Making It Up As We Go: A Sequel

Making It Up As We Go: A Sequel

I would like to start by thanking AileyInn for giving me permission to write this sequel to his April 2022 story, "Making It Up As We Go," a tale of a husband who believes he has stumbled across something rotten in his marriage. I suggest reading his story to get the full context of what takes place here.

I would also like to thank all those who have read and offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories.

And now, the disclaimers:

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper... In addition:

1. Characters in this story may participate in one or more of the following: Smoking, consumption of adult (meaning, alcoholic) beverages, utterance of profanities.
2. All sexual activity is between consenting adults 18 years of age or older.
3. Statements or views uttered by the fictional characters in this story do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author.

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

...

Here I sit, in an office trailer located at a job site just north of Calhoun, Georgia, contemplating what to do about my marriage. You might wonder why I'm here, instead of with my family, all of whom were in Melbourne Beach, Florida, on a winter vacation.

Let me bring you up to speed. My name is Jimmy Foreman, son of James Everett Foreman. I've spent the last seven years married to the extremely lovely Rebecca. We have two children, a six-year-old son, James, and a four-year-old daughter named Elizabeth.

I have an older brother named Max, who just happens to be an attorney, and the apple of my mother's eye. Looking at the two of us, one would never suspect we were brothers. At six-foot four-inches, he stands a full six inches taller than me.

Max, who is four years older than me, is also quite athletic and muscular and sports a full head of somewhat wavy dark hair, as opposed to my shorter sandy-brown hair. Even our eyes are different. One could easily get the impression that we have two different fathers.

Growing up, Max was the All-American everything. It seemed he could do no wrong, especially in my mother's eyes. I played baseball and football in high school as well, and my prowess as a pitcher managed to catch the attention of professional and collegiate scouts. But my height put me out of the running. I guess that's just the way it goes.

My mother constantly raved about Max, quite often at my expense. It was one of those things I had to endure growing up. Perhaps to make up for it, Dad spent more time with me than Max growing up. Sure, he was proud of both his sons, but I was the one who got the lion's share of his attention, and his wisdom. In the end, I suppose it all worked out, especially given that I eventually went to work with him, and together, the two of us made money hand-over-fist.

After Emory Fortson, the project superintendent for the Calhoun site, left the trailer, I opened my briefcase and pulled out a legal pad and a pen. I also set up my laptop and connected to the site's WiFi. I've always preferred putting things down on paper and this situation was no different.

I made a list of what I had observed since I came down from Atlanta on Wednesday. At this point, it was mostly body language, but as the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's usually a fire. Topping it all off was the declaration by my six-year-old son that Max had been at the resort at least a day before he showed up with my parents.

"Uncle Max, that's what you had at the club Friday night," James exclaimed when Max ordered a combination platter with blackened shrimp. Talk about a "dropped mike" scene. All conversation stopped and all adult eyes were on me. At that moment, I felt like saying something to the effect of, "Houston, we have a problem."

My mother broke the ice when she asked, "Jimmy, what are you going to have?"

I said nothing in response. I gritted my teeth and continued looking at the menu. The mood of the evening was definitely shot. We ordered but ate mostly in silence. I knew the adults were sneaking glances my way as I slowly fumed inside. It was extremely uncomfortable, to say the very least.

I wanted to talk with Rebecca on the way back to the hotel, but couldn't -- not with the kids present. We rode back in silence, the tension in the car so thick it could be cut with a knife. When we got to the room, Rebecca suggested I have my regular gin and tonic on the balcony to relax as I often did. After my fourth drink, I climbed into bed, seeing that Rebecca appeared to be asleep.

What I saw this morning after I got up was the straw that broke the camel's back. I woke up alone, somewhat irritated that Rebecca had not even bothered to wake me, then went downstairs to grab some breakfast. That's when I saw them all by the pool.

Elizabeth was sitting in Max's lap as he and Rebecca were deep in conversation about something. I couldn't help but notice the way she looked at him. It was a look usually reserved for lovers, and it was the look she used to give me.

