I Should Have Known Better

Both Kate and I enjoy the annual "Best American Mystery" anthologies published each year by Mariner and edited by Otto Penzler with stories chosen by guest authors. We've attempted to emulate the genre below with this story. Please be aware, there is no sex in this tale, but there is a loving wife -- sort of. And as to why we choose to submit our stories to "Loving Wives"; it's simple; we enjoy many of the LW authors and most of our followers are here.

This is fiction; as always, all characters and events, etc. are figments of our imagination and have no connection to any living or dead persons, or true events. In other words, we repeat - this is all fiction.

Thanks for reading.

Bill & Kate

*****

I Should Have Known Better

The U-haul truck was in my assigned space as I pulled into the lot. It'd been a pretty crappy morning and I was in a foul mood anyway. I parked in one of the nearby visitor spaces, got out of my truck and was heading over to the U-haul to tell whomever to move the damn thing when just then, she walked out of the back of it with a lamp in each hand.

All thoughts of being a raging lunatic instantly melted away when I saw her; she was absolutely beautiful. She walked down the ramp, heading to the empty townhouse next to mine. Could I be this lucky? Could this beautiful creature be my new neighbor?

I'd only seen her for a second; but it was enough; as she walked into the door, I couldn't help but notice how her yoga pants accented a great ass and those long legs. Whoever invented yoga pants should have a special spot in heaven where every red-blooded heterosexual man can stop by and thank him (or her, if that's the case).

I decided to wait at the U-haul for the pretty woman to come back out so I could introduce myself and offer assistance. When she reappeared, she was closely followed by a giant of a man. "Son of a bitch" I thought to myself, "guess my luck isn't going to change today."

As they approached, I held out my hand. "Hi, I'm your next door neighbor in 1-C; Sam Jenkins."

The woman pressed ahead of the man and took my hand. "Hi, nice to meet you; I'm Laurie Turner."

I did my best to look into her blue eyes as we shook hands; it was difficult because, besides the yoga pants, she was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt tight enough to dispel any doubt there wasn't a bra underneath it. She turned to face the man behind her and introduced us.

"This is my brother, Raymond Grant. He was nice enough to come from Quincy to help me move in."

Raymond took my hand, and while shaking it in a friendly manner, his eyes were giving the stare which I recognized as - don't you fucking dare try to get in my baby sister's pants!

I decided I couldn't blame him and took the high road, addressing him. "Can I help you with the big stuff?"

Well, Raymond wasn't stupid. He accepted my offer. "Thanks; can you help with that chest of drawers first?"

I grabbed the top, he grabbed the bottom and we carried it into the apartment as he talked.

"Much easier this way. Laurie helped get these things into the truck; she's a strong woman, but I think she's kind of worn out. Nice to have someone fresh to get the truck unloaded. I need to get on the road tonight; have to work in the morning."

As we entered the bedroom, I saw a little girl sitting at a small desk coloring. More introductions by Laurie, who had followed us in carrying a box.

"Michelle, this is Mr. Jenkins. He's going to be our new neighbor. Sam, this is my daughter, Michelle."

Michelle got out of her chair to face me. I held out my hand and was surprised when she immediately put her tiny hand in mine.

"It's very nice to meet you, Michelle."

"Thank you, Mr. Jenkins."

I couldn't think of what to say, never having spent much time with children, so I went with the old standby, "How old are you, Michelle?"

"I'm four and a half."

Thank goodness Raymond interrupted us. "Let's grab the dresser for the other bedroom now."

What must have been Laurie's dresser was larger than the child's; but we got it in the master bedroom without any difficulty. Then the child's bedframe. I noticed there wasn't a bed for the master bedroom and asked about that.

Laurie answered. "My bed and mattress will be delivered tomorrow. The old one is still at my ex's."

"I have a small mattress in my spare room; it's a full. We can bring it in for the tonight so you don't have to sleep on the floor."

Laurie started to argue with me; but I just grabbed Raymond's arm and said, "Give me a hand."

We went into my place and the two of us carried the mattress inside Laurie's room.

"I'll leave you alone now. Call me tomorrow to pick it up. If your bed is delayed, don't sweat it. I don't expect guests any time soon."

