Heide and Merl and Maria

Heide and Merl and Maria
By greenday0418

This is one possible ending to Odiouser's, Can You Cheat in an Open Marriage. I followed what he had written, expanded the plot and characters to a surprising end. Thanks to sbrooks103X for his editing skills and the writing lessons that I have found to be priceless. And thanks to the original author, Odiouser, for a touch up afterward.
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I knew that I still loved her, maybe in some twisted way, even more than ever. I found her amazing career path to be, well, amazing. She seems so strong-willed and in charge. Not to mention that she seems to have become the most accomplished femme fatal since Cleopatra. But, it seems she still sees something in our marriage that is greatly important to her.

On the other side of that proverbial coin, she had blinded me with bald-faced lies, had sex with a very large number of guys of all descriptions so long as they had money. I am sure not even she knows that number. And she willfully spends a majority of her week in the arms of men, not her husband.

I won't fret over the notion of broken marriage vows. To me, that is an aerie-fairy thing that no one really pays much credence to. I don't even recall exactly what our vows had been. I know we used one of those more modern, less patriarchal versions that are popular in this century.

I was a bit concerned about STD's, but I had to assume that a courtesan who is a million-dollar property would be very well protected and tested very frequently. I knew that she had given up four nights a week with me to play the field, and that hurt a lot. But I also understood that we did not usually have sex those nights anyway. Sex, when we had it, was mostly in daytime hours and was stellar. Based on what little I knew of the sex lives of people our age, I would venture that we had a well above average sex life. Certainly qualitatively, and maybe even quantitatively.

I had to reluctantly admit to myself that I still loved her and maybe always will. But does she truly love me? I realized that I don't even know what 'Love' really is. I do understand that the overpowering sexual component of marriage is clearly separate from all the other feelings two people have for each other. But I think it takes both to make a real marriage.

If she were to tell me she wanted to stay happily married but that her sex had to be reserved only for paying clientele and the occasional Spencer or Rudolf, then, of course, we would be done for. Even if she were a world-class chef and conversationalist, I wouldn't call that a marriage.

Or turn that around. Would I willingly leave and divorce her if I was guaranteed a free pass to frequent sex with her? I don't think so. Yeah, I would want the free pass, call it a Platinum membership card for Rye Balled, but then I would want to hook up with a new woman for the many other things of married life. I do not want to come home every evening to an empty home. That's not even a home. God, what a deep thinker I can be.

One thing was starting to clear up through the haze. We cannot go on like this, with her leading the life she is and me pretending to be clueless. If we have any chance of surviving, we absolutely have to get her out of her current employment.

I honestly think I could maybe tolerate her getting way more sex than I was, but my ego would not allow me to live within the community knowing I was a cuckold to the loosest woman in town. Sorry to be so thin-skinned and fragile.

So, she would have to agree to quit the job and lifestyle, but I am almost sure she wouldn't. I equally doubt she would agree to moving far away from here and starting over. I finally drifted off to sleep.

END OF Odiouser's Can You Cheat in an Open Marriage

Forgetting to set my alarm, I slept until almost 8:00. Heide was gone already, which was okay by me. I needed time to finish searching the house, so I called my boss, Albert Falmouth, CEO of FinCo.

"Albert, Merl here. Can I take some time off? I have to solve some problems at home, and I need to focus."

"You're not cheating on Heide, are you?"

"No, nothing like that. How long can I take off without causing any problems?"

"Take a month off, and we'll talk. Jema and her PA Arturo can cover your division so well you could retire today."

"Sounds good. I should call Jema and explain what I have going on."

"I'll handle it. Relax and enjoy yourself. Maybe you can get your wife to stay home with you more often."

"What do you mean, Albert?"

"Oh, um, well, you've told me about all the nights you are alone until late, um. Merl, I have, um, another call. Don't worry about a thing. Goodbye."

That was strange because I never talked to him about my wife.

I fixed myself some cereal and toast and thought about where to search next, the attic, spare bedroom, or the garage. I decided to start with the attic because the ceiling opening and ladder were at the hall's end. I took a flashlight from a kitchen drawer and pulled the ladder down. Climbing up, I found I could stand upright under the roof's ridge. The attic was empty except for a laptop and router sitting over our bedroom ceiling.

