How About Them Apples? Ch. 03 - Conclusion

You should read Apples 1 & 2 before this final chapter of the story. Any sexual activity in this fictitious tale is between consenting adults. Had to finish this one pretty quickly, hope I caught most edits. For those who are looking for more of a BTB story, save yourself the time and save me from reading your comments. Every once and a while things work out.

"Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die."

Anne Lamott

It had been four months since Sally Reynolds-Patterson had been confronted by her father and then her husband Jim. She had called her dad, trying to force him to attend his granddaughter's 4th birthday party alongside his cheating ex-wife Martha Taylor. (Martha went back to her maiden name immediately after the divorce just over two years ago.) When daddy refused, he also hinted he was aware of her flirtatious and physical relationship with a man named Josh from her daughter's pre-school.

When Sally hung up the phone, Jim confronted her. In no uncertain terms he gave her the option to come clean or face the consequences of her actions. To her credit she chose wisely, realizing how close she had come to destroying her life and the lives of those she claimed to hold dear.

Marriage counseling had been significant. Sally also went to see a separate counselor for her own baggage. She and Jim were well along the pathway to healing the hurt she caused. She never knew why, but the man who had been actively seducing her suddenly broke off all contact. He pulled his son out of the pre-school and enrolled him somewhere else. Apparently, his wife left him and took him to the cleaners in the divorce. Only the depth of Josh's family's pockets kept him out of the poor house.

Martha Taylor was 51 years-old and still stunning. At 5'7" her shoulder length auburn hair and deep blue eyes captured almost any man's attention. However, most men didn't stop at the face. As they allowed their eyes to wander, they were treated to a shapely 35c-27-35 body that sat atop "legs that wouldn't quit." Along with her looks came a sharp mind. She taught English Literature at the local state university and was well liked by students and faculty.

Her reputation had taken a pretty good hit when it was discovered she was cheating on her husband. Mike Reynolds was a good looking, highly respected and successful businessman. Martha had, what she thought was a secret fling with a young teaching assistant. She believed she deserved it and hubby would be none the wiser. She was wrong on both counts.

Mike offered her the opportunity to confess and repent of her ways. He promised he'd give their marriage a fair chance to survive although he was deeply wounded by her actions. She decided a good offense was the best defense and attacked him as old fashioned and uncaring of her true needs. She was genuinely shocked when, three days later she was served with divorce papers. She was even more stunned when several of her female colleagues asked her for Mike's contact information since he would soon be back on the market. One of them was another young teaching assistant, Erin Burgess a gorgeous 31-year-old from this History Department. "What a slut," Martha thought, oblivious to the notion of the pot calling the kettle black.

Two years after the divorce Mike still refused to be around her and worse, her paramour, young William, had kicked her to the curb. He had become an Associate Professor, and oddly, had similar notions of fidelity to those held by her ex-husband. Martha had begun a fling with a local restaurant owner, Miles Keller, who had a reputation as a ladies' man. He also had a couple of STDs which he failed to mention. Martha was soon infected. She'd wrongly assumed William would be understanding. Martha had also misjudged Miles who immediately blocked her calls and texts. Apparently being book smart doesn't make one immune to a lack of self-awareness or common sense.

To top it off, at her moment of crisis, Martha's daughter turned on her. Up to that point Sally had staunchly stood by her mother's freedom to choose how to live her life and with whom she would share her body. Then suddenly out of the blue, Sally recanted her position, informing her mother that she'd been wrong. She explained that Martha's attitude had rubbed off on her and almost capsized her marriage. Sally and her son-in-law Jim didn't exclude Martha from their lives. They allowed her to see her 4-year-old granddaughter Emily at least once a week. But they severely cut back on their time with her, making it clear that if she spouted her nonsensical views to their daughter, she'd be shut out.

So, it was on an early fall afternoon Martha found herself alone in a very small one-bedroom apartment with nothing to do, and no friends with which to entertain herself. For the first time in a long time she took the opportunity to reflect. She had been declared free of any lingering infections from the STDs by her doctor two week earlier, yet the idea of being sexually active with any man right now repulsed her.

