Epiphany

I couldn't tell you how long I've been away. It felt as if all my days have blended together. For all I knew, something that happened yesterday could have easily happened last week. My day generally started before the sun came up and finished well after the sun went down. Ambient lighting and climate control often simulated the normal business hours of the day. Only after the phone calls ceased was there an indication that the day was winding down. Depending on the number of loose ends that needed tying up, it could have been another 30 minutes before I heard that proverbial end of shift whistle. Lately, though, it was more like one to two hours. If it wasn't for the picture of my dear wife, Heather, sitting on my desk, I'm not certain if I would have gotten through it all.

I couldn't tell you why it felt like I haven't been home in ages, but the feeling of walking through the front door of my home felt like I was in the home of a stranger's house. Had I really been on auto-pilot for that long? Was I a simple drone of the 9-to-5 lifestyle, unaware that the greedy demands of corporate life were trying to squeeze blood from a turnip? Long hours spent working on proposals that would be rejected or required fine tuning. Long days spent implementing the approved projects while being threatened that my job was on the line if we miss the deadline or go over budget. My only break from the monotony of corporate life would be the telephone calls from my dear, Heather.

It didn't matter that our phone calls of late had been arguments about how I need to come home at a regular hour, how I need to take a vacation from all this stress, or how I need to spend time with her. The frustration and agony I heard in her voice had the underlying emotion of love and passion. She wanted to be with me. I always reassured her that this project would be the last, and then we'd take that week-long vacation in Hawaii so that we can get away and finally start the family she always wanted.

Walking through that front door felt as if I could finally see for the first time. Though, it felt quite strange. The furniture was familiar, but they have been repositioned or reupholstered. Heather did have plenty of time on her hands. I never noticed how she took care of the house until now. She had this one wool blanket that she tossed over the back of the couch. She always complained about it being cold, and if I wasn't there to keep her warm then she would light the fireplace and wrap herself up in this blanket. I always teased her that I'm glad we didn't live in Forks, Washington or that she didn't know anyone named Jacob. I can hear her response now,"Any woman would love having two men fight over her, each swearing their unconditional and eternal love to her."

Seeing, or perhaps finally noticing, the change in the furniture inspired me to make a change for the better. Not just for myself, but for Heather as well. She needed to have something more to do that rearrange furniture while waiting for her man to come home. Looking down at myself, I could probably stand to get out in the sun more. I suppose fluorescent lighting doesn't really give one much of a tan. Being an automaton really changed who I am. I first met Heather at a pick-up basketball game. A bunch of us guys from school would go down to the local park and play some three-on-three basketball. For whatever reason, it attracted some of the sorority girls to come and watch.

I'll never forget the day I first saw Heather. She wore her long black hair with soft curls. Her Cupid's bow lips smiled and turned at the corners, causing cute dimples to appear in her cheeks. Her hazel eyes sparkled in the sunlight, showing off her youth and zest for life. And how could I forget her curves? The cotton tank top hugged her firm breasts. The shorts she wore were modest enough but showed off how the sun kissed nearly every inch of her. I definitely wanted to be between those legs and plant soft kisses to her inner thighs. An all-American girl, who catered to every all-American boy's wet dream.

A locomotive in the form of a two hundred and fifty pound man, who had more fat than muscle, bulldozed me over on his way to the basket. He took advantage of my staring at Heather's beauty. He brought me back to reality in a hurry. Back then, it's what drew us together. She felt sorry for me, and then was flattered when I told her how it happened. Of course, I wasn't quite as raunchy as my hormone-enraged thoughts were. From there, we would always been seen together. At the basketball court or at the park, we would always be seen side by side, holding hands or kissing.

The sound of Heather giggling upstairs brought me back to reality this time around. It's a playful and flirtatious giggle, one that she would use whenever she bought a new dress that showed off her gorgeous legs or had a plunging neckline that made me want to go mountain climbing. Did she go shopping again for me? That was so very sweet of her. Well, I won't disappoint her. Things were going to change for the better after tonight. I'm going to let her know that I won't neglect her. I'm going to tell her that I appreciate her waiting for me. The blinders are off, and she'll now be rewarded for her patience.

Not wanting to surprise her, I crept up the stairs mindful of not placing too much weight upon the third step in the stairwell. It always creaked when someone walked on it. Heather and I would always joke about how we had a built-in alarm system with that staircase. Obviously, my ninja skills were shining through as I was able to get by that alarm without causing a sound! Hopefully she doesn't have the door closed, or these mad skills would have been all for naught.

