When Sorrows Come... Ch. 01

"Okay, Ted. I just might do that. I can always use a new outfit and I did see a beautiful little white number at the store a few days ago. By the way, will Phil Stine be at the party?"

"Stine?" Ted repeated. "Why are you asking about that ass? You know that he's the biggest pussy hound in the area? Why so interested in that prick all of a sudden," he asked suspiciously.

"Don't be so crude, Ted. Phil has always been a complete gentleman around me and I find him amusing and an interesting conversationalist. What? Now you're getting jealous all of a sudden?" Barbara retorted, inwardly satisfied that she had gotten his goat.

Ted eyed her stonily, wondering what the hell she was up to. He knew his wife and he could feel the wheels turning in her head. Whatever she had in mind, he knew that it wouldn't make him happy. He shook his head and went up to his study.

The next days were even cooler between Ted and Barbara. The short conversation about the Christmas party and her mention of Phil Stine seemed to open an even wider rift in their relationship. They viewed each other with a degree of suspicion and wariness. Ted just knew that some kind of major eruption was coming down the road.

The next couple of weeks passed uneventfully. Barbara did, in fact, get the "little white number" she had had her eye on. She had been a bit hesitant because that little dress was a bit risque. It was a little on the short side, coming down to mid-thigh with a plunging neckline and virtually no back. But Barbara knew that she still had the figure for it and she also knew that Ted would be royally pissed that she would wear that to a party attended by his colleagues.

"Screw him," she thought. "Let him realize that others appreciated what he didn't. Let him eat his heart out."

The day before the big Party, Ann was sitting in the Arnold's living room watching Barbara model her new dress. "My God, Barb. Are you sure that you want to wear that? I mean it's a beautiful dress, but there are going to be a lot of guys at that party and there's going to be a lot of drinking. What you're wearing could be like a red flag to a herd of horny bulls, plus you know you can't wear a bra with that," she laughed.

"And Ted will be royally pissed," Barbara giggled. "I can't wait to see his expression when he sees me in this." But, inwardly she had doubts about the appropriateness of the outfit and was not quite sure that she should go through with actually wearing it. She knew that she shouldn't push Ted too far. Realizing that she was being too apprehensive, she shrugged her doubts off and looked forward to the splash she would make at the party.

The following evening, after showering, putting on her makeup and dressing, Barb made her way slowly down the stairs, awaiting Ted's reaction to her dress. He looked up from his seat in the living room and then quickly rose to his feet, his face flushed.

"What the fuck are you wearing," he shouted hoarsely. "You can't go in that thing."

"Why? You afraid that other men might think I'm hot? You don't own me, mister. I'll dress however I wish." she snapped back at him, and without a backward glance went to the closet and shrugged into her coat.

Ted stood there, his anger almost overwhelming him. He knew that she was doing this purposefully, goading him. He also knew the sales force and the ribbing he would get days after. He kept his mouth shut, got his coat and went out the door and into the car, not waiting for her. He sat behind the wheel and when she was finally beside him, he started the car and drove to the hotel. Not a word was exchanged between the two of them.

They arrived at the hotel shortly and had the valet take their car. They made their way to the main ballroom and stopped at the coat room where Ted averted his eyes as they gave their outerwear to the gal behind the counter. Entering the ballroom, Ted quickly left Barbara's side and made his way to the long bar. He ordered a scotch neat and gulped it down quickly.

John and Joyce Brock saw the Arnolds enter the room and John muttered to his wife, "Oh, oh. It looks like Ted and Barb are at it again. Shit, he looks like he's ready to spit nails. I better go over and calm him down." He rose and waited for Barbara to make her way to their table.

In the meantime Barbara had attracted quite some attention in her attire. She felt the eyes on her as she wandered into the room and, seeing Joyce Brock, moved over to where she and her husband were sitting.

Joyce smiled at Barbara and murmured, "Damn, Barb. That dress is gorgeous and you sure know how to fill it out. Just make sure that my husband doesn't get too near you," she laughed.

John colored a bit and asked Barbara if she wanted a drink and then wandered over to the bar next to Ted. He put his hand on Ted's shoulder and said quietly, "If you don't settle down you're going to have a heart attack. Your pressure must be sky high."

