You Don't Pull On Superman's Cape

"You see that's my point. It's where I used to live with my loving family. It was my fortress of solitude where I could be myself, play with my beautiful daughter and make love to my wife. Now, I'll ask you again, why do you want me to go to a place where I know I'm not wanted?"

"Steve, you haven't been there in months. When your mom died you left us, and for a while I didn't think you were coming back. She died; you didn't, or you weren't supposed to. It may have been hard on you, but how do you think we all felt knowing there was nothing we could do? I don't know how often I reached out to you in bed hoping that for once maybe you'd take me in your arms. I wanted so badly to make it better for you by chasing all your demons away; but you never let me in. I tried, God knows I tried, but I finally gave up and just decided to wait until you came back or died; one of the two had to happen eventually.

So when did you and your buddy Ken become an item?"

"We're not an item, he's a good friend. He was someone to talk to, to confide in when you weren't there."

"A friend with benefits?"

"I haven't made love to anyone since we did it the last time. What we did those times when you were a walking zombie was nothing more than us masturbating, just using each other's bodies. But I'm not going to wait forever for you anymore. Unless you make the decision you want to continue our marriage I want out." At this point she was not only shouting, but tears were streaming down her face.

"All right then, you need to make me one promise and one only before I make that decision," I told her.

"Anything."

"Don't be so quick to answer Shelia before I ask, you might not be able to follow through with it."

"Steve, I said anything and I mean it."

"All right, I never want you to talk to or see Ken again."

"You can't be serious, that's stupid."

"I'm not going to compete with Ken for my own wife. You have to make a choice, either him or me; you can't have us both. And since I'm such a nice guy, I'm going to let you think about it until I come home tonight. That way you can either call and tell him you'll never be talking to him again or you'll be over later to see him. I don't know what his wife will have to say about that, but that'll be for the three of you to work out." She stared at me, said something under her breath and walked out slamming my door.

"Well, I'll at least know if I still have a wife in about two hours," I said sadly to myself sitting back down at my desk.

I did nothing for the next two hours; I just sat there oblivious to everything around me. The drive home was short, too short, and when I pulled up to a dark house, I at least had my answer. With shoulders sagging I walked up to the door wondering what she had said in her note or even if she had bothered to leave one. I unlocked the door, walked in and tossed my laptop onto the couch. It felt as though my mother had died all over again and I was falling head long back into that dark cavern. "Never again," I said to myself. My house had never felt so empty I thought while walking up the stairs and down the hall to our bedroom. I was wondering if she'd already taken her things.

"It's about time you got home," Shelia said when I opened the door to a room lit up with about a hundred candles. "I was giving you ten more minutes before I was going to have to start blowing out all these damn candles."

She looked good, hell, she looked great. I think I felt something stirring in me that I hadn't felt in an awful long time. The teal green of her negligee seemed to glow in the candlelight. My feet were too heavy and wouldn't move and my knees turned to rubber as I dropped down onto them. Did I have tears in my eyes? I didn't know or care; I just wanted to look at her. She ran to me and with both of us on our knees we kissed and just looked at one another.

"I thought I'd lost you. When I pulled up, I thought you were gone and for a split second I wasn't even going to come in," I whispered feeling her cheek with my hand. "I love you so much and I'm sorry..." is all I could get out before she stopped me with a kiss.

"I've got my husband back that's all that matters."

In time we moved from the floor to the shower and finally to the bed. She didn't scream out for me to fuck her harder nor did I have to mark her to reclaim her as my own again. In fact, I don't think a single word was even exchanged. I know we finally did it, but how long before or at what point I'm not sure. We just made love, kissed and held one another until dawn. I never made it in to work the next day. Thankfully Linda was staying with Sheila's parents.

Life was good again. The following day, with a smile on my face, I brought in breakfast for everyone and slipped into my office. I spent the next half hour looking out the window. I had my life back.

