April's Fool Pt. 03

I heard a sob from the doorway as April overheard me. I didn't care. I ran up to the bedroom and threw a couple changes of clothes in my workout bag. I grabbed my toothbrush and razor and headed down stairs.

They were both sitting at the table crying. They looked up at me when I came into the kitchen.

"April I am going to take off for a couple days. I know we need to talk but I am in no shape to be civil right now. Let's make a plan to talk Monday. Until then, please let me think and leave me alone." I said in as even a voice as I could.

I pushed past both of them and went to my truck. This was bad.

==========================

I ended up calling into work and getting myself into a Holiday Inn. I was still feeling crappy and I decided to try to sleep. I woke up at 10:00 in the morning and took a shower. I felt physically healthy but absolutely shitty otherwise. All day long my thoughts were all over the place.

How could she do this to me? I was doing everything I could to be the best husband and she goes and shits on me like this? What a bitch.

Yeah she was drunk. Why the hell was she drinking anyways? Of course what type of guy would hook up with an obviously drunk woman? I didn't even know the guy's name but he is gonna pay.

She had a problem. She got tripped up. She told me about it as soon as it happened. She probably could have tried to keep it from me. I wasn't tight with that crew. There was absolutely no deception that I knew of.

Did I want a divorce? Did I want to stay with her? I loved her. I was pretty sure she loved me. Would she have done this if she wasn't drunk? I really didn't think so. Would she have been drinking if I had been there? Again, I didn't think so. But damn, when did drinking become an excuse and not a condition? If I can't be there another time do I come home and find her in a gangbang?

I went around and round in my head. I went from wanting to forgive her to wanting to burn the bitch, sometimes within the span of 15 minutes. I had to get out of my head. I should at least look at my options. My license lawyer didn't do divorces but I was hoping he would know someone. I got the name of a divorce lawyer from him and did a little research. Janet Taylor looked like she was a pretty decent sort. I was able to send her an email with my prenup and other documents attached. I was surprised to get in right away.

She told me nothing I couldn't already figure out. The prenup was pretty standard. I would get what I had before we got married, namely my brokerage account, and she would keep everything she had. I was surprised that there was an infidelity clause of 500 thousand for every year we were married capped out at five years. I would walk away with 1.5 million from April's trust fund. Of course if I had cheated she would have gotten the same. I was surprised that old man Livingstone had put that in there. I think he figured his princess wouldn't possibly do anything so wrong. I guess I should have asked more questions about what I was signing but at the time I just wanted the paperwork to go away. I made a mental note to review everything Steve had put in front of me. When it came down to it I had 1.5 million reasons to kick the bitch to the curb. With the almost 2 million sitting in my account I was going to be set for a while. If I kept working for another few years I could retire at 35 and enjoy the good life as long as I didn't go to crazy. Except it wouldn't be with April.

I headed back to the hotel room and cried for an hour.

I called work and went to talk to my boss.

Jamie was our plant manager and a real ball buster. I liked her because she would let you do your job. I ran my department with minimal amounts of overtime and kept myself within budget. Our company had an open door policy and I was glad that none of my guys ever felt the need to use it. I could usually keep things settled with my people. As such Jamie and I didn't really have much reason to talk, other than for her to tell me what needed to be done and me to tell her it was taken care of.

"You call in sick then you say you need to talk to me, what is going on Bill?" she said with no preamble.

I sat down across her desk and tried to gather my thoughts.

"I am going to need some personal time Jamie. I have a serious crisis at home and I am barely holding it together." I said honestly.

She looked at me and leaned back in her chair.

"Did she cheat on you or did you cheat on her?" She asked quietly.

"What? How did you -" I was shocked.

"I know you don't have kids so it can't be anything there. Your parents are deceased and Steve Livingstone's death would have made the news, so it is not them. It could be a miscarriage or something like that but you are mad and hurt not sad and mopey. So I figure it is infidelity. I am going to guess that she stepped out on you, because I literally can't imagine you doing anything to hurt your wife. You are a nice guy. Almost too nice. So if she stepped out on you, are you getting a divorce and how long will you need to be off?"