WHAT? A LAPTOP OVER MY BEDROOM?

The screen was black, but a video screen popped up showing our bedroom when I touched the mouse pad. I searched the directory and found the hard drive was a two terabytes drive, and a folder labeled Daily had 1484 mp4 files.

I was stunned, and at the other end of the emotional spectrum, I was homicidal.

I clicked on one file dated Tuesday, three weeks ago. I was working that day. It must have been motion activated as Heide walked in and out of the room several times, but the time in the lower corner of the video showed two hours had elapsed. When it started again, my wife was wearing slutty lingerie I had never seen before. She was followed into the room by a man undressing as he walked. Naked, he rolled onto his back, and I could see it was my old friend Spencer.

When I was able to move again; move, hell, I had to breathe again! I closed off the video, so the picture of our bedroom was back up. Once I was back down in the hall, and the attic was closed up, I started to sob, no tears, just hysterical sobbing. Five minutes later, after several deep breaths, I went into the spare bedroom. Now I was on a mission to find the truth, and I made quick work searching the dressers, bed, and adjoining bathroom.

The closet had some clothes hanging in it, and when I slid them to the right, there was a board, about 24" high by 18" long, screwed into the wall by four screws, one in each corner. I remembered seeing a screwdriver on the shelf above me and unscrewed all four. When I removed the board, I was looking at a safe, slightly smaller than the opening. It had a dial and a lever, so I tried the lever, but nothing happened. Somewhere in my memory, I remember Albert showing me on his office safe, that when he closed it during the day, he could turn the dial to the right, two numbers. The safe door felt like it was locked when you pulled the lever up, but if you turned the knob left two numbers, the safe would open. That way, he didn't have to dial the combination over and over all day long. It was a shortcut for a lazy man.

I took a deep breath, and I turned the dial to the left, one number and then a second. I felt a click in the dial, so I tried the lever again. It pulled up, and the door swung out, revealing money in stacks of hundred-dollar straps. I pulled them all out and counted 19 straps, which, when multiplied by $10,000, was a total of $190,000.

I put all the money back as I found it, closed and secured the safe door, and replaced the board and screws. Placing the screwdriver on the shelf and closing the closet door, it appeared to me to be exactly the way I found it.

I needed to talk to someone knowledgeable about computers and cell phones but who?

Maria Nguyen at work! I helped her get her job, her green card, and her citizenship, plus she had been my PA for a year. Opening my black book, which had numbers I kept private, I found her info and called her desk phone.

"IT department, Maria Nguyen. How may I help you?"

"Want to run away with a thirty-six-year-old man and never work again?"

"Merl! You never call anymore. What you mean, run away? If with you, I quit today."

"Don't quit yet. I need to talk to a friend, and I don't seem to have very many."

"I'll call mother, and she'll cook dinner for us. You can tell me everything. Oh, Merl, I miss working with you so much."

"Then why did you request a transfer eight years ago?"

"Not over the phone. I'll text you my new address. I bought a bigger house when mother came over three years ago. I'll see you tonight, 6:00 sharp. Oh, I have another call, it's Jema. I'll see you tonight."

I hung up and wandered into the bedroom, and I noticed a piece of paper on the floor next to Heide's dresser. It was a note;

Darling Merl,

I left early to help Meredith with an estate auction in Charlotte. We're going to this one and staying home tomorrow. I will be later than usual, but I will be yours all day tomorrow.

Luv You,

Heide

Right, all mine except I was sharing her with half the town.

I took a yellow pad out of my briefcase and made a Pro and Con list for staying married. I called one column STAY, I FORGIVE HER and the other, GET THE HELL OUT. Then I listed reasons under each column. The score was two in favor of staying and thirteen in favor of GET OUT.

Then I made a list of things I needed to do to leave, which took almost an hour. My final list was things to take with me, and I flew through that. Except for my clothes and personal items, everything else I was taking was hers. Oh, well, possession is 9/10's of the law.

I made a small lunch, a sandwich, and some chips, and then lay down to watch TV. About 1:30, I saw Heide's BMW coming up the driveway as I looked through the front bay window. She slowed, probably when she saw my car in front of the garage, and then sped up and continued circling, finally exiting from the other end of the driveway.

