Andy's Big Commission

She hesitated for a few moments, and then continued, "It doesn't matter, anyway. I've already decided how I'm going to pay you back for this."

Andy was curious now, and asked, "What do you mean, pay me back?"

There was a look of determination on Kathy's face now. Turning to point to the back of the room, she said, "See Cindy back there, with those two guys? The one on the right is Bob Sherman, my date for tonight. He doesn't know it yet, but he's about to get lucky. Maybe he's got a really big cock, just like your slut had the big boobs that you like. Maybe it will be me that's getting lucky."

A look of panic took over Andy's face, as he said, "No, Kathy! Don't even talk like that! You are no slut! I won't have my wife going out intentionally for sex with some guy!" His voice began to rise as he spoke, and by the time he had finished several of the other patrons in the bar had turned to look at them.

"Just watch me. I might even go out tomorrow and get my pussy waxed so I can put a nice tattoo above it. Maybe I should get a nice rose tattoo. You seem to like them," she said sarcastically.

Andy was getting frantic now. "Please, Kathy, don't talk like that! I can't stand the thought of you with someone else. It would kill me!"

"Well... Welcome to my world, Andy. I intend to give as good as I got. Don't think about coming back there to cause trouble, either. I've already warned Tiny that you may cause some trouble."

Tiny was a bit of a local sensation, a man whose legal name was unknown to almost everyone. His nickname stemmed from the fact that he weighed in at almost 300 pounds, most of it muscle. Earlier in his life he had been a champion bodybuilder, but now his claim to fame was as the resident bouncer at The Corral. He had a well-known mean streak, and no sober man would intentionally get involved in a fight with him.

"I don't care about Tiny! I'm not going to let you do this. What I did wasn't something that happened because I planned it. Please let me make it up to you somehow; don't do something like this." Andy had grabbed her hand, and was pleading with her now.

Kathy yanked her hand back from Andy's grip, and slid off the bench seat. "I told you, just watch me." She turned and walked to the back of the bar, where she took her seat beside the tall, well muscled man she had pointed out. He had his blond hair in a brush cut, and there was something vaguely militaristic about his demeanor. There was a National Guard base nearby, and Andy wondered if this is where Bob Sherman was from.

Andy couldn't believe what Kathy had told him she intended to do. He could understand that in some way it might seem to be a fair deal, but there was no way he could willingly allow his wife to have sex with another man, even if he had screwed up by getting involved with Brenda. He decided that the only thing he could do was to drag his wife out of the bar, if necessary. Once he had made up his mind, he slid from his seat and headed for the table in the back.

As he approached the table where the two couples sat, he could see a smirk on Bob's face. Cindy and her escort were looking at him with amusement, while Kathy simply looked determined.

"I want you to come home with me right now, Kathy. We need to have a serious talk, and this isn't the place to be doing it. What you're planning isn't the solution; it's just going to make things a lot worse." Andy was talking to Kathy, completely ignoring the other three people at the table. He was so intent on what he was saying that he didn't notice Tiny approach him silently from behind. Andy only knew that Tiny was there when a viselike grip seized his upper left arm and spun him around.

"There'll be no trouble here." Tiny stood about 6'4", and had shaved his head for as many years as Andy had known of him. His dark eyes were fixed on Andy's face as he spoke, and when he finished he released Andy's arm.

"Stay out of this, Tiny. This is between my wife and I." Tiny's right hand began to reach for Andy's left arm again, and at that point Andy made the mistake of trying to deflect it away. He never saw the quick left jab thrown by Tiny, and was unconscious before the realization that he had been hit could even set in. As his knees began to sag, Tiny grabbed him under the arms and quickly hoisted him over his shoulder.

"Tiny, what have you done to him?" Kathy screamed. She was in a panic now, realizing that Tiny had just punched her husband.

"Don't worry, he's OK. He'll wake up shortly, I'm sure. He wasn't my first dance partner." Tiny laughed as he stood there with Andy. "I'll just go put him in his car. You can come and show me which one is his, if you like." Kathy followed Tiny out of the bar, as the other patrons had a laugh at Andy's expense.

