Cameron: How To Save Your Family

Tommy called me every few days and was throwing a lengthy list of questions at me. He emailed me lists and more lists and asked me to tell him what to do. I did it for a while and then I FaceTimed him.

We exchanged our normal pleasantries, "Hey, Shit-for-Brains, I can't keep up with all the lists?"

"Well, I need answers before I talk to a lawyer and start the process of getting this business rolling."

"What, you haven't talked to a lawyer yet."

"Here, they call them solicitors."

"Whatever, but for fucks sake, talk to one. There's a shit-ton of rules and regulations that you need to satisfy, even in Australia, to run a business these days. The most important is to start the business in a way to minimize taxes. You've heard of taxes? Right?"

I could see him laughing on my computer monitor. "So, get your ass on a flight and get here as soon as you can."

I was shocked, "What? You want me to come there?"

"Now, you're Mr. Shit-for-brains. No, I want you to come here and be the business manager and help me get this thing off the ground and make it a huge success. I want us to get rich and powerful. I want us to kick some ass and make a truckload of money. Now get here!!"

I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath. "Fuck, I didn't see that coming." Tommy was laughing some more.

"Yeah, I know, it's fucking crazy, right. But I need you, here. You're the person I trust the most, after my father and mother. So, I want you to be part of this. I want you to be a partner in this business. I want...no...I need you. Please come to Melbourne."

We talked for another two hours and then I sat at my desk with my notepad and started planning. I went through three bottles of water and a sandwich and a bunch of people at the door to my office wondering what I was doing. These were certainly not billable hours for the firm. Nope. I ignored everything going on around me as I made notes and checked things online.

At the end the day as I was getting ready to go home, I sent a text to Tommy. "Got an outline plan. Will advise when I'm on my way!"

**********

That night at home, I said nothing and did nothing to tell anyone that I was taking some time off and going to Melbourne for a month.

Britt was her normal self and we talked about all the things that we talk about at supper and after. I helped out with homework and got the kids ready for bed. I made lunches for the next day for them and me. I picked-up around the house and put a load of laundry in the machine and turned on the dishwasher. All so very normal.

The next day at work, I called my lawyer and made an appointment to talk to her. I told her my plan and what I needed her to do. I went to my boss and arranged an unpaid leave-of-absence. It was for sixty days. I wasn't sure that I would need all sixty but that is what we agreed on. The look on his face said 'there's an awful lot you're not telling me.' But really, he had no choice. It was either give me the time away or lose me now altogether.

Next, I pulled out my passport and made sure that it was good for six months past the date that I figured I would need to come back to Albany.

The next day I contacted Katrin Johnson and asked her to come and see me. We talked and I asked that she keep an eye on Britt's activities. I wanted to know what was going on while I was away. She was going to give me weekly email reports. I wanted to make sure that my absence didn't become license for Britt to invite her boyfriend to our home. If that happened, my default was an immediate divorce. Katrin was going to send the weekly reports to Leeann, as well, and if shit happened, the divorce papers would get delivered.

**********

Three days later

I got home from work and started supper. I was getting a pot of spaghetti with meat sauce going when Britt came through the door. She came in with her briefcase and phone in her hand and gave me a quick 'hello.'

The kids were at the dining room table doing homework and getting ready for the evening's activities. Laura had soccer practice and Diane had Girl Guides. Davey was foot-loose and fancy-free so that meant he was my able assistant to help carry our folding chairs and water bottles at the sports field.

After we all got home, I noticed that Britt was still at her laptop sorting out paperwork and emails. I got the kids fixed up with a snack before bed and then dispatched them to get showered, into pajamas, brush teeth and then they could read before lights out.

I went to the refrigerator and found a bottle of wine and got two glasses. Britt was in the den and could see me out of the corner of her eye. The look on her face was telling. I opened the wine and poured some in each of the glasses and went with one and passed it to her.

I took my glass and sat at the table. "Britt, we need to talk."

Her head snapped around and she almost dropped the glass of wine. "What...what...what do you want to talk about sweetheart?"

