Revelation Blues Pt. 04

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Decisions, aftermath, and conclusion.
20.8k words
4.29
78.4k
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Part 4 of the 4 part series

Updated 09/29/2022
Created 09/14/2012
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sojoman
sojoman
85 Followers

Chapter 16 – Decision Time

Scott remembered the words of Lucretius, another Roman poets and philosophers.

'Then, if the lady is goodhearted and void of malice, it is up to you in your turn to accept unpleasant facts and make allowance for human imperfection.'

Had Mary's acts been driven by vicious or vindictive motives he would have dealt with the matter in a completely different way. What was certain was that Mary knew that what she did was 'unacceptable' otherwise she wouldn't have had to hide it. But in some aspects Mary was still a kid at heart. She hasn't gown up and never assumed her full role as a responsible adult. She was just like a kid in front of a cookie jar, unable to resist temptations. She lied like a kid, with a hand stuck in the cookie jar, the head shaking, and the mouth whispering 'I didn't do it'.

He had himself to blame as well. He should have been less blinded by the light of love. He should have been more aware of her nature when they met, before they marry, or at least earlier in their marriage. He should have been more alert to the signs of change, not dismiss them lightly.

Scott spent a lot of time reflecting upon whether Mary was goodhearted and void of malice and how much allowance he should make for her human imperfection. The way she led her life was incompatible with his moral principles and definitely not how a spouse is expected to behave. He already decided that divorce was the only outcome. There was no allowance to be made there.

What he had to determine is the degree of retribution. Her cheating put aside, and until very recently, he thought she had given him fifteen very happy years as a wife, friend, and lover. She was a good mother, she never neglected looking after her family, and she was compassionate towards others. Yes, they had a few good years, but he was blind-sided during all of them.

Should he consider her as goodhearted? Were her acts void of malice? No matter how he turned the questions in his mind the answers were always 'No'. She wasn't goodhearted and she was certainly full of malice.

The retribution had to be proportional to the rubble of his love.

* * *

Scott had to seek legal assistance. He wanted three things to happen: a simple divorce, a simpler financial arrangement, and the custody of his son. All he had to do is figure out how to obtain all three.

The divorce part was going to be the easiest one, he will instruct a lawyer to file under 'irreconcilable differences' which would hide Mary's cheating from her family and friends. That was the carrot; the stick is filing for 'adultery' should Mary or her lawyer decide to push him around. Although Florida was a 'no fault' state, adultery was considered by the courts as a factor to be taken into consideration when determining custody and the amount of alimony. Scott didn't want to go that far, but it's like weapons, good to have them even if one never use them.

The financial arrangement would also be simple, Scott didn't want to pay alimony or have her keep the house. He had a plan for both. How their remaining assets would be split he really didn't give a damn. Mary could keep it all for all he cared, but not enjoy it long. His plan involved some deception but this was a minor pay-back for what Mary did.

The custody of Dean was going to be the harder issue. Scott didn't want to lose his son or have limited access because Mary's acts put him in this situation. The thing is that Mary, her lawyer, and the judge will most likely not see it his way. The judge will not consider who Dean wants to be with either. Mary will certainly not relinquish custody. He may be forced into accepting a temporary outcome of joint custody then 'make it happen'. It will be long but if he played his cards right he was certain he can make it happen.

Scott went to see a lawyer the next day. He heard that Joseph T. Willingham was a good lawyer but it didn't matter really. All that mattered to him was that the lawyer knew how to fill and process the right forms. He had to hide his plan from everyone, including his lawyer.

He instructed Jo Willingham to agree with Mary's lawyer on the terms of the divorce and the inevitable financial arrangements. He told him to write down whatever he thought was fair and send the offer to Mary's lawyer, once she hired one. Scott's only condition was that the house had to be sold. He was confident that Mary would agree to that as she may eventually consider returning to California anyway. Scott also wanted to stay in the house until it was sold. He wanted to stay close to Dean. Mary would agree to that as well.

