An Appropriate Response Ch. 02

"And still, Shannon knows nothing?"

"That's right. She has no idea her husband and sister are having an affair. But then Brad ups the ante. He forces Emily to tell Shannon that she is pregnant and he is the father. You know, Shannon can't have kids, and Brad wants to rub it in her face that he is man enough to be a father. Brad and Emily tell Shannon, and Brad threatens to leave Shannon and tell you the whole story unless Shannon lets him continue to see Emily."

"This is insane!"

"I know. Well, Emily wants to end it with Brad, but he will have none of it. So, Emily continues to see Brad once a month because Brad is blackmailing her. And Shannon lets it continue, in order to save both her marriage and yours."

"Wait a minute! If Shannon knows Brad is such an asshole, and has been treating her this way for so long, why doesn't she just leave him. And, with Emily having betrayed her, why should she care about Emily's marriage to me?"

"Because Brad has got something on Shannon that she doesn't want our mom and dad to find out about. The reason why Shannon cannot have children is because she got pregnant her first year in college and had an abortion, with complications. You saw how my parents reacted years ago when Denise got pregnant, and she carried the baby to term and gave it up for adoption. Shannon was sure if they found out she aborted, they would disown her. And she had told Brad all about this - and he used it against her."

"There is no bigger asshole than Brad Smithson."

"Exactly. And so, Emily and Brad continue fucking behind your back, and Brad gets more and more abusive. Emily wants out, but can't risk it, and Shannon can't push it. And then, Emily gets pregnant again."

"And the hits just keep on coming."

"That brings us up to about five years ago. Brad decides he wants to enlarge the party, and he tells Shannon and Emily to do whatever they have to do, but get Denise and me to play as well. At first they try by telling us how big and how good Brad is, but we both refuse. Then they tell us about the blackmail that Brad has over Emily, and Denise says yes. I still refuse, and at this point I seriously considered telling you. But Emily came to me begging, and I said the only way I would do it is if we could convince our husbands to open up our marriages and they would also participate. In other words, the only way I would cheat on Will is if it wasn't cheating - and he would play with my sisters. It's the only way I would do it, because I couldn't handle the guilt. So, we started. We got together twice a year. What you saw was the ninth time."

"I once overheard Emily on the phone talking about trying to get me involved. What was with that?"

A few months ago I told them Will and I were no longer going to participate, and that I couldn't handle the guilt of you not knowing - if not about the past, then at least of what we were doing now. So Denise and I came up with the idea of inviting you - and all of us acting like we were just starting."

"Joanie - that is a very interesting story. Unbelievable - and I mean that literally. I don't believe it. However, even with the best spin possible, the only possible motivation I can see for what Emily did was a love of Brad's big cock - and a blatant disrespect for me."

"Henry, I can understand why you doubt it. It just sounds sick. And I cannot explain Emily's behavior. To be honest, I have no idea what your sex life was like with Emily, but I will have to say - Brad was way better than Will. I love Will more than life itself, but he is simply not very good in bed. I would not sacrifice my marriage to have better sex, but I can understand the attraction to Brad. However, based on what I saw on the Thanksgiving video, Brad was never as abusive to me as he was to Emily."

Joanie, I don't think your tale of depravity has changed anything, but I hope it helped you to tell it - because it sure didn't help me. I think I need to go get some sleep."

"Henry, I know we will likely not still be friends, but please know how sorry I am. For everything. Oh, one other thing. After it all hit the fan on Thanksgiving, Brad did tell my parents about Shannon's abortion. I can't see them staying together."

I have to admit, as Joanie walked out of my office, I was surprised and impressed that she did not ask me about doing something to hurt her husband. Perhaps it was because she did not think I had it in me.

The daily calls continued from Emily. "Henry, I know you spoke with Joanie. Please talk to me! There are other things you need to know. Please, I love you! I'm so sorry."

Two days later I received a call from the lawyer. Emily had signed the papers.

Brad Smithson had his fifteen minutes of fame, as I saw in the Boston Globe and on Newscenter 5. He did not go to jail, but would no longer be employed anywhere in the finance profession, and the fine he paid dramatically changed his lifestyle. Too bad for Shannon, as there was not much left when she filed for divorce.

I waited a few months before I let the other shoe fall. I was getting pretty good at this video editing. I sent to both Will and David an edited video of their wives having sex with Brad. But it wasn't the pictures that was the point. It was the audio. In them you hear both Joanie and Denise not just responding in agreement to Brad's encouragement that he is so much better than their husbands, but both of the ladies go much further. They call their husbands "wimps," tiny pricks," "selfish in bed," "not real men," and my favorite, "pathetic." So much for David's smirk. I did not send the video to anyone else, but the audio did go to their work colleagues and friends.

It was July, the divorce had been finalized for several months, and I was ensconced at Oxford. I still had neither neither seen nor spoken to Emily. The calls stopped a few days right after the divorce became official.

Caitlin called from Boston. Her grandfather Patrick had died. She would be attending the funeral, as would Sean Patrick. I remained in England. I did send flowers. He was a good and honorable man, and I thought that was the appropriate thing to do.

EPILOGUE:

All that took place four years ago.

Today is the funeral of Sarah, Emily's mother. Caitlin and Sean Patrick were there. I am living in Palo Alto, and did not attend. No, I have not remarried, nor am I regularly seeing anyone. I don't have the stomach for it.

"No Mom, Dad is not coming," Sean Patrick replied to his mother's query.

"Why can't he just move on and get over it? Why can't he just forgive me? "Why does he have to hold on to all his pain?"

Caitlin answered, "Mom, he has. Dad has completely and totally moved on. He doesn't feel hatred toward you. He feels nothing toward you."

"Then why isn't he here? He probably can't bear to see me. I've remarried, and he probably can't stand that."

"Trust us, Mom. He is not here because he just doesn't care. He doesn't even know you are married."

"What do you mean. Didn't you tell him?"

"No Mom. We didn't tell him, because he doesn't ask about you. Ever. He just doesn't care."

"And when are the two of you going to find someone, get married, and give me some grandchildren?"

"Well, Mother dear. That is not going to happen anytime soon. Seems we have never really seen a model for a good marriage."

"Yeah, Mater. I wouldn't go near marriage. Never. Not after what you showed us."

The kids reported that conversation to me, and that is how I found out Emily had remarried. Don't know any details. Don't need to, don't care. Except that it seems the burning coals are still coming down.

All things considered - seems appropriate.