There was someone in the passenger seat who resembled my buddy, Spencer.

She said in her note that she was in Charlotte with Meredith. One more lie. I set my watch alarm and closed my eyes.

4:30, and my alarm went off. I showered and shaved, and dressed in Saturday casual clothes. Punching in Maria's address into my GPS, I had an uneventful drive and arrived there at 5:50. Her mother greeted me at the door; she was smiling and shaking my hands, then bowing as I went into the living room.

"Seet. Seet." Then she started shooting rapid-fire Vietnamese at me, including repeating a phrase several times,

"Bạn làm người chồng tốt."

I asked her in French, what should I call her? She replied, "Mom."

Saved by the door opening, Maria came in and greeted her mother in Vietnamese. Then with one step, she was wrapped around my torso and legs, raining tiny kisses on my lips and cheeks. I peeled her off and set her feet down in front of me, and looked her up and down. She was not a pure-blooded Vietnamese woman. She stood 5'11" and had natural full C cups and a really curvy bootie. She was wearing a shiny one-piece dress that was eight inches above her knees with three-inch heels. Her eyes swirled in a jade color; they were Caucasian eyes, and her lips were plump and inviting.

"Bạn làm người chồng tốt."

Maria spoke back to her mother, "MẸ dừng lại."

"What are the two of you saying?"

Maria blushed and looked down and whispered something.

"What, I didn't hear you."

"She says, you make good husband. I said, 'Mother, stop.'"

"Smart woman."

"Eat. You come eat." Mom was beaming as she called for me to eat.

So I stopped at her half bathroom and washed my hands, then sat down at their table. Mom was just carrying on talking to anyone listening, while Maria just smiled at me. Dinner was a seafood dish with rice and green tea. When we were finished eating, she chased us upstairs. This was the first time a girl's mother made me go to her daughter's room. We went in, and she closed the door, then started to take off her dress.

"Wait, Maria, let me speak first, and if you still want me, I'll stay here tonight."

She nodded.

So I told my story about my marriage, all my wife's dirty secrets, all my plans and needs, and any other thing I had to say. An hour had passed, and when I was done telling my story, I reached out to her. She melted into my arms, crying and laughing and kissing.

I asked her, "Why did you transfer from being my PA to IT?"

"I couldn't work with you anymore, and you were happily married. I wanted to jump you, but I would hurt family's reputation."

I thought I might feel some guilt being with another woman. I felt no shame at all. We undressed each other and enjoyed kissing and touching until Maria whispered, "Please go slow, I've never done this before."

"You mean you're a virgin?"

She nodded with a look of fear in her eyes.

So I slowed way down, and by the time I was ready to take the treasure she was giving me, she was pleading with me to hurry. When I finally exploded, I knew there was no going back to Heide. I helped Maria into her shower and washed her and washed myself and dried off both of us. We crawled into bed, and I slept until 6:00 AM.

I got up and dressed and went down to Maria's kitchen. I smelled coffee brewing and was greeted by her mother. She was making a huge omelet for me as I checked my phone for missed calls and voicemail. No missed calls, no missed texts, no voicemail.

"Good morning, Merl." Maria had a white bed coat on that covered everything and hid nothing. If I wasn't in a time crunch, I'd take her back to bed.

"Maria, do you think you can get off the rest of the week?"

"Already done. Tommy, who works nights; his wife is due next month, and he needs the money. I'll owe him three days when their baby comes."

"Then first thing, follow me to my house so I can leave my car there. Then over to the Apple store for an iPhone, and then a used car dealer. Are you ready?"

The kiss I received confirmed she was ready. "I need to get dressed."

When I pulled into my driveway, Heide's car wasn't there. I signaled Maria to come in with me. She was wearing another short and clinging dress, and I wanted to... Stop! Too Much To Do! Bad Merl.

At the end of the hall, I pulled the ladder down and went up just to make sure she hadn't added additional cameras. In the spare room, I went into the safe and saw she had put another strap of 100's in.

Getting an iPhone was a snap, and buying a big truck was easy also. We went to a mid-size used car lot and found a Suburban with 28,000 miles. It was loaded and had a trailer hitch. I was getting ready to go into the office when a lovely looking big-boned blonde in a red dress came out of the office.

"Hey. What can I do for you?"

