April's Fool

When Amar left with the promise to check on June tomorrow morning, Paul called his in-laws' house.

April reached the phone first and saw that it was Paul who called. She took the call, her heart pounding in her chest. "Hi Paul, you're calling late."

"April, I need Jack. Wake him if need be."

A little stunned and very disappointed, April handed the phone over to Jack, now standing behind her.

It was silent for a minute. "I understand. I'll be driving down immediately. See you in three hours, I need to pack some stuff."

Jack turned around and said to April, "Your mother caught pneumonia. Paul arranged for a doctor and already picked up the prescriptions. Now he needs me to bring her clothes and I have to take care of her tomorrow morning when Paul has his last morning shift."

"I'll come with you," April gushed without thinking about the kids. But His last morning-shift? How come?

Before she could ask Jack replied, "You can't, and when he saw April looking at him with incomprehension in her eyes he went on, "First, there are the kids involved, and second, he doesn't want you in the house, remember?"

"The children, I can understand, but it's my house too. He can't refuse me access."

"He can. It is 'his' because it was his before you married. It's also mentioned in the pre-nup and you are separated from the moment you were served."

April was aware of the seriousness of her situation. With Jack's words the enormity of the consequences sank in. That was something she hadn't thought of.

Willing the tears back in her eyes she said to her father, "I'll help you pack."

When Jack had left, April sat down to assess the situation she now was in with a husband so angry with her that he served her with divorce papers.

She realized that she treated him very poorly over the last months and she tried to remember where it all started.

Some soul-searching brought her to the moment she met Charles. From the moment they met, April, already discontent, started to distance herself from her husband. After they met, Charles slyly and carefully coached her to widen the gap even more.

She ruthlessly analyzed what he had done and what her role had been in the whole sordid affair, coming to the conclusion that Paul was right. While she was glad that she had not yet gone all the way with Charles, even though he'd pushed her hard, she also knew that her behavior already considerably violated her marriage vows.

The remaining question was: how did Paul find out about her blossoming affair? She didn't know the answer but she knew what she had to do. First, I'm going to get rid of Charles Marsh, she resolved silently before starting to compose a blithering text to tell him what her opinion for him was now; however, she waited on sending it hoping her parents would find out what finally and fatally triggered Paul into divorcing her.

====

Jack had arrived at his son-in-law's house and kissed his wife's hot forehead. The paracetamol helped a bit and June was happy to see her husband, but she soon fell into a feverish slumber once again.

With June out, Jack went downstairs while Paul tried to get some shut-eye because he had to be at the airport at 6 a.m. Jack saw that the table was littered, so he started to tidy it up, stacking prints and papers, but then he found the card and his breath caught. Without thinking he took his phone and called April.

"Dad? Is something wrong with Mum? Why are you calling at this time?"

"April, I'm gonna send you a picture of something I found here. I would like--no, I demand an explanation. By the way, your mum is very ill, but reasonably stable. The doctor will see her tomorrow morning. By then the antibiotics should be kicking in."

Without another word he disconnected, thinking, before I go off the deep end.

April heard the ping of the arriving message and on opening the file, she felt what was left of her life drop from under her. She sank back down in the pillows heavily.

Now I understand how Paul found out. That snake! My behavior was pushing our marriage to the brink, but that card cannot have come from anyone but Charles. He just nuked it with that card of his. How am I going to put this right? I told Charles that there was no way I would leave Paul. I just wanted some consolidation and comfort. Could I have been any stupider?

Then panic struck. She had loved Paul for everything he was, a fantastic father, a good provider and had loved her to bits. She had, over the last few months, somehow forgotten that and ruined her marriage. It was rather doubtful whether reconciliation would have been in the cards if Paul had found out about her escapades without Charles sending that card, but the card was like a death sentence, just as the pre-nup was quite deadly. She reckoned that her father never had foreseen that his daughter would be at the wrong end of that one. She lost everything except their children and what is she going to tell them? The eldest two are old enough to explain some of it, but Lindsey will be devastated.

