When Sorrows Come... Ch. 02

His mind kept returning to the same question. It was always the why, why, why had she so betrayed him and also, how long had she been doing that. He felt pretty certain now that the two times he had actually caught her were probably just the tip of the iceberg. How many other times had she cheated? He knew that one day he would have to face her and get the truth, as painful as he knew it would be. In the meantime, he hoped that distance and time would help, at least in small part, heal the hurt that was tearing at him.

Suddenly it seemed as if all hell had broken out. Bells were ringing, whistles blowing and strangers banging him on the back. Ted turned around, confused as to what had happened and found a huge man shaking him by the hand while flash cameras almost blinded him.

"Congratulations, my friend. You just hit a sizeable jackpot," the giant shouted to him. "Follow me, please." With that said, the tuxedoed goliath led him to the lobby and down a thickly carpeted hallway. Seconds later Ted found himself ensconced in a deep, leather easy chair in front of a mammoth desk behind which the huge man seated himself.

The door opened behind Ted and a trim and well-dressed woman in her 40s, Ted guessed, entered.

"Let me introduce myself and Tess to you. I'm Harry Davis, Casino Manager and this lovely thing is Tess Lowenski." Tess smiled at Ted and shook his rather limp hand. "Tess is an attorney and a CPA and is in charge of this end of the business. We have other personnel like Tess on duty at all times. Now let's get down to business in regard to just what you've won. You're a guest here, so I already know your name, Mr. Arnold. The forms in front of you are the standard ones we use for this purpose. Sign where Tess tells you to and we can get this paperwork out of the way."

Tess Lowenski proceeded to inform Ted as to exactly what he was signing and the purpose of each of the forms as Harry Davis sat smiling and puffing on a rather large cigar.

"Okay, that's out of the way, thank goodness," Harry boomed. "This is the part I just love. I can tell by just looking at you, Ted, that you have no idea in the world what it is that you've won." Harry grined at the blank expression on Ted's face.

"Okay, Ted. With all of the withholding taken and the other fees and shit, you've won exactly...." and Harry looked at the check in front of him, "$674,566 and some change. Not bad for a few coins in a machine," he laughed.

Ted sat there, totally befuddled. "I'll be a sonofabitch," he muttered to himself. He realized that life just threw him another curveball and, for the life of him, he just couldn't make sense of it all.

"Ted," continued Harry Davis. "This is just a suggestion, but I would strongly advise you to deposit this check immediately into a money market account. We have a branch of a major national bank here at the hotel and the account can be opened and the deposit handled quickly and easily. Believe me, you would be well advised to do that."

Ted quickly saw the wisdom of that. "Good idea, Harry. Let's do that right now."

"I can take care of that for you, Mr. Arnold. There will be just a few more forms to take care of," remarked Tess Lowenski. She was quick and efficient and in a few more minutes he found himself with well over half a million dollars in a money market account.

Ted turned to Harry Davis. "Harry, how much publicity will winning this jackpot stir up? Am I going to have to avoid the press for the next few days?"

Harry laughed. "You have to be kidding, Ted. This is not unusual. All of the casinos in this town often have jackpot winners. It's good publicity for us and it keeps the suck.....errr. customers coming back. I doubt that your win will even make the local paper, let alone anything national," he observed keenly.

After a few more details, Ted, in somewhat of a daze, made his way up to his room. He opened the mini bar and had a scotch and water which he sipped as he sat and tried to make some sense out of just what happened. He again shook his head in wonderment and was then startled to hear a knock at his door.

"Gail," Ted said with some surprise. "I didn't expect you see you here."

"Hi Ted. Well, aren't you going to ask me in?" Gail grinned at him saucily.

"Oh, of course. Sorry about that," Ted mumbled, surprise still evident on his face.

With a sparkle in her eyes, Gail continued to toy with him. "I see you have a drink, Ted. You going to offer me one?"

Ted stood and looked at her for a moment before moving to the bar and getting her a drink. He held the glass in his hand for a bit before handing it to her and then commented, "Word gets around quickly, doesn't it?"

Gail grinned at him, but there was just a bit of anger and disappointment in her eyes. "You really think that I'm here in your room because you hit a jackpot? I guess I really shouldn't blame you; you don't know me or what kind of person I am."

