Consequences - Jessica

Thank you, Candace

*

His consequence staying married to her, her consequence being without the man she loves.

New York

Ted's parent died when he was ten years old. Since then he lived at his uncle's place. In High School he befriended Jessica and soon both became inseparable. After high school he went to a trading school to become a mechanical technician and Jess went to college to study Business Admin.

On her graduation day, Ted proposed Jess and she readily accepted. Ted was already working in the manufacturing industry. That evening Ted invited his sweetheart to dinner to celebrate their future together.

"Ted, you know you are and will be my only love," Jess said while sipping her wine. "And I want to be Mrs. Ted Wilson, be with you and grow old together."

"Tell me what's in your mind Jess, I know you very well. Something is bothering you." Ted took her hand in his.

"It's that we'll have to wait for the wedding. May be four to five years."

"Why? Is there a problem?" asked a confused Ted.

"I want to continue with my studies, Ted. I don't want to stop with an under graduate degree. I'm still young, the sooner I do it, the better it is."

"One thing that I appreciate with you is that you are ambitious. If you want to continue your studies, I have nothing against it. I'll encourage you. You know that I always respect your decisions."

"Thank you, Ted, I knew you would understand." Jess rose from her seat and kissed Ted.

"And in which field do you intend to master?" Ted asked.

"Law, I want to become a lawyer."

"Good! You'll be a great one, I know it." Ted raised his glass.

"There's lot of hard work, lots to learn and lots of sleepless nights."

"You'll succeed, I'll be by your side, honey."

"Thank you for your encouragement and support. I love you Ted." Jess inhaled deeply. "And there is also lots of money involved. I already took a student loan for my under graduate program as you know. I will have to work and study at the same time. Life won't be easy."

"Life won't be easy when you're alone." Ted stroked her cheek. "I have a suggestion."

"What is it?" Jess frowned.

"Why don't we get married right away?" Ted held both of her hands. "I'll work, you don't need to. I'll look after you. I'll give you your space; I won't interfere in your studies. Whenever you want to be alone with your books, you just need to let me know. You know I'm a patient guy, don't you?"

"But Ted, you'll be under lots of stress. You'll have to work for both of us. You'll feel neglected. I don't want you to get tired of me."

"Never!" Ted almost shouted. He then lowered his voice. "I'll never get tired of you, Jess."

Tears ran down Jess' cheeks. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me."

Two months after passing her Law School Admission Test, Ted and Jess got married in a small ceremony. Only a few close friends and family were invited. Ted rented a cheap two-room apartment a few miles from Columbia Law School. He got some old furniture from friends and relatives. His old pick up van was of great use. The second room was transformed into a study room with a couch. He also bought a bike for Jess. It would be easier and cheaper for her to commute. Only in winter during bad weather conditions would she take the bus.

Ted took a second job as an evening attendant in a gas station. He started early in the morning and when he arrived in the afternoon after his first job, Jess was never at home. She would be either attending the afternoon courses or be at the library doing some research. He would cook for both of them and then drove to the gas station where he would work till 11.00 p.m. It took him half an hour to drive home. Jess would be already sleeping or in the study room with her books. He would eat alone and then go to bed exhausted. It was only during the weekends that the couple would spend time together, only if Jess didn't have any project to submit or if she didn't have any group study with some other students.

When Jess' second year of law school started she was working a couple of hours per week with supervising attorneys and she participated in weekly seminars. As she opted for criminal law, she was spending most of her free afternoons and evenings at the police station attending and observing interrogations behind the one-way mirrors. During the break she worked part time at the law firm Sullivan & Gumbold. As time went by, the couple would hardly spend any time together. Both knew that they were either working or studying hard for their future. True to his word, Ted never interfered in Jess' studies. He was indeed very patient.

After passing the bar examinations, Jess got a proposition from Sullivan & Gumbold as a young associate. The couple celebrated by taking a week off to visit Florida. It was the best moment of their life together since getting married. Ted bought her a silver bracelet with "J" as letter charm. After their return home, Jess encouraged her husband to drop the second job and soon afterwards Ted was promoted to supervisor. Life at the law firm was not what they expected. She had to put in lots of hours. If she was not working late, she would bring some files home to work on them. Just like when she was a student, after dinner she would lock herself in the study room till late. During the weekends they would fuck like rabbits.

