Cutting Your Losses

About a month later, I came home from work and found a Budget rental car in my driveway. George Mitchell, Kathy's husband had found me. He was sitting on the front porch and gave me a half smile as I walked up to the house. I wasn't real happy to see him but tried to be congenial.

"How long have you been waiting, George?"

"About two hours. I could use a cold beer if you have any."

I got us both a Fosters and we sat down at opposite sides of the Formica kitchen table.

"What would be important enough for you to fly almost three thousand miles to see me, George?"

"Lisa asked me to come and her parents sprang for the cost of the tickets."

"Okay, let's get started. First of all, what are you trying to accomplish?"

"I spent the whole flight out here trying to come up with the right way to approach this. Let me tell you something not too many people know about concerning Kathy and I."

"Does it concern Richard Witt?"

"Yes. I guess it wasn't as big a secret as we hoped."

I just smiled.

"Bob, all three of the Spencer girls, Lisa, Kathy, and Cora, wanted big families. It was important to them and it was very important to their parents. We were married two years and had no luck. The test showed that the problem was mine. I was shooting blanks and Kathy was fine. We didn't want to adopt and we couldn't afford the artificial procedures. It took a long time, but we finally agreed that we would try and find someone else to get Kathy pregnant. I realize that it sounds bizarre, but we gave it a lot of thought. Richard was a friend from high school. Kathy had dated him and had sex with him prior to meeting me. He was one of the ushers at our wedding. I liked Richard, so Kathy and I met with him to explain the problem. He was reluctant at first and only agreed to do it with some concessions."

"Concessions?"

"Richard said he would get Kathy pregnant as many times as we wanted but he wanted to be able to get together with her once a month and one weekend a year. On those terms he was willing to help until he found a wife of his own. All four of our kids are Richards. About three years ago, I was best man at his wedding and he has not seen Kathy since."

"Just how does that relate to Lisa and me?"

"The same, but different."

"I assume you are going to explain that."

"Lisa and Don Thompson had been sweethearts since junior high school. They had their whole life together planned out except for one problem. Don had a water skiing accident right after they finished high school. He could still have sex, but could not father any children. Lisa was devastated. The most important thing in her life was going to be her children. Don convinced Lisa that she should marry so that she could have her family and that they would remain close friends."

"You mean fuck buddies?"

"That's a crude way to put it, Bob, but I guess the answer is, yes."

I was listening very closely to what George was saying. Some of it sounded like the truth but most of it was bullshit. I decided to let him talk some more.

"Lisa finally agreed to it, but asked Don to find her a husband. He didn't want anyone in the Pottsville area so he looked up a friend he had in Reading, David Lippmann. I believe you worked on some of David's fuel oil trucks."

"Yah, Dave seemed to be an all right fellow."

"Well, they narrowed the search down to three guys and Lisa picked you. She pursued you, got you to marry her, and let you think it was your idea. You gave her a good home and a happy marriage along with three beautiful kids. She tried to be a loving wife to you while still maintaining a relationship with Don. As the years went by she grew closer to you and was seeing less and less of Don. She and Kathy both tried to fix Don up with other girls but he loved Lisa and wanted to keep his relationship with her."

George reached into his coat pocket and slid an envelope across the table. Inside was a DNA report. The letterhead read 'Schuylkill Scientific Labs'. I was expecting a form of some type but this was just an official looking letter that stated that I was the biological father of our three children. I looked at the report and looked at George. He said nothing.

"Is that it George?"

"Well. Lisa broke off all contact with Don right after you left. She made the decision that it was better for her and the children. She hoped that with Don out of her life for good, you would reconsider the divorce and come home."

I got two more beers. I didn't say anything, but just sat there and stared at the paper. I couldn't believe that this guy had taken a plane all the way across the county to feed me this bullshit. There might have been a small piece of the truth somewhere, but I couldn't pick it out. I never did understand why Lisa married me and even after listening to George's crap, it wasn't any clearer.

"What time is your plane back, George?"

"I have to be at the Sacramento terminal by eight. I'll have just enough time to drive down there and get the rental car checked back in."

"I really appreciate you coming all the way out here to explain things to me George. You probably could have done it on the phone but I guess being face to face is more effective."

"Is there anything you want me to tell Lisa or the kids when I get back home? I know she is hoping for some good news. She was really devastated when you left."

"I can't think of anything right now. Give them my best and tell them I'll be thinking about them."

I walked George to the car. I could tell he was hoping for a little more reaction than he got. It was an interesting story, especially when he started off by making a confession of his own relationship with Kathy. If everything he said was true, then I might want to reconsider the divorce, but there were too many holes. I felt a lot of affection for Lisa. We had a lot of great years together and I always considered us to be a team. Her apparent betrayal left me heartbroken. I would like to mend it if I could. I was looking for more information and more answers and I wanted them to explain and improve things. I still couldn't believe that George flew all the way out here for a thirty-minute conversation.

The next day I called my lawyer.

"Seymour, this is Bob Connor out in California."

"I don't hear from you often enough Bob. What do you need?"

"First of all, did you ever get any official results back on the DNA paternity tests?"

"Bob, I didn't get a thing. I asked Lisa three different times and she promised each time but I still have nothing. I told her I would pay for the testing, but I don't think it made a difference."

"Lisa's brother-in-law gave me a letter from the Schuylkill Scientific Labs in Pottsville that indicates that I am the father. Did you give them anything from my tests that they could use as a standard?"

"Never heard of the lab and I still have your results here in the office. I never gave them out to anyone. Unless they did their own DNA test on your hair or fingernails, I have no idea what they were testing against. I'll look into it. Anything else?"

