Kathleen's Big '4' '0' Saga

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Tomorrow was the senior prom night for Julie, who was also celebrating her coming 18th birthday. She had planned this for months with several friends. But on this evening she walked into her Dad's office and said, "Dad. Can we talk for a few?"

R.D. immediately put his computer to sleep, stood, and turned to her and held her close to him and said, "Pumpkin, I always have time to talk to you, and if I don't I will make time. Are you O.K.?"

"It's about tomorrow night. I really don't want to go to the prom even though you have already paid my share of the hotel room and limo rental charges. I am not in the mood to hit the booze and some will be smoking weed even."

Her Dad studied her for a moment and and asked, "And you want my advice on...?"

"Do you think its O.K. if I tell my friends I just am not in the party mood and don't want to go?"

"Rather than a 'yes' or 'no' answer, lets sit down and you tell me what has brought this change about in you. Will you?"

"I have been reading some Harlequin Romance books and now have read two of the Harry Potter books. It is difficult for me to read even those juvenile books and it occurs to me that I don't know how to read! Certainly I don't know how to write - since texting doesn't really count as writing. I feel yukky, like I have nothing to celebrate even though I will be getting a diploma. That strikes me as an irony, as nonsense. What do I have to celebrate?"

R.D. looked away so his daughter wouldn't notice the tears swelling up in his eyes and then said, "Just say NO! I am not going. You don't even need to give an explanation. Are those people really important enough for you to give a reason for not going?"

Julie looked at her father and said, "Of course, you are right. Why are we both crying, Dad?"

"I am proud of you because you have just made the first fully independent statement I can remember you ever making - no peer pressure, no social norms urging your compliance and bullshit like that was involved."

By now Julie started profusely crying and said, "Hey! You're right. Thank you so much. I was so afraid you would get on my case for not going along with my friends. I have promised myself that I would become an independent person no longer caught up in what my friends are doing."

"Have you thought anymore about your future, Julie, since our last talk?"

"I do want to go into the remedial English program at Community College you told me about. And, I want to continue to work part time at BurgerHaven if you and Mom will support me for another two years."

"You have my support."

"Randy told me that you had asked Mom for a divorce, if that happens will you still support me?"

"No matter what happens, I will support you for those two more years."

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Two months later it was the annual July 4th picnic where the factory owners closed the plant and rented an entire private park for an employee picnic. Most employees attended and brought adult and children guests with them. At the park gate, Kathleen showed her badge to the attendant and the remaining three members of her family filed in behind her. The attendant said, "Logistics and supply people are sitting in area 4 if you want to make your way over there, Ms Perry."

Walking to the area Kathleen got many greetings since she was a high profile person and the usual co-workers asked them to spread their blanket near them. They settled in a grassy area near two co-workers who were sitting on blankets with their respective families. Julie went off to join a volleyball game and Randy went to the chipping green to practice his putting and chipping. R.D. and Kathleen just relaxed and, for the first time in many years of coming to this picnic, R.D. was actually in a good mood as he enjoyed the beautiful day and Kathleen's company - not to mention that he was taking a badly needed day off from his work.

Kathleen said, "Here comes the gossip queen amongst the facilitator staff and she is with a different dude than the one she introduced as her husband last year - though I am sure you won't remember."

R.D. took one look and lost interest and his eyes returned to his Kindle eReader and continued reading. When the two arrived, the introductions were made and Kathleen's co-worker said, "Would you like to go find the ladies room and I'll ask John to come with us to bring some drinks back?"

When the two ladies passed by the refreshment stand, Harriet turned to John and said, "Get us four large Ice Teas and meet us back with Mr. Perry."

When alone, Harriet said, "Kathleen, I know you have been fucking Ralph Stimson, the sales engineer for BRS Sciences, since I signed on. But scuttle butt has it that you are trying to win back your husband, for real now. Care to tell me what is going on?"

"Yes, Harriet. Ralph got his last piece of ass from me during his second quarterly visit. You can have him if you can get him. I don't expect you to fully understand this but I am focusing all my attention on R.D. now because I want to salvage my marriage and influence my children so that maybe they won't find themselves someday pushing the big '4' '0' confused and wondering why life has no meaning."