She was clinical even when dissecting my marriage problems.

"I don't know about the divorce, this just happened yesterday." I replied.

"You found out about it yesterday? Or it happened yesterday?" She asked.

"Both, last night she got blackout drunk and ended up sleeping with a guy. She came home at four in the morning, still drunk, and confessed to me." I said, hardly believing I was having this conversation with my boss. It kinda felt good to verbalize with someone though.

"So no clandestine affair. She made a couple of horrible life choices and now has to deal with the consequences. She has a drinking problem doesn't she?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, but does that give her a blank check to sleep around?" I asked with a little bit of heat.

"Not at all. But it IS a point to consider when you are talking about a major life change." She replied coolly.

"Here's the deal Bill. You guys are the most in love couple I have ever seen. Yes that means she is just as in love with you. Frankly I hope my girlfriend and I will get to the place you two seem to be. One of your faults is your tendency to overthink things. In certain cases I have seen it hinder your performance here at work. I think you will do better if you set yourself a time limit to make a decision. On that note I have a proposition for you." She smiled.

I knew she had a reason for talking feelings with me.

"You know that we sent a team to Belize to install a network and servers for the new eco-friendly resort they are planning. I am not happy with the pace of the work. I think they are getting distracted by the setting and the nightlife. I was looking for a way to send you down there to get them on track. I know you don't like leaving your wife, and there was no way you were going to take her on a working vacation. Why don't I send you down there now? The company has a house leased for the next seven weeks. If you can get them to finish up the project early, you can take whatever lease time remains and chill in the tropics. I get the project back on track and you get to get away for a while. It's a win, win for both of us." She smiled.

This sounded almost too good to be true. I would have a project to distract me, I would be away from all this drama, and I would be in a SCUBA diving mecca. April didn't really care for the water as much as I did so I hadn't been diving in forever. For the first time since last night I felt something good had happened.

"You're sneaky, but I accept. And thank you." I said sincerely.

"No worries, plan on leaving next Friday, and Bill...." She stopped, for the first time today she seemed hesitant.

"Being a woman in a business setting dominated by men is tough. I am not saying that she should get a pass or anything like that nor am I trying to make a feminist statement. I am just saying that it can be very stressful, and that might be something you want to think about. Or not." She stood up and it was clear our conference was over.

Surprisingly, I felt better after talking with Jamie. I knew I had to talk to April.

===================

We decided to meet at the IHOP. I had spent the weekend thinking about things and was forming a plan of action. Actually I was forming two plans of action. One with April and one without. A lot of my decision hinged on the talk we were going to have today and the talk we were going to have when I got back.

I was rather surprised to see Beth and April walk through the door. They saw me and came right over to my table. They both looked beautiful although April looked even paler and very "tight". She went to give me a hug and then stopped. Then she tried to say something and then stopped. I went over and gave her a hug. She let out a huge sigh and a sniffle. Physical contact didn't make me want to retch. It actually was kind of nice. Good to know. I gave Beth a questioning look.

"She was so nervous I didn't trust her behind the wheel, Bill. I will go sit in a corner out of earshot and you can talk." Beth said neutrally.

"Thank you so much Beth, If April doesn't mind you listening in neither do I. You are almost as much a part of this family as we are. Also If things get too heated, it might be good to have a cool head." I said.

"I don't mind at all Bill. I would actually feel more comfortable if Beth could hear us." April said quietly.

"Cool," I responded. Let's order our food and have the waitress bring us a couple extra drinks so we can have her not interrupt us, shall we?" I asked with a pleasant tone.

They agreed and we ordered. The waitress was very accommodating, especially when I gave her a twenty dollar bill as a tip before our meal was brought.

"How have you been April?" I asked. Probably not the smoothest way to start the conversation.

