Frank and Cookie

"Look honey; the tapes speak for themselves. You want to believe the asshole feel free, but keep in mind that this isn't the only place he travels to. You might want to consider what he is up to at the other places he visits."

"No. I doubt very much he will be looking me up after my sending you the tapes."

"Well fuck you too you stupid cunt!"

Then there was the sound of the phone being slammed down on its cradle followed by, "What a stupid bitch!"

Then followed the sounds of Cookie fixing dinner. I rewound the tapes and then put the recorders back in their hiding places. The call didn't prove anything one way or the other. All it proved was that Cookie had indeed sent Jason's wife some tapes, but the question was still there. Did she do it to force a wedge between Jason and his wife so Jason would be free Cookie to hook up with or was she really trying to burn him?

++++++++++++++++++++++

Another week went by and I decided that it was time for me to start checking out the attorneys on my list. I talked to a couple of divorced friends of mine and found out that they had both used the same lawyer and neither one had anything good to say about him so I crossed him off the list. Both friends told me that their ex-wives lawyers were pretty damned good and one of them was on my list so I put a check mark next to his name.

Once I decided that I was going to go for the divorce I started thinking of how to protect my business so I didn't lose it in the divorce. I talked with Uncle Mike about it and he came up with the solution to the problem. Since I was buying it from him and making payments to him he wrote me several letters and back dated them. The gist was that I was behind on my payments and if I didn't catch up by such and such a date he would take the business back. The last letter said he was sorry, but since I was four months behind in my payments he was taking the business back. I could stay on as manager, but at a reduced salary.

Everything was back dated to before I found out about Cookie and Jason. Since the original deal was between me and Uncle Mike and no other parties had been involved there was no way Cookie and her lawyer, whoever he turned out to be, could prove different.

The business secure I turned my attention back to my list of attorneys. After talking to several people I had narrowed the list down to two names, but before I could contact one of them circumstances changed. It was ten in the morning when Pauline's call came.

"Just keeping you up to date sweetie. Cookie was hauled off to jail about ten minutes ago."

"Hauled off to jail? You've got to be kidding."

"Not in the least."

"What did she do? Steal the office petty cash?"

"A little more serious than that. She put Jason in the hospital."

"What?!!"

"Jason came storming in here, called her a stupid fucking bitch for fucking up his marriage and told her that she would pay for it. I didn't see it happen myself, but a couple of the guys said it looked like Jason was going to hit her. One of the guys hollered at him and when Jason looked to see who yelled Cookie picked up the paperweight off of her desk and bashed him in the head with it.

"He fell to the floor and while he was down there she kicked him in the balls a couple of times and told him he was a cheating lying bastard and that he deserved whatever he got. Jason's head was bleeding pretty badly and someone called 911. That got the cops involved and they took Cookie away."

As I hung up the phone I was thinking that the question of the two of them getting together if Jason and his wife were to split was answered. Maybe, just maybe, Cookie had been telling the truth. I debated rushing down to the police station or waiting for Cookie to call me. I decided to sit tight. If I rushed down there she would want to know how I knew and if I told her it would also tell her that I was in touch with Pauline and I wanted to keep that a secret for a while. Always nice to have a spy in the other camp if you know what I mean.

Three hours later I got a call to come down and pick her up. The police had investigated and the people in Cookie's office all swore that Jason was about to hit her and she had defended herself so she was released on her own recognizance.

An asshole of an assistant district attorney decided that even though she was defending herself kicking a helpless man when he was lying on the floor bleeding was uncalled for and he charged her with simple assault. If she had gone for a jury trial she would have beaten it, but she opted for just appearing in front of a judge. He found her guilty, fined her three hundred dollars plus court costs and two hundred hours of community service.

She got a thank you card from Jason's about to be ex-wife with a short note enclosed saying that she should have used the paperweight on Jason's head a few more times.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

And the two of us?

We are putting it back together, but it is going slowly because I am still pissed over what she did and it flares up occasionally. Cookie knows that there is still a small kernel of doubt in my mind over what she did. Did she sleep with Jason? Was everything she did after I confronted her done because she was telling me the truth or because by then she had come to the realization that Jason had no intension of leaving his wife and so she did her best to make me think she was telling me the truth.

We are back in the same bedroom and Cookie's way of trying to make me forget is to try fucking my brains out. I'm willing to try to forget her actions, but I honestly doubt that I ever will. It might fade away for a while, but sooner or later something will happen that will bring that small kernel of doubt back Some one will say something, I'll see a picture of something or an old classmate will mention that he saw Jason somewhere and it all comes back. I think Cookie realizes that and so she goes out of her way to spoil me rotten.

Cookie still works at the real estate office and Pauline still works there also. Pauline and I have lunch every once in a while. She is still my eyes and ears at the office, but it has been almost eight months now and she has had nothing to report. I think Cookie and I are going to be okay, but I'm going to be a lot more vigilant from now on. Cookie knows that she has had her "One time shame on you" and that from now on I am never going to be in the "Two times shame on me" position and if she loves me as much as she says she does she will make sure that it never happens.