Castaway Ch. 02

I slid the pictures that had been given to her, by my ex-friend. There was a moment of silence, and then I broke out in some serious tears. I started really sobbing like a baby. All the anger that had been keeping me going lately seemed to run out all at once. No matter what, I really did miss my wife, and the thought of how my life was going to be now, was TRULY unbearable. I once had direction in my life, but now I was on a new path.

After a minute, I wiped my eyes and looked up at the lawyer. She looked at me with sympathy in her eyes, and then we went over my options. Basically, I could file for divorce now, but that might end up taking a long time. It all depended on my wife. If she went along with it, it could be over quickly. If she contested, or demanded counseling, or we just got a judge that decided that we should slow down, it could take months.

At the end of it, I requested that she draft up a divorce petition, and I would get back to her on whether I wanted to go through with filing it. She also told me for corporate situations like mine, I should talk to a shark named Tony McGillian. He was a snake, or so she said, but in a good way if on your side. She gave me his office's number, and I thanked her and left her office.

I sat in my car for a minute, then pulled out my phone to call Mr. McGillian. His assistant answered, and said I could come by their office at four. It was a short drive from Sandra's office, and I only waited in their lobby for a few minutes before being escorted into a short hallway. It looked like there were two other offices in this group, but I was taken to the door at the back of the hallway.

"Mr. Holmes, come in, sit down," said a tall, striking gentleman. This man was clean groomed, and dressed in Armani. He would look comfortable on the cover of GQ magazine, not in a courtroom. He hardly looked like the shark that Sandra had described. Oh, how wrong I was.

"Thank you, Mr. McGillian. I've come to see about my options for selling off my share of my business partnership."

"Partnerships tend to be tough to get out of, unless the partner agrees to either completely dissolve it, or to buy out the other partner. Have you discussed this with your partner, yet?"

"No, and I never will. As far as I am concerned, he is now dead to me. He crossed a line that he shouldn't have." I was getting some of my previously released anger back, and it felt good.

He had a very disarming smile at this point. "Ok, tell me about the business."

"It's basically a charter airline, with two planes. We charter relief supplies for FEMA, on smaller scale emergencies. We do other odds and end type flights, in between emergency efforts. I could get into the details now, but that's basically it."

"Well Mr. Holmes, to do what you are trying to do normally takes a bit of time and effort. Also, unless specifically defined in your partnership agreement, you will likely have to get his agreement to sell your interests in the business. Basically you have to agree on what assets and customers you would be selling to someone else, and any debt that you both have in the company will also need to be addressed. Not many buyers are going to want to buy into a lot of debt."

Shit, well this might not go as smoothly as I had thought. I wanted nothing more to do with Cyrus, ever again. I knew I would try to kill him, if I saw him again. There had to be another way...

"Thanks, I think I understand. So first of all, we only have the debt on the two airplanes, as we lease the hangar and offices. As for the partner agreement, if he were to get into trouble with the law, what happens to his interests in the business? Would he still retain his 50% share? I have a P.I. looking into his background for me."

"It really depends on whether he is charged with a crime or not. We will need to review your partnership agreement, but if you have an expulsion clause in it, we should be able to get a judge to rule that he is no longer legally entitled to be a partner in the business. Basically that clause would be a way to protect the business in the event that, any of the partners get into sufficient trouble that they cause the business to lose money, customers, stuff like that. In this case, we should even be able to get it done without you having to pay him for his half. What is the name of your investigator?"

"His name is Curt Simpson. As for the agreement, can I send you a copy to review?"

"Certainly. Send it over, and I will call you when I get done reviewing it. You know, if he isn't charged with anything, things could get...interesting. If he does get charged, you should be in the clear. If we have to go to blows with him in court, while it won't be pretty, I can still get you what you need. It will just take more time."

"Don't worry about that, I am pretty sure he will be in some hot water, soon."

He got a more serious look on his face, "You're not going to do anything stupid are you?" asked the lawyer. "If I think you are, it's my duty to turn you in, you know."

