Providence

Foreword

This is my first attempt at writing a story and I have edited it so many times that I decided not to use the editing service provided as it would have only lead me to edit it again and I wanted to go with what I have.

I choose a "Loving Wife" story for two reason: this section has some of the best and innovative writers and it has without doubt the best critiques and comments which are well known for not holding their punches. Please feel free to comment as you please good or bad but hopefully never indifferent.

Any reader that wishes to contact me personally will find my email address in my profile and I will gladly receive and respond to any email sent to me. Your advice, suggestion and general critique will make me a better writer please don't send me grammatical corrections unless they were so bad you couldn't understand what I had written.

Finally and probably to the disappointment of some readers the story has very little sex in it, I have only used it when I have found it warranted and improved the story so those who are looking for some quick relief might want to look for another author/ story. I hope you enjoy it.

Richard Turner was driving home from one of his intermittent trips that the company he worked for, Millburn Weaving Co. Ltd, situated in Kansas City, Kansas would send him on a semi-regular basis.

His position in the company was almost irreplaceable as he was Sales and Factory Manager, Chief Mechanic and Design Manager, in fact he filled all the managerial positions that concerned the industrial knitting aspect of Millburn Weaving's large company and was answerable only to the CEO though Randy Marlin was the Director of Sales on the company's board Richard's position as Sales Manager had more to do with the design, fashion and the technical aspect of Sales.

His intermittent trips around the States usually concerned the technical aspect. Sales where a client had a special request that the sales crew couldn't adequately address were passed on to him for a visit and consultation. Customers with special specs preferred that he personally take charge as his knowledge of the industry was comprehensive and he was renown in the business for his technical expertize.

Richard was also extremely inventive so if he considered the request was impossible to reproduce on his machines or was impractical or too costly he could often come back within 24 hours with an alternative that would either satisfy his customer's needs or often exceed them because of his knowledge in design.

Well known, well liked, admired and respected by his employers and employees alike as a fair and just manager who was not frightened to take on the illustrious board on the employees' behalf when he thought that it was warranted and explain practical and economic reasons to the employees when he thought their request was unjust. The knitting department had never gone on strike and their productivity was unparalleled.

Richard was a 100% all American male who was deeply patriotic and loved his country. He was ashamed of the so called "American companies" that took their manufacturing off shore to China at the cost of many thousands of American jobs. An American could produce a better product efficiently, admittedly at a slightly higher price, but not so high that American men and women should suffer as a result and though the shareholder's dividends may be slightly lower than they might otherwise be if the manufacturing aspect was done in China he was a great believer in taking care of your own first and unemployment was at a record high. As a religious man (though admittedly not a regular church attendee) he believed there was more to life then the all mighty dollar and he was not the type of man to bow down to it or those who had it in abundance.

So if one were to ask Richard what he thought of his life and his wife Claire (35) and their children Robert (16) and Emily (14) he would inevitably respond that he was blessed with an honorable and supportive wife that he just adored.

He also considered himself blessed with two children, they were well mannered and respectful to their elders, they had top grades at school and both were fine athletes, they had no tattoos or piercing covering their body or multicolored hair. They went out at weekends and partied but they never came home drunk or drugged or beyond curfew.

Richard would then probably surprise those that knew him by saying he was dissatisfied with his working life. All his life he dreamed of owning his own business, his own knitting plant as he found a great deal of satisfaction from every aspect of the business (as he was now doing) but now in the end analysis the CEO could say "no" to him and he might argue his point but "no" from the CEO meant "No" or find yourself another place to work.

Each time he had broached the subject with Claire of raising capital to start his own business Claire would inevitably have a reason why they couldn't afford it at that time and the usual reason had to do with something that the kids needed or they needed to move to a new house or something, sometimes Richard felt Claire would look for any reason to keep him in his secure job and even to a not overly sensitive man like Richard it was obvious she feared he would fail to make a success of his own business.

She preferred he remain an employee where he made a good salary with bonuses and share options and little or no risk of their money involved.

When they were courting she seemed as excited as he and encouraged him by making suggestions and they would talk into the night how they would create this wonderful company. When he had saved a sufficient amount for a deposit on a home and they married he again bought up the subject with Claire but she said that she wanted to have her children early and then enter the workforce when the youngest had reached five and then she would be earning some money to keep them and he would be free to pursue his dream without undue pressure to produce an immediate income.

He remembered hugging and kissing her and telling her over and over that she would never regret it and he was so lucky to have such a supportive wife. She almost immediately became pregnant with Robert and when he was about one year six months old she became pregnant with Emily.

Richard searched for a better job and already well known in the trade as an up and coming man in design he was almost immediately hired by Millburn Weaving a highly respected company in the trade first as the factory Manager and he grew from there.Claire mentioned it was now time to move to a bigger house.

Richard spoke with Claire again in the seventh year when she had settled into a new job but she said that there was a better area that they could move to that had an excellent Public school for the children (Richard insisted that they get a public school education) so he really couldn't start a new business until the kids were settled and anyway they would need his income to qualify for the mortgage.