I walked out as they both were thanking me; my thoughts were how I was going to find out more about this beautiful lady. I sat on my sofa with a cold beer, closed my eyes and pictured her in my mind.

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

For the entire next week my work schedule was crazy; we were finishing an important project and I ended up spending three of the five nights sleeping on the couch in my office. We finished Friday at one and I treated my staff to drinks at the pub around the corner to thank them for a successful completion; monetary rewards would come later, after the client paid us. Most of the staff left right after happy hour ended, anxious to get home to their loved ones. I had nowhere to be and no one to be with; so John Plagg and I spent another couple of hours at the bar. By eight I was too drunk to drive; the bartender, Sarah, called a cab to take me home. I fell asleep still wearing my clothes and didn't wake up until ten Saturday morning.

I didn't see Laurie during the previous week and, honestly, was too busy to give it much thought. While I was sitting on my back porch, the sliding glass door to Laurie's apartment opened and she walked out with Michelle. Michelle was wearing a cute bathing suit and Laurie had on a cover up. Michelle was the first to notice me.

"Hi, Mr. Jenkins."

Before I could reply, Laurie turned toward me.

"Hi Sam."

"Hi Michelle, hi Laurie. Going swimming?" (Yea, I know -- duh! But remember, I was still hung over.)

Michelle answered my silly question. "We're going to the pool. Want to watch me swim? I took lessons last year."

Laurie started to apologize; but I didn't let her.

"Yes I would. I'll be down to the pool in a few minutes. You and your mom go ahead."

Laurie gave me a look that I interpreted as, "Are you sure?" I ignored her silent question and went inside my apartment to get another cup of coffee and a towel. Laurie and Michelle walked across the lawn toward our complex pool.

By the time I reached the pool, Michelle was playing in the shallow childrens' section and Laurie was lying on a lounge nearby. Laurie had removed her cover up; she wore a 'Mom's bikini' which fully covered her breasts and butt cheeks; but was sexy none the less. With my dark wrap-around sunglasses I was able to check out her body without coming across as a leering pervert. Most of what I saw confirmed my first impressions of her, from when she wore those yoga pants and t-shirt the day of her move-in.

Laurie had a slim build with long legs and pretty feet. Her breasts were on the smallish side, the kind that won't be sagging when she reaches middle age, but still full enough to fill a man's hand. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail, just as it had been last Sunday. All in all, Laurie was a beautiful young woman.

We sat next to each other, watching Michelle carefully and sharing 'how did I get here' histories. Laurie started.

"I got married when I was eighteen to my high school boyfriend. We were married for only a year when the condom failed and I ended up pregnant with Michelle. It freaked Michael out; he wasn't ready to be a father, still wanted to enjoy life drinking and partying; running around with his friends. He wanted me to end the pregnancy, I refused, and our marriage slowly dissolved. He spent more and more time away; he works on a fishing boat; spends months at a time up in Alaska and months at a time unemployed down here spending the money he earns in Alaska.

"I won't go into the final straw; but I decided to leave him and served him with divorce papers two weeks ago. After that my brother showed up with the U-haul and helped me move into this complex."

I could see Laurie was trying her best to hold back the tears as she related the story of the end of her marriage. "What did Michael do when he got the divorce papers?"

"That's the real sad part; Michael just stood there holding the papers and he almost looked relieved, although he didn't sign the papers. I served him the day before he was scheduled to leave again for his job. I figured it would give us time to think about how we were going to share Michelle's visitations; all of that stuff. It also gave me a chance to move out of our apartment without him hassling us."

"You said your family still live in Quincy. Why didn't you move back there?"

"Two reasons; I didn't want to move Michelle too far from her daddy, just in case he gets his head out of his ass and decides to be a father to her; and second, I have a great job at the refinery. It pays great and Michelle's daycare is within miles of the plant. I even get to have lunch with her a couple times a week. Nothing in Quincy pays near as well, even if a person with my credentials could find a job besides waitressing there."

I could tell the conversation left Laurie wrung out; and she hadn't yet related the 'straw' that forced her to ask for a divorce. She went quiet for a little while, then got up and sat by the kiddy pool talking to Michelle. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I watched her ass as she walked over there.

Ten minutes later, Laurie walked back to her lounge. "So, tell me Sam; what's your story?"