That snake deliberately ruined my marriage and I fell for him. It's bad enough that it was possible for him to lure me in, but what he did to Paul.... He's going to get a piece of my mind. That's for sure.

She called Jack.

"Dad, please believe me that I had nothing to do with that card. I would never agree to something like that."

She listened to what her father had to say and she wasn't very happy about it. Her father was right, of course. She should've seen through Marsh's manipulations. After a long time on the phone with her dad, they finally disconnected.

====

Later that week.

With a smile Charles said when he, finally, had April on the phone, "Glad you could call. How are you doing?"

April wasn't acting when she replied, "Sadly, not so good. My parents found out about us and definitely don't approve. Now my mother is ill. Pneumonia. The strain is hard to battle with antibiotics. It's partly resistant to it."

Charles was unperturbed by the news about her parents finding out, but as usual, he had an agenda. He wanted to know more about April's mother so he could try to drive a wedge between daughter and parents. He asked smoothly, "Pneumonia? Where on earth did she contract that?"

"Getting cold and wet while waiting for someone to arrive home. But that's not why I called. I need to see you. When can you make it?"

Charles' heart soared. "Of course. Does Wednesday suit you? Shall I pick you up?"

"And upset my parents again? No, I'll see you at Maggie's Grill. Noon? For lunch."

Charles was convinced that things were going his way.Another week and I'll have her on her back with her legs spread, he thought gleefully.

The next day.

June's fever broke and she quickly started to get back to the world. Immediately she started a campaign to prevent a divorce. She was aware that she had a lot of influence on Paul but was reluctant to use it. This time, though, she wanted to push it as far as Paul allowed.

Paul laughed heartily at her first try. "June, please. Don't get me wrong, I really love you and I understand what you're trying, but don't you think that this is something between April and me? Do you realize that she, until now, didn't try to contact me and I haven't seen the kids since?"

June looked a bit guilt-ridden. "She really did a number on you, didn't she? All because she was stupid enough to listen to the insinuations of that Marsh fellow."

Paul looked sad saying, "It's my fault too. I worked too hard and too much. Partly because of the circumstances and partly because I knew I was on the shortlist for this promotion. I would have told April, but she was staying more with you than at home and when she was at home, I couldn't get a word in. I couldn't do anything right, I worked too much but wasn't a good enough provider."

Jack gently interrupted, "And suddenly you get a funeral card announcing the death and funeral of your marriage, complete with the name of April's self-proclaimed lover. I can understand very well where your anger comes from. When we caught April smooching with that man late that evening. The next morning, we both gave her a piece of our mind and we were none too gentle about it."

Paul looked pensive and said, "Anyway, she cheated. I can't live with that. She never complained to me before about working too much until Covid came along and I warned her that we would be in for a hard time. I worked as hard on our marriage as I possibly could too. How can I trust a woman who throws herself in the arms of another man as soon as things become difficult? We both made the same promise. Taking care of each other, forever, in good times and in bad times?"

Both June and Jack winced; Paul nailed it and they hadn't always been the perfect example of marital fidelity. June tried another track.

"Actually, it depends on how you define cheating. I know for sure that the things April did never pass any spouse test. I had an intense one-on-one with her. During that she assured me that they haven't slept together. They kissed and he fondled her breasts."

"Ah, was that all? So, I overreacted? And the constant bickering for the last months and the disparaging remarks, the snorting when I tried to explain something to my children is all due to my overactive fantasy. Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Paul said in a voice that could freeze an avalanche in its tracks.

June cried out, "Oh please Paul. No, it's not at all what I wanted to say. And you're absolutely spot on. She treated you horribly. What I tried to tell you is that she hasn't had sex with him."

Jack interrupted, trying to prevent a total meltdown from Paul. "Paul, we're not going to blackmail you with: think about the children and that kind of talk. But please take some time. Cool down a bit and then please look into your heart. April and you belong to each other."

"I'm sure April will disagree." Paul said scathingly.

