A Night Out With the Girls and Boys

Mary got word to him that if he gave up his parental rights, she would excuse all missed child support and alimony payments, and he took it!

Windfall

We found out Richard had four life insurance policies, that were still in effect; he liked to pay in advance, thank goodness. One for each kid, one for Sue, and a large one with Mary still as beneficiary. He was about to change beneficiaries when he was arrested. We only found this out, when a prison gang thought that a microbiologist was a person who could help with their prison drug business. When he said no, he was found dead in a stairwell. But it was ruled an 'accident', so the double-indemnity clause was in effect. Both kids got sixty-thousand dollars each Sue got sixty-thousand, and Mary got one-million dollars. Richard was interred in his family's plot, in a town about fifty miles away.

One day midway through the school year, I was home before Mary; she had a departmental meeting. I heard a knock on the door, and thinking it was Mary with her hands full, I opened it-- and there was my ex-wife, Sue.

She threw her arms around my neck, and started to try to kiss me, saying, "Please forgive me. I was such a fool."

I pulled her arms off me, and said, "What do you want, Sue?"

"I want to start over, to get a second chance."

Just then, Mary walked through the still-open door.

Both Mary and Sue looked at each other, and said, "What are you doing here?"

Somehow, Sue did not get the memo on our nuptials.

Both Mary and Sue then said, "This is my house."

I said, "Point of information, I got the house in the divorce! AND MARY AND I ARE MARRIED!"

Sue said, "What? You're married to Richard's ice-cold wife?"

Mary said, "You must be the bitch who cheated on Dave?" Mary then said, "You need to leave before I..."

I filled in, "...Call the cops."

We really did not want the kids seeing Sue. I think they had met her before.

We found out that Richard had lied about Mary to Sue (page 3 of the cheating husband handbook) having said she became frigid after their last child.

She turned and left saying, "Where am I going to go? I married an abuser, I lost my babies, I lost my family, lost my home..."

Mary added, "You lost a great husband, too!"

After we calmed down, we heard the voices of children. The children and Mary's mom came in the door, with my sister and nephew on their heels.

Mary said, "Damn, I wanted to tell him the great news."

My sister asked Mary, "Did you tell him yet?"

"No, we had an unwanted visitor."

"So, that was Sue's car, I saw."

"Tell me what?"

So there with her mother, and my sister and nephew, she told the kids they would be having a little baby brother or sister.

I said, "Excuse me." I had to sit down.

Our daughter was born in late September; we named her Autumn.

We asked the kids if they would like me to become their new daddy? Since they hadn't even talked to their dad in almost a year before he died, they said a big yes. Robert did the adoption paperwork for free. We sold Mary's house and paid off my mortgage.

A windfall we received was when her ex was convicted; his family stepped up and created a trust fund for Mary's kids. Autumn benefited because we could now easily pay for her college, but never had to, because all of the kids got scholarships.

Both boy cousins graduated in the top ten of their high-school class and were roommates at college, cousins who knew?

Both girls followed their brother and cousin in high school, but Jannie was salutatorian in her class, and Autumn was valedictorian in her class a few years later.

In both the girls' speeches, they thanked their families, their grandparents and my sister, who had died from cancer during Jannie's senior year, for what great role models we all were. They gave both Mary and I big air kisses from the podium; sisters, who knew?

I saw Sue one last time in the hospital after she caught Covid while taking care of infected patients. She was very critical for days. Sue seemed to get a little better and was going to be released the next day, because of a negative Covid test; even though, Sue was weak (I think the hospital just needed the bed). Sue again told me she was sorry for her part in the end of our marriage. I told her I was sorry for whatever my role was in the end of our marriage. I did let her know that I forgave her.

She never left the hospital. Covid had weakened her body so much, she had a massive stroke and died that night.

I was called by the hospital and was told she had listed me as 'next of kin.' I arranged for her body to be interred in her family's plot, here in town. Mary and I were the only people at either of our ex-spouses' funerals.

A couple of weeks later, I got a call from a lawyer who told me I was the sole person mentioned in her will. She had put the sixty-thousand dollars she got from Richard's insurance, plus some from her own family funds, into a very well-managed trust for me; payable to me on her death or our re-marriage. I guess Sue thought she would get me back.

Mary and I were able to retire in our fifties. We visited the United States and Canada, in a big motorhome that towed our SUV. Fishing and reenacting our honeymoon, until our six grandchildren started to take turns being with us during the summer vacations. We still get away for 'special times' alone with each other.

Mary and I still leave flowers on our ex-spouses' graves on our respective former anniversaries with them.

THE END

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