It was time to be blunt, "I'm going to Australia, next week, for a month. But before I go, I need to talk to you about a few things."

Britt took a huge gulp of her wine. "Un huh," she said very nervously.

"Yup, I need to tell you a few things that impact all of us."

I took a drink of my wine. I could see Britt's hands shake just a bit.

"I've been to see a lawyer. I've had her prepare some documents that are important, for us, before I leave."

At this point Britt had a deer-in-the-headlights stare that told me she realized that she had been discovered and I was dropping the divorce paperwork in her lap.

"I've asked the lawyer to prepare some Powers-of-Attorney and I've updated my Will. Not that I expect anything bad to happen to me, but the planner in me says that it is better to be prepared, than not be prepared."

Britt put her wine glass down and stood up, "I'll be right back." She ran off towards our bedroom and in a minute, I heard the toilet flush. Now, I figured that she would be pissed at me for dropping on her that I was going to Australia without talking to her about it beforehand. But, no. I think that Britt was very happy that she wasn't being told that I knew about her boyfriend. Her nervous bladder ruled right then and she had to relieve the pressure.

When she came back, she was smoothing down her skirt and then realized what I had said to her. "Cam, why are you going to Australia?"

"I figured you would like to know. Tommy asked me to come there to help him get his new business started. He's a great architect but needs help with the business side of things. He asked me and I told him I would do it. I've gotten an unpaid leave-of-absence from the firm for the time that I'm away. I'm going to talk to the kids tomorrow, but tonight I wanted to tell you so that you can make plans."

"This is all kind of sudden, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is. But I'm sure that you'll be fine for the time I'm away. Hell, military families put up with much longer absences all the time and get by just fine. You're very resourceful and a good mother and I know that the month will be no problem for you."

"My work is very busy right now; couldn't you delay this for a while. To give me...us...time to make arrangements for...things that need to be...done."

I wasn't about to back off. "I've already booked my flight."

I could see her mind running at a mile a minute. I kept going, "Besides, I know that you can move your schedule around a bit if needed. Hell, you do it all the time." I shrugged my shoulders and held my hands up to say 'what's the problem?'

"Anyway, when I get back, I know that it will be good. We'll make up for the lost time. I'll take us all away for a vacation in the camper."

I finished off my wine and put the glass down and got up and went to the garage. I didn't want to answer any more questions.

**********

Britt (right after Cam left the room)

Oh, my fuck. When Cam said 'we need to talk,' I was certain that he was going to tell me that he knew all about Dean. I almost pee'd myself. It took a lot of self-control to remain calm and not give him any indication of my guilt. Eventually I had to go the bathroom and then I realized that because I was so happy that he wasn't handing me divorce documents, I hadn't reacted to his announcement about going to Australia, the way that I might normally be expected. It was like I said 'great Honey, have a great time in Australia!'

In a way I could have kissed him, not having him tell me that he knew I was cheating on him with Dean. I realized that I'd dodged a big bullet right then.

I would have to talk to Dean and cool it with him for a while. Oh, my underarms are wet. I need to go have a shower and think. When Cam comes to bed, I'm going to rock his world and let him know that he's my husband and show him how I care for him.

**********

Cam

The flight to Melbourne seemed to take fucking forever! It was about thirty-six hours from the time that I left Albany until I landed in Melbourne. Every muscle ached from all the sitting. I tried staying away from alcohol for part of the trip and then gave up on that strategy and drank a few beers trying to relax. Eventually I got to sleep but only to be woken up by the cabin crew telling me that they had food for me. Oh well.

I was greeted by sunshine and warm temperatures and a grinning Tommy Marsh.

"Crikey, you're finally here mate. Thank fuck!" He grabbed me in bearhug and I thought he was going to kiss me. "Come on, let's get your suitcase and then we'll go to my place and then we'll get a bunch of beer and some food. Tomorrow, we get to work."

