Cheating Spouse

"You found out she's cheated on you didn't you Daddy? I've known for a while and tried to keep it from you but I knew someday you'd find out. Can I live with you Daddy? " said Trina.

"What? You knew your mom was having an affair and didn't tell me? I don't understand," I said to her.

"Dad, I love you and didn't want to see you get hurt. I figured as long as you didn't find out it wouldn't hurt you." Even though she was just a kid and seven years old, she was smart.

"Are you saying you didn't tell me that you knew your mom was cheating on me because you didn't want me to get hurt? How long have you known about it?" I asked.

"I've known ever since I saw her with Uncle Joe, a few months ago. I was hoping it was a one- time thing with him but I later saw her with Warren, what's his name, the guy at the grocery store. Also she was a little too close to her friends when we went to parties. I'm sorry Daddy but I knew you would find out some day. I just wish it was later than sooner."

My God! My sweet little daughter knew her mom was having affairs but didn't tell me because she didn't want to hurt me. I didn't want to ask her but I needed to know how she found out about her mother in the first place.

Uncle Joe wasn't really an Uncle. Trina just called him that because her mother told her to out of respect.

"Sweetheart, surely your mother didn't... um, do anything in front of you?" I asked.

"No Daddy, you were on a trip and I was staying at my friend Stacy's down the street. I came home to get my bike and when I went in the garage I heard strange sounds in the house. I looked in and saw Uncle Joe on top of mommy. I knew what they were doing, so I left quietly."

"Are you sure Trina?"

"Yes, Daddy, I've heard the same noises with you and mom only you kept the door shut. I saw Uncle Joe's naked butt and it was gross. He had a tattoo on it. Mom never knew I was there and I was afraid to tell you. I knew it would hurt you."

"What about Warren? What did you see?

"I heard mom talking to him on the phone, she said his name. She told him I would be going to Grandma's later. Just before we left, I was getting my overnight bag ready when he came in. He grabbed mom and gave her a kiss. She didn't know I had seen them. She told him he had to wait till later, after I left. When I came out of the bedroom he just smiled at me and thanked mom, and left."

"When grandma dropped me off the next morning he was still there acting like he forgot to bring the milk or something. Dad, I may be young but I'm not stupid."

I wasn't sure whether to get mad or smile after her statement. I just knew it was over between Susan and me. I didn't care what the cost.

When we got home Trina would hardly talk to her mom. She would answer any question she was asked but otherwise wouldn't say anything. The next morning I took Trina to school and then went to see John, my lawyer. He did tell me that Susan was right and that our assets would be split fifty-fifty.

We did have a couple of surprises that Susan wasn't aware of. I asked John to get us a quick hearing so I could get Susan out of the house. There was no way I wanted to be in the same house with her.

I stopped by my mom's on the way home and asked her if Trina could stay with her for a few days. I told her Susan and I were getting a divorce and I didn't want Trina to be in the middle of it. Mom told me to take as long as I needed. I told her I would be by to see Trina every evening.

When I got home Susan came in and told me her demands. She wanted everything she could get plus a hefty child-support payment. She even asked for alimony. How stupid could she be? I figured she hadn't told her lawyer the whole truth.

I didn't say a word to her. I just went to bed. The next day my lawyer John told me he had arranged a hearing for custody and living arrangements for Monday. When I got home that evening Susan said, "How stupid can you be? You're going to make a fool of yourself saying I cheated on you. Yes, I received the papers at work. You don't have any proof, you asshole. You're just going to make yourself look stupid."

Again I didn't argue with her even though I would have liked to knock her on her ass. I wanted custody of Trina and if I became abusive to Susan, it wouldn't look good.

On Monday we went to a Judges chamber. I had picked up Trina from school and brought her with me. Susan had her attorney with her. John my lawyer met us there.

"What's Trina doing here?" asked Susan.

"She's part of the divorce. She should have some say in where she lives," I replied.

"That's nonsense! Kids should be with their mother," argued Susan.

"Well, I guess we'll let the Judge decide," was all I said. We all went into his chambers.

