Change of Rules Pt. 02

The rest of the workweek was rough. Bob finally fired the idiot replacement and was contacting Alvin several times for his opinion on things. His supervisor, Quinton, agreed that it would be best that Alvin go back and straighten things out the following week so he could then focus solely on his current duties. However, that would put him even further behind at his current position. Alvin found himself being short-tempered more than he'd ever been in a work environment.

The stupid thing, part of why Alvin was getting frustrated so easily was that fucking list. He couldn't stop thinking about Morgan and didn't like it. He'd been with her almost all his adult life, so of course it would be hard to just forget her. That was the whole reason of leaving his old life behind and moving to Timmins. The other thing that still bugged him was learning from Mark that Lana and Kirsty's marriages were still intact. It made no sense to him, and part of him was jealous that those women got to keep their men after doing much worse.

All those thoughts continued to plague Alvin a week later, on the drive back to his hometown. He already made plans to meet Mark and Grant for darts around eight that night. To unwind from the drive, Alvin decided to check in to his hotel and have a quiet early supper alone first. However, after getting to his room, Alvin had second thoughts and instead went through his contact list and dialed a number.

"Hello?" answered a male voice.

"Hey, Roger, it's Alvin."

"Wow, it's been a while. Never expected to hear from you. I heard you left town."

"Yeah, I'm just back till Friday for work." Alvin took a breath. "Look, I know it's short notice, but do you have time to meet somewhere -- shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Yeah, of course. I can take off from here a little early. Where do you want to meet?"

Alvin looked out the window and saw an all-day breakfast place that didn't look too busy. He told Roger the name and address.

"Okay, I should be able to get there in fifteen minutes, Bye."

While waiting for Roger, Alvin ordered fries and gravy -- the only really non-breakfast item on the menu. He was half done his plate and on his second cup of coffee when Roger walked in, looking a little grim.

Where Alvin and Morgan were right about the same age, meeting at a party right after high school, Lana was about three years younger than them, and Roger was ten years older than any of them. They met the couple when Lana was well into her twenties and had two children, one a little younger than Kevin and one about seven years old. Alvin liked Roger, but never felt connected to the older man like a friend. Roger was more serious and never drank after going through alcohol abuse problems in his late teens. He also was probably the only person who socially always called Alvin, Alvin.

"Alvin, you're looking good," Roger said as he approach in his expensive suit. Roger worked as a bank manager.

"You too, Roger," Alvin said and sighed loudly, "Look, I appreciate you coming here. This is probably awkward."

"You want to talk about Morgan after that trip," Roger said in his usual almost Vulcan tone, "It's understandable considering what happened."

"No, not exactly," Alvin said, "I think I know all I want to know about that weekend. Sorry if this is too personal, but I want to know about you and Lana. I heard how you found out, but not really how it all played out except that you're both still together."

Roger crossed his hands together and shook his head. "Okay, wasn't expecting that. I guess I've heard all your dirty laundry secondhand through Lana over the years. Fair is fair. I'm sure you heard Lana confessed to messing around with some guy on that trip, but made it seem relatively minor. She was acting funny and seemed to be in some discomfort at times. The following day, I discovered she was bleeding from you-know-where. I was worried, my mother died of colon cancer. I was going to practically drag her to the clinic when she confessed to me what she really did -- and what all the girls did."

Roger paused to order a coffee before continuing. "I was in shock, anger, sad, numb. I think I yelled a bit, went out for a smoke and talked with my neighbor and then went back in and yelled some more."

"But you then decided to forgive her?" Alvin said.

Roger laughed. "Are you kidding? I packed a suitcase and left her and the kids. Booked a room at a motel connected to a bar and went and got stinking drunk for the first time in almost twenty years. Apparently, I got into an argument with the bartender when he wanted to cut me off for last call and ended up in the drunk tank. No charges or anything, but definitely not a nice feeling. A friend picked me up and drove me back to the motel and that night, I made sure to get a bottle to go before last call. Seven days I was off the wagon and lucky that I was smart enough to book the week off and not go driving anywhere."

"Shit, I'm sorry."