Andy's car was parked quite close to the door, and he had left it unlocked. After Kathy opened the door, Tiny placed Andy on the passenger seat with no more effort than if he had been a rag doll. Kathy could see that Andy was breathing normally, and after checking his pulse the look of concern left her face. She knew that Andy would be fine, and a minute later she followed Tiny back into the bar.

Andy awoke about a half hour later, but it took him several minutes to realize where he was, and to remember what had happened. His jaw was sore, and the headache he had started the day with was back in full force. Once he had gathered himself, he decided he would return to the bar, determined to have Kathy leave with him.

When he walked in several of the patrons pointed at him, and he could hear a few laughs. He headed for the back of the bar; more determined than ever that he would be leaving with Kathy, only to discover that the table she had been at was now empty. Shocked, he turned in a circle looking around for her and Cindy, and their two companions. None of them seemed to be in the bar. As he looked around he saw Tiny seated at the end of the bar. He walked up to him, being careful to keep his hands up in front of him in the universal sign of peaceful intent.

"Where is my wife, Tiny? Did she say where she was going?"

"I got no idea, man. They left right after I put you in your car. No hard feelings: I was just doing my job." Tiny was looking at him thoughtfully, prepared to defend himself again, if necessary.

Andy didn't say anything; he just turned and walked slowly towards the door. He wasn't going to be able to stop Kathy from her crazy idea of getting even with him. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes as he reached the door, and he was oblivious to the laughter behind him.

For the next hour he drove aimlessly around the town, hoping to find Kathy's car, but realizing it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Eventually he decided to just go home, having accepted the fact that his wife was out having sex with Mr. Lucky. As he walked in his front door he was a broken man, beaten in spirit as well as in body.

He spent the next three hours slowly drinking himself into a near stupor, grieving for what he had lost with his foolish night in that Columbus hotel room. His thoughts were first centered on his own failure, and then progressed to damning Brenda for tempting him, but eventually he returned to cursing himself for his weakness. He tried not to seriously blame Kathy for her actions. He knew his wife well, and could almost understand how she would come to believe that her decision was the right one. She saw things pretty much in black and white, and his adultery meant to her that she should do the same to punish him. He finally went to bed, lying on top of the covers where he quickly fell asleep.

When he awoke the next morning, he realized that it was Friday, and he would have to go to the office to settle his accounts for the week and turn in his huge order from the GPC Hotels chain. Right now he should be overjoyed at the prospects of the huge commission he would be receiving, but all he could think of when he woke up was Kathy. When the thoughts of what she had been planning to do returned to him his stomach heaved and he barely made it to the bathroom, where he emptied his stomach into the toilet bowl.

It was almost 10 o'clock before his stomach was settled enough that he was able to go in to work. The whole office was in an uproar when he turned in the GPC Hotels paperwork. It was the biggest order they had received to date, and it seemed as though every one of the employees came by to congratulate him. Had his mind not been so completely taken up with thoughts of his wife, and what she had done the previous night, it would've been one of the best days of his life. His order was the equivalent of a World Series winning grand slam, and at this point it meant very, very little to him.

During the day he tried to reach Kathy at work, only to be told she had called in sick. There was no answer at Cindy's, nor was Kathy answering her cell phone. Andy spent the day with visions of his wife naked in the arms of the brush cut Mr. Lucky, and it was eating him alive.

When the day was finally over, and Andy was back at home, he tried again to reach his wife at Cindy's. This time he was able to get through, and when Cindy answered, he said, "Cindy, please let me talk to Kathy. We have to work this out before everything is completely ruined!"

"She told me to tell you to meet her at The Corral again tonight at nine. She doesn't want to talk to you until then."

"What you mean, at The Corral? Why can't she just come home so we can get over this somehow? I can't stand this! I have to talk to her now!"

"I'm only telling you what she said, Andy. She's not here right now, but it she calls me I'll tell her what you said. If she doesn't call you, just meet her at The Corral at nine."