* * *

On his way to the office, Scott thought about what he told his lawyer regarding the reason for staying in the house until it was sold.

Scott's reasons were way different. He wanted of course to be close to Dean and enjoy his son's company as often as possible. He didn't want his son to visit in a hotel room or an impersonal temporary accommodations. The end of the school term was nearing anyway and it was important to give Dean as normal an environment as possible, until then. He also didn't want to commit to a lease on a new rental, he had other plans. If one of them had to leave it had to be Mary, but he didn't want that either. He wanted to divert her thoughts from the impact of the divorce and how it will affect her future life. Moving to a hotel would have given her a taste of loneliness and she may have been tempted to contest and delay the divorce.

That evening Scott had a long talk with Mary. He informed her that he intended to proceed with the divorce and that he had already instructed his lawyer to prepare the paperwork. He gave Mary the name of his lawyer and suggested she gets her own lawyer. He told her that he will cover the costs of both.

Mary made another attempt at talking him out of divorcing her and working on their marriage, maybe even attending counseling. Still, she offered no excuses for what she did. Scott noticed that she didn't even bother to put in the 'but I still love you' line. One more time, he was absolutely dumbfounded. It was as if they were talking about repairing a flat tire on her car.

"Just think of what that would do to Dean." Mary pleaded.

"Did you think about the effect on Dean when you were having your affairs?"

They discussed and argued this one for a while.

"Do you really want to write off fifteen years of marriage? Weren't they good years for both of us?" Mary threw in her last argument.

"You wrote them off with your first affair,"Scott retorted, his anger rising, "My only regret is that I didn't find out about it at the time. You also imagined that once ignorant, always ignorant. You couldn't stop having affairs but, as always, these things are bound to be discovered. An they were! It took fifteen years but they were. So yes, I lived fifteen happy years in ignorant bliss imagining that I had a perfect life. You lived fifteen years basking in the knowledge that you were able to cheat and get away with it. What you did destroyed all the goodness in our marriage. I can tell that you still have no idea how much damage you have caused, to my life, to the life of others, and even to your own. You killed something in me that was extremely valuable and that cannot be repaired, brought back, or acquired again. You killed my trust in you as a wife and as a friend. Your lack of respect took away my dignity as a loving husband. I cannot live with what you made me. You ruined our marriage and deprived Dean the opportunity ..."

Scott suddenly stopped talking. From the look in her eyes Scott realized that, no matter what he said and how much he explained, Mary will never truly accept the impact of what she did to their couple and to others. She must think of her affairs as simply something a bored wife did to keep her busy or entertained. Her cheating was in a way a hobby or a weakness, she either enjoyed it or couldn't resist it. Somehow she didn't consider it as part of her marriage. The only way she could understand the impact of what she did would be to become herself the victim, the one cheated on by someone she was in love with. Maybe!

Scott cut the rest of the argument short and went to his office. From that night on, the guest bedroom became his bedroom. It wasn't to avoid having sex with Mary, they haven't been intimate since he discovered about her affairs. It was his way of marking another calculated step towards the end of their marriage.

A couple of days later Mary was served while Scott was at work. He worked late and had a meal delivered to his office. When he went home Mary didn't say much nor did he. He spent his evening in his office then in his bedroom. Scott checked the calls that were made and received that day and detected a flurry of calls to Don and to Fiona and to a number he didn't recognize but found out later that it was that of a lawyer. He wondered whether Don or Fiona recommended her.

The next day he contacted a real estate agent and listed their house for the appraised market value.

That weekend Scott took Dean sailing. He used to sail every possible weekend or holiday in California, before marrying Mary. Mary joined him on a couple of occasions but she complained of sea sickness and boredom. What she liked was lazing on a beach on a sunny day. Scott sailed less after they married and even lesser after Dean was born. he continued to sail occasionally after they moved to Florida, but these occasions were rare and far between. He sailed with a couple of friends then joined a sailing club and participated in the occasional regatta. Unlike Mary, Dean loved sailing, he was passionate and an active crew member. That created new bonds between the two of them.

