Sea Cruise

We would be home tomorrow, so we made sure that both of the cell phones were fully charged. Before turning in for the night, we sent out thirty-two press releases, even though we had no idea what a press release was or how it should be prepared or delivered. We made sure that we sent one to Piccolo World Tours, the company that held the franchise for The Good Time Travel Agency. We went a little overboard by accusing Nancy Rayborne of planning trips so that married housewives could have romantic get-a-ways with their boyfriends. We made it seem a lot worse than it really was, but what the hell, we were trying to make a point and she did deserve it. The rest of them went to newspapers and TV exposé shows. Hopefully, we would get some type of response.

It had been a good day and we slept well.

We had a casual breakfast on the Lido deck the next morning. After we finished, Barry turned on his cell phone. He had six missed calls which were all from his sister. I had only one; from my dad. We separated and both made our first calls since we started the trip.

"Dad. It's John. I see that you tried to call. What is going on?"

"Well son, I assume that you know a lot more about that then I do. All I know is that Sheila showed up Wednesday and took the boys with her. I know that you told me not to let her have them, but I couldn't stop her. I went by the house later, but she wasn't there. Since the front door was unlocked, I went in and looked around. Most of her clothing and the kids clothing was gone. It looked like she was in a hurry to go someplace."

"She didn't say anything at all about where she was going?"

"Jason was squawking a little about having to leave and I heard her say something about Knoebel's Grove. That seemed to make him happy."

"Sheila's sister, Loretta, lives in Mount Carmel. That must be where she went. I'll see if I can find a phone number and give her a call."

"John. We got the postcard with the pictures. Do you mind telling us what the hell is going on?"

"I think it is pretty self-explanatory, dad. Shelia decided to take an ocean cruise with a guy that she worked with. She left me at home to take care of the kids while she was enjoying another man's company."

"What do you want me to do, son?"

"Did you lock up the house?"

"Yeah."

"That's about all that I could think of. Barry and I were not planning on returning home right away, but things look a little different now. I figured that Sheila would stay at the house with the kids. I have no idea why she left."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I am not sure, but I think I'll see you in a day or so. In the meantime, I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the call, dad."

I wandered over and got a coffee refill, while Barry was still talking. He didn't look happy. We had both guessed that our wives would return home to the kids, and had planned to stay away for a few months while we decided what to do. We were planning on looking for work in the Pensacola area.

Barry came back with a dejected look on his face. He grabbed a Danish off the buffet table and plopped down in the lounge chair aside of me.

"Damn it man, you look as happy as I feel." My traveling companion gave me a weak smile and a grunt.

"She took off, John. Greta took off and left the kids with my sister."

"What? She left the kids? What did she say?"

"According to Beth, not much of anything. She thanked Beth for looking after them and then talked to the girls for a few minutes. Beth said her car was packed with clothes. I don't know how she found out that I left the kids there. She was by herself when she drove away."

"What about the house?"

"Beth's husband said that nobody was staying at the house. All the furniture and stuff was still inside, but Greta was not living there. He didn't go in, but I am guessing that all of her clothing is gone."

"Well things didn't go as planned on my end either. Sheila found out that my parents had the boys and picked them up there. I think that she went up to her sisters place in Mount Carmel, but I am not sure. She took all of her clothes and the boy's clothing with her. Looks like my house is empty also."

We sat without speaking for a few moments. Barry looked over at me and sighed. "I know it's early morning, but I need a beer."

We spent the rest of our cruise time in the Lido Lounge drinking more beer than we were used to. We did wander over to the dockside railing as the ship pulled in, and watched the weary passengers leaving to go home. We didn't see Clayton departing, but it was pretty crowded. Our friendly bartender informed us that the lounge was now closed, so we made our way down to the cabin where we found all of our things packed up and sitting in the passageway.

We had been informed that we were going to be met by the authorities to answer for our threatening behavior. We didn't really know what authorities they were talking about, but it didn't matter anyway. No one escorted us off the ship and no one was waiting to meet us. It was an anti-climax to say the least. It is not that I was disappointed, but we were hoping for a little media attention. There was none; zip; zilch.