"Wow! Thats heavy. You will introduce me to Ralph Stimson then?"

"Harriet, I will do that and more. I will give you my project engineer contact notes along with those of the BRS's two competitors who call on the same engineers. Starting Wednesday you will be the primary facilitator for all three companies and I will be the backup. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like Santa Claus on July 4th. Thanks Kathleen and thanks for thinking I am capable of getting my arms around a complex supply chain operation like that. I won't let you down."

When the dinner bell rang the four got into line for burgers and hotdogs and continued their meaningless small talk interspersed with other couples who came up and said 'Hi' to Kathleen. After lunch R.D. and John challenged another two men to a game of horseshoes. The ladies mingled and chatted mostly in a large group.

The children returned promptly at 4:30 as preplanned and everyone was chatty on the ride back home.

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On the following Wednesday the receptionist squawked to Kathleen, "Ralph Stimson of BRS is here and asking for you. "

"Thanks, tell him I will be right out."

At that point Kathleen went to Harriet's cubicle and told her, "Ralph Stimson is here! I see you have worn a dress that barely qualifies as Business Casual and your youth and charm will surely work its usual magic on him. Have you familiarized yourself with the people he visits along with the backups and what that particular supply chain is all about? Any questions before I introduce you to Mister six foot eight?"

"No questions. I am ready but a little nervous."

"Just be your charming self and it will work magic on him. He is going to put his eleven inch cock in some pussy today and it might as well be yours!"

Harriet breathed, "Wow! I can hardly wait!"

Kathleen walked up to Ralph Stimson and shook his hand in a greeting. She then turned to Harriet behind her and said, "Mr. Stimson please meet Harriet Myers who will be facilitating your and your competitors visits from now on. " They shook hands and mumbled some niceties and then Kathleen continued, "I am into some new responsibilities now and I shall get back to them, but you are in good hands, Mr. Stimson."

Ralph said, "Before you go, Kathleen, I was hoping we might have lunch one last time today?"

"Actually, I am lunching with my husband today, but I would be surprised if Harriet has made any lunch plans as of yet. Good luck on your bid in the upcoming model change, Ralph, you are a very good sales engineer which just could mean BRS gets phase two for the model upgrade. "

It was 3:00 P.M. when Kathleen looked up from her desk after someone had knocked on her office door. "Come in."

Harriet staggered in to her office and said, "Hi Kathleen, I just want to thank you for the opportunity. Both of our project engineers were delayed getting into that meeting room so that left Ralph and me time to get to know each other. He took the engineers to lunch but gave me his hotel key and asked me to take a late lunch in his room about 1:00 P.M. "

"Wait, Harriet, were our engineers comfortable with your phase I status presentation?"

"Oh, I am sure they were, the older one in particular because he couldn't take his eyes off my Ass. I loved it. heh heh"

Kathleen continued, "So you and Ralph had a marvelous lunch in his hotel room?"

"That man was insatiable to the point that we would still be fucking if the front desk hadn't called to remind him that it was past check out time. I am so weak and sore until I can barely move. Poor old John will have to beat himself off for the next few days. But damn! I am already looking forward to Ralph's fourth quarter visit. Umm I would like to do something nice for you, what would you like?"

"If you will take care of the company's business in amongst all your fun, that will be a major present for me. Have a good day, Harriet."

It was almost quitting time when Kathleen's cell phone rang. She recognized the number that belonged to Ralph Stimson, the BSR Sales Engineer. Her response was that of a deer caught in headlights at first accompanied by the greatest feeling of angst you had ever experienced. She finally answered it: "Hello Ralph,"

"I am waiting to board my flight and I just wanted to tell you how much I missed you today."

Kathleen was speechless so Stimson continued, "I am returning to the Hyatt in your city to give a keynote address at our stockholders meeting next week. The meeting will end on Thursday morning. I would like for you to spend Thursday and Friday nights in the Hyatt with me - any chance of that happening?"

"You know I can not refuse an offer like that," she replied with a naughty voice without even thinking about what she was saying.