Now that the decision to divorce Mary was taken, Scott made it a point to go sailing with Dean at least half a day every weekend. They talked about boats, navigation, sails, tacks, and tactics most of the time they spent together. Scott started hinting that if he had time he would have loved to sail the islands and maybe even cross the Atlantic to Europe. Dean warmed up to these ideas and was so enthusiastic about them that he included himself as a crew member and described what he would do on those long journeys.

* * *

A couple of weeks later Scott was sitting at the conference table in his lawyer's office to review the terms of the divorce and the settlement.

Mary's lawyer, like his before, was surprised that their financial assets didn't amount to much for a person of Scott's age and position. They duly noted that the Johnson family lived well and spent a lot. They had recently paid cash for Mary's new car. Scott also mentioned gifts like the wedding anniversary ring and the amount they transferred monthly to Mary's parents. All the money he earned was spent on his family, providing them with all the comforts of life they needed.

They were also surprised by the lack of retirement funds or any other form of significant savings or investments. Scott told them that he had no reason to worry about saving for retirement or for a 'rainy day'. His parents were wealthy and whatever they left him when they passed away was more than he needed to live well, but that he pointed out was irrelevant to the divorce settlement.

He didn't have a 401k or any other retirement savings, all he had in the US was his salary and bonuses. His retirement plan was back in Europe. He also told them that he couldn't access his retirement funds simply because these were vested and blocked till he retired. In any case, these were out of their jurisdiction.

As a compensation, and he was being generous and considerate by not filing for adultery, he was willing to forfeit his share of the house sale and their savings. That was as far as he was willing to compromise, they can have that now or wait till he qualifies for his pension. Mary and her lawyer discussed the matter for a while, it seemed complicated and lengthy and the outcome uncertain. The lawyer had no experience in such matters and wanted to investigate the matter further, but Mary was afraid of upsetting Scott and reviewing the terms of the filing. They accepted the offer.

Mary's lawyer then presented her amended version of the financial settlement, which was that Mary would keep all the proceeds of the sale of the house, all their savings, her new car when delivered, all her jewelry, and whatever furniture she decided to keep. The rest Scott could keep or sell, along with his two cars.

To maintain her standard of living, Mary would also receive 40% of Scott's income in alimony, unless of course she remarried. Mary's lawyer labored in explaining that the 40% rather than a fixed amount would allow the alimony to be adjusted or indexed over time and avoid future complications. Scott should provide Mary with annual income statements certified by his employer. Scott would keep his cars. They would have joint custody of Dean but Mary will get physical custody. Dean's primary residence would be with his mother and she would receive child support until Dean's eighteenth birthday.

Since neither considered it a contentious issue, Scott could have Dean whenever he wished as long as he covered travel expenses should Mary decide one day to move back to California. Dean would remain on Scott's health insurance, and he would agree to pay Dean's school fees until he graduates from high school.

Scott quickly agreed.

Jo Willingham darted a look in his direction, surprised by his hasty response. He then leaned over and whispered in Scott's ear, with a hint of concern in his voice, that they should negotiate and improve the deal to his advantage. Scott shrugged and told him to forget it. He instructed his lawyer to just make sure that the wording states explicitly that the alimony is 40% of his employment income, salary and bonus, excluding any other income. His lawyer looked at him again, a sort of quizzical look, but didn't say anything.

Jo Willigham had Scott's full financial statement and couldn't figure out what game Scott was playing. Scott was taking this very lightly, atypical of a man of his stature. He suspected that Scott had a hidden agenda but he couldn't figure out what. He was right of course! But nothing came close to what he may have suspected.

* * *

Scott took a few days vacation to deal with some private matters. He disappeared and no one saw him during those two days. Mary and Dean thought he was traveling on business. His colleagues thought he was dealing with family matters.

