Epiphany Pt. 04

James looked at her and understood her look. "Yes, I have treated Sam like shit for his entire life. It's about time to start to treat him like the adult he is. He's not a bad guy. I just refused to accept him as the man he is instead of the interloper who made dad finally ignore mom."

Deena gave her husband a hug and a kiss on the cheek. There was hope for him yet.

Over the next few months Sam began to visit his brother again at their home for various events. The children of James and Deena were home at various times with their children so Sam's presence was requested as a favorite uncle and Darla as favorite aunt. James did make sure that Mary wasn't present at any of those visits. When his kids did enquire about that slight James just said that Sam and his mother were not on speaking terms but hoped that all disagreements could be worked out at some point.

Then came the phone call from Cindy. "Dad, you won't believe it but Mom kicked Charlie out of the house. It seems Charlie has been sneaking in some hot twenty-something into the house while Mom was at work. He had the gall to tell Mom that his bimbo was actually a client."

Sam tried to feel some kind of sympathy for his wife's loss of her lover. He wisely didn't say anything for the moment. After Cindy stopped to get his response Sam felt he had to say something. "I guess I am sad for Linda, but only a little. What do you want me to say, Cindy? Remember this is the woman who fucked around on me for years. This is the woman who chose Charlie over me. This is the woman who conspired with my own mother, my only brother, and, I am sad to say, my daughter to cuckold me."

Cindy tried to hold her tears back as she was reminded how she had hurt her father. They had not had a long time to rebuild their relationship. She didn't want to cause a set back now. "Dad, I know but she is hurting. She invested almost everything in that dick wad. She threw over a marriage to a great man for some sex. Charlie was a great friend but not her true love."

"Well, I don't believe I was her true love either. If I was she would have never gotten with Wink. She would have been as true to me as I was to her."

Sam paused. "What does she want from me?"

"She hasn't said. She just called me a little while ago and told me. She just asked me to let you know."

"I guess she knows my number when she figures it out. I won't hold my breath though. She will probably find some other schmuck to grace her bed in just a few days. Maybe this will be the one who truly lights her fire and she will be faithful to him."

"By the way, Dad, are you dating?"

"Occasionally I will go out on a date. What we do or don't do is none of your business."

"I know, Dad. Mostly I don't want you to be lonely."

She paused again. "There is another reason for this phone call. You are going to be a grandfather again in about six months. We don't know the sex yet and don't really care."

Sam had a huge smile on his face that he hoped Cindy could tell through the phone. "Congratulations! That is the best news I have heard in a while. Is Doug pleased with himself, or what?"

Cindy laughed. "Yes, that stud muffin is very proud of himself. His chest is so puffed up he almost can't button his shirt in the mornings. If it is a boy, I don't know how I will get him back down to earth."

Sam laughed with her. They carried on in the same vein before ringing off.

A couple of days later Linda finally called. She was hesitant as she started her conversation with her estranged husband. After hemming and hawing a bit she finally came to the point. "Sam, I just called you to say that Charlie is no longer in my life. He took as much money as we had saved up, mostly my earnings, when he left. I found him in bed with some blonde youngster and kicked him out. I didn't find out about the money until this morning. He even took my jewelry and pawned it."

"So, Linda, are you going to press charges?"

"I should but right now I am using the whole affair as a lesson to myself on why you don't cheat on your spouse. You will pay in the end. Any loss is my own personal loss. We used the allowance from you to pay the day-to-day expenses. My income was then banked for the most part. I guess he couldn't resist the temptation, either to fuck some youngster or take my money."

"So, what is your immediate plan?"

"I am going back to work tomorrow as usual. I will have to economize a little since I will need to rehire yard help and get a new pool service started. Charlie did do a passable job on routine outside work."

She paused for a bit. "Sam, would you be upset if I found somewhere smaller to live?"

"No, I told you that you could do what you want but the house would always be there for you. I had fully expected you to move in with Charlie. You seemed to like staying over at his house."

"Yeah, I guess I did but I think he was out of cash reserves and was kind of expecting you to keep him afloat. When you put me on a strict allowance suddenly he had to sell everything and move in with me."

"Well, he lasted longer than my investigators figured he would. I guess good riddance to him. As far as a separate place for you, please start looking. As far as budget goes I don't have a hard and fast dollar amount in mind."

He could hear the hesitancy In her voice. "Sam, could we see each other some time? I mean, could we possibly reconnect? I miss you."

He almost lost it. He couldn't decide if he was more amused or angry. "Linda, I think you just miss having a hard cock in your life. Charlie hasn't been gone more than a few days and you are already looking for a cock again. I am safe so you want me back but soon you will be looking again. Obviously I am not your choice for the long haul. Once you find a new place I am sure you will soon have some hard body grace your bed. You are still a lovely woman."

"But I do love you. You are my husband. I didn't want you to leave. You were the one that couldn't handle me having a lover. If you would have just had patience Charlie would have healed and I would have returned to you."