"That's," Jack quickly replied, "where you are wrong. She already knows that Marsh was the one who sent that card and she was appalled. She never intended to leave you, that's for sure."

"So, I'm enough to provide for the good life, but for fun and adventures she looked for another partner?"

June flared up, "Now you're being unreasonable."

Paul started to lose his temper too. He tried to calm himself with a few deep breaths. Jack and June looked at each other. Neither missed the effort and June became afraid that she had pushed her son-in-law too far.

"I'm not being unreasonable. I am in an unreasonable situation. For the last few months, I couldn't do anything right. Suddenly I'm confronted with the fact that she is seeing another man and it seriously looks like that, within the foreseeable future, I'm going to be replaced and lose my children in the process. God knows what April told the children about her dissatisfaction with me. Has she already started poisoning them against me? So don't tell me that I'm the one that is unreasonable. I'm the one on the wrong end of this mess and I'm the one getting the punches and if I start to doubt the 'good' intentions of my almost ex-wife now she's caught, I'm unreasonable?"

"Let's find out, will we?" Jack said suddenly after an uncomfortable silence and desperate to find a solution out of this situation.

"Find out what?"

"What April told the children."

Paul looked skeptically at his father-in-law, but June noticed and intervened.

"Jack, put her on speaker. I can tell when she is avoiding the truth. You tell her that she's on speaker, Paul is listening in, and if she tells a lie her marriage is toast. Only the absolute truth will do."

April answered the phone immediately, "Hi Dad, how's Mum doing?"

June answered herself, "I'm doing better. The fever is gone but I'm still weak. By the way, Paul is listening as well. We have a few questions for you."

At the other end of the line, hope flared up by April. She immediately replied, "Hi, Paul, I love you. I've been so stupid and I'm so sorry for what I've done to you."

Paul said nothing, but June noticed the single tear in the corner of his eye. Thank you Lord. He's angry as hell, but still loves that stupid daughter of mine. There is hope.

Jack asked, "What did you tell the children about your imminent divorce?"

They heard April choking and in a worried voice say, "When we were on our way to the zoo, May asked when we were going home again because they missed Paul. I asked them what the difference was, because he was never there. Thomas set me straight and both sided with you, Paul. Do you know how hard it is when two, almost, adolescents are ganging up on you? Anyway, I lost my temper and threatened to return home.

"That's when May tore my soul from my body by saying to Thomas, 'See, that's what she did to Dad, too, each time he wanted to talk with her. He just gave up in the end.'"

They heard April sniffle over the line before she continued. "Mom, after your 'motherly' talk with me, I knew I was the one in the wrong, but it was after that remark from May to her brother that I realized how wrong I was. I didn't tell the children about the divorce. Yet! But they already knew that something is seriously amiss and also concluded that I was the one creating this mess. I'm so sorry. I, stupidly, smashed my marriage like an angry toddler and I don't know how to mend it. I'm so terribly sorry," she said with a sob in her voice.

It was blatantly obvious that Paul didn't want to partake in this call and the silence became very quickly uncomfortable. Until June had an idea.

"April, what are you going to do about the wishes of the children? Paul already told me that he misses them dearly."

Paul's head whipped up and whispered, "What are you doing?"

June smiled sweetly and whispered back, "Getting the children where they belong. Here. Trust me?"

Dumbfounded, Paul just nodded his assent.

June replied to April, "Any ideas April? The children need, beside their father, their school and friends too. Otherwise, it will quickly become a very unhealthy situation for them."

April thought quickly and said, "I can take them to Paul, but they can't stay long because he is working all the time."

June grinned when she retorted, looking at Paul at the same time "So Paul needs a nanny, or their mother takes care of them when he's not around."

Paul felt the trap snap shut. He looked warily at June and actually was becoming quite aggravated. He felt that she had him cornered.

June held her breath. She noticed that this didn't go down very well with Paul. She could read him like a book. She took his hands and squeezed it.

That stopped Paul momentarily from getting riled up too much and refusing to cooperate out of hand. After a while he grumbled, "I don't like it but I'll think about it."