When he returned, Scott had one more thing to do; deliver on a promise he made to Carla. He didn't want to involve his friends and business acquaintances in this. After some thinking he gave Martin Beener a call.

After a few minutes spent on updating Martin on what happened in his personal life, he brought up the reasons for his call. He told him about Carla and her business situation.

"She needs advice how to restructure her business and get rid of any dependency on her husband. She needs a line of credit to help her purge her debts and invest in developing her business. I don't want to be directly involved but I know people that may be able to offer guarantees, if needed, for her to regain full control of her business. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated Martin."

"But you just told me that the business is in the name of her husband. Isn't he involved in the running of the business?"

"Don knows shit about running a business, it is all Carla's work, he is just living of her. Only the paperwork is in his name. She let's him occasionally mind the boutique while she is out running some errands and he puts that time to good use, he steals from the shop."

Martin reflected on this for a few minutes then asked Scott about Carla, her business abilities, what kind of guarantees he was suggesting, and the time frame by which all this was to happen.

They concluded that Martin will contact the Miami branch of his bank and ask them to meet with Carla and assist her in any way they can. He told Scott that he would call him and give him the name of the contact person at the bank that Carla should address herself to. They agreed to let the Miami branch deal with the matter the best they can.

The following afternoon, Scott received a call from Martin and was given the name of the manager in the Miami branch dealing with business banking. The manager was briefed and was expecting Carla's call. He had told Martin that he will do his best to help but it all depended on Carla and her business case.

As soon as the call ended, Scott wondered if he should talk to Carla face-to-face or call her. He opted for the latter and dialed Carla's shop number. She had no idea what happened in his life since her last call, so he updated her on all that happened with Mary.

Carla inquired about the divorce. He told her what had been agreed with the lawyers, the sale of the house, and the other terms of the settlement.

"What are you going to do now Scott?"

"I have a few options and things to think about, but it's all still up in the air."

"Do you know what Mary is planning? Do you think she is after Don?" Carla was still worried.

"Jeez Carla! I have no idea and I don't think I care. How are things with you anyway?"

They discussed Carla's situation and she told him that things were depressed on the home front and that she was struggling to rescue her business, things weren't looking good.

Scott told her that this was actually the reason for his call. He informed her that he managed to get her a contact with a bank that could help her and that she was to contact the manager of business banking there as soon as convenient. He gave her the information given to him.

Carla thanked him profusely before the call was terminated.

Scott leaned back on his chair with a smile of satisfaction on his face. He wanted to help Carla as a friend, but he also knew that this was another step in his plan for retribution.

* * *

Despite the market downturn, the real estate agent was able to find a couple interested in buying the house. It took them two weeks to decide but they finally made an offer that Scott and Mary accepted. The settlement would take place the same week their divorce became final.

The thing that puzzled Scott most during that time, from the time he filed for divorce till now, is that no one from Mary's family tried calling him; not her parents, not her sisters, not her brothers. The last time he spoke with her parents was a few days before Scott found out about Mary's affair with Don. He saw the phone log, he knew that Mary spoke with them since, and had probably told them about the divorce. He was also certain that Mary lied to them about the reasons. He was puzzled but not in any way concerned. He decided to wait and see.

Their collective cash, after disbursements, and rounded to the nearest thousand, was estimated to just over 429,000 dollars. The house would net about 372,000 dollars which was basically equivalent to their initial down payment. They had a big mortgage and for the last few years Scott was basically paying off the loan's interest and very little of the capital. The savings and CDs represented another 57,000 dollars once the lawyers fees, credit cards, and other minor expenses have been paid.

Mary lived on a day to day basis, she was never interested in long term planning, the money was there and she simply spent it. There was always enough and she never doubted or suspected that one day they may run out of money. Scott doubted that her lawyer felt an obligation to act as her financial adviser or planner as well. Scott was sure that Mary relied a lot on what Don and Fiona told her and he was certain that, from their perspective, Mary was literally taking him to the cleaners.

sojoman
sojoman
85 Followers