Jason

I looked her in the eyes as I leaned forward a bit. "You forgot what we talked about, haven't you. The law allows for divorce no matter what you want. It's clear in this that Jason is very determined that you and he will not be married. It's also very clear here, that he wants his children with him, not you."

Laura sat back and slumped a bit in the chair. "It's Scott, isn't it. Jason is jealous of Scott."

"You figured he wouldn't be? You've been having sex with Scott Williams for three years and ignoring your husband and children and you thought that Jason wouldn't care?"

"How do I fix this?"

"There is no 'fixing this,' there is only trying not to lose completely out of all this." I paused a moment and then had to state the blindingly obvious, "What did you think was going to happen?"

I didn't get an answer from my client. I hate it when they ignore their own malfeasance. She was a stupid one.

"So, Jason is asking for you to move out of the family home not later than the date of the final date of the divorce. There is a 60 day cooling-off period in Texas. During that time all the financial and child business needs to be settled. So, once you and he have agreed on the details and signed, the court might grant the divorce at the end of the 60 days. Otherwise, it takes 90 to 120 days."

"Can I request marriage counselling?"

"You can, and that would have to begin during the cooling-off period I mentioned, and end before the 120 day point. Do you think that Jason might change his mind on the divorce if you and he go see a marriage counsellor?"

Laura let out a huge sigh. It was slowly sinking in that Jason had had enough of her infidelity and wanted away from her. I figured that Jason was a very sharp fellow who, with the advice of a good lawyer, had put together all the things that would be needed to make sure he was successful in this divorce.

"Laura, I'm going to request a meeting with Jason and his lawyer for later this week and we can see how adamant he is and what we can do."

"Okay. What do I do now?"

"Go home, be with your kids, try and talk to Jason; you are both still in the home I'm assuming?"

Laura nodded.

"Go home and try to talk to him, if you can. Otherwise, there's not much you can do."

She got up and slowly walked out of the office. My assistant, Jackie, came in. "This one has the deer-in-the-headlights look. I'm guessing it didn't go well."

"This one is fucked." I handed her the paperwork that Laura brought and asked her to make contact with the husbands lawyer and set up a meeting as soon as possible.

**********

Jason

My phone was oddly silent for most of the day. I figured that Laura would be burning up the phone lines calling me and telling me to drop the divorce. When I was just about to leave my office, I got a call from my lawyer telling me that Laura's lawyer wanted to schedule a meeting ASAP. Why not. Let's get this over and done with as quickly as possible. I had plans to get on with. She would call me back with a date and time and until then I was to be very careful around Laura. Have minimum contact with her at home and outside the home and overall do nothing that might be taken as threatening.

When I got home, I saw that Laura's car was in the driveway. I went in and the kids were there, and they were sitting with their mother. She was pretending to be interested in their homework. They looked at me with an expression that said 'what the heck is she doing?'

I said nothing to Laura. I chatted with Janey and Beth. I started some supper for the four of us. Laura got dishes on the table and the knives, forks and spoons and glasses out.

Supper was interrupted only by the girls talking and telling me some of the things that were happening for the rest of the week. It was all very normal except that Laura was with us. She wasn't getting caught up on her work like she normally does because she'd spent the afternoon with her boyfriend.

After the kids were in bed, I went to our home office to do a few things and send a couple of e-mails. Laura appeared at the door. "Jason, can we talk?"

"Bit late for that now, isn't it?"

"I don't want a divorce. I want us to be a family, like we should be."

"Bit late for that now, isn't it?"

"How can I show you that you're the one I love?"

"Bit late for that now, isn't it?"

"Why won't you talk to me, Jason?"

"Are you completely clueless? I've tried to talk to you so many times over the last two years and all you've done is ignore me and ignore our children. Well, now I'm ready to ignore you."

"I want us to go to marriage counselling."

"So that you can do what? Waste time and money and then we get on with the business of the divorce? I don't think so. You go see all the therapists and counsellors that you want. Just not with me."

Her voice took on a pleading tone, "Jason, we can't divorce. The kids will be affected..."

