Buddies??

"OK Cindy, let's cut the shit. I talked to the doctor's office today and you haven't been there in eight months. In other words, you lied to me."

"Damn it to hell. I'm not going to take any more of your childish jealousy over Larry. Yes, I made a mistake. I have admitted to that. But you are not going to bully me. Your order that I get a checkup was totally uncalled for and there was no foundation for it. It was simply your childish way to try to punish me and vent your anger toward Larry. I'm sorry I lied to you, but you didn't leave me an option. Now if you can't get over this Larry thing, you need to go to some kind of counseling."

She started to stalk off. Loudly. "Just a minute lady. Either you sit down and talk to me or we need to consider terminating this marriage."

My termination remark got through and she sat down.

"I have a major question. Why did you refuse to get the checkup and then lie about it? I think the answer lies in the answer to a more important and serious question. Whose word are you going to believe: Larry's or mine? On the surface it seems the answer must be Larry's. And why Larry's? I'm sorry, but the only answer I can come up with is that he is a good look, smooth talking, and has a very large cock."

She jumped up and screamed, "There it is. Your out of control jealousy for him. He is not what you try to make him out to be. He has always nice to me."

"Always been nice to you? What do you mean 'always."

After stammering a moment, "You know what I mean. When I was with him at the reunion he was very nice."

"Well, I'm not going to argue with you. It's time to put up or shut up. Our love making is over until you get a checkup. Just the way he operated behind my back at the reunion tells me he is still the slime bag that got tossed out of the Corps for sexual misconduct. I wonder how many times since then he has been treated and even more I wonder how he has avoided AIDs all this time. Believe me Cindy, what I am saying has nothing to do with jealousy it has to do with the health and welfare of my family. If that doesn't mean a thing to you, then it really is time to think of taking separate paths."

She sat looking at me with tears running down her cheek. I could see that she was in turmoil. Finally in something just above a whisper. "I'm sorry honey. I believe your motives, but I still believe you are wrong about Larry. I'll go see the doctor tomorrow." She came over kissed me on the cheek and headed for the bedroom. Over her shoulder, "Are you coming?"

"Not now. I brought some work home that I need to look at." I sat for a minute. I had just decided that I could not put off looking at the videos. Taking my briefcase, I went into the office, shut the door, retrieved the videos, put on the headset and started what I feared was going to be an excruciating exercise. I wasn't afraid of Cindy walking in on me. There is a built in warning system formed by several squeaking boards in the hallway. Unless you approach the office by jumping about six feet, you can't avoid them.

About midnight I remembered something. I took out my cell phone and dialed our home phone. As I suspected, she had forgotten to turn off call forwarding. I could hear her cell phone ring in the kitchen. Instead of hanging up I just let it ring. In a few moments I heard footsteps in the hall and down the stairs as Cindy quietly exclaimed, "Oh shit." She said hello several times and then hung up. I quickly got up, went to the door, and as she reached the top of the stairs, "Is everything OK?"

"Yes, some idiot called my cell phone at this hour and then wouldn't answer—probably drunk. Good night sweetie. You coming soon?"

"In a while."

Had it not been for the audio portion, I would not have watched all of the recordings. I wept a lot and wanted to kill someone. In the video she had sex in every possible manner. Unbelievably she deep throated almost his entire cock. They fucked twice, once with him unloading in her mouth as she slurped it up, and then in her pussy. There was no condom used at all and you could see that she was enjoying every bit of it.. Obviously, she was ignoring all aspects of our so-called agreement.

The audio was bittersweet. Most of it was pure trash talk and some of it she was urging him on to fuck her like no one else could. The only slight high point was when he said to her, "If you love me, you'd try anal with me." Her response was, "Larry, I love your cock, but I don't love you." I was surprised. But I think the thing that bothered me most was that she was taking in every piece of bull shit he was offering. His line was so pathetic that it wouldn't make it in a "B" movie. How could she be so gullible?

At the end of the recording the conversation with Alan was captured and Larry gave Cindy the room number and told her to follow him in about five minutes. The remainder of the recording showed the housekeepers and an empty room.

It was almost three before I finished and I didn't even try to go to bed. I went to the den and watched TV and must have dozed off around five. The next thing I knew I heard the alarm go off and in moments Cindy was there asking why I hadn't come to bed. I told he the truth—I was sick. She tried to get me to bed but I told her I needed to go to work. I needed to talk to someone and I called Jerry and bent his ear.

