Fair is Fair

This is submitted for the Literotica 750 Word Project 2021.

A 750-word journey into the world of a modern divorce.

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We arrived at court a few minutes early, so I sat by my lawyer and we waited. The hearing was just a formality. I would walk out a free, if somewhat poorer, man to start my life over.

Modern divorce law is a travesty. You break a business contract and there are consequences. You break your marriage contract and its "No fault, no blame, divide up the spoils and take care of the wife." It's chauvinistic law that masquerades as modern thinking. Lawyers and judges were just tired of hearing spouses lie and decided to make it easy on themselves.

As we waited, I thought back to the events that brought me here. She was going off on another of her business trips. There had been a lot of them lately. On this particular trip she was leaving on a Tuesday and getting back Saturday afternoon. I felt sorry for her having to work so hard through Friday night. I was a trusting husband. I was a dope.

I got up to make the morning coffee. She was in the shower with her suitcase packed by the door. I'd bought her a necklace, one of those just-because gifts, so I opened her case and began to bury the wrapped box deep in her clothes when I noticed something that shouldn't be there. Under her business suits there was a shear negligee.

I'm trusting, but I'm not stupid. I knew what it meant. I decided to send a message, so I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a sharp filleting knife, and proceeded to cut long slices top to bottom through the shear fabric of her sex wear. With every slice I pictured her lifting it from her case as her face changed from lust, to confusion, to panic. She would know that I knew. Four quick slices through the panties and the deed was done. I carefully folded them and placed them back in her case. I put the necklace in my pocket.

I was less than useless at work that day and made enough mistakes to set myself back instead of moving forward. At 3PM I surrendered, sat down with my boss, and told him what I'd discovered. I omitted any mention of the knife. He'd been there before and told me to go home, or visit a friend, and to not be alone. I called a lawyer and made an appointment for the next day.

Her call came a little after 8PM. She was weeping, pleading, saying it was nothing. It was nothing to her, but it was everything to me. She said she'd come home. I told her not to bother, and she screamed and wept even harder. I never learned for sure, but I doubt lover boy got any that night.

Years invested and now gone to nothing because she was bored, or felt old, or needed a thrill, blah, blah, blah.

I was stirred from my thoughts. "All rise!"

"In the matter of Mason vs Mason, are both sides ready to proceed?"

The judge spoke, my lawyer spoke, her lawyer spoke, back and forth, round and round...

"I see alimony has been set in the amount of $800 per month for four years. Does everyone agree?"

"We do, Your Honor."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Then it seems everything is in order. If no one has anything further to say..."

I rose to my feet. "Your Honor, may I be heard?"

"Mr. Mason, you have a lawyer. You should let him speak for you. That's why you're paying him."

"Yes, sir, but it occurs to me that this isn't fair."

"Mr. Mason, you must understand..."

"Yes, Your Honor, I know it's all been worked out, but fair is fair. My wife broke the marital contract, but I wind up paying her alimony."

"Mr. Mason..."

"Yes, Your Honor, our salaries are unequal, and she deserves support from me as she transitions to her own income."

"Yes, Mr. Mason."

"The thing is, sir, our cooking is unequal, and I deserve support from her as I transition to preparing my own meals. Shouldn't she need to cook and clean for me for the same reason that I need to put a roof over her head?"

"Your Honor, this is highly irregular!" It seems her lawyer finally woke up. "This is not the way things are done."

I could see the smile slowly start to form on the judge's lips and wondered if he was divorced.

"No, sir, but fair is fair."