Double Whammy

"Hello." It was a soft and quiet Cindy answering the phone.

"Cindy, its Jake. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm OK. Can you come over? I could use the company."

"I'm almost outside your door. I just wanted to make sure Al wasn't still there."

"No ... no ... Al's gone. Come on in. The coffee's ready." It was a dispirited Cindy by the sound of her voice. I was relieved she was OK, but anxious to hear what had happened.

I parked the car and went around to the back and walked in, just as I would have in the past. Cindy was sitting at the kitchen table, her head in her hands. She looked like hell, her eyes reddened and her face forlorn.

"Hi," was all I said as I poured myself a coffee and sat down beside her. "What happened?"

She turned and looked at me and then began shaking her head.

"He completely came apart, Jake. He broke down, crying and wailing about what was he going to do without me. He was begging me on his knees to give him one more chance. It was so fucking pathetic that he had me crying too."

"Did he agree to leave?" I asked.

"Yeah. Not that I gave him much choice. He tried to bullshit me about how I had it all wrong and someone was out to get him, and that I didn't have much faith in him to believe these lies. What a hopeless asshole he is. When I told him I knew about Judy and suggested maybe that's why you're divorcing her, I thought he was going to puke. He turned every single colour but pink. Then I hit him with Mimi Tremonte and what the girl at school had taunted Annie with, and I was sure he was going to pass out. That's when he lost it."

"That sounds horrible. How are you ... now?"

"I don't feel great, Jake. Like you, that's ten years down the drain. Ten years I can't get back. Part of me is mad and part of me is sad."

"There's a big difference between your ten years and my seven," I said.

"Oh yeah ... like what?"

"Like Annabeth and Bradley."

She looked at me and I could see the tears begin to form. I took her hands in mine and squeezed them gently. "Hold on, Cindy. Hold on."

Now it was Cindy's turn to come undone. All I could do was hold her and let her get it all out. Purge the system. Get ready to get up and answer the bell again. She was a strong woman and she would be OK when this was all done. That didn't mean she would forget, or that it wouldn't hurt. It meant that she could get past it and go on with her life, whatever that turned out to be.

"Talk to me, Cindy. Tell me what happened."

She had regained enough composure to speak and she was leaning into me as I held her. I thought to myself that if we never became more than just good friends, it would be a mistake not to try for more. She was a special person and one I admired and I think I now loved. The question for both of us was ... what kind of love?

She began to talk. She told of having Al sit in the kitchen while she told him she was filing for divorce. He was shocked at first, but then in typical Al fashion, he began to bluster, trying to bullshit his way out of whatever box Cindy was putting him in. Unfortunately, it wasn't a fair fight. Cindy was too smart and too well prepared to let him get away with that.

When he realized he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this, he played the sympathy card, ringing in the children and all their years together and the parents and all the good memories. Cindy said he made it easier for her. He was so phony with his contrite attitude that she didn't feel any compunction about nailing him with his sins, included the ones he thought she had forgiven him for.

By the end of the drama, Al was a puddle of sobbing mush. She had pre-empted him by packing a bag with his things and pulling it out into the kitchen, telling him to hit the road and don't come back until she gave him permission. Al of course misunderstood, thinking that he was being sentenced to a short-term exclusion. When Cindy slapped the divorce papers in his hand, he began to figure out that he was gone for good. The only thing he would be coming back for was the rest of his clothes and possessions and Cindy would be watching to make sure he didn't take anything he wasn't entitled to. He was a beaten man when he walked out the door, dragging his suitcase behind him.

"I wish I had been here for you, Cindy," I said.

"No ... that wouldn't work, Jake. I had to do this myself. It wasn't fun and it wasn't easy, but I had to do it myself. Don't start blaming yourself because I'm upset. I know you mean well, but ... it had to be done and it had to be done hard and fast."

"Well, I guess you and I are about to start the rest of our lives," I said. I'm just happy that I'm still going to have you as part of that ... at least for a while."

Her head popped up and she gave me the damndest look. "Are you having second thoughts about us?" That was a no-nonsense question.

"Of course not. It's just ... it's your choice, Cindy. Whatever becomes of us ... it will always be your choice."

"Jake Phaltz! What a cop-out! First you tell me you have feelings for me, then you lay it all on my shoulders. What kind of bastard are you?" she demanded.

I looked at her and I couldn't help it. I know I had a wrinkled smile on my lips. She couldn't help it either. I could see it in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in for one big, long, sensuous kiss. I don't think we're going to be separated any time soon.

Epilogue:

As I expected, the offer on the house was countered, but not too far from my ideal price. I had our agent re-counter and the deal was done when they accepted. I now owned a four bedroom house in a very nice neighborhood.

I'm almost embarrassed at how easily I got over being divorced from Judy. I've come to the conclusion that I never did love her. Not really. Not the way my parents love each other. Not the way I had envisioned a loving wife. All I have to compare it to is what I now see and what I now know. The depth of emotion just wasn't there on either part.