"Do you have anyone who could check out a guy named Don Thompson that lives in Pottsville? I can't help thinking that knowing something about him could be important. I realize that the divorce is almost final and I don't want to screw things up, but if I can stop myself from making a mistake, I want to."

"That should be no problem."

"Do I owe you any money?"

"There is still a nice buffer in your account. I'll let you know if you get close."

About a week later, Seymour called and told me that Schuylkill Scientific Labs was a fake DNA facility and had been shut down by the state. He also let me know that Don Thompson made it through high school by the skin of his teeth. He was not too bright and had a hard time holding a job. He had just been fired from his last position as a fuel truck driver and was having trouble finding anything else in the Pottsville area. He was reported to be a nice person, but just not too intelligent.

That evening when I came home from work, Tammy, Josh, and Terry came running up to the truck. They were all over me as I tried to make my way to the front porch, where their mother was waiting.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I felt that the children should be with their father and since you would not come back to Pennsylvania, I decided to bring them here. I have already rented a place across the river in Marysville."

"Why don't I send out for pizza and we can get settled down?"

The kids spent the next hour telling me about their trip across country. They didn't stop much on the trip, but saw a lot of new and exciting things anyhow. Lisa was quiet and just let the little ones ramble on.

I turned on the TV for them and they started to unwind slowly.

Lisa and I cleaned up after the haphazard meal.

"Bob, I am sorry for the way things worked out. I was hoping that George could explain it to you, but apparently he didn't do too good of a job. The day after you found Don and me together, I broke it off with him. It was stupid for me to keep the relationship going as long as it did. I knew, for several years now, that our marriage was more important to me that my friendship with Don. We were together for so long and we were so close, that it was hard to sever the ties. I am sorry if that sounds stupid, but I don't know how else to explain it. I haven't seen Don since that day at camp and have no intention of seeing him again. I hope you can realize that it is you that I love and want to spend the rest of my life with. You are the father of my children and I want you to help raise them."

"I don't know what to say Lisa. You caught me by surprise. There are a lot of things I don't understand and maybe don't want to. It is nice to see the kids again and I hope I can help you with them. Right now, I don't feel comfortable enough to want to start up a relationship but I am open to working on it."

"That's Okay. I understand your reluctance. I have a restaurant job lined up that I start next week in Marysville. I'll have to work evenings and weekends. I would appreciate it if you could watch the kids, when I am working, until I can get something set up."

"That's sounds good to me. Are you going to drop them off or do you want me to pick them up?"

"I'll drop them here and pick them up after I am done. I just hope it won't be too much of an imposition."

The arrangement seemed to work out fine. Needless to say on the first day I took DNA mouth swabs from each of the children and immediately mailed them to Seymour. Tammy was opening up a little bit more than normal and seemed to be concerned about the relationship between Lisa and I. I didn't want to get the kids involved in this mess and tried not to even mention anything about the divorce.

A letter arrived from George and inside was a newspaper clipping and a note that just said: FYI. The clipping was a picture of Don wearing a soldier uniform. He had finished basic training and was being sent to Bosnia for two years. I called Tammy over.

"Do you know this man?" I said, while I pointed to the picture.

"Sure. That's Uncle Don, but we are not supposed to talk to you about him."

"Do you see Uncle Don a lot?"

"We used to, but we could never tell you that we did, or mom would get mad."

"Did you see him since I left?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Mostly we would see him at Chucky Cheese or someplace like that. Mom and him would talk while we played the machines and stuff."

"Did he ever stay at the house?"

"Only once. That was a week before we left, the day before he went to join the army."

"Tell me about it."

"Okay, but I am not supposed to. He came to the house in a cab. He told mom he had enlisted in the army and that he was leaving the next morning for Philadelphia. Mom started crying and hugging him. She was saying all sorts of mushy stuff. Josh, Terry, and I went in and watched TV while mom and him talked. She was crying a lot and saying things that I couldn't understand. We all went to bed and they were still talking. I came down in the middle of the night to get a drink and he was not on the couch. The next morning I looked out the window and he was getting in a cab. Mom was still crying. That afternoon she told us we were going to California to see you. Don't tell mom that I told you this, or she will get real mad at me."

"Did you mother cry when I left?"

"No."

Things were starting to fall into place. I don't think the newspaper clipping achieved the results that George was hoping for. I was looking forward to some way of getting back together with Lisa, but now I had doubts. I would have loved to confront her with all the information I had and let her explain some things, but I couldn't force myself to do it. I guess I was too much of a coward to start an argument about fidelity with a woman that I loved. I had no reason to believe that Tammy had lied to me, but what she told me contradicted what George and Lisa both had said. It seemed pretty obvious who was lying. I did what cowards always do.

I was sitting in the Seattle airport when my cell phone rang.

"Dad, This is Tammy. Where are you?"

"I am in the Seattle airport, sweetie."

"When are you coming home?"

"Not for about ten months. I had to sign a contract to get this job and I will be busy for a long time."

"Mom is really mad at me for telling you about Uncle Don. We are leaving to go back to Reading as soon as she gets her final paycheck from the restaurant. I think she is mad at you too."

"Tammy, I am sorry if I got you in any trouble with your mother. Just remember, you didn't do anything wrong. None of this is your fault and don't forget that."

"I am going to miss you. Josh and Terry will too. I am sorry you had to go, but I think I understand."

"I love you honey, and tell Josh and Terry I love them too."

I called Seymour after Tammy hung up. The DNA results were back. None of the kids were mine. It was another lie from George and Lisa. The divorce would be final in two weeks. I told Seymour that I would be sending support money for the kids as long as there were no further problems. He agreed to handle it for me.

It is cold as hell in Prudhoe Bay but at least the knife wound in my back is healing.