"OH, hell no. I'm not going to do anything. That asshole is definitely NOT worth going to jail over. I am just sure that Cyrus will fuck himself over, all by himself." I smiled smugly, just thinking of how much fun this was going to be.

He smiled as well, apparently thinking there was fresh blood in the water. With that, I stood up, and we shook hands. His assistant held the door for me, and I walked out into the sunlight, with a bit more enthusiasm than I had going in. I finally felt like I was taking some of my life back into my own hands. Now if I could just get a grasp of what the hell to do with my wife.

With that thought, the day went back to shit. The sun was out, but it didn't matter much now. What was I going to do about Caitlin? I really did love her, and aside from the last few days, our lives had been almost like a fairytale. But, the last few days had obviously highlighted some serious trust issues in our relationship. I had always thought she trusted me completely, and I her. Now, trust was an abstract concept to me.

I drove to a nearby park, and left the car in the parking lot. I walked to a park bench, and sat for a while. Looking at the water, very gentle waves moving across the water, the wind just barely making its presence known. This was one of those times, when I would really enjoy just spending eternity in a single moment. It had happened before, but right now, I just wanted to enjoy this peace. I closed my eyes. I slowly inhaled through my nose, and the scent of nearby lilacs and honeysuckle was enchanting.

I kept my eyes closed. I felt my future slipping from my grasp, and for the first time in a long time, I didn't know what the future held. Maybe that was what was bothering me more than anything else. For the longest time, I had a plan, and a dream that I was living. I KNEW. I just KNEW the path forward, and it included Caitlin and me growing old together.

Along those lines, I started to wonder. Could I forgive her? Could I get over the instant betrayal that she had gone along with? Could I forgive her enough to move on and live with her like we had before? I really wanted to. I did. The problem was that she had a chance to make this all go away, before it had even started. When my lying ass partner, decided that he wanted to play god, she could have confronted me. She could have shown me the RESPECT, the decency, to at least accuse me of cheating, before just letting that asshole put his cock in her.

About the only thing that didn't really trouble me, was the sex itself. Yes, I was pissed that she let another man fuck her, but I truly believed that I was enough for her sexually. She never complained, and in this cheating, it wasn't like she had gone searching for a bigger cock, or a new lover to make her feel special again. She did it out of revenge, albeit stupid and unnecessary.

STOP!!

I leaned my head back, against the bench, and told myself to just STOP. This was getting me nowhere. I would talk with her. I would allow her to present her case, but I was also under no illusions about my current attitude. I would not likely be able to be around her much right now, without wanting to just rage. I would call her, but only after I was able to truly calm down.

It turns out, spending about an hour sitting on a park bench, with no one bothering you, is VERY therapeutic. The warm weather, the Sun, and even the slight breeze all did their part. I finally felt an inner calm, the like of which I hadn't enjoyed in a long, long time. I was prepared to call her, so that's what I did.

She answered on the second ring. It was a very faint, "Hello? James is that you?"

I thought to myself that I could really verbally punish her, but just kept my voice an even tone. "Yes, it's me."

She immediately started crying, and it absolutely broke my heart to hear. I didn't say anything immediately, but god did love hurt. FUCK!

She sniffled, "I'm glad you called. I miss you so much..." It sounded like she had more to say, but stopped herself before she could get it all out.

I was about to start comforting her, when I gave myself pause. Why had she left me after being shot? Why had she NOT tried to stop this madness before it got to the point that it did? So many unanswered questions! Sadly, I had to say something...

"Cait...I don't even know where to begin, but I am sure we both have regrets. First, I have NEVER cheated on you, EVER! Did you even look at those pictures? That woman I was having sex with was you..."

She interrupted me yelling, "WHAT?!...NO!...oh my god...Cyrus, that ASSHOLE!" at that she broke into more sobs.

"It was from about a year ago, when we had sex out on the back patio. Someone must have snooped and taken the pictures." I had to let her know how I felt now, or I might never get the chance. "I'm sorry you were deceived, but you obviously didn't trust me enough to even come to me first, before..." I just let that thought hang. She said nothing in return, aside from her continued sobs. This was obviously not going to be easy.

