'Goode' Neighbors

"You like it?"

"It's fantastic. Let me get cleaned up and changed into something appropriate to accompany such a beautiful lady."

It was a wonderful first night. Paris seemed to welcome Abby into her heart. Best of all, that night, Abby and I made love for the first time.

For the next five days, I showed Abby all the usual Paris sights. The Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay; Notre Dame, Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, the top of the Eiffel Tower - at least eight of the attractions from Abby's list of 'must sees'. On the sixth day, we climbed aboard a high-speed train and spent three and a half hours traveling to Grenoble.

When I told Abby what I had in mind, she protested that she hadn't packed decent hiking boots or clothes. Then she protested when I brought her into an outdoor store to get her fitted with essentials. She continued to protest until I convinced her it was a late Christmas and early birthday present. Although there was still snow in the higher elevations, we hiked where we could on Alp trails. Three days later, we left to return to Paris and continued to check off Abby's list of 'what to do in Paris'.

Everything was going splendid until the last night when we dropped into a small café to have a night cap before heading back to my apartment. There, things fell apart. A group of Simone's friends, people who knew Simone and I had been an item, saw Abby and I walk in and insisted we join them. At some point Abby and I separated; she was talking with two of the women, I was having a discussion with the men. When it was time to leave, I could see it in Abby's eyes.

"When were you going to tell me about Simone?"

"I wasn't. It was a short affair with a woman before you and I became intimate. Now that you and I are lovers, I'm more than willing to commit to being exclusive with you. I promise never to be with another woman while we're committed that way."

Abby wasn't placated. "I thought we were lovers, when you left Klamath Falls last November, you told me you loved me; I thought that meant something."

"I said I was falling in love with you and it did mean something. We should have defined what it meant."

Abby started to cry. "I'm such a fool." She went into the bedroom and packed for her flight, another red eye. She came out of the bedroom with tears in her eyes. "I'll take a cab to the airport."

"Let me take you."

"No, right now I just need to be alone. I'm sorry this had to happen on our last night. I've had so much fun with you, now I feel like I'm just a place holder until Simone comes back to Paris."

"That's not true."

"Maybe not, but it feels that way and I need to think this through. Call me and we'll talk."

"It might be a while before we can talk. I'm heading to Moscow tomorrow for some important negotiations. While I'm there, communications will be limited because of the nature of those talks. Let me take you to the airport."

"No, just call me when you can." Abby reached up with her hand behind my head and pulled me down for a kiss. "I love you, George Baker." She left without saying another word; but before the door closed, I told her, "And I love you, Abby Ross."

I was right, during the next two weeks in Moscow, communications were short and limited to family members. By the time I returned to Paris, my first phone call to Abby was tense. Before we could get back on track, I was headed back to Moscow because the agreements made during the first round of talks were falling apart. Talk about bad timing. Abby wasn't a bitch about it, on the contrary, she did her best to tell me she understood; but we needed to talk and soon, before things unraveled.

*********************************

Gina, Dennis, Mom and Dad came to visit in July. One of the great advantages of being stationed in Paris was it didn't take much to convince people to come stay for a while. Try doing the same in some my previous Army duty stations.

Gina brought great news; Jenny had called her to explain why I was no longer a fugitive. Jenny was renting out our old house to a couple and they wanted to buy it. The home sale would be enough to pay off the mortgage plus any outstanding money owed to Jenny. If I signed papers releasing any claim on the house, Jenny would call it even. Best of all, Jenny had filed for divorce, claiming abandonment; we'd be officially divorced by next June without any further effort on my part. Gina had the papers; I signed and mailed them to Jenny.

We had a great time in Paris; the only exception being any time Gina gave me some heat because I was letting Abby go (in her words).

"Gina, I not trying to - I'll get it all squared away when I get back to the states. I promise."

"Damn, you are such a fool, big brother. Do you think a woman with as much going for her - beauty, personality and brains - will be sitting around pining over your sorry ass for long?"

She had a point; but there wasn't much I could do for the next few months except Skype Abby and write love letters.