However, the longer she sat and thought, the more she realized she wasn't repelled by the notion of sex. She thoroughly enjoyed sex. What was beginning to dawn on her was the fact that she was feeling disgusted by her actions of giving herself away to men who were not her husband. Martha was realizing fidelity to one you claimed to love should be one of the most erotic experiences of your life. She remembered that the emotional connection she felt when Mike ravaged her sexually was just as important as his physical touch.

"And damn, did that man know how to touch," she found herself musing. There were times when Mike made sweet love to her, often holding her afterwards whispering how much he loved her as she drifted off to sleep. At other times he attacked her and gave her the good fucking she needed. She realized he didn't intuitively know which she needed when. She began to understand he was reading her. She would come home sassy or a bit on edge and it was in those moments he'd toss her over his shoulder and carry her to their marriage bed, or the ottoman in the living room, or bend her over the kitchen table. It came to her that she was subconsciously telling her husband what she needed, and he met her right where she was."

"He wasn't perfect," she continued to muse, "But he was caring. Yes, we'd fight from time to time, and he could occasionally be aloof, but nobody's perfect. He was a man, to be sure, and he'd been her man, until she pissed it all away because she allowed herself to be seduced by young William. 'Little Billy, as Mike called him with contempt, had proven he couldn't measure up to Mike, but she also had to admit, she earned his disdain as well. She'd cheated on him with Miles, just for the thrill and now she was alone.

There's something to be said for self-reflection that leads to self-revelation. The best lessons in life are the lessons of self-discovery. Maybe because you don't give yourself anywhere to run or hide. When you're willing to sit alone with the truth for some amount of time, clarity can lead you to a new and better pathway. Martha Taylor had just taken the first steps on that journey.

The next day she invited her daughter to coffee. She asked her to come alone, without Emily which caught Sally off-guard. Like any other grandmother in the universe Martha loved seeing her "little Em" so asking Jim to keep her while they talked was beyond rare. Ironically, Jim, who adored his father-in-law had called Mike. They took Emily to her favorite park while the ladies met.

Mother and daughter sat on the patio of their favorite local barista "The Bean Counter" sipping their drinks. Once they had dispensed with the chit chat, they got down to it.

"What's up Martha?" Sally could always tell when her mom was uneasy and calling her by her first name usually made her smile and put her at ease.

"Cute honey, can we please talk seriously for a few minutes?"

Sally smiled, "Of course mom, you just look like something heavy is on you, so I wanted to help you take a deep breath and dive in."

"Thank you. I've been thinking long and hard about my life and choices. You and Jim calling me up short a few months ago hurt but didn't jolt me enough to force me into self-reflection. I just thought your father had somehow won you over to his way of thinking. Upon taking serious time considering who I've become, I realized that I don't like what I see looking back at me in the mirror."

Sally was leaning forward listening carefully without responding.

Martha continued, "For whatever reason, I'm still not completely sure why, I felt I had the right to sleep with 'Little Billy' and Mike should just accept it. I convinced myself that if he truly loved me, he'd let me have some fun without any serious rebuke. Deep down, I knew he wasn't that kind of man, but that just made me angry and more determined to have my way. I should have spoken with him about my temptation and feelings. I should have given him the chance to walk with me through the issues, but I didn't. I just shut him out and went on my merry way."

"When it blew up in my face, I quickly blamed him. I never thought about how it hurt him, I fixated on my wants, my rights, and my whims. I realize now I was immature and acting like a spoiled brat. The universe doesn't revolve around me, and as a wife, I had responsibilities I ignored. I took vows before God, my family, and friends but I tossed those aside. I was petulant and childish. Once or twice, I had the fleeting thought I should admit my errors and beg for his forgiveness, but my pride never let me... No, that's not right. That makes me sound like a victim. I chose to be stubborn and proud instead of keeping my promises to your father and our marriage.

"Worse, I somehow convinced you I was right, and he was wrong. I got you in my corner, not out of love or care, but out of selfishness. I wanted to bully him into letting me have my way. In the process, I destroyed my marriage, hurt an amazing man more deeply than anyone should ever be hurt, and almost upended your relationship with Jim."

