Bird Watching Redux

This is a repost of a 2005 story.

Donna and I have been married for eight years. We graduated from college together and were wed within a year. We both had good jobs and we are putting as much money aside as we could for our first home. There are no children yet. I want them, but Donna just cannot get interested in being a mother in any sense of the word. That seemed to be the only contention in our marriage.

We had our first sex while we were in college and we were always open to trying new things. By new things, I mean within limits, nothing kinky or perverted. Our sex life was active and fairly constant, up to about four months ago.

What brought us together in college was bird watching. We both enjoyed being out in the open, looking for the elusive species that we hadn't seen yet. We met at an organized birding hike and found out that we enjoyed each other's company. It was nice having someone to go on outings with and it was great that we both liked the same thing.

Our first sex was in the woods and it turned out that that was Donna's favorite place to participate in carnal pleasures. She was an L.L.Bean or Lands End type of girl. Never wore fancy undergarments, preferring Haines Her Ways to Victoria's Secret. I thought she looked sexy when she strutted around in her cotton panties and sports bra. She had brown hair, shoulder-length, and had a dark, Mediterranean complexion. Her breasts were small, firm and perfectly round, with not a bit of sag. I had a feeling that one of the reasons she was not anxious to have children was because she was afraid of losing her beautiful boobs. Another of the things I liked about Donna was that she had a lot of thick, dark hair. She was hesitant about shaving the excess hair on her body because she was afraid it would grow back thicker. That was fine with me because I thought it added to her charm. I loved the women deeply.

I had been engrossed in my work for a while and I guess I was putting in too much overtime. Donna was getting home from her work a lot earlier than I was. She would change clothes and go to one of our favorite birding spots till the setting sun made it too dark to see. She always kept a log of the birds that she saw. Usually, there was nothing interesting or unusual but she felt it was important to keep good notes. She was almost obsessive about it. I got home after dark and usually fell asleep on the couch while we watched TV. I was just working too hard and was not being a good companion or husband.

After a few days without sex, I would expect her to get frisky. This wasn't happening. She seemed to be relieved that I was not trying to have any type of physical contact. That was when I started to worry.

I never played team sports when I was growing up. My parents tried to get me interested in all sorts of activities with other kids my age. The problem was I had a bad, bad temper. I would fly off the handle at the slightest provocation and would attack any kid who pissed me off. By the time I finished high school I had learned to keep it under control. My wife didn't know about the problem. It seemed like she never did anything to push me over the edge. I guess that is why I was attracted to her. My parents never said anything to her about it.

I rearranged my workload and schedule so that I would have more time to spend with Donna. I explained to my boss that I had overextended myself and he completely understood. Now I had to try and make things right with my wife. I had no reason to suspect her of being unfaithful but I did feel that she was unhappy with the amount of attention I was showing her.

"Donna, are we overdue a vacation?"

"No, I don't think so. I guess we could squeeze in a short one if you can find the time."

"Well, I was thinking a week or two, someplace quiet and romantic. I feel that we haven't been spending any time together lately."

"Maybe a three day weekend, Brian, but I don't think either one of us wants to be away from work any longer than that. I think it is important that we stick to the plan to get the down payment for the house. Your long hours and overtime have helped to build up the pot and I would hate to see us backslide."

"Donna, the house is important but I feel that we haven't been spending enough time together. When I get home from work I am too tired to be good company and we spend the weekends doing house chores and shopping."

"Darling, I think you are making a big deal out of nothing. I will be more than happy to take a short trip to someplace close but I am just not up to a going on a full out vacation. I don't feel ready for it."

"I guess I am just worrying too much. I want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to keep you happy."

"I am happy Brian. I will let you know if things start going downhill so we can nip it in the butt. We have enough real problems without making up imaginary ones."

"I hope you are right. I don't want you getting a wandering eye."

She flashed me a little twinkle when I said that.

Well, that was my big attempt at making my marriage better. I did a lousy job. I guess I wasn't any better at fixing things than I was at figuring out that things were wrong. I didn't mention anything about my new work hours.