Ted took a breath. "Yeah, I know, John. I'll be ok, just give me a few minutes. Did you see what she's wearing? It's like she's surfing to get laid, and not by me."

"Wait here for me, I'll be right back," John told him as he made his way back to the table, depositing drinks for his wife and Barbara. He looked down at the ladies and told them that he would be with Ted for awhile. Joyce nodded and he departed.

Barbara turned to Joyce and whispered, "Joyce, I know that Ted is really angry about how I'm dressed, but it's not really all that outrageous. I've seen worse."

Joyce nodded, "I know, Barb. The dress is not all that daring, but I think that Ted's mad because of the setting. You know how these guys are here. Half of them keep sniffing around trying to get laid all the time, and being married is no impediment to them. Ted's jealous and fearful, I think. It could be that he's pissed because he thinks that you're fishing, and without a license - being married and all that."

Barbara sighed. "I know, Joyce. I probably went too far with this outfit, but I wanted to get his goat. It looks like I certainly did do that. Besides, "she added with a grin, "a girl can use all the attention she can get at my age."

Barbara sounded confident, but she was uneasy and she kept her eye on Ted. It wasn't long before Joyce's husband returned to the table, leaving Ted to simmer by himself at the bar. Chatting with the Brocks and another couple who had joined them, Barbara kept stealing glances at Ted. She had almost made up her mind to approach him to try to salvage the evening, when she saw an obviously tipsy blonde woman stagger over to Ted.

"Teddy, buy a girl a drinky poo?" Denise burbled as she leaned against him.

Ted tried to shrug her off, leaning her against the bar. "Denise, you're smashed, I think that you've had more than enough."

Denise Richards worked in accounting and had been flirting with Ted for years, but not in any serious manner and Ted always took it for what it was, harmless bantering. Denise was very happily married to an airline pilot, who, as usual, was absent for the evenings festivities.

Denise leaned over and whispered in Ted's ear, "Ted, now's your chance. I'm drunker than hell and hubby's not here." and she then caught his ear lobe in her teeth.

Ted, amused, knowing that she was pulling his chain, straightened her and smiled, "Denise, hubby would have my balls on a skewer and I'm not suicidal."

Denise suddenly lurched and turned a bit pale. "Ted, I think I'm going to upchuck. Help me to the little girl's room, will you?"

Ted quickly put his arm around her waist and walked her out of the door and down the hall, searching for the lavatories.

Barbara had sat, observing the interchange between her husband and the blonde, from across the room. She had felt her temper flare and her anger caused bile to rise in her throat. Then, to her shock and dismay, she saw Ted, with his arm around this strange woman, leading her out of the ballroom and down the hall. Her fingers clutched the tablecloth tightly.

"That bastard," she hissed to herself. "So that's why he wanted to come to this shindig. Bastard - right in front of me and everyone."

Barbara had turned pale and her eyes blazed. Her first reaction was to get her coat and drive home, but she calmed herself. "He thinks that he can thumb his nose at me in front of everyone, does he. Two can play at that game,"

Meanwhile, as Barbara steamed, Ted was frantically searching for the ladies room before the woman he was holding up barfed all over him. Noticing two gals from the office coming out of a door he shouted for help. Seeing his dilemma, they laughed and quickly gathered Denise and led her into the ladies room.

Ted breathed a sigh of relief and realized that he really didn't want to return to the ballroom just yet. He continued along the hallway until he came to a door which led to a sheltered outdoor alcove. He stepped out, making sure that the door didn't lock behind him. The air was cold, but it felt good on his overheated skin. He slipped a slender panatella from his inside pocket and lit it with a match. He felt now more relaxed then he had in days. He stood there, smoking his cigar and wondering how the two of them had screwed up their marriage so badly. He now acknowledged, at least in his own mind, that there were real problems in their relationship and he knew that he and Barbara needed help. He loved her, but they had to find ways to get back to the loving couple they had been years ago. He knew that with love and understanding, they would be able to fix what had gone so wrong.

Back in the ballroom Barbara was startled to find a tall, slender man, bending over her, asking her to dance. She looked up and saw that it was Phil Stine. She smiled broadly and took his hand, accompanying him to the floor. She laughed inwardly to herself. "How delicious, how perfect. The bastard - let him burn, let him know that I'm still desirable. Let him know that I won't sit back quietly and let him play around."