"Oh Lord, listen to yourself. Try this one on for size. Let's say that I decided that Temperance and I should have an affair. Don't say, 'But she's lesbian', as she does like a cock every now and then. In this scenario I have a late evening a couple of times a week and spend the time fucking her. Are you really going to say that you would be okay with that and would fully support my having sex outside our marriage? I mean, I could always say I was just having sex with her as she might just go off the deep end and harm herself if my cock isn't available. Would you really be that understanding? I don't think so. You have decided in your mind that you can separate love from sex but remember I watched you two. At Cinda's birthday party you and Charlie were the loving couple, not you and me. I was the outsider, not Charlie. He was happy and very confident in his role as your primary man."

Linda blubbered and tried to refute his words but Sam didn't let her get a good start. "I have recordings of you, my mother, my brother, and Charlie belittling me. That doesn't sound like a loving and faithful wife to me. I know my mother has always disliked me and now I know why. I might not be my father's biological son but I am my father's son. I am sorry he gave me all his love, love he used to have for my mother but, in all honesty, I cannot blame him one iota. She is out of my life.

My brother, James, has realized what he did to me. I will be civil to him but we don't have a family life, not like he and Deena would like to have. Cindy has shown real remorse and we are working toward a new relationship. You have a hard row to hoe to get back in any relationship with me and I will not meet you halfway. I am content with my life. Someday maybe I will be happy again. Who really knows?

Linda, I am sorry but I have to go now." Sam hung up before he lost his temper and started to scream at her. How dare she kick out her lover and expect Sam to just come crawling back.

Yes, it was hard to admit but he still loved the stupid bitch. He probably always would. He just couldn't countenance her disrespect for him and their marriage. There was no way he could or would accept her behavior. Her callous disregard of his feelings cut deeply.

Linda called back a few days later with good news. "Sam, I have decided on my new place."

She waited for him to take the bait. Finally Sam broke the silence. "Okay, Linda, where have you decided to move to? Are you looking at a condo in my building? Have you found a penthouse apartment?"

"Actually it is kind of a penthouse as it is on the top floor, but, no, to all your questions. I have decided to move to the space above the garage. It is perfect for a single person. With the new outside entrance I can come and go as I please without coming through the main house. If I take a lover you would not be subject to see him come and go either. I think it is the best answer to my living needs."

"I don't see anything wrong with your idea but why are you concerned about me seeing your lovers sneak in and out."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself. I think you should move back into the main house if I move to the apartment space. Why live in a condo when this house has all you need. You can putter in the yard or plant a garden if you desire. You will have the pool if you will share with me. You can move a girlfriend, or even a harem, into the house and still have a lot of room. I understand you have gotten down to a weight you are happy with. You could repurpose some space as a workout gym to keep yourself in shape. Maybe you could be persuaded to allow me to access it sometimes. I had to economize and drop my membership at the gym. Anyhow, what do you think?"

Sam was intrigued. He admitted to himself that he missed doing lawn and pool work, especially since he had retired and had a lot more time.

He didn't know if he could handle living so close to Linda. They would still have to share garage space unless he walled off the third stall for Linda. That would keep her more removed from his sight that way.

"Linda, I will think about that. I admit I have to pay rent to the corporation now that I am retired. While I can afford it, I would rather not be paying that expense monthly. Why don't you make all the arrangements to move to the apartment? Take any furniture you desire. Also, take any of the photos, paintings, or other wall hangings that you would like. I would recommend that you take the master bedroom furniture as I will not ever sleep on something you and fuckhead had sex on."

They worked on a couple of other details before ending their conversation. Sam was pleased that he had not felt like yelling at her at any time during their phone call.

So it happened. Linda had the interior decorator redo the apartment space to reflect more her personality. She threw out the master suite furniture from their house and bought a new set. She told Sam, during one of their by now weekly phone calls, that she was ashamed of what she had done to their marriage and where she had desecrated her vows, so she needed a new bed.

Sam had the main house common rooms renovated to reflect more a masculine influence and included the master suite. He then moved back a couple of weeks after Linda moved out. He also bought a new master suite set of furniture and had it delivered as part of the new look. He then turned over the condo to the company so it could be used to either make money via rental income or be used for visiting dignitaries.

Sam then had the third stall of the garage walled off and a new outside entrance installed to the garage that was just under the new outside entrance to the apartment. While he never had the apartment walled off from the main house Linda agreed to not trespass into her old home. Sam did go ahead and make over a room on the second floor, near the apartment entrance as a work-out room and Linda was free to use it whenever she wanted to. There was enough equipment there that the two could even work out at the same time, if they so desired, and not get in each other's way.

One of the pieces of equipment was a very good treadmill but Sam seldom used it. Mostly he would walk on it for about an hour during inclement weather. Otherwise he had come to enjoy his long walks in the neighborhood. The only equipment he normally used was the weights and resistance equipment. He did continue to swim and there were times that Linda would join him in laps.

I will be posting the final part in the next few days. Hopefully I have entertained readers well enough to get to the end.