"I'm still processing, and have a long way to go, but Sally, I am beginning by asking for your forgiveness. I wronged you and Jim. I'll ask for his as well when I talk to him, but this morning, I needed to look you in the eye, tell you what a fool I've been and ask you to forgive your idiot mother."

The words were barely out of Martha's mouth when Sally came across the table, spilling her coffee as she hugged her mother so hard, she almost cracked one of her ribs! She held her for a long moment, to the point other patrons were beginning to stare. She didn't care. They both began to cry.

"Of course, I forgive you mom," Sally stated emphatically, finally releasing the death grip and wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sure we'll need to talk more and work through the hurt in our relationship, but I'm so glad to hear your words!" They sat back down and continued to talk.

Two hours later Sally glanced at her phone. "Shit! It's almost lunch time and I told Jim I'd be back before noon." She quickly texted him and told him she'd be home in twenty minutes. He texted back telling her everything on the home front was fine and he'd see her soon.

As they were leaving Sally asked, "Mom, what about dad?"

"I have an idea about how to approach him Sally, but I'm still rolling it around in my head. I don't expect him to take me back. As far as I know somebody's probably latched onto him by now. But I need to clear the air and ask for his forgiveness as well. I want him to know how sincerely I regret what I've done. He may or may not forgive me, but I owe him the chance. Hell, I owe him so much more than that, but it will be a good place to start."

Sally hugged her mom one more time before they left. "No mom, several have tried, but dad isn't seeing anyone, and I seriously doubt he will anytime soon. Recently, Jim and I have encouraged him to go on a few dates, Lord knows, several local women have thrown themselves at him, but so far, nada on his part."

Martha winced at the notion they had urged her ex to date, but of course, that was only natural. She knew it was her choices that led to this, so she had no right to be bothered that Sally and Jim wanted the best for Mike. Silently, she was also relieved to hear he hadn't moved on with another woman.

Later that evening as Martha sat on her tiny apartment porch sipping wine, she began to devise a plan. If anyone had been there to read her face, they would have seen a range of emotions. At times, her brow was furrowed as she wrestled with challenges to her unfolding blueprint. At other moments there seemed to be a wickedly mischievous look in her eyes.

Later, thinking about Mike she pulled out her favorite toy and had two delicious orgasms, both times calling out, "fuck me Mike, fuck me you big cocked bastard!" She finally drifted off to sleep smiling and thinking, "maybe, just maybe."

The next morning, Sunday, Mike was sitting at the kitchen table reading the WSJ and sipping coffee. He'd gone to early Mass and then worked out for a couple hours, finally showering. He was now trying to figure out what the hell the market was doing when the doorbell rang.

Mike was gob smacked to say the least. Standing before him in a light blue sundress that hung just above the knee was his ex-wife, Martha. The last time he saw her she had a look of hatred in her eyes. That had been almost a year ago when they bumped into each other at a charity event. Today she had her hair up in a ponytail and was wearing a modest amount of makeup that brought out the best features of her beautiful face.

That face! There was no look of anger or animosity. What was it? What is she thinking / feeling? In a second or two he landed on, "hopeful, maybe cautiously optimistic."

Mike was a heck of a poker player, so while his mind was swirling, he kept it all inside. "Martha" was all he said in greeting.

"Hello Mike, I know I should have called and asked if I could stop by, but I was afraid you'd say no, so I just took my chances. Would you perhaps allow me to come in and speak with you for a few minutes?"

Mike may have been a good poker player, but he was also befuddled. "What could this be about? She doesn't look angry." He glanced down, she was wearing cute sandals and her toenails were painted in a light red. She still had a pretty good tan left over from the summer months. "Damn," he thought, "Those fucking legs!"

"Um, I'm sorry Martha," Mike stammered, lost for words.

She decided he needed a little help.

"Listen Mike, if we can just talk for a few minutes, I promise I'll leave. I've been learning some things about myself, and I'd like to share them with you if that is OK. I promise I won't take too much of your time, then I'll go."