*********************************

My first stop on returning to the States was Klamath Falls. Not only did Abby welcome me with open arms; she did everything to make me feel we were a couple once again. There was one big problem, though; I needed to work and the only West Coast offer I received was with a tech company in Los Angeles. Family was very important to Abby and she wanted to remain close to her folks while I needed to be where there's opportunities for my specialty, and Klamath Falls isn't the kind of place in need of those skills. We'd both be on the same continent, at last; but living seven-hundred miles from each other.

Over the next several months, we spent at least one weekend a month together, either in Klamath Falls or down in L.A. In May, we took two-weeks off work (my boss bitched; but approved the time-without-pay "in the interest of love") to go camping and hiking through Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon and Death Valley.

There was little doubt we were compatible and in love; but I was still having trouble committing myself to marriage. Most likely this was due to my own lack of confidence and other trust issues. Let's face it, my history with women didn't instill confidence. Jenny didn't leave me, but I wasn't enough for her to remain faithful. And although we weren't right for each other, it was Simone who left me, not the other way around. Abby claims to love me, but not enough to leave her family and join me in California.

Abby and I kept seeing each other whenever we could. I was one-hundred percent faithful and had little doubt she was as well. I didn't give up, I kept looking for a way that we could be together.

*********************************

Sometimes life throws you curveballs, sometimes bean balls; and every once and a while, you get a pitch that's just big and fat, coming right into your sweet spot. You can't help but hit it out of the park. That July, I got two fat ones.

First, a New York publishing house contacted me and offered me the job of a lifetime. I was chosen to translate Joseph Stalin's personal papers and letters from Russian to English for an upcoming book. The papers had previously been translated by a Russian; but the publisher realized how much had been sanitized. I was to provide a second translation without bias. The job would take a while; and best of all, I could do it from anywhere, even Klamath Falls.

Then, less than a week after signing the publisher's contract, the improbable happened.

Two years and two months after I drove away from my home in Minnesota, I woke up to someone knocking on my door. I put on a pair of sweatpants and went to the door; opening it while wondering who could possibly be so rude as to wake me at seven in the morning.

There stood Jenny. "Hi, George."

Not the greeting I expected after all this time; I looked down at Jenny's hands to see if she had a gun; but all she held was a manila envelope.

"Can I come in, George?"

I stood to the side and let Jenny in the room. "Should I make coffee?"

"That'd be nice. I left my hotel this morning before having breakfast."

I decided to be nice, time mellows the broken heart. "I'll scramble some eggs."

"I didn't come for breakfast, George. I came to deliver these." Jenny held out the envelope. "Our divorce was finalized two months ago. I thought you should know; I used abandonment as the reason."

I took a quick look through the papers. "You could have mailed these. There's nothing for me to sign."

Jenny started to lose her composure; her voice rose in volume. "I wanted to hand them to you personally. I didn't want to be a coward like you. I wanted to look in your eyes and I wanted you to know how much I hated you for leaving me that way; without a word, just a note!"

"And I wanted a wife that wasn't spreading her legs for a bunch of assholes!"

Jenny collapsed on the sofa, crying. But that didn't stop me from continuing.

"You have no idea how my heart broke when I saw you with Goode and those other clowns."

Jenny had the decency to apologize between sobs, "I'm sorry."

"Me, too. I thought we were in love and ready to start a family."

"I was ready to start having our babies; then that bitch Doris started coming over to our house for coffee. She filled my head with all kinds of shit. Said when you finally figured out what you were missing, that you'd join their group."

"Wasn't ever going to happen. I really meant it that day when we exchanged vows - forsaking all others. And I really meant it all the times I said you were the only woman for me."

Jenny put her head down, her eyes on the floor. My curiosity got the best of me and I found myself asking her, "So, what happened after I left? Did you stay with the group?"

"No, I never did that again. I probably talked to Doris no more than two or three times after I came home and found your note; and those few times were only when I couldn't avoid her. Plus; your little bomb blew up everything."

Jenny noticed the look in my eyes when she said, "your little bomb".

"Oh, George; don't pretend that it wasn't you who posted the videos and photos; or sent out those anonymous emails to half of Minneapolis. Everyone suspected it was you; but no one had proof."

