Rob's Saga Ch. 02

I was watching the kids devouring the 'death by chocolate' dessert lasagna before Kari spoke.

"We're sisters."

"You and me?" I shook my head, "Sorry, wrong equipment." She rolled her eyes.

"Little ears."

"They can't hear 'equipement?' Sorry."

"Audrey is my sister." A piece of the puzzle that remained... and a reason Kari had always seemed somewhat familiar. "Not something I'm proud to admit." I nodded. "Our mom was... well, mom was a piece of work. We're half-sisters. Her father is a biker... He was in and out, even after mom was with my dad." I could see how Audrey might believe sleeping around was acceptable... and how she'd choose biker scum. "Mom let him bring us all along to some of their rallies..." She rubbed a hand where I knew a tattoo marked her skin, "She let him give us tattoos as 'gifts' when we turned 18."

"Audrey doesn't have any tattoos," I was puzzled.

"No, she made a deal with me... It's why I have two." I winced.

"What was the deal?" I was not sure I wanted to know, but had already asked.

"She would sleep with the bikers who kept hitting on us. I wasn't interested... I wanted to study... I was trying to get into nursing school." I looked at the two sharing the table with us, intently coloring the menus.

"Then she went back on the deal?"

"See, you know my sister after all... We got drunk... At least, I thought we both got drunk. I woke up two days later, obviously having been..." She shrugged, "But they're great kids." I reached across and put a hand on hers.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry... I should've trusted you... Should've warned you." I laughed.

"Oh, you did... You did not make any move to... incite me. You were a dutiful hawk of a mom, helping to keep me from making a mistake with your 'sixteen year old daughters.' And c'mon, you could be their older, smarter sister." She smiled, then.

"What happens now?" I sat back.

"If you're interested, the deal still stands."

"What?"

"Well, with new guests, of course... But JD won't be a problem anymore, and neither will your treacherous sister."

"Why's that?" I shrugged.

"I do... sensitive work for the government. The security department there has been watching things. I hadn't figured your role in it all, and I know Audrey didn't have a clue what I did, but JD got to her... apparently she wasn't opposed to banging bikers, after all. They wanted to... compromise a new project that we're putting into place. Something that will make it very hard to safely bring drugs across the border more than once."

"This was all to protect their supply line?" I nodded.

"It's a multi-million dollar black market economy. And if we're going to decriminalize it, it'll dry up, so they need to make their money while they can." She shook her head. I nodded. "I know... I don't quite know how they thought my wife leaving me for them would've convinced me to help them... maybe they thought getting my money back and getting rid of the lying tramp would be a winner for me."

"So instead she'll keep hounding you for a divorce..." I wondered if I heard a trace of sadness in her statement.

"Oh no."

"I don't understand."

"Well, she threatened a project crucial to the national security of this country," I paused, "And anytime now will be found returning to the scene of a lover's quarrel gone bad."

"What?"

"Poor JD... I don't know what he said or did, but can you imagine being shotgunned like that?" Kari stared at me for a minute.

"Would you do that?" I sat back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I looked over at the kids, "My wife left me and nearly destroyed my career, but I'm moving on... I have friends... I have potential. I won't grieve over her crime... If anything I'll feel relieved it wasn't me." I finished my soda. "Besides, anyone willing to trick her sister into being abused and raped... willing to have her 'man' use her sister for his pleasure... and willing to threaten her sister's kids for a misguided plan to get rich... who better to disappear into the bowels of our country's anti-terror laws?"

I did not have to wait 15 seconds before Kari relaxed visibly.

"Then it's over." And it was. As part of the secret proceedings, a divorce was granted, as well as any debts being forgiven. That meant the Honda the police had confiscated could be left in impound, and Kari took over driving Audrey's much nicer Civic.

The kids seem happy with their new school... I have not seen any sign they suffer nightmares or other trauma from their experience. When they started calling me 'dad' occasionally, it left me speechless... I had never considered what I was missing without a family; now I cannot imagine not having one.

It wasn't easy... Kari is less than comfortable around any man, much less a man with the ability if not a penchant for violence. I did not press her. I had enough work keeping Emily at bay, arranging a friendly working relationship without offending her... Eventually she understood, while a delectable young woman in her own right, she was too young for me, and would never tolerate my many idiosyncrasies. Even that was not enough initially, prompting only a retort that she was looking for a 'fuck buddy' not a husband. When I emphasized that is not... and will not be the way I look at sex... Sometimes your greatest allies can be the people who have a different point of view.

Shortly after Emily and Kari spent an evening together as part of a company sponsored 'girls night out,' to which spouses and significant others had been invited, Kari knocked on my door one night. To describe the night we shared... I wish I could. I can volunteer that each night since has been better... and better for both of us.

It's not perfect... I know I'm not perfect. Kids can be selfish. Sprocket eats at least one shoe a week. Adults take things for granted and daily risk misunderstandings. But there's no one either of us would rather be with... I find I even kind of like a couple specific tattoos these days. Life goes on.

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