All My Loving

"That's a cruel thing to say to a woman, never mind your sister. Jason loves me and I love him," Beth insisted.

"You and Jason will both be happier away from each other. I never should have introduced him to you. I feel partly responsible for this mess. I didn't realize how important success was to you. Neither did he, obviously."

At the same time Beth was speaking to her brother, Jason was taking a seat in the office of Brent Williams. "Your cousin, Bill, recommended you to me. Thanks for giving me an appointment on such short notice."

"I know you and Bill go way back. I'm glad to help. I understand you want to divorce your wife. You've been married less than a year."

"That pretty well sums it up," Jason agreed. "I want to give you power of attorney for the divorce. I'm leaving the area as soon as we're done here. You can reach me by email or phone if you have any questions about the divorce. I don't want a damn thing from her, so it shouldn't be difficult."

"Is you vehicle in your name and did you own it before you married her?" When Jason nodded, Brent continued. "Since you have no kids and aren't asking for anything, it should proceed through the courts quite quickly. I'll just need you to sign some documents in front of my secretary. She'll notarize everything."

Jason was 50 miles away by the time Beth made it to their condo. She rushed to the closet, only to find nothing but empty hangars on his side. Stunned, she threw herself onto the bed as huge sobs racked her body.

It was early June, so Jason drove north. He had never been to New England and decided to rectify that shortcoming. Three days after Beth announced to him that she was going to the retreat, he was in northern Maine. He had stopped to fill his gas tank and take a bathroom break when he noticed a sign tacked on a bulletin board advertising for laborers, mechanics and truck drivers. His father had been a very good mechanic. Jason felt it had been a factor in his decision to become a mechanical engineer. While his profession was a bit more detailed and complicated, it still involved understanding how machines worked and various methods to improve or repair them.

He decided some hard manual labor might be just what the doctor ordered. It might help him forget Beth's betrayal. He wanted his mind occupied with thoughts other than Beth sharing her bed with some old lecher. Beth's betrayal had hurt him more than he cared to admit. With those thoughts bouncing around in his head, he called the number listed on the ad.

Jason was surprised when the man answering the phone asked him to come in for an interview that afternoon. Apparently, the company needed people badly. Jason got the address and agreed to an interview in an hour.

He walked into a dingy office next to a huge metal building inside a large fenced-in area. A man sitting at a desk introduced himself as Joe Duffy. The wiry, older man got right to the point.

"We need laborers, drivers and mechanics, but, to be honest, you don't look like you're any of those."

"You're absolutely right," Jason agreed with a smile. "I don't look like a man who works hard for a day's pay. I kind of got away from that once I took a desk job. For most of the past year, I sat around on my ass."

"You seem bright enough, but I have to question your skills and work ethic," Duffy explained. "You'd be working with rough men and expected to produce results. Some of the drivers, as well as a few others, are paid incentives if they exceed their quotas for a month. They can become a bit... irrational if they feel they're going to lose their bonus because of someone else's incompetence."

"My father was a damn good mechanic. He worked on heavy equipment for Jonas Brothers in West Virginia for almost thirty years," Jason replied. "I worked with him during my summer breaks, so I know which end of a wrench to use. He taught me a lot."

"I probably wouldn't take you on if we weren't so short on help, but I'm willing to give you a shot," Duffy responded. "Can you start tomorrow?"

"I'll need to find a motel for the night, but yeah, I can start tomorrow," Jason agreed. "Do I report here?"

"Go to the big steel building next door. Be there by 6 AM. We service our truck fleet. A lot of them have mounted cherry pickers which always seem to be breaking hydraulic hoses. Now and then you'll be expected to service dozers, skidders or even a feller-buncher. You'll have plenty to do. I just hope you know what you're doing."

Jason spent an hour filling out the paperwork. He was back at the logging company headquarters at 5:30 the next morning. He was introduced to his immediate superior and three other men working as mechanics. He could tell the men were a bit skeptical of his abilities. They looked at his hands when they shook with him. The others had broken fingers, calluses, cuts and scars. Jason's hands were soft and pasty-looking by comparison.