Her sniffles slowed, and she eventually cleared her throat. "James, I am so utterly ashamed of myself, you have no idea. I know things between us haven't been perfect lately, but I still want to be your wife. I never stopped loving you, not even when I thought you were cheating on me...I reacted so badly because I had thought that you betrayed me..." she started sobbing again, but went on through the tears. "Oh GOD...I'm so sorry James..."

I let her calm down again, before continuing. "The second thing that really bothers me right now, is why you just left me? You knew that he had shot me, and yet you called Shawn to come get me? What did you do, run off to find Cyrus..."

"NO," she interrupted. "He wasn't important then, or now. I never want to see that asshole again."

"OK, so why did you leave me? Why didn't you stay with me, to help me out? It was only by a complete miracle that the bullet hit my Saint Christopher's medallion, hanging around my neck."

She was quiet for a minute, and then went on. "Believe it or not, I WAS worried about you, very much. After he finished...well...you know... I couldn't get the image of the hurt on your face out of my mind. God James, it was nowhere close to how I had imagined it would go. I was so mad at the time, that I wanted to get back at you, but trust me I never wanted you to get physically hurt. When you passed out, I did see that the bullet hit the medallion. I would never have left your side, if it had hit you. You have to believe me..."

"That's part of my problem right now, Caitlin, HOW CAN I trust or believe anything you say? I used to, completely and without question. Now, I'm not as sure."

Sniffle, "I know. I am telling the truth, and just hope you can believe me." She paused to blow her nose, and then went on. "After I figured out that things had gone horribly wrong, when he shot you, I went numb. I ran to your side, and the idea of life without you truly started to sink in. I remember thinking, 'How could you do this to him? Isn't he the one you love more than anything?' The last thing I heard that jackass say, was asking if I was going with him. There is no way that was going to happen. I sat with you after you passed out, and checked to see if you were bleeding. I didn't find any blood, and made that call to Shawn. I knew you wouldn't want to see me right after waking up. Hell, if it was me, I know I wouldn't. Honestly, that's what I was thinking at the time. How could you look at me, and not be mad?"

I tried to digest what she was telling me. The rational part of my brain told me that what she was saying made some sense, even if the whole event still made none at all. I just didn't have a clue as to why Cyrus would do what he did. I was still struggling with the emotional side of things though, and wasn't likely to get over that anytime soon. I sighed, a very deep and slow sigh.

"I should go. I will call you later, ok? Bye, Caitlin."

I hit the red hang up button, as I heard her saying, "I love..."

So much for making things better. I got some answers, but still not a happy situation with her right now. One thing was certain though. I was still going to get some revenge of my own. If I couldn't make things right with my wife, at least I could try to get back at the one that started this mess. I left the park, and drove to Shawn's again.

I asked him to follow me to my hangar, just in case Cyrus was near. I needn't worry, the place was empty. I ran inside, and got as much valuable paperwork as I could about our partnership, as well as financial records for the company. I didn't want him to have his hands on any of that. While there, I faxed a copy of the agreement to the lawyer, and then we left. I considered leaving a note for one of the other two that worked in the office, but decided against it. It was better to not involve them, not knowing if Cyrus was still coming to work or not. I would talk with them after Cyrus has been dealt with.

Once back at Shawn's house, I fell asleep almost right away, out of pure exhaustion. He nudged me awake at about seven, and we had a quick Top Ramen dinner, before both going to bed. I had another fitful night of sleep, dreaming about horrible things. In one nightmare, I was flying and suddenly just falling...Another, I was watching my wife get reamed by Cyrus over and over again. I remember yelling out to her, only she never heard me, or acknowledged I was even in the room.

I woke up screaming, "NOOOO!" I looked around, and saw that the sun was just cresting the horizon, through the window. I was sweating like I had run a marathon, and was nauseous enough that I ran to the bathroom before I threw up all over the couch. I made it to the toilet, where I expelled the contents of my stomach. Shawn came running in, and stood in the doorway.

