Finding Happiness After Love Dies

The cabin was really a small house. It had one large bedroom a large living area and a kitchen dining area. The kitchen was separated from the dining area by a breakfast bar and the dining and living area were separated by a half wall with spindles up to the ceiling. I decided all I would need was new carpet and a good cleaning. I did want to build a garage however. I decided I wanted a three-car garage separated from the cabin by a glassed in breezeway so I could have a covered BBQ, Hot tub and wood stove in it. The cabin was well above high water mark so I didn't have worries there.

I was lucky it was early fall so I thought I could have the garage built before it got uncomfortably cold. I hated to chip ice off my vehicle before I could go to work!

My attorney assured me the proposed settlement did indeed say what I was told. He also said if I was smart I would sign because that was a much better settlement than I would get if Beulah asked for her fair share of our assets and pensions. He went on to say if I did not contest anything the divorce would be final in as little as thirty days. I signed the papers and told him to go for it.

The most difficult thing I had to do for the separation other than learn to live with the failure of my marriage was discuss it with my son. I was having a real problem accepting my marriage ended because of romance books and gossip magazines. Charlie called me one day and said, "Dad I just talked to Mom and she told me she was divorcing you. I'm sorry. I thought I saw this coming all summer, for the last couple of years I suppose. If you need anything call and if I can help I will. I told Mom the same thing."

I told Charlie, "I suppose I had suspected something was going on for several months, heck we weren't too happy for the last several years. I just can't believe how matter of fact, how unemotional your mother was when she told me about it. It was almost as if she was talking about something inconsequential instead of the end of our marriage."

Charlie said, "Yeah Dad I got the same feeling. When she told me it was just as if she was talking about an everyday, unimportant bit of news." Charlie and I visited for a few more minutes then he said he had to go to class and we hung up.

That weekend I had a reserve meeting. When I got there a bunch of us were talking before a staff meeting. When the Executive Officer heard I was divorcing he looked interested. After the meeting he asked me to stay. "Ronnie," he said. "I don't know how you feel about longer active duty tours but you know there are a lot of them available now with all the action in Afghanistan and Iraq. I know you have taken several really short ones of a few days to a week or so. I think the longer tours might be of interest to you. I've heard you complaining about your job off and on and I was thinking that some of the longer tours might be a way for you to forget about your divorce and your job. If you're interested let me know. I'm sure you see the openings when you read the mail that is routed to you but I wanted to sort of put a bug in your ear."

I thanked him and returned to my office. By a strange coincidence the second item I picked from my inbox was a listing of available tours. This time instead of initialing it and passing it on I read it. Heck, I devoured it. There were some really interesting opportunities there! I set it aside and went through the rest of the material in my inbox. All the while I read and worked I found my mind returning to a couple of the tours. Most of them were not too interesting but two of them could be really great. One was in Hawaii and ran for six months, one was in Great Britain and ran for 12 months. There were two more in the US for a year each that were sort of interesting.

Finally, that evening before we left for the day I decided to go for it. I told the Personnel section to request orders for me to either go to Hawaii (first choice) or Great Britain. I signed the paperwork Sunday before I left and returned home to my drab, maddening existence.

Life was crawling by, nothing exciting, just the same ole, same ole. My garage and breezeway was completed and I approved the construction. That was the high point of my life during those months. I would come home and see what they had done on my garage then I would go inside and do paperwork, work on my computer, surf the net or sit and exist. I had turned the dining area of my new home into an office. I bought a nice office style desk and file cabinets with matching credenza. I put a high quality leather chair and ottoman in one corner to read in. There was a TV on the opposite wall where I could watch TV or use it for a computer monitor. I even had split screen capability so I could watch TV and work on the computer at the same time. I used it to trade stocks, research or just surf the net.

From time to time I would drive into Steelville or Prineville for a meal. On weekends I went to the café occasionally to visit with the local farmers and few townsfolk that came in. Once in a while I dropped into one of the café's for breakfast on my way to work. I slowly got to know some of my neighbors. Occasionally I would see Jeff, Charlie or one of the other Fieldings when I was in town.