The next few months flew by for Jason. The first two weeks were tough because the work was quite physical. He worked on transmissions, changed huge tires and even swapped out a couple of truck engines. As time went on, his strength and stamina improved to the point where he would often work a few hours overtime.

Once his boss determined Jason was a capable mechanic, his pay was bumped up substantially. He checked his bank account after a sixty hour-work week. He was surprised to see that he was banking more than he had been when he was working for Beth's father as a professional.

Two months after Jason had been hired; he received an email from his lawyer, Brent Williams. Beth was not fighting the divorce, so it would go through quickly. The part of the missive that surprised Jason was that she had given his lawyer $25,000 dollars to be forwarded to Jason.

Jason called Brent for an explanation of the money. Their savings account only had a few thousand dollars in it when he had decided to leave. He had taken exactly half of it out of the bank to carry with him.

"Brent, what's with the money Beth's sending me? We didn't have that kind of money in any accounts."

"I've only heard bits and pieces of the story, but I'll tell you what I know," Brent explained. "Beth was terminated the week after that ill-advised weekend. Apparently, her firm settled with her for unspecified workplace misconduct, so she walked with a $50,000 settlement. She feels half of it belongs to you, since you were her husband at the time and were also a wronged party. I'll wire the money to your account. Just give my secretary the necessary information and you'll have it almost immediately."

The news caught Jason by surprise. Beth had expected to make partner by sleeping her way to the top. He wondered why she had been terminated after her bosses had the opportunity to sample her charms at the so-called retreat. Obviously, something hadn't gone as planned.

"Beth wanted me to ask you if you would call her, or unblock her number so she can call you," added Brent.

"Tell her that if she can swear that she has not had sex with anyone other than me since we were married, I'll be willing to speak with her," Jason responded after some thought.

Jason had mixed emotions about accepting money gained in that manner, but he didn't feel bad enough to turn it down. The money did come with a great deal of disappointment and pain. He decided to just bank it for the time being. Oddly enough, he received a phone call from his old college roommate a week later.

Art was a great guy who'd give you the shirt off his back. The only problem was that his shirt was usually stained and wrinkled. He was casual to a fault, as well as a financial wizard, in his own mind. For as long as Jason had known him, Art had always been involved in get rich quick schemes.

"Jason, I've stumbled onto a great opportunity to make some serious cash," Art announced excitedly. "I have a chance to buy 400 acres next to Interstate 77. It's in an estate and the family's only asking 200 grand. My sources tell me that the biggest retailer in the world is looking for a location to build a huge distribution center in the area. The property will be worth millions when they decide to build."

"Wow," Jason responded drily. "Why doesn't this company just buy the land before you do? How do you know it'll want to locate on that chunk of real estate? Where are you going to get all the money? I don't have that kind of capital."

"That's the beauty of it. All I need is $20,000 to put down to make an offer. I'll have it written so we close after due diligence, which I will expect to take about six months. By that time, I'll have the buyer lined up. We'll sell the contract for millions with no further investment. It's the most likely location for the distribution center, but you know how big companies work. They'll fart around looking to see if some frog will be displaced or some such bullshit before they buy a property. They'll look at dozen other options before finally settling on the one we'll own."

"How much do you need from me?" Jason asked as he thought about the money Beth had sent to him. It was money he could afford to lose and would probably be happier if he did.

"I'll need the full $20,000 dollars, Bro. I've had a couple of setbacks this year. Once we sell the contract, we'll be worth millions. I'll split the profits down the middle with you."

Jason chuckled to himself as he listened to Art's scheme. "Sounds about right. I'll just be supplying the cash while you bring the inside information. I'll wire you the money once you send me the instructions."

"You're shitting me," Art exclaimed in disbelief. "You'll actually invest that much money in my idea? I never thought I'd be able to talk you into it. Will Beth go along with this?"

