A Trial Separation

"Now that's the sister I know and used to love," Peg said giving me a full mouth kiss. "Now get your ass up, we still have to take a shower and pickup the kids."

The shower took us a real long time. We kept soaping up each other's private parts but after thirty minutes the hot water started to cool off and we had to end our fun.

Over breakfast, with us both sober, I knew I had to have a frank decision with her. "Peg, I don't think it would be wise for us to continue this. After all, I'm married and Kay is your sister," just mentioning the obvious.

"Look Steve, I'll stay in the background and no one has to know. And besides, how much longer are you going to keep this charade of a marriage up?"

"This weekend," I told her. "If Kay's not back by Saturday morning I'm going to see a lawyer. If she doesn't know by now she never will," I told Peg. I'm not gong to say a thing to the kids because my mom is planning on taking them out of town Friday after school. So by this weekend I'll at least have my answer."

Peg seemed more than a little disappointed with my answers. We picked up the kids and all went home to prepare dinner. It was a quiet night between Peggy and I before she announced that she had to leave. I walked her out to her car and held her for more than a moment before she got into her car. I leaned in, gave her a peck and she drove off.

My e-mail that night to Kay was short and to the point.

"If you've not moved back one hundred percent and ready to be my wife and mother to our kids, I'm calling it quits. Your time is up. It's decision time."

Tuesday night Kay called and said she was moving back in. She said that she'd taken off Friday and that we'd have all night to talk. I was elated but sorry at the same time.

The week dragged. Kay called me every day and so did Peg. Peg said that Kay was very excited about coming home and that she wished us both the best. When I came home Friday night Kay was there waiting for me, drink in hand.

"I grabbed her, kissed her and it felt so weird after four months. We ate. We talked and then talked some more. We both knew what was coming as the hours ticked by. It was like we were both avoiding what was coming next.

I was in bed waiting for her when she came out of the bedroom, completely naked. God damn she was beautiful and I wanted her badly. I made gentle love to her like we'd done for the last eight years while she just fucked me back. We both climaxed and I went into the bathroom to get us a couple of warm towels thinking to myself that this wasn't the same Kay that had left so many months ago.

"Kay, you didn't make love to me tonight," I told my wide-eyed wife. "I don't know who you were thinking about but it sure wasn't me. And Kay after eight years I know your body as well as my own. You should have been as tight as a thirteen-year-old virgin tonight and you're far from it. Your lover must be quite a lot bigger than I am," I said now sitting up getting ready to get out of our bed.

"How long has the affair been going on and please don't insult my intelligence by telling me it just happened," I told her.

"Six months," Kay said not meeting my eyes. "But it's over, I broke it off a while ago," she said with this scared look on her face.

"So in other words, the real reason you left was to be with him. Is that right?"

"It started out that way, that's why I need the time alone to decide who I wanted."

"So you've been screwing him all these months and now you expect to just waltz back into my life like nothing happened? Like I'm supposed to just say, its ok honey, I'm just glad you're back. Bull shit!"

"Steve, did you fool around with anyone else while I was gone?" Kay asked.

"What does that have to do with anything? We're talking about you having a lover for the last six damn months."

"I just want to know how damn sanctimonious you really are?" she replied.

"Well Kay, there was this one time, but unlike you, I was drunk and didn't find out about it until the next morning," I said getting out of bed. "Now that I know what a lying slut I'm married to, I can make the hard decisions I've been putting off all these months."

"Steve, I came back to you. It's over. I made a huge mistake and I admit it. I'm not proud of what I've done, but I'm asking for another chance. I love you and am begging you for another chance to make our family whole again. Please?"

What the hell was I supposed to say when she put it to me that way? No?

"I need to think about it Kay but I can't do it sleeping next to you. Right now I too damn angry. Just tell me it wasn't one of our friends or someone I work with," I asked.

"It was someone I met through work and it's over," she said for the second time.

I slept in the spare room Friday and Saturday night. It was lonely but I needed to make some hard decisions going forward. We talked all weekend. She told me to ask her any question and she would answer them truthfully. I didn't want to know any of the details but did ask why.

"It was exciting at first and I felt like a naughty teenage girl keeping something from her parents. He paid more attention to me in one week than you had in the last two years. I just fell under his spell but it didn't last. After a while the newness rubbed off and we were just fucking because it physically felt good. We both decided it wasn't worth it and neither one of us wanted our spouses to find out. So that's the short version. I realized I'd made a mistake and wanted you back."

By Sunday morning my mind was too full of issues and I needed a break. Dinner at her mom's house was something that had been missing all these months. She put on a huge spread and everyone seemed to be in a good mood except her mom, Peggy and I. As we got up to leave her mom hugged me, put something in my pocket and whispered for me to call her tomorrow before kissing me on the cheek.