Gail plopped herself down on the bed and raised the glass to Ted in salute before taking a sip. "Ted, let me explain something to you. I would have been here, jackpot or not. I do very well financially, as you have seen and I don't have to sell my body for a few bucks. I'm here because I like you and for some reason, I trust you. I trust you to take this no further than it deserves."

She looked at him intently as she stood and placed her glass on the end table. She was wearing a slinky, black dress held up by spaghetti straps which she loosened. The dress fell to the floor and she stood there in a brief bra, garter belt and stockings and thong panties.

Ted sat speechless. His senses were saturated, too many amazing events had buffeted him within the last hours and he found it difficult to sort them out. He was not so far gone as to not recognize that this woman had a fabulous body.

Gail reached behind here and unclasped the bra which fluttered to the floor. Her breasts were large with very little sag. The nipples and areolas were a dark pink and very erect. She placed her palms on her breasts and softly caressed them as Ted watched spellbound.

She then placed her fingers in the sides of her panties and lowered them until they fell to the floor. Her genitals were bare, shaven clean. Gail noticed where his attention lay and grinned again. "I keep it shaven, Ted. Not for anyone special, but because it excites me and makes my orgasms more intense. I'm glad that you seem to like it."

Ted's eyes flickered over her body. From the lips of her pussy, which now appeared to be moist, across her slightly rounded stomach and up to those magnificent breasts. He tried to swallow and he realized that he had a massive erection.

Gail moved to him and straddled his lap, placing her forearms on his shoulders. Ted could feel the heat and moisture from her on his erection. "This is my sex life, Ted. I refuse to involve myself with any man on any long term basis, so I take oppoirtunities when they arise, and you're just such an opportunity. Are you easy, Ted? Feel like getting laid?"

Gail saw the stupefied expression on Ted's face and laughed easily. "I think I shocked you, didn't I? Ladies aren't supposed to take the lead in the game of seduction, isn't that so? Well, as you can see, I'm no lady, Ted. So what do you say?"

While Ted's mind had finally started to function, he still felt confused and conflicted, but this didn't detract from the eroticism of the moment. His hands were on Gail's waist and as he moved to kiss her he noticed a small mole on the side of her neck, just under her jaw line. Barbara had just such a mole in the exact place, he realized and he then totally lost it.

Without any warning, he broke down and completely lost control of his emotions. Whether it was the accumulation of the traumatic events of the day, or the reoccurring and crushing realization of his wife's infidelity, he shuddered and the tears came. He made an almost violent attempt to control his grief but without success.

Gail, instead of leaping to her feet, just cradled his head to her breast and allowed him to purge those emotions so deeply felt. The tears finally came to an end and Ted poured out to her the torment that was plaguing him. He finally leaned back, emotionally exhausted. They both then recognized the incongruity of the situation and Gail moved from his lap, found the hotel robe which she slipped over her shoulders and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Ted?" Gail asked. "You've been carrying this around for the last couple of weeks? Don't you realize how foolish you've been?"

Ted just looked at her, wondering what she was talking about. "Foolish?" he repeated. "I'm foolish? Why would you say that? What did I do that was so foolish?"

Gail smiled at him sympathetically. "Ted, you have to sit down and talk to your wife. You have to confront the situation. You'll solve nothing by running away. Sure, it's the easy way now, but later you'll be sorry that you never gave her the opportunity to explain herself. Look, Ted - you may be, and probably are, correct as to the circumstances that led to your flight, but you'll always have a little nagging doubt about the situation. At least give yourself the opportunity to prove yourself right, and give your wife the opportunity to tell her side, even if she doesn't have a defense. At least you'll get some closure. Running only prolongs your agony - you'll drive yourself crazy. Go back and face her - find some resolution."

Ted again shook his head. "I can't, Gail. I just can't go back now. It's too raw. I know that I'm being a coward, but I can't help it. What I need is some time, time to collect myself and get my head straight. I know that you're right and that I will eventually have to go back, but right now I need some time for myself. I need to find someplace where I can just be alone and get some sanity back into my head."