I was speechless and dead-tired but really happy to see Tommy. We got to his car, an SUV I suppose, it's a Toyota Landcruiser. Not the kind we get in the U.S. This one is called the Workmate. It's diesel and very basic inside. It's got a manual transmission and when I went to get in it, I quickly discovered that the steering wheel in on the right side of the car. You drive on the left in Australia. This was going to take a bit of getting used to.

Side note: Melbourne is huge city. It's over five million people and well spread out. It's a very modern and clean city and has the largest tram system in the world. Melbourne is very multi-cultural and is a top tourist destination for the world. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria state and an important seaport for the nation.

The weather here is backwards. I mean, January is the hottest time of the year and July is the cool season. I suppose it has something to do with being so far south of the equator. No matter, I was enjoying the warmth as Tommy zipped along to his house. We got to his place, a nice house in the burbs. It had a tall fence all around it. I noticed that most of the houses all had fences. When I inquired why, Tommy said that the Aussies were very much aware of their spaces and not wanting to be intruded upon. Good fences make good neighbors. When I asked if the people were actually as friendly as I had been told they were, he said that they were really nice. Maybe it was the fences that made then that way. I would learn lots about Australians in the coming month.

We dropped off my things and I got the ten-cent tour of his house. It was a modest, but very modern, two-bedroom and two-bathroom place. I was going to be staying with Tommy for the entire time that I was going to be in Melbourne.

We went back out to a restaurant that was very busy but had great food and beer. I tried Foster's Lager for the first time and I liked it. The steak and French fries were washed down by a couple more of other types of beers and it wasn't long before I was ready to call it a night.

Tommy could see that I was fading fast and he drove us back to his house and I went to bed. I know, I should have called home and talked to the kids and Britt but it was late at night there and my eyes were ready to shut.

**********

The next morning, I was up and in search of a cup of coffee when Tommy greeted me with his normal enthusiasm. He didn't used to be a morning person, but clearly that had changed. He was pumped-up and ready to get going.

"Coffee, Tommy, first I need coffee. Then I need to call home and then we can get to work." So, that's what I did. I called Britt and the kids. The kids were excited to hear about the trip and I told them some of the interesting parts, like spending several hours over the ocean, and stopping three times to change planes. We talked about what they had done since I left home three days ago and what they were doing for the next day, or so.

When they were done, I talked with Britt for a few minutes and I gave her Tommy's cellphone number just in case she needed to call me and for whatever reason couldn't reach me. Tommy recommended that I get a SIM card for an Australian cell company. I got one from Southern Phone and put it in my iPhone. I texted the number to Britt. It was a lot cheaper to do that rather than use my Verizon SIM card and run up a big bill.

Tommy and I got to work. We spent long days working through all of the plans that needed to be put in place to start the business going. We filed all the business permits and looked at possible warehouses for a location. We got leases for trucks in place and sourced trailers for all the equipment that the tradespeople need to carry to job sites. We found tool suppliers and put in orders for office equipment. Tommy needed a person to work as an administrative person, doing all the many miscellaneous jobs that need to be done in an office.

We interviewed carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons and a mechanic. We worked without a break for over a week. I was checking my email from home every other day and was getting stuff from the kids, pictures and funny things that they wanted to share with me. Britt was also telling me what was happening around the house and neighborhood. All good.

And then I got the first report form Katrin Johnson. Katrin got right to the heart of the matter -- Britt was still seeing her boyfriend once a week, during the day. That hadn't changed. Katrin had been able to monitor my house and told me that the boyfriend had not been to my house. That was good. I had hoped that Britt would end things with him; but she hadn't. I'd hoped that the extra attention that I was showing her in the bedroom and out of the bedroom would be the thing to make her stop. But it didn't.

I sat at my laptop for a long time just staring at the screen, thinking about what I knew I had to do. It always came back to the same issue -- my children. I would not give them up just because their mother wanted to have sex with another man. That wasn't going to happen.

I let out a giant breath and got back to work. There was no point obsessing about it from halfway around the planet. Fifteen thousand miles of space didn't make the problem go away.

