500 Annies Ch. 01

He was complaining that if she was frustrated by him not spending time with her, how separating and not seeing him at all was helping.

One of the older men spoke up.

"Might as well get a good lawyer now. Sounds like she's not coming back. Sorry, son."

One of the others spoke up.

"You travel as much as the rest of us. Didn't you just celebrate your thirtieth anniversary? How have you managed to stay married?"

"Thirty fifth. The trick is not to let them get bored. We had five kids, and I have to stop and count up when I talk about grandchildren to make sure I don't miss any when I brag about them. I was lucky, when she gets bored she sees one of the kids. Then she has her quilting club, her book club, and her dancing lessons. She stays busy and she stays happy."

"It also helps if you treat them like the queens they are when you're at home. Sure, there's a lot of stuff I'd rather do at times, but nothing is as important to me as her. That's why I take dance lessons, when I'm at home. I want all her dances for the rest of my life, and I want to measure up."

That made a lot of sense. But, we didn't have a large family, and she already knew how to dance. I needed to find something she really enjoyed and encourage her. Then it hit me.

Travel. She loves it better than anything in the world. I researched it. It's amazing how many travel companies there are. I found two in our area that specialized in short two or three day trips in our area. Bus tours, and the cost was very reasonable. One of the trips really stood out. It was a three day trip, Friday morning until Sunday evening. The main focus of the trip was a tour of the Biltmore House in western North Carolina. Built by the Vanderbilts over as hundred years ago, it was billed as the largest castle in America. Jaime had always wanted to see it. There was also a side trip to see the home of Thomas Wolfe in Asheville, and a short shopping excursion to a local outlet mall. It was a perfect woman's trip.

Best of all, it was for a weekend I knew I would be away, arriving home basically the same time the tour did. I booked two tickets, to be delivered to my office.

It took a little planning, a quiet talk to her bosses to assure she could get that Friday off, Bringing AJ in to smooth it out, I was ready.

I purposely didn't tell Annie when I left that Monday, AJ was supposed to tell her just before I called Thursday night. It was a thing of beauty.

She came home from work to find AJ packing a small suitcase.

"What are you doing?"

She gave her mom a look that only teen age girls can get away with.

"I'm packing."

"Let me rephrase that. Why are you packing?"

"Gee mom, maybe I'm packing because I'm going somewhere."

"Where do you think you're going? Wait, never mind, enough with the twenty questions. What's going on?"

At that exact time the phone rang. We had timed it almost to the second. AJ looked at Jaime and said "I'm pretty sure it's for you."

"Hello? Hi honey, yes, I miss you too. Look, did you give AJ permission to go somewhere? What! Three days? Have you lost your mind? What in the world is going on?"

"No, I haven't lost my mind. I just wanted to tell you to take a raincoat. Why? Because it's supposed to rain this weekend. No, not there, in Asheville. Why should that matter? Because that's where you're going to be, at the Biltmore House, downtown Asheville, and a shopping spree at the big outlet mall. I know you hate sitting at home alone, so AJ and I got together and planned this trip. She's going to chaperone, we can trust you everywhere but the outlet mall."

"Then again, two women with credit cards at an outlet mall might not be the best idea I've ever had. Take it easy, honey, please. Love me now?"

She was crying, I could hear AJ laughing in the background.

"Love you? If it were possible I'd send my tongue through this telephone line and so far down your throat I'd know what you had for breakfast this morning. But since I can't, I'm gonna have AJ pack an extra outfit and drop her at grandmas' house Sunday. Then I plan to really show you how grateful I am."

I could hear AJ screaming and laughing in the background.

"Mom! Way too much information for a teenager. Tell dad we both love him and start getting packed."

She did just that.

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The trip was a huge success. She was just as excited when she got home as she was when she left.

She spent about two hours telling me all about it. What she saw, the people she met, the restaurants, and the shopping.

That was the only time I thought maybe I'd made an error in judgement. She just kept on pulling bags out of the trunk. But most of it was for AJ, clothes and shoes for the upcoming school year. She said she got really good deals so I let it go.

She pulled one more bag out.

"I got you a little something. They had the sweetest little lingerie shop. I'm going to take a shower, don't come into the bedroom until I call you. If I remember correctly, I've got a little gratitude to express."

It was possibly the longest the longest forty five minutes in the history of time, but when she called me, it was worth the wait.