The three others let out a collective sigh. June's idea bordered on blackmail. Now June had forced an opening but they had to await Paul's decision.

Anyway, I have some more time to work on Paul, if he agrees with it, April thought.

When the call was finished Paul asked acerbically, "Isn't it time for you to go home? If you're feeling good enough to travel of course?"

June and Jack were shocked out of their little bubble of satisfaction. "You want us gone? Now?"

"Tomorrow, in the morning. You out-manipulated your welcome. I won't be forced, nor blackmailed, even by dangling my children before me as the proverbial carrot."

A deep sense of loss and remorse took hold of June and she started to sob. The sobbing soon erupted in fully blown wailing.

"No, noo! Paul, please. I beg for forgiveness. I want you two together, as in a happy family. I never wanted to blackmail you into staying with April against your will. That's demeaning to all of us and especially you. I tried to give you some quality time with May, Thomas and Lindsey while April had a chance to redeem herself and I saw the perfect opportunity to arrange that. Please, Paul, don't lock yourself up inside a mental bulwark."

All this came out in one single rush and afterwards June lay coughing, panting and sobbing in her recliner.

Jack wrapped her in her arms and looked pleadingly at Paul.

Paul was shocked at the display. "I'll think about it, is what I said. But your presence and June keeping on pressuring me doesn't help. Tomorrow, I have one last morning shift. I have to hand things over before I start my new job. Go home, take the keys with you and I'll let you know."

After a horrendous night with a lot of soul-searching and worry Paul was up and about at 4:30 a.m. making coffee, breakfast and because he hated the food the restaurant served at the airport, lunch for himself.

He had come to a decision and was mulling over how to tell his in-laws and April when he heard a soft noise behind him. He turned around and looked at a haggard June.

"What are you doing out of bed? You look awful."

"I couldn't sleep. My mind keeps whirling around. I pushed you too hard because of what I so egotistically wanted and now...." June left the rest of the sentence unspoken.

"You made me think, June. You held a mirror up to me, making me realize that what applies for April, applies for me, too, in good times and bad times. This is a bad time, very bad, I'm convinced, but I have to try. Me walking away without trying is about as stupid as what April did."

June started to speak but Paul held up his hand. "But I implore you, don't tell her that I said that. The divorce papers are not withdrawn that easily. So, when you get home, give April the keys and tell her that she can come home at the end of the holidays, he stressed. "My other reason is that I, very much, want to see my children. I will see if we can reconnect. I think I need that time, till they are back, to rid myself of a lot of anger. And tell her that for the time being she is using the spare room."

June staggered towards him and embraced him. "My daughter doesn't half know how good a man she has in you. But I'm going to tell her. You bet on it."

June gave a motherly stroke on his cheek with her hand. "Off you go then, otherwise you will be late for your last shift."

====

Charles swaggered into Maggie's Grill. He looked around and noticed April sitting at a table for two next to a wall.

Last time she chose an alcove. Maybe she found out about the card I sent to the soon to be cuckold?

He walked over, nuzzled her neck and whispered, "You're gorgeous, you know that?"

There was no reaction from April at all. She just looked up and told him, "We have lunch and after lunch we're taking a stroll in the park. There we talk."

"I don't care much about the tone you're taking with me," Charles groused.

"Bad luck. You're getting a whiff of what my husband suffered for months."

They had lunch in silence. Charles was mentally running through different scenarios and how to handle them. He wanted her badly. April was a serious conquest and he had a lot of time invested in getting her into his bed. Nothing less would do.

April had other plans altogether. When June and Jack arrived back from her home, they had a long and very serious conversation where June, Jack, and April laid their souls bare. June still had the shivers about pushing Paul and his initial reaction. They almost lost him there.

April told them that she had one last meeting with Charles to confront him with his heinous machinations to ruin her marriage and wanted him to pay for that.

June and Jack were dead against it but April was resolute. In the end Jack gave her a little recording device and told her to put it in her bag with the words, "If Paul finds out that you met the man after he allowed you to come back, you don't even have to try anymore."