Tony Must be Punished

"Calm down, Darlina. He may have his suspicions, but he hasn't accused you of anything yet, has he?" Tony was swallowing the 'frightened wife' story hook line and sinker.

"No. But, if you had seen how he's been acting these past few days, then I'm sure that you would agree with me. He's so different toward me now. I'm not frightened that he will harm me, but I could not endure a divorce that branded me an adulterous wife." Another pause. "I think that Manty has the phones at the house bugged and he may even be having me followed. I'm calling you from a pay phone at a convenience store just so he can't trace this call." More stress and tension in the voice.

After a second or two of silence, Tony spoke up. "Maybe you're right. But, I do want to see you. I miss being with you. When do you think we could get together again?"

"Goddamn, Tony!" She shouted in the phone. "Don't you get how serious this situation is? I'm afraid my husband's is going to find out enough evidence and divorce me over this affair. I can't be seen with you or even talk to you until I'm sure that Manty's suspicions are put to rest. Don't you understand that!" Her voice was a mixture of anger and angst. She was playing her role very well.

"Yes, I do understand how serious this must be for you. It doesn't change the fact that I do miss you." Tony tried to put some reassurance into his words.

"We can't be seen together. You can't call me at home, at the office or on my cell. Nothing that can be traced to you and me. I am frightened, Tony. And I don't want anything to happen to my marriage." She paused and took a deep breath as the line was silent. "I want you to do some serious thinking also Tony. I want you to consider what you would do if Manty divorces me and puts me out on the street. Would there still be an 'us'? Would you ever consider divorcing your wife so that we could be together? Don't answer me now, but think about it. Think about it very hard."

"Hummmmmm...." was all she heard in the receiver as her last statement started to set sink

into Tony's mind.

"I can't talk any longer. If I'm being followed, I can't let them see I'm on the phone. I'll call you whenever I think it is safe for us to talk or be together again. Remember, keep your distance and no phone calls." Her voice was now more authoritative as she was ending the phone call. "Bye now."

"Bye. Remember that I miss you." He said to her as the phone line went dead.

"Yeah, sure. You just miss my pussy and asshole to fuck." She thought to herself as she walked over to the cooler and took out a gallon of orange juice to take home.

The drive home was almost a blur as Darlina pulled into the garage. All the way back from the store, her mind was filled with all kinds of conflicting thoughts. The stage was now being set for Manty's plan to punish Tony. She was a co-conspirator in that nasty plan of revenge.

As she walked into the house, she was immediately greeted by Manty who wanted to know how the phone call went. She told him Tony bought the story completely and that he was now in a holding pattern until she called him again.

"Are you sorry that you made the call?" He asked her as their eyes locked.

"No, my dearest husband. Not sorry, no regrets and no more good feelings about him either. You are the only man that I want in my life from now on." There was a strong tone of conviction in her voice as she leaned forward to kiss him. They stood there embracing, and lips locked.

The rest of the day Manty was in the computer room making phone calls. His first call was to his friend, Phil Tuddy at the police station. Phil had the information that Manty wanted, although none of it would be very useful for him. Tony had a clean record. Only a couple of traffic violations for speeding over the past ten years. The car Tony was driving was a company car. There were no records at the DMV that Tony even owned his own car. Nothing very exciting or incriminating in his file. Manty thanked Phil and the two of them promised to get together soon.

After the call, Manty called Darlina's work and told her boss she was very sick with a virus and that she would be staying home for the next couple of days.

He then called his parents to chat about the week the kids had stayed with them. It seemed the four of them had a great time. The kids and their grandparents went to several parks, to the movies and to the zoo. A great time for all of them. Manty's mother even said she misses them and wishes they could come over for another visit soon.

"We might just take you up on that offer, mother. Darlina and I enjoyed our break from the kids. There are still a couple of things we might want to do without having the kids around." His voice had a devilish sound to it that made his mother chuckle.

