And on the Seventh Day God Rested

He stopped and wiped his face before taking another drink. He then stood. "I am going to the head. I believe that I do not feel any better in spite of your best intentions. I think our conversation is over and I would like to be alone when I get back."

Bobby did as he said. He went to the bathroom and relieved his bladder. He also splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the cracked mirror above the sink. His face seemed to have become permanently frozen in a frown. It wasn't even just sad anymore. He didn't even feel anger except for the misdirected help that the women seemed to chose to provide. He sighed and returned to his table. As expected he was now alone.

He shrugged. He was always alone it seemed. Even when surrounded by patrons in a bar he was alone on his self-imposed island. He wondered if Charley felt the same way.

As he sat down he glanced over at the table of women. Charley was not looking his direction. She was distracted by one of the women while most of the others gave him a dirty look. He gave them a smirk as he sat down again. There was a fresh drink already placed there. He wondered who had ordered it but soon found out.

Again a shadow appeared from his left side. Another of the nurses had come to help him out. He looked up but didn't offer a chair this time. "Well, you must be the ghost of Christmas future. How are you going to help me improve my life? What words of wisdom do you have to help me with my personal crisis?"

"May I sit down?" Bobby nodded. She sat down and introduced herself. "I am Amy, another nurse. I am married and I have no intension of starting some kind of affair with you, not even an emotional one. I don't know you or your background or your wife. I don't abide cheating wives. The only reason that we brought our friend Charley out tonight was to cheer her up. Since she fucked up her marriage she has been doing penance while waiting to see what her asshole husband will do. He has not made even a token gesture towards her since he destroyed her at their anniversary do."

Bobby couldn't resist the opening. "So, your friend Charley must have had an affair but now her husband is the bastard? Why do you say that?"

"She has had a hard time of it all since he outed her in front of her family and friends. She made a mistake and had to get some very intensive counseling to grow and accept her part in the whole affair but he just left and let her suffer."

"Don't you think that he has been suffering also? Maybe he left when he couldn't stand to be reminded all of the time what she had destroyed. Why don't you talk to him before you make out that he is the bad guy here?"

"Well, we can't find him. His daughter has had to manage her mother's care and she is just 18. She didn't deserve to be forced into that position."

"Doesn't your friend have any family otherwise? You mentioned she was 'outed' in front of them."

Amy snorted. "Her family must dote on asshole. They told her to suck it up and deal with the situation as she was the one who caused the whole problem. I don't believe even her parents know how depressed she was and, to a great extent, still is."

She started a new tact. "I didn't really come to talk about my friend. She and her husband need to sit down and figure out what they are going to do. She is barely hanging on. The last she heard is that he is somewhere in the country driving truck. Obviously he has no issues right now."

Bobby retorted. "As far as you know he has no issues. Also, as far as you know he is grieving and only left town to try and heal. You really have no idea. As the one cheated on I tend to lean toward feeling more sorry for him than a cheating spouse."

Amy tried again to get back to his problem. After all, that was what drew the women to him in the first place. "Do you have any idea where your wife is right now? Is she waiting somewhere for you to call?"

Bobby shook his head. "As far as I know she is sitting in a bar, like this one, waiting for someone to pick her up. She used to be a homebody until she hooked up with her lover. Then she became a gadabout and was seldom home. She used to lie and tell me she was working overtime and pulling extra shifts but she was really being with her lover. Since the breakup I have no idea how she is spending her time. I was out of town for a while but now am back and still weighing my options."

"How long were you together?"

"Over twenty years. I thought we had a good life and were getting ready to be empty nesters. I would have cut back on my work if she would have agreed to it. In fact, a month before it all fell apart I offered to take her on a long vacation and she turned me down flat, didn't even hesitate. Said she couldn't get away from work for any vacation. I figure her lover told her to stay here so they could fuck some more."

"Do you feel that you have too much invested in her to cut her loose?"

"When this all happened I seriously considered our marriage like a bad investment. There comes a time when you cut your losses and then start over. Since then I have thought a lot about it and am willing to try and make a go of it but only if there is some way she can make me believe she is just as committed. I don't know what she can do or prove to me that she is serious. Trust is so hard to build and so easily destroyed. Ask your friend how she intends to make her husband believe in her and their relationship again. Maybe she has an insight that I need."