Lavender bustier with a black accent stripes. A boa to match. Black seamed hose attached to the bustier, and the tiniest panties I've ever seen.

She had done her makeup, and had her highest pair of heels on.

"Would you like to unwrap your present?"

"I almost hate to, it such a pretty package."

"We'll compromise, I'll leave the boa on."

I wasn't very productive the next day at the office. About all I got done was arranging for a box of his favorite cigars to be delivered to Will, the engineer whose advice sparked the whole thing.

This started a pattern of trips, usually about once a month. Unless it was somewhere AJ wanted to go, Annie went alone. She wasn't actually alone, she had made friends with several ladies about her age who liked to take the little excursions, and usually one or more of her friends arranged to be on the same bus. I thought we were going to run out of memory storing pictures.

AJ did what all kids do, she grew up on us. One day we're looking at college brochures, the next we were watching her wave bye as she went into her dorm room.

Annie took it hard. I was still traveling, not as often, but at least once a month. About every other month she would take a trip to see AJ, or take a tour somewhere new.

She seemed withdrawn, sullen. Where she used to greet me with a big kiss and hug, now it was a peck on the cheek. Lovemaking became more spaced out, and hot, down and dirty sex disappeared almost completely. It got so bad I felt we needed to address it.

She admitted she hated an empty nest, especially when I was gone. She was lonely, bored, said she felt useless. I was stunned.

As much as I loved my child, I was looking forward to alone time with Annie. Foolishly, I was hoping for the passions of our youth to reignite.

"Honey, I love you more than anything in the world. You're thinking all wrong, this isn't the end, it's a new beginning. Think of all the things you've wanted to do but couldn't because you had to take care of AJ. Now you can. You've always been interested in art, doesn't the local community college have classes? You've also expressed more than a passing interest in pottery, why not give it a try? Don't sit around brooding on the past, move forward! You have too much life ahead of you, ahead of us, to just sit down. Move forward, honey, before the past swallows you up."

I had become more impassioned as I spoke, nearly shouting at the end. She looked stunned. Then she smiled.

"Thanks honey. That kick in the ass is just what I needed. I love you!"

Then she leered.

"you know, there are some things I've always wanted to try, but I need to order some things first. But right now, I'm the mood for some hot, nasty, loud sex. Want to?"

Probably the dumbest question I'd ever heard.

I didn't know it at the time, but it was the beginning of the end.

For about a year things were great, then she slowly started withdrawing from me. She was taking art classes, at first at school, then private. She said she did better with one on one interactions. She also started traveling more.

Money was never an issue with us. After we found out AJ would be an only child, we kept our two bedroom house instead of trading up. We didn't have to spend the money we had in her college fund because she got a full scholarship.

As she rose to office manager, my department continued to expand, and the pay rose with my responsibilities. I also got some really good bonuses, which went straight into savings.

We both had good 401 plans that we contributed the max to. All told, we were very comfortable.

Then the economy went south. People weren't expanding or upgrading, so they didn't need us.

First one branch closed, then another. We were nervous, rumors were flying. Finally the ax just fell. We were being downsized.

A few, me included, were offered transfers. My whole life was here, and as much as I would miss my job, I wasn't leaving. They were kind to us and we got very good severance packages.

Annie took it a lot harder than I did.

"Are we gonna be all right financially? Think there are jobs out there?"

"Relax honey. The severance package lets me draw a full salary for six months, and they will still carry insurance on us until it runs out. By that time the economy should be better. Even if it's not I'm eligible for unemployment benefits. Every thing we have is paid for anyway, stop worrying."

She did worry, though. I just wanted to take a few weeks off and relax, but she pushed me into sending out resumes to almost everyone in driving distance. Nobody was hiring, and if they were they could get a kid right out of college for almost minimum wage.

Annie was acting more distracted everyday. I felt something wasn't quite right, but put it down to economic insecurity.

She became snappish, getting offended easily. She worked, went to art lessons twice a week, and despite being worried about finances went on two trips. I offered to go with her and she laughed.

"All right. This trip is to an expo and seminar on quilt making. Some of them are quite beautiful, it's art with fabrics instead of paint.

I've been thinking about trying it, Ramon says it will help me with composition and color coordination."