"Anytime, my dear. Dad and I are always ready to have the kids for a visit." They said their good-byes and hung up. Manty leaned back and wondered what his parents would think about him and Darlina if they ever found out about her adultery. He shook those thoughts out of his mind and then began to concentrate on his revenge plan.

The kids were busy playing in the recreation room down stairs, Darlina was busy in the kitchen fixing dinner. He walked up behind her and kissed her on her neck. She turned and smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you." She said just as her lips met his.

After they separated, he leaned back against the counter top as she resumed her dinner preparation.

"Tomorrow I want to start the next step in my plan. I will call Tony's wife in the morning and break the news of her husband's affair to her. I am hoping that she will be receptive to listening and then to see if she would want to take part in punishing her husband for his cheating on her."

Darlina looked at him quickly as she continued mixing something in a bowl. She said nothing to him.

"I am hoping that she will let us meet with her and present her with all of the facts. Then I want to hear what she thinks about retaliation against Tony."

"You want me to go with you?" Darlina asked, but already knowing the answer.

"Yes. It will be important for the both of us to go and see how she reacts to the news and also her reactions to seeing the woman her husband was having his affair with." He responded as he watched for her reaction. There was not outward response or body language that conveyed the angst she had inside her mind with the thought of confronting her ex-lover's wife.

The conversation ended there and Manty walked down to the recreation room to play with the kids until Darlina called them to dinner. As he held, joked and played with his two bubbly happy children, he knew whatever it took, he would somehow repair his damaged marriage. He thought once he put that ghost in his closet to rest, then the rebuilding of their marriage might be possible. As long as Darlina did not fall off the faithful-wife wagon again.

The dinner meal was another special creation of Darlina's. She was doing her very best to impress her husband with her homemaking skills as well as being an attentive wife. After the meal, the four of them sat around the table playing "Go Fish" card game. It was a fun and joyful time for the family to enjoy together. The family was what it was all about in Manty's mind.

After the card game was over, they took the kids to their room and sat there reading them a bedtime story. Lights out and their bedroom door closed, the kids went to sleep quiet and content.

Manty went into the den, turned on the stereo and poured a drink for himself. He sat back in his lounge thinking about how wonderful his family made him feel. Still, there was that open wound caused by his adulterous wife that needed time to heal. He finally went to bed a couple of hours later. This night he slept much better.

The next morning, after the household settled into a routine; kids in the recreation room, Darlina in the kitchen and Manty in the computer room, he picked up the phone and dialed a number he had never dialed before. After several rings, a woman's voice answered?

"Hello."

"Hello, Mrs. Sharon Ann Wilson?"

"Yes, this is she. Who are you?"

"My name is Manty Harris, Mrs. Wilson. I am not a telemarketer, nor am I trying to sell you anything. I do have some information that I would like to give you."

"How do you know me, Mr. Harris?"

"I really don't, Mrs. Wilson. I just know a few things about you that's all."

"I'm not sure that I care to have any conversation with you, Mr. Harris."

"I can understand that, Mrs. Wilson. You don't know me from Adam, but we do have something in common. Your husband."

"What about my husband!?" She barked back into the phone.

"Since there's no easy way to tell you this, I'll just say it outright." Manty paused and took a deep breath. "Your husband and my wife have been having an affair." Silence. Both of them were holding the phone to their ear, but neither one said anything.

"I confronted my wife with the evidence I gathered and she confessed to me that they were in fact having a long term relationship." Manty finally broke the silence.

"Your wife confessed to you?"

"Yes, the evidence was irrefutable, she had no choice but to confess to me. But your husband is unaware at this time that I know about the affair. He still thinks the affair is a secret."

"What are you going to do about this, Mr. Harris?"

"As hard as it may be to understand, I still love my wife and I would like a chance to try and rebuild our marriage. Doing that might be difficult, and we might just end up in a divorce court. I don't know what will eventually happen in the future." He paused, and again the line was silent. So he continued. "If you would be so kind, I would like to meet with you and discuss this situation in more detail over. Talking about this subject over the phone seems so impersonal, when this subject is so very personal. Would you consider seeing me and talk about this face to face?" Silence.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Harris. Let me think about this. Do you have a number that I can reach you if I decide to meet with you?"