She called me shortly after eight and told me she had an appointment with the doctor at ten. By that time I didn't give a damn if she got checked. About eleven-thirty she appeared at my office. She was smiling and bouncing as she came in, "There, I've gotten the silly old test out of the way. They are expediting the work and will have the results late tomorrow afternoon. I told them you would pick up the results tomorrow. Now, does that make you happier and will you take me out to lunch?"

I simply nodded and took her out to eat. I had a hard time controlling myself while we ate. It was hurting to know our marriage was over. When she had bounced into my office, I had barely beat her as I had just come from the attorney's office to start the divorce process. The actual papers would take several days and I didn't want to wait, no I couldn't wait that long before letting her know what was going to happen. The attorney suggested that I give her a letter of intent to officially let her know what was coming. It would be ready tomorrow. Looking at her now just plain hurt.

After a terrible night of torment, I moved through robot-like actions at work. The attorney,s secretary called before lunch to tell me the letter was ready. Since it was close I went and got it. I almost didn't want to take the envelope and I cried on the way back to the office. The lab results were ready after three o'clock. I left work as soon as I heard.

I was shocked when I asked for Cindy's test results and the nurse told me that the doctor would be out in a minute to explain the results. I was even more shocked when he came out and ushered me into his office. After a moment of pleasantries he floored me with his first question. "Mr. Allran, when was the last time you had intercourse with your wife?

I won't repeat all of the exchange, but Cindy had tested positive for HIV. I collapsed and I was out for almost an hour. In our following discussion I told him what was going on and we determined that her infection was relatively new, definitely not old enough to go back to her last meeting with Larry. I was somewhat relieved being pretty sure she had not infected me. Never-the-less, I had the test made.

When I was finished, I had to call a friend from work to come get me. I was in no condition to drive. He wanted to take me home and I insisted on returning to my office. I sat quietly, contemplating the situation, and intermittently crying. At quitting time my friend drove me back to get my car. I was a mess with everything from deep despair, sorrow, rage, and yes, even suicidal thoughts. Instead of going home I went to a local bar. I wasn't planning to get drunk, and I didn't. I just needed more time to myself.

About six, my cell phone rang. It was Cindy and I know she wanted to know where I was. At that point she could go to hell for all I cared. I turned the phone off and continued the usual wronged husband talk with the bartender. He didn't help, but it allowed me to gain some control of myself. About eleven I headed for the house. It was now a house, no longer a home. Earlier in the evening I had called my folks and asked them to care for the kids for a while—I'd bring them tomorrow and fill them in on things when I got there.

She had heard the garage door open and came screaming and crying into the garage asking where I had been and how worried she had been. She tried to grab me and kiss me, but I just pushed her aside. I told her to stop her damned crying and meet me in the rec room (basement), I'd be there in a moment. I followed her in and closed the doors that I could so as to not wake the kids. Then I went to the rec room, closing the door as I went.

"Ron, Ron, what's wrong? What's going on? You're scaring me."

I didn't trust my voice. I simply pulled out the lab report and tossed in on the table in front of her. She looked at it and then I saw the panic and fear take over. Trembling, she reached for it. It took her a moment to comprehend what she was looking at and then in a muffled shriek, "Ron, this has to be a mistake. The lab has mixed something up."

She started to go on when I vehemently inserted, "I told you what could happen if you messed around with that slime bag. He's dirty again, and now, so are you."

That brought her up short and in a slightly deflated voice, "What are you talking about?"

I couldn't contain my rage anymore. "Let me spell it out to you. That bastard infected you with AIDs when you fucked him all day on Tuesday."

"But Ron, I haven't seen..."

"Don't make it worse than it is you lying bitch. Quit your lying to me. May I ask how you can profess to love me and at the same time not be in the least concern that I could be infected too. You have shown me that your love for a big horse cock is more important to you than your family or your own health. I don't want to hear the word 'love' come out of your mouth again when you are around me, which isn't going to be long."

Almost screaming, "Ron, your wrong, I didn't..."

I did something I had never done before in my life. I slapped her. I slapped her so hard that she reeled back and flopped on the couch. Through her scream I shouted, "Shut your damned mouth," while I was speaking and loading one of the tapes into the player. I brought home a great movie that you need to see."

I don't know how much she was able to see, and I didn't care. I guess her continued lying was making it easier for me to complete what I had to do. "You will receive divorce papers in the next few days and I tossed the intent letter at her. As soon as you can get yourself together, get upstairs, gather what you need for overnight and than get your sorry ass out to a hotel."

"In the morning I'm taking the kids to my folks and I will be back Sunday afternoon. By the time I get back, you had better have gathered what you need for now and found some place to live. There's money in the checking account, but it won't do much. I have canceled your cards and I will take the copy of my card that you have before you leave."