I couldn't take any more, and left. At first, I considered going to the pool, but changed my mind. I wasn't about to play second fiddle to these people any more, so I left and drove home. After sitting in my big lonely house, I decided to get out and go someplace where I could think and work things out in my head without interference from my family.

And that's how I ended up here, at a job site just north of Calhoun. Emory was kind enough to let me stay here so I could work things out uninterrupted. Of course, that didn't stop everyone from calling and texting me, wondering where I was. Even Max called, but I declined the call. I thought about erasing their voicemails, but decided to leave them for now.

After I made my notes, I read them over as I thought about the situation. Then it hit me. Julie, Max's second wife. They had been separated since April and appeared to be heading for a divorce. I met her several times and we always got along rather well. I picked up my phone and opened my contact list. I hoped she wouldn't mind me calling so late. To my surprise, she answered on the second ring.

"Jimmy," she said. "I wondered when you were going to call."

"You were expecting my call?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "When my PI told me you had left the hotel, I had a feeling you would call."

"Your PI?" I asked. "You had a PI watching me?"

"Actually, I had a PI watching Max," she said. "I knew he was planning to meet up with Rebecca this weekend, so I had him followed."

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"After Max and I separated, I went to work for a friend of mine, Angela Hawkins. She's a family law attorney," Julie said. "We've been trying to get solid evidence against Max for some time now. And I believe we're going to get it this weekend."

"Is that why you two haven't gotten divorced yet?" I asked.

"That's part of the reason," she said. "Part of it is that Max wanted to wait until we had been separated for a full year before going for an absolute divorce."

"So you're saying Max and Rebecca are having an affair?" I asked.

"I believe so," she said. "But I think it goes further than that. I have every reason to believe Max and Rebecca have been an item since you married her. And there's more."

"More?" I asked, feeling sick to my stomach.

"Yes," she said. "I have reason to believe your mother not only condoned the affair, but encouraged it and facilitated it."

"My mother?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes, Jimmy," she said. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I'm really very sorry. You're a good man and you certainly don't deserve this." This would certainly explain quite a lot. Then I had a horrible thought.

"What about the children?" I asked. "Are they his or mine?"

"No one can say for certain without a DNA test," she said. "But I have a feeling at least one of them aren't yours." I felt as though I had been punched in the gut. "Where are you right now?"

"I really don't want to say right now," I told her. "Not on the phone. I'm trying to avoid my family at the moment and I'm playing this by ear."

"I understand," she said. "Completely. Listen, why don't you try to get some sleep, then maybe come back to Atlanta tomorrow. If you don't want to go home, get a long-term suite somewhere. I'd let you stay with me, but I don't think that would be a good idea under the circumstances. Let me know where you're staying and we'll go from there."

"That sounds good," I told her.

"And don't worry, I won't say anything to anyone," she said.

"Thanks, I appreciate that a bunch," I said. We said our goodbyes and ended the call. I sat there for a bit digesting what Julie had just told me. Why hadn't I seen it before? Was I so blinded by my love for Rebecca? Suddenly, my phone buzzed and I saw it was a message from... her.

"Please," the message said. "Where are you? We're all going crazy here."

"Away," I wrote back.

"Away? Why?" she asked.

"Is he there, with you?" I responded, ignoring her question.

"He who?" she asked.

"You know who," I said.

"You mean Max? Yes, he's here. And he's worried about you. We all are," she wrote.

"Yes, I felt your concern from the time I got there," I said.

"It's not what you think," she wrote. "Please, call. We need to talk," she added, using the four words every husband dreads. I sent four words of my own.

"Yes, we do. Later."

"I love you," she wrote. I looked at her message and was tempted to respond, but didn't. I really didn't feel much love for Rebecca at the moment, not after what Julie just told me. I set the phone on the desk and looked out the window. Let her stew over my non-response, I thought. The phone buzzed with more messages from Rebecca.

"Jimmy? R U there?"

"Please, Jimmy, talk to me!"

I ignored both of them and turned to my laptop. After a quick search, I booked a long-term room at a hotel in Atlanta not too far from my main office. Yeah, it set me back a bit, but I could easily afford it. Having done that, I pulled up pictures of the kids.

