Fractured

"Bill, I apologize for exploiting our friendship by calling you today, but I've got a serious problem."

"Damn, I'm sorry, my friend. Do you want to come over and talk? I've got several bottles of Yuengling Lager here with your name on them."

"You're okay with that?"

"Sure. I won't even bill you for the hours or the beer," he said with a chuckle. "Come right over, if you want."

"Man, thanks. You're a good friend and I really need one now."

Dave met with his lawyer, Bill Hardwick, and laid bare his dilemma. Bill had been through a divorce himself for similar reasons, so he truly was a sympathetic ear. As they got into the details of Dave's plan, Bill understood why his services would be needed even though he didn't practice family law.

"Smart move combining business law with family law on this problem," Bill noted. "Are you okay with using my friend who handled my divorce? She's a real shark."

"I was hoping you had a recommendation. How soon can we call her?"

"Let me give her a buzz now and see what she can do to fit us into her schedule."

Bill walked off for privacy and called Angela Hall. She hated cheaters with passion, and Bill knew she'd treat Dave right. After talking for a few moments, he disconnected the call and walked back to his friend.

"Good news! She's coming over and will join us for dinner. Is that okay?"

"Wow. I feel special getting this kind of Sunday service."

"Look, my friend. Hearing what your wife and brother did really hurts my soul. We gotta make this right. I have to say, though, that you and Linda are the last people I expected to find in this situation."

"Yeah. You and me both."

"Well, don't start feelin' too special. You're buying dinner. We'll order from Kelly's Steakhouse when Angela gets here. They deliver and know my place well since I can't cook worth crap."

Angela was a lovely woman, and Dave could see that she and Bill were more than friends. Bill quickly confirmed his suspicions.

"Yes, my friend, this lovely lady is single. Don't start thinking you have a chance, though. She's spoken for since we're getting hitched in a month."

"Wow. That's great. I can think of all sorts of snarky comments, but my mood has my filters outta whack and I don't want to come off nasty."

"Relax, Dave. I already know I don't deserve this beautiful, marvelous woman."

The three spent the afternoon and evening reviewing strategy and plotting their actions. Angela took Dave's financial paperwork and set an appointment for Monday after lunch to finalize the details. Everything pointed towards being ready for Dave to serve Linda that Friday.

At one point they took a break so Dave could pretend to be in Pittsburgh when he called home.

Linda answered. "Hi, Honey. I guess you arrived okay. How are you feeling?"

"A little tired, but okay. I grabbed a quick burger and I'm heading to bed. Is Allie there?"

"Yep. Right next to me watching TV."

"Can you put us on speaker?"

"Sure!" A moment passed while she handed her daughter the phone.

"Hi Daddy. I miss you already."

"Miss you, too, Sweetie. I just wanted to let you know I'll be home in plenty of time for our date night on Tuesday."

"Oh, good! I was wondering if you were going to stand me up."

"Never, Baby. A fancy dinner, and a movie it will be. Pick a movie you want to see that starts somewhere around 7:30. Okay?"

"You bet."

"Okay, guys. I'm heading off to bed. Love you both."

After a chorus of "love you's," the call disconnected. Linda was a little put off that they didn't get to talk more, but she suspected Dave's five-to-six-hour drive sapped his energy.

Dave opened the window by his hotel bed hoping fresh air would soothe his soul. Instead, strong odors from the garbage dumpster below invaded his room. "Fitting," he thought as he pondered the stinking mess his life was becoming. He slammed the window shut, flopped onto the bed, and spent the night being haunted by the nightmare he was living.

*****

The next day, Dave's meeting with Bill and Angela went well, and his evening call home was short and sweet when he claimed the clients were waiting for him to join them for dinner. In reality, Dave sat in his local hotel room eating a room service burger while planning the strategy for the next day when he had to bring Allie into the loop. It was the day he had to watch his little girl quickly grow up while learning the darker sides of life. It was the day he dreaded with all his heart and soul.

Tuesday morning, Dave finalized a few more pieces of his strategy, then met with his attorney one more time to finalize the company issues he planned as part of his pending divorce and the severance package he envisioned for Linda and his former brother. He arrived at his office just after lunch to make it appear as if he just drove in from Pittsburgh.