Finally Richard gave up, and thought that until the children had finished university there would always be a reason that he couldn't start his own business but when they both graduated no matter what the excuse he was going to go ahead and realize his dream and if Claire didn't like it well it would just be tough luck.

Richard wanted to pursue his ideas, his designs with his capital and be answerable to no-one other than himself and the Lord. He was sure he could expand Millburn Weaving if it was his own and create more jobs.

Another part of this adolescent dream was to build the most modern factory in the world that would satisfy his company needs but also the needs of his employees as well for much depended on their capabilities and their loyalty and they should be recognized as such. His dream would make them all shareholders of the business so they would be directly involved in its success and the more they succeeded the more they should be entitled to gain from the sweat of their brow.

There should be no misinterpretation in Richard's philosophy in life he was no soft touch liberal quite the opposite. He believed that if you treated your employees with respect and showed them that if they were prepared to work hard and sometimes sacrifice their time off for the benefit of the company, they should be well rewarded in direct proportion to their contribution to the success of the company.

Their self-esteem would be considerably higher as in fact they would be almost self-employed and it would reflect in their work and they would have to consider the progress of the company in their demands for a better salary or working conditions. James believed that there should be almost total harmony between the suits and the employees on the shop floor resulting in a higher return on the investment made in them by the company and naturally boosting the bottom line. No, James was an extremely ambitious man who didn't understand the logic that he should get to keep all the profits even though he had put up the funds (risk factor) and that no-one would share in its loss but this way they would share in the company's bad times just as much as in the good times.

Richard was feeling quite tired as he always tried to get home as soon as his business was finished and though he was only 75 miles from home he decided that he would stop for an hour or so in the next town he came to. Richard had a strange metabolism you would think that he would be searching for a diner for something to eat and some coffee but that didn't seem to affect Richard's alertness as much as a shot or two of Bourbon. He always carried a gizmo that would give him his alcohol blood ratio as if he lost his license he would be completely devastated and anyway he always though suppose he knocked someone over or had a car accident he would never forgive himself.

He was approaching Topeka the State Capital he had been there many times and knew it quite well but he wanted to rest up in a nice quiet secluded bar. It was quite late but he knew rushing home would not find him next to Claire enjoying a session of frantic love making as always happened on his return from a trip as she was usually fast asleep at this time after her Friday night out with her work friends.

This night out was a new phenomenon in their life together but Claire said that it relaxed her no end, just laughing and joking and the amount of men that would buy them drinks and flirt with them was quite a revelation to her. She said she was the most popular of the girls amongst these would be Romeos and subsequently was bought far too many drinks and was dragged on the dance floor so many times it did her self-esteem so good that at her age she could still attract that many men and even those that were considerably younger than her.

He had laughed at her and asked her if she had taken a good look at herself in the mirror recently. Her long curled blond hair and warm blue eyes were a good place to start. Her cheeky snub nose and full ruby red lips advanced her claim to beauty.

Then there was her figure with a pair of generously sized full breasts "34D?" he had asked her. "Try 34E" she had replied and then to watch her body curve into a comparatively small 26" waist before blossoming out to her 34" hips, '36"' she had corrected him.

Then there was those beautiful legs perched on 4" stilettos that she wore at all times as she claimed that they helped define her legs better and bought her height up to around 5'9" against his muscular 6'1" frame, her thighs were generous and firm while her feet were petit. She admitted that she had her breasts lifted as they were just so big that they had begun to sag prematurely now they were high and firm but she had no further cosmetic surgery.

Richard was a handsome man in his own right and he had more than one invitation from amongst his female employees especially at the annual office party when he would sneak away from the management party where all and sundry would spend the night sucking up to the CEO and the Directors on the board and go off and join the employees party on the shop floor he knew that they appreciated this gesture as no other Manager would dream of joining them. The truth was that Richard enjoyed their party more than with the suits they seemed to have a lot more fun and there was always a lot more laughter.

Richard noticed a neon lit sign directing to a bar named "Alone & Happy", well he had never been there before and it was highly unlikely he would bump into somebody he knew so directing his Buick Lacrosse CSX 3.6L four wheel drive that he had picked up in Detroit and was 100% made in America he turned right and he noticed a small boutique hotel/bar almost immediately on his right hand side. He drew up to an arrow pointing right for "Patron Parking Only" and turned in to find an out of the way spot so no drunk would nick his beautiful $40,000 2010 GM manufactured Buick.

He switched off the ignition and looking in the mirror and dragged a comb across his hair, boy did he look tired then before getting out of the car he reached his hand into the glove compartment and drew out an imposing Smith and Wesson .375 Magnum that he always took on his trips in case of muggings or theft and a pair of gloves that he would wear as it was a cold night. He never left his pistol unattended because the cautious man that he was he considered what if someone stole his car and found his gun and used it to hold up a store?