I haven't seen Judy since the divorce papers were signed. The final decree will be issued in February. The word is that she and Bobby-boy took off with damn little aside from his Mercedes. His soon-to-be ex-wife is now running the lab and it's business as usual. I guess Judy lost out on her dream twice in a row.

Al is still working at the Chev dealer, although we hear he is a much different personality these days. His divorce from Cindy will be final in March. He visits his children every week, but otherwise keeps his head down. We don't think the single life agrees with him quite as much as he might have hoped.

Cindy cut him some slack at my suggestion. She's not asking for alimony or child support. Al is down and despite his behaviour, neither Cindy nor I would get any satisfaction from kicking him. Our income will be all we ever need financially, and as for Al, he'll need every dime he can earn for the next while. He still has the few remaining mortgage payments and his overloaded credit cards. Playing around can be quite expensive.

Cindy and I are quite a different story. I was thinking the other day about what makes her so attractive to me. She's bigger than Judy. Not taller by much, but bigger, rounder, busty-er, hippy-er, sexier. She is one hundred percent all female. She looks it, she acts like it, she smells like it, and she tastes like it.

She doesn't take shit from anyone, including me. On the other hand, she gives. She gives BIG! I will never to my dying day understand why Al Willows would want to fool around on her. Just give that man the Dumb-Ass Award in perpetuity. I love that woman like crazy and I'll fight to the death to keep her.

Cindy doesn't do things in half-measures. When she says she's in love with me, I'm definitely not going to argue with her. Besides, what's the point? I'm getting all the benefits of her high opinion of me. I'm glad I'm reasonably fit. God forbid I should disappoint her.

We didn't need the fourth bedroom as a bedroom for very long. Cindy sat down with the kids after she gave Al the boot, and explained what was going to happen. Annie, who knew about her father's stupidity, was less upset than Brad. But both of them had to be reassured that they would still be seeing their father. Brad was pretty quiet for a few days, but gradually, as most kids do, he adapted.

When Cindy told the kids that they would be moving into a new house with a big backyard and a play area in the basement and still going to the same school, the heat was off. When she told them I would be living with them in the house, Brad actually cheered and Annie nodded her OK. It seemed that they had the same feelings toward me that I had toward them. Cindy said kids pick up on adult "vibes," and they knew how I felt about them.

We moved into the new house just after Halloween. I took Annie and Brad out for 'Trick-or-Treat' in their old neighborhood, and it was fun to watch them as they went from door-to-door. They always said 'thank you' and despite the costumes, they were often saying 'Hi' to kids they recognized from school. There was no sign of Al that night. I think he decided it wasn't something he could handle.

I used some of my cash and hired proper movers to get us relocated into our new home. Judy and I had decided on what furniture we would split and I chose not to argue about small things. Al was now living with a friend from work and had no room for furniture. We were doing him a favour by taking their stuff to the new house, making sure he received half the current estimated value. At the end of it all, I only had to buy a TV for the kids, and a couple of things for the dining room and kitchen.

Christmas isn't that far away and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm sure I'll spoil Cindy, Annie and Brad terribly, but if I'm careful, I won't get too much heat from Cindy. She knows how I feel about them and I think that's what's making our new life so much easier. That and the sex, of course.

Remember, I'm coming off a once a week or so tepid encounter. Cindy is more ... uhhhmmm, what's the word ... robust ... when it comes to sex. Uninhibited is another word I could use. Let's just say I'm doing fine, thank you.

Cindy has a lot to say when we have sex, so in order to keep from disturbing the children, I set up my office in the bedroom between ours and theirs. We also have discovered the benefits of working from home during the day. The happy-hour has been moved to mid-day, and I can tell you it really is a happy hour.

Oh, yes, my new career. I have found a man who is multilingual and an engineer. He's ideal for this project of Mr. Louie's, and he and I met with my boss to discuss how we could do this project. The upshot is that I now have a contract to produce maintenance manuals in English, French and Spanish. It would appear that Mr. Louie has eyes on the American market.

I have several years of work ahead of me by the look of it. Not all Mr. Louie's of course. Other people have found out about my capabilities, and I am going to have to expand to handle the demand. Not just for imports now, but exports as well. Cindy is my personal assistant, and I couldn't have chosen a more capable person. She is dynamite at handling negotiations, scheduling, and financial management. My partner is my partner.

And finally, to the delight of the children, Cindy and I are getting married. We'll be doing it during spring break for the kids and we'll be doing it in Hawaii. I'm bringing my parents and my brother out for the occasion. Cindy's mother is a widow, and she'll be there too. I gather she never did have a high opinion of Al, so I guess I'm starting with a clean slate with her.

This time it's going to last. This time it is for keeps!

The End