They talked a little more before Bobby asked the real question. "I have heard of women who become so involved in trying to help some poor dude that they fall into bed trying to help. How is this possible? I mean, I am not trying to get laid but if I were, how does a woman justify fucking up a relationship to help some other poor bastard?"

He paused then continued. "Do you women actually believe that you could have an emotional and physical relationship with someone who is not your husband and then, when it is over, just go back and act like it didn't happen? How do you act while fucking around on your husband? Are you that good at making believe that you aren't affected by having sex with a stranger and not even giving pity fucks to your husband or significant other?"

He leaned forward. "You want to help me? I mean, really help me? Then tell me how a woman does that to her man, her beloved, the man she stood up with in front of family, friends and God and promised to cherish, love and honor until death? I can't believe that I can forgive and go back and even talk to my wife until I can understand that one thing. I can understand a man pulling this shit. From birth we are taught by society to be studs. A man who fucks many women is considered to be something good. It goes against all of his upbringing to finally stand up and pledge to be faithful to his wife. A good man does that. A piss poor excuse of a man fucks around on his wife but because we have dicks we usually can keep women in the dark about an extramarital affair until something else clues the wife in. The wife is the nurturer in the family and it goes against most women's upbringing to have multiple lovers at the same time. So, again, how does she justify fucking around on a good man?"

Amy had no answer for his question. Her marriage was strong and she had never been tempted to stray. She tried to come up with some kind of explanation for bizarre behavior but finally had to admit she didn't know. "Look, Robert, give me a few minutes. I will ask my friend, Charley, and see if with her therapy she might be able to answer that question for you."

She got up and went back to the table while Bobby called for another drink. He was starting to get a little buzz going. He didn't want to risk his CDL so he planned on quitting after this one and only got a beer, no whiskey chaser.

He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Amy had apparently asked the question of Charley. Charley had not taken it well. She immediately started to bawl, not even just crying. Bobby could hear her at his table. Now he was even sadder. He only seemed to cause hard feelings with everything he tried.

He downed the beer and then called for a cab to pick him up. He stoically made sure to not look over at the table of now very upset women. He had ruined their plan to make Charley feel better. He hoped the cab would arrive soon.

When the cab arrived Bobby received a notification and paid his tab and made ready to leave. The women appeared to be making ready to leave also. Amy motioned him over. He reluctantly made his way to the table where Charley was still quietly crying. He hoped she didn't recognize him and thought with her being so distraught that he might get away with being so close to her. He wanted to comfort her but he was truthful with Amy that he needed to have that one fundamental question answered.

"Charley really couldn't answer your question even though she is guilty of what your wife did. She tried to talk about it but then broke down when she realized that her husband is probably wanting to know the same thing. Her therapist must have failed to get her to answer that question also."

Bobby nodded his understanding and then turned away before Charley had a chance to see him clearly. It didn't work. Something about his walk must have triggered her recognition. He heard her exclaim. "Bobby, oh my God, Bobby. Please talk to me. Let me explain. Please."

Bobby kept walking. He couldn't talk to her now. As he did so he could hear her become hysterical as she tried to get away from the others and chase him down. He stopped and turned back to her. He didn't want her to get hurt trying to get to him. He went back to the table.

Charley had finally gotten out from behind the large table. Her friends were shocked and almost immobilized by the revelation that the man they were trying to help was Charley's husband. Charley threw herself at him and he grabbed her reflexively. She burrowed into his chest.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't recognize you. I should be able to pick you out of a crowd and you were just sitting all alone. Where have you been? How have you been? You look good. Can you come home with me? Chelsea will be so glad to see you. I will call Ted and Greg and let them know you are home."

She prattled on without stop. Bobby had to smile at her. She was so sincere. Then his smile went away. She still hadn't explained what caused her to cheat on him. No matter what else she did or asked of him she had to be able to explain what the hell had happened.

He pulled back from her embrace. She stopped talking and looked up at him through her tear glazed eyes. "First of all, no I am not coming to your house tonight. I have just gotten back into town and I need to rest before we start to discuss the next step. I will contact Chelsea tomorrow and arrange a meeting if she desires. I don't know if any of the kids will talk to me since I dropped the bombshell on them and you. We will just have to see."

Charley wasn't happy but she had to understand. Her therapist had told her that it would be hard for any man to accept and forgive. It would take time and work. She nodded and turned to her friends. "I guess we had better go."

