Gold Digger Ch. 03

By the time it was over, Denise was sobbing inconsolably. Finally, she ran down and gasped out, "No wonder he was bitter and wanted revenge. He recorded fifteen times when you were fucking me. And the things I said!"

"I guess that eliminates the innocent wife claim."

"He could have gotten a regular divorce and destroyed me at the hearing. The prenup specifically mentions adultery as grounds. At least he didn't wreck my reputation. He tricked me into signing that agreement so it certainly is fraudulent, but I damn sure can't challenge it in court with that recording. I'm divorced and he wins everything!"

It was a long, sleepless night until in the early morning sheer exhaustion sent Denise into coma-like oblivion. When she finally struggled to wakefulness, a sudden recalling of yesterday's disaster brought another burst of tears and self-recriminations. "How could I have been so damn stupid? I had a beautiful home and freedom to buy almost anything I wanted. I had a husband who was a very nice guy with lots of money and prestige. God damn it, I married for money, got a prize and threw it away. I'm right back where I started and when I get a job, I'll probably have to put out to keep it and move up. Maybe I'll just get a regular job and forget my ambitions to be successful." The tears flowed without stint and, despite the ordeal of the previous day and her loses, it is noteworthy that she accepted all blame to herself, not Jeff.

Two days later, she received an email from Jeff. "Dear Denise, if you are still with Justin and expect to continue with him, just ignore this message. On the other hand, if that hasn't worked out, I have tentatively arranged a short-term lease on a furnished apartment, the address is below. If you take that alternative, give your name at the office and arrangements will be made. Note, this email source does not accept replies. Please do not attempt to contact me. Jeff."

The relationship with Justin had quickly become strained and a day later, she took advantage of the offer and moved into the apartment. The following day she received another message from Jeff. "Dear Denise, I have been informed that you have accepted the apartment. The lease is for six months which should give you time to make other arrangements. I was not surprised because, not to be insulting, I thought that Justin's relationship with you probably was much like yours with me, i.e. based on money. Anyway, I have no intention to leave you destitute. You will find your car parked in the lot with the keys at the desk. The registration has been changed from my name to yours.

"In addition, at the desk are the papers and the key for a storage locker where you will find the rest of your clothes and other personal property. The address is below. Finally, in addition I am making a one-time deposit to your checking account which should sustain you until you find work without, I hope, the physical, i.e. sexual, requirements of your last job. I will not contact you again so I hope you have a good life. Jeff."

Sitting there, reading that message, Denise burst into tears, realizing far more than before what, and who, she had given up. Shortly afterwards, however, her mood brightened as she faced a future which, undoubtedly, was better than she deserved. Those prospects improved exponentially when, a week or so later, she got an unexpected call from a well-known agent who said that he had run across several recording of her, including screen tests, and was interested in representing her.

Several days before, when Denise was just discovering the catastrophe at Justin's place, the creators and operatives of the nightmarish scenario which had been inflicted on her and Justin had returned to the lounge in their building. There had been unalloyed enthusiasm as they congratulated themselves on a very successful operation. It had been a festive and ebullient crowd, bubbling over about that success and exchanging stories of their parts in that campaign. The guilty had been punished with no physical damage. They had created a bewildering set of circumstances that threw Denise and Justin completely out of their comfort zone.

A bathing suit disappeared from a seemingly enclosed area, putting Denise in a very different and embarrassing situation. The whole beach had changed and nothing was the same as it had been less than an hour before - Jeff missing almost as if he never had been there. All landmarks changed. Their alcove as they remembered it gone. It was literally like a nightmare that you have when asleep. One you wake up from it in a sweat, confused and wondering what is real - but they already were awake! The final straw was the feeling of complete vulnerability because of her semi-nudity, their lack of money and having no way to communicate.

Then, when they finally get off the beach and think that normality is returning, they are faced with another impossibility - a large home which they left just a few hours ago was now empty, all furniture gone. Worse, a "sold" sign firmly planted in the ground indicating that the emptiness is not new! How could Denise not be traumatized with her world falling into chaos around her? At the beach she had been absolutely certain that Jeff would be waiting for her in the alcove and that they would get into their car and drive home to the house she loved. Yet, reality and what she certain of was were light years apart. She had to be questioning her sanity!

Then, of course, the "coup de gras," the trap waiting at Justin's house - the Certificate of the Dissolution of Marriage, her clothes, her checking account statement and, absolutely devastating, the DVD!

The whole operation was replayed many times that night as they exulted in their victory. For Chris and Norm, it was the "pièce de résistance" of their practical joke history. This, of course, was anything but a joke, but it certainly bypassed the Bert and Ernie success in their minds and they gloated and rejoiced it the carrying out of their intricate and elaborate plan and their well-earned victory. Was it too elaborate, too over-the-top, when just the final step with the Dissolution of Marriage and DVD would have been enough? Maybe, but you would have had a hard time selling that idea when it came to punished these adulterers - besides, it was fun!