Gail gazed at him with pity in her eyes. "Okay, Ted. I just wish you luck, you seem like a nice guy, I hope that things work out for you, but now I need to get dressed and out of here. I don't think that you're in the mood for anything romantic right now," she grinned.

*********************

Ted checked out the following morning and headed south. For some reason he didn't feel like dawdling - he wanted to get to where he was going quickly, the only problem being that he really didn't know where he wanted to go. He was still filled with a mass of conflicting emotions and he did know that he needed the time to sort himself out. He found himself on Rt. 93 and just followed it south. Seeing signs for Phoenix and Tucson he decided that he would head that way. Approximately seven hours later he pulled into Tucson, now hungry and tired.

Ted saw a Courtyard Hotel not far ahead and decided to stop. He checked in, took the elevator to his room and flopped on the bed. "Well," he thought to himself. "I'm here, now what? Is this what I want, traveling from place to place?" He shook his head in exasperation. He then washed his face, combed his hair and went over to a diner he noticed across the road from the hotel.

Despite the early hour, the place was relatively busy. Sniffing the enticing aromas from the kitchen, Ted began to understand why this place was bustling. Taking a seat at the counter, he examined the menu and gave his order to the waitress. He noticed the patron beside him munching down what looked like a Cobb salad with some, what looked like, dry toast.

Looking back at him with a wry smile on his face, the diner remarked, "Looks like rabbit food, doesn't it? I'm supposed to be on a diet, but I'm not sure how long it's going to last before I start growing long ears."

"You don't look all that heavy," Ted chuckled while looking the guy over casually.

"Yeah, you're not married to a nutritionist. She monitors everything I eat and she insists that I lose 5 pounds. Hey, I'm really not complaining. I know that she loves me and wants me to be healthy, so I go along."

Ted felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He smiled at the man and turned as the waitress put his order of a small steak and baked potato in front of him. He was hungry and dug in quickly, polishing off the meal in a matter of minutes.

"Wow," said his dining companion. "You must have been starving. By the way, I'm Bud Troop, I own the Real Estate Agency up the street," and extended his hand.

Ted shook the proffered hand and had a sudden idea. "I'm Ted Arnold, Bud and this accidental meeting may be beneficial for both of us. You're in real estate and I'm looking for some temporary lodging. A small house, perhaps, with a lot of privacy - on the edge of town maybe, totally furnished, something like that? Any ideas?" Ted asked, realizing that he was now flying by the seat of his pants.

Bud Troop looked at Ted more carefully now, doubt evident on his face. "I may have something, Ted, but I have to tell you that what you want may be very pricey. How much do you want to spend?"

Ted's gaze was steady as he replied. "Price is not a problem, Bud. If you want to do some business, just show me what you have and if I like it, price won't be a consideration."

Bud blinked a couple of times and smiled. He again realized that first impressions in his business were not always accurate. At first glance he just assumed that this guy looked a little down on his luck, he looked like he sure didn't have the resources to handle what he said he wanted. Well, Bud recognized, he had been wrong before and could very well be wrong now. They made an appointment to meet the next morning at Bud's office and would go to examine a couple of prospects that Bud thought might fill Ted's need.

Early the next morning Bud drove Ted out to a development on the edge of town and bordering a vast desert area. The house was an adobe ranch with a starkly landscaped lot. It was located at the end of the block with only one other house nearby, separated by about 20 feet of cacti and century plants. There was a two car garage and a large alcove which led to the front door. Instead of entering right away, Bud took Ted around to the back. The view of the rear caused Ted's eyes to widen a bit.

The back of the house was shaded by a deep overhang. Comfortable and durable outdoor furniture was scattered over the area and around a deep blue olympic sized swimming pool. The vew across the landscape was breathtaking, a long stretch of desert finally ending, some miles away, in a stunning mountain range. The interior contained two spare bedrooms and a master suite that was almost sybaritic in its luxury. After a quick examination of the rest of the house, Ted had made up his mind.

"Bud, this looks perfect. I hope that I can lease it on a month to month basis, and I suspect that I'll be here for at least three months."