She turned back to Bobby. "Thank you for coming back and talking to me even for a moment. I appreciate that. Please don't let too much time pass before you contact us. We are all anxious to see you again." She stopped and fumbled at her neckline for a moment and then pulled out a silver cylinder that she had on a chain around her neck.

She unscrewed the cap and showed him the contents. "I carry your present at all times. I take it out and wish that you would come back so I can give you a present or two. I think I owe you many presents and a lot of love." She was holding the silver bullet for him to see. The other women gasped at the sight. They were under the belief that it had been taken from her. Then she hit him with a shocker. "If you can't find any way to come home then please find a gun that this will fit. I cannot buy one since I was admitted for suicidal thoughts. If you can't come home then let me end this torture."

Bobby shook his head. He would never let her have a gun. She mistook the symbolism of the bullet and thought it was meant for her to use on herself instead of anyone she cheated on.

"No, Charley, I will not ever get you a gun. I meant it as a reminder to not cheat on anyone again. If you were setting out to cheat then you should just blow your loved one's brains out not your own. You should live with the destruction that you cause."

He stepped back. "I will call you soon. Be ready to answer the question. There has to be an answer that I can understand before anything else can happen." He turned to the others. "I thank you ladies for tolerating me tonight. I beg your forgiveness if I have caused too much stress and ruined your evening. Please make sure that Charley gets home. I believe she needs to be where she feels comfortable and safe."

The women nodded. Charley was crying again. Amy took the bullet and placed it back into the container and was going to keep it but Charley grabbed it and clutched it to her heart and saying, "No, this is mine. My husband gave it to me on our twenty-fifth anniversary. No one touches it except him and me."

She had a slightly deranged look on her face as she said that. Now the nurses could understand how she was able to get it back. She might have remained in an uncontrollable state if she had not gotten it back. Bobby leaned over to Amy and whispered, "There is no powder in it. She couldn't fire it if she tried."

Amy nodded her understanding and hustled the group out to the cars.

Bobby followed and found out that the cab had left him and it was now raining. It fit his mood as he stood and allowed himself to become soaked while waiting for another cab.

Epilog

With a lot of intensive therapy Bobby and Charley did finally get back together. Charley remained a part time nurse, never returning full time. There were a lot of trust issues. Bobby would periodically check on Charley but realized that he couldn't account for all of her time as a part-time worker so he quit and just wondered occasionally if she was stepping out again.

For her part, Charley went overboard trying to prove to her husband that she could be trusted again. She would call and tell him where she was shopping and even insisted on having her locator app turned on in her phone so he could see where she was at any given time. She made sure to never have lunch, even with a female friend, at a restaurant located near or a part of a hotel or motel. She never went out in the evening again with friends even with Bobby's urging.

She might have friends over in the evening or go to another friend's house but she never went to a bar without Bobby. When they did go out to a bar they danced together most of the night. Her smiles were now only for him.

Chelsea did finally forgive him but his relationship with Ted and Greg were strained at best. The boys had trouble also forming relationships after their mother's affair. Trust was now a scarce commodity in their lives. They would answer calls but did not initiate phone calls to their parents. Conversations were short and to the point.

Bobby regretted how he had treated them. If he could do it all over again he would have told them ahead of time so that they would have been forewarned but his anger toward Charley at the time had blinded him to what he was doing.

Charley's family welcomed him back but did ask privately why he had forgiven Charley. They had an even harder time forgiving that Bobby did. Their relationship with Charley never regained its closeness.

Ron was never heard from again. The story went out and no one tried to pick up women again that way for a long time.

Their love life never fully recovered. No matter how hard they tried and how much therapy that Bobby then underwent he could not get an erection even with the modern ED medications. There was a mental block that prevented him from ever enjoying penetrative sex again. He would occasionally have a sexual oriented thought but they were very seldom. He just wasn't able to have sexual thoughts anymore. They bought a few dildos and vibrators and he would use them on his wife for her enjoyment but he just couldn't participate otherwise. They hugged and cuddled a lot when Charley became very frustrated and then would use a toy or two and oral sex to relieve her frustration.

And finally Charley was never able to fully verbalize why she did what she did to their lives. She tried and tried to understand it but it remained a question between them for the rest of their lives.

Do not despair, dear reader. They both enjoyed a full life together in spite of their frailties.