For The Greater Good - Redux

My selfish outlook changed dramatically as soon as we got inside and Melinda told the kids what happened. I was surprised that each of the kids, in turn, came running up to me, sobbing, and insisting that I comfort them. I slept in Brett's bed with him that night, while Melinda, Mom, and Brittany slept in Melinda and Tom's bed.

I took charge of the situation the next day. I knew that I was the executor of Tom's estate, and got out his will and financial documents, and immediately made arrangements for the funeral. Even though I was new as the department head, I only went into work a few hours a day over the next week and got my assistant's up to speed on all issues, and made all necessary decisions on the spot. The quick decisions that I made turned out better than if I had agonized over them.

I waited until a few days after the funeral – which was the most heartbreaking thing my family had ever experienced – before breaking the bad news to Melinda. I had reviewed all of Tom's finances and found that his illness, lack of work during most of it until Ashley's cure, the fact that Melinda didn't work outside the home, their high mortgage that they had undertaken before Tom was diagnosed with cancer, and only a small life insurance policy, had left her and the kids in bad financial straits. I had a solution in my mind, though, by the time that I talked to Melinda.

As Melinda sat in her black dress in her living room, after Jill and Bill had taken Brett and Brittany and their cousins to the zoo, she was thin from lack of eating and had circles under her eyes from crying and sadness. She looked so vulnerable – yet more beautiful than ever, although I quickly purged my mind of that thought.

"Melinda, you probably already know that your financial situation is not good," I started out, having determined that I needed to be frank with her.

"I know. How bad is it?"

I explained the situation to her in detail, showing her all assets, income, outstanding bills, and expected future expenses. My sad conclusion, "If you don't sell the house immediately and get out from the mortgage you'll end up having it foreclosed upon, and going bankrupt. Even with that, you'll have a terrible time making it financially."

She started to sniffle again.

"I have a solution, though, and I want you to carefully consider it. I have decided that I will be divorcing Ashley, as tough as that will be for the rest of the family. I'd rather not tell you why but will if you insist on knowing before you consider my offer."

Melinda smiled. "I don't need to know unless you want to tell me. Remember, I'm a good listener."

I smiled back, and then continued. "I have a big house that I've already almost paid off, it's in the same school district as your present house, and I want my niece and nephew to be able to get over their loss as quickly and easily as possible. Why don't you and the kids move in with me? You can take the large guest bedroom, Brittany can take the small one, I'll clean out what I am now using as a den for a bedroom for Brett, and I'll put a swing set and jungle gym in the back yard. How about it?"

"I couldn't let you do that," she mumbled as she squeezed a hankie in her hand.

"Why not? Isn't helping others in their time of need what families are for?"

"I...I could get a job..." she started but I interrupted.

"Right now, when the kids need you most, that would be a disaster. They need stability, and although I'm no substitute for Tom, I do love them and they know that!"

"What would people say about a widow living with you, though?"

"Who gives a shit? You and the kids know that it is out of love that I want to do this, not for sex."

"Won't we cramp your style if you're divorcing Ashley and start dating again?"

"No more than I'll cramp your once you start dating again. We can find a way to work it out."

"Let me talk to Jill and Mom and think about it," Melinda said. Then she started crying, jumped into my arms, and said "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for being so kind!"

It took a notice of possible foreclosure from the bank, the encouragement of Mom and Jill, and – once Brett and Brittany found out – constant pestering from them before Melinda agreed. The entire family – including Ashley, although I did not invite her – helped Melinda, Brett and Brittany move the Saturday after we sold her old house. I made sure that the kids' rooms were done up just like them wanted them, and that the swingset was up in the back yard before the move. I also made some changes to Melinda's room and the kitchen to accommodate some things that she wanted.

Although Brett and Brittany, and especially Melinda, had some rough times getting over Tom's death, the child psychologist that I sent the kids to, and the adult one that I sent Melinda to, said that it was one of the easiest transitions that they had ever seen for people in their situation – where the father/husband that was lost was truly loved and revered. That made me feel as great as anything else in my life.

Even though I eventually told Ashley that I had seen Chad exiting her condo – which she obviously had already figured out in view of the crushed cinnamon buns on her doorstep and the fact that I never showed to talk to her – she was still persistently trying to get back together, even after I filed for divorce. Mom, Jill, and Bill continued to plead her case to. The situation was dragging out especially after Ashley's attorney got the court to order what to me seemed like endless counselling.

