worry. You can pretend that you are worried, but don't do anything and let her go if she wants to do that."

After some talk about the job, which went on slightly better than expected, I left his office still confused but in a much better mood.

Maggie's decision to go to Las Vegas with Sonny put a definite strain on our marriage. Though we didn't have any serious quarrels, our usual laugh and jokes had disappeared and been replaced with some kind of correct behavior. Even our lovemaking was replaced with fucking, but far from as often as usual.

The last night before she left was an exception with real lovemaking again. We did it three times that night and after the last time when we had a small talk about things to do while she was away I asked her if she wanted me to pack her things in cardboard boxes. She began to cry and asked me, "Why?"

"Because it will be much easier for you move to Sonny's house when you are back"

"For heaven's sake, why can't you understand that it is only a few days job for me?"

"Because I know his intentions and it doesn't matter that he'll get you for a bargain, he had never invested even that amount, not even though it is peanuts for him, for nothing. He wants you and is willing to pay to get you."

"So you don't trust me?"

"No I don't, not in this matter. I can't give you what he can and obviously his money means more than my love. But one thing is for sure, I don't want you back after you've been soiled by that asshole. Doesn't matter if he dumps you direct after the trip. Please remember that this marriage is terminated as soon you spread your legs for him. It doesn't matter that you are drunk or drugged, which you probably will be if he doesn't get it otherwise."

"You've got Sonny as ghost in your brains. I love you and our children, only you and the children. Please trust me."

She began to cry before she fell asleep. A taxi arrived to catch her early in the morning and I kissed her, gave her a hug and said, "Thanks for these years and good luck for the future. Goodbye love."

"I love you."

And then she was gone. It was the worst day in my life because I had no hope that she could resist him after a few days in "his world". Only such thing as the comfortable flight in first class was as different as night and day compared to the crowded charter flights during our holiday trips. Even the limousine instead of coach from airport to the hotel must get her thinking about the advantages of living with Sonny. The only thing she had to do for getting such comfortable life was letting Sonny fuck her now and then. If that was unpleasant for her, she could do as the English girls did during the 19th century when they closed their eyes and thought about queen Victoria. We don't have any queen with that name, but the pretty crown princess Victoria, still single because her boyfriend is regarded 'too average', will be OK to think about.

I had many silly thoughts in my head during that sad day.

Back home from my job the next evening I got the surprise of my life. Guess who was sitting in the kitchen? Maggie was back home. When she saw me. She stood up, met me and began hugging and kissing me and begged, "Please forgive me! I've been a stupid idiot, please forgive me!"

Then I had her tell me what happened during her "super-short" USA trip. Some times later when everything calmed down again, I persuaded Maggie to write down her own story about the USA trip.

Maggie tells her own story:

To my great surprise Sonny rang me at my job and invited me for lunch. At the restaurant he told me that he was sorry that his earlier attempts to hire me for some PR jobs had ended in fiasco. But now he had got a new challenge in which he needed a well-qualified female hostess and in his opinion I was perfect for that job. One of his best friends, now living in Silicone Valley in California, had invited him to his wedding. As it was "the second trip" for both the bride and the groom they had decided to have it in Las Vegas together with friends instead of the usual family matter.

Sonny's friend had asked him to be the "best man" and together with his wife be hosts at the party after the wedding. Sonny's problem was that his wife had recently left him and therefore he offered me the job as his assistant at the party.

His offer included flights in first class, single rooms at best hotels, all meals, all other expenses paid and no deduction in the salary from my job. Sounded interesting, but too good to be true. Why so much for almost nothing? I thought that he expected some other favors and told him that he could get both younger and prettier escort girl in Las Vegas who would give him all kinds of a 24 hour a day service for far less expenses than I should cost him without any "personal service". Sonny looked me straight in my eyes and told me that the only reason for why he had not mentioned single rooms and no demand for any kind for sex was that it was so obvious that he didn't think it even needed to be mentioned. When Sonny rang me during the afternoon, I took the job.

I had expected complaints and objections from my husband but hadn't expected them to be of so serious kind as they really were. I got a very bad feeling when he accused me of having sold our marriage for "thirty silver coins" and when he began planning for divorce I understood that I was playing with fire and had made a big mistake when accepting Sonny's offer without talking with him. I rang Sonny and tried to cancel my trip but he told me that everything was already booked and persuaded me to go on with it.

My husband's chilly behavior had turned to very tender lovemaking during my last night at home before the trip and I feared that he regarded it as the last sex with me in our relationship. The way he said goodbye that morning put me in a very bad mood and I regretted the whole trip from it's very beginning.

