His World was On Fire

Story Sentence: She played a wicked game and had to right a wrong.

Once again, a big thank you to Randi for including me in one of her "Legends" events. This one being "Wicked Games." It's always an honor to be asked. As well as a challenge to complete.

Main Characters: (When story begins)

Wife: Holly Breckenridge, age 41 married to Parker for 15 years, mother of 3 children (Craig 15, Dillon 12, Erie 10) Vice President of Quality Services for HCA Healthcare. MBA in Healthcare Management.

Husband: Parker Breckenridge, Age 38, a 17-year employee of, and currently the Maintenance Supervisor for Coors Beer in Golden Colorado. No college degree. Army veteran, and father of 3 children.

Wife's Friend: Aurora Firestone, age 33, divorced coworker of Holly's and a mother of two pre-teens.

Story:

Thirty-eight-year-old Parker Breckenridge sat quietly at his kitchen table in his well-kept but rural family home off Highway Six outside of Golden, Colorado. From his chair, he had an excellent expansive view of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains as they sloped severely down onto the western edge of the Great Plains. The view was usually breathtaking, but today, Parker wasn't the least interested in the panorama that had sold him and his wife Holly on this house.

To the uninformed, it would appear he was simply enjoying a quiet early Tuesday summer evening in a solitary moment with one of the free beers supplied regularly by his employer. His half-empty bottle of Banquet sat in front of him, one hand clenching it tightly as he drummed his fingers of the other hand against the dark amber glass. This was the hand he had finally quit burnishing his temple with. The furious and repetitive motion, each having been more intense than the last, was beginning to draw blood. It was as if he was trying to exorcise the demons wreaking havoc inside his brain. He had been like this for over an hour. His forehead was scarred with bright red burns from his repeated assault.

He needed a reference point, a life experience if you will, to help him deal with what he was facing. Parker had always heard his fellow veterans talking about how their military experiences helped them through difficult situations in the civilian world. He wasn't sure how being a diesel mechanic at Ft. Lewis was supposed to help him cope with this nightmare?

His world was on fire. There was no question his fifteen-year marriage to his wife Holly was over. She burned it down. Maybe she never really loved him. Perhaps it was all a lie from the beginning. They used to joke about their 'accidental' marriage. Their son, Craig, who recently turned fifteen, was the scene of the accident.

Parker had met Holly in college, but they were only casual acquaintances who frequently turned up at the same school parties. Then one night, both had too much to drink, and well the mishap occurred.

They decided to do what they thought was the right thing. They were so different though. Parker was the calm and quiet type. He wasn't very ambitious. Parker loved machines, their intricacies, and as he called them, their personalities. He simply wanted enough money to be happy, safe, and contented. Holly on the other hand, had more than enough ambition for both. Her grades were excellent, and her career path was well laid out since her freshman year. Generally, whatever she went after, she got.

Now at forty-one, she was already the Vice President of HCA Healthcare Quality Services. As such, she traveled frequently across Colorado to HCA's numerous medical facilities. It was mostly day travel, but in the last year or so, more overnights began to creep in. They were only overnighters and normally early in the work week. Parker didn't mind. Holly loved her work, and the homecomings were spectacular! At least up until today, he thought she was satisfied.

It was a rough beginning for the couple, but the moment little Craig appeared, they were locked together as a family. Twelve-year-old Dillon and Ten-year-old Erie were the icing on the cake.

Their marriage was definitely a partnership, but Parker never deluded himself into believing he was the managing partner. Holly ran the show, period.

As he sat and waited impatiently, Parker was hurt, angry, and saddened. But he didn't feel any great sense of shock though. Throughout their marriage Parker sometimes had a niggling thought, that they weren't 'right' together. Maybe it was an inferiority complex on his part. For her part, Holly never displayed any overt actions or even attitudes that caused him to feel that way. He could never define why he felt that unease. It was just something.

In any case, now, their three young children would be collateral damage from her betrayal. Parker loved being a father. He took great pride and joy in it. He never really had a father in his life. His parents divorced when he was very young, no one ever told him why, and he never asked. He would do almost anything to not leave his kids, but this?