"This isn't a divorce decree but a hearing," said the Judge. "We're here to decide who gets what and lives where. If everyone agrees then it could be listed in your divorce documents. If not, then we will go by my ruling until you have a trial where all evidence will be submitted and decisions made."

The Judge asked Trina to please wait in the lobby. He would talk with her in a few minutes. She got up and quietly left the chamber.

"She seems like a very well behaved young girl," said the Judge. "Too bad you weren't able to work it out."

Susan gave me almost a smirk. "Thank you Judge, I try really hard," replied Susan. Damn she ought to have been an actress. I just sat and kept quiet choosing not to argue.

Susan's attorney handed the judge his papers asking for custody of Trina. A hundred and fifty dollars a week in child support for Trina and another hundred a week for alimony. She asked for the house and contents knowing she could only get half the value of the house.

The Judge looked over her papers and mentioned that this was a no-fault divorce state and everything gets divided in half.

It made Susan give me that smirk again figuring she would get what she wanted.

The Judge then looked at me. "Mr. Royer, you petitioned the court for this early hearing. What are your grounds for this divorce?"

"Adultery Judge, she has been having affairs behind my back. I don't want my daughter around it."

Susan yelled out. "You can't prove anything. You're pathetic! Go ahead, give the judge the photo's or phone conversations. Maybe you have a video. You don't have proof of anything. It's nothing but hearsay from you."

The Judge told Susan to calm down and looked over at me and asked if I had any such evidence?

"Sir, I have an eye witness to two events. My daughter Trina has seen her mother's infidelity."

"You liar!" yelled Susan. "Trina was never there. How can you use our daughter like this." Susan must have not realized her slip of the tongue but her attorney did. He asked Susan to calm down.

The Judge stood up. "I'm going to talk to the girl alone in the hall. I do want to see what she has to say."

After about ten minutes he came back into the chambers. "She is a very nice young girl. We had a nice talk and I believe her but I do have a few questions for Mrs. Royer."

"He told her what to say," said Susan. "I would never do anything to hurt my daughter. He made it all up."

"Mrs. Royer, your daughter mentioned an Uncle Joe. Are you acquainted with this man?" asked the Judge.

"Yes, he's a friend of the family but just a friend. I've never done anything with him," answered Susan.

"Can you tell me if there is any way your daughter would know that he has a tattoo of a skeleton and crossbones on his behind? If necessary we can subpoena him."

"Oh my God, she was never there. She couldn't have seen it. She would have told me," answered Susan.

"She told me Susan. She said she saw you and Joe when she came back for her bike. She also saw you with Warren. The reason she never told you is because you're never there. Besides what would you expect her to say?" I remarked.

The Judge made his ruling. "Mr. Royer you will have custody of your daughter Trina, but Mrs. Royer will have liberal visitation rights. The house and all its contents will be valued and divided equally."

John my lawyer spoke up. "Sir, we had a firm come in and run an inventory on the contents and their current value."

The house was worth a hundred and twenty thousand dollars but we owed seventy thousand, leaving a net value of fifty thousand. The contents were valued at thirty thousand dollars. That left us a total net worth of eighty thousand dollars. It also included our two vehicles.

"That's all?" cried Susan. "I bought that furniture and my car, myself. They are worth a lot more than that!"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Royer, no one wins in divorce."

"Mr. Royer you will get the house and contents but you will have to pay Mrs. Royer thirty thousand dollars and you each can keep your vehicle. Or we will have to auction off everything and divide the proceeds after paying the debts. I noticed that there are no savings to speak of."

"What, he gets the house? It's not fair. I bought all that furniture with my own money," spoke Susan.

"It doesn't matter who bought what in a marriage. There was no pre-nuptial agreement so everything gets split down the middle. He is offered the house because he has the daughter. She is what is most important here. Her friends and surroundings are important to her. Mr. Royer, is there any way you can get the thirty thousand dollars for Mrs. Royer's half of the estate?" asked the Judge.

"Yes Sir, I can borrow it from my parents and I'll pay them back. I'm sure the banks won't be loaning either of us any money at the present time till this divorce is final."