Stimson said, "Great! Look for me in the Starbucks lounge in the lobby about 10:30 Thursday week morning. We owe it to ourselves to have this one last separation party." After that the circuit went dead.

Driving home, Kathleen composed herself and said out loud to no one, ["Just this one time and then never again. But no! You can not do that because that life is behind you. Why do you want both lives so badly?"] As the conflict raged in her mind, she turned the volume up to listen to the robots reading the national news, but that didn't help either.

Later that evening, Kathleen was on the treadmill while her husband, R.D., was pumping free-weight iron in their basement gym. Both children were out of the house. Kathleen said, "R.D., I would like to tell you something so please listen until I have finished."

He chuckled and said, "Even though I don't like details of your relationships this time I promise no interruptions, scouts honor!"

"The first Wednesday of every new quarter, I have been going to the hotel room of a sales engineer who calls on us and getting fucked. This has been going on several years and only with this one man. Each time I left his room I felt like a piece of shit and was pained to face you and our children."

R.D. said, "Go on."

"The first Wednesday of the last quarter was such a date for me. I felt worse than I have ever felt. That was the night you asked for a divorce but you gave me a three month reprieve. " Pausing for a moment to blow her nose she continued, "Today, I introduced Harriet - remember the gossip queen I introduced you to at the company picnic - to him as my replacement facilitator. When he asked me to meet him for one last lunch, I told him, 'I am having lunch with my husband but that Harriet had made no lunch plans.' "

R.D. dropped some weights on the floor he was trying to military press and looked seriously at Kathleen and said, "Hey! that's great! I like what you have been doing to me and our children the past quarter and want to postpone any discussion of a divorce until say the first Wednesday in the next quarter. Will that work for you?"

"I want closure on this issue, R.D. Is there no way that's possible?"

"Kathleen, I want to trust you just as much as I have loved you over the years but that will take time and you will have to show me that I can trust you again. In the mean time, I don't know and you don't know what you will do in the future. For example, what if you tell me that you love me and have the hots for another fly-by salesman you meet the next day? How can I deal with that? I have a business I am trying to grow. What will I do if you tell me, 'I had too much to drink and this guy seduced me?' How can I deal with that? When you fuck around, you know it and that means that soon I know it and those looking up to you know it. Have you looked carefully at our children's faces lately - they are confused and mixed up young adults. For the past quarter I think both of them have may have turned a corner. But if you relapse into the 'old Kathleen,' they will relapse as well. How can I deal with that? Its too soon for either of us to know what you will do when tempted again! So closure is not possible."

Kathleen suddenly felt awful while R.D. talked and said to herself, ["God! That man is smart. How did he know I would agree to meet Ralph for two nights when he called? Am I completely insane?"]

Kathleen hit the STOP button on the treadmill and ran over to R.D. She gripped him tightly with her tears wetting her husband's work out clothes. She said, "For the very first time, I see your point of view. Lets postpone this conversation until the first Wednesday of the next quarter, game?" What she was thinking was, ["I want this last chance to meet with Ralph. I am crazy."]

After their rather subdued coupling later Kathleen watched Randy sleeping soundly while circling thoughts roared inside her head - ["I very much love and want to grow old with R.D. but the very thought of two whole days of ecstasy with Ralph's 11 inch cock down my throat, and filling both holes just makes me weak with desire. How did I get so fucked up and why does no one I know have any idea of what's plaguing me? There is no hope for me!"]

When the fateful Thursday morning rolled around, Kathleen and R.D. sat at the breakfast bar together, having said goodbye to their children earlier. She said, "R.D., You should make an appointment with our attorney to get the divorce proceedings started, even though its not the start of the next quarter yet. You are an honest man so I will sign whatever you think is 50-50."

R.D. looked up from his technical magazine and said, "Thanks for asking me, Kathleen. That leaves me free to pursue something I have been thinking about for a while. I want you to know that whatever happens I hope you land on your feet. I think the kids will eek out a living for themselves. I will get an apartment and Julie will move in with me temporarily. I hope you will help out Randy as much as you can."