"She won't say a single word against it. I promise you that," Jason replied as he realized Art hadn't heard about his divorce. That would be a subject for another day.

*****

When Jason had moved out of the condo, Beth had been devastated. Things only got worse when she was called in to HR at her law firm Monday morning.

Blanche Lowery had worked at Martin and Martin for most of her adult life and had been in HR for over twenty years. She had never seen a situation like the one on which she was now working. Two beautiful, young and talented women attorneys were being let go because of their actions with the senior partners.

William John Martin, who along with his brother, Ralph, had started the Martin and Martin law firm fifty years earlier was furious. His sons, Bill and Tim, were now the face and name of Martin and Martin and they had truly screwed the pooch. Most people, including those working for Martin and Martin, believed that Tim and Bill owned the business. The reality was their father became sole owner of the firm after the death of his brother. He trained his sons to assume control of the firm. He even made a big deal out of retiring and turning the firm over to them, but he never gave up ownership. His sons were well compensated, but John was still the owner of the family business.

Tim and Bill had each been married and divorced twice. They were incapable of fidelity. Jack Stevens and Blaine Roberts were the firm's other senior partners. Blaine was divorced, while Jack had never married. He had realized early on that he was far too big a pussy hound to even consider being married.

"Beth, there really isn't an easy way to say this. Mr. Martin, that's William Sr., has directed me to end your employment with Martin and Martin. He's extremely upset over the activities at the company lake property Friday night and Saturday morning.

"He understands there were extenuating circumstances which led to your unprofessional actions while on company property at the lake. He is offering you a onetime payment of $40,000 for the inconvenience you will face moving forward and securing gainful employment. You will receive a very strong letter of recommendation along with the severance check after you sign an NDA and a covenant not to sue Martin and Martin."

Beth didn't need to ask why she was being terminated. Marci had called her Saturday evening to tell her Brett had hacked into the security system at the lake house. He had overridden the efforts of an unsuspecting Tim Martin when he thought he was shutting the system down. Marci's parents and other close relatives had been emailed the link to a web page showing Marci and the other three women in various sex acts with the partners. Beth was certain Brett wouldn't stop at humiliating Marci. He would do his best to ruin the lives of the four senior partners as well.

Last Thursday, Beth believed she was working to get a head start on owning a house and starting a family. By Sunday, she knew for a certainty that her husband had left her and her career at Martin and Martin was crashing to an end. How could she have been so stupid?

Not wanting to spend any more time in a toxic environment, Beth quickly countered the offer. "Make it $50,000, pay me for the two weeks' vacation I have coming and I'll sign right now."

"I've been authorized to accept that counter," Blanche responded. Less than an hour later, Beth placed a box of personal items in her trunk and drove to her parents' home.

Her mother, June, was incredulous. "You slept with the four partners? It's on a website? You've been fired and Jason's left you? How could you be so stupid?"

"It looks bad now, but at the time I thought I was working to get ahead at the firm. Jason and I would have been able to buy a house and start a family that much sooner. I never expected it to be on the internet."

"How did Jason find out? Did he see that website?" Beth's mother asked while fearing the answer.

"I told him that I was going to spend the weekend with the senior partners. I even explained how I might have to put out to attain our goals. They were our goals, not just mine. He wanted a house and kids as much as I did. It was supposed to get us to that point faster.

"He never told me I shouldn't go. If it bothered him, he should have said something. We could have discussed it. He just went off sulking like a little boy. Frankly, I was hurt and disappointed in him when he told me he had to go loan a drill to his friend, Bill, and just left."

Beth's mother was silent so Beth turned her attention away from her phone to see if anything was wrong. She found June was staring at her with her mouth open in horror.

"You told your husband that you were going to spend the weekend having sex with your bosses and you were annoyed when he left rather than discussing the situation? Is that what you're telling me?

"You should have been grateful he didn't take you over his knee and beat some sense into that ass before you gave away so many pieces of it there was nothing left. Has he ever indicated he wanted you to have sex with other men?" June demanded.

