He Was One Hell of a Salesman

"Not really. Lauren, are you ready?"

"I think so." Then she looked at me. "If it's all right I'll go with you and these two can stay."

I looked at Mark and he shook his head vigorously. "Yeah. Yeah. That's good. Krystal can take me home. Right Krystal?"

"Sure." And she smiled at Mark who smiled back.

"Okay. Ready?" I asked Lauren. She nodded, grabbed her purse and we left.

In the car she told me where she lived and I headed there. Neither of us spoke the whole trip. I pulled in her drive, got out and went around to open her door for her, but she had already opened it and was getting out. I walked her to her door as she took her keys out. At the door, she unlocked and opened it.

"Good night," I said.

"Good night. Thank you for the ride."

"You're welcome." I started to walk away.

"Jackson?"

"Yes?"

"Will you have dinner with me tomorrow?"

It must have been something in the way she smiled or the look she had, but it only took me about two seconds to answer. "What time shall I pick you up?

"6:30?" She was smiling broadly.

"Good. See you then.

We went to one of the two good Italian restaurants in town and avoided both the country club and the private restaurant. It was a very nice evening which ended with pecks on the cheeks for both of us and another date for after Thanksgiving.

We had two dates between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mark and Krystal had five or six. I can't confirm it, but I think their last one lasted all night.

Her parents always gave a huge New Year's Eve Party. I had heard about them, but had never had occasion to be invited until that New Year's Eve. It was an invitation I accepted.

Their house was on the lake and was one of the biggest in town. Lauren met me at the door and immediately led me to where her parents were standing and talking to some of their other guests. "Excuse me, Mom, Dad, could I borrow you for just a second?" They excused themselves and turned to their daughter. "Mom, Dad, this is Jackson Hebert. Jackson, these are my parents John and Colleen Wilson."

"How do you do. Thank you for inviting me." I said.

"It's our pleasure, Jackson. Lauren has told us about you and we're glad you could come."

What followed was several minutes of in-depth "Voir Dire" by her father which didn't make me the least uncomfortable, but I did feel that everyone in the room was looking at me. I chuckled a bit when I thought of him doing the same in a courtroom.

Lauren finally just pulled me away from the inquisition and we headed to the bar. I knew some of the other guests by sight because I had seen them on TV or in the newspaper for one reason or another.

It was just before midnight when she took me upstairs to show me her old room, and it was there, when we heard everybody downstairs yell, "Happy New Year", that we had our first lip on lip kiss. It was a very nice, long soft kiss and, even though it was long, ended too soon.

Lauren and I dated for ten months before I moved in with her. It was another two years before we were married. Mark and Krystal beat us by six months.

Our marriage was beginning its' second year. I had discovered that given a little time and patience, Lauren could be talked into almost anything.

I was on my way to Mark's one day and I had a flat tire. I was getting the jack out of the trunk when I discovered my spare was also flat. I had taken out my phone to call Mark to come rescue me when a bright orange pickup truck stopped to see if I needed help. I had seen a bright orange truck around and could only assume there weren't too many of them. We put the spare in the truck and headed to get it repaired. I, again, took out my phone to call Mark and have him meet me at the tire store so he could take me back to my car, but again, was distracted from finishing the call.

I was sitting in the cab of the truck and the sun was in my eyes so I reached to turn the sun visor down. When I did, staring me in the face was a photograph of a woman in a bikini. It was a photo I knew well because I took it in Cancun not three months earlier.

I put my phone away and stared at the photo. The driver was an older man and he spoke. "Nice lookin' piece, ain't she?"

"Yes. Very attractive. Who is she?"

"She's my son's new girlfriend." He laughed. "Girlfriend, my ass. She's jest another unsatisified married bitch out for a good time. He has them all the time, the lucky fucker."

"Does he have pictures of all of his conquests?"

"His what?"

"His unsatisfied married bitches."

"Oh. Nah. He stole that'n. It fell out'n her purse. He picked it up and talked her into lettin' him keep it." He laughed out loud. "If he can talk her out of some pussy, gettin' that pitcher was easy."

"So he talked her out of some pussy?"

"I hope to spit in yer mess kit, he did."

"How long has he been fucking her?"

"Oh, a couple of weeks now."