One year later they decided to buy a house in the suburbs and it was easy for them to get a mortgage. During their first dinner in their new home, Ted suggested that it was time to start a family.

"Honey, I know what a family means to you, to us, but we will have to wait." Jess caught Ted by surprise.

"Oh! And why?"

"Darling, I have the intention one day to become a partner in the firm. I have already talked to William Sullivan." Jess looked at Ted straight in the eyes, waiting for his response. He turned and looked at the wall, thinking. Then he sipped his wine and didn't utter a word.

"I will have to get my LLM." Jess held Ted's hand.

"Are you going back to school?" Ted asked while stroking her bracelet.

"It will be school and work at the same time. The firm is financing my studies and in return I will have to work for them for a minimum of ten years."

"Ok, do what you see best. I'm here to support you." There was a sort of sadness in Ted's answer.

Jess jumped up and hugged her husband. "I know you'll support me. I love you Ted. I promise you after this course we'll start our family. I will make you a proud father."

They kissed. Ted carried Jess in his arms to their new bedroom where they made passionate love.

Two months later, Jess started with her LLM courses. Soon afterwards Ted and Jess became like two strangers living in the same house. She would either come home late or stay in the study room till late and most of the time she would sleep there on a couch. Weekends she would spend with her books or at the library doing some research. The couple hardly had any conversations. They hardly saw each other. They had sex once in a while and it would be a quickie. Ted would cook only for himself. She would eat out most of the time, or if she was home, she would cook something for herself. He was patient, as he has always been.

On their wedding anniversary Jess was working late. Ted decided to surprise his wife and bring some Chinese take out to her office and both could enjoy a dinner together celebrating that unforgettable day. As Ted was walking towards the entrance of the building, a guy on his cellphone, dressed in white shirt and black pant, just moved in front of him and walked in fast through the automatic door.

"He's in a hurry," Ted thought.

When Ted arrived at the elevator, the guy was waiting for the lift and still on his phone. Ted stood behind him.

"Yes lover, yesterday it was too quick. I got only a blow job from you. Today I'm taking my forty-five minutes free time to fuck your brains out."

Ted smiled. "Someone is going to have a good time," he thought.

"I will bend you over your office desk and pound you, baby. You'll like it and will ask for more."

"They will do it in an office, like in porn film." Ted told himself.

The elevator door opened and both men walked in. The guy quickly pressed the tenth-floor button. Ted stood at the back; he was going to the same floor.

"I'm in the elevator right now, will be at your door in seconds." The guy was excited.

"There are only two offices on the tenth floor. Sullivan & Gumbold on the right and a marketing company on the left." Ted's mind was racing.

The door opened and the guy turned right. Ted stood there, shocked, not knowing what to do. The door was going to shut and Ted had just enough time to jump outside and turned left. He knelt down making as if he was tying his shoe lace. He turned his face to spy on the guy. He stopped and knocked at the law firm door. It opened and Ted could see a woman's left hand coming out, grabbed the guy's shirt and pulled him inside. The door closed behind them.

Ted sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall. Tears ran down his face. He cried. He had recognized the bracelet with the letter "J". He thought about himself, his life, his marriage, his sacrifices. He tried to find out where he went wrong, what mistakes he did in his marital life, what the other guy had that he hadn't, was he a man enough to satisfy his wife. He then stood up, took the food and walked to the elevator.

On her drive back home, Jess stopped by a Starbuck and parked her car. She was feeling guilty. "Why did I do that? Why did I cheat on Ted? He is the best husband a woman could wish for." She placed her head on the steering wheel and cried. She remembered, the day before, she went to have dinner in the restaurant next to her office building. She had not had sex with Ted since a long time and she was a bit horny. She found the waiter very attractive and made a stupid mistake. She invited him to her office. He didn't have much time and she gave him a blowjob and took his phone number. After he left, she masturbated. "It's only a blow job." She kept telling herself.