"Miserable, Bill," she replied. "I probably would have killed myself if you hadn't told me we would talk today."

Okay then.

"We are both hurting really bad right now. I need to get some answers from you and I need to think about those answers. I don't think I have to tell you that lying to me will end this conversation and our relationship. Tell me the truth even if you think it is going to hurt me or make you look bad. Okay? Are you ready to start?" I asked.

She put her hands on the table and looked me in the eye.

"Let's do this." she said with resolve.

I actually took her hands in mine.

"The first couple are going to be yes or no. That is all I need right now." I said.

"First, do you love me?" I asked.

"Oh god, Yes! Bill I love you so -" she cut off as I squeezed her hand gently and shook my head.

"Yes or no only please. Next question, do you want to be married to me?" I asked.

"YES" she said with as much conviction as she could.

"Have you fucked anyone else since we have been engaged? And by fucked I mean oral, anal, coital, or hand job."

"NO!" she almost shouted. We got a couple looks for that one.

"Do you feel that you have your drinking under control?"

"No." she replied with a sob.

"If we stay together, are you willing to continue to seek help for your drinking regardless of what you father or the Board says?"

"Yes"

I squeezed both of her hands gently.

"That is the end of the yes or no questions I have. Let's eat and then I have the more difficult ones." I smiled a little and saw her return a little one herself.

We ate in silence and I thought about her answers. They were pretty much what I expected. I thought about her response and decided I would believe her for now. I was going to spend some money and use some of my internet resources to verify what I could, but I was inclined to believe her.

As we finished up I took a look at Beth trying to gauge her reaction. She had a pretty good poker face, but when she caught me looking she gave me a small smile and a nod of her head.

"OK time for round two, these get a little tougher but again I need to know. I am going to get the first one out of the way. Was he bigger than me and was he better than me in bed. Please answer honestly." I said, not really sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Bill I don't remember ANYTHING about the sex. My last memory is a vague one of riding in the elevator up to the room. I don't remember anything from about 10:00 to when I woke up." she said

"You said you fucked him. You must remember something." I said a little harshly.

"Bill, I woke up and there was a naked guy passed out next to me. I had semen leaking out of me. I knew what had happened but I don't remember any of it." She said, almost in a whisper.

"Do you think he raped you?" I asked as softly as I could.

"In the sense that I was not in a position to consent I would say yes. However if I went upstairs willingly, there is no way a rape charge would stick. His family's money would make sure of that." she replied.

"Let me say though, that if you wanted me to file rape charges I would do it. It would be embarrassing as hell for me, but if you needed me to I would." she said, with conviction.

I thought about it for a second but unfortunately I had to agree with her. Besides I had plans for the guy myself.

"I have one last question about that night, who was the guy? I need his name." I said in a cold voice.

"I will tell you Bill, but please don't do anything stupid. I need you around so I can convince you to forgive me. It would be so much tougher to do that if you were in jail. That being said it was Xavier Stone. He works for Corrugated Solutions out of Chicago." she said.

Ok I felt that was what I needed to know about that night. If she was telling the truth, it went a long way towards me wanting to stay together.

"Okay I think I have all I need about that night. Now onto some questions that will take longer." I said. I deliberately made no mention of the asshole's name. Now that I had it I hoped she forgot about it.

"Did I do something to cause this? Were you mad at me for something and trying to pay me back by hurting me? You had to know how I would feel if you even held a glass with booze in it. How could you think it was alright to start drinking?" I knew that was more than one question but it kind of all came out.

"No Bill, I was not mad at you. I wanted you to come. I knew you couldn't. If anything I was mad at myself. I should have stayed home to take care of you. I should have been spending more time with you. As for why I even took that first glass, it was peer pressure. I know that sounds stupid and weak of me, but that is what it was. The group I was talking to started saying how much better they could operate with a couple drinks in them. When they came back with drinks there was one for me. I took it not planning to drink it but then they started teasing me. I figured one drink in three years wasn't going to hurt much so I started sipping it, when they teased me i downed it. After that we all downed a second one and then things start to get fuzzy." She said sadly.