"How did he meet her?"

"He had a wreck in my truck and she works for his attorney."

"Oh? This isn't your truck?"

"Nah. He wrecked mine. This 'uns his."

"They fuck pretty often, do they?"

"Not all that often. Like I said, it's only been a couple of weeks. They're at our fishin' camp right now probably doin' the dirty, if yuh know what I mean."

"Yeah. I think I know what you mean." I flipped the sun visor back up and called Mark. I finished the call that time. Lauren was supposed to be in New Orleans, shopping with her mother.

"Where is your camp? We have one on Big Lake." I asked, but it was a lie. We didn't have a camp, but I knew there were many of them there.

"That's where ourn is. It's the green shack on Sandy Road down by the boat ramp."

I knew exactly which one it was. We used to drive out there just for fun.

We finished the drive in silence and I thanked him for the ride. The tire was repaired by the time Mark got there. On the way back to my car, I filled him in. We replaced my tire, found a nearby place to park it, and headed for Big Lake in his car.

We parked on the very narrow road in front of the green shack, got out, and walked around it to see if we could see in any windows. Fishing camps came in all sizes and shapes. A shack like the green one could be sitting next to a million door house, but they were both called "camps". We found an open window and heard the sounds of people "doin' the dirty" before we looked in. I snapped four pictures of the couple before we returned to his car and left. Lauren and her mother were not supposed to be back until evening the next day, so I had time to move my stuff to Mark's. When we got there, Krystal asked what was going on, so we told her.

"Did she see you taking the pictures?" she asked.

"Don't think so. She was pretty busy at the time."

Krystal picked up her phone. "If you call her I will be very upset." Mark told her. She slowly put the phone back on the table.

"What are you going to do?" She asked me.

"Divorce her."

"That's it? Aren't you going to talk to her?"

"Nope. No need."

"Aren't you going to ask why?"

"I don't care why. She cheated. That's all I need to know." We had all of my stuff in Mark's house and garage when I left to go to Lauren's parent's house.

Her father answered the door. "What's up Jackson?" He asked as he motioned for me to go in. I stayed where I was.

"I just came to tell you that on Monday, I'm getting an attorney. I'm divorcing Lauren."

"Bullshit."

"I'm serious. Right now she is at the fishing camp of one of your clients. I have four pictures of them in bed together."

"I don't believe you."

"Would you like to see the pictures?"

"You bet your ass I would and if you're lying......" I took out my phone and looked for the least graphic one, although they were all basically the same and the faces were very clear so there was no doubt it was her. "Oh my God. And you say she's with him now?"

"She was about four hours ago. I assume she still is."

"Where are they?"

I told him and he closed the door in my face, but I heard him call his wife. "Colleen, come with me. Now! I'll explain on the way."

I was in my car and driving down the street when they passed me at a high rate of fuel consumption.

It was almost midnight when my phone rang. It was Lauren. I ignored it and turned off the phone.

She was ringing Mark and Krystal's doorbell at seven in the morning. We were sitting around the kitchen island drinking coffee. Krystal let her in and she came right up to me. I wasn't in a mood at accept her apology.

"You son of a bitch. How could you do that?"

Apology? That didn't sound much like an apology. I looked at her. "Do what?"

"Show a picture like that to my father."

"I told him you were cheating and he wanted proof, so I gave it to him."

"You didn't have to do that, Jackson. To my father of all people." I turned back to my coffee. "What happens now?"

I turned back to her. "Jesus Christ, Lauren. What do you think happens now? Do you think I'm going to forget it happened?"

"You could try."

"No I can't, and no I won't. I'll find an attorney and start the ball rolling for a divorce."

She touched my shoulder. "Please, Jackson?"

"Go away, Lauren."

"Mark, will you talk to him? Please?"

"I agree with him. I think you should go away."

"Krystal? Will you?"

Krystal stood and led her to the door. "Go home, Lauren. We'll talk later.

I started calling attorneys on Monday morning. I was at school, so had limited time, but by the end of school on Tuesday, I had an appointment. I interviewed three that week and didn't care for any of them.

Lauren made no effort to contact me, though she and Krystal talked several times. According to Lauren, she met the guy in her father's office when he came in to talk about an accident he'd been involved in. The accident wasn't his fault so he was suing the other party.