"I married the most beautiful, sexiest lady I ever dated when I was twenty-six. I thought I died and went to heaven. Unfortunately, after two years we both realized that we could only spend so many hours in bed. The rest of our time was spent pursuing different activities and goals. She liked antiquing, hanging around thrift shops and garage sales every weekend. I like fishing. I wanted kids; she changed her mind about kids after a few of our friends had children. Suddenly, she referred to our friends' children as 'rug-rats' and swore she'd never have one.

"That's just the tip of it. Too many different values and goals to make a go of it. If we were smart and had gone to pre-marriage counseling, someone might have persuaded us to not get married -- maybe -- we were that hot for each other. Opposites may attract, but they don't always make for a lasting relationship.

"I will say this; we didn't cheat on each other. One day, she gave me the 'we have to talk' sit-down speech and explained why we shouldn't stay married. I couldn't disagree and we went our separate ways. An amicable divorce. I still see her around from time to time; we're still friendly, kiss on the cheeks and all that. Neither one of us remarried; that was three years ago."

Laurie had been listening carefully without taking her eyes off Michelle in the pool. I decided to take a chance. "Laurie; would you and Michelle like to join me for a barbeque either tonight or tomorrow?"

Without hesitation, Laurie answered. "Yes that'd be nice. I don't have anything planned tonight and we'll be busy tomorrow. What can I bring? I make a tasty potato salad."

"Bring it. I'll see you at five-thirty; okay?"

"Yes."

I left; didn't want to push it the first morning. We'd have plenty more time to get to know each other this evening.

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

That first barbeque went well; we stayed away from the heavy stuff and talked about our jobs. Over the next several weeks, the three of us got together for dinner at least once every week. One thing became apparent, Laurie was still in love with Michael. I decided we were close enough friends to ask the unanswered question.

"Laurie, what did Michael do that made you move out and ask for a divorce?"

Laurie hesitated before answering, first checking to confirm Michelle was occupied by the Disney movie on the TV.

"He came back from Alaska last time and gave me a STD. When I came home from my doctor's and confronted him, he denied it; said I must have cheated on him; called me all kinds of foul names. Said Michelle probably wasn't his since he always used a condom when she was conceived and I was obviously screwing other guys bareback. He said I only went on the pill after Michelle's birth so I couldn't get caught again.

"We had an awful fight. I told him he's the only man I've been with in my entire life. And that's true, I've never been with anyone but Michael. I asked him to go to marriage counseling together; he refused. The cussing and name-calling only got worse and worse over the next couple weeks. I couldn't take it anymore and saw a lawyer to start the divorce. And here I am."

I sat there listening to Laurie's sad story, thinking how awful it must be to truly love another person and have no way of saving the marriage. At least my ex-wife and I came to a mutual agreement to separate. After Laurie finished, I almost felt bad having asked her the question; tears were falling down her cheeks.

Later that same week I was contemplating asking Laurie out on a real, adult date. But, before I could get the words out, Laurie went into a rant.

"Some guy at work asked me out today! I talked to my mom about it and she thinks I should wait until the divorce papers are signed before I begin dating. She said any decent guy would respect the fact that legally and morally, I'm still married in the eyes of the state and the church."

I sat there listening, silently thanking that guy for beating me to the punch and taking all the flack; I sure dodged that one.

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

Two weeks after that conversation, who should show up at her apartment but Michael; back from Alaska. Over the next week, I didn't see much of Laurie, just a quick hello and a sometimes a short exchange of pleasantries. One night, I was sitting out on my porch, drinking a beer, when he walked out of her patio door.

"What's with you and my wife, asshole?"

It only took me a half-second to size him up. He was one of those guys who uses bravado to compensate for his size and lack of intelligence. I got off my chair and walked over to him. Since I'm six-two, two-hundred ten pounds and keep myself in shape, I towered over him. I put my hand out to throw him off by seeming friendly.

"It's Sam; not too many people call me 'asshole', at least nobody with teeth."

You could tell by the look in his eyes that he was thinking -- "do I take a chance with this guy and continue to act tough or do I pretend to act friendly without backing down too much?"

He was taking too long to answer his own question, so I just continued.