Barry and I got the last two seats on the airport limo/van. The one-way tickets home with no advance notice were expensive as hell, but we didn't feel that we had any choice. We didn't talk much on the flight back. Things did not go as planned and we were both a little despondent.

Barry still had his kids, but no wife. I didn't have my kids or my wife.

Getting back to the empty house was not pleasant. There were no notes or messages from Sheila anywhere in the house or on the phones. I called her work number and discovered that she no longer worked at International Casualty. I didn't know for sure, but I was guessing that Greta, Clayton, and Calvin no longer worked there either. I spent the rest of the first day straightening out things in the house and throwing out items that belonged to Sheila that she missed or didn't want.

Barry was greeted the same way. All he had to go on was the short trip that Greta made to say goodby to her daughters. Beth said that Greta was crying as she left the house.

Both of us had cut off any access to credit cards or money. Greta was a big girl and could make it on her own, but Sheila had Todd and Jason. I had to figure out some way to see that they were taken care of. I was upset because she took them, but had to understand that she was their mother and had basic instincts to take care of them and protect them. Apparently, Greta was not sure enough to take the risk. It was a no win situation all around, at least for the kids.

Barry and his daughters moved into their house and things seemed to normalize for them, as well as could be expected. Beth watched the girls while Barry was at work and helped Barry around the house as much as she could.

My life was totally different. All I had to look forward to was TV and micro-waved dinners. I checked around a little and found out that Calvin Bostic had left town immediately after he was fired. Clayton had been fired also. No nobody knew where he was working or living.

I had called Sheila's sister, Loretta, to find out what happened to the kids, but had no luck. Loretta claimed that Sheila had stayed one night and then left without telling anybody where she was going. I didn't really believe her, but had to accept what she said until I found out different.

As odd as it may seem, Barry and I seemed to drift apart. He had his family, or part of it, and I had nothing. I tried spending time with him and the girls, but it never felt comfortable.

At the beginning of the new school year, I went to the administration office at the boy's old school. I told them that I wanted to make sure that Todd and Jason's school records had been properly forwarded. A very helpful young lady was more than eager to assure me that the records had been sent to North Schuylkill Elementary School in Frackville, two weeks earlier. She seemed proud of herself for having the information available and I thanked her profusely.

It didn't take long for me to get the new cell phone number that Sheila was using. I had to try the number three times before she finally answered. Caller ID is a nice function, unless somebody is using it to avoid talking to you. I kept the conversation short. I asked her to meet me at the food court in the Frackville Mall.

I was waiting for over half an hour until she showed up. It was our first contact since her love cruise, and I was determined not to mention it at all. I had a large coffee sitting in front of me, but it was cold by the time that she sat down. Neither of us spoke or greeted one another. Finally, I had to break the ice.

"I want you and the boys to move back into the house."

Sheila squirmed a little in the hard plastic mall seat. She hadn't picked up a drink before coming to the table, so her hands were empty.

"All four of us; together?"

"No. Just you and the boys. I have a small apartment lined up nearby. The house will be more familiar and comfortable for Todd and Jason. They can go back to their old school and I can get to see them on a regular basis."

"I can't afford to live in the house."

"I'll take care of the rent and utilities. I'll give you money for food and other household expenses. I'll also take care of the boy's clothing and school expenses."

"What about me?"

"You are a big girl, Sheila. I think that you can take care of yourself."

"I'll have to work."

"Set it up so that you can work while the boys are in school or in the evenings so that I can watch them. I am sure that you will be able to find something."

It was a bittersweet moment for her. I don't know what she was expecting or willing to accept. Her eyes seem to dart around the mall as her brain was working, or she was looking for something. I am sure that from her point of view, there was good and bad about the offer.

"Okay. I'll do it for the sake of the boys. You are right. It would be better for them. When would you like to do this?"

"I'll get moved out in the next couple of days and you can move in whenever it is convenient for you."

It was done. The whole conversation took less time than I had waiting in that damn hard chair. We both sat quietly for a few moments.

"John. Is there anything else that you want to talk about?"

That was my cue to leave. I immediately stood up and set the empty paper cup on the table.