Many of the local people tried to convince me to go to the local Senior Center dances when they found out I was divorcing. One day Jim Fielding, a retired Army Officer said, "Hell Ron those women don't care how old you are. In fact, they might like you better if you can still get it up several times a night. Most of us old farts are a one-time type of guy. I know after my divorce I got talked into going to the Dances and before I found my second wife they nearly had a fight over me. Hell, I had to start being rude to some of the ladies to keep them from fucking me to death!"

The other men at the table that morning laughed and one of them said, "Hell yeah Ron. Please come to the dances. We need some rest and besides it's great entertainment to watch those old mares chasing after a new stud."

In the evenings I could go outside and look over my yard and down to the beautiful river. I had a small inlet and gravel bar beside my yard where a spring trickled down into the river. There was a three-foot bank then a gentle slope up to my home. Straight south of the house was a very deep swimming hole. It was about fifty feet across and almost a quarter mile long. I had all types of fish right on my front doorstep. I was looking forward to the summer and all the nubile young ladies that would canoe past, hopefully to stop and swim. Of course I was not looking forward to the trespassers! Yeah, I know you can't have one without the other along a stream. The setting was so peaceful I could relax more than I had at my home in town. I had begun planning on a landscaping project for the next spring that I hoped would make my yard even more pleasant. As the weeks flowed past I found myself thinking more and more about those old women at the local Senior Center Dances. It had been almost seven months since I had been laid and I was beginning to hurt. You all know beating off isn't nearly as satisfying and that was all I had during that time.

I let the guys talk me into going to the Senior Center Christmas meal and Dance. I met one of the regulars from the café and he introduced me around. Like they warned me women wanting to try out the new meat immediately beset me. Some of the women were not that old either. I found that even though the dance was at the Senior Center many of the locals came for the entertainment and many of the single women my age or a little older showed up hunting a man or a good time.

That evening I danced more than I sat and most of the time I was not the one who asked for a dance. The ladies asked me. Many of them were not too shy about letting me know what they wanted either. Several of them rubbed their breasts against me and a couple of them even grabbed my cock! I stepped out of the dance about ten p.m. and one of the more aggressive women followed me. She walked up and wrapped her arms around me and began kissing me.

I have to admit I was horny and hard. When I felt her hand on my cock I kissed her back and grabbed her ass. Before I knew it she had my cock out. She played with it until I thought I would shoot then she turned her back to me, bent forward and displayed her bare pussy to my eyes. She backed up to me grabbed my cock and tried to insert it into her oozing cunt. When I didn't immediately fill her she turned her head and asked, "What are you waiting for? I heard you haven't been laid in several months and I need it bad so just nail me honey. We can do the talking later."

Hell, I didn't even remember her name. I don't know what came over me but I moved up to her and let her guide my cock into her cunt. She moaned as I slid into her. She felt so good I grabbed her hips and began slamming into her. She pushed back and grunted on every thrust. I felt my seed begin to boil out as she screamed and I felt her cunt muscles fluttering, contracting and milking me as we came together.

She pressed back against me for a few moments then as I softened and began to slide out of her dripping cunt she stood, turned to me and gave me a gentle kiss. She stepped back and smiled then said, "That was pretty good Ron. I'm here at every dance if you want a repeat. I'm in the book if you want something between dances."

The woman moved to me and gave me a gentle kiss then turned to the door. I never did ask her name and I suppose she thought I remembered. I followed her back inside and walked to my table on wobbly knees. Teddy, the duffer I came with was sitting talking to Ann Fielding, Jim's wife when I walked up. He laughed and said, "Looks like Rose's made another score tonight. You ok there stud?"