I was in luck. The door to the bedroom was partially open. I could peek into the bedroom from the safety of the shadows. Another test of my ninja skills! And this grasshopper got an eyeful. Heather was wearing a spaghetti strap body suit made of while lace, with a built-in underwire bra. The frilly garment lifted her breasts, putting them on full display. Meanwhile the lacy fabric played peek-a-boo with her soft pink areola and her erect nipples. Just the sight of her luscious tits made me want to break down the door and ravage her, defining my epiphany and proclaim that I'm a changed man!

The body suit had a high French cut which revealed the dangerous curves of hips. Plus, it gave the added bonus of masquerading as a thong. The white fabric disappeared into her ass crevice, showing off her firm buttocks. The time she spent doing yoga and whatever fitness trend really paid off for her. When was the last time I told her that? It's sad that my work life would ever put that in doubt. God, I wanted to squeeze that ass and claim her body as my property just like I used to when I was younger.

However, right before I could muster the strength to blast open the door, I heard another voice coming from the master bathroom. Not only did it hurt that this was a masculine voice, but it was a familiar voice.

"Can I come out now, baby?" he said. I could hear the anticipation. He expected to see this new piece of lingerie.

The voice belonged to Damon, a college "friend". While I spent time in the classroom, studying management information systems, this loser would skateboard around campus. He was known for being the local hook-up for weed. Why a Hawaiian chose to go to a Midwestern university was beyond me, especially if he lived in paradise. He was friends with Heather, only by association. He dated many of her sorority sisters. If you were to ask me, I think they used him to score some pot. He, of course, used them for sex. He was a pussy hound. I always told Heather that I didn't care for him, and she always reassured me that he was nothing to fear.

Nothing to fear, she said. And yet, the asshole is in MY bedroom with MY wife! A million questions flooded my mind just then. Was this just dumb luck that I would come home and interrupt the "beginning" of this sordid affair? Or how long had this been going on? Did he always get to see her trying out new lingerie that she claimed she bought for me? Was I really so oblivious to everything around me that I didn't notice that she was sleeping with someone else? I know that giggle, so she's not being forced to dress like this for him. She's doing this to flirt with him! Anger consumed me.

I so desperately wanted to slam the door open and scare the shit out of these two lovebirds. The betrayal by my wife had me seeing red. But a voice in the back of my head told me to wait. Perhaps some of the answers to my questions would be revealed. The rage, the hurt, and the raw emotion were kept in check. I'm surprised that my breathing wasn't heard by the mother fuckers because I'm sure that I was fuming.

He came out, dressed only in Heather's favorite beach towel. Had they gone to the beach while I slaved away at work, trying to bring home enough money so that we would have a nest egg to start a family? That bitch! How could she do this to me? The last I heard, this loser was living in some trailer park that was a frequent haven for disturbance or domestic violence calls to the police. Heather posed for him as if she were a Playboy model, and that her body was his for the taking. She made love to the proverbial camera, giving that come hither, sultry look.

He didn't hesitate. He rushed forward and grabbed her by the ass and pulled her to him. In doing so, the beach towel fell to the floor. Heather's eyes widen as she felt his cock press against her sex. When he leaned in forward for a kiss, she wrapped a leg around him. In this position, she gave him easier access to her pussy. If it wasn't for the thin layer of fabric of her lingerie, he would have penetrated her right then and there. Their kiss was filled with passion and lust, though they fumbled through the motions as if this was their first kiss. I wonder how long she had been yearning for his kiss.

Again, I was going to burst in upon the scene and prevent this nightmare from continuing, but he broke from the kiss with a rather savage motion. With two hands, he grabbed hold of her lingerie and ripped the top down the center, causing her breasts to spring free. The stunned look on Heather's face didn't last long. Before she could react to how violently he tore her negligee, he pushed her back onto the bed. Her legs were sprawled out before him. I couldn't tell if that was lust in her eye, or if she was simply a deer in headlights.

He moved quickly and ripped open the snaps at the bottom of the teddy, exposing her shaved pussy to him. There was no mistake. Her pussy glistened with her own juices. She lay upon the bed as if she were his prey, and was there to be mounted. Damon crawled up between her legs and positioned himself to take something that for last several years belonged only to me. Though for the life of me, I don't know why I didn't rush in now. The rage and anger turned to hurt and despair, causing my knees to buckle. I had trouble breathing. My wife was having an affair willingly. I devoted my life to her, and this is how she repays me?