"Mrs. Royer, one last thing. I notice that you and Mr. Royer appear to have approximately the same income."

I was surprised to hear that!

"So, seeing you figured a hundred and fifty dollars a week would be a fair child support you will be paying it to Mr. Royer. Neither of you will receive any alimony. You will have three days to vacate the premises and you may only take your personal items."

"It's not fair! Why should I have to pay him? It's not my fault he's a wimp." I just shook my head.

The Judge spoke one last time. "If either of you want to fight this divorce and settlement that I have drawn up, you're more than welcome. Mrs. Royer, his evidence is more than enough to get custody and the division of equity will probably stand."

I walked out in the lobby and hugged Trina. I know she loved her mother and it would be hard on her, but we would make it through it all.

It's not over yet. Chapter two will explain what happened next.

Chapter Two

Susan was really pissed about the judge's settlement. She thought about fighting it but her lawyer said she didn't have much of a chance of winning. I believe what she hated the most was having to pay me a hundred and fifty dollars a week in child support. I had to admit it kind of surprised me.

My dad did loan me the money to pay off Susan. I promised I would pay him back. Each week when the courts sent me the money from Susan, I gave it to my dad. I made more than enough to live on and with Susan out of the picture, I even had a little money to save.

Life was pretty good except for being pestered by Susan. Trina told me that the weekends she spent with her mother she was questioned about me all the time.

Trina did tell me her mom apologized for what she had seen. I guess she did have a little respect for Trina or was still acting like a good mother. After the first couple of months Susan started making excuses why she couldn't take Trina. It was either working late or taking business trips.

Supposedly she became a secretary for a couple of the lawyers. There's no way she would tell me anymore than that. I figured she did some of the work on her back. I didn't care as long as she didn't do it in front of Trina.

****

One day dad called me into the office. He told me he had a surprise for me. I walked in and saw an old friend. It was Samantha. We always called her Sam.

When I was around twelve or so, Sam came to live with us as a foster child. She was fourteen at the time. Her parents were caught dealing drugs and were sent to prison. Mom and Dad were asked to auction off their house and belongings. That's when they met Sam.

She was going to live in a child care facility when Mom asked to be her foster parent. Most people foster younger kids but my parents saw something special in Sam. She stayed with us until enlisting in the service when she graduated.

I really liked her and missed her when she left for the service. She was somewhat of a tomboy and didn't take shit from anyone. I know she loved my parents just by her actions. Whenever they asked her to do something, she never gave them any lip.

There were a few guys picking on me and I saw her kick one in the gonads and hit another with a two by four. She told them if they ever picked on me again, she'd kick their ass. I will say they were two grades higher than me. I doubt if I would have stood a chance. That was probably when I found out I was a wuss.

I was fairly smart and helped Sam with her homework. To me she was like an older sister. In a sense I guess I loved her but never told her so. I hugged her when she left, I even had tears in my eyes.

She did come home on leave but I was away at college. This was the first time I had seen her in ten years. She looked good. It's hard to describe her. Long blond hair, nice figure from what I could tell, and a smile with big dimples.

She gave me a big hug. Dad said he hired her as our new receptionist. I remember him telling her years ago that if she needed anything to let him know. Now that she was out of the service she was looking for a job.

She said she had spent her early years in combat but the last few years overseas doing mostly computer and electronics work.

****

During the separation of our divorce it was so nice to see Sam's smiling face every morning. One thing I might add here is that Susan and Sam never cared for each other from the day they met. I remember Susan saying that she thought Sam was strange. She actually said she wondered if she was a dyke since she really didn't date.

How did she know if Sam dated or not? She must be having her watched or something. I did know that a couple of the divorced agents asked Sam out but she refused respectfully. She wouldn't tell anyone about her personal life.

Sam on the other hand told me that she liked studying people and she didn't think Susan was trustworthy. "Mark, I care for you. I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but don't trust her."

I didn't trust Susan. I caught word that she was still screwing around even during the separation. It really made me look bad but I had to put my best foot forward so there wasn't a chance of losing Trina.

Dad invited Trina and I over for a cookout on Saturday for a welcome home party for Sam.