Roger frowned and waved his hand dismissively. "You had your way of dealing with it, I had mine. I didn't talk to Lana or my kids for probably three weeks. The thing about being an addict, it isn't easy to turn off the faucet once it's on. Got myself some help and took steps to be sober again. That included one week in a rehab facility.

"Well, when you're alone in a small room with your thoughts, it can be easier to put things into perspective. Yes, Lana had sex with another man and lied about it. However, I know better than anyone that people make choices drunk they'd never do sober. That night not only was she drunk, but stoned for the first time in her life. I know Lana and there's no way she'd ever do anything remotely like that again. I could also tell how ashamed and sorry for her actions she was -- the look on her face... I decided I loved her enough to give her a chance, so I reached out to her while in rehab and did just that."

Roger frowned slightly. "Look, I'm not judging you for your decision so I hope you're not doing the same for me. I'm not some perv getting off on his wife cheating. I damn well made her work to earn my trust back -- and she's still doing it. She knows I have very clear expectations of her behavior, which includes never being around that Kirsty whore ever again. I got her to sign a post-nup agreement that has clear consequences if she ever strays again -- which I know she won't. Plus there's this."

Roger reached into jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

Alvin reached for it, but Roger just put it back into his pocket.

"That, Alvin, is my hall pass. Another condition of me working things out that was a deal breaker for me. It expires in ten years, but anytime before then I can have a full evening of sex with another woman or women with Lana's blessing. The only condition is I must wear protection and keep it discreet." Roger smiled and patted his pocket. "The thing is, I'll never use it."

Alvin blinked. "Then why did you insist on it?"

"Because I want Lana to have a taste of what I've gone through. Yes, I know I said I truly believe it was a one-time thing that never will happen again. However, from time to time, I do worry and it's awful. I promised to let her know after I've used the pass, but not give her details. So, for the next ten years part of her will have that worry. And, I have to admit I needed to feel like I had some control back."

Alvin paused for a moment and then asked, "So, are things really going well? Are you happy you took her back?"

Roger smiled and shrugged. "I'm definitely happy we're still a family. Lana's been going all out to make things up to me in and out of the bedroom. But, I can't say we don't have bad days. Knowing what another man did with your wife is hard to forget. Shit, some days I still debate on hiring an investigator to track that asshole down and give him five-finger justice."

Alvin frowned slightly. "Well, it seems Lana has really worked to earn your forgiveness." He nearly added 'unlike Morgan.'

Roger shrugged. "Well, first I needed to give her a chance -- and that was hard. Speaking of my family, I should be getting home to them."

"Wait, one more thing," Alvin said. "Look, I'm sure Lana and Morgan are still as close as ever. Do you know if she's been seeing anyone since I left? I'm just curious, I'm not going to judge her if she has."

Roger looked at Alvin like he'd said the stupidest thing ever. "Alvin, Morgan has been a wreck. She quit her job, hardly leaves her apartment other than to go jogging or get groceries. Lana hasn't even visited her in over five months because she hardly returns her calls or texts. She had to resort to contacting mutual friends to check on how Morgan is really doing. If I were you, I'd be more worried about her mental health than her love life. Again, I understand you having your reasons to not have any contact with her, but maybe make sure your son is aware of there could be problems."

Roger excused himself and left, while Alvin stared at his coffee. He was so sure what he'd done was the right thing. He left his wife out of principle, not just for infidelity, but not being able to trust her. Alvin picked up his phone and called Mark.

Mark answered in a cheery voice. "Hey Al, we still on for darts? I told Grant around nine."

"Maybe," Alvin said, "Mark, please be completely honest with me. If Betty did the exact thing Morgan did, what would you have done?"

"This again? Well, for one, Betty's not Morgan. If the guys got her that drunk and stoned to the point she was willing to suck them off butt-ass naked, there's no question she would've willingly fucked at least one guy -- probably all of them. There's no way I could forgive her getting gangbanged."

"Mark, I'm serious," snapped Alvin.