Now, two weeks after the scenario with Denise and Justin had played out and after Denise had moved into the leased apartment, the group was sitting around the same lounge, casually talking about various subjects. By that time they had pretty much exhausted the subject about how well the plan had worked out and how their timing had been perfect. Ron, who had stayed behind after Jeff and Jan left, had regaled them about watching Denise and Justin frantically going up and down the beach with Denise's towel exposing everything as it continuously opened up. Chris and Norm had described arranging and directing the movers and their truck, boasting about their plan and its execution. Even Jan had described in minute detail how she squirmed under the thicket to nab Denise's bikini and start the whole show.

Oddly enough, the person who had the least to say was Jeff, himself, and he, reluctantly, admitted that he felt a bit guilty about how far they had gone. They had laughed at him, unnecessarily reminding him how Denise deserved it. He agreed but still felt remorse for he knew better than they how she would have been impacted by her horrendous day.

"Look, I don't hate her. I was humiliated, angry, hurt - but what was hurt was my ego. I was shocked when I saw that first recording, but, at the same time, not as much as I would have expected. And, I wasn't crushed. It wasn't as if we had been married for ten or twenty years and our lives were intertwined and I never had doubted her. I had already moved away from her by then. The bigger shock was hearing her lay her feelings out in that first long conversation she and Justin had.

"They never would have had that conversation, at least where I could have heard it, except that I knew what was going on and arranged for them to be alone. She had said that she would like to talk longer with him, but they couldn't take the time. I gave them that time, and it all poured out as I hoped it would. It was natural for Justin to ask questions and for her to answer. The one thing I didn't get was how it started between them and how long before - but, of course, that didn't come up because those were things that they both knew. Hearing her talking about having to put out for her boss explained much of why she became a gold digger - it doesn't excuse it, but it makes it more understandable.

"I have no regrets of sympathy for my erstwhile friend, Justin. I've made a few arrangements on my own and he is already out of the landscaping business and in bankruptcy and is going to have a very hard time getting a job. They both - actually, all three of us - paid a price for this.

"However, think about this, particularly you unmarried people. For one year, approximately, I had an absolutely beautiful woman with a superb body as my wife. She agreed with me on everything. She was available for sex of virtually any kind at virtually any time. She bragged about me all the time and was very good company.

"Now she is gone and, as I said, I'm not crushed. Add to that, the year with her cost me practically nothing financially. Yes, I'm embarrassed by how gullible I was. It's humiliating to realize what was going on behind my back. However, think about it Chris. Think about it Norm. How would you like to have a year like that? A beautiful woman at your beck and call, every night! How does that last year compare to yours? She gave me a lot - maybe for the wrong reason, but it was a good year. Therefore, she was punished, but, I don't hate her."

The social meeting went on for some time after that, but, as it was breaking up, Ron stopped everyone and said, "Ok guys, I think that we've waited long enough. After hearing our friend explain his lack of hatred of Denise, I have a feeling that this is the time to see who won the pool!"

Jeff looked up, bewildered, and asked, "What pool?"

The group broke out in laughter as Jan replied, "We each put in twenty bucks and guessed just how much money you ended up giving Denise. You're a cream puff and we all bet that you would chicken out and fatten her bank account. Now, how much? Ron has held the pot and it's time to pay off, softy. How much?"

"Come on now! After what she did? Why would I give her money?"

"How much?"

Finally, shamefaced, Jeff reluctantly said, "$25,000."

Chris blurted out, "Damn, you are a softy! Ok, who won the pool - it certainly wasn't me!"

Ron pulled out $80.00 and handed it to Jan. "She had it right on the money!"

As the rest of them left, Jan stayed behind, smiling as she said, you're a good man, Charley Brown. Wishy-washy, but very nice."

"As I said, that was a very good year I had with her. I've thought of the whole situation and, while I was angry and hurt, as I said, it was more of a hurt ego than a broken heart. I have absolutely no feeling of loss as far as she is concerned. I realized quite quickly after the first shock that I had been infatuated with her, not in love with her. As the infatuation wore off, I began to get that feeling that something was wrong. I was shocked by her affair with Justin, but not by her artificial affection for me. I certainly wasn't devastated by it as I would have been if I really had been in love with her.

"Maybe I am soft but I feel better about myself by helping her have a better life without having to put out for lecherous bosses like she had in the past. I did something else, too. I kept those tapes of her screen tests and gave them to a good, honest agent that I knew and he was impressed. Heaven knows, her acting fooled me! Anyway, he's going to contact her without mentioning me. That may help her too."

Jan reached over and kissed his cheek, saying, "You really are a good man, Jeff Anderson! A wonderful man!"

As she started to leave, Jeff stopped her. "Jan, may I ask you a personal question?"

"Well, as I said to Don over a year ago, you certainly may ask, but I may not answer."