How did Parker discover his wife's deception? It was stupid really. A simple, innocuous, and random set of circumstances one could experience every day. You know, the what if you had turned left instead of right, kind of thing?

In Parker's case, it was, what if the parts driver hadn't called off sick? What if he wasn't so desperate to get the damn bearings replaced so quickly? What if he left five minutes earlier, or later? If he had, he never would have been parked at the parts suppliers' building twenty miles from the brewery across the street from the Red Roof Inn. And, God Damn it, if they had the part ready to go as they promised him, he wouldn't have wandered back out into their parking lot to make an unnecessary phone call while killing time for them to get their shit together!

Hell, he could have even done everything the same. Except, if he'd just turned his back to the street while making his call, he never would have seen Holly Kissing some stranger passionately. They were laughing and stumbling as they struggled to open the door to a first-floor room at the Inn. At that exact moment, a passing car backfired, causing the lovers to pause and look in Parker's general direction.

Parker thought he noticed Holly hesitate for a fleeting moment, but he couldn't be sure. In a daze, he turned his back to the Inn to go back inside and yell at the parts desk idiot again. He got the fucking ninety-five dollar bearing that ended his marriage, but instead of returning to work, he drove home. I guess that part wasn't so important after all. That is how he came to be where he was, doing what he was, waiting to have it out with his wife. Not just once during his wait, he debated if he would have been better off if he hadn't gone to get that damned part. After all ignorance is bliss, isn't it? It didn't matter now. Because he did go to get it.

The kids were already at Holly's parents' house. His in-laws generally picked them up after school anyway. At least Parker wouldn't need to worry about that piece of it right now. Parker's heartbeat quickened as he heard Holly's Seven Series Beemer pull into the garage. Who in the hell drives a Beemer when they live six thousand feet up in the Rocky Mountains for Christ's sake?

After what seemed like an interminable time period, Holly casually strolled into the kitchen. It was probably only a few minutes, but Parker was becoming increasingly anxious and angry, so the passage of time was becoming hard to discern.

"Hi, Parker. You're home early?" She spoke like she didn't have a care in the world. "The kids at Mom and Dad's?"

Parker's throat was extremely dry. In response, he could only slowly nod his head in assent.

"You okay, sweetie?" She appeared genuinely concerned. She appeared to fixate intently at his forehead.

"We need to talk, Holly." Parker was finally able to choke out the words. He looked up at her with glassy and moist eyes.

She hesitated. Sighed heavily, then collapsed onto the chair across from him. She met his gaze and returned his stare for a time trying to read his thoughts. "Then, I guess it was you, I saw across the street."

"Yeah, it was. And you were so concerned about the possible ramifications of what that might mean for your family..." Parker unnecessarily glanced at his watch. "You rushed right home almost four hours later."

At least she had the decency to wince at his last comment, Parker thought. "How long, Holly?"

Another pause, this one longer than the last. There was no point in any further deception on her part. "About a year and a half, I guess."

Parker, who was already close to the edge of reason, was stunned. He stammered. "Uh, I ah, what I mean..." He put his head down on the table, trying to hide in his folded arms. He never really had much of a plan, but what plan he did have was based on her lying. Or at least being evasive with him. He wasn't prepared for the truth. After a moment, he spit out the first thing that came to his mind.

"How long ago did you lose all respect for me, Holly?" It was more of a weak crestfallen statement than a question. He spoke like someone who was already defeated, but was trying to save face.

Holly's facial expression turned from sadness to disdain. "So, that's how this is going to go? You're going to play the wounded little boy whose toy was taken from him?" She said it with disgust and rose quickly from her chair. "I'm going to take a shower, when you can act like an adult, I will come back down, and we can talk some more." She turned towards their bedroom.

"SIT DOWN, DAMN IT!" Holly visibly recoiled but otherwise showed no emotion. "I'm this close to putting my hands around your neck..." Parker no longer had any control over his emotions. he was red in the face as he angrily demonstrated his hands in a choking motion as he screamed at her..."and squeezing the life out of you! So SHUT UP and sit down!"

