Beware of What You Wish For Pt. 02

He eventually left to go home promising he would call me the next day. I had the whole evening to myself to reflect on what I had expected from this trip. Had I been hoping or expecting Ian to drop everything and take me back without reservation?

Maybe ... but that was just me being selfish, wanting things my way. But of course that couldn't happen. I mulled over each possible scenario before deciding that I could do little to persuade Ian one way or the other. At the end of the day he had to decide what he wanted and I would have to honour that decision what ever it was even if I didn't like it.

IAN'S STORY

There was no right time to have this discussion with Dolores, so I took the bull by the horns and told her everything. She already knew of my past so it wasn't as hard as it could have been.

She took it well if her shouting and screaming can be discounted. Her Latina side certainly came out that night as she called me a few choice words in Spanish that I didn't understand. But by the expressive ferocity of her delivery I got the impression they weren't exactly terms of endearment.

When I told her I would be spending Sunday with Gina and my son she stormed out and went back to her apartment. Luckily she hadn't given it up when she moved in with me. As she left she told me it was over between us.

The funny thing was I didn't feel as upset as maybe I should have done. I suppose being 'comfortable' with someone isn't really the best foundation on which to build a marriage.

The following day I met up with Gina and Ian Junior. We spent the day on the beach, just chilling. She asked me what I was going to do but I couldn't give her the answer she was clearly fishing for.

The following day she flew back home to Britain.

Now it was all down to me.

A week later I followed her. I wasn't going home though. Home to me was now America. But I was going back to get Gina and my son, of that I was certain.

GINA'S STORY

As soon as I returned home I realised how much I missed Ian. Seeing him again had reawakened feelings that I'd not experienced for years. It was those feelings you get when you meet someone and then after a few dates you begin to think there is something there that ties you together, that you can have a future as a couple.

The irony that I'd had that and thrown it away did spring to mind but if I was lucky enough that Ian would give me a second chance of happiness then I was determined to grasp it firmly with both hands and never let go.

When Ian called me and told me he was already back in the country I felt my heart would explode. My man had come back to claim me. I was giddy with excitement and eagerly awaited his visit.

We made love that night and again in the morning just before Ian Junior came bursting into the bedroom. He made no comment about seeing Ian in bed with me, which was a surprise. Normally he was curious about everything but he seemed comfortable to be around Ian. I guess he sensed the familial bond?

Whatever it was, I didn't know or care, it was just great to see the most important people in my life bonding together so quickly.

Over the next few days we planned our next moves. Of course we visited both sets of parents, who were happy to see us reconciled if not a little sad to learn we were leaving to live in the States. I quit my part-time job and gave notice to give up my rented apartment.

And then one day we went shopping. The idea was to pick up some essential items before we flew out. We'd left Ian Junior with my parents and were laughing about something he had said when I saw him. My blood ran cold. I tugged at Ian's arm, barely able to speak to tell him.

PAUL'S STORY

I was on the verge of great riches and then it all imploded.

I was beyond excited about my future as we started work on the new contract with Cressida. I'd bought the heavy plant machinery and employed the skilled work-force I needed for the specialist piling work on the marina docks. Everything was going smoothly until my lawyers rang to tell me that Cressida's lawyers had contacted them to invoke the morality clause and cancel the contract.

I was now beyond angry. I stormed into their offices demanding to be seen. I was ushered into an office where my lawyers pointed out the relevant sections of the contract. There was a lot of minute detail, which I admit I'd skimmed over as not being important. After all, what half-baked company truly adhered to contractual morality clauses in this day and age.

Well, it appeared Cressida did. They sued me for breach of trust and I counter-sued them for breach of contract.

Long story short, I lost.

I was ruined. Everything went, my houses, my cars, my boat, even Tracy left. Luckily I had secreted some money away so I wasn't totally impoverished but even so I still had to move in with my mother.

I reached out, hoping to pick up work. I had a lot of contacts and was well respected in our field, or so I thought. But I soon learned that those you trample underfoot on the way to the top aren't going to bail you out of the shit as you fall back down past them.

Mother filled my head with all sorts of mumbo-jumbo, no doubt thinking she was helping me heal. I started drinking - a lot!