I studied their faces for the longest time, and compared their features to Max's. The more I looked, the more I could see him in their faces. Could it be that he is really their sperm donor? Disgusted, hurt and angry, I finally shut the laptop down, then racked out on a cot to get some sleep.

Emory arrived early the next morning and we talked as we shared a cup of coffee. I bid him farewell and left for Atlanta, where I checked into my room. It was nicely-appointed, and the bed looked a lot more comfortable than the cot I slept in the previous night.

After putting my stuff away, I took a shower, dressed and called Julie to let her know where I was. I noticed Rebecca and my parents had called and texted me several times overnight.

"I'm glad you called," she said. "I got some video from my PI this morning. It sounds like you really stirred up a hornet's nest. Anyway, Angela said she'd meet you here and we can go over what we have."

"Sounds good," I said. Julie gave me her address and I left to meet her and her lawyer. When I got to her condo, she let me in and introduced me to Angela Hawkins, a rather nice-looking brunette with long hair and brown eyes.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Foreman," Angela said.

"Please, call me Jimmy," I said. "My father is Mr. Foreman." She laughed at that. Julie brought coffee in for us, which I readily accepted. "Julie tell me she received some interesting video this morning."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yes," Julie said. "It's more talk than action, but it explains quite a bit. And we have some confessions which will help us both out a lot. That is, assuming you're going for a divorce."

"Well, let's see what you have," I said. Julie pulled open her laptop and opened the video.

"This video was captured this morning," Julie said. "The PI thought I should see it, so he sent it right over to me." She started playback and I saw Mom, Dad, Rebecca and Max sitting in chairs around a table. Elizabeth was in Max's lap and James was next to Rebecca, eating breakfast.

"So, you finally heard from Jimmy last night?" Mom asked.

"Yes, I did," Rebecca said.

"Any idea where he is?" Dad asked.

"No, none. He just said he was away," Rebecca said.

"Do you think he knows about you, the kids and Max?" Mom asked, her brows furrowed.

"He seems very suspicious," Rebecca said. "I don't know how much he actually knows, though." Max snorted at that.

"He doesn't know anything," Max said. "He's just got his panties in a wad because you were spending time with me instead of him."

"Well, to be honest, Max, the two of you were pretty lovey-dovey yesterday. Right in front of him. He'd have to be dumb, blind and stupid not to have seen it," Dad said.

"And it didn't help that James said he saw Max at the club on Friday," Mom said.

"So what do we do?" Rebecca asked. "I really don't want to hurt Jimmy. I may not be head over heels in love with him like I used to be, but I still have feelings for him."

"We keep doing what we've been doing for the last seven years or so," Max said. "He hasn't caught on yet, so chances are he hasn't figured it out. And he probably never will."

"After all, Jimmy's not the brightest bulb in the box," Mom said. "I mean, you had two of Max's children and he hasn't caught on."

"Are you absolutely certain Max is their father?" Rebecca asked.

"Of course, dear," Mom said. "I'm not an idiot. I had DNA tests done on them right after they were born. I still have the results in my safe deposit box."

"So we stick to the plan," Max said. "I'll file papers against Julie in April citing abandonment. I'll get the absolute divorce and then we can continue with our plan."

"And that is?" Dad asked.

"Jimmy will continue to work, support my children and make sure his wife lives in the manner to which she's become accustomed. Meanwhile, I'll have exclusive access to Rebecca. I may let her give Jimmy a little loving from time to time, just to keep him happy," he said as he bounced Elizabeth on his knee.

"So you don't want the business or his money," Dad said. Max snorted at that.

"I have my own money, and I know nothing of what Jimmy does for a living. Besides, he'll need the money to support my kids. So no," Max said.

"When were you going to inform him of all this?" Dad asked.

"I was going to wait until after my divorce from Julie is final," Max said.

"And what if Jimmy doesn't agree with your little arrangement?" Dad asked.

"Well, let's just say I have ways of making sure I get what I want," Max said with a sneer.

"What do you mean?" Dad asked.

"Do you know what happens to people who go to prison for child molestation or child pornography?" Max asked. "It's not pretty."