The sight of Hannah started to bring to the surface all the emotions he thought he had in check. Instead of bringing her directly into his office, he greeted her with an uncomfortable smile, and closed his office door behind him.

"Get a hold of yourself," he softly uttered to himself. Having the list of actions in front of him was a crutch to help him maintain composure. Taking out his notepad, he looked over the itinerary, took a deep breath, and called in his friend and trusted office manager.

"Hey, Dave," she said with her normal smile, which quickly faded when she saw his face. A few silent tears trickled down his cheeks. Not only could he not control them, but he found he didn't want to. "My God! What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She abandoned all office etiquette, and rushed to embrace the man she cared about who was clearly in pain.

"Dave, what's wrong? Are you ill or something? Please, talk to me."

"No," he replied with a trembling voice. "I'm not sick. No one is sick."

Hannah pulled a chair next to him and held his hand while stroking his arm as she sat next to him.

"We're...shit!" He grabbed a tissue as composure started to return. "We're gonna need to make some changes here. I think they'll be good, but the reason they're needed really...really sucks."

"What? What happened?"

He looked at her with the saddest eyes she had ever seen. Puffy and red, they gave away the degree of pain her boss was in. It hit her that only one thing could shake him that deeply.

"Linda? Something with Linda?"

He nodded, struggling to answer. He lowered his head and diverted his eyes, then choked out a single word. "Affair."

"Oh, my Lord! Linda?" She embraced him again seeing that he was losing composure. "I can't believe it. Are you sure? Do you know who?"

Dave nodded his head and was clearly struggling to name the culprit. Hannah knew she had to be patient.

He looked up at her as his face changed from overwhelming sorrow to burning anger. "Rich. My own damn brother."

Completely shocked, Hannah stood suddenly and started pacing. "That son of a bitch," she spit while trying to avoid being overheard. "That stupid, selfish bastard!" She continued to pace and rant as her mind processed her boss's suffering.

After a few moments, she calmed herself and resumed her embrace of the broken man. She sat up suddenly as a realization hit her and looked into his eyes. "You found out just before the party, didn't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"I could tell something was really wrong, and I wasn't buying the touchy stomach story."

"I overheard their conversation, and I did immediately puke, so, the touchy stomach story was a partial truth."

"And I'm guessing you really weren't in Pittsburgh yesterday, were you?"

"No. Lawyers."

"There's no chance you'll stay with her?"

"I prayed to find a way, but they've been seeing each other for sixteen years or more. I can't get past that. I'll never see her as the same woman I loved."

Hannah went to Dave's office fridge, took out a Coke, then got two glasses and a bottle of rum from the cupboard. "I think we both need a rum and Coke. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea."

Hannah handed him his glass and she slumped into the chair across from him as she drew a large gulp. They briefly sat in silence, looked at each other, then launched into business issues. Dave started the conversation.

"Obviously, after Friday they are both fired."

"Obviously."

"Rich's wife, Sonia, has a business degree. I want to see if she can handle Linda's job. We won't pursue that until next week, so I may need you to find a way to cover Linda's duties in the short term."

"Can do. I know her job and can cover it."

"Hopefully not for too long. I don't want to overload you."

"No problem. I've got big shoulders. What about sales?"

"Well, a little while back, Debbie Gleason said she wanted to get into sales. She's done really well as Rich's inside support person and I think she'd be great."

"I agree. The hard part will be backfilling Debbie's job."

"Tammy Fields. She's been designing systems and helping with procurement. Plus, she's had a lot of business courses. I think she could slide in easily."

"Okay. That sounds good. What's the timing?"

"This Friday, just before they are ready to leave, tell them you and I have been talking about expanding sales and see if they are interested. Let them know it is imperative they not tell anyone yet, but that you and I want to meet with them first thing on Monday morning to offer them promotions."

"I've got it. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Sometime before Monday, could you draft job descriptions for them? I'll cover the compensation packages when we talk with them on Monday."

"Yep. What else?"

A few remaining tears trickled down Dave's face. "This may be the hardest task. You're one of my closest friends. I'm losing Linda, my best friend, so I apologize in advance if I need to lean on you even more."

Hannah ran behind the desk and hugged Dave as he stood. "That will be my easiest task and a great privilege."