"You did. I didn't think about it at the time, later I realized that I left that photograph of you, Kyle and Harry on the dining room table. If anyone saw the photo, they'd have proof it was me behind the website."

"I burned the photo ten minutes after I saw it. It made me sick to have documentation of my whorish behavior in our house. And even if I hadn't destroyed it, I never would have shared it with the others; I couldn't betray you a second time."

"So what happened?"

"First off, Kyle Goode lost his John Deere dealership. There was a 'community standards' clause in his contract with Deere. Who would have guessed the progressive people of Minnesota would be so outraged by the Goode's parties? When people stopped buying at the store, Deere pulled out leaving Kyle to sell cheap Chinese tractors and crap. The store went bankrupt, Kyle was up to his eyeballs in debt, Doris left him for Harry."

"No shit?" I was pleased with that turn of events; but Jenny wasn't finished.

"Kyle blew his brains out; stuck a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger."

"And Doris got to live happily ever after with Kyle's best friend?"

Jenny shook her head. "No; turns out Harry had anger issues and after he put Doris in the hospital, he ended up in prison. He'll be there for at least eight years."

"Eight years for hitting a woman? What did he do to her?"

"Oh, it wasn't just that. When the cops came to his house, they found he was distributing Oxy. He got a year for beating Doris and ten for the drug charge."

This was getting better and better. I couldn't help but laugh.

Jenny continued. "Two of the other couples moved away. Seems the school board didn't look too kindly on its elementary school teachers being involved in a sex scandal."

"What about you, Jenny?"

"Well, with the exception of totally screwing up my personal life by driving the man I loved away; my professional life turned out all right. Nobody gave much thought to a dress salesperson's personal life; I cut and dyed my hair and most people never even knew it was me in those videos. Some did and every so often I'd have to deal with the fallout. I went to full time at work and took classes at the community college in the evenings. Got my AA and now manage a Banana Republic store in St. Louis Park."

"Good for you." And I meant it; like I said, time mellowed me out.

Jenny started to tear up. "Do you ever see us getting back together, George?"

I may have mellowed; but my brain hadn't turned to swiss cheese. "No, I'm sorry Jenny; that's not going to happen. All the trust is gone. Seeing you with those assholes destroyed it. And you know as well as I that a marriage without trust isn't a happy marriage."

"I knew you'd say that, George; but I just had to ask. As soon as I saw your face and heard your voice, I was reminded of what I gave up. So, I had to give it another shot. I'm sorry, George."

With that, Jenny started to sob. Damn, I once loved this woman with all my heart.

Jenny and I had dinner that evening. During dinner, I just had to ask. "Why Jenny? I thought we had a good marriage. Why did you let Doris talk you into it?"

"George, I was always such a good girl; never the one to do anything even slightly wild. You were the second man in my life. Doris played on my naiveté; she convinced me it was only a matter of time before you joined in the 'fun'. She said no red-blooded man could resist the opportunity to fuck multiple women. She made it sound as if there was something wrong with your libido for resisting; that it was you who was perverted, not us."

"It was never going to happen, Jenny. The 'forsaking all others' vow meant everything to me."

Jenny nodded as if agreeing with me before finishing her explanation. "Doris gave me a book, "Because He is Watching" by Kristen McCallum. It was about a married couple and how the husband got turned on by watching his wife have sex with other men. She also shared how to find swingers' websites online. The more time spent reading and watching, the easier it was for Doris and Kyle to convince me to try that first party. I was the center of attention, the 'Belle of the Ball', and that fed my ego; it wasn't as hard for them to talk me into the second party where you caught me."

I took Jenny back to her hotel; I could tell she was waiting for me to ask if I could spend the night; but I stayed strong. Yea, I could have fucked her and left; but that would have been wrong for multiple reasons; not the least because of my commitment to Abby.

*********************************

I woke the next morning and looked at the clock. It was only seven and Jenny's plane wouldn't be taking off until eleven. Plenty of time to pick her up and take her to LAX for her flight. One more chance to spend a few hours with the woman I wanted to spend my life loving. I sat down and drank a cup of coffee instead. Something was on my mind, something that woke me up at 3 a.m. and kept me up for two hours.