"You would frame your own half-brother just to have his wife? You three are out of your minds," Dad said, seeming more than a little uneasy, like a man who just woke up in a pit full of rattlesnakes. "You'll never get away with this."

"Only reluctantly. I know how much the kids mean to him. And if it comes to that, well, we'll just see what we can get away with," Max said. Mom chuckled at that. "Listen, why don't you two spend some quality time with the kids while Rebecca and I go upstairs for some... relaxation?" He set Elizabeth down and stood up. Rebecca joined him and the two of them left.

"What's the matter, James?" Mom asked after the cheaters left.

"I agreed to accept and raise Max as my own," Dad said quietly. "I never agreed to any of... this. How could you do this to your own flesh and blood? Do you really hate Jimmy that much?"

"I don't hate Jimmy," Mom said. "I gave birth to him, after all. I let him live. Took care of him, changed his dirty diapers."

"Yeah, after you threatened to abort him," Dad said.

"Hey, it was my choice," Mom said. "Besides, it's about genetics. Look at Max and then look at Jimmy. Max is smart, powerful, successful. He's big, strong and handsome. Like his sperm donor. What's Jimmy? He's a clone of... YOU," she snarled, looking at Dad.

"Well, I'm not going to sit here and let the three of you ruin him like this," Dad said.

"And what are you gonna do, little man?" Mom asked derisively. "Divorce me? Hah! I'll have Max destroy you in a heartbeat. And you know he can do it."

"You would sic your son on me like that? Really? After I accepted him, raised him, sent him to college?" Dad asked. "You're an even bigger and uglier bitch than I thought, Mary. I should've dumped your ass a long time ago."

"Yeah, well, you didn't," Mom said. "So now you and little Jimmy just need to suck it up. You've come to accept what I did all those years ago. Jimmy can do the same. Besides, your heart isn't all that strong anymore. You could have a heart attack or a stroke any time."

"Is that a threat?" Dad asked, stone-faced.

"No. Just a friendly admonishment," Mom said.

Julie stopped the video and looked at me. Once again, I felt like I had been sucker-punched right in the gut. Did I really know any of these people? Julie put a hand on my arm for comfort.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy," she said. "I had no idea it was this bad." I nodded my head in acknowledgment and looked at Angela.

"I want a divorce," I said. Angela nodded her head in understanding. "And I want it as soon as possible. What can you do for me?"

"I'll get started right away," she said. "I assume you want the lion's share of the assets, so I'll work on that assumption. I'll need you to provide me with your financial information. The sooner the better, In the meantime, don't do anything stupid. From what I saw, it appears they're engaging in a conspiracy to commit fraud. And adultery is still a misdemeanor in this state. At the very least, there's enough for a complaint with the State Bar. What about the children?"

"If what they're saying is true, the children aren't really mine," I said.

"We'll ask the judge to order a DNA test," Angela said. "If Max is the biological father as they claim, we'll deal with that."

"Alright," I said. "Do you think you can get your PI to come out and put some cameras and microphones in my place?"

"It's a holiday weekend, which means if he's got someone available, it'll cost extra," Angela said.

"That's fine. I'll pay whatever," I said. She pulled out her phone and called. A couple minutes later, she ended the call and told me someone would come out, but I would have to pay a premium for the service.

"That's fine," I said. "I have to swing by the house anyway and collect what you need and bring it to your office in the morning. Will that work?"

"Yes, it will," Angela said.

"And I'll foot the bill for the PI you hired," I told Julie.

"I really appreciate that," Julie said. "I saved for months to pay for that. It wasn't easy, believe me."

"I can imagine," I told her. We discussed strategy and financing for a bit longer. Since Julie helped bring this to light, I agreed to reimburse her for the money she had put out. Given what was at stake, I felt as though I owed her that much, at least.

I offered to help pay for her divorce, but she declined, saying she intended to have Max pay for that. We ended our meeting and I went to the house. When I got there, I saw a pickup parked out front and figured it was the investigator.

I let him inside and grabbed the folders with our financial information, then packed up more of my clothing and personal items and stuffed them in my vehicle. I also took the computer I used and loaded up as much as I possibly could. The investigator showed me how to access the system, which stored the video to a secure server in the cloud.