Getting out of the car he stuck the gun inside his trouser belt at the small of his back and covered it with his jacket. His father had taught him how to use and respect firearms at a young age. Richard was a very good shot and had earned trophies and cups to prove it. When he married Claire she convinced him to sell his weapon as she didn't like firearms in the house and they frightened her and Richard respected her wishes.

Then when he was mugged on one of his trips to New Jersey, he applied for and received a license to carry a gun again and bought a .375 Magnum and though he hadn't lost his ability with a pistol he had to admit that he didn't really need to be that good a shot as his new pistol obliterated everything around it especially if it was loaded with 125-grain semijacketed, hollowpoints bullets as his was but you had to grip strongly with both hands because the recoil it produced could quite easily find you lying on your back.

Richard stretched his body luxuriously getting all the little knots that had gathered after being in the same position for too long then locked the car and made his way to the backdoor entry of the bar.

Even though he had been driving at night he still needed to close his eyes for ten seconds to accustom them to the ambient lighting of the bar which was extremely low. He let his eyes wander around the bar and though it was very attractively laid out with intimate seating arrangements of semi-circle booths with leather semi-circle sofas it was so extremely discreet that it was difficult to make out who the occupants in the booths were.

It didn't take Richard long to realize that he had stumbled on a pick up joint and/or a discreet place where cheaters could hide their shame. Now James was not a judgmental man he strongly believed in the saying in the bible 'you that are without sin cast the first stone' but this was not his scene so as to speak, what they did was their business but it was not something that he himself would do or condone, (the cheating part) so he decided it was better that he found somewhere more conducive to his taste and just as he turned his back to leave he heard the sound of laughter coming from the other side of the bar where the intimate booths were located.

Richard stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that laughter anywhere and he had absolutely no doubt that it was the sound of his wife laughing.

What was his wife doing so far from home and in such a place? Who was she with? He hadn't noticed her car in the car park but he then he hadn't been looking for it. James turned back and walked up to the bar, coolly sat on a bar stool, his eyes trying to make out who was with her and searching for some reason for her to be there while dismissing the obvious. Had she come for an event arranged by a friend or something and forgotten to tell him? Sure and pigs might fly he thought to himself.

"What will it be?" the bartender asked Richard.

"Make it a shot of Wild Turkey 101 please" Richard replied automatically.

"You got good taste we don't have many people ordering that particular brand, it's a connoisseur's drink you must know your Bourbons well."

"You got that right, help yourself to a drink while you're at it" Richard offered generously.

"If you don't mind, I'll take the money for it now and drink it later. I'll have a beer if that's OK?"

"Knock yourself out..." James responded as the bar tender went to pour his shot.

"You know sir..."

"Make that James, no one has knighted me yet and somehow I doubt they ever will" James said.

"OK James I might sell this particular brand of Bourbon about ten times a month and yet tonight I've sold it to two different people. Mind you the other person I sold it to comes here maybe twice a month on average and I can tell you she is one good looking lady!" The bartender told Richard

"Does she come by herself because if not I might go over and chat to her." Richard said searchingly still trying to make out who she was seated with.

"I hate to tell you this but you wouldn't stand a chance."

"Really and why would that be is she married and with her husband?" Richard asked

"Married definitely though no rings and always with the same man each time and they always 'sleep' the night leaving the next morning."

"What makes you think she's married?" Richard queried.

"When you've been in this business as long as I have, cheaters might as well have it tattooed on their forehead besides her lover looks to be about ten years her junior."

"How strange that such a good looking woman would choose a boy as her lover." James thought out aloud.

"You see it all the time and that's not all, I have seen her give him a few expensive gifts you know like a necklace, a bracelet and a ring all 18crt. Gold not plated the real thing, undoubtedly paid for by her shmo of a husband who probably breaks his balls working so she buy her lover little treats as proof of her affection. It makes me want to throw up, I can tell you and a nicer woman to talk with as you could ever meet it's a crying shame." The bartender said in some disgust.

"Ricky over here..." A patron at the other end of the bar shouted.

"Yes Sir right away... Excuse me James but I better get back to work it's been a pleasure talking to you." Ricky said.

"Right back at you Ricky..." James replied as Ricky made his way to the other side of the bar.

On his own James took a sip of his drink savoring the taste as it burned down to his belly helping to relieve the bile that was rising and as if making up his mind he went outside where he couldn't be heard or seen and rang his home phone number.

"Hello, this is the Turner residence, Robert speaking"

"Hi Bob, how are things on the home front?" Richard asked

"Oh Hiya Dad didn't expect to hear or see from you until tomorrow how is everything on the road are you having a successful trip?" Robert replied the pleasure of speaking to his Dad evident in his voice.

"Why would you be expecting me tomorrow its Friday today and that is when I said I'd be back." Richard replied ignoring his son's question.

"Dad you've got your days mixed up today is Thursday, tomorrow is Friday."

"Heck! I must have missed out on a client, how on earth could I have made such a stupid mistake?" Richard replied upset that he would now have to turn around and see the client he had missed.