It all made sense now; my final night with Jenny was like a purging of all the bile built up in my head and heart. My soul was cleansed. Until last night, I never realized how important it was to close that chapter of my life with Jenny, so I could begin a new chapter with someone else; with Abby.

I showered, packed the car and locked up the apartment. With luck, I'd make the seven hundred miles and be in Klamath Falls before Abby ended her shift tonight.

I called, hoping it wasn't too early to call someone who works the late shift. She must have seen my name on her readout. Her voice sounded groggy. "Hi George."

"Good morning Abby. Sorry to wake you, but I was wondering if I could pick you up from work tonight."

"Why, where are you?"

"I'm just leaving Thousand Oaks. I should be there by eleven."

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just need a couple days with you. If you can take a little time, maybe we could take a short hike and talk."

"Sure; I'll switch shifts with Janet for tomorrow. Are you sure you should drive all day?"

"I'll be OK; I'll see you at eleven."

I was two hundred miles north when I realized I was going up to propose empty-handed. I stopped at the Ben Bridge in Sacramento. I was looking at the diamond rings when my eyes traveled to the display case of sapphires next to the diamonds. One ring caught my attention; I moved over, much to the saleslady's surprise.

"A sapphire?"

"Yes, that one. A non-traditional ring for a non-traditional lady. It's perfect. Please put it in a box; no need to wrap it."

The saleslady smiled. "She'll love it. What about sizing?"

"Let's hope she says 'yes', then we'll worry about sizing."

She put the ring in a beautiful blue box and ran my credit card. "Thank you. Good luck; but I can tell; she'd be a fool to say 'no'."

Back on I-5 and heading north. I called Gina while I was driving, put her on speaker so I wouldn't get a silly ticket today.

"Sis; today's the day. I'm on my way to see Abby with a ring in my pocket and all the hope of the world in my heart."

Gina practically screamed over the phone. "Good for you, George."

"What do ya think, will she say 'yes'?"

Gina laughed. "Ask her nice, she'll be your fiancée by the time you get to, 'will you...'"

"I wish I had your confidence. Wish me luck, sis."

Gina was almost right. I pulled up to the pub's front door at eleven-o-five and Abby came out to the car. I opened the door, got down on one knee with the box in my hand; but before I even got to, 'will', she was in my arms and saying 'yes' while kissing me on the lips, cheeks, nose and forehead.

I guess I'm going to get married again.

We spent the next two days visiting with her folks, walking through the mountains and making love. Abby was especially excited to hear about my new contract. "Seriously George, I get to marry you and live here?"

It was then that I realized Abby had said 'yes' to my marriage proposal without asking about our living arrangements. Now, with my new contract, it was a moot point; we'd be able to live and bring up our children and she would have the support of her mother and father. The best of all worlds.

Two days later, I was back on the road. Time to return to L.A. and give my boss the bad news. When I got back to my home, there was a note on my door.

"George

I had some time this morning before my flight left, I thought I'd stop by to tell you once again how sorry I am I betrayed your trust in me. I don't know if we'll ever have a chance to see or speak to each other again; but please understand I know it was my immature, selfish behavior - listening to Kyle and Doris' bad advice - is the only reason why we're not husband and wife today and why I won't ever have our babies; the babies we planned and worked for. I will love and miss you forever.

BTW, I realize you spared me some pain with the video, I know you must have captured me with those other men and in situations that I'll be eternally ashamed of, I think you did it to spare my parents and maybe to spare me. Whatever the reason, I will always be thankful you showed me such mercy. You are a good man.

Jenny"

It was the last time I ever heard from Jenny.

*********************************

It was October, a beautiful time in the Northwest; Abby and I had a small wedding in Klamath Falls. Mom, Dad, Gina and Dennis made it out for the wedding. Two of my friends from the Army came out as well. That was the sum total of the 'Baker' contingent. Abby's side of the aisle was filled, friends from high school, college, family and co-workers. We had an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, a live band with a dance floor. It was great fun.