Andy could see there was nothing else he could do, so he spent the time eating another forgettable meal, and lying on his bed trying not to visualize Kathy with Bob Sherman. He wasn't very successful at it, and realized it was going to be nearly impossible for him to ever clear the pictures from his imagination. Only by working hard to convince himself that her actions were the equivalent of his own was he able to hope he'd ever be able to get over it. 'The pot can't call the kettle black' came to his mind several times. Finally, just before nine o'clock, he left on his second trip to The Corral.

Since it was Friday night, the parking lot was almost full already. He found a place to park his car, and then entered the noisy bar. He didn't see Kathy right away, and had walked around almost the whole place before finally spotting her in a booth with three other people, two men and a woman. Andy had expected her to be by herself, and was a little upset she wasn't. It only took him a moment to walk over to their booth.

There was a look of determination on Andy's face, as he said, "Kathy, I'm here now, so will you come back home with me where we can talk. We have to get this mess straightened out."

Kathy looked up at him quickly, a bit surprised that he had appeared so suddenly beside her. "I'm sorry, Andy. I think you must have misunderstood me. I don't plan to come home until I get even with you, for all 13 of your cheating trips out of town." She pointed to the woman across from her, and said, "This is Tara White, and her husband Brent. I work with her." She turned in her seat and indicated the man sitting beside her. "This is Erik Mitchell, a friend of theirs. He's my date for tonight."

Andy was angry now, and it was obvious by the look on his face. "I told you, what happened was a one time thing. This is crazy, this revenge thing of yours! I want you to come home with me right now."

"Well, I'm staying. Erik has just bought me a drink, and I intend to finish it."

Andy pulled his wallet from his pocket, and took out a $10 bill. He threw it on the table, as he said, "Here's money for the drink!"

As the bill was landing on the table, Andy's left hand was suddenly grabbed and twisted around to the center of his back, immobilizing him. His wallet flew from his right hand and landed on the table in front of Kathy. A strong hand was also now gripping his upper right arm.

"I told you last night there would be no trouble here. You're leaving." Tiny didn't give Andy any time to argue; instead he spun him around and headed for the exit.

"I wasn't causing any trouble, Tiny! Please let me talk to my wife!" Andy was pleading with Tiny, but his rush to the door didn't slow down at all. When they got outside, Tiny gave him a shove as he released both of Andy's arms.

"You're not to come back in here. If you come in that door, I'll have you charged with trespassing, and I'll remove you myself. I won't be gentle next time." Tiny said all of this without haste or emotion. To Andy, it was obviously a speech he had given many times before.

"Please, I have to speak to my wife. If I can go in, can you send her out here to talk to me?" Andy was frantic now, desperate to stop Kathy from carrying on with her grotesque plan for revenge.

"Your problems have nothing to do with me. I've got my own work to do. You can talk to your wife tomorrow. Don't come back inside!" Tiny turned and reentered the bar, leaving Andy in the parking lot, tears once again glistening in his eyes. He stood there for a couple of minutes, clenching and unclenching his fists, as he debated taking the chance of reentering The Corral. Finally he turned, and with slumped shoulders walked slowly to his car.

Andy sat in his car for another couple of minutes, trying to decide what he could do. Eventually he put the car in gear and drove slowly out of the lot. If he had glanced in the mirror before he turned left onto the street, he would have seen Kathy standing outside of the door to The Corral, a very worried look on her face and with his wallet in her hand.

While Andy had been a broken man after Kathy's decision the night before, now he was completely shattered. He finally pulled into his driveway, although he had no recollection of driving from The Corral. He staggered into his home, utterly defeated and with no hope for the future of his marriage. The woman he loved had embarked on a course that he couldn't accept, or live with.

He knew he would have to make a decision on what to do. Theirs was a small town that served as a bedroom community for Indianapolis, and he just knew that by this time half the people in town must know of his infidelity, and Kathy's plan to pay him back for it. He felt humiliated and embarrassed as he sat there wondering who had been told of Kathy's decision to cuckold him in retaliation for his night with Brenda. Beyond those feelings, he was also very angry with Kathy, unable to forgive her decision to carry things so far.