When we arrived I introduced Trina to Sam. They got a long great together. Trina never left her side the whole time we were there. I guess they had both made a new friend.

It appeared that when Trina met Sam, there was an instant connection. Sam would stoop down when talking to Trina. I knew Trina like that. Halloween was coming up so Sam asked Trina what she was going to wear 'Trick or Treating'. Trina told her she probably couldn't go out this year. She said her Mom said she had to work late and wouldn't be able to take her.

For those readers who don't know what 'Trick or Treating' is, I'll try to explain. On Halloween the little kids get dressed up in costumes and go door to door to the neighbors and are given candy. It used to be that if a treat wasn't given then a prank would be played on the non giver. Nowadays, there aren't many pranks and the neighbors who want to take part leave their porch lights on.

Sam looked up at me for an explanation. "I usually pass out the candy to the neighbor kids and Susan would usually take Trina door to door. This year she said she has to work over. I guess she doesn't feel obligated do to the divorce."

I later told Sam the truth which was Susan was going to a Halloween party herself. It really pissed Sam off that a mother put herself before her daughter.

"Sam, Susan has always put herself first," I explained.

"Trina," said Sam, "would you like me to take you 'Trick or Treating'? I'll wear my uniform and go with you."

Trina couldn't have been happier. She told Sam that she was going to dress as a princess, since that was what her daddy always called her. It was just one more thing that showed me what type of person Sam was. I wondered why Susan couldn't have been as nice.

Susan would stop by the house and always have an excuse of forgetting something. I think what she was doing was checking up on me. It didn't do her any good because I was the same old wuss. When Susan found out that Sam was taking Trina out for Halloween, she was pissed.

"Trina and I deserve a life too. You go to your fucking party. Sam and I will see that Trina goes Trick or Treating."

I couldn't wait for the divorce to become final. After that I had no reason to let Susan in the house. Right now I was biding my time.

When Trina wasn't around Susan would always throw up her lovers at me. She just wouldn't let it go. I know I shouldn't have let it bother me, but it did.

On Halloween I had Trina all dressed in her princess outfit. She looked so pretty. Sam arrived in her uniform and I have to say that I never saw a better looking soldier. I gave them both a sack and they headed down the walk to get their candy. I sat on our porch and passed out candy to all the ghosts, goblins and all the other children dressed in colorful costumes.

About an hour and a half later here came my two trick or treaters with their bags full of candy. Sam said that Trina was pretty much worn out. We turned off our porch light, most kids were done by now, and Sam helped Trina with her costume.

I made us all some popcorn and poured a glass of apple cider and we decided to watch Hero's. It was a show about a group of people who had super powers. Some could read minds, others couldn't die, one woman could freeze anything, and some could even travel through time.

I mentioned to Sam that I had just got interested in the show and had been watching it with Trina. Of course Trina always falls asleep and I end up watching it myself.

It was so nice having Sam there with me. It felt like a family but Sam was just a good friend and foster sister.

Finally the day arrived and our divorce was final and life went on. I really did enjoy doing things with Trina. Right now she was my life. I should mention that right after Trina was born, I did have a DNA done. She truly was my daughter. I never told Susan I had the test done.

I do have to say that there was a bad side to my life also. I knew about Joe, Warren and Brad. I figured there were countless others but I didn't have any names. I think that was a good thing. Deep down I wanted revenge but didn't know how to go about it.

Every time I saw one of these assholes, they would snicker and laugh at me. I figured it embarrassed Trina but she never said anything. I knew I had to get some type of revenge, but how?

I saw Sam every day when I went to work. She was one of the bright spots of my days. Sam and I had become closer and closer at the office ever since the divorce was final. She was doing everything for me. It was as though she was becoming my personal secretary. She made my appointments for me and led me to a lot of walk-in customers.

One day when I brought Trina along to the office, she and Sam were talking. When I came back out of the office Trina asked me if Sam could go out and eat with us and go to the movies.

"Princess, Sam probably already has plans."

"No I don't," said Sam smiling.

"She might not like pizza and seeing a children's movie."