"Good enough. Way back when this whole business blew up and I really was embarrassed by...well, by being seduced, I guess, by this beautiful woman who you all, correctly thought was after my money. I felt very foolish and you said something like 'don't feel foolish, we've all done something stupid in our lives, you about a woman, me about a man, but, no matter how stupid it is, things may still work out.' Now, I think that you were just saying that to make me feel better, but for some reason I can't get it out of my head.

"I've known you since you were an 18 year old college freshman and I've been near you or with you all the years since. I just want to know what mistake you've made with a man that was stupid and that you regret. It's none of my business what mistakes you've made, but the way you said it has stuck in my mind all this time. If it's painful or too personal, forget I asked, but I just hate to think that you had a situation like mine and I was so unobservant that I didn't know and give you support."

Jan looked at him for a full minute, obviously contemplating how to respond. "The answer to your question is yes and no, which is not very satisfying. Partly I did want to make you feel better about an unfortunate situation. Men get overcome by beautiful women and women can certainly be seduced by handsome men. She was a beautiful woman and you weren't in a relationship. As you said, she's an excellent actress and you were vulnerable. I didn't want you to beat yourself up over it.

"On the other hand, I did make a stupid decision that I expected that I would really regret, probably for the rest of my life, but I did it anyway. I don't know that I'm comfortable with describing it because I don't know how you would respond. We all make silly decisions and we live with them."

"Well, I certainly am not going to press you on it. However, on the question of making decisions that you regret, there's one I made a long time ago that I've regretted ever since."

Jan stared at him intently for what seem an interminable time, obviously debating with herself. "All right, I don't want to leave it there and kick myself about it later. The decision I made over a year ago and regretted was standing idly by when I saw you with Denise. I wanted desperately to stop it but I didn't know how. I stupidly did nothing. I don't want to cause a problem for you or for me, but l think I regret the same decision from years ago that you do. We were too rational, too frightened by fears of the future. I don't know where we are now, but I regret that decision more than anything in my life!"

Without hesitation, Jeff reached out and drew Jan into his arms and they shared a long and very loving kiss. When it ended, she had tears in her eyes, but they were tears of joy! She looked up at him with a radiant smile, whispering, "I don't want to get you on the rebound from another woman, but I guess I'll have to risk it!"

"If either of us had had the courage to speak up, there never would have been another woman! This is going to be a shock to our partners!"

"Jeff, dear, you really are unobservant. You are the only one who didn't realize that I was in love with you. They've been wondering if you would ever wake up and admit that you loved me. A year ago Don asked what happened and that he had expected me to be his sister-in-law! That was one of the reasons they didn't like Denise at first."

"All right, I've been stupid and foolish twice now. I swear that it won't happen a third time! Don will get what he wanted - and so will I!

Epilogue

Five years later, Jeff and Jan were sitting on their terrace watching their two young children play when they heard the doorbell. Jan went to the door and stood there, frozen in shock at seeing the visitor. Outside the door with a very timorous smile on her face was Denise. "May...may I come in?"

Breaking out of her trance, Jan said, "Of course, come in. We're out on the terrace." Leading the way, she said, "Jeff, dear, we have company."

Jeff got up and, of course, was startled by the unexpected sight. Recovering quickly, he reached for her hand and, quickly added a brief kiss on the cheek. "This certainly is a surprise. It's been five years, but you look wonderful."

"Thank you. I hate to barge in on you like this, but I never would have had the courage to ask if I could come to see you. I...I came here this evening to apologize and thank you at the same time. Wait, please let me talk or I'll lose my nerve. My behavior before and during our marriage was reprehensible and I have absolutely no excuse. My only explanation for my behavior was that I had had a difficult time in my attempt to advance in my job and I had just lost all perspective. When I watched those DVDs, I couldn't recognize myself in what I was doing and saying. I was a slut and I hated myself.

"But, the thing that changed me, shook me out of the pit I was in, was how unbelievably kind you were to me. Instead of leaving me to the suffering I deserved, you found me a place to live, gave be money and hope. Then, secretly, you sent my tapes to an agent with a good recommendation. I was a faithless, lying wife and you did that for me. The reason I finally got the courage to come here is that I want you to know the good you have done. I have just been cast in a leading role in a new TV series and the critics gave it and me very good reviews. And it's all due to you. You're a wonderful man!"

Both Jeff and Jan spontaneously jumped up and gave her a congratulatory hug. Her obviously heartfelt words had reduced the natural tension and when Denise left not long afterwards, it was with a genuine invitation to come again.

After she left, Jan and Jeff sat closely together with his arm around her, her head on his shoulder as they reviewed the happy ending for both them and for Denise. Jan looked up at her husband and whispered, "Darling, you really are a wonderful man and I'm just glad that she didn't realize it in time!"

Actually, it probably wouldn't have mattered. Something would have worked out, somehow. As was said in the beginning, one thing that is evident in life is that some people, for whatever reason, have fortune smiling on them and Dwayne Jeffery Anderson was one of those people. There was a short hiccup when fortune frowned on Jeff Anderson for a short time, but the smile returned and, as the fairy tales insist would happen, he and Jan lived happily ever after!