Dearly Beloved

Author's note: Again thanks go to cvmawirenut for editing. Hope you enjoy.

"Yes baby, that's it. Fuck me harder! OOOOHHHH! Keep going. I'm almost there. AAAGGGGHHHH!" Her body started jerking as the orgasm took over her body. Her lover finished soon after and lay on top of her.

She opened her eyes to see her husband standing silently at the foot of the bed. "OH NO! Get off Chuck! Rod is here."

Chuck withdrew his quickly deflating dick from Marlee and looked at Rod. He didn't see any particular emotion in Rod's face. Chuck stood up naked to confront him. Rod just stood there perfectly still. "So, Rod. What are you going to do about it?" Seeing no reaction from Rod, Chuck prodded him. "You going to fight for your woman, wimp?" He pushed Rod who stumbled backwards, without putting up any defense. "Come on, act like a man." Chuck bitch slapped him still drawing no reaction from him.

Marlee yelled, "Chuck, STOP IT! Leave him alone. Just get dressed and leave. I'll call you later."

"Okay. I can see now why you want to ditch this loser. He won't even fight for his woman." Chuck put on his clothes to leave. "Are you sure you will be alright alone with him?"

"Yes, she won't hurt me."

Chuck smirked and as he was walking past Rod, punched him in the stomach causing Rod to bend over.

Marlee screamed, "CHUCK!"

"Sorry, babe. I'm leaving."

Marlee waited until she heard Chuck close the front door before getting up out of bed. "Rod, I'm sorry you found out this way. Go down to the kitchen and we'll talk." She noticed tears were now running down Rod's face.

Rod turned and went downstairs. Marlee put on some clothes and reviewed the speech she had known she would have to deliver to him sooner or later. There would never be a good time so it might as well be now.

She went downstairs and turned the corner to go in the kitchen. She saw Rod standing by the island. "Rod, why don't you make yourself a cup of coffee and let's go sit at the dining table?" Rod walked over, got a cup and a coffee pod starting the process. Marlee went to the dining table to wait.

Rod brought his coffee into the dining area. He stood by the table staring in space. "Sit down, Rod." He obeyed.

"Like I said, I wish you hadn't found out this way. Chuck and I have been seeing each other for several months. Although I still love you in many ways, Chuck gives me things you can't. He's successful and has plenty of money. You're a social worker with no opportunity to ever improve your income significantly. I want a man to be able to provide more for his family.

"Rod, you're the nicest, sweetest man I have ever known. That's what attracted me to you. You always made me feel like I was special to you. The problem was I didn't have to do anything, and you would give me compliments and praise me. After a while, I started feeling like you would love me not matter what I did. What you don't realize is that things that are not earned are not valued. I started asking you to do more around the house. You did. I started withholding sex from you. You didn't complain. I started spending money on things I wanted but didn't need. You offered to get a part-time job. I kept hoping you would change, but you didn't.

"Rod, I just don't think you have it in you to be the Alpha type of man I need. I need a man who expects me to do something to earn his love. Now, I have that man. I will be filing for a divorce so I can marry Chuck. I don't want the house or alimony. Without any kids or much money, it should be relatively simple and fast."

Rod didn't change his expression as he sat. None of his coffee had been touched. Marlee waited for a reaction that didn't come. Finally, she asked, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Rod spoke, "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together today in the sight of God and man to join these two in the bonds of holy matrimony. What God unites, let no man tear asunder... " He continued with the vows.

"Stop Rod." He did. "I know I have violated our wedding vows and I'm sorry for hurting you, but we need to get this over with and move on with our lives. It will be the best for both of us."

"In sickness and in health, for richer and poorer, forsaking all others till death do us part."

"If you're going to be this way, I'll just... Oh my goodness, what is that smell?" Marlee got up and sniffed around. It was stronger as she came over to Rod. "Did you pee on yourself?" Rod stayed still and emotionless. For the first time, Marlee began to worry about him.

"Go upstairs and take a shower. Get some new clothes on." He got up still holding the full coffee cup. "Put up the cup down." He complied.