"Oh Ron, the kids, I can't leave without telling them goodbye for now. And where shall I go."

"You are not going to see the kids. I only hope that they haven't been infected..." That brought a howl from her. I don't know if it was from not being able to see them or because she was frightened at the thought of infecting them.

"Cindy, At this point I don't know where you can go and I definitely don't care. (On the screen, she was riding him in the cowboy position.) Motioning to the screen, "Beautiful picture, don' you think. I can hardly wait for others to see it. Now get your slutty ass off the couch, get your stuff, and get out of here. You can come back after eight in the morning and you had better not be here when I get back Sunday evening. If you are, I'll physically throw your ass out."

"Oh, just to set things straight, I know he has been in town and you have been with him at least two, and more likely three times before Tuesday. Oh, yes, you need to know that that clumsy son-of-a-bitch that you have been fucking fell down another flight of stairs. He didn't come out as well this time and is expected to be hospitalized several weeks. Sit here and cry as long as you want to, but if you're not gone in an hour, I'll help you."

I turned, to her wails and pleading and went upstairs. I had never talked to anyone the way I had just talked to her, not even my fuck-ups in the outfit. I almost wanted to go back and apologize. Blowing my lid as I just had had provided a relief valve and by the time I reached the kitchen my stomach had almost stopped hurting. The disgust and rage were still there, but the cramps were fast disappearing. I heard the garage door open and close about forty-five minutes later.

FYI, I had the kids tested and all three of us had negative results.

* * * * * Eleven years plus * * * * *

Larry spent the last weeks of his life, in pain, and in the hospital. The night before he was to be released to a convalescence center, he had a visitor. He immediately smiled and said, "God it's good to see you. This is a pretty lonely place." Without a word the visitor came towards the bed and then he heard the sound of metal on metal and a pinging sound. Then he screamed his last words, "No! No!" The visitor took one more step, pointed a .45 cal. pistol at his head, and pulled the trigger. The aim on the first bullet was accurate and there was no need to waste a second.

Cindy stood trial and with my buddies providing background and character witness for her and describing Larry's character she was able to get a second degree manslaughter conviction in place of the 1st degree charges brought against her. She received a sentence of twenty years with possibility of parole after ten. She would have been eligible very soon.

The last two years in prison she was hospitalized as the AIDs slowly took over. One of the nagging questions I never have gotten a answer to is: How did she get the gun into the hospital and then how did she know how to use it? She was deathly afraid of guns. Of course, no one I knew had any idea how she did it.

I met and married Marlene five years ago. I can't tell you what a light she has been to my life and the kids. I also have to say thanks to Cindy. Cindy you ask?

Yes, Marlene stepped into the void created by the loss of a wife and mother. She knew the story of what had happened, and about a year after we married, she convinced me that Cindy had really drawn the short straw. She did not try to justify or defend Cindy, but she insisted that she deserved better than what she got in the end. Subsequently we visited her in prison every couple of months.

On the first trips Cindy tried to make amends and apologize for everything. With Marlene's help we were able to terminate the recriminations. We all became friends and had some wonderful meetings. In these meetings Cindy was able to help me get over the terrible feelings and subsequent nightmares that I suffered. She had set about to make the world right for all of us. The only disturbing part was that she refused to see the kids. "I want them to remember me as the mother I had been."

On our visit, about a year ago, as Cindy was really starting to suffer the effects of the dread disease, she confided. "I have only one regret about the night I shot Larry. I wish I had turned the gun on myself."

The last time we saw her was about a month ago. She was fading fast, and she knew it. She thanked us for our love and support. Her last words to us sent us both out of the prison in tears. "You two give our children all my love and take care of them. I love you all. And, please give my thanks to all your Marine buddies. They came to my defense when I needed them. I just wish I had listened to them to start with. I guess the proper thing to say now is, 'Semper Fi,' buddy."

*

Author's Note

Ron has advised me that Marlene visited Cindy regularly once or twice a week for several weeks a few months ago. Ron had not been aware of the nature of the meetings until Marlene told him after Cindy's death. In the meetings Cindy told Marlene her story. Cindy couldn't write so she let Marlene tape her story. Marlene promised Cindy not to tell about the story or use it in any way until after her death. Ron has approved the release, and Marlene will be happy to write it from Cindy's perspective t if there are enough readers indicating they would like it.

Let me know and I'll have her get started. (WTF, you don't need to reply, I already have your response on file)

BlBones