I interrupted, "Oh that's a good one, now. The kids will be affected. And you didn't bother to think that the kids would be affected by all the time that you spent with Scott! Your narcissism is showing through loud and clear, Laura." I was almost shouting.

"My what?"

"Oh, for fucks-sake! Go see that therapist. The sooner the better. Better yet I suggest you pack a bag, a big one, and go see your precious Scott. And stay there. Get away from me!" I pushed past Laura and went to the bedroom that I'd been sleeping in for many months, now. I decided that a hot shower was what I needed so undressed and went to the bathroom. When I was standing under the hot water trying to organize my thoughts, I saw the door open and there was a naked Laura standing there. She started to slide the shower door back when I stopped her.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Please, Jace, please let me in. We're a family. I need you, you need me..."

I put my hand up, "Just stop it. You've taken me and the kids for granted for a long time and now when you've been called on it, you're trying to butter it over and worm your way out of the consequences of fucking your boyfriend. Fuck you! Get out!"

Laura looked at me for a few seconds and then turned and left. When I finished my shower, I got dressed and went to check on the kids. Laura's car was gone.

**********

An hour later

Scott

My doorbell phone was ringing. Shit, who the fuck is it, I thought. It was a very inconvenient time right now. Next my phone was binging with a text message. I picked it up and saw that Laura had sent me three messages over the last hour. Crap.

"Scott, baby, who is it.". That was Marie.

"A friend. I'll tell them that now isn't a good time. Stay here and I'll deal with it."

I got out of bed, put my boxer shorts on, picked up my phone and went to the kitchen. Fuck! I wasn't supposed to see Laura until Thursday. What does she want?

I picked up the phone, "Hello."

"It's me Sweetie."

"What's going on?"

"Open the door."

I waited a moment as I tried to figure out what to do. I'd been dating Marie for a few months now and she was a dynamo in bed. Besides that, she was good looking and liked to do things. Laura being here is a complication that I don't need right at this very moment. I knew that her marriage was going-to-hell, and I also knew that it was time to cut things off with her. But I hadn't planned on doing it right at this very moment. Fuck!

"Now is not a really great time. I'll call you in the morning?"

"Scott, I just need to come in and talk to you..."

I could hear others in the background coming in the building and then Laura saying 'oh, thanks' and then the phone clicked off. Shit, someone let her in as they were coming in or out. Fuck!

Three minutes later there was knocking at the door. "Scott, it's me, let me in, please."

Just then, Marie come out of the bedroom. She had a big T-shirt on and a curious look on her face. "What going on?"

I had to think fast. "It's an old girlfriend. I'm not sure what she's doing here. Maybe she had a bad breakup and wants to talk."

"Are you going to open the door?"

Slowly I went to the door, looked out the peephole and then turned the lock and the doorknob. Marie was standing in the kitchen getting a glass of water. When I opened the door, Laura breezed in with her overnight bag over her shoulder. She saw Marie and stopped. Marie saw her and did the math. Without so much as a word she put the glass down and went to the bedroom. Ten seconds later she was dressed and putting on her coat to leave. As she hurried out the door she said, "Don't bother calling me."

Well, that ended fast.

Laura watched Marie leave and then looked at me and asked, "Who is she?"

I shook my head. "What do you want Laura?"

She put her bag on my sofa and looked around the room. There were dishes on my table from the meal that Marie and I had earlier. And then it hit her; she figured it out.

I went to the bedroom and put on some jeans and a shirt and came back to the kitchen and got a beer out of the refrigerator.

Laura sat down on the sofa. "Why are you here, tonight? We weren't gonna get together until Thursday." And then I did the math. "Fuck, your husband booted you out, didn't he?"

She slowly nodded. I continued, "And you thought you could stay here," I said with a tone of resignation. Shit.

"What the fuck did you do. Laura?"

She swallowed, "Can I get a drink?"

I went to the kitchen and got her a glass of wine that I knew she liked. I handed it to her, and she took a big gulp. "He's divorcing me."

"Oh!"

"He...he...told me that he doesn't want me to be his wife anymore."