Rod went upstairs and took off his clothes and went into the shower. Marlee took the urine-soaked clothes to the laundry and started the washer. After cleaning up around the kitchen chair, she returned to the bedroom, Rod had finished his shower and was getting dressed. Marlee stood and watched wondering what to do next.

"Rod, stop this nonsense. People get divorced every day. Act like a man and deal with it."

"Dearly Beloved, we are... "

Marlee left Rod in the bedroom and went back to work. She would deal with Rod's temper tantrum later. She wondered what she had seen in Rod in the first place. He was so weak. Then she remembered. The men she had dated tended to take advantage of her, even physically hurting her. Rod was totally different. He praised her beauty, her intelligence and her caring of others. He complimented her, surprised her with flowers, cards, and candy outside of the usual reasons for presents. There was no doubt he loved her and was good to her. Although he worked with a lot of attractive females, she never saw any sign that he had been anything but totally faithful to her.

Marlee called Chuck once she got to work. "I told him I wanted a divorce."

"How did that go? I bet he broke down and cried like a baby. Geez, what a wuss."

"He had tears in his eyes, but all he said was to repeat our wedding vows."

Chuck laughed. "Good grief. I hope you didn't fall for that gimmick."

"No, I understood that was his way of reminding me that I had broken our wedding vows." She paused, not sure of whether to tell Chuck any more. "Chuck, he went as far as urinating on himself with his clothes still on. He doesn't seem to be able to do anything unless you tell him to do it. I'm beginning to worry about him."

"Don't bother. It's just an act to keep you from me. Sweetheart don't stress yourself. He won't be in your life much longer. You are moving in with me, aren't you? I need some time to get my place ready, but you should be able to move in tomorrow. There's no reason for you to stay with him any longer than that."

"I guess I might as well. We are doing the right thing aren't we Chuck?"

"Of course. We were meant to be together. I can give you what you really need. The sooner you move out, the sooner we move on."

"It's just that although I've planned leaving, it's still hard to actually do it. But I guess you're right."

Chuck laughed, "I usually am."

Marlee went home and saw Rod's car still in the driveway. He had not gone back to work. She wasn't really surprised. Catching your wife in bed with her lover was enough reason to take off work for the rest of the day. She went into the house. Rod was not downstairs. She assumed he might not be feeling well and had gone to bed already. There were no sounds coming from upstairs. Marlee was suddenly struck with a horrible fear: Could he have done something to himself? She ran upstairs and went into their bedroom.

Rod was standing right where she had left him. Her first impression was that he must have heard her come in and resumed the position she had left him in. No sane person would have stood in the same place for four hours or so. Once again, her sense of smell revealed a problem. She looked down at his feet and saw the yellow puddle. The smell, however, was different. Then, it hit her. He had defecated also. She got mad and went downstairs leaving him as he was. "If he wants to pee and shit on himself, I'll be glad to let him. It won't change my mind. I have to do what is best for me. Let's see how long he can stand it."

Marlee went about her usual routine of doing the laundry while she was making supper. She decided on making one of Rod's favorite dishes to try and draw him out of his snit fit. At 6:00, she yelled up for Rod to come down to dinner. Within minutes he had reached the bottom of the stairs. Marlee saw and smelled immediately that Rod had not cleaned up. There was a urine and feces trail that came down the stairs.

"Stop right there, mister. You're not coming to the table like that. Get back upstairs and clean yourself up. Then clean up the mess on the stairs. Now!"

Rod turned around and did as instructed. When he had finished, he stood in the dining room. "Your food is all cold because of your foolishness. You can reheat it or eat it cold. It doesn't matter to me." He just stood there while she finished eating. Once she was done, she took up her dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "This is your last chance. Are you going to eat or not?"

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered... "

"Arghhh! Just stand there for all I care." Marlee went into her home office. She called Chuck.

"I can't believe him! He is acting like a mindless zombie except he's not trying to eat anything."

"There's no reason for you to put up with that any longer. Pack your bags and come over now. I'll make you forget all about him."

"I know. It's that I am afraid that there might actually be something wrong with him. I would feel badly if he really needs help."

"Listen to me, Marlee. He's not your problem anymore. Doesn't he have some family who would help him out if you weren't available? Let them worry about him."

"His older sister practically raised him. She would take care of him for sure."