He was a slick talking good ol' southern boy and chatted with Lauren every time he came in and was jovial, friendly, persuasive and wouldn't take no for an answer when he asked her to go out. Finally she agreed to drinks after work one time. That one time turned into four times and that turned into two visits to his fishing camp. She declared to Krystal that she wasn't dissatisfied with our marriage, the guy just absolutely wore her down and talked her into it. She made no excuses other than she fell for his bullshit.

When I heard that, I thought the guy would be one hell of a salesman. That, plus the fact that Lauren could be talked into to anything given the right circumstances.

When Krystal asked if she had ever cheated before, she said no.

I finally found an attorney I liked, and the divorce was basically a slam dunk. I walked away with no requirement to pay her anything plus I got half of her house, which I took. Apparently her parents wouldn't give her the money for my share, so she had to sell it. Her selling it didn't bother me one bit. I was able to buy my own outright with my share.

I was living in an apartment until I bought my new house and I would like to say I was enjoying life, but I wasn't. It took several months before I started dating again and those were few and far between.

Lauren had insisted we get our own membership at the Country Club, so we did and she and the club Pro had been teaching me to play golf and much to my surprise, I was enjoying it. The initial fee to join was quite a hefty sum, but her parents paid that. The membership was in my name and the annual fees manageable so I kept paying them and continued going so I could continue learning to play golf.

I saw Lauren there occasionally and we exchanged greetings, but nothing else. A couple of times over the next year, I took dates there for dinner.

One Saturday afternoon, I had finished a round of golf with three other members. Lauren was in the club house when I came out of the locker room and she asked me if I would have a sandwich with her.

I did. We had sandwiches, and I had a beer, and we chatted. We even managed to laugh a bit. When we were finished, I told her I had to leave.

"Why? Do you have a date?"

"No. No date."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"No."

"Me neither."

"Not even your lover?"

She turned bright red. "No. No one." There was a long pause and I started to leave, but she grabbed my arm and I stopped. "I screwed up Jackson. I had no reason to cheat, but I did, and I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know that."

I nodded, stood and left.

The next two years went by rather quickly. Krystal and Mark had a son and named him Jackson, and I was still teaching and still loving it.

Jackson Two, or more often just "Two" as Mark and Krystal's son was called, was having his first birthday party. I knew that Krystal had maintained a relationship with Lauren and she was at the party when I arrived. I had seen her occasionally, but had not spoken to her since that day at the club when we had sandwiches and a beer together. Krystal made it a point to not talk about her in my presence and what she did hear from Lauren and later tell Mark, stayed with him. They knew I didn't want to hear, or talk about her, so they honored my request.

She saw me first and approached me. We hugged and said hello. She had gained at least 20 pounds and looked like her dog had just died.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Not bad. How are you?"

"Great. Thank you."

She didn't look great, and I knew her well enough to know that she knew it, but I wasn't about to open that can of worms. "You look well." I lied. "How are your parents?"

"They're good. They tell me they see you at the club."

"We run into each other occasionally."

"Daddy says you're getting pretty good at golf."

Whenever there's a tournament, the scores are posted so everyone can see them. Mine had been getting steadily better over the past couple of years. "Yeah. I'm pretty pleased with them." We stood looking at each other until Krystal came.

"Lauren, there's someone I want you to meet."

I watched as Lauren was introduced to a man about my age. A few minutes later, he was standing by himself so I introduced myself. "Hi. I'm Jackson Hebert."

"Keith Bransen. Nice to meet you?"

"Likewise. Are you a friend of Krystal's?"

"Actually, I'm her cousin from Baton Rouge. I came for Two's party." Then the light bulb went off. "Jackson? Are you the Jackson Two is named after?"

"Guilty as charged."

""It's nice to meet you. I just meet a girl named Hebert. Any relation?"

"I know her, but, no, we're not related."

"I think Krystal wanted her and me to maybe get together, but I don't know. She seems like a cold fish."

"You can't judge a book by its cover, you know."

"I know, but she seems like she's in LaLa land."

"Who knows these days?" We had another couple of minutes of chitchat before I sauntered off. Two was slumped in his high chair and Mark was holding his cake and we were all singing happy birthday to my one year old namesake and I felt someone close. I looked and it was Lauren. She was singing with the rest of us.