"Okay I guess I have just one more question, and you are going to have to think for a while on this one. What are you willing to do to stay together? The last sixth months of our marriage has been hell for me. I won't go back to that. So please think about what you truly want and what you are really willing to do and get back with me when I return from Belize." I said.

Both Beth and April's heads snapped up to me.

"Wh, Why are you going to Belize, Bill?" April asked uncertainly.

"The company has a project down there that is behind schedule. They need me to go down there and crack the whip. I normally wouldn't have been considered but when I was talking to my boss she suggested it as a means to help the company and get away. I will be gone six weeks. Then I will come back and we will talk again. I hope you are okay with this. If for some reason you aren't, let me know and we can get the divorce proceedings going." I said that last part as gently as possible.

April paled at the mention of divorce.

"NO, please no, Bill" She said. "Can I meet you down there? Or maybe you could take Beth."

Beth gave her a surprised look.

"April, listen to me. I am not going down there for any type of revenge. I will be one hundred percent faithful to our marriage. I need time to get away and reevaluate what I want. I asked you to decide what you wanted to do to stay together. I am going to be asking myself the same question. I hate the fact that I have to say this but I will expect you to be faithful to our marriage while I am gone. If you can't do this or if you screw up again, we are done." I said.

"There is one more thing that I want to say. I leave Friday and Thursday will be our three year anniversary. I would really like to celebrate it with you by taking you out to dinner. If it would be too awkward I under -" she interrupted me.

"Tell me when to be ready and let me know where we are going so I can dress appropriately." she said, sounding like the old April I knew and loved.

"I have reservation at Le Blanc for seven so I am going to show up to the house at 6 and get ready. If that is okay." I said.

"Of course Bill, um, you aren't coming home today then?" she asked.

"No babe, I won't be living at home until we get this mess sorted out. I will be at the Holiday Inn off of Dequindre. When I get back from my trip we will see what happens." I said.

I noticed her eyes lit up. Crap I had called her "babe". I didn't want to use terms of affection. Oh well. I stood up.

"I am going to get stuff around for my trip I will see you Thursday." I said.

She stood up and threw herself at me. She hugged me so tight I had trouble breathing. I hugged her back and reflexively kissed the top of her head. I saw Beth tearing up.

"I love you so much Bill." she murmured into my chest. "I am so sorry I hurt you."

What the hell.

"I love you to April. I really hope we can get through this." I said.

We broke and April started walking to the door quickly. I think she wanted to get to the car before she lost it completely. Beth gave me a big hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you Bill, she really needed to hear that." she said as she grabbed her purse and followed her friend out.

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A lot of shit got packed into one short week. As I was reviewing the IT budget for the project, I heard a knock on the hotel room door. Looking through the peephole I saw April's dad, Steven Livingstone. I sighed and opened the door.

He glared up at me.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

I turned away and left the door open as I went back to the desk. He cautiously made his way into the room and looked around. I sat in the chair and just looked at him. He looked back. Things were silent for a while. He sat down on the edge of the bed and broke the silence.

"I will cut to the chase. April is pretty miserable and really wants you back. I am sure you know that the prenup states you won't get anything if you guys get divorced so it makes financial sense for you to forgive her and get back to making her happy. She is really concerned about you going on this trip but she says your work needs you. I can offer you better pay and more flexible hours working for Livingstone. It isn't just the fact that you are married to my daughter, we actually do need an IT manager since we are switching over our inventory recording system. You can start Monday if you want or you can take some time and maybe take April somewhere nice. What do you say?"

"Fuck you." I said quietly.

"What did you say to me?" he asked with a dangerous tone to his voice.

"I said, fuck, you." I replied

He started sputtering. I cut him off before he could go on a rant.