Hannah left the office hurting for Dave. He was too good a man to suffer this kind of pain, and she couldn't help but feel it as well.

*****

Linda paced aimlessly, pretending to be busy in a kitchen that was already spotless. She hadn't been with Rich for almost a year, and trying to figure out why she still gave in to him was tormenting her. She didn't really like him, much less love him. The sex was boring and unfulfilling. She rarely had an orgasm during their trysts.

After their brief talk in the garden on Saturday, Linda made up her mind that she would put a stop to this stupidity after this one last time. She didn't believe Rich would really tell Dave since he had too much to lose. In the end, she was risking too much for something she certainly never enjoyed. In retrospect, she should have confessed years ago. Wondering why she jeopardized her family for something so vulgar and pointless has been constantly gnawing at her conscience.

Dave interrupted her thoughts when he walked through the side door. She ran into his arms and kissed him. He seemed surprised almost to the point of resisting at first, but then gave in and returned her passionate kiss with matched enthusiasm.

"That's quite a welcome home," he said with a bit of surprised reaction. "What brought that on?"

"I love you so much, and I just missed you since we haven't really been together since the picnic."

"I missed you, too, Baby," he lied.

"Ready for your big date with Allie?"

"You bet!" He wondered what would happen if he asked if she was ready for her big date with Rich.

"She's getting ready and should be down in a minute. What do you have planned for the evening?"

"I'm taking her to Vincent's Italian, then the movie of her choice. You have plans tonight?" He noticed her flinch a little.

"Uh, not much. I thought I'd window shop at the mall."

"We don't need any windows," he teased.

"Very funny. I'll just see if there are any sales worthwhile."

"Well, be sure to practice safe shopping!" He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What? Oh, nothing. Just trying to be funny." He detected a strange twitch in her eyelid. Fortunately, Allie bounded down the stairs and interrupted the awkwardness he felt growing.

"Daddy!"

Allie ran into his arms with her normal happy greeting. She wore her Sunday best and looked far more mature than he was ready to acknowledge. She was growing up too fast, and tonight's discussion was going to make her mature even faster.

"Baby! Ready to paint the town?"

"Paint the town? What's that mean?"

"Just, have a good time."

"Oh! Then, yeah, and with my favorite guy, too."

As they left, Linda was filled with so many emotions. She was overcome with pride and love for Dave and Allie, but guilt and remorse started to take the top spot in her thoughts. "After tonight, Rich and I are definitely through," she thought. She waited twenty minutes, then grabbed her keys to drive to the rendezvous with her long-time paramour.

*****

Dave felt his chest tighten as he pulled the car away from the house. After a few deep breaths, he nervously took Allie's hand.

"Sweetie, I need to apologize in advance for tonight."

"Apologize? For what?"

"Tonight, we're not gonna be able to get a fancy dinner or see a movie. I have some serious things to talk about and something to show you."

"Serious?" Allie's worried look started to produce a few tears. "Dad, you're not sick or something, are you?"

"No. No, Baby. We're gonna stop for some take out from Chick-fil-A, then we'll go somewhere and talk. Okay?"

"Why can't you tell me now? Is this some secret from Mom? You have me scared. Please?"

"It's nothing to be scared of, Baby. It will just be easier if I'm not driving. Be patient, please?"

They were silent for the few minutes it took to enter the Chick-fil-A drive through. After ordering the chicken strip meals, they pulled onto the main road.

"Baby, go ahead and eat while we drive to where we're going."

They drove in near silence for fifteen minutes before Dave pulled into a small office complex across from the Valley View Motel.

"Okay, Dad, we're parked. What's going on? Why did we come here?"

Dave looked at the innocent face seated next to him and began to shake the foundations of her world.

"Sweetie, I...well...damn. I'm sorry. This is hard."

She took his hand and forced a smile. "It's okay, Dad. Tell me."

Dave expelled a large sign. "Your mom is having an affair. It's been going on for a long time."

Allie pulled her hand from his in shock and her face scrunched up in pain. "No! No, that can't be! Mom would never."

"I thought the same. It's like...like I never knew her. That's why we're here. She's supposed to meet him here in about ten minutes."

"Meet? Meet who?"

"We'll find out shortly, Baby."