"What you want for this Suburban?" I was trying to sound simple.

"$49,795.00 plus tax, tags, title, and processing fee."

"Got any trailers?"

"Why sure, Sugar. Follow me around back."

"There you are, Hon, 7' X 14', $4,000.

"Let's go inside and parlay."

When all negotiations were over, I had bought a Suburban and a trailer for $58,500.00, cash. I arranged to bring a cashier's check by Friday morning. The deal's extra money was for receipting the cashier's check as a personal check when I brought it in. That way, there would be no reporting the transaction on IRS form 8300.

Maria dropped me off at my home with promises made by both of us to be together forever. Heide's car was not there. After making and eating dinner, I went to bed at 9:00. I felt her get in bed sometime after midnight. Woken up at 4:00 AM by my watch, I took her phone to my home office. I removed the battery and covered the terminals just like Maria showed me. Replacing her cell phone in her charger, I went back to sleep and slept until my 2^ndalarm awoke me at 6:30. Heide was still asleep.

I got up like it was a regular workday and dressed like I was going to work. I was eating a bowl of oatmeal and drinking coffee in the kitchen when I heard Heide call out.

"Merl. MERL!?"

"Yes, Dear."

"Thank god, you're still here. My phone isn't working." She walked into the kitchen in a robe, shaking the phone and franticly punching numbers on her phone. She handed it to me, and I pretended to care as I duplicated her actions.

"It's dead. How about I take it to the Apple store and get you the latest model? They can transfer everything on the old phone to the new one by the memory cards, and you will be good as new. I'll take off work and handle it for you."

"But I need my phone. Can't we put my memory card in your phone?"

"No, Honey, I have a Samsung cell phone; yours is an iPhone. You can use mine today. Today is Thursday, your easiest day of the week still, isn't it?"

"Oh, well, yes, I guess that's okay." We swapped phones, and she looked like she wanted to cry, "Maybe Sunday we can get away and have some alone time and talk?"

I grunted, shrugged my shoulders, and left. I went out to breakfast at a local café and then went to the Apple store. I left her old but very usable iPhone, along with her shiny new iPhone, with the Apple tech to transfer everything from old to new.

I went outside and sat on a bench absorbing the sun's warming rays and thinking about Maria. About an hour later, the tech I was working with waved me back into the store. He was finished and I signed Heide up for a new plan and prepaid for one year. The next stop was to a different bank than the one I used now, and I opened up a new checking account with them. After that, I drove over to FinCo and walked into the HR department, where I changed the beneficiary on my Life insurance policy from Heide to Maria. I also changed my direct deposit to my new account number. The last visit at work for today is to talk to Albert.

When I went into his secretary's office, the look of shock on Marjory's face was stark.

"Merl! Was Albert expecting to see you today?"

"No, I was running some errands and had to go see HR and thought I'd speak to Albert for a moment. Why, what's the problem? I come in here every day; what's the big deal? Is there something going on that I'm missing?"

"No, Merl, I'm sorry. Nothing's going on; you surprised me when Albert said you were taking a month off. It's not like you've used all your vacation. Let me see if he's free."

She pushed a button on the phone. "Albert. Merl White's here to see you,"

"Well, send him in."

As I reached his office door, he pulled it open and shook my hand. "Merl, come in. Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, Sprite?"

"I'm good."

Albert closed the door. "Sit down, Merl. What can I do for you?"

"When I talked to you Tuesday morning by phone, I had the feeling you knew something you weren't telling me. What's going on? Is there something I probably need to know?"

"Merl, um, nothing's going on, um, so I..."

"ALBERT! Beans! Spill! Now!"

"Okay. Jema was going to leave, and the board didn't want that to happen, and she wanted your job, and the board decided to promote you and give her your job, okay?"

"Breath, Albert. Slow down. Start over, slowly."

So he told me again, a little slower, and the bottom line was my taking off happened at the perfect time, the name on my door had already been changed, and my new job still hadn't been created.

"Calm down, Albert. If you can't find a job for me, I'll retire and sell some of my stock and go live on an island. How many shares do I have?"

"I'm not sure, I have..."

"Albert! You're a math wizard. You know how many shares everyone has bought through options."

"250 thousand shares."

"That wasn't too difficult, was it? What's the price today?"