Andy knew he would have to decide what to do with the rest of his life, and to do so he would need to be clearheaded. He went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee, eventually sitting at the kitchen table with a full cup of it as he decided his future. Until this moment his future had always included Kathy, and now he sat there contemplating what he would be able to do to live without her. He knew he had been unsure of being able to forgive her night with her first lover, but he was absolutely certain he wouldn't be able to forgive her for a night with Erik Mitchell, or the others she apparently planned on as part of her scheme to get even with him.

As he began making plans, the question of money came to him, and he reached for his wallet, only to discover that it was missing. It was at that point that he remembered having taken it out to pay for Kathy's drink. He had no idea where he had lost it, so he began by checking the house and car before finally phoning The Corral to ask for the manager, to inquire whether a lost wallet had been turned in. Apparently his wallet had disappeared, and he decided he would have to make do without it. His first concern was that someone would use his credit cards, so he spent the next half-hour phoning to have them canceled.

It was after midnight by the time Andy had made all of the preparations that he could and finally went to bed. Now that he had made up his mind on what to do he found that thoughts of Kathy and her new lover didn't overwhelm him. He was able to get to sleep without major difficulty, and woke up reasonably refreshed.

With the light of a new day he began to second-guess himself, and the decisions he had come to the night before. He went over everything again, and once again realized that he couldn't see any way around the things Kathy had done to hurt him; she had done too good of a job. Having once again convinced himself, he set about carrying out his plan.

It took about two hours for Andy to leisurely pack some of his clothing and put a few personal items into the car. Their home was a rental, and he left his keys to it on the kitchen table. He considered leaving his wedding ring, but couldn't bring himself to take it off. It was while he was considering the ring, twisting it around on his finger, that he came close to abandoning his plan, and even tried to convince himself that he could get over being Kathy's cuckold. In the end, though, he realized his original plan was the only one that made any sense to him.

Just before 10 o'clock in the morning, he called Kathy's cell phone. There was no answer there, so he called Cindy's place. He managed to speak with Cindy, but discovered that Kathy wasn't there, and that she hadn't spoken to her since the previous day. His last call, to Tara White's number which he found in Kathy's phone directory, went unanswered.

He hated to do it, but had no choice; he would have to leave Kathy a letter instead of speaking to her directly. He knew she could be unreachable for the whole weekend, and he needed to deal with this right away. It was eating him up, and he didn't think he'd be able to sit around waiting for Kathy to show up, time he knew he would spend second-guessing his decision and torturing himself with images of her having sex with Bob and Erik. Later, in hindsight, he would realize his thinking hadn't been rational or particularly wise. For the moment though, his decision was the only one he could come up with. He grabbed a pen and paper, and began to write.

Dear Kathy;

I'm so sorry that I have messed things up so badly for us. If I could take back what happened in Columbus, I would do it in a heartbeat, but I can't. It's obvious that there is probably nothing I can say or do that will ever make up for what you witnessed there.

What you've decided to do to punish me, though, is too much for me to handle. I can't live here, knowing so many people will be talking about what you've done to me in revenge. By the time your friends, Tiny, and all of the others in The Corral finish spreading it around, I won't be able to hold my head up anywhere in town. I can't and won't live that way, with everyone whispering 'cuckold' behind my back.

Last night I lost my wallet someplace. It wasn't turned in at The Corral, so I've canceled my credit cards. Without those cards and my Driver's License, I'm going to have to take an overdraft on our checking account, and take my passport and birth certificate out of the safety deposit box. Don't worry about the money, my commission check will cover the overdraft and leave you enough to start fresh without me.

Please give my things to charity, or anyone else you can think of that would be able to use them. I have sent an email to my boss, resigning my position, and asking that any wages and commissions owed to me be deposited in the checking account.

I will always love you, Kathy. I really wish we could have had children. Andy.

When he finished the letter, Andy left it on the table with his house keys. He walked out of the house, locking the door behind him for the last time. After he got into his car, he drove away without a backward glance. He wasn't thinking now, he was just doing, following his script to the letter. After a single stop at the bank, where he took out some cash and his personal papers, he drove to the interstate and headed north.