She cried and hugged her father's neck as hard as she could. "It can't be! You've gotta be wrong." Her string of denials mixed with tears and emotions broke his heart.

Dave noticed two cars pulling into the motel parking lot. Allie felt his attention drawn to the scene across the street. She sat up and watched in time to see her mom's car park. Then, saw her Uncle Rich get out of his car and walk into the motel office.

With complete shock on her face, she quickly looked at her father and saw his tears streaming down his face. The young woman witnessed her dad's heart breaking, and her heart broke for him. She embraced him as well as she could in bucket seats and cried for the horror they were enduring together.

She felt him trying to move and noticed he was trying to get pictures of the tragic scene. They watched as the two lovers embraced and entered room 103 together.

Dave reached for his daughter's chin to encourage her to look at him. "I'm so sorry, Baby," as he gently wiped tears from her face. "I'm so sorry."

They simply embraced each other for strength while each processed what they saw. After a few minutes, Allie sat up and looked at her father. "This kills our family, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, Baby. The three of us, Uncle Rich and Aunt Sonia...all of us.

"I'm staying with you, no matter what. I don't want anything to do with her."

"I'm going to do everything I can to be sure you're with me, Sweetie."

"You don't understand, Dad. If she tries to get me to stay with her, I'll make her life so miserable, she'll have to let me go. Count on it!"

He wanted to tell her to keep herself open to a relationship with Linda, but everyone's emotions were too raw. That discussion may follow months later, but for now it was too soon.

"Allie, the hard part will be the next several days. I'm going to confront your mother Friday evening. You'll need to act normal until then. Can you do that?"

She started to cry again. "I don't know! How can I do that?"

"Well, we can talk about that and the plans I've made. Let's get outta here and go somewhere else where we can talk."

Dave drove to a deserted picnic area in the township park that would be well lit once the sun went down. They talked, planned, cried, shouted in frustration, and bonded on a deeper level than ever. It would be two against the world.

They drove home just after 10:00 PM. Allie wasn't sure she could keep up an act for three days.

"Dad, I'm not sure I can see her without giving her a good bitch-slap."

"Watch your language, Honey. You may not want to hear this, but eventually you will have to have a normal relationship with her."

"It won't ever be the same. I'll certainly never respect her."

"Well, let's keep to the plan and that should take the pressure off of having to act normal. When we get home, just act really tired and head off right to bed, okay?"

"I can do that."

Allie paused for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Dad, I really love you. I don't know how you can take what she's doing, but I'm here for you. Okay?"

"How'd a bum like me get so lucky to have an amazing daughter like you?"

She took her father's hand as he pulled into their driveway. "You're far from a bum, Dad. You're the best man I know, and the best dad a girl could ask for."

They quietly entered the house. Fortunately, Linda was already in bed and that allowed Allie to have the night to get her act together.

Dave found Linda pretending to be asleep. He assumed she wouldn't want to get frisky since she had just been with his brother. She didn't know he was counting on her to avoid him so he could avoid her. Dave found it sad that it may be the last time they both got what they wanted in bed.

All night they laid back-to-back, each pretending to be asleep, each with their thoughts, each in their silent tears.

*****

Dave awoke from his fitful sleep and instantly smelled coffee. He got up, did his morning routine, dressed, and packed his suitcase for a two-night trip to the other side of town. On the way downstairs, he quietly entered Allie's room to see if she was ready, and she greeted him with a silent smile and a nod of her head.

He found Linda in the kitchen making pancakes for the family. She turned to greet him with a big smile. "Good morning, Sweetie. Breakfast is almost ready."

He hugged her from behind and kissed her neck like he would any normal morning. As planned, Allie descended from her room right on time.

"Good morning parental units."

"G'morning, Baby. Sleep well after your date with that hot guy?"

"Sure did. Hey, Dad, did you ask her yet?"

Linda glanced at her husband with a questioning look. "Ask me what?"

"I forgot to tell you last evening that I have to go back to Pittsburgh today and I'll be back Friday. I mentioned it to Allie last night and she begged me to go along."

"Sure," Linda cheerfully responded. "Allie will make your drive a lot more enjoyable."

"Great," Allie exclaimed. "I'll eat fast and pack. It won't take me long."