February Sucks -- Big Time

"Oh my God," I said.

"I have the whole thing and I can give you a copy if you want," she said. "I took it on my own camera, so it's okay. Would you like to see it?"

"Why not," I said. She handed me a tablet and brought up the video. I saw Linda and Asshole walk into the lot, their arms intertwined much as Linda and I used to do. His hands were all over her back and rear end. She seemed to enjoy the gesture and grabbed his ass in return. When they got to his car, he wheeled her around and the two of them engaged in a deep tongue kiss. Looking at this, there was no way anyone would know she was married to someone else.

As they kissed, she spread her legs a bit and ground herself into his crotch. He lifted her dress to her waist and fondled her a bit, and I could see her hand go to the front of his pants. It looked as if she was masturbating him right there in the parking lot. She got in the car and he slipped behind the wheel. When he was in, they kissed one more time and it looked as if she was rubbing his crotch. All I could see was her arm moving, but that's what it looked like to me. At that moment, I knew she had completely forgotten all about me or the kids. When the video ended, I handed her tablet back.

"Like I said, I'm really sorry about that," she said. "I threw something together real quick and sent it off to the paper, then went back inside. When I got there, you were already gone. So, do you want to tell me your side of all this?" I nodded my head and recalled the evening from my perspective. Then I pulled out my phone and handed it to her, along with a pair of ear buds.

"You might want to take a look at those," I told her. "The video is pretty graphic."

"I'm a big girl," she said, inserting the ear buds. As she did that, our food was delivered. As I ate, I watched her reaction. There was no reaction at first, but as the videos went on, her face changed. When she finished, she handed my phone back.

"Well?" I asked.

"It confirms some of the things I've heard," she said. "Most of it is just locker room talk -- braggadocio -- that sort of thing. But there have been rumors on social media about him being a bit of a player for some time. I've never been able to prove any of it conclusively. Good old boy network and that sort of thing. They seem to have each other's backs, if you know what I mean."

"I can imagine," I said.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to get a divorce," I said. "She knew my stand on fidelity when she did this, but she obviously didn't care. She had her one, so now we're done."

"Any kids?" she asked.

"Two, a boy and a girl," I said. "Six and four years old." She shook her head.

"It's always hardest on the children," she said.

"Yes, it is," I told her.

"What about him? Marc?" she asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know yet," I said. "I'm still thinking about that one. Part of me wants to beat his ass into the pavement, but I don't want to go to jail."

"He's a star football player," she said. "No offense, but I don't think you'd get very far if you tried." I chuckled. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Let's just say it wouldn't be the first time someone underestimated me," I said. "Size isn't everything, you know."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"My Dad used to tell me that it's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters. It's the size of the fight in the dog," I said. She nodded her head.

"I see," she said. "So, are you looking to cause trouble?"

"No," I said. "I have two children to think about, but I'm not going to just roll over and play dead."

"Have you spoken to an attorney yet?" she asked.

"Haven't had time and besides, this all just went down last night," I said. She pulled a card from her purse and handed it to me.

"A good friend of mine happens to be a family law attorney," she said. "She hates cheaters with a passion and she's not too fond of LaValliere either. I'll call her and give her a heads-up if you want." I looked at the card. Lisa Hawkins, Attorney at Law, it read.

"Sure, thanks," I said. "I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I have to wonder why you're helping me like this?"

"That's a fair question," she said. "Being a reporter, I have a nose for good stories. I'd like to be the one who tells yours, if that's okay. Also, I have a thing about guys like LaValliere getting their comeuppance."

"So this is kinda personal for you, then?" I asked.

"A bit," she said.

"So, what is it you want from me?" I asked. "An exclusive?"

"Something like that," she said.

"What exactly does that mean?" I asked her.

"It means you let me tell your side of the story, let us help control the flow of information," she said.

"Us?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "Lisa and I."

"And what do I get out of this?" I asked her.