"Call her up and have her come over. If he needs help and you move out, he would be her problem sooner or later anyway. You're just making it her problem a little sooner."

"I'm not sure I can face her even over the phone. I can't see me saying, 'I've cheated on your brother and am dumping him. He may be having a psychotic episode. He's all yours.' Seriously, what do I tell her about us and what happened?"

"Tell her the truth. I bet she already knows what a loser he is. You going after a better man will probably not shock her. Just tell her and start packing. You can put your stuff in your car when you go to work tomorrow. Then you can move in tomorrow night after work. Don't get cold feet now. I warn you. If get all soft-hearted and you let him trick you into staying with him, forget seeing me again, ever."

Marlee finally got up the courage and called Astra, Rod's sister. She decided to tell her as little as possible. "Astra, this is Marlee. Something's wrong with Rod. I think you need to come over."

"What do you mean, 'something's wrong?'"

"He's just standing around like he's in a trance. He doesn't do anything without me telling him what to do."

"Shit! I was afraid of that."

"What do you mean, 'you were afraid of that?'"

"It happened once before in high school. Rod was deeply in love with a girl who he thought felt the same way about him. He caught her in the back seat of another guy's car, and they were both naked. Rod froze even though the guy came out and beat him up. Didn't even try to defend himself. He went from the hospital Emergency Room to a psychiatric facility. He missed a whole year of school while in treatment. I hoped that would never... Marlee, please tell me he didn't catch you in bed with another man."

"Well..."

"Was it that asshole, Chuck?"

"How could you know that?"

"You are even dumber than I thought. Chuck has been bragging about shagging you for weeks. My husband overheard him at the bar and thought he was bull shitting. All his buddies were congratulating him. My husband didn't think you were dumb enough to get mixed up with the likes of Chuck. To tell the truth, I'm not one bit surprised. I thought you had the makings of a bimbo slut before you married Rod. My brother swore I was wrong and that you would never cheat on him, blah, blah, blah."

"Astra, you're lying about Chuck. I know he would never do that to me."

"Look bitch, I'm not going to try to argue with you. I WANT you to not believe me so you can suffer when you find out for yourself, and then I can say 'I told you so.'"

After a few seconds pause, Marlee continued. "Are you coming over to see him or not?"

"I can't get away tonight, but I can be there the first thing tomorrow after I drop the kids off at day care."

"Okay, I'll be here until you come. I'll take off work a few hours." Astra hung up without saying good-bye. She called Chuck back and told him she had to wait for Astra in the morning before she could move.

Marlee got ready for bed. She went down and told Rod what she was doing. She told him he can stand there all night or come to bed. No matter what, she was going to leave tomorrow after his sister came.

She went to bed but couldn't sleep. After a few hours, she snuck quietly downstairs to see what Rod was doing. He was in the same place as before. The reflection from the kitchen light showed the yellow puddle was back. Marlee went back upstairs and began to cry. This was not the way her marriage was supposed to end.

Not able to sleep much, Marlee got up earlier than normal and went downstairs. Nothing had changed. Rod had apparently not moved. She had steeled herself not to get emotional. She went about making coffee and breakfast. Rod was told that if he wanted coffee or breakfast to make it himself.

Marlee called into work stating she was taking some time off for a personal matter. She might come in later. Marlee sat in the kitchen so that she did not have to have Rod in her sight while she waited for Astra.

Astra arrived about 10:00 am. She saw Rod standing in the living room like a statue. Marlee hoped that the sight of his sister would motivate him to talk and act normally.

After Astra scanned Rod, she exclaimed, "For God's sake, Marlee. Don't you have the decency to clean him up? God, I hope you two are divorcing."

Marlee ignored her initial comment. "You say he's been like this before. Why wasn't I told?"

"Yeah, like at your wedding I'm going to say, 'By the way Marlee, if you cheat on him, he's likely to go catatonic on you.' Fuck, you give dumb blondes a bad name."

"Well, he's all yours now. I'm moving in with my boyfriend. I'll come back for the rest of my stuff tomorrow morning. Should I send the divorce petition to your house?"