"Damn, Barb, you look absolutely scrumptious, good enough to eat in that outfit," Stine almost leered at her. "Sorry, didn't quite mean it the way that sounded," he added and laughed.

Barbara colored a bit, looked around to see if anyone had heard that comment, and swatted him playfully on the shoulder. "Behave yourself, Phil. You're supposed to be a gentleman."

"Oh, I am, Barb, I certainly am, you know that" he murmured as he gathered her into his arms for the slow number the band was playing. Barbara could feel his cock starting to stiffen against her and she tried to move her hips back a bit, but he held her closely and she just relaxed and put her head on his shoulder.

Stine held her captive for dance after dance, intermingled with drinks from the bar. Barbara had tried to keep her eye out for Ted, but as time went by, she finally gave up looking for him. She knew that by this time he was enjoying the favors of that blonde and she fought to keep the tears from her eyes. She just gave in to Stine's compliments and kept consuming the drinks he would periodically get for her.

Ted had finally returned to the ballroom and he saw immediately his wife in the clutches of Stine. "Son of a bitch," he thought. "It didn't take either of them long to hook up. Is this what she had in mind all along? Is the dress for that prick?" All of his noble thoughts about fixing their marriage went out of his mind and he turned to the bar for another scotch, stewing and allowing his blood pressure and resentment to rise.

He made his way over to a group of buddies and joined the conversation, trying to get the sight of his wife and Stine out of his mind. It wasn't long before he was engrossed in the conversation and didn't notice the passing of time. When he again looked at his watch, he realized that he had been sitting there for almost an hour and he looked around to see where Barbara was sitting. He couldn't see her and then slowly examined the room, section by section. Nothing - and what was even more worrisome was that Stine was nowhere to be found either. Ted quickly rose to his feet and excused himself.

Striding out of the ballroom he looked one way and then the other. Moving down the hallway he had previously traversed, he saw door after door of conference rooms, all seemingly locked. The fourth door was slightly ajar and he slowly and cautiously opened it and peered in. He froze as he saw his wife in the arms of Phil Stine. They had their lips locked and it looked like his tongue was down her throat. One of her breasts was out of her dress and Stine was pulling on her nipple.

Ted exploded; he rushed into the room and pulled Stine's hair and head away from Barbara. He then kneed him viciously in the groin and watched as the prick collapsed to the floor, curling up into a fetal position and moaning piteously. Ted turned to his wife, who was now cowering from him, white faced. Her words were slurred but understandable. "Ted, don't - it was a mistake. Please," she muttered, trying to stand upright.

"Find your own way home, you slut," he snarled at her, disgust and anger distorting his features. "Maybe you can fuck a ride out of someone else here." He then turned and almost ran out of the room, down the hallway to get his coat, and then out of the door. He collected his car and broke a few speed limits getting home, trying to drive with tears blurring his vision.

Ted left his car in the driveway and stumbled to and entered the front door. He threw his coat at the closet and then turned, trembling, not knowing what to do next. He clenched his fist and suddenly hit the wall with maximum force. Luckily, he missed the studs and punched a significant hole through the wallboard. The suddenness of the unexpected damage seemed to bring some semblance of sanity back to him and he took a deep breath and tried to calm down and think rationally.

Ted's first thoughts were of divorce. He would not stay married to a wife who cheated, who betrayed him. The shock of that course of action rocked him then, could he actually walk away from Barbara, from all of the years that they shared together? He then told himself that the last few years weren't all that wonderful anyway, perhaps it would be best for both of them if they split. He also knew, deep down in his psyche, that he still loved his wife and wished desperately for a loving and giving union with her.

Ted was a man torn, pulled in different directions. His rage at what Barbara had done at the party consumed him, but he also realized that walking away from her would be terribly difficult for him to do. Ted was not a stupid man; he knew that making any decisions now would be impossible. He would wait and have a rational discussion with Barbara tomorrow. Tomorrow, when he was calmer and more able to contain his anger. Together, they would come to some kind of resolution.