"No!"

I am not sure, but I think that I saw a small tear in her eye before I walked away and out of the mall. She was still sitting there when I looked back.

The next six months were uneventful. Sheila got a job that allowed her to work while the boys were in school. I kept them at my apartment over the weekend and she had them during the week. Barry received a petition for divorce, or whatever it is called, from Greta. It came from Nevada. His daughters were living with him and they seemed to have everything under control. I think his sister and mother were helping out.

Things at work were going a lot better than expected. Unfortunately, in order to move up in the company, I would have to relocate. Under the circumstances, I was hesitant to consider moving.

It was getting close to Christmas when everything went to crap.

I was just getting back from lunch when I found Todd and Jason waiting in my office.

"What's going on? Why aren't you guys in school?"

"The furnace broke down. They sent us all home." Jason was just looking at his feet while Todd started talking.

"What are you doing here?"

"We went home first and then we decided to come here."

"The key was under the mat. You could get in, right?"

Both of them were looking at the floor now.

"What's going on? What are you guys hiding?"

Jason decided to jump into the conversation. He was talking fast and seemed to be stuttering a little.

"When we got home, mom had left her bedroom door open. She was in there with that guy, Clayton."

"He was in the house, in the bedroom?"

"Yeah. They were doing it, dad. They were both naked and they were doing it, just like on the Internet."

I sat down and didn't say anything. What could I say? How could I erase the image from their minds?

Jason held out his cell phone. "Here. I took pictures."

It only took a few seconds to verify that what they had told me was true.

Todd seemed anxious to add that Clayton had been at the house several times and that Sheila had told them not to say anything about him being there. She had told them that if I got mad, they would all have to move back to Frackville.

We talked for several more minutes and decided that the boys should move in with me. I gave them the apartment key and sent them on their way. Then I made a trip to the personnel department. Minot, North Dakota didn't sound like a resort location, but they did have an immediate opening and I was now available.

I spent several hours making financial arrangements and then headed over to the house. Sheila must have been at work, because the house was empty. The bed was still unmade, so I imagined that she had come home for a nooner. I was not even aware that Clayton was still in the area. I had just finished up loading the last of the boys things into the car when she came in the front door.

"John. What the hell is going on? I thought we had an arrangement. Where are you going with that stuff?"

"The arrangement is over, Sheila. The boys and I are leaving. You can squawk all you want, but it won't make any difference."

"You can't take my boys, John. I won't let you. The court won't let you."

"I am taking them. If you want them back, you can go to court and explain things to them."

"What does that mean?" She stood there with her hands on her hips and a defiant grin on her face.

I put the last bag on the floor and faced my loving wife. "What did you do for lunch today, darling?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything? Why do you care what I did for lunch? It is none of your damn business." She was just overflowing with attitude.

"Did you know that the heating system at the school broke down today?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The school furnace went on the blink this morning. All the kids were sent home at lunch time. I'll ask you again, dear. What did you do for lunch today?"

The bravado left her face as she slumped down into the living room sofa. She wasn't saying anything, just sitting there. I picked up the last bag, but stopped at the door before leaving.

"Jason took pictures. I hope that Clayton has health insurance, because he is going to need it. I let him slide the last time, but now he has to pay."

She didn't cry or collapse in a dead faint, but just sat there like a zombie. I was careful not to slam the door, because I didn't want to destroy the mood.

We bought a small trailer and had everything packed by the end of the week. I drove by Clayton Mankey's house, but the landlord claimed that he had left the day before, and left no forwarding address. I decided that Clayton would be a good project for a later date. I found out that Sheila had contacted a lawyer about custody of the boys, but never tried to contacted me about it.

We adapted to our new home quickly and the boys both loved it. For some odd reason, they never seemed to miss their mother. It was just about six months to the day when I received the divorce papers from Carson City, Nevada. She asked for nothing and I offered nothing. It always bothered me that she had not fought harder to get custody of her sons. I think about that a lot, but never mention it.

I do think that it is important that the boys have a mother. Next week I am going to start shopping for one. Todd and Jason agreed to help.