Ann blushed and left when he said that. We sat and visited a few more minutes then he nudged me and nodded toward the door. Rose, the woman I had just screwed a little less than an hour before was walking out the door with her arms around another man. "She usually has at least two men during the dances and sometimes goes home with another one. Enjoy her all you want but if you're looking for something permanent steer clear of her. You want to be sure you always use protection too. She's been married and divorced five times. Just can't leave the men alone but gawd is she a good fuck. Hell, I don't have to tell ya that though do I?"

I laughed with Teddy then got asked to dance once more. This time the lady that asked me for the dance was one of the widows that came to the coffee shop occasionally. She moved into my arms and laid her head on my shoulder. As we danced she rubbed her midriff against me and to my surprise I felt Junior begin to rise to the occasion. Addie pulled her head back and looked into my face. She said, "Well, either Rose didn't manage to get you or you recover real quick. I like you Ron but if you ever want to see how we would be together you have to steer clear of her. The way she spreads it around she comes up with a little gift for the men a time or two a year. Most of us won't bother with the men that take up with her. I suggest you get yourself checked out if you did her bareback. Give some of the rest of us a call after."

When the dance ended Addie and I walked back to our own tables. I was feeling sick. I had never even thought about disease when I put it to Rose. I didn't even sit down when I got back to my table. I just told Teddy I needed to go and went home. God, what had I been thinking of?

Monday when I got to work I called and made a doctor's appointment. I went and had the tests. I was a nervous wreck until I finally got the results back at the end of the week. I was clean but I vowed to never dip my wick again without using a condom. I bought a supply that evening and made sure I had some in my truck, wallet and home. I made a mental note to get checked for HIV a couple times over the next year also even though the Army checked us occasionally too.

On December 21 when I got home and looked through the mail I found orders to an active duty tour. I had lucked out! I was going to sunny Hawaii for six months. I had a report date of 6 January. The next day I went into work and gave them a copy of the orders when I requested military leave. For some reason my boss and his boss were not happy. They asked me to try and get out of them. I refused and I am afraid they were very cool to me for the rest of the time I worked before I left.

I had a crappy Christmas. My son came and spent five days with me. Then he went into town and spent the next week (from December 27 and over new years) with his mother. He apologized to me for that but said all his friends and the 'action' was in town and he didn't want to make the drive. I did understand and was happy he had spent any time with me over the holiday. I took the week just before I went on active duty as vacation so I could get ready for departure. I arranged for my friend Jeff and his wife Abby to watch the cabin. I had my mail held until I could arrange for it to be forwarded to me in Hawaii.

Hawaii was beautiful. I enjoyed the work and I enjoyed the scenery more. Everywhere you looked there were beautiful women. Many of them were willing to play and I decided I wanted to play. I won't say anything about any specific one because none of them really stand out for me. They were a pussy wrapped up in a beautiful body. I was and still am ambivalent about women. The best I can say is I was nice to them and paid for meals and drinks before I fucked them. As far as I was concerned, you don't fuck, we don't go out again. That was my motto and I pretty much lived by it while I was in Hawaii. After a while those who frequented the same establishments as I did understood the rules. If they wanted a nice meal, copious amounts of alcohol, maybe a luxurious weekend at a local resort they had to put out and I mean put out big time. I had a lot of pent up sexual desire to release.

I managed to nail a large number of tourists too. Those were my favorite because they were there for the same thing I was—to fuck. I really didn't want to take the chance one of the locals would decide I was the one she wanted to marry so when I could get a tourist I did. I was sure some of them were married and went home to hubby but I just didn't care. I told myself they wanted cock, I had one and if I didn't fuck them someone else would.

By the time the tour ended I was well tanned, in better shape than I had been in years and almost fucked out. I even managed to save a little bit of my pay and allowances somehow!

I returned home just after July 4 and went into my office to arrange for a return to work. My codes did not operate the employee entrance so I had to wait for the office to open to the public. When I walked into the office some of my coworkers came up to say hello but most of them just stared at me. I tried to open the door and walk back into the main part of the office and could not. Those door codes had changed also. I asked one of the women to let me in so I could talk to my old boss. She smiled at me and said he no longer worked there and she would have to see if Mrs. Delacort, the new manager had time to see me.