Ted wearily climbed the stairs, gathered his toiletries and his pillow from the master bath and bedroom and made his way to the guest room where he undressed and climbed into bed. He more then suspected that he would get little sleep that night. As he lay there, eyes wide open, he heard a car pull into the driveway. He heard car doors slam and then voices in the foyer. They were muffled, but he soon heard the front door close again and then hesitant footsteps up the stairs. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sounds. Ted lay there, quietly, listening to himself breath in and out, willing himself to concentrate on the memory of an evening at the beach when he was a teenager, remembering the setting sun, and the reflection on the calm sea. He fell asleep.

The bright sunlight streaming through the window caused Ted to reluctantly open his eyes and squint at the clock on the dresser. It was 9:33 a.m. and his head was pounding and his mouth felt as if it were filled with cotton. Memories of the previous night flooded his mind and he felt a tinge of nausea which he fought down. He made his way to the hall bath and downed three aspirin and brushed his teeth and gargled with mouthwash. A hot shower followed by a few seconds of icy spray soon had him feeling more human. He now noticed that the master bedroom door was wide open and saw Barbara sprawled on the bed, naked except for her panties. She was still asleep, snoring softly.

Ted made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Picking up the coffee pot, he paused and lowered back to the counter. "Fuck it," he muttered as he picked up his coat from the floor near the closet and walked out of the house. He drove downtown and stopped at a IHOP and had a late breakfast and then to his office. No one was there this Saturday late morning and he was able to finish up some odds and ends that he had put off.

It wasn't until almost 1:00 p.m. that he headed home, steeling himself for what he knew would be a very unpleasant confrontation with his wife. He truly didn't have any idea what the outcome of their conversation would be. He suspected that it could very possibly lead to the end of the marriage at worse, but if not that, then what - a continuation of a marriage that was troublesome at best? He tried to clear his mind and let whatever denouement come.

He walked into the house and saw Barbara sitting in the living room. The drapes were drawn and the room was lit only by the daylight trying to creep in around the fabric over the windows. She sat in the shadows and he saw that she was wearing her housecoat and was pale and drawn. He sat down heavily across from her and began:

"We have to talk," he said quietly. He looked at her and saw that she wouldn't meet his gaze.

Barbara finally raised her head and said, "Before you say anything, I want to ask you a question." She paused, waiting for his approval to continue. Ted nodded.

"Did you fuck her? Did you fuck that blonde who was hanging all over you last night?"

Ted felt the rage rise up and threaten to overwhelm him. He had to make a conscious effort to tamp it down, not let it gain control over him. He shaped it, compressed it and rose to his feet.

"Why is it that cheaters always feel that everyone else is also a cheater? They cheat, so I guess it follows that everyone else does it too. Perhaps it makes them feel less guilty. To them the marriage ceremony isn't a commitment to love and cherish - it's only round one in a constant battle for supremacy. To them marriage isn't a promise to be faithful, it's an opportunity dominate and overwhelm," Ted

replied quietly. He kept his voice low, but the steel and anger were quite evident.

Barbara had turned deathly pale and he saw the tears start to flow down her cheeks, but he felt no sympathy for her. He continued:

"To answer your question, no, I didn't fuck her. I took her into the hall, looking for the ladies room and two of the gals from the office saw my plight and took over. Also, and pay close attention to what I'm going to say,..... I have never cheated. I have never in my married life touched a woman inappropriately and I have never allowed a woman to touch me inappropriately."

He paused and looked at his wife with contempt. "Can you say the same, wife?" he snapped. " Can you repeat my words? Can you tell me that no man has every touched you inappropriately?" He looked down at her and there was now sadness and hurt in his eyes.

"How many, Barbara? How many guys have you allowed access to your body? How many men have felt your tits, stroked your pussy. How many men have you fucked, Barbara? he asked quietly, the sorrow evident in his voice.

The questions that Ted hurled at her caused Barbara to leap to her feet and scream, "Never, never, never. Ted. No one has ever done that. Last night was the first time that any man has done that to me besides you. I was drunk, jealous and angry and I let that creep go too far. I was trying to pull away from him when you burst in. You have to believe me, it's the god-honest truth." she wailed and then collapsed into a fetal position on the couch. He heard her whimper softly, "I have never been unfaithful to you, never."