"Yes, my home phone number is 555-8373. I have a cell phone, number 555-0963. Use either one if wish to call me back." Pause. "I truly hope that you will. It might just help both of us to find some answers for us in the mess our spouses have created."

"Let me think about this for a day or so. If you don't hear from me in 48 hours, then you will know that I am not interested in meeting with you and I don't want you to call me again." Her voice sounded calm, as if she now her suspicions about her husband had been confirmed.

"Fair enough. But, if I may ask one other favor. Please, don't tell your husband about this phone call for those 48 hours either. I would rather him not be told that we know about the affair until you have made a decision as to seeing me or not seeing me. If you decide not to see my, then do whatever you feel you need to do." He stopped and then added. "I sincerely hope that you will give me the opportunity to meet with you and for us to share whatever we can about our wandering spouses."

"I will give that some serious thought, Mr. Harris. Now good-bye."

He couldn't tell from her voice whether or not she would call him back. She sounded very cool and detached on the phone. Maybe she had her suspicions about Tony's fidelity all along. And, maybe she would call him back if only to verify her husband's adultery and use that as grounds for a divorce.

All he could hope for now was that she would be curious enough to call him back and arrange a meeting with him. His Plan A was counting on that. If she didn't call him back, then his Plan B would have to be used. Plan B was full of 'what-ifs' and it wouldn't take much to make Plan B fall apart. Mrs. Sharon Ann Wilson was a major player in Manty's plan for Tony's punishment.

Manty walked into the kitchen and stepped up behind Darlina. He kissed her on her neck and shoulder. She set the pan down on the counter-top and turned to give him an open mouth kiss. When they finally separated, she looked up at him and asked. "Did you make the call?"

"Yes. And I did get to talk to her. I told her about the affair. At least from her voice, she didn't sound surprised. I asked if she would meet with me. She said that she would have to think about it and call me back." Manty said as he looked into his wife's eyes. He could tell she was nervous about the things that he was planning to do.

"Did you tell her I would be there also?"

"No. I didn't want to put too much on her plate at one time. If she says yes, then you will come with me. But, if she does not wish to meet with you also, then you'll have to sit in the car till we're done."

They both stood there holding onto each other. Each caught up in their own thoughts and fears about the events that had lead them to this moment in their marriage, and the future events that might lead to its dissolution if they could not put the ghost in their closet to rest.

The rest of the day and early evening was spent playing with the kids, fixing a leaky toilet and washing his car outside. All the while, Manty was trying to sort out all of his feelings about his wife and their marriage. Since the moment she arrived back at the house after her afternoon tryst with Tony, some of the basic tenets of their marriage had changed drastically. There had been some very personal behavioral patterns that also changed in both of them. The only conclusion Manty could come up with was the fact they would need to get some professional help and counseling to get their marriage on track again.

After dinner, the evening routine at the Harris house was the same. The four of them would talk and play together for a couple of hours and then it was time for the kids to go to bed. With the bedtime story done, the lights were turned off and their bedroom door was closed. Now came the usual calm period for Manty and Darlina. A time to sit in the den, and relax together and unwind from the busy day. But tonight was different. Events were shaping up; things were happening that were out of his control, and all he could do was sit back and wait. Darlina was still in her holding cell awaiting the time when her husband would see fit to allow her back into their marital bed.

About mid morning the next day the phone rang. Manty picked it up and said. "Hello."

"Hello, Mr. Harris?" It was Sharon Ann's voice.

"Why, yes. Mrs. Wilson. Good of you to call." There was genuine feeling in his voice since he knew what this call meant.

"My answer is yes. I do want to meet with you and discuss this sordid situation with you in detail. I have contacted a lawyer friend of our family. I told him about the situation and that I want to pursue a divorce from Tony. After explaining the circumstances to him, he said that getting a statement from you would help support my case." She paused to listen for a response from him. Then she added. "When and where would you like to meet?"