After mom died dad tried to live at the plant but I finally forced him to take time off. I sent him on a two-week cruise and he came back with a smile on his face and a skip to his step, I think he got lucky. When he went to half time I was a little concerned, but when he gave me his notice three months later I was more than happy for him. Dad had paid his dues and deserved a long retirement. He was still there as council to me when needed but Carl had moved into his slot and was doing as well as dad had ever done. Me, I was working hard but making sure that I never overdid it.

Just before our eight-year anniversary we had an accident in the lab and one of our new employee got hurt. He didn't get hurt badly, just enough that OSHA came down on us with both feet. By the time they were done, it felt like I'd undergone a full body cavity search by a nurse with damn big hands. Through all the shit I somehow I missed our anniversary and by the time I remembered it the damage had all ready been done.

Shelia had made plans for the two of us to get away, but with the OSHA audit I just couldn't leave at that time.

"You love that business more than you do me. I'll never be able to compete with that damn lab," she yelled at me.

"Hon, we can go wherever you want as soon as they leave which should be very soon," but she didn't want to hear that. We were still close, yet there was this underlying feeling that all wasn't well between the two of us. We appeared to be the happy couple but something was wrong, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

Shelia wasn't as active as she'd once been with the Children's Wish Foundation over the last couple of years. However, after the accident at the lab she threw herself back into it. We had talked about giving our daughter a little brother or sister but now she pooh-poohed that idea.

"We're not getting any younger, and if we're going to do it, we should think about it pretty soon," I told her.

"Steve, I'm not so sure I want to go through all of that again at my age. Linda is at the age where she's easy and I kind of like my freedom. Let's think about it for a couple of months, ok?"

"No problem. I love you and Linda enough that I don't need another one if that's what you want." So in three months she said it would be just the three of us. Did I care? Not really, I had everything I'd ever wanted right now.

How that cockroach crept back into our lives I'll never know but he did. Ken and his wife had split up and she wound up getting about forty-five percent of his business. He wanted her to take shares of the company stock but she wanted the cash so he ended up going into debt big time to pay her off. Her son wanted to live with his dad, and their daughter went with Connie. Rumor had it that Ken was fooling around. Instead of a messy divorce and because there was no prenuptial agreement, they just split up everything and went their separate ways. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

When we saw him at one of the dinners Shelia just looked at me.

"Steve, we're going to run into him now and then, it's unavoidable," she told me watching him walk our way.

"Good evening you two, I haven't seen you guys in a while."

For the sake of Shelia I was nicer than nice on the outside anyway.

"Evening Ken," I said holding out my hand. "You're looking fit. I'm sorry to hear about you and the misses," I may have looked like I cared; really I was gloating on the inside.

"You know, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't; well, life goes on. I hear you had a little mishap at the lab, I hope no one got hurt too badly?"

"It was a rookie mistake. It took a long while to prove that to OSHA. They still nailed me pretty hard but as you say, life goes on."

"Well, I've got to mingle and I see two new pigeons over there that haven't donated yet tonight. Take care you two and I hope to see you around," he said with a big grin and walked away.

"In your dreams," I thought to myself.

"See, that wasn't so hard. We can all still be friends for the sake of the kids." She was right about the kids, but not Ken. I still didn't trust that son of a bitch and never would.

Suddenly, it seemed like we ran into him wherever we went. What struck me as odd; was he was never with another woman. He was still a good looking guy and had more than enough money to satisfy any woman he wanted. I didn't really care mind you, it was just an observation.

All right, I let my guard down. With running into Ken here and there I guess Shelia thought what I'd asked her to promise years ago was now null and void, but to me it wasn't. That one sixty-fourth gap had grown larger.

I never knew about the lunches or the fund raising visits to other companies until a CEO friend of another company in the tri-state area, casually mentioned that he'd been hit up for a donation by my wife and Ken two weeks earlier.

"I guess it's for a good cause and your wife sure knows how to sell it, you should put her back on your payroll. That guy she was with however, if it had been just him I probably would still have given, but not as much as I did. Between you and me, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. But I guess that's just me, I don't trust hardly anyone, unless they look like your wife," he laughed, I didn't.