Today at the office, the whole day her mind was on that guy. Ted had called her to see if she would be coming home early, she could feel from his voice that he was a bit sad when she told him she would be working till late. The night before, she went to sleep on the couch in the study room. She could not face Ted. And in the morning, she didn't see him, because he had left early. But he had already prepared her breakfast.

She made a second mistake; she called the guy and invited him to her office again. When he was at the doorstep, she pulled him inside. They started kissing and fondling. He swiftly removed her blouse and bra. He started sucking on her tits. His hand went under her skirt and moved up to her panties. Jess closed her eyes and let herself drift away in the ecstasy of sexual pleasure.

"You should remember this day lover," the guy said in between her tits. "Today I will make you scream with pleasure." He inserted a finger in her pussy. "Mark this day on your calendar, baby."

Jess opened her eyes with fear. She pushed the guy away and looked for her bra.

"What's the matter, baby?" The guy asked, a bit surprised.

"You should go now, I forgot that I have dinner with my husband." Jess rushed to her desk and took her phone. She pressed on speed dial while putting on her blouse.

"You can at least give me a blow job like yesterday."

"I'll call you tomorrow, leave now." Jess ordered him.

"But ..." The guy didn't have time to finish his sentence as Jess walked to the door and opened it with the phone still at her ear.

The guy just shook his head and walked to the door. Jess put a finger to her lips for him to stay quiet.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he whispered. Jess nodded and closed the door behind him.

"Please pick up the phone Ted," Jess said to herself. It went to voice mail. "I'm sorry Ted, I forgot completely about our wedding anniversary. I'm coming home now and we'll go out for dinner. Please wait for me. I love you." Jess left a message with a trembling voice.

Jess dried her tears and put the engine on. All the way home she cursed herself. She parked her car in the garage. Ted's van was not there.

"He has not arrived yet," Jess told herself. "I have time to take a shower and clean myself. Clean myself of all those stupidities." She walked into the house. "I'll be the best wife in the world. I will never let my pussy think for me anymore. I will give him the child he had been looking for, we'll start a family even if I have to drop out of the LLM. I will stop working till late, I will be a responsible mom."

Jess walked up the stairs to her room. "I will need to live with my cheating till I die. I will see a shrink to get all these feelings out of me. I will be a good wife. I love Ted and will never hurt him. I will give him everything that I can. He will have me anytime he wants. Tonight, we won't make love, we will fuck. I will let him know that I'm coming off the pill. This will be my anniversary gift."

She walked directly to the bathroom, got naked and went under the running water. Later while drying her hair, she noticed that Ted's personal things were missing. She checked everywhere in the bathroom but could not find them. She wrapped a towel around her and ran to the closet. His side was empty.

"Oh no!" She cried. She ran downstairs and found a piece of paper on the kitchen countertop. On the paper was Ted's wedding ring. "Please don't do this, Ted." Jess was in tears and took the paper with a trembling hand.

"Happy Anniversary. Next time bring your lover home. Instead of your office desk, you can use our marital bed." Jess read the words and fell down unconscious.

Jess woke up in the middle of the night. She immediately called Ted. He didn't pick up. She left a message, "Please Ted, come home. I made a mistake. Please come and we'll talk. I'm sorry. I love you and only you." She could not sleep that night. She only cried.

The following day Jess called William Sullivan and asked for a few days off. By her voice, her boss knew that something was not right. He agreed for one day off only as he intended to talk to her in person as soon as possible. She then called Ted's work, but was told that he called early that day to take some vacation time. The whole day she has been calling Ted and left message after message.

When she went to work, she walked directly to Sullivan's secretary and asked to see him. In his office, Jess did not hesitate to tell the whole thing. When she finished, she was in tears.

"I will close an eye on what you did in the office, even if it is against the company's rule." Sullivan looked at Jess in the eyes. "You are a good lawyer, you are very clever and you are doing a good job. For these reasons, the firm has invested in you. You have a bright future here. You made a mistake and you deserve a second chance as far as the company is concerned. To become a partner in this law firm, you should have a clean slate. A client will never trust a lawyer who has wronged somebody. I hope you understand. And now how about your husband?"

"I don't know, I really don't know. He switched off his phone."

"How did he come to know?"