"Can you blame him! I mean, you and I have been fucking for a while. I'm surprised he put up with all that shit for this long. What happened to your plan to get him back into bed with you?"

"He wouldn't come near me. Told me that he didn't want 'sloppy seconds' and that he didn't want 'pity sex' with me."

"Well (I exhaled), you are fucked, in more ways than you want." I could be quite witty when I want to be.

"So, what are you doing here? Why did you come here? Marie wasn't impressed, by the way. That's pretty much done I figure."

Laura spent the night with me. I mean, Marie was out the door so why not enjoy Laura. She was always ready for a good time. A willing pussy is always good pussy.

**********

Jason

When I got up in the morning, I took note that Laura wasn't in the house. That was just fine. It wouldn't be long before she was out full-time, if I got what I was asking for in the divorce. After I got the girls off to school and went to my office, I got an e-mail from my lawyer. She had gotten a request from Laura's lawyer to have a meeting later this week to hash-out the business of the divorce. This was moving in the right direction.

I needed to hire someone to help out with the after-school routine for the kids. I already had a lady in the neighbourhood that worked three afternoons meeting the kids and getting them snacks and supervising homework. I needed to talk to my company and come to some arrangement so that I could do a bit more from home; my work was very portable.

Two days later Laura still had not come home, but I noticed that more of her things had disappeared from her bathroom and closet. I figured that she was staying with her boyfriend, but in fact I didn't really give a shit. The girls didn't even ask where she was. I was a bit surprised that she hadn't even called, at least to talk to the girls; but she hadn't.

I called her mother and father. They weren't aware that anything was wrong with our marriage. When I asked them if she was staying with them, they naturally wanted to know why she would be staying with them. I brushed it off and told them that Laura was very busy just now and I'm sure that she would catch them up on everything soon. I had to get off the phone before they could ask anything else. I wanted Laura to be the one to tell her family what was going on, not me.

The next night, no Laura again, but her mother, Susan, was at the front door and after she said hello to her granddaughters, she sat at the kitchen table and said in a very clear voice, directly at me, 'What the hell is going on?'

I spent almost two hours talking to her; no sense in holding back, it was all going to come out eventually. I told her the whole story of the last three years of our marriage. She, understandably, had a lot of questions. At the end of it, she just looked at the floor and apologized to me for Laura. I didn't need an apology from her or George, I wanted an apology from Laura for being a crappy, dishonest wife and for being a bad parent.

It was three days now and no Laura. It was time that I paid a visit with Scott. You recall that know where he lives and what he does for a living. I used the same tactic this time as I did last time, waiting for him at his car. When he came out of the building and saw me leaning on the hood, he stopped and flinched. I waved him over. "Come on, I'm not here for you. I'm assuming Laura is staying with you."

He exhaled deeply, "Yeah, she is. Are you here to take her home?"

"Fuck no, all I want is to know where she is. I suppose as well, to know that she's safe."

He looked at the ground and then said, "I was hoping you were taking her home. I really don't want her at my place full-time." That was unexpected, and a bit cold.

"What, I thought you two were lovers, kindred spirits and all that crap."

"Listen, we had fun; for quite a while. For the first while I thought, from what she said, that you and her were good with her fucking another guy on the side. But when I found out that you weren't in on the plan, I told her to go home and be nice to you, if she wanted to stay married and keep her family. I thought she did that. But I know now that she didn't."

"Well, she's all your's now Pal."

"But...but...I don't want her."

"Why not, you've liked fucking her all this time."

"But I don't want her all the time."

I didn't let this go. "Why not, she likes being with you and you, clearly like being with her. At least all the time you spent with your dick in her."

Scott's exasperation level was quickly ramping up. He shouted, "I don't fucking want her! Get her the fuck out of my apartment! Take your wife the fuck home!"

I smiled at him, "Nope, she's all yours." I stood up from leaning against the hood of the car and started to walk away.

"Please!" His tone was urgent. "Please take her. I don't want a full-time woman with two kids."

