In The Death Cell Ch. 01

I laughed and I can't recall a time I ever laughed harder. It was several minutes before I calmed down enough for her to continue with whatever it is she wanted to say.

"Get to the point, Carrie. While I appreciate you making may year with that information, I'd like you to go as soon as possible."

She sighed and continued, "You keep telling my parents I was trading up with Greg. That's not true."

I was about to argue when she held her hand up.

"I know I was calling you a grease monkey and that probably gave you that impression. I'm sorry for that. I don't have an issue with your job. I never have. I know you're an amazing mechanic who is very well respected by his peers. Unfortunately, Greg always called you 'the grease monkey' and I fell into the habit of disrespecting you. You have no idea how sorry I am for that."

Whether I believed her or not, the look on my face must've told her I didn't.

"I'm serious. I am sorry for disrespecting you like that."

"Whatever, Carrie. Apology accepted. Anything else?"

"Yes, a lot."

I stood and said, "Then I'm going to need a beer." I didn't ask if she wanted anything. The time for hospitality had long passed.

When I walked back into the living room, she was pacing like a prisoner on death row.

"Well," I said, "get on with it."

She picked up the picture of us of the first time we took Jimmy to Disney World. "Remember how excited he was when he realized we were at Disney World. I'll never forget that moment of sheer joy we all felt."

I nodded while a tear fell from her eye.

"I never loved Greg. In my hormone addled mind, I was pregnant with his child, so I had to be with him to raise it. I was so messed up in the head, I never considered that she could be your child. I don't even remember having sex with you while I was having the fling with him.

I laughed. I don't know if it was the utter crap she was spewing that I found so funny, or the memory I had of the time we had sex that knocked her up.

"It was just before Christmas. You came home from shopping with my sister and you guys opened several bottles of wine. She passed out on the couch, and I carried you to bed. It's funny, I should have known something was wrong that night when you told me to fuck you like the slut you were. I'm not surprised you don't remember anything. You were plenty drunk."

She nodded her head.

"I notice you're trying to blame hormones for the divorce. It certainly wasn't hormones that led you into his bed."

She shook her head negatively. "To my eternal shame, I bought into his bullshit and let him seduce me. If it's any consolation; it wasn't a very long fling. The first time was black Friday. After that, I met him every Saturday morning when you went to work. We stopped when you had your winter layoff just before the New Year. We started again when you went back to work at the end of February."

"And by St. Patrick's Day, you knew you were pregnant and were leaving me."

"I knew I was pregnant in February. I figured Alison was Greg's child and had to tell him. He was so excited, he started planning our life for when I left you. I hadn't even considered leaving you for him until then. He convinced me that we were good together and I should divorce you and let him raise his child. It was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life, far stupider than hooking up with him in the first place."

I crossed my legs and leaned back. "So?"

"Jim, I never stopped loving you. I got stupid and screwed our lives up, but I not for one minute didn't love you."

"Oh yeah? Were you loving me the first time you sucked his dick? Were you loving me every Saturday when you got a babysitter to watch Jimmy so you could fuck him? Were you loving me when you told me you were divorcing me? Doesn't sound like love to me."

She started sobbing.

"Okay, Carrie. You've told me your story. You can go now."

She shook her head, no, and whispered, "Please give me a second chance, for Alison's sake."

"Okay, it's time for you to go. I appreciate you letting me have Jimmy stay with me more than you'll ever know, but I can't listen to nonsense about taking you back. That's not happening."

I couldn't blame her for asking. She was up shit's creek without a paddle after losing her lover boy. She had no choice but to hope I loved her enough to forgive her and take her back. I knew I still loved her on some level, but I couldn't see myself taking her back. No matter how many people, including my son, thought I should.