"For starters, some protection from others like me who will want your story," she said. "I know how people like LaValliere work. This story is going viral even as we speak. I'm sure he and his people are already working to spin this in some way that will end up making you look bad. That's what they do. Trust me, if you go off half-cocked, they'll chew you up and spit you out so fast you won't know what hit them. And don't look to the national sports press to give you any breaks. Believe me, they're just as vicious as anyone else in the news business. You're going to need someone who knows how to deal with the sharks, and they will be coming for you once they've identified her."

"So, what do we do?" I asked.

"Have you thought about taking legal action against LaValliere?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've thought about it," I said. "I've thought about a lot of other things, too."

"Alright," she said. "Let me draw them out a bit, see what they plan to do. I'd like to do a little teaser in tomorrow's paper, something about you considering legal action for destroying your marriage and your family. Is that okay with you?" I thought about her question before answering. I knew she was right and I also knew it wouldn't be long before Linda's identity was leaked to the public. Perhaps it was better if I got in front of it before they had a chance to further humiliate me.

"Okay," I said. "But we work together on this. And I get veto power if I think it'll hurt the kids."

"Agreed," she said. "I'll make some calls and we'll get things rolling. By the way, you should know that the local news stations will be covering this tonight. I've already been contacted by several of them."

"What did you tell them?" I asked.

"I haven't said anything yet," she said. "I wanted to talk to you first."

"I appreciate that," I said. We finished our meal and said our goodbyes. I hoped I was doing the right thing. Looking at the time, I decided to go see the kids and talk to my parents about the whole mess. Checking my phone, I saw there were no calls or messages from Linda.

I got to my parents house and went inside. My kids came running to me and I gave them a big hug and a kiss.

"Where's Mommy," Emma asked.

"She's with her parents," I said.

"Why?" Emma asked.

"She has some things to take care of," I said, not wanting to give away too much too soon. My folks came into the room and we hugged each other for a bit before sitting down.

"Are you okay, son?" my father asked. I shook my head.

"Not really, Dad," I said. "I'm better than I was, but it's rough."

"I understand," he said. Just then, the news came on the television. My father is a news junkie, so he turned up the TV and we sat and watched the reports over the objections of the two children who thought it was "boring." A few minutes into the broadcast, though, something came on that captured all of our attention.

"Now for our 'Talk of the Town' segment," the male anchor said. "This morning, the Daily Record broke news that star football player Marc LaValliere was spotted leaving a local night club with what is thought to be a new girl friend. Video posted by the paper shows them leaving the club and entering his car." The scene shifted to the short video that had been posted online earlier that day. Linda and Asshole could be clearly seen walking arm in arm and she was easily identifiable when she turned to kiss him.

"Daddy, why is Mommy kissing that man?" Emma asked, shocked. "is he her boyfriend?"

"Just watch the news, Emma," I told her. Timmy didn't understand everything his sister said, but it was clear he wasn't happy. The anchor continued.

"We spoke to Audrey Tanis, the reporter who broke this story, and she tells us the woman, who happens to be married, has been positively identified. Tanis went on to say her husband has not given permission to release her name. We reached out to LaValliere and the management of the Sharks, but received no comment. According to Tanis, more information is forthcoming, perhaps as early as tomorrow," he said. Dad turned the television off and Mom rushed the children into the bedroom where they had been sleeping.

"Come on kids," she said as she shooed them into the other room. Dad turned to me.

"What are you going to do, son?" he asked.

"I'm getting a divorce, Dad," I said. He nodded his head.

"I don't blame you," he said. "You know that will probably mean she'll get the kids while you get financially raped."

"Probably," I said. "But there's no way I can live with her. Not after this. By the way, I spoke with the reporter who broke the story."

"Oh?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "She's offered to tell my side of this and help me out. The next few days aren't going to be much fun. This is just the beginning. Once all of this gets into the media, it's going to be a circus." By then, my mother had returned and sat down with us.

"Listen, the kids can stay here for a while if need be," she said. "At least that way, they won't have a bunch of nosy reporters bothering them."

"Your mother's right, son," Dad said. "They can stay here as long as necessary." I thought before answering.

"You're right," I said. "Thanks. I'll bring more of their stuff by tomorrow. If there's anything more you need, let me know."