"No, but he knew I'd had my share of lovers before we started dating. It wasn't as if he was the only man I ever slept with. He knew I loved him and was doing it for us," Beth insisted.

"I can't discuss this with you any longer," June declared in disgust. "You can use your old room. Just keep it cleaner and neater than you did before you got married and moved out. I'm not your maid."

Beth was surprised at how little support her mother was giving her. Jason had left her without bothering to tell her why. Of course, she knew the reason, but a real man would have talked it over rationally. She was certain that he would have come around to her point of view if he had given her that opportunity. She was a very good lawyer and skilled at directing conversations toward the conclusion she wanted. Her mother appeared to side with Jason, much as her brother Dan had done when she told him the situation. She began to wonder how she could misjudge her husband so badly while her mother and brother both seemed to know how he'd react.

The next few weeks were difficult for Beth as she was once again living as a single woman. Rather than living with her parents, Marci moved into the condo with her, splitting the rent. Marci had been living with Brett in a house he had purchased before she met him. It was an older Victorian he was restoring to its original grandeur.

Listening to Marci complain about how selfish and inconsiderate Brett was caused Beth to consider her situation more objectively. Was she as shallow and self-centered as Marci sounded? Did Jason overreact, or was his decision actually appropriate? The sex with the senior partners hadn't been anything like the love making she had with Jason, but that had been her point. She loved Jason. She was simply using the partners to attain her goal. They used her for their pleasure. It was supposed to be an even trade-off, but Jason had taken it as a personal insult. He had to know she felt no love for the partners, or any man, except him.

It took a few weeks, but Beth managed to find a position with the public defender's office. The pay was far less than she had made working for the personal injury law firm of Martin and Martin, but Beth was surprised at how much satisfaction her new job gave her. Marci joined a smaller law firm specializing in family law. Together, they made enough to pay their rent, buy food and clothes and go out for an evening now and then.

Beth decided to tell Jason's lawyer about her settlement with Martin and Martin and have him send Jason half the money. She hoped it would help Jason forgive her, but she understood that it might have the opposite effect when he realized how and why she was given the buyout. Still, it was the right thing to do.

"Please tell Jason to call me, or unblock my number so I can call him," was Beth's only request when she told Jason's lawyer she wanted him to wire Jason the $25,000.

Several days later, Jason's lawyer emailed Jason's response to Beth. He was willing to speak with her if she would guarantee she had never had sex with another man since she had married Jason. Beth had no response.

Jason had settled into his job. His weight remained about the same, but he had to punch a new hole in his belt to keep his pants up. His shirts were getting tighter as a result of his constant work with heavy machinery. He had no illusions about making a career of the work, but it had been what he needed to settle his mind and find peace after the upheaval of Beth's betrayal.

One morning Jason witnessed an altercation that made his stomach queasy. Another mechanic, a guy named Barry, was replacing a water pump on a big rig when the driver strode up to him and demanded he hurry the job along so he could meet his quota. The mechanic told him to relax. He was doing his best and it would take a few more minutes. The driver, who was a large man, suddenly and with no warning, slammed his fist into the side of the mechanic's head, dropping the man like a rock.

Jason and another driver helped the man as he regained consciousness and tried to sit up. Jason's boss finally showed up as the man stood. He never asked about the incident. Rather, he berated the men for wasting time. Jason tried to explain the situation, but his boss didn't appear to care.

"Big Jerry is the best driver the company has. He always makes his quotas without getting any tickets. It's up to you grease monkeys to keep his truck running and on the road. You saw what happens when you piss him off."

The attitude of the boss was a concern. Jason decided that with the approach of winter, he would be driving south. He saw no upside to hanging around when the weather became cold. It turned out that Jason didn't last that long.

About two weeks after Big Jerry hammered his friend and coworker, Jason found himself working to repair a broken exhaust pipe on Big Jerry's truck. That same morning, he had received notice from his lawyer that his divorce had been granted. He was no longer a married man. While he knew the day was coming, Jason was morose. He couldn't shake the feeling of failure and disappointment.