The next two weeks were hectic. I was still sleeping in the spare room and the kids were happy to have their mother back with them. I took off Friday afternoon and drove home to take care of a few items I couldn't do after working hours or at night. I'd turned off my cell phone, because I didn't want to be disturbed and when I turned it back on there were twelve messages from Kay. I took out a beer and was just about half finished when she came flying through the door waving an envelope.

"What the hell is this Steve?" she shouted at me.

"What does it look like Kay?"

"Why did you have me served? I thought we were going to try again?" she yelled at me.

"We almost were Kay, but that was when it was just the two of us," I told her. "There's no hope now for the three of us," I said to a shocked Kay as she sat in a chair.

"You see, I was leaning your way because of the kids and all the good times we'd had in the past but something new came to light two weeks ago that put our marriage in the shitter," I told her.

"How did you find out? No one knew," she replied.

"Does it really make a difference how I found out Kay? So you were going to just play me along, like some stupid sucker and make me believe it was mine. You really are a piece of work you know that Kay?

"It wasn't supposed to happen, I'm so sorry Steve. I don't love him, only you. We can take care of this and then go back to the way we were," she now pleaded. "He's given me enough money to take care of it so his wife doesn't find out either."

She was digging a deeper hole with every word that came out of her mouth. "I hope the three of you will be very happy."

"I love you Steve, I really do. We can get past this and if you want, we can sell this house and buy another one and make a fresh start some where else."

"Kay we're done. Hell, we've been done for a long time I just didn't want to accept it. For the sake of the kids you can stay here until the house sells or you find another place to live. I plan on taking the kids with me but you'll be able to see them whenever you want. I want nothing from you other than you out of my life," I told her.

She cried the rest of the weekend and when I picked up the kids we all had a long heart to heart talk with them. It wasn't a huge surprise to them that we were splitting up but they still weren't happy about it. After all, it was their mother.

We split everything up fifty fifty and after all our bills were paid I still had enough to put down on a small house in a friendlier neighborhood. Kay did take care of her problem and I did respect her wishes of not saying a word to anyone. There was only one problem.

You see, Kay's mom that Sunday slipped something in my jacket pocket that changed everything. I called her the next day to verify what she'd given me.

"I shouldn't be the one telling you this, but if I don't you may never know the truth," she started. "I found something in the guest bathroom the other morning after Kay moved out and it took me a few days to get up the courage to give it to you."

You see, she had found a pregnancy test kit in the trash and it showed that someone has got a bun in the oven, so to speak. Since she was the only other female in the house and it sure as hell wasn't her, which only left Kay.

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you but I thought Kay was going to try to pull a fast one on you. Remember, you didn't hear it from me, right?"

"Hear what mom?"

"I hate to say it Steve, she really has the common sense of a rock but I love her dearly. Don't be a stranger," she said hanging up.

That's how I found out Kay was in a motherly way so to speak. I guess it would have been a better story if I'd found the test kit, or had seen the doctor's report or had followed her to some sleazy motel and peeked into the windows. In the end, her own mother had ratted her out.

The house I found was close to the one Kay and I had lived in all those years ago. It also was a fixer upper and needed a whole lot of work. It had four bedrooms, two and a half baths and a large patio but no pool. The kids pitched in and my new helper was a real lifesaver.

You see after the divorce became finalized, we were all sitting around enjoying a Thanksgiving meal at Kay's moms when the kids spilled the beans. They were telling their mom and grandparents how the new house was coming along and how they each had their own bedrooms and bathrooms.

"It is so cool," Kenny told them. "Danny has his room, I have mine, dad and Aunt Peggy have theirs and we still have one left for when people stay with us," he said beaming. "I even got to pick out the color for the walls and trim," he said proudly.

"Kenny go back a little will you," Kay asked her son. There is your room, Danny's, the spare room and who else's," she asked.

"Dad's and Aunt Peggy's," he said like it was nothing.

"And how long has Aunt Peggy been living with you?" Kay asked.

"Ever since we moved into the new house," he said munching on his dessert.

"Stephen Moore!" Kay screamed out.

"I guess someone found out our little secret," I said kissing Peg in the kitchen.

"You know, it was just a matter of time. We never told the kids not to say anything, and mom and dad were bound to find out when I started to show," Peg said rubbing her tummy.

"Shall we?" I said holding out my arm.

"Love to," Peggy replied as we walked into the dining room.

It was like the shock and awe of the Gulf War. Kay was pissed beyond belief that I was now with her little sister. Her mom was happy that she was going to have another grandbaby and her dad was relieved he didn't have to break in another son in law.

And Peg and I, we were just happy.

I guess I originally did marry the wrong sister but that was something I'm glad to say I rectified before it was too late.