"Linda's gonna want to see them," my mother said. "Technically, we can't stop her, not without a restraining order."

"I know," I said. "God, this is so screwed up. Why did she do this? Surely she had to know this wouldn't end well."

"Hard to say, son," my father said. "Do what you have to do. We'll help wherever we can. Just don't do something stupid."

"Thanks, Dad," I said. We hugged, and I went in to see the kids for a while. Little Emma came to me with tears in her eyes.

"Are you gonna get a divorce?" she asked. I couldn't lie to her and pretend everything would be alright.

"It looks that way, sweetheart," I said. "But remember, no matter what happens, we all love you very, very much." I held her as she cried on my shoulder. Damn you, Linda, I thought. Damn you to fucking Hell! After I spent some time with the children, I went back into the front room.

"I've got to get going," I said. "I have to get the place cleaned up a bit." My mother came out with a dish of lasagna.

"Take this with you," she said. "You need to keep up your strength."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, taking the dish. I love lasagna, and my mother's was the best I had ever eaten. We said our goodbyes and I left for home.

When I got to the house, I put the lasagna in the fridge, then checked Linda's Facebook page and saw the post was still up. By now, it had reached over 500,000 people, and a number of comments were left. Most of them were negative, with the kindest calling her a "cunt," "whore," "bitch" or "slut." I also noticed that she had lost almost three-quarters of her friends. I smiled to myself and shut down the computer.

I cleaned up the place from the previous night's rampage, and was preparing to warm up the lasagna my mother gave me when I heard the doorbell ring. Crap, I thought. I went to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Dee and Dave. What fuck did they want? I opened the door slightly.

"What the fuck do you want?" I growled. They both jumped back in shock.

"Uh, can we talk, Jim?" Dee asked. "Please?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we're friends and we're worried about you," she said. I snorted.

"Friends?" I asked. "With friends like you, who the fuck needs enemies?"

"Please, Jim, can we come in and talk for just a minute?" Dee begged. I thought for a moment, then decided to let them come inside. They looked around, shocked. Everything of Linda's was gone but what was left of the destroyed wedding portrait still hung over the fireplace.

"So, what do you want?" I asked after getting myself a cup of coffee. I didn't offer them anything, and I could tell they noticed the slight. They didn't say anything, however.

"Jim, first of all, we want to apologize for last night," Dee said. "I saw the videos you emailed us and I read the report as well. We didn't know it would be that bad and we just wanted to say we're sorry."

"You didn't know, huh?" I asked in derision. "But you knew she was married last night when you practically pushed her into his bed, didn't you?"

"Yeah, we did," Dee said.

"More to the point, Linda knew she was married when she left with him," I added. "The simple truth is, none of you gave a shit. Not even Linda. You all knew she was married, but none of you even thought enough of me to try and stop her. You couldn't get him between her legs fast enough. Could you?" They looked at each other, ashamed.

"All that shit about 'one and done' didn't mean a goddamn thing, did it?" I asked.

"I... I guess not," Dee stammered. "You know, Linda's devastated right now. We're really worried about her. All she does is lay on her bed at her Mom's and cry. I'm afraid she's about to have a nervous breakdown." I walked to my bookcase and pulled a thick dictionary off the shelf. I tossed it on the coffee table. The noise it made when it landed made them both jump.

"You want sympathy?" I asked. I nodded my head at the dictionary. "Look between shit and syphilis and you'll find it there. You'll get none from me, and neither will she." They looked at me, shocked.

"My God, this really has destroyed you, hasn't it?" Dave asked.

"You have no fucking idea," I said. "I'm about this close to busting a cap on someone right now," I said, holding my thumb and forefinger about one thirty-second of an inch apart. "Besides not owning a gun, the only reason I haven't is because someone has to think about the children. God knows neither you nor Linda did last night."

"So it's true then, that you flushed your rings down the toilet and told her she was dead to you," Dee said. I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said. "She crapped on our marriage, so I simply finished what she started."

"So what are you going to do now?" Dave asked.