"I am being serious. Morgan had more willpower than the other women, which I think you failed to appreciate. What do you think would've happened if she didn't chase all the guys out of the room?" Mark said sounding sincere. "So, if Betty got fucked up and messed around to the same level Morgan did, I'd be majorly pissed. Some things might be broken in our house. However, once I cooled off, because it was a one-time thing and she'd never done anything remotely like that before, I'd probably make an attempt to work things out. Not saying it would work, but I would try."

"Mark, she had me convinced it was only a grope after I nearly fucked her friend. I was practically groveling for forgiveness while she ignored me giving me a cold shoulder knowing full well what she did was worse. That was a slap in the fucking face."

Mark sighed. "I can't disagree. However, was she ignoring you because of what you did, or because she now knew how you'd feel once you knew the truth? Morgan's always had a pretty soft heart when it comes to other people's pain."

Alvin lowered his head. "So you think I should just take her back?"

"Fuck no! After what she did?" Mark exclaimed.

"Isn't that what you said you'd do?"

There was some funny breathing through the phone and then Mark continued, "Look, Wade, the husband of that Kirsty chick, the word is he just forgave her right away -- and that's even knowing about what you two did. Sorry, it isn't exactly a secret. The guy's a joke to a lot of people, snickering behind his back. Apparently, that weekend wasn't even the first time. Not to mention, there's plenty of rumors his wife is still cheating on him with different guys. Whereas Roger, Lana's husband..."

"I talked to Roger, I know what he did," Alvin interrupted.

"So, you see the difference? Lana had to work to get Roger to take her back, and probably won't mess up ever again. All he did was give her the option to do that -- that's what I'm saying you should do. Besides, one thing you should be really happy about -- there was no mention of Morgan faking orgasms besides your first time on that list of lies."

"You asshole, you read it?" Alvin exclaimed, noticing the server giving him a dirty look.

"Hey, Morgan had to know if she gave Betty an unsealed letter that she wanted me to give you, both of us would be reading it first." Mark chuckled. "So, I'll tell Grant darts are off tonight, and I'll get her new number from Betty and text it to you."

"No, I have it. I just never..." Alvin started, "Why didn't you just try to talk me into talking things out with Morgan last time I was in town?"

"Because you would've flown off the handle. I hoped you'd read that list and have some time to reflect on things. As well, I was worried about how she'd react if you weren't in a calmer place. I don't even think Kevin knows how bad his mom was after you moved out of town. I didn't want to say anything before, but believe me Morgan's really hurting over this. There's been a few times Betty and I have been really concerned. I'm talking about taking her to a mental ward to prevent her from hurting herself. If you are trying to see if there is something still there between you and Morgan worth fixing, I think you should be prepared and a little patient. Don't just move back to town yet. Good luck." Mark hung up.

Alvin took a deep breath and found Morgan's new number that Kevin had shared with him for emergencies. Since the separation, both had changed their phone numbers.

He texted her: Hi Morgan. It's Alvin. I'm in town for work and would like to talk, if that's all right with you. I'll let you pick the place.

He waited five minutes and there was no reply. Debating on texting Mark that darts was back on, Alvin decided to just go back to his hotel and watch a movie. That'd been a staple of his evenings as a bachelor.

Alvin was walking through the lobby when he received a text. He was surprised to see it was from Morgan. It was simply an address, which he assumed was her apartment. He tried a few times to type a reply, but just settled for brt -- be right there.

Even though Morgan came from a small but wealthy family, Alvin had always been the primary breadwinner in the family. Yes, money from her family's estates had paid for their house and a few trips to Europe, but Morgan always worked retail jobs. He knew she still had money from when her parents died in savings, so wasn't really concerned about hearing she was unemployed since the incident. The proposed divorce settlement that fell through nine months earlier had him splitting the value of the house, but not getting any of her inheritance in lieu of him not paying her any alimony. In other words, he did not expect Morgan to be struggling with money.

That opinion changed when he pulled up to the low-income apartment building to meet Morgan. There were a couple prostitutes across the street who got excited when a BMW pulled up. Alvin felt a little leery parking his car in this neighborhood and debated on leaving and taking an uber instead. He never imagined Morgan living in such a place. He pushed the button for the apartment number she'd texted, and was immediately buzzed in. As he climbed the stairs to her floor, he heard loud music and yelling from her neighbors, and nearly gagged on the smell of urine.