Ramon was her art teacher. I didn't want to tell Annie, but she really wasn't a very good painter, maybe he was right. Two days of looking at quilts, even if they were as lovely as she made them sound, didn't appeal to me. Top that off with lively discussions about fabrics and new sewing machines and I knew I would be ready to kill myself or someone else. I declined her kind offer.

By now AJ had graduated, found the man of her dreams, and married. Planning the wedding perked Annie up, but when it was over she realized AJ was gone for good. She was over the moon when AJ told her she was pregnant. They lived less than an hour away, and she was over constantly.

When she found out they had to transfer across the country, she went into a depression, rousing only when she took two weeks to spend with AJ while she delivered. I made it to the birth with two hours to spare, and we found ourselves the proud grandparents of a boy.

Back home she resumed her subdued, sullen attitude.

I finally snapped one night and unloaded.

"What the hell is wrong with you? We're still fairly young, there's a lot out there we could see and enjoy together. Yet nothing I suggest interests you. You make me feel like I'm a distraction, that I'm in your way. Are you trying to shut me out?"

She slowly went pale under my outburst, and when I got to the last part her eyes went wide. Instead of responding she rushed from the room.

I could be just as stubborn as she was. Let her stew. I was packing for an overnight trip, seems I had started a new career and had to meet a client. The whole argument started because I wanted her to go with me.

Seems one of our former clients wasn't happy with the new regime, and contacted me. Would I be interested in some free lance work? He had a few glitches in his production system he wasn't happy about.

I was going to fly in, observe, make suggestions, and take his operator manuals and go over them.

It was perfect for me, I would travel rarely, and could do most of the work from home. I even had plans to turn AJ's old room into an office.

We were barely civil to each other the rest of the night, and she seemed reluctant to kiss me goodbye the next morning.

I issued an ultimatum, something I never did.

"When I get home, expect to have some serious discussions about our future. I'm not happy, you're not happy, and I don't know why. Don't make any plans, I want the whole weekend with you to sort this out."

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When I got back she was gone.

There was a letter on the kitchen table.

"Joe."

Not Dear Joe, just Joe.

"By the time you read this I will be gone. I've thought about this for awhile. I'm not happy, haven't been since AJ went to college.

My life is stale. The excitement we had has slowly evaporated, and you didn't even notice it.

I know you've tried to get it back several times lately, but it was too little, too late.

I know this confession hurts you, I'm sure you didn't see this coming. But I want to be happy again, and I'm just not happy with you.

Ramon and I have been sleeping together for about two years. Two years and you had no idea! That should tell you how far apart we've drifted. It was easy to fool you, you had absolute trust in me.

All the trips I've taken in this time, even the quilt trip, I've taken with Ramon. You were my husband, but he is my soul mate.

Don't think I wasn't remorseful, I spent many nights in anguish, but in the end I just can't do this anymore.

I've already filed for divorce, the lawyers' card is on your desk. He can fill you in on the details, but I've given him a power of attorney and a quit claim for the house. In return, I've taken half the estimated value out of our savings and retirement account, then took fifty percent of the remainder. You keep your 401, I keep mine.

Please don't fight it, it's as fair as I can make it.

I quit my job last week and cashed out my retirement. By the time you read this I'll be in Europe, primarily in Spain and Italy. Please do not try to communicate with me except through my lawyer.

This is a cowards way out, I know. I just couldn't face you. If it's any consolation, I am sorry. Even worse, you're going to have to tell AJ, another cowardly act.

Please don't try to find me, I wouldn't talk to you if you did. Try to remember me fondly after the anger fades.

You didn't deserve this.

I'll always remember you with love.

Annie."

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The audience listened, spellbound, as Joe finished his narrative of the rise and fall of his marriage. As Barbara looked out over the crowd, she could see tears in the eyes of a few women.

"So there I was, ladies and gentleman, starting what I thought would be a glorious time in my life, suddenly alone."

"Was it painful? Extremely. Did I fall apart?

To quote my grandfather, "like a flea market watch."

"Did I get it back together? Sort of, it's a work in progress."

Barbaras' voiceover broke the spell over the radio.

"That concludes this segment of the Joe Williams interview. Tune in tomorrow when Joe talks about how he rebuilt his life, and came to write his book. Good night, ladies and gentlemen."

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Mike listened raptly through his earphones, and as Babs left she gave him an "I told you so" smirk. He had a bad feeling he had made a mistake.

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Part two will be posted soon, and by soon I mean less than a week.