I waited nearly two months before saying anything. I was hoping that she would tell me, but she never did even though I left a ton of hints. Finally I kind of exploded when she told me that she was going on a two-day fund raising trip.

"Going alone or is Ken going with you?"

Shelia looked like I'd punched her in the gut. She was caught and she knew it.

"Yes, he's probably coming with Gary and me. I guess you know we've been fund raising together for a while," she said sipping from her water glass waiting for what she knew was coming.

"I thought we had a deal?"

"We did, but that's when you were jealous of everything that wore slacks. I think we've both grown up and are above that childish jealous behavior, besides the schedule is all set for the three of us. This is a huge two-day swing that will take us two to three days. We need to secure the funds before the summer so we know how many children we can send to camp."

"Shelia, you promised me, remember?"

"Grow up, will you? This is about the kids, not Ken anymore. Steve, I'm an adult. I don't need your damn permission to do this and I'm going; it's too late to cancel. All those months you moped around and then when you missed our anniversary did I tell you that I wasn't going to allow you to go back to work? No, we got over it."

"Shelia, you don't have a clue what you're doing."

"Steve, sometimes I just don't understand you anymore."

That's how we left it that night. Did we make love anytime before she left? What do you think? That gap was now an eighth of an inch wide.

We walked on eggshells around each other until she left and then for months after that. Did we make love again? Yes, but it wasn't the same. It was like we were both holding back, not wanting to give everything to the other. I tried to tell her we needed to talk but all I got was grief. Week by week the gap was growing. I tried to patch it numerous times, but we were on a collision course with destiny.

"I'm going out of town Tuesday and will be back Wednesday afternoon," she informed me. "I've got three final companies to hit to put us over the top."

"No," was all I said.

"No what?" she replied.

"If you plan on going with Ken, no, you're not going."

"Steve, we've been through this all before. I told you the reasons last time."

"And you promised me before that you wouldn't have any contact with Ken. I guess we know how well you kept that promise." She just gave me an angry stare.

"Steve, I'm going," she said digging in her heels.

"Like I said last time, think before you speak; you may not like the consequences of what you're about to do."

"I'm going and nothing you can say or do will change that fact," She walked away in a huff. She went on her trip and I stayed at home and rearranged our bedroom.

"Where are all my things?" she asked when she came back.

"In your new bedroom."

"What new bedroom?"

"What used to be the old guest room, that's where all your stuff is." Fire was coming out of her eyes.

"Fine, just fucking fine," she spit at me running back upstairs. From then on it was hell on earth in more ways than one.

Now she flaunted her trips in front of me almost looking for a confrontation but I never gave her that satisfaction. When she no longer asked me to the fundraisers I was pissed but said nothing. When she had the asshole come to the house, I made sure he left without her, but not before I'd customized his windshield with a tire iron. It was getting worse so, I had her followed.

I was waiting for her when she came home Saturday night just after midnight. I had a drink in my hand and was sitting in the dark. I'd gone over everything I was going to say a hundred times or more, but when she walked through the door I forgot it all.

"Shelia."

"Steve, is that you?"

"We need to talk."

"Can we talk in the morning, I'm tired and all I want to do is go to bed."

"It's now or never, your choice," I told her.

"All right, it's your dime, what do you want to say," she sighed vindictively with her hands on her hip.

"Is it now officially over?"

"Steve, what the hell are you saying? Is what over?"

"Our marriage."

"Steve, what do you want?"

"I did want my wife back, but I don't think that's going to happen, is it?"

"We haven't been husband and wife for months."

"And I guess I've been replaced." She said nothing. "Well, I had to give it one more shot anyway."

"Steve.." I stopped her before she could say anymore.

"On the counter are the pictures of your last fundraisers with Ken. I half expected him to be hung like some Greek God, I'm kind of disappointed," I watched her eyes turn red. "Here's the way it's all going to go down. You will be served tomorrow at the house and will have forty-eight hours to vacate the premises. There will also be a court order issued so you will not be able to come within one hundred feet of this or any of the other properties I own. You will be able to see Linda whenever you want but only in this house. It's apparent Ken was more important to you than your own family." It finally started to sink in. Then she started to cry.