"Laurie and I are neighbors. Nothing else is going on between the two of us." I thought about saying more; thought about telling this jackal that he's the only one cheating; but I held my tongue because it wasn't my fight. Laurie was a friend, but I had no right to stick my nose in her business. I just hoped she'd see through the bastard and finish with the divorce.

It wasn't altruistic on my part; over the past two months I was falling for her. Not only was Laurie physically beautiful, she was kind toward others, a good mother and a good friend. She even liked to fish; Laurie and Michelle had already spent two afternoons on my boat. Her only flaw, as far as I could tell, was her inability to cut the cord with Michael. In the meantime, I tried to play it cool; there's nothing quite so desperate as the man 'waiting in the wings' -- waiting for the woman he loves to ditch some loser.

I sat back down, ignoring Michael standing there, and continued to drink my beer. Michael turned and walked back into Laurie's apartment.

Up until that evening, I didn't know the extent of Laurie and Michael's 'reconnection'; but Michael made certain I would know tonight. He left the patio door open with the curtain drawn, most likely so Laurie wouldn't know the door was still open. Ten minutes later I heard them in her living room, just on the other side of the patio door; Michael was talking louder than necessary. "That's it; swallow my load. Keep me hard with your mouth; I'm going to put you over the couch and fuck you 'til you beg me to stop."

I heard enough, went back into my apartment and closed my patio door.

For the next month, Michael was at Laurie's apartment more often than not. He continued to make certain I knew he was using her sexually whenever the opportunity presented itself. Laurie would say hello when we passed each other until one day she stopped me as I went out to my car.

"Sam, why don't you talk to me anymore?"

Should I tell her? I thought about it before answering in the least confrontational way.

"Laurie, Michael has made it plain as day he doesn't want me hanging around you."

Laurie seemed surprised by my answer. "Why would he care?"

"Some guys can't tolerate their woman being friends with another man. They see every interaction between a male and female in terms of how they think -- men and women can't be friends, only sexual partners."

I could see Laurie was thinking about what I just said. She changed tact.

"Michelle misses you; she misses how you used to read to her."

"Well, maybe it's time Michael takes on the role."

Laurie laughed; but it was a sad laugh.

"I won't hold my breath, Sam. He still barely acknowledges Michelle's existence. And to think I named her 'Michelle' so he'd think she was named after him. I wanted to name my first daughter after my grandmother; but thought Michael might connect with his daughter if she had basically the same name. I'm such a fool."

I couldn't argue the point.

"Tell Michelle that Sam says hello." And I got into my car without saying another word.

It turned out Michael became a victim of his own inability to keep his dick in his pants. Laurie told me the entire story two days after the fact:

"I received a call from an old high school girlfriend. She saw Michael at his usual bar playing kissy-face with another woman. She told me they left the bar together; she followed, saw them go into Michael's pickup and immediately called me. Pissed, I put a sleeping Michelle in her car seat and headed over to the bar. Through Michael's windshield I saw they were naked."

I didn't know Laurie had it in her; she must have been really pissed, because what she did next amazed me.

"Without the two fuckers realizing it, I took a photo of them with my cellphone. It turned out pretty good, it was easy to make out the woman's face and the ring on her finger. I took Michelle out of the car seat, still sleeping, walked into the bar and asked if anyone there knew the name of the slut fucking my husband outside. Everyone has enemies, and it seems like one of the slut's enemies was sitting at the bar."

""Yea, her name is Glenna Forbes." one helpful patron called back. I addressed the good Samaritan, "Do you know her husband?" The Samaritan smiled; obviously enjoying himself, telling me his name is Ted Forbes and he works nights at the Tesoro refinery. I couldn't believe my luck since I work in the admin office and it would be a snap to get his contact information. I thanked the Samaritan and spotted my girlfriend in one of the booths. With a silent smile of thanks to her, I left the bar and drove home."

Laurie paused for a second before finishing her story.

"Michael didn't drop by that night, thank goodness. When I woke up, I was pleased the asshole hadn't crawled in bed with me; he obviously spent the night at our old apartment after he finished with the slut. I dressed, got Michelle ready for daycare, and went into work. It only took me five minutes to get Ted Forbes' cell number from the Personnel files. By nine am there was a photo delivered to his phone. What I didn't consider was I just used my own phone to send the photo and the dummy must have told his wife how he found out, she must have told Michael."