It was about seven months after Melinda and the kids had moved in with me, and nine months since Tom died, when on a Saturday night Brett and Brittany went for an overnight with their cousins at Jill's house and Melinda and I were planning on taking in a movie, when she sat me down on the couch before we left.

"Kurt, I need to tell you something about Ashley," she said, quite demurely.

"I really don't want to hear about Ashley," I kindly responded as I started to get up.

"I think that you want to hear this – in fact I guarantee that you do," she replied, pulling me back onto the couch.

"OK – what now?"

"Ashley has begged me to seduce you. She thinks that if you have sex with someone else then you'll realize that an open marriage can work and you'll stop the divorce."

"What!" was my intelligent reply.

"I told her that there was no way that someone as charming and handsome as you would have any interest in sex with a tired widow who had two kids and was already in her 30s, but she begged me to give it a try."

"What did she say to that?" I asked, now intrigued.

"She said that she could tell by the way that you looked at me that you would already have seduced me yourself if I wasn't your brother's widow, and I told her how ridiculous that was."

When she spoke the last sentence Melinda was suddenly nervous, and wringing her hands. She could never be a poker player – her hand wringing was a clear tell that I had picked up even long before Tom died.

I sat just staring at Melinda for what seemed like a long time. At first she looked at the floor, but after a while her eyes lifted and met mine and she stared back, with a bemused smile on her face.

Unexpectedly I had a moment of clarity and self-awareness. Ever since she brought me that glass of lemonade while Tom was still alive, now more than eleven months ago, I had looked upon her differently even though I never really admitted it to myself. Suddenly my future was clear. I picked Melinda up, carried her upstairs to my bedroom, and flopped her on my bed. I slowly undressed as I stared at her – now she had a smile that had morphed from bemused to excited.

Melinda just lay there as I started removing her clothing with my flagpole sticking straight up it was so hard. I was surprised when I took off her top and bra how ponderous her boobs were and how puffy her nipples were – how I had never noticed it before I have no idea. I was equally pleasantly surprised when I saw her bare pussy with distended clitoris clearly visible. It was only when I started crawling onto the bed that she said anything.

Melinda sat up, put her hand behind my head, and said "Once we do this, for me there is no going back," just before she tenderly kissed me.

"Nor for me," I growled more than said as I gave her a less-than tender kiss. With that she lay back and I got to work on her honey pot.

Melinda maneuvered me into a 69 and feverishly sucked my cock as I used all ten fingers, my tongue and my nose to try and reach every part of her pussy. She continued sucking me even through her first orgasm, although she did moan into my cock. After her shaking from her climax subsided I turned around, penetrated her, and kissed her as we made sweet, caring, heart-felt, love.

I found out that night that Melinda was a tender lover – and also an animalistic freaky sex goddess who was up for anything and who had a sky high libido. I could barely walk when in pain I picked up the kids the next day at Jill and Bill's house. I must have had a shit-eating grin on my face despite my sore cock and testicles because as we were leaving Jill whispered into my ear "It's about time that you fucked Melinda."

I started to protest but Jill just smiled and mouthed "I don't believe you," then waved goodbye with a diabolical grin on her face.

Melinda never slept anywhere except with me from that day forward. I told my attorney that I would not be attending any more worthless counseling sessions even if it meant going to jail, and to get the divorce concluded. I don't know exactly who it was that convinced Ashley to give it up, but within a month after that she agreed to the final dissolution of our marriage, and within two months after that I had the divorce decree in hand.

I truly do believe that no one except for Jill actually knew that Melinda and I were not just fucking but madly in love with each other, although I'm sure that my mother and Ashley suspected it. Six months after my divorce was final, however, we decided to let the world know especially since we found out that Melinda was pregnant with our child. Brett was my best man and Brittany Melinda's maid of honor. We had a big photo of Tom at the small reception which Brett and Brittany showered with kisses, but there was no sadness. Everyone involved was overjoyed when Melinda and I married.

I sometimes miss Ashley. But those moments get further and further apart as time goes on, and all I have to do to snap out of it is give Melinda a big hug and kiss – and maybe even get some freaky sex from her – and it passes quickly.

Yeah, life is strange!