I looked at him. He was beaten. "Should have thought of that a few years ago." I walked to my car and got in. I started the engine and headed toward the exit of the parking lot. I stopped and backed up, put the window down and said to him, "Tell her to come home. Her children are wondering where the fuck she is, and her mother wants to talk to her." I put the window up and drove off, leaving him standing there.

**********

The day after I went for a chat with Scott, I was working from home and heard the lock in the door turning. Sure enough, it was Laura. I waited until she closed the door and was in the kitchen. "Come back for a few more of your things?"

She was startled. "Jason, I didn't know you'd be here. I didn't see your car."

"It's in the garage getting fixed, the shuttle dropped me off. I'm working from home today."

Laura didn't say anything else but just stood there.

I asked, "What are you here to get?"

"Ah...ah, I thought that I might come home, if that's okay with you."

"Well, I suppose. Janey and Beth are curious about where you've gone. I figured that you were with your boyfriend." I added, "Your mother was here to see you. She has a few things to say to you and likely a million or two questions."

Her head snapped up at that. "My mother? What did she want?"

"She was a bit curious why you left us."

"What..what...did you tell her?"

"The truth."

**********

The meeting

So, my lawyer and I were going to meet with Laura and her lawyer. My lawyer had told me to let her do the talking, she has to justify her big fee somehow, I suppose. We were to meet at my lawyer's office conference room. It was supposed to be pretty much straight-forward. We hash out the details of the custody of the girls and who gets what and how much. Easy-Peasy. Not!

When I arrived, I saw that Laura and her lawyer, a woman that was introduced as Claire something-or-other were already at the table. My astute legal-eagle proceeded to remind me of the outline plan, let her do the talking, and then we would move on the battle.

When my lawyer started to go over the details of the split, she was interrupted by Claire.

"Can we just hold off on the main event for a moment. Laura wants to say something that may negate all this angst and we can all move on to other cases, Laura."

"Jace, I don't want a divorce. What will it take for you forget all this nonsense and for us to get back to being the good family that we were, that we will be again? You know that I love you and the girls so much. You know that I love only you."

I wanted to stand up and start shouting, but my lawyer had my arm in a vice-grip hold and was pulling me back into the chair. The message was let her speak.

She continued to pontificate. "You know that my time with 'him' was only meant to be recreational, it was never about anything other than a way for me relieve the stress of the daily grind of life. Our marriage wasn't able to fulfill all of my needs at the time; it wasn't your fault nor anything you did or didn't do. It was just something that was available to me, and I decided to spend an hour or two a week with him. I came home a better wife and mother. I came home to you and the girls, every time."

She actually said all that shit as if it was a good thing. It was good that she was having sex with another man in order to be a better wife and mother; yeah. The woman was still fucking delusional. She had convinced herself that having sex with Scott was perfectly fine, all while she was married to me. That I would put up with it forever. Yeah.

And all that is why we're here, now, to sort out the bullshit, put it right, get on with life. Stop the stupidity. If she thinks that I'm gonna roll over and blindly accept her fucking some other guy, she should really get her head out of her ass.

Laura looked at me with an expression that said 'please.' I looked back with an expression that said 'Really?' My lawyer coughed and decided that it was time to earn her money. "Everyone, I think that we need to get on with the job of deciding the main issues of this divorce."

Claire looked at her client and nodded her head.

The bargaining began. I stopped listening to the back-and-forth between the lawyers. I was prepared to take it all to a judge if Laura dug in her heels and refused my offer. I wanted custody of the kids and the house. That was it, nothing else. Laura could have all the bank accounts and her car; hell, even my car. I didn't care. Nothing else mattered. If she wanted to blow-off her family, then she could live with the consequences.

**********

So, the lawyers racked up their fees with the back and forth that divorces often incur. It all was for not. At the end of things, Laura was convinced by her lawyer to sign the agreement. It seems that when my legal-eagle give all of the information to Laura's lawyer, Claire, information about just how much time Laura had actually spent with her family in the last three years, especially the last eighteen months, that was sufficient to convince Claire that if we had to take it all to a family law judge, it wouldn't go well for Laura. In the end she reluctantly agreed to my terms for the divorce. All I had to do now was make sure that it didn't affect my daughters more than necessary.