Holly calmly pulled her iPhone from her purse. She looked at the close-to-hyperventilating Parker dead into his eyes and spoke quietly but forcibly. "Listen carefully to me, Parker Breckenridge. I'm going to give you a pass this one time, but if you ever raise your voice and threaten me again, you are going to have much more serious problems than a cheating wife." She took a deliberate step in his direction and began jabbing her phone at him angrily. "I will have a restraining order slapped on you so quickly it will make your head spin. It will keep you from this house, seeing our children, and maybe even get you some jail time." She was defiant. "No matter what happens from this point forward, Parker, I expect us both to act like adults to resolve our issue."

Parker slumped down in his chair and raised his hands in surrender. "I-I-I'm sorry, it's just that..."

"I know, Parker. That's why I'm giving you a pass. But never again. I mean it. Now, I'm going to take a shower and change. I'll call my parents and see if they can keep the kids overnight. Then when you've calmed yourself sufficiently, I will come back down."

"You know what, Holly? I think it's going to be quite a while before I can calm myself. I think it's going to be best if you leave for a while. Maybe go stay with your parents or something."

Holly just froze and gave him a look like he was insane. "I'm not leaving my house, Parker. I have as much right to be here as you. I understand why you might not be able to stand the sight of me. So, you're welcome to leave." She callously pointed to the front door. I'll tell the kids you had to go on a business trip." She sniggered derisively. Then she walked away with no further comment, leaving Parker even more dumbfounded than he was before.

As Holly climbed the stairs, she was remorseful that she was so harsh with him. Holly knew he was the innocent victim, but she had to maintain control, limit the damage, and find a way out of this mess...for everyone. That's how she handled problems at work.

As Holly readied herself for the shower, she phoned her mother. "Mom, it's me..."

"I know that, Honey. What's wrong? I can hear it in your voice..."

"He found out, Mom. Parker knows..." She couldn't finish the sentence as she started to cry. "Jesus, Mom. I've hurt him so badly. He didn't deserve this." She was full-on sobbing now.

There was an extended period of silence. "Mom, are you still there?" She squeaked out in between her sobs. Even though she was forty-one, at times, she could still be a little child around her mother.

"Yes, Honey, I'm here. "No, Sweetheart, he didn't deserve this." She protested. "Neither do your children." Holly sensed her mother's wrath. "Mom, we've had this conversation. The world is different now. You and I...we're from different generations with different goals and expectations. Damn it, Mom. I won't accept that the epitaph on my headstone will read, 'she was a good wife.' I don't want to go over this ground again."

"Yeah, that's all well and good young lady, but how would you feel if it read, 'she wasn't a very good mother?' At least my generation, which you appear to hold in contempt, understood you can't get everything you want." Her mother harrumphed. "Holly, I have to tell your father now. I've kept your secret for a while now, but no more. You know he loves Parker like the son he never had. Parker and your father are a lot alike. They fish and hunt together. They even share season tickets to the Broncos games. Parker has been a godsend to us, especially your dad. As Daddy has aged some, Parker helps out a lot around here trying to keep this house from falling down around us. Our men sacrifice a lot for their families..."

"Okay, mother. I guess you've convinced me that I'm a dirty whore!" She interposed with venom. "I don't have a lot of time, and I don't want to go over old ground..."

Please, Holly. I'm your mother, and I always will be. I will love you no matter what...But, I am just trying to understand, why?"

"Mom, we've been over this..."

"No, Holly, I mean, I need to understand why you felt cheating on Parker was an acceptable solution to your unhappiness?" She waited pensively for a response from the daughter she no longer really understood.

The wind went out of Holly's sails. She hadn't expected this to be her mom's avenue of attack. She thought for a moment before speaking. "Mom, are you happy? I mean, really happy?"

"Baby girl," her favorite term of endearment for her daughter when she was a young child, just slipped out. "Happiness isn't a normal state of being. We spend most of our lives somewhere in between happy and sad." I am content with my life though. Very contented..."