"Today would be fine with me. I don't have any particular place where I would like to meet, but wherever it is it should be private enough for us to have a long hard discussion." Manty replied.

"Today is fine with me. The sooner the better. And if you want, we can meet here at my house. Tony is gone for the next couple of days. Around 1:00 this afternoon, that good for you?" She asked.

"Fine, Mrs. Wilson I'll see then."

"Do you know how to get to my house? And by the way, stop calling me Mrs. Wilson. I don't want to be called by that name any more. Its Sharon Ann now." There was a hardness in her voice.

"I'm sure that I will be able to find your house. 342 White Castle Drive, correct...Sharon Ann? And I want you to call me Manty. Mr. Harris is my father." He said trying to interject a bit of friendliness into this awkward situation.

"Yes. The address is correct. I'll see you at 1:00 then, Manty. Bye now." The line went dead. Manty stood there a few minutes thinking to himself.

Part of his punishment plan was to cause Tony's marriage to break up. He had thought that he might have to convince Sharon Ann to divorce Tony, but it seemed that she had already made up her mind without any further encouragement from him. So, that would leave the parts of getting Tony fired from his job, and the public humiliation part of Tony's punishment to execute.

He walked into the laundry room where Darlina was sorting out clothes.

"The meeting is on this afternoon at 1:00 with Sharon Ann. We're going to meet at her house. You know the way over there, don't you?" His last question had a hint of accusation in it. He of course knew that she and her lover had met there on a number of occasions when Sharon Ann was away visiting friends and family.

Darlina winced at the subtle insinuation. But, she let it slide. "Yes, I know where Sharon Ann lives. Did you tell her I would be with you?"

"No. When we get there, I'll tell her you're in the car and that you would like to come in to apologize for your actions with her husband. If she agrees, then I'll have you come inside with us. First to make you apology and second to add anything else that she might want to hear about the affair." He paused and waited for her reaction. All she did was to lower her head like a penitent sinner.

"You will have to call the baby sitter and have her come over about 12:30 and have her stay till around 5:00 or whenever we get home." Manty turned and walked back to the computer room.

Darlina nodded her head yes, and continued her clothes folding.

Now it was time for Manty to try and generate some dialog in his mind that would convince Sharon Ann to become a co-conspirator in the total humiliation of her husband. From the way she talked on the phone, and the fact she was already talking about divorce, he felt she might jump at the chance to get some hard revenge against her cheating husband.

Darlina and Manty had lunch in silence even though the two kids were chatty and poking at each other. Within the next several hours, they both knew they would have to face the ghost in the closet again. For Manty, it would be another step in his need for revenge against his arch enemy. For Darlina, it would be the humiliating confrontation with the wife of the man she cheated with. She would have to face the condemnation of a wife who had been made as much a cuckold as her husband.

The drive to the Wilson residence took about fifteen minutes. Both of them were silent throughout the drive. Manty pulled up into the drive way as thoughts of the last time she was here flashed through Darlina's mind.

Sharon Ann answered the door and stepped aside as Manty entered the house. "Is that your slut wife in the car?" She asked him as she stood in the open doorway.

"Yes. That's my wife Darlina. And you are correct, she is a slut. Whether or not she'll ever change remains to be seen." Manty said as the two of them met for the first time. "I brought her along so that she could apologize to you for her adulterous actions with your husband. If that would be all right with you."

Sharon Ann shut the door and extended her hand to him. Manty shook her hand as she said. "Let her sit out there alone for awhile. Let her sit there not knowing what we're saying or doing inside here. Maybe later you can call her in so I can hear what she has to say."

They moved into the large living room and sat down. She offered him something to drink. Manty took a ginger ale while Sharon Ann's drink contained a strong shot of bourbon. The conversation started out slow and cumbersome, with neither one of them sure of how to open up the wound that their cheating spouses had inflicted upon them.

Manty finally was able to tell Sharon Ann his whole story. The suspicions that he had last year and the ensuing events that lead up to his discovery at the rental property last week. He told her just how angry he was at the two of them and how he wanted his pound of flesh from Tony.