Bed Bugs

First I got on the phone and called Jill's parents. They should be the first to know I thought. When I told them what had occurred, they were dumb-struck and unbelieving at first that their daughter was dead and that she'd been committing adultery when she died. They agreed to meet me the next morning at the morgue and to help make final arrangements for burial. It was a sad conversation and I knew it was going to be a hard time for them.

Next, I called my parents and let them know what had happened. They were just as shocked as Jill's parents were and couldn't come to grips with the fact that Jill had committed adultery and was now dead. I knew that the news hit them hard because they'd always liked Jill. I had loved Jill until recently, but the last few months had been hard on our marriage and I could feel my love for her slipping away. When I found out she was cheating, the residual love I had for her just disappeared, and I think I began to hate her. I couldn't even grieve for her now.

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It began to dawn on me that my call to Melinda, telling her about her husband's indiscretion, could be traced back to me. So I planned to call my lawyer in the morning and make an appointment to talk with him about my involvement in my wife's and Joe's death. I didn't think I'd done anything that I could be charged with, but I thought I'd cover myself in case. The police were bould be checking to see what kicked off Joe's wife, if they were doing their jobs, and I wanted to be sure of my position.

I went to bed early that evening but couldn't sleep well. I kept reliving the day's events in my mind; wondering if I could have done anything differently. I guess I decided I couldn't have changed anything.

EPILOGUE

I met with the lawyer later that week and after listening to my story confirmed that I could not be held legally responsible for the deaths of my wife and her lover. I never did hear from the police about my phone call anyway.

It might seem hard, but I thought I came away from my marriage better off than if it had ended in a divorce. I was her sole beneficiary so all her assets became mine. If we'd divorced I would have had to split everything with her and it would have been very expensive. I'm looking for another wife now and I'm still young at 36, so children will definitely be part of my next marriage.

I give thanks sometimes for a bed bug bite that started the whole thing. I did get hold of an exterminator and he did a thorough inspection and didn't find any more of the critters.

THE END