Costco Experience Ch. 05

I knew the pain Chad was going through then noticed that the pictures had a time stamp on them. The last one was taken at 1:45. I gave Chad a call. "Hey, Chadders," I said, that was Cynthia's pet name for him, "what time did Cynthia get home?

He paused then said, "I don't know Pops, maybe about a half an hour after I got those pictures, why?. Once I got them, I was so pissed that I began throwing all her shit in trash bags and tossed them out the front door. Her girlfriend dropped her off and she ran in wanting to know why I had thrown all her stuff out. She denied anything happening and we were yelling and I guess someone called the cops. I was trying to tell them about getting the pictures and I guess they took my actions the wrong way and arrested me. Tell me, what did you do when you found out about that guy and Vickie?"

"Chad, if the last picture was taken at 1:45 and Cynthia got home a half an hour later. It's what twenty minutes to the club downtown." He agreed. "Then obviously they didn't have time to do anything after that last picture and her getting home. As far as what I did, to tell you the truth, I just found out about him last week. I'm still processing it. I think my daughter made some very bad decisions but it doesn't appear that she has crossed the line yet. You two really need to talk. Maybe get some counseling."

"Pops," Chad said, "how do you know the last picture was taken at 1:45?" I told him to look at the time stamp. He thanked me and we said our goodbyes.

I forwarded the pictures to my daughter with the message, "Care to explain?"

Within minutes, Daughters was playing and I answered my phone. My daughter cried, "Oh my God, Daddy, I let him do that? No wonder Chad's pissed. I honestly don't remember him doing any of that stuff. I know he was buying me drinks and then things got fuzzy. I remember Belinda pulling me from the dancefloor and putting me in her car. The next thing I saw was Chadders throwing my things out the front door. God dammit Daddy, what must he think of me? He must really hate me." She was sobbing uncontrollably and my heart broke for her.

"Babycakes, I think you may have been roofied or slipped ecstasy," I said.

"I'll kill that bastard when I see him tomorrow," my daughter shouted.

"Darling, no," I cautioned her, "you need to corroborate your story with Belinda and then call the police and report him. If she can verify that you were not acting yourself, maybe and I do mean just maybe, you and Chad can work things out. For yours and the kids' sake, I sure hope so."

Then I said something I probably shouldn't have, I said to my daughter, "You really looked gorgeous in that dress but that really was something you should have saved for being with Chad. You DO realize that you're almost the same age as your mother was when she had her affair, don't you?" She didn't answer me. Then I added, "Guys like Brad should be castrated in my opinion."

"That's just the start of what I'd do to him if we can prove he drugged me. I'm calling Belinda right now. I love you Daddy. Hugs," she said before hanging up. I thought life was supposed to get easier as we got older, not more complicated.

I called Chad and explained what Cynthia had told me. Chad seemed to change his tune and told me he was going over to talk with our daughter and as he ended our call he said, "Someone needs to teach that dirtbag a lesson." I cautioned him to be prudent and to not to do anything stupid. Chad was a former Marine and I knew he could handle himself. I just didn't want my grandbabies father to end up in jail.

'Grandbabies?' I thought. Hell my daughter had two grandchildren of her own now, as her eldest, Sabrina was married with a new house and supportive husband. Her son Robert, our grandson, was in the Navy on an air craft carrier and the twins, Michael and Elliot were in their senior year of high school. We didn't get to see them much as soon after they were married, Chad had been offered a great paying job in Kansas City and they had moved. It always seemed that there was never enough time for them to come visit us and when we wanted to visit, they seemed to have plans. I wondered if Chad and Cynthia just didn't want to be around my wife. I really wished we could have been more involved with them.

My glass was empty and I really needed a refill. Walking into the kitchen, my wife was at the sink, peeling potatoes for dinner. Setting my glass on the table, I slipped up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I had my chin on her shoulder and I softly said, "We used to really love each other. How did our lives get so screwed up?"

She turned around in my arms and kissed me then said, "I still love you, you silly son-of-a-b . . ." My lips pressed to hers silenced her and she wrapped her arms around my neck and we enjoyed the most passionate kiss we had enjoyed in a long time,

Too damn long.