"Come on, Mother." Holly snarled. "I haven't forgotten all the conversations we've had over the years, including up to a month ago. You've told me, whether you meant to or not, how much you sacrificed for Daddy and your family. All the dreams you had when you were young, your degree in design that you never used. I could go on and on." Holly spoke smugly, very satisfied and sure of herself.

"Yes, I do remember. But first of all, a lot of that was me just blowing off steam. We're entitled to do that every now and then. Secondly, the big difference in our generations is that my generation understood that nobody gets everything they want. And there is a price to pay for everything we do get. You've had your head filled with the notion your whole life that you can have it all. You really can't. No one can. I guess you have to decide what's really important to you.

"In my case, my family was more important, I suppose, than anything else to me. This isn't about me right now though. And you still haven't answered my question!"

"Of course, it wasn't the right thing to do, mother. And I know my being unhappy doesn't justify what I've done to Parker. but it did provide an escape from my unfulfilled life. What about you, Mom? You never cheated on Dad? Or, even thought about it?"

Her mother smiled to herself. "Oh, I thought about it all right. I'm pretty sure every wife does, but I never cheated. Not once. For me, the fantasy of thinking about it, I guess was my escape." She became thoughtful. "I'm really not judging you, or even taking the moral high ground. I'm solely trying to understand your actions, but I keep coming up empty. It all seems so selfish."

"Maybe it is, Mom. But didn't you raise me to be my own person? Strong-willed and independent? When I was a teenager, didn't you tell me to chase my dreams.?

"Yes! But I still don't see that as a rationalization for your cheating."

Holly remained silent. She really didn't understand her actions herself.

Her mother knew she wasn't going to get a response to her question. So, she continued. "God, what a mess. Do you want us to keep the kids overnight?"

"Please do, Mom...What do I do now? I can see the pain, confusion, and anger in his expressions..."

Her mother butted in forcefully. "You take responsibility for your actions, not to mention your cowardice. You tried to play a wicked game, honey. As to what you do now? You do everything in your power to right the wrong you caused. Make things right! That's what you do." Her mother disconnected the call without waiting for a response. Holly was fairly certain that her mother's idea of how to make it right was far different than hers.

Alone, in the shower, Holly allowed herself a few tears at her predicament. But mostly, she just castigated herself for getting caught and hurting her husband. She certainly didn't hate Parker. In fact, she was quite fond of him. But the reality was, at this point in her life, she needed to live for herself. One's time on earth was too short not to do so. Plus, she wanted so much more from her life. Not the least of which was to have the wherewithal to travel the world. She knew she wasn't going to be able to do that, married to a mechanic who considered going to a Bronco's game a big life adventure.

For the past several years, she knew her marriage had been a mistake from the beginning. When she married, she was young and infatuated with every girl's childhood fantasy. The wedding dress, white picket fence, Camelot, the whole Hallmark dream. And mostly, just doing what everyone expected of her. Not to mention the lust part. Parker was the quintessential tall, dark, and handsome man from all her romantic thoughts and fantasies. He was a good lover, a great father, and a loyal husband. He was a bit younger than her, but his time in the military made him older than his chronological years.

Over time though she grew up and he didn't. As the years passed, she recognized that Parker was dull and unmotivated to do anything different than he had done the day before. When she was twenty-five, she didn't notice that about him. Hell, she didn't even sense it. Maybe she was the same at that age. She knew that wasn't true, but that was then, and this was now. And the truth was she had become miserable with her everyday existence. Her exciting work environment brought out the real her. The person she wanted to be. The woman she needed to be. If she were a man she thought, no one would question her motives and priorities.

Holly gave another deep sigh and put her face right into the steaming shower of water. Her skin was being stung by the thousands of hot pinpricks. It hurt but felt good at the same time. She and Parker were just too different. Her conundrum was, she loved her children to death, so she tried to make do. She never bought into the argument that children were more successful adults when they grew up in a two-parent household. They did better when their parents loved them, but to her that didn't mean they had to necessarily live in the same household. On the other hand, she lacked the courage of her beliefs, so she tried to avoid the issue.