Her grunt told me that he had entered her with one fell swoop. His animalistic thrust must have been unexpected as she took a while to get acclimated to it. She preferred sex to be sensual and slow. She wanted to savor every inch as I entered her. She would dig her fingernails into my back and wrap both legs around my thighs so that she could control the speed of which I made love to her. This was different. In my despair, I hoped that his faux pas would ruin the evening for him. I hoped that Heather would realize the mistake she made and push him out, castrating him right then and there.

Much to my chagrin, I heard her say, "Oh god, I so needed this. It's been too long."

Had it really been that long since I made love to my wife? Or was she referring to the time between their encounters? She assured me that she never had sex with him in college. But then again, she gave her vow to be faithful to me on our wedding day. Was everything just a lie? Did she turn me into a corporate drone so that she could get the wealth she wanted from me, but live out her lustful fantasies with him? I'm not sure my heart could take much more. I wanted to die.

"I'm better than Steve, aren't I?" He asked, gloating over his conquest as he continued to hump his hips and thrust his cock into her.

My self-esteem lifted me off the ground. My wounded male pride gave me strength. How dare he think that he's better than me? I'm going to show him who the alpha male truly is. He's going to be sorry that he ever met me. However, this welling of strength and determination was accompanied by something even stronger. There are going to be two hits: Me hitting Damon and Damon hitting the floor.

Well, I was partially right. Before I could even enter the room, there was a resounding thud. From this new position on the floor, I couldn't see quite as well. However, the absence of bedsprings bouncing indicated someone fell off the bed.

"What the hell, bitch?" He screamed.

There was no mistaking the tone in Heather. She was pissed, "Get the fuck out of my house, right now!"

Could there be a God? I had to see how this played out. I backed away from the bedroom door and down the stairs. In my haste to not be seen, I forgot all about the precaution I took in order to get upstairs without sounding the hidden alarm. My luck must really be working in my favor because that third step didn't creak when I put my weight on it. Ducking into the kitchen, I found cover behind the island. Normally, when Heather is angry with me, everyone and their neighbor would know that I was the unfortunate recipient of her wrath just by the volume of her voice. Because of this, I didn't miss a beat of their discussion.

"What the fuck crawled up your ass and died, bitch?"

"You did, you asshole!" This exclamation was accompanied with the tumbling of one of his shoes down the stairs.

Damon came down the stairs, still trying to dress himself. "You're fucking psycho!"

This time, Heather's aim was perfect. The second shoe struck him in the back of the head. She yelled, "Get out and don't come back!"

"Don't worry. I don't want anything to do with a psycho hose beast, like you." He collected his shoes and slammed the door on the way out. The sound of a second door slamming upstairs gave the illusion of Heather having the final word.

It was in that instance that I felt like things would be different. I realized that my long hours drove her into the arms of another man. I realized that my attention to detail on the projects at work was causing me to neglect the lovely wife I had at home. With corporate life, there was very little gratitude from my boss. He just used me for his own goals. How could I have chosen him over my wife? Well, no more! Both of us are hurting, but my new life starts now.

I rushed up the stairs. Again, that stupid third step didn't creak. Heather must have gotten that fixed. What's sad is that she probably told me, but I wasn't paying attention since I was in my corporate sleepwalk mode. I put my hand upon the doorknob and was about to turn the handle when I heard Heather talking on the phone. I could only hear one side of the conversation, but it was enough to freeze me in my tracks.

"I just can't do it, Kim."

"Yes, I really tried. I bought that sexy lingerie we saw at the boutique." She then muttered under her breath, "Which he ripped a part. The asshole."

"Yes, I know, Kim. I know."

Her voice turned to sadness as she continued on with the phone conversation, "It's just too soon. I'm just not ready to move on." She laughed dryly, "I swear, I could almost feel Steve's presence in the room when I threw him out on his ass. I think Steve is watching over me. I think he knew that I was making a mistake with him, Kim."

"I wish he was here, so that he could hold me in his arms one last time. So that he could tell me everything would be ok."

To say that I was dumbfounded by the conversation would be an understatement. I twisted the door knob and exerted the force needed to open the door. Instead, I found myself walking through the closed door. I was stunned and flabbergasted. How the hell did that happen?

My confusion consumed me even more as I turned to look at Heather. She was sitting on the bed with the comforter wrapped around her. She held a picture of me in one hand while talking on the phone with the other. By her feet was a Tupperware box with a collection of my personal things. However, most importantly, sitting upon her lap was a newspaper clipping. The headline of the article read "Local man killed in a single car crash".

And I don't know if I heard Kim's voice on the other end of the phone call, or if it was an angelic voice from above, but the woman's voice said, "You have to let go."

Before anything more could be said, I was consumed by white heavenly light. The sound of a choir of angels could be heard in the distance.