Mark blew out the single candle and we all applauded enthusiastically. Krystal cut the cake and distributed pieces. Lauren stood beside me as we ate in silence. She stayed pretty near me the rest of the party and walked out with me when I left.

I walked her to her car and opened the door for her. "I have tickets for Aida this Friday. Can you use them?" She asked.

I liked the music from the play Aida and really wanted to see it, but had no idea it was coming to town. Actually, it wasn't coming to our city; we never had anything like that, but a city in Texas right on the state line did. It was about a 40 minute drive. "I'd like to see it, but I hate going by myself, so I'll pass, but thank you."

"If you don't have anybody to go with, I'll go. We don't have to go together. I can meet you there."

Fuck, I thought, if we were both going, I saw no reason to take two cars. "That's silly. We can go together. Do you still live in the same house?"

She was smiling. "No. I bought a new one." She gave me the address.

The evening was fun. The play was great and being with Lauren brought back lots of good memories. I took her home after the play and walked her to her door where I was invited in for a nightcap. I declined and went home where I stayed awake most of the night thinking about her. Lots of good thoughts, but the vision of her in bed with that other guy just wouldn't go away.

It wouldn't go away all week, so when she called and asked if we could have dinner together, I told her no and told her why. "I enjoyed going to the theatre with you, but since then, all I've thought about is you in bed with another man. It goes back to when you lied before, so I just can't trust you."

"I understand, Jackson. It was the worst thing I have ever done and I'll never forget it or stop regretting it. Good bye."

Two days later I was having dinner with Mark and Krystal. "I know I'm not supposed to talk about Lauren," Krystal said, "But I'm going to. She loves you, Jackson, and regrets what she did. She's trying to figure out ways to get you to forgive her. Couldn't you try?"

"I've thought about it, but I can't. Marriage is built on trust. Trust that you will love each other and only each other."

"But it wasn't love. It was a moment of weakness."

"It wasn't just a moment. It was at least six moments. By her own admission, she went out with him four times and slept with him twice. People in love...in a relationship...married for God's sake, don't let themselves get in situations where some slick talking yayhoo can talk them into bed just for the sake of screwing them. He had no interest in her except to get in her panties and it worked. I could almost understand it if they were in love, but they weren't. He wanted pussy and she gave it to him for no other reason than he talked her into it."

"I know, Jackson, but......"

"No buts, Krystal. She screwed up and it's over."

"Christ, Krystal, let it go." Said Mark.

"Stay out of it, Mark. She's my friend and I want to help her."

"Well, Jackson is my friend; yours, too, by the way, and you're butting in where you've been asked to stay out."

"I don't care. She made a mistake and he should forgive her."

"Would you forgive me, if I cheated?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then why are you insisting Jackson forgive Lauren?"

They were still going back and forth and gave no indication they knew when I left.

Mark was at my house two hours later with two suitcases. He was at my house for two days before Krystal called him. They argued over the phone for a few minutes before Mark hung up. They talked three more times that week, all three calls ended in arguments.

Two weeks went by. Mark and I went to his house to get the rest of his stuff. Krystal didn't try to stop him. By the time he had lived with me for two months, they hadn't talked in three weeks. He went to see Two, but said he and Krystal had nothing to say to each other. Things were not looking good for their marriage.

Mark and I played golf one Saturday morning. I was getting much better, but the only times Mark played were when I insisted and he was horrible. We were waiting to tee off on the first hole when the starter asked us if we minded being joined by two others. We said no and he introduced us to two women. I had seen them around, but had no idea who they were. They were Judy Franklin and her sister Teresa Jenkins. We introduced ourselves and started to tee off. Mark went first and hit a nice straight ball about 215 yards. It was the best tee shot he'd ever had and we looked at each other and laughed. I was next and hit a nicer shot about 225 yards. We walked to the ladies tee and they both hit shots of about 140 yards each.

I shot my best round ever that day and attributed it to the presence of the ladies. Despite his first shot, Mark stopped keeping his score somewhere around the seventh hole. We found out in the clubhouse later over cheeseburgers, fries and beer, that the girls were both divorced and were both MD's. Judy was an emergency room physician while Teresa had a private practice.