I made a weak attempt at having sex that night but she had a headache. Before going to bed I checked Donna's birding log. It appeared that she was going out regularly but her sightings were virtually nonexistent.

I have a small Honda 250 Rebel motorcycle that I love. It is quick, quiet, and easy to handle. It isn't obnoxious and clumsy like the big Harleys. It always starts and is trouble-free. That day I drove it to work.

Donna usually got home about four. Around that time I told Marge, my secretary, I would be down in the archives for the rest of the day. I ask her to call me on my cell when she was leaving for home. There are no landline phones in the basement and no one usually works down there. I left work by the fire exit in the back of the building and put a small wedge in the door to keep it from locking. Five minutes later I was parked down the street from the house. The Rebel was easy to hide.

My wife came home the regular time, changed clothes, and was off to her bird-watching site within ten minutes. I pretty much knew where she was going so I didn't follow too closely. Ten minutes later her Volvo was parked at the Rainbow Mountain main trail parking area. A black BMW was sitting close by. We spent a lot of time at this park so I knew the trails well. After parking the bike in some trees I started up an alternate trail. I took my time and was careful not to make any noises. Years of birding gave me an edge in this area. Every few minutes I would stop and scan the area ahead with my binoculars. Toward the top of the mountain, it got a little rough. The trails were marked but they were close to some dangerous overhangs. It was good for hawk watching, especially at this time of year. You could see for miles across the valley and everything was fine as long as you didn't look down. I couldn't help myself. I stopped for a moment and trained my glasses over the valley, looking for some early hawk arrivals. It was beautiful. That was when I heard the giggling.

The woods were dense enough that it would be easy to hide if necessary. Of course, that also made it hard to see anyone if they were hiding. My attention was now directed toward the faint sound I heard. It was not constant so that made it hard to pinpoint. Slowly I inched forward, making no noise at all and listening very carefully. A flash of yellow gave them away. It was the lining in her vest. I found a comfortable spot that allowed me a decent view and took out my spotter scope. The binoculars were handy but the scope gave me a much better picture and had a camera attached. I was elevated from their location and was able to find a place where I could get a clear view. By lying prone I could keep hidden and still be able to watch for a long time without getting fatigued. It was a very secluded spot and they did not have to worry about anyone finding them by accident.

My wife's companion was Clayton Mankey. He joined Donna's firm about six months ago. I met him at a few company functions. He was a pleasant enough guy and I actually liked him. Of course, my feelings for him were changing rapidly. He had a nice wife, quiet but attractive in a mousy sort of way, and two young boys, grade school age. I liked his boys and wished I had a couple just like them. Why would a guy with a perfect family like that want to mess with my wife?

Clay spread out a blanket while I got comfortable. In no time at all Donna had slid out of her jeans and panties. They were out of good hearing range but I could still make out some giggling and laughter. Donna had one of her legs propped up giving me a good view of her hairy bush. She never wore a bikini and it was easy to see why. She folded up her pants and made a pillow out of them and put them under her butt. She was taunting him as she pulled her knees up to her chest holding both legs right below the knees. She flopped her knees back and forth a little in a teasing fashion and then spread them wide as he buried his face in her. Her head was raised and it seemed that she was rocking back and forth as he worked his face around her gash. I got a couple of good pictures while he continued to please her. There was a look of intense concentration on her face and then her mouth flew open and I could hear her gasp across the woods. She pushed his head away, pressed both her knees together, and rocked from side to side for about five seconds before flopping spread eagle on the blanket. The big grin on her face made a great picture.

At some point, Clay had removed his pants and was ready to finish the job. He knelt between her legs and quickly slid his hard rod into the mass of hair. There was no condom. He was no bigger than me and there did not appear to be anything special about his equipment. They just humped away for several minutes. Her legs were around his waist but not tight. I noticed that there was nothing romantic or loving about what they were doing. It was sort of like watching two dogs fuck.