"DAMN dude, you scared the shit outta me! Are you gonna be ok?"

I grabbed some toilet paper, wiped off my face, and looked up at him. "Do I LOOK OK? I'm not sure I will ever be ok again." I got up, flushed the toilet and washed my hands and face off. As I was exiting the bathroom, I apologized to Shawn. "Sorry man, I just had this horrible nightmare, and it felt so real. I couldn't take it. I still can't take this nightmare that I'm living."

"Sorry man. Anything I can do to help?"

We walked to the living room, and both sat down. "Not really sure, man. Honestly, I might need to leave town after all. If I need your help, I'll let you know though."

"OK man, fair enough. I am going back to bed...fuck this early morning shit."

With that, my friend walked back into his room and shut his door. It was still a bit early, but I was awake for the day now. I got up, brewed a pot of coffee, and took a shower. After drying off, I took a look in the mirror. I looked like the same me. Why is it that everything else seems to have changed, but I still look the same? I sure as hell didn't feel the same. At least the bruise on my chest was going away.

I went back out into the kitchen, and poured myself a cup of coffee. Sitting at the table, I drank it in silence. It was probably the first time I was not thinking about anything at all, in a VERY long time. After finishing the cup, and pouring another in a travel cup, I left my friend's apartment. It was about eight in the morning now, and I hoped that the lawyer would be at her office by now. I called, and found that she would be in at about nine. Shit, now what to do?

I decided to call Curt, and see if he had anything dug up yet. He said he had some information for me, and I asked if we could meet at his office before the end of the day. He told me to come down in about an hour, and he would share what he found.

Since I had an hour to kill, I decided to drive by my house. Nothing like forcing yourself to see the source of your pain, to remind yourself of what it is that you miss terribly. It being a weekday, she would likely already be off to work. As I got near, I saw her car in the driveway, and she was sitting on the porch. I drove slowly by, but she looked in a trance, holding a coffee mug. She just sat there, staring at the ground, as I drove off. I had been tempted to pull in and talk, but still didn't want my anger to get the best of me. I was pissed, but I would never forgive myself if I hurt her physically.

I drove through a Starbucks, getting myself a third and final cup of coffee for the day. My engine stopped as I turned off the car, sitting in the parking lot at the lawyer's office. It was about five minutes until nine, so I went in and sat down. The receptionist greeted me, and told me that Ms. Collins would be done with her current client shortly.

This office waiting room was not much different from every other waiting room on the planet. Funny how they all look the same, regardless of where. My dentist office has a fish tank, some reprinted paintings hanging on the wall, and furniture that is designed to be both durable, and 'look' like they are fancy. This office had no fish tank, but had the paintings and furniture were the same. There was a magazine rack as well. I know, the idle mind will wander, onto really boring stuff sometimes.

Five minutes later, Sandra opened her door, and said goodbye to her previous client. It was an older gentleman, looked about seventy and had a slight hunch back. I felt bad, thinking to myself, why would this nice older gent be seeing a divorce lawyer? I am sure there was a very sad story behind that, but I would likely never find out.

Sandra walked over to me, shook my hand, and led the way back to her office. I followed, and sat in the plush chair across from her desk. She took a seat, and began.

"OK, Mr. Holmes. I have the papers you requested. Have you decided what you are going to do with them?" she asked, tapping a pile of paperwork sitting in front of her.

Honesty is the best policy, well, most of the time. "Honestly no, I haven't come to a decision. I have thought a lot about things, and have given myself some choices, but am still holding out. I might be a coward, but just not ready to commit to any course of action right now."

"That's perfectly understandable, and you should absolutely think hard before making your decision. Also, it is FAR better to make an informed and calm decision, than one based on pure emotion and reaction." I nodded for her to go on. "So, as you requested, I have drawn up a petition for dissolution of marriage, based on grounds of irreconcilable differences. You chose not to file paperwork under adultery. The offered settlement amount for asset division, as well as spousal support, is pretty standard. Since the child is no longer a minor, there will be no custody to discuss or child support payments."