"That should be a no-brainer," I said. "Thanks to all of you, I've been humiliated in front of the whole goddamn world. That article has gone viral by now and has at least a million views. Anyone who knows Linda can clearly see it's her. So I have no choice. I have to divorce her slimy ass." I looked at Dee. "And you'll be named as well," I added.

"Me?" Dee asked. "Why?"

"Because for all practical purposes, you helped her destroy our family," I said. "It's just like being an accomplice to a crime. You could've stopped her, but you deliberately chose not to, then you tried to justify what you did to me. By the way, have you told your husband what you told me?" Dave looked at her, his brows furrowed.

"What did you tell him?" he asked. She looked down at the floor, her face red. He looked at me before speaking. "What did she tell you?"

"She told me that if Asshole had approached her instead of Linda, she would've gladly done the exact same thing Linda did. And she was quite proud of it," I said. Angry, he turned to her.

"Is that right?" he asked. "We will be having a discussion when we get home." She looked at me, angry.

"I asked you not to tell him," she said. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Too bad," I said. "I think your husband deserves to know what kind of woman he's married to, don't you?"

"So, I guess that's it, then?" she asked.

"Pretty much," I said. They got up to leave, but Dee made one last effort on Linda's behalf.

"I understand if you don't want to be friends with us anymore," she said. "But can't you find it in your heart to forgive Linda just this one time? She really does love you." I shook my head.

"Are you really that thick, Dee?" I asked. "No, I can't forgive her. And I never will. She destroyed me with her betrayal. And you helped her. I can never look at either one of you the same way again." She looked crestfallen as she nodded her head.

"Okay," she said quietly. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." I said nothing as I nodded my head. Yeah, I thought, she is sorry. Dave extended his hand, then thought better of it and pulled it back.

"I'm sorry too," he said. "We all are. I guess we'll see you later." I grunted in response, not really wanting to say anything to my former friends. I watched as they walked away, Dee wiping tears from her face. I closed the door, locked it and went into the kitchen to eat my dinner.

Afterward, I laid down on my bed, exhausted. I was asleep in no time. The next day, I got up, did my morning ritual and grabbed my paper off the front porch before making coffee. I looked at the large, over-sized cast iron skillet Linda kept on the stove and thought about making bacon and eggs, but changed my mind. After wolfing down a bowl of cereal and a slice of toast, I opened the paper and went to the sports section.

"Jilted Husband To Consider Legal Action Against Sharks, Tight End Marc LaValliere," a large headline read. This ought to be good, I thought. Audrey did an excellent job recounting what I had told her the previous day. I noticed she avoided my name by stating that I had spoken to her on the condition of anonymity.

"The man who identified himself as the woman's husband also provided graphic video that clearly shows sexual activity between a woman he says was his wife and LaValliere. One video showed a man who appeared to be LaValliere taunting him by saying he would continue to have sex with the woman, perhaps even in the man's own bed, as he was forced to watch," the article said.

"According to the husband, his wife's friends allegedly assisted her in making her getaway with LaValliere. Attempts to contact those individuals have so far been unsuccessful.

"Like all the other players on the team, LaValliere's contract with the team includes a very strict morals clause. Violation of that contract and failure to enforce that clause could potentially leave the team open to legal action.

"We reached out to the team management as well as LaValliere for comment. We did not receive a response from the team, and LaValliere simply said, 'No comment,'" the article said in conclusion. Satisfied, I closed the paper and sipped my coffee. My phone buzzed and I looked to find a text from Audrey.

"Hope you read the paper this morning," the text read. I responded.

"Yes, I did. Great article. Thanks," I wrote back. I got another text: "YVW" -- You're very welcome. That was followed by another: "Expect to get a call, very soon. TTFN." I thanked her again and put my phone back in my pocket. Sure enough, it buzzed a few seconds later. I looked, and saw a call from a number I didn't recognize. I answered, wondering who it could be.

"Jim Carlisle," I said.

"Mr. Carlisle, this is Lisa Hawkins," a friendly female voice said. "I got your number from Audrey Tanis and wanted to give you a call. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time."

"These days, there are no good times," I said. "But I'm glad you called, Ms. Hawkins. What can I do for you?"