"I don't know. I don't want to lose him. I made a mistake." Jess started crying again.

"Crying won't solve anything, Jessica. I advise you come to work instead of staying at home doing nothing. This will harm you more. I have a cousin working at the police department. I'll have him check all motels in the city."

'Thank you, Mr. Sullivan." Jess dried her tears.

Two days later a young man walked into the office and asked for Mrs. Wilson. The receptionist told him that Jess was in a meeting with clients and would not be free for two hours. That he could leave a message or wait for her. The young man told the receptionist that it concerned Mr. Wilson. She immediately called Mr. Sullivan. A couple of minutes later Jess and her boss ran to the reception.

"Mrs. Jessica Wilson? Are you Mrs. Jessica Wilson?"

"Yes, what happened to my husband?" Jess was trembling.

"You have been served. There is also a restraining order." He handed her a manila envelope and walked away.

Jess almost fainted. Mr. Sullivan had to hold her and have her sit down. He asked the receptionist to bring a glass of water.

Later in his office, William Sullivan went through the divorce papers. "He is claiming infidelity. He is not asking for anything. Nothing from the house. He took only the lawyer's fee from your joint saving a/c. No alimony."

"He just wants to be out of the relationship." Jess sobbed.

"Do you think he has some proof?" Sullivan asked.

"I don't think so."

"Let me show you this." Sullivan fired his laptop. "I checked the security camera in the building for the two evenings. He was here on the second one."

Jess watched the screen. She saw Ted, with a plastic bag on which was written something in Chinese, entering the building behind the waiter. The latter was on his cellphone. Next, both were waiting for the elevator. Then inside the elevator, she noticed Ted was frowning while listening to the man in front of him. Then there was the hallway. Ted was kneeling on the floor and was observing the guy entering the office. What broke her heart was when she watched Ted sitting down and cried.

"It should have been very painful for him." Sullivan shut down the screen.

"He doesn't deserve this. He was bringing dinner. It was our wedding anniversary." Tears ran down her face.

"Now, tell me. What do you want to do?"

"I want my husband back. I want to talk to him and explain. Ask for forgiveness. Do anything to earn his trust back. Anything."

"But he doesn't want to meet you."

"Can't I meet him at his lawyer's office?"

"First, we will represent you. I will personally put all my effort into your case."

"Thank you, Mr. Sullivan."

"The attorney representing him, Derek Wong, is a novice, freshly out of school."

"He looked for the cheapest one, I believe." There was sadness in Jess' voice.

"We know how to fight this young man. At the same time, he will learn a lot. And I'll see if we can get Judge O'Hara presiding this case."

"How?"

"I have some connections. This judge never settles for divorce. He is a true Christian and always sends the couples to counseling. I'll see that he gives the maximum number of sessions. You'll then have all your time to talk to your husband and convince him to come back home."

"Can we get this Derek Wong to fix a meeting in the mean time? I want to talk to Ted as soon as possible."

Sullivan took the card pinned in the divorce documents and dialed a number. "Good morning, may I speak with Mr. Derek Wong please. This is William Sullivan from Sullivan & Gumbold." He winked at Jess while waiting on the phone. "Oh hi Mr. Wong. Our firm is representing Mrs. Jessica Wilson in the case of Wilson versus Wilson. Our client would like to have a meeting with Mr. Wilson at your office and ..." He listened for a while. "Ok Mr. Wong. No problem. My client will fight this divorce case. We will meet in court. Thank you and have a nice day." He hung up.

"What happened?" Jess seemed worried.

"Your husband has already informed his attorney that there will be no meeting with you."

"Did your cousin find out where Ted is staying?"

"He is not at any motel. He inquired discreetly and he believed that your husband is staying at one of his colleagues' place. But Jessica, don't try to meet him. He has a restraining order. Don't do anything foolish which will backfire."

Jess nodded with pain.

During the following weeks it was very difficult for Jess to be without her husband. She missed him a lot. Every evening she came home to an empty house. She would always hold Ted's pillow tight against her in bed. She was just praying that the judge would recommend counseling. She would prepare herself for the meetings. She would choose her words carefully. She would speak in a soothing voice. And above all she would accept her mistake.