Obviously I was a bad omen for Sonny because both of his earlier attempts to hire me for some job had gotten him into problems and so even this time. Reading ads in local American newspapers on the web Sonny had found a classic Ford 1936 convertible for sale in New York and made an agreement with the seller to buy it for a very good price, which would give him a nice profit when he sold it back home. Therefore he had booked the trip via Newark instead of Chicago and planned for one-day stay in New York so he could fix the car business. While waiting for boarding the plane, he rang the guy in New York and got the bad news that yesterday evening the car was sold to an another buyer who had paid two thousand dollars over Sonny's price. Sonny had got so mad that he had thrown his expensive new cell phone at the stone floor and I collected the pieces to a wastebasket. Sonny had gone straight to the bar for several drinks.

He continued his drinking on the plane and after some hours he began harassing me with, "You must be happy as hell for a real man took you away from that poor wimp of a husband?"

I told him, "He is no wimp and I love him."

"Not after this trip when you've got a taste of a real man"

"If you expect something such, please forget it."

"OK silly bitch, listen carefully to the new rules for this trip. No bullshit about single rooms and everything will be fine if you behave as a good girl. Understand?"

I didn't want any further arguing from him on the flight so I replied, "Yes." But decided to cancel the trip as soon as we got to Newark International and take the first possible flight back home. Sonny continued his drinking and fell asleep. After several attempts I succeeded in waking up Sonny before the landing and to my great pleasure he had a terrible hangover. I was after Sonny in the Immigration control line and when it was his turn, he for some reason was denied entry to the US. I heard him yelling and shouting racist and sexist comments to the young female Afro American Immigration officer, who obviously had pushed a button because two security guards were there within seconds and dragged away a screaming Sonny. That was the last time I saw him and didn't care where they took him. When it was my turn at the immigration desk, she did a quick check of my passport and said with a warm smile, "Welcome to the US."

I got my suitcase, went through the customs and was standing in the US with a huge ocean between my home and me and without a ticket for going back there. I found SAS desk and to my great relief I got a tourist class ticket to Copenhagen the same evening. Even sitting in a much less comfortable seat, the flight home was much more pleasant than in the other direction together with Sonny, which was the worst mistake I ever made in my whole life. After arrival to Copenhagen in the morning I got a local train over the bridge to Malmoe from where I got an express train near to my hometown and taxi for the last 40 km. Thank heaven for credit cards. I was back at home after the worst and most stupid mistake of my whole life. I had staked a happy marriage for nothing and prayed that my husband would forgive me.

When I got in to the bedroom and saw the pile of empty cardboard boxes I began to cry hysterically as I understood what my husband had intended to do while I was away. He got a real surprise when he found me at home after so short a time. I told him the truth that I had never had any intentions for cheating him, I had never cheated on him and I would never cheat on him. I had not given Sonny as much as a kiss. I begged him to forgive me, which he did to my great relief. Our marriage survived and I'm very happy that my husband after several chilly weeks regards me as his loving wife again.

Epilog.

About two weeks after Maggie's USA trip the young female detective had succeeded in finding the man who had damaged Sonny's Ford. He was bankrupt with huge debts and Sonny had refused to rent him an apartment, which he accepted but the reason for his vengeance had been Sonny's nasty comments and cruel laugh about his attempt to get an apartment.

Sonny's visit in the US got to be much longer and much more expensive for his family than he ever expected. Of course, I don't know everything for sure but the rumors I heard in town says that reason for his denied entry to the US was that he had been involved in some political crap during his time at the university. Sonny had been totally weird when he got drunk and harassed Maggie during the flight. If he had been nice to her and used his brains instead of his big mouth after the fiasco at the immigration desk, she had probably felt sorry for him.

During such circumstances it might been far from impossible for him persuade her to spend some days with him at a nice high class hotel in Mexico or Caribbean islands instead of Las Vegas and got great chances to catch her in his trap. Nobody will ever know if my boss' connections could interfered and put a stop to it in those countries. It is even said that when the airport security searched his luggage they found some cocaine. He could have intended to use it on Maggie to get her more apt to cooperate with his intentions if she continued to say "No" during his attempts to seduce her in more common ways. Or somebody who didn't like arrogant brats could have put it in his luggage to cause him a bit harder sentence.

Though the family hired an expensive local lawyer for Sonny's trial, the judge hadn't been impressed of their explanations and sent him for six months to some "white collar prison". According to the local rumors in town after two of his cousins were over there visiting him, some of his fellow inmates with bad experiences of racism, had used some hard ways to teach him about their humble opinion about his racist and sexist harassment of one of their female government employees as a very stupid matter.