"Hold on missy. You aren't leaving with all his money. You write me a check right now for half of what you two have in your joint checking and savings account. I'll be damned it I'm going to allow Rod's money going to support your adultery with Chuck."

"I may have cheated on Rod, but I wasn't going to try to steal his money. Chuck has plenty."

"I know. I know. From the goodness of your heart, you were going to be fair. You only planned to rip his heart out and tear it into a million tiny pieces. Write the check, bitch."

Marlee wrote the check and left the two alone. Astra was taking him upstairs to get him cleaned up and packed. That was the last time Marlee saw Rod for a while.

*****

Marlee called Chuck and arranged to get a key to his place so she could move her stuff in. She drove over to his apartment and started unloading her stuff. A gruff looking older man came over to her. "You moving in with Chuck?"

"If it's any of your business, yes."

"It is my business Ms. High and Mighty. I'm the landlord here. The owner requires that all residents fill out a residency form whether they are the rent payer or not. Chuck should have told you that. He certainly knows that. He's sure used it enough."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're the fourth, no, the fifth woman who's moved in with Chuck the Fuck as we affectionately call him. The average length of stay for his women is six months."

"Well, this will be different. We're in love. We're getting married as soon as my divorce comes through."

"Yeah, sure. Listen honey, I really don't give a damn. Just come by the office and fill out the form when you're through."

"Aren't you at least going to give me a hand?"

The old man clapped his hands together several times, grinned and chuckled while walking away.

Marlee began to wonder about Chuck after what Astra and the landlord had said about him. "It can't be. What Chuck and I have is true love. He may have been a little wild before, but I know he'll make a great husband."

*****

Astra took Rod to her house about 50 miles away. She had learned from the previous experience to tell him everything to do, including go to the bathroom. The psychiatric facility where he had been treated at before was called. They agreed to admit him for evaluation while Astra applied for Emergency Guardianship.

Astra called Marlee in a few days to inform her of the guardianship likelihood. Astra explained that would mean she would be acting in place of Rod in all matters regarding his life, including the divorce procedures. Marlee was told she might have to testify at the guardianship hearing or send a signed affidavit as to her willingness to let someone else take care of her husband as long as they were still married. Marlee replied that she would be glad to sign and hoped the divorce would go smoothly. She started to ask Astra more on what was planned to get help for Rod, but Astra hung up on her.

Marlee went home after work with all her makeup washed off by her tears. The new routine in a new place with a new man was a shock to her system. She tried to make herself believe that she was better off. Fixing dinner took her mind off her concerns. Chuck had left specific instructions as to what she would cook for supper. Marlee thought it was cute that Chuck had included instructions on how to cook the food. She was a good cook and knew Chuck would enjoy what she prepared. He called 20 minutes before arriving home to make sure his dinner would be waiting for him as soon as he got home.

Marlee re-applied some makeup and greeted Chuck with a kiss. They went into the kitchen. Chuck sat down while Marlee got them something to drink. Chuck looked at his plate like something was wrong. "Chuck, is something the matter with the food? I fixed what you asked for."

"The food is what I asked for, but the mashed potatoes aren't made the way I told you. I told you how to make them like my mother made them. If I had wanted them any other way, I would have told you that." His voice got louder as he went on.

"I didn't think it would matter that much. Everyone has always said that I make good mashed potatoes and…"

"I don't give a fuck what other people have said. My opinion is the only one that counts in this house. Now go make me some mashed potatoes the way I told you to. I'm going in the living room and have a drink. Tell me when dinner is ready the right way." He stormed off into the living room.

Marlee shook as she cried silently. She got new potatoes and started peeling them. It was another 20 minutes before she had the potatoes done and re-warmed the rest of the meal. She timidly called Chuck in. He came in, sat down, looked at the potatoes, and took a bite. "Now that's the way potatoes are supposed to be done. He smiled contentedly. Don't you see how much easier it is when you do what I ask." He began eating his meal. Marlee played with her food always keeping at least one eye on Chuck.

Marlee cleaned up after dinner and joined Chuck in the living room. He was having another drink and watching TV. "Chuck, I need to ask you something. I got a notice from Rod's sister about who his attorney will be in the divorce. Should I go ahead and file for divorce?"