At this point, I realized that I was not getting excited about watching these two people screw but I was starting to get mad. The initial shock of what was going on had worn off and now the anger was growing. I guess I should have just rushed down there and let my temper correct the situation but I forced myself to endure it. I had no plan and was going to have to play it by ear.

It didn't take him long to finish up and after laying on the blanket for a few minutes my loving wife gave her co-worker a blow job. I didn't see her spit anything out when she finished. There was a little more giggling and they started to get dressed. The whole tryst took way less than an hour. Donna gave him a little kiss, not like a lover but like a husband. He was getting the blanket together as she started to walk away. It appeared that they felt it was better if they came and left separately.

I was out of the way and she did not notice me lying there. I quickly gathered my things together and walked down the path behind her, far enough so that she couldn't see me. I stopped by the Hawk Mountain overlook. It was a flat rock that stuck out over the valley below. The drop was at least three hundred feet. A beautiful spot but dangerous. I was standing there looking out with binoculars when Clayton came walking down the path. My blood was boiling when I saw him but outside I was calm.

"What cha looking at?"

"It's a red tail hawk feeding her babies at the top of that pine tree."

He glanced over that way but couldn't see anything. Of course, there was nothing there to see.

"That tree right over there. The one full of pine cones."

"I still can't make it out."

He moved a little closer to the edge and leaned over. Then he looked back at me. "Don't I know you from someplace?"

"Yes, we met before. I'm Brian Powers, Donna's husband."

His eyes went wide open. The last thing he said was, "Oh shit!" as I gently pushed him over the edge.

Everything went in slow motion for the next few moments. It seemed like it took forever for him to reach the bottom, when in fact it was probably about four or five seconds. As I looked over the edge my cell phone rang. Clay was lying face down and his leg was up under his body in an unnatural position. I studied him for a minute, fascinated, as I answered the phone.

"Hi, Marge, what is going on?"

"I am going to leave now. Are you going to be down there all day?"

"No, I am finishing up now. I should be back upstairs in about ten minutes."

"Ok, I left two letters on your desk that need to be signed. I have to mail them out first thing in the morning."

"No problem. Thanks, Marge. I'll see you tomorrow."

It took me longer than ten minutes to get back to the office, but it didn't matter since Marge was gone anyhow. I signed the letters she left. Before going home I changed from my hiking shoes to a pair of oxfords. The boots went into a dumpster a few blocks from work. Donna was surprised to see me home so early.

They didn't find Clayton's body until the next afternoon. It was on the evening news and Donna was broken up by it.

"He didn't come into work today. Everyone was wondering if he was sick, but his wife said he didn't come home yesterday."

"What the hell was he doing up on Rainbow Mountain? He wasn't into bird watching or anything like that was he?"

Donna stammered a little. "No, I don't think so."

"Did you go up there yesterday after you got off work?"

She hesitated "No, not yesterday. I had some laundry I wanted to catch up on."

"I wonder if anybody saw anything. There aren't too many people there during the week. Oh well, l guess I better get the black suit out of mothballs."

Donna gave me a quick glare. She appeared to be upset because I was being a little flippant about Claytons demise.

"Sorry, honey, I know you guys worked together and I didn't mean to take his death lightly."

That night I noticed her softly crying after we went to bed. I didn't say anything.

Two days later I got a visit at work.

"Hi, I am detective Felix Greene. Do you have time to answer a few questions for me?"

"No problem. What can I help you with?"

"Mister Powers, Did you know Clayton Mankey?"

"He works at the same place my wife does. We are not friends or anything, but we have met at a few social functions. Is this about his accident on Rainbow Mountain Tuesday?"

"We are just trying to tie up some loose ends."

"That's fine but I don't see how I could help you. I didn't even know the man that well."

"It appears that your wife was close friends with Mister Mankey and we are just trying to make sure that you were not upset with their relationship."

"What relationship? I don't have the slightest idea what the hell you are talking about. My wife worked with Clayton Mankey and that was the extent of their relationship. I understand what you are inferring and I don't like it. If you are going to make statements like that I hope you have some facts to back them up."