"I'm so sorry, it just happened and I don't even remember much of it."

"Shelia, something like this just doesn't happen. It's not like you were having lunch together, fell off your chair and onto his dick. He planned it and you were dumb enough to fall for his sob stories, or was he consoling you because I refused to let you see him. Maybe I wasn't so dumb after all?"

"You can't take Linda away from me, Steve."

"I already have. Get yourself a good attorney because you're going to need one. By the way, I'll send along a copy of our prenuptial agreement with the divorce papers. It'll make good reading for you and your attorney." With that I walked away for the last time. I hated to do what I was going to do, but she gave me no other choice.

Ken paid for Shelia's attorney. It didn't do her much good. I thanked my dad everyday I spent in court. No matter how they tried that agreement couldn't be broken. My team, and yes I did say team, of lawyers got me full custody, because I could provide for Linda whereas Shelia would have to go back to work to make ends meet. She received a lump sum of fifty thousand dollars, her paid for BMW, all her clothes and jewelry excluding the items that had been my mother's and finally liberal visitation privileges. We agreed on twice a week and every other weekend. I knew she would eventually move in with Ken because her parents had pretty much disowned her, but I figured for the sake of my daughter I'd take the high road.

It was quick. In just over three months our divorce was final and I was free of the both of them. When I would see them at a function or on the street Ken would give me that shit eating, 'I stole your wife smile' while Shelia would always look away.

As I said, I tried to take the high road until something came to light.

"Dad, I don't want to spend the night at mom's anymore," Linda told me one Friday night. "David came into my room naked one night last time."

"Linda, did you tell your mother about this?"

"She said I was probably asleep and dreaming it, but it happened dad; I'm afraid of him."

"Sweetheart, just go back upstairs and I'll talk to your mom when she gets here. Unpack your bags because you're not going anywhere tonight."

"Dad, I don't want to make any trouble for you with mom. Maybe I should just go."

"Linda, honey, your safety means more to me than any trouble your mother can make for me. I love you. Now go upstairs and let me handle your mother."

All right, I was wrong. Shelia called me every name in the book when I told her that I was not going to allow Linda to go with her.

"Linda said she told you that David came into her room naked, and that you didn't believe her."

"Steve, David is a little wild but he's a good kid. She probably dreamed the whole thing."

"So, you believe Ken's half wit son instead of your own daughter? I thought you were naïve in believing Ken last time, now I think you're just plain stupid putting our daughter at risk. You can see her here, but there will be no more overnight visits."

"You can't do that, I've got a court order to back to back me up," now she was yelling at me.

"Shelia, I think it's time for you to leave," I shut the door in her face.

I called my lawyer and told her to get to work on it immediately because as soon as Ken found out, his pride and hatred of me would take over. So be it.

Without any physical proof the court overruled me. I fought it as long as I could and then I asked my lawyers to stall for time.

My dad had always been there for me in the past, but now I was asking something of him that could get him into big trouble; yet, I had no one else I could trust.

Dad, I need you to take Linda away with you, out of the country tomorrow. I'm going to lose this case and they're going to make me give Shelia overnight visitations with Linda. Dad, I won't put Linda in harm's way. Here is her passport, birth certificate and five cashier's checks for one hundred thousand dollars each. That should be enough money for you to live on until this all goes away. I don't want to know where you guys end up but it better be some place out of the way if you know what I mean. Get word back to me somehow in about six months and if you don't hear from me, wait six more months.

"Steve, I'm kind of seeing someone now and if you don't mind, I'd like to bring her along."

"You old dog," I said smiling. "Take whomever you want, but it must happen tomorrow morning, I'm out of time."

Thursday I kissed my daughter goodbye. I wasn't sure how long it would be until I saw her again but I knew it wouldn't be for quite a while. She cried and said she was sorry, and I told her she had nothing to be sorry about. I gave her one more kiss and hug and she was gone with just a small pink backpack of clothes and her stuffed rabbit. I didn't sleep that night and in the morning I was back in court.