He knocked on the door, almost expecting some random stranger to answer like Morgan was playing him. She was the one that opened the door, though if he just saw her quickly on the street, he might not have recognized her.

Her once long hair was cut short into a pixie cut and she was wearing her glasses instead of contacts with no make-up at all. It also looked like she put on some weight, but she looked no less beautiful to Alvin in her yoga sweats and t-shirt. She was the woman he'd loved since he was nineteen.

"Al, you're looking good. Your text caught me by surprise, but please come in," Morgan said in an anxious voice.

Alvin walked in to the modest but clean apartment. When she walked past him, he couldn't help but glance at how nice her butt looked in those sweats. The sparse furnishings were all from their old house, including the pictures hanging on the walls. They were almost all of Kevin, but there was one family picture taken by an Italian lake on their last trip to Europe. He frowned when saw how happy he was with his arm around Morgan in that white bikini that was turning heads that day. He felt so lucky then, knowing that beautiful woman who only had eyes for him. It was amazing the difference two years could make.

Morgan smiled meekly and pointed to her one couch as she went to grab a chair from the dining area. "Please, take a seat. I can grab you something to drink or eat if you want. I already had supper before you asked to meet."

Alvin looked around and blurted out before really thinking, "How can you live here?"

Morgan looked almost offended by the question. "This isn't really different from where we lived shortly after getting married. I told you back then it was good enough for me, while you finished your degree. Besides, it's only temporary. I'm currently in between jobs and... sorry, I guess that doesn't matter now."

Alvin shook his head. "But Morgan, you have your inheritance from your parents that we hardly touched and I know you got enough from the sale of the house..."

"Look, just because I'm living modestly doesn't mean I'm unhappy about it. Really, after everything else, you need to judge me and how I'm living?" Morgan snapped before jumping up and running to the bathroom and slamming the door.

Alvin was ready to get up and leave when he could hear her crying. Despite everything that had happened between them, he still worried about her. He sat back and waited for her to return.

A couple minutes later, Morgan returned with her eyes a little red. "I'm sorry, I guess you're just worrying about me. I'm just a little tired of people implying I'm too much of a snob to live here -- my sin was adultery, not pride or greed. Or maybe it was pride? I assume you read my letter. I really hope it didn't hurt you any more than I already did, because that wasn't the intent."

"What was the intent?" Alvin asked.

Morgan looked surprised at the question. "To get everything out in the open and bury the hatchet. It was so you can stop hating me and move on. I hoped that you'd know I completely agree that I wasn't the person you thought I was. I wanted you to feel some closure for making the right decision in leaving me. How I treated you that last night knowing full well how horrible I behaved... Besides an adulteress and liar, I was also being a huge hypocrite to make you feel awful about yourself when there was no need. I still can't believe I could've stoop so low."

Alvin sighed. "This wasn't all on you. I may have not lied about what I did, but I deliberately rubbed it in your face -- literally, as you mentioned. You were right, that was cruel and intentional to hurt you and though you lied several times, it was initially done in a way to spare my feelings."

"Sorry, but that was just the lie I was telling myself. The whole modified rules thing was mostly so you wouldn't be so upset and leave, it wasn't completely selfless." Morgan frowned. "Al, face it. I deserved to lose you. I knew it as soon as you walked out with your packed suitcases. Telling you the truth from the get-go would've been less painful than how you felt after how I let my stupidity, self-righteousness and anger -- more towards me than you -- take over. The fucking light bulb went on too late. I knew how much of a bitch I was to you when you definitely didn't deserve it, and I no longer deserved you. I realized that there was nothing I could do to make up for what I did, other than not fighting your decision to leave me. I agree to anything that you feel is fair. Do you have the papers here?"

"What?" Alvin's eyes narrowed.

"Aren't you here to serve me again? After being separated for over nine months with you seeing other people, there's no way a judge will still mandate counseling if we re-file."