Mike stepped back from the doorway, opening it for her to enter. "Of course, Martha, I was just having a some of coffee, can I get you a cup?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

"Still black?"

"Yep, hot and strong."

The way she said "hot and strong" made him flinch a bit inside. It wasn't seductive, but it was. "What the hell was going on?" he wondered as he poured her a cup.

They sat at the table and Martha glanced at the paper. He was a throwback of sorts. Everyone else was reading the news on their iphone or tablet, but not Mike, he wanted to hold the paper and scan it like always. One more thing she found sexy about him. "Shit, he looks good! Get ahold of yourself girl and stay on track," she reminded herself.

"Thanks Mike, I'll come right to the point. I'm here to ask your forgiveness. What I did to you and our marriage was despicable. My behavior was selfish and destructive. No husband should ever have to deal with what I put you through. I'm not going to make excuses or play the victim. 'Little Billy' played me, but I'm a big girl and one hundred percent responsible for my decisions and choices."

Martha had always insisted everyone call her paramour William. Mike refused, always referring to him as 'little Billy." She had always railed on Mike when he did this. The name she used certainly got his attention.

"I drove a wedge between us and, I think, a stake through your loving heart. You were right to not put up with my grievous behavior and divorce me. I can't believe you're still single and I'm not here to ask you to take me back, but I am here to look you in the eye and tell you I was wrong, and you were right. I'm here to ask you to consider what it may take for you to forgive me. I want to make amends as best I possibly can. I know I have no right to ask this, but I'd like us to be able to be around our family as friendly to one another as possible. This can't happen until I tell you how awful I know I was and ask you to consider some small reconciliation."

She was crying now but kept going. "You don't have to say anything now. I want you to take all the time you need to consider this. I'll be patient and wait, no matter how long it takes. It may never come, as I said, I don't deserve anything but animosity from you. But I'm seeing myself now in a much more honest light and I had to come and share this with you in the hopes that perhaps we could be on friendly terms."

Mike sat silently looking into Martha's eyes. He knew something had changed. Something had clicked in her heart and in her head. This was more like the woman he'd fallen in love with over twenty-eight years ago. There was remorse and sorrow. He felt it was genuine. She wasn't here because little Billy had tossed her out. That was several months ago. She wasn't sick with the STDs anymore, so she wasn't looking for him to take care of her. Whatever her motivation, it seemed to Mike she was honestly remorseful for her actions.

Martha took his silence as the end of the conversation and got up to leave. "Thanks for the coffee and the time Mike."

Before she left Mike replied. "This is a lot to take in Martha. You know you crushed my heart with your lies, cheating and then throwing it in my face. It took me a couple of months just to be able to function somewhat normally. I'm in a much better place now, but you almost killed me. I'm not saying I won't forgive you, but I'll need some time to think thing over. I may or may not want to talk to you again. I may or may not be able to forgive you, but I will treat your coming here today and sharing what you did with fairness."

Martha left both relieved and wound up. She was thankful she could share all she did, and grateful Mike listened. But now what? This could go a lot of different ways, most of them bad, all of which she knew she deserved, but there was a tiny sliver of hope as well. Could Mike find it in his heart to forgive her so they could at least have an amicable relationship around the family? It may be hoping for too much, but it was all she had.

Mike walked her to the door and politely smiled as they said goodbye. For her part, Martha climbed into her 2018 blue Honda Accord, laid her head on her steering wheel and wept. Little did she know Mike was observing her from his bay window. Mike was a smart guy, a very successful guy, but like most men, women were somewhat of an enigma and his ex-wife was no different. "What the hell," he thought scratching his head.

He chuckled thinking about a line from one of his favorite movies, "Jeremiah Johnson." The young mountain man wanna be Johnson, was learning about life in the wilderness from his mentor "Bear-Claw" Chris Lapp. Bear-Claw responded to Johnson's question about being lonely for a woman. "But don't get me wrong; I loves the womens, I surely do. But I swear, a woman's breast is the hardest rock that the Almighty ever made on this earth, and I can find no sign on it."

"I guess some things never change," mused Mike as he returned to his WSJ.