After breakfast Kathleen had finished packing her overnight case which included her sexy gowns. She put on a very revealing dress and fixed her make-up. She walked out of the bathroom and passed R.D.'s study where he was engrossed in a technical conversation with one of his code pushers. When Kathleen got his attention he just waved goodbye without seeing her and continued with his conversation, oblivious to how she dressed or that she was carrying an overnight case. She walked down the stairs in a daze and unconsciously drove downtown and pulled into the Hyatt garage.

She walked into the Hyatt lobby Starbucks area and stood at the tail end of the very long order line. Then Kathleen immediately saw Ralph, but he was with two ladies already. Looking closely, one was the gossip queen, Harriet Myers, and the other was an even younger unknown woman. Both wore their little black dress with cleavage showing and were heavily made up. The three were drinking coffee and laughing robustly. As the order line inched forward, Kathleen was soon in a position to see that both ladies had stylish overnight bags with them. At this point nausea attacked her senses, that went along with her crashing dizziness. The steel guide rails leading up to the order person was all that kept her from collapsing onto the floor.

Kathleen reached the order person and got a small black coffee. She picked up it and her bag and headed off to a counter along the perimeter of the Starbucks area and found a seat just in time to keep from falling down. By this time the room was going round and round in her vision. Over her shoulder she could see the trio still laughing and enjoying each other's company. In a few moments the ladies picked up their bags and the three of them exited Starbucks into the hotel lobby. Kathleen watched as they approached the guest rooms elevator bank and she watched Ralph bend down low and palm each of the two women's asses while waiting for the elevator door to open.

The elevator door closing had the effect of a bomb going off in her brain, as she found herself unable to focus on a single thought. She kept trying to formulate a plan to get home but every thought she had turned to cloudy smoke. The stool became uncomfortable after a while and she pushed off and grabbed her bag and started walking to the exit. Outside she found an empty space and pushed the first number on her cell phone's speed dial. After the first ring:

"This is R.D., go ahead."

"This is Kathleen. I need help. Please help me."

"Where are you, Dear?"

"I drove my car to the Hyatt downtown but I don't think its safe for me to drive back. Will you come get me? I don't feel well at all."

"Kathleen, wait for me near the lobby coffee shop: I will drive down to get you now and pick up your car tomorrow."

R.D. had been in a video conference with four programmers discussing the requirements of the program portions each would soon be writing. Coming back online he said to the group: "This is a good point take a lunch break. Everybody O.K. to continue this at 3:00?" After all agreed he signed off. ["Damn! This couldn't have happened at a worse time than now that I am trying to launch a new project. But, Kathleen is obviously a sick woman and I am her husband and I will act accordingly, but damn her baggage is costing a lot of money! What the hell is she doing at the Hyatt anyway?"]

Forty minutes later R.D. found Kathleen in a chair in the hotel lobby. He said, "How do you feel, Dear?" There was no answer as she just looked up at him and silently cried. He held her arm with with both his hands and gently lifted her to stand beside him. Encouraged, he pick up her overnight case and they both began to walk to the parking lot elevator bank.

When he got her home, he walked her straight to the toilet. He pulled up her dress so she could sit on the stool, only to find that she had no underwear under her dress. He said out loud, "What the hell?"

Kathleen was mostly silent except a hint of a whispered scream could be heard each time she breathed. After she pissed, he offered her a cup of water which she drank. He then helped her to stand and walked her to their bed. He asked, "Want something to eat, Dear?"

She replied a weak, "No."

She sat on the bed and R.D. took off her dress only to find that she was not wearing a Bra either. The gown she wore last night was on the chair so her husband put that on her and put her in the bed. He said, "Kathleen, you will be O.K. now. We will be O.K. now. I have figured out what has happened and you and I are still working to make our marriage work. Rest easy. Get some sleep. I will be in my office."

Back in the kitchen, R.D. was angry and frustrated. But he suppressed it knowing that anger solves nothing. He then finished a TV dinner and noted that it was 10 minutes until three. The hardest task he ever completed was to suppress his tears and his pain, and focus on business. Randy came by his office and said, "Hi Dad. Is Mom still at work?"