And then one day, I saw her. Gina. God but she looked good. Bigger tits, legs more shapely, great arse. She was laughing and there was a man with her too. It wasn't until I got closer that I realised it was Ian.

My blood boiled. Here was the architect of my downfall. I was right all along about him wanting to take over my company and when he couldn't he conspired to ruin me. Well for that I'd been right to sack him and now I was going to make him pay. And then I was going to fuck his wife.

I quickened my step, hoping to surprise and overwhelm him. I was almost running as I swung my fist towards his head.

IAN'S STORY

I almost didn't see him until it was too late. One minute I was laughing with Gina at something Ian Junior had said that morning as we dropped him off with her parents when next this scruffy looking individual was screaming my name and coming at me with his fist raised.

I'd done quite a lot of gym work in my quest to help tone up my body for the rigours of surfing and I'd also done some martial arts training. America can be a scary place sometimes.

Instinctively I pivoted away from him and as I spun around brought my arm up and smacked him hard in the face with my elbow. I'd long since learned that hitting someone hard with your fist can result in breaking your hand. The elbow however is a different matter.

I heard the crunch as I broke his nose even before I saw him. As I turned instincts took over again and as he went down I kicked him hard in his knee. He wasn't going to get up from that, of that I was sure.

I looked at Gina and she looked at me. We then simultaneously looked down at the man laying prostrate on the ground. She must have realised who it was before me as my wife-to-be took aim and kicked him hard in his genital region.

"Bastard!" she shrieked.

I stood open-mouthed, my eyes wide in amazement.

"Who are you ... and what have you done with Gina?" I quipped light-heartedly.

She was breathing heavily, almost gasping as she smiled up at me.

We both looked down at Paul. His face was a mess of blood and snot. I'd clearly broken his nose but besides that he did look awful. His eyes were sunken and blood-shot, his face was deep-lined, he appeared to have aged about twenty years.

And with that the shopping mall security arrived to take charge. When the police finally turned up we were questioned but enough witnesses came forward who verified our version of events. We didn't embellish the fact that we knew our assailant. Paul was carted off in an ambulance and we were released without charge.

EPILOGUE - FIVE YEARS LATER

They say time is a great healer and so it would seem. Gina and I were reconciled. Did I trust her again? Yes to a certain degree but there were times when the nagging doubt I'd pushed to the back of my mind that she may become curious again would raise it's ugly head.

Gina for her part was the perfect wife. She was an attractive MILF so of course she garnered some unwanted attention when we went to parties or neighbourhood barbecues but as soon as she sensed men were hitting on her she would immediately come and find me. Not once did she give me cause for concern.

Nine months after we landed back in America Gina gave birth to a healthy baby girl. It seems I knocked her up that first time we had sex again. We named her Gina Junior!

Nah - just kidding. We named her Jessica.

A couple of years later we welcomed another baby boy into our family. I jokingly suggested we name him Paul. It showed how much we had moved on in repairing our relationship when Gina thought it was a great idea and we both laughed about it. We actually named him James after my father.

We moved house, Gina wasn't happy living in a property I'd shared with Dolores plus with another child on the way we'd outgrown it anyway. The bonus in moving was that our new home was even closer to the beach, which was fine by me. Surfing had now become a near obsession.

So there it was, despite everything life was better now than it had ever been. Sure it still hurt me to think that my wife had been so gullible, that a woman I trusted and loved could and had so easily fallen for the tale spun by my friend and boss just to get her into the sack. And it also hurt that a man I'd considered a close friend rather than just an acquaintance had tried and nearly succeeded in ruining my life.

But I guess that's life. Full of ups and downs, peaks and troughs, just like the waves I can see breaking on the shoreline down below from my living room window.

It's time to go. We're meeting up with our neighbours for a day on the beach. Besides, I'm stoked as it looks like we've got an offshore wind, which makes it an ideal day for surfing.

Yes I'm still a relative rookie when it comes to the art of mastering the surfboard. Ian Junior is already way ahead of me in ability.

By the way, I heard Paul is unemployed, a virtual alcoholic and still living at home with his mother. Serves him right.

Life as they say, is good.

It just goes to show that in some cases you don't always have to beware of what you wish for!

THE END