"Ted, I'm really sorry, the owner wanted a year lease, but I think that I could get him to go for a six monther, especially if the price is right. Also, you didn't ask about the cost - don't you think that should be discussed?" Bud asked with some surprise.

Ted didn't quibble when Bud told him what the owner wanted and he quickly accepted a six month lease on the place. He also informed Bud that he wanted to move in ASAP and would give him a check for the entire six months when they returned to the office. Bud agreed and the details were quickly ironed out in a couple of hours. Two days later Ted found himself comfortably installed in what he was beginning to think of as his dream house. For the first time in awhile, he felt at peace and he believed that he would be able to come to some kind of decision about his marriage, or to be more accurate, a decision about how to end his marriage. He had already come to the conclusion that there was no way he could forgive her. There was no way that he could accept her betrayal. Ted was also aware that at the present he had no stomach for a confrontation. He just didn't want to face the turmoil that awaited him. He just wanted a little peace and quiet to nurse his wounds. He knew that he was being cowardly, but he just didn't care. He just wanted time - time to be by himself for awhile - time to heal.

Time passed quickly and days seemed to blend into each other. Life was peaceful for Ted. He joined a local country club and was now playing golf almost daily. He had met a few people with whom he had become friendly, but he really didn't want to form any close ties to anyone, so it was always a hello, a drink at the bar perhaps and a casual wave goodby. He did become a bit close with Bud Troop and his wife June. They were nice people and he saw them on a somewhat regular basis.

Ted was more or less content. It was a time for introspection. He had made a decision about his marriage - he knew that it was over, and for some strange reason he found that the sorrow and pain had eased considerably. He now wondered whether he had ever really loved Barbara fully and if not, why not? He began to feel the need to return, the need for closure.

He had received emails from his attorney informing him that Barbara was putting up objections to the divorce and was delaying as much as she could. Ted was advised that a contested divorce could prove very messy. He knew that after two months in Tucson he would have to make plans to return, but he was lethargic, he couldn't take the steps to do that just yet.

**************

It was about at this time that Matt Weeks picked up the phone and called his fiancé, Ann. "Hi Ann, it's me. Look, I want you to do something for me. Call Barbara Arnold and set up a time for the three of us to talk. No, please - no questions right now. See if she can see us this evening, okay? Good, thanks honey."

Some hours later saw the three friends seated in Barbara's living room. She had made coffee which sat on a tray before them, not touched. Matt marveled at Barbara's appearance. Despite her sorrow and distress, she still managed to keep up a wonderful appearance. She was dressed nicely, makeup applied well and not a hair out of place. If one didn't know the circumstances, one could almost think that not a thing was amiss.

"Okay, Matt," Barbara began. "What's the mystery. Ann called and said you wanted to talk to me, what's up?"

Matt looked pensive for a moment and then began. "Barbara, even Ann doesn't know what the purpose of this is and I guess I had better start at the beginning. I'm pretty sure that I know what precipitated your marital crisis, and no, it's not that Ted had found someone else to take your place, Barb."

Barbara had paled and her hand went to her breast involuntarily. She saw Matt wave his hand, indicating that he wanted to continue.

"Barbara, think back to the day that you found that note. Ted wasn't even supposed to be here that morning, he was due to arrive the evening of that day. So it's obvious that he came in early, and I'm guessing that he actually arrived the evening before to surprise you, entered the house that night and I'm pretty sure that he heard Ann and I in the study and thought that you were in there with another man."

Both Barbara and Ann gasped. Ann was stricken with remorse and guilt while Barbara just sat there, stunned, not knowing how to now handle the information given her.

"My God, Barb. I'm so sorry. I never even imagined this scenario, but Matt could very well be right," Ann stammered, distress evident in her voice.

"Okay, I'm not finished, please let me continue," Matt said firmly. "I had an agency attempt to trace Ted's whereabouts and they finally came through. I know where he is and I I'm going to fly out and speak with him. He doesn't know that I'm coming. Please don't ask me for his location. Just let me handle this. I kind of feel responsible for this whole mess and I'd really like to be the one to clear it up.

Barbara just sat there, fearing the hope that had welled up in her. Could it be this easy, this simple to repair their relationship? Could Matt really fix this and bring Ted home?