The next week we carried on getting things in place; we spent a small fortune in business money. Not my money. We got the warehouse opened up and set up an office in it. I unpackaged tools and assembled shelving. Tommy and I shuttled three trucks and trailers and a shit-ton of other things back to the warehouse. We got a security system installed so that the equipment didn't grow legs and run off at night.

Tommy was constantly on the phone with his first new customers and we actually saw the first of the teams drive out the door to go to a jobsite. That was a thrilling sight. We took photos and sent them to Tommy's family and the investors; a 'proof of life' kind of thing.

I started driving not long after I got to Melbourne. It's scarry as shit the first time that you go out on the roads. I kept telling myself 'Stay to the left, Stay to the left.' The roundabouts are the really scarry part. My instincts were to approach it on the right but I managed to slowly get through on the correct side, without mangling Tommy's Land Cruiser, and only a couple of beeps of the horn at me.

The second report from Katrin was two weeks after the first report. Britt was seeing her boyfriend twice a week. As well, they had actually gone out together. It was to a place outside Albany, and when I read the name and location, I realized it was a place where Britt was confident that she wouldn't be seen by anyone that she knew. Britt must have gotten a sitter to stay with the kids.

Katrin had followed her and saw her and the guy holding hands as they went into the restaurant and when they came out. She sent me a photo. It was the first time that I had seen what this guy looked like. He was actually not that different from me. About the same height and hair color, and the same overall build, from what I could see in the photo. What I saw was my wife holding hands with another man.

It was time to do something that I knew had to be done. I emailed Leeann.

**********

Tommy and I were very happy with all the work that we had done to get his business up and running. It was time for me to get back to Albany. I had a very difficult problem there to deal with. Leeann had emailed to tell me that things were ready for me when I got home.

The flight back to Albany was just as tortuous as the flight to Australia. When I got the airport, Britt and the kids were there to greet me. I hugged the kids and then gave Britt a quick kiss on her cheek. My bag was stowed in the trunk of the car and we went home. There was non-stop talking from the kids all the way home and it just kept going when we got in the house.

I took a couple of days off to recover from the month in Melbourne and the trip home. But I did schedule a meeting with Katrin first and then Leeann. Katrin had been sending her reports to Leeann, but I wanted to see what she had firsthand before I saw Leeann.

What I saw was the woman that is the mother of my three children being intimate with another man. I know what some of you are saying: I've put up with it for a long time and so why is this any different. For me it was two reasons: first there comes a point when enough-is-enough. I had hoped that maybe Britt would get 'it' out of her system and come back to me as her lover. But she didn't. She even increased her time with him when I was away. That screams intent. That tells me what she really wants. She wants to have the excitement of sex with him and the security of coming home to her family. If we didn't have kids, would she have just left me?

After my visit with Katrin, I went to see Leeann. She and I talked at length about my plan and what I wanted to do. She had everything ready to go and passed me a large envelope with all of the paperwork that I would need.

The next day I sold the trailer back to the RV dealer where I purchased it. They gave me a fair price and I was happy with the deal. A couple of days later I had a call from the trailer sales guy to ask if I had sold my truck yet. I hadn't, so he told me that he had sold the trailer to a retired couple that wanted to do some travelling and wanted room for their grandkids. With my permission, he gave my phone number to the couple. When they called, I made arrangements for them to come and look at the truck and drive it. They loved it and made me a really good offer. We made a handshake agreement and the next day all the paperwork was done and a check tucked away in my briefcase.

I was busy winding up my work for the firm and getting ready to make the move to Melbourne. I had a few more critical things to do.

**********

The nightly routine was pretty much the same as always. I got the kids to bed and Britt had her face in her laptop and cell phone. I went to the refrigerator and got out some wine and poured two glasses. I walked into the den and put one of the glasses in front of her. I sat down on the sofa, "Britt, we have to talk."

She took a small sip of her wine and looked at me. My face gave it away, I know. I had my serious expression. "Who's Dean Billings?"