I was left sitting stewing in my own juices for over thirty minutes then a woman I had never seen before came and got me. She opened the door and in a very condescending manner said, "Mr. Stevens. Follow me and I'll see if I can help you."

We walked into my office and she sat behind my desk. As we had passed the managers office I saw a very beautiful woman watching me through the window. She sat with her hands behind her neck as I walked past. She really had a magnificent set I'll tell you. I sort of glared at the woman who had sat in my chair. She had never introduced herself to me but I saw from the nameplate on the door that she was Belinda Scroggins.

I sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and saw her grimace, her brow furrowed as if in anger. She leaned back in her chair and once more, in an almost rude tone of voice she spoke to me. She said, "What can I do for you Ronnie?"

I looked at her and I am sure she saw when I visibly swallowed my anger. I said, "I came in to make arrangements to return to work. I had planned to return next Monday unless there is some reason an earlier return is needed." I leaned forward and placed a copy of my release orders on her desk and the completed paperwork I was told I needed to return to work. "I was supposed to give these to the manager. I don't know why she couldn't see me but I am willing to let you have them if you wish."

Ms. Scroggins didn't even pick up the papers. She looked at me as if I were an undesirable insect and said in a sneering voice. "I don't know what you mean. There is no position for you here. As you can see I am the assistant manager and the manager's job is filled also. We have no need for further help on the floor. Since you resigned I have no idea why you think you can just waltz in here and we will give you a position anyway."

I sat in shock for a moment then felt my temper rising. It really wasn't so much about the job as it was about a multitude of things. I was chafing because of the rude reception I had received and more so because what Belinda was saying was completely wrong and illegal.

I leaned back in my chair and said, "For one thing Belinda I did not resign from my job. I was placed on military leave for a period of time. For another there is no need for me to be rehired because I was not terminated unless it was done erroneously. Thirdly what you propose is patently illegal because of the reemployment rights afforded me by United States Law. I am guaranteed reemployment under the USERRA, in layman's terms under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. I am entitled to be reinstated with accrued seniority in the same level of position I left or in a higher position if I could reasonably have been expected to have been promoted to that position had I still been working here instead of being on Military Leave. Now since my former manager is no longer here I believe I can reasonably be expected to be placed in either my old position as the Assistant Manager here or possibly, since he is gone the Managers position. I expect to be placed in one of those positions either here or in a similar position elsewhere in the company."

Belinda was looking at me with anger apparent in her face. She was beet red and her jaws were clenched. Finally she spoke once more. "You have more gall than any damn man I have ever met. I have heard from several people what a piece of work you are but I must admit, even for a man, you take the cake. I believe this interview is over Ronnie. You need to leave before I contact security."

I said, "Ok, I'll leave Belinda but before I do I want to see the paperwork you supposedly have showing I resigned and I also want to have a written rejection of my request for reinstatement."

Belinda picked up the phone and dialed. She spoke to whoever answered and said, "This is Ms. Scroggins. I have an unruly man in my office I need escorted from the building. Come to my office NOW."

I was sitting staring at Belinda when she looked up and said, "Terry escort this gentleman from the building. He has been rude and unruly and I do not want him in the office or the building again."

I turned to see one of the old security guards standing there. He looked embarrassed and said, "Ronnie. I hate to do this but would you please come with me?"

I stood and stared at Belinda for a moment then said, "Ok Terry. I'll go with you for now. Belinda you are making a serious mistake. I suggest you or your boss contact the Personnel office before this gets any worse."

Later that evening I tried to call my old boss at home only to find his number was not in service. I found his cell was not in service also. I got busy then and wrote a letter to my employer's Personnel Office requesting reinstatement and enclosing the same forms I had tried to leave in town earlier that day. I sent the letter certified mail and requested a return receipt. I even enclosed copies of my approved military leave document—the one showing I was on military leave and had not resigned.