"We talked to your wife this morning, Mister Powers. She was with Clayton Mankey on Rainbow Mountain, Tuesday just before his accident."

"Not possible. I asked her yesterday and she said she was at home doing laundry."

"I don't think she wants you to know about their relationship."

"Damn it. There you go again. I told you not to make accusations about my wife like that."

"It's not an accusation Mister Powers. Your wife told us this morning that she had been seeing Clayton Mankey for over three months."

"Seeing how?"

"We didn't get into that and if we had I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing it with you. That is something you and your wife are going to have to work out."

"Are you trying to make a point here or do you just want to piss me off?"

"Relax, Mister Powers. It is not our intention to upset you. We talked to your secretary, Marge Shuman, earlier and she said you spent most of Tuesday afternoon in the basement going through Archived files."

"Not most of the afternoon, only about two hours or less. I was in my office for the rest of the time. I left early, about five-thirty or six."

"The guard downstairs said you signed out about a quarter to six."

"Sounds about right. I wasn't watching the time. I just wanted to get home to my wife."

"Your wife said you got home about six."

"It only takes about ten minutes to get there. Did she tell you I was there for the rest of the evening?"

"Relax Mister Powers. Everything is fine. We are just checking a few loose ends to make sure nothing is overlooked. You really weren't aware of your wife and Clayton Mankey's relationship were you?"

"No, but I think it will be the main topic of discussion at the dining table tonight."

Felix Greene gave me his card, excused himself, and quietly left. I was fuming. I swear smoke was pouring out of my ears. Of course, I knew what Detective Greene told me but just hearing from another person was infuriating. I threw my stapler across the room just as Marge came in.

"Brian, I hope I didn't say anything wrong. I didn't want to get you in trouble so I just answered their questions as honestly as I could."

"That's OK Marge. It looks like there are some personal problems that my wife and I are going to have to work out. You might have to cover for me for the next few days. It looks like I am going to be busy."

"Can do easy boss. No problem."

Now I had no intention of working out my problems with Donna. All I wanted to do was figure out the best way to end the marriage. Luckily there were no children and we were in a rented house. I wanted kids in the worst way, but now I was glad that Donna had said no. It wasn't even three o'clock yet, but I put all my stuff away and walked out the door. Marge gave me a small nod of understanding as I left.

There were seventy-five thousand dollars and change in our house account. I took out sixty-three and went down the street to the local GM dealer. Two hours later, and fifty-eight thousand dollars poorer, I drove out in a yellow Hummer. I decided I didn't want a new house after all. I needed the extra money to buy gas for the monster.

Shortly after pulling into the driveway, Donna came out.

"What the hell is that?"

"Like it? It's my new car. I decided I needed something a little sportier."

"Are you crazy? How the hell are we ever going to pay for something like that?"

"No problem. I paid for it cash."

"With what? Where the hell did you get the money to buy a truck like that? Don't tell me you took it out of our house account?"

"Well, I didn't see why a single guy needed a house so I got the Hummer instead."

We were gathering a crowd outside. As we walked into the house Donna grabbed my arm. "What do you mean by a single guy?"

"I think you know the answer to that one, don't you. Why would I want to buy a house with you? Hell, why would I want to stay with you, period?"

"Come on Brian, You are talking like a crazy man. Calm down and make a little sense."

"OK sweetheart. Detective Greene came to see me today and told me about your relationship with Clayton Mankey. You were with him on Rainbow Mountain yesterday. You told me you were home doing laundry. Care to explain that?"

"I didn't want to upset you. Clayton and his wife were having problems and since he was new in town he didn't have anyone to talk with about it. I was just giving him a shoulder to cry on."

"What was wrong with going to Denny's or Starbuck's? Why did you have to up to Rainbow Mountain?"

"Clay was very emotional and he was afraid he would break down and cry. He didn't want to do that in public."

I got up and poured myself a cup of coffee. Donna sat quietly waiting for my next move. It was like a little game. I was mad that she even decided to play it.