Michael - His life

If you haven't already, you should soon receive papers from my lawyer. It's time for us to put our marriage behind us and move on with life. Our marriage was, in one way a mistake for both of us, and in another way, at least for me, something that I will look back on with love.

So, I have set up a trust fund for both Emma and Michael to pay for university when the time comes. There is $250,000 set up in an investment account for each. That should pay for school and boarding costs if either decides to go away to school. My brother is the trustee and will send you details later.

You're a smart person and I know that whatever you do in the future will be a success. Take care of yourself, make good choices and give my best to little Emma and Michael and your family.

Michael

So, there it is. The end. The fucking end! The god damn fucking end! Jesus! How stupid can I be? The best man that I know, and that I was married to, is telling me that it's over. And its all my fault. And the extra stupid part is that I don't even know where he is.

The firm didn't get much out of me in the way of work that day. I went down to the Family Law division and saw a colleague and had them review the divorce papers. It was all very civilized but the package that Michael's lawyer sent made the point of providing documentary evidence that the children were not the biological product of Michael. So, with that in mind there was no child support issues to be considered. He was offering a to pay out the mortgage on the NYC apartment and I would get a lump sum of $500,000 to be paid over a period of five years. Beyond that we were done. He didn't want any visitation with the children; and why would he, they weren't his. They were so little they would forget him in time.

Well, what do I do? Is there any reason to try and talk to him? Would he even allow me to see him after all the months that I chickened out and didn't call him? Where is he? That damn agency is very tight lipped about what they do and where they do it. I do know that he goes to London a lot. Maybe that's where he is. Maybe I can find out from his lawyer where he is? Yeah, that's a plan. Figure out where he is and then maybe I go see him.

It took a few days of back-and-forth between my lawyer and Michael's lawyer but eventually I did get an address, and he was in London. I summoned up the courage and got a flight to Heathrow. I left my mother in charge of the children at my apartment. She was unaware that Michael had left me. She was also unaware that I had stupidly gotten pregnant by men other than my husband.

After landing I got a cab to a hotel close to the address that I had for Michael. It was near the famous Hyde Park. I checked in and got cleaned up, putting on the best outfit I had that I knew Michael liked. It was a very classy black dress and 3-inch-high heels. He always told me that I looked sexy-as-hell in this outfit, and I planned to try and use it as a weapon to win him back.

It was early evening by the time that I was ready to begin the battle and I got a cab to the Hotel where he was staying. The front desk was initially hesitant about telling me his room number but after I showed them my ID and they were satisfied that I was a relative they gave-in and told me. Michael was in a suite on the top floor. The hotel wasn't terribly high, but it was posh in a typically British understated way. I figured that it was expensive.

I exited the elevator and made my way to the door. I took a deep breath and prepared to see my husband after almost seven months. Seven months of no contact. I pushed the doorbell.

**********

Rebecca

I heard the door chime sound and went to the door to see who it was. In my business you never open a door without knowing who and what is on the other side. When I looked through the peephole I was very surprised by what I saw.

"Michael, it's someone for you. You may want to see who it is before you open the door. I've expected this person for a while now."

Michael looked at me with a puzzled expression for a few seconds and then he knew what I was talking about.

"You open the door, please."

I knew that when I opened the door, the woman on the other side of it would be very surprised to see me. She wouldn't necessarily be expecting me, and she would have no idea who I was. But that couldn't be helped just now. With a deep exhale I opened the door.

The woman looked at me with a surprised expression on her face. "I'm looking for Michael Stuart. The desk said that this was his room."

I stood slightly aside and said, "Please come in." I motioned for her to come into the sitting room. She was trying to take it all in as she slowly walked in.

Michael was standing there. He spoke first. "Hello Amanda. It's nice to finally see you. I see you were able to track me down. What brings you all the way to London?"

Amanda was looking at Michael and then at me. Her surprise to find me with her husband was...well, she did not expect me to be there. I'm not sure what she did expect. After all they had been apart for months and he had instructed his solicitors to file the divorce proceedings. I knew all about the parentage of her children. It was me that put together the envelope that was quietly left for Michael on his desk at the agency in Washington.

If Amanda was stupid and decided that she didn't want this wonderful man, then I would quickly make him mine. Getting pregnant, twice, by other men that she is having sex with on the side, doesn't say love and commitment to me or anyone else with a smidgen of common sense. So, her loss became my gain.

Michael continued. "Let me take your coat." He took her coat and put it in the closet by the door to the suite. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Some wine would be nice if you have it."

Michael went to the bar cooler and pulled out a bottle of white wine, opened it and poured her a glass. He also poured both of us a drink, mine was diet cola and his was ice water.

We sat in lounge all looking at each other warily and not saying a word. Finally, Michael broke the silence. "So, Amanda, you've come a long way to talk to me, so why don't you start. This is your time, so go ahead and tell me what it is you want to say."

Amanda took a large drink from her glass. "Okay, I'm just a bit caught off guard. I hadn't anticipated that you would have someone here with you. I though we might talk alone, just the two of us."

I looked at Michael, "I can leave you two alone if you prefer?"

He was quick to respond, "No, I want you to stay. There isn't anything that either of us can say to each other that cannot be said in front of you."

I nodded and looked back at Amanda. She took another drink. She started. "Michael, I'm very ashamed by the way that I acted. I suppose even thinking that you might come home is a more than I can expect. I don't know what to say other than I was very stupid and behaving the way I did was, well...you didn't deserve that. Please forgive me."

The look on Michaels face said it all to me. He was a trying his best to be civilized and get this over with as quickly and as painlessly as possible, but at the same time, he was replaying the violation of his trust in his wife. That was something that on a very personal level could not be tolerated. I knew exactly what he was thinking. I had suffered the same thing.

Michael, took a drink of his water and exhaled, "Amanda, I'm not sure what I can tell you other than when I discovered that the two children that I thought were mine were actually fathered by other men, well that, to me, was something that went beyond all imagination when it comes to trust and fidelity and honour and loyalty. I loved you right up to the second I found out that you had deceived me, twice. Deceived me in the biggest way possible. You passed off two innocent babies as being mine, knowing full well that your lovers were the fathers. That was the biggest lie of all. And it was to me, your husband. So, if you harbour any illusions that we have any future together, you can forget them now. We don't. I wish you well and have a good flight home."

Michael stood to signify that it was time for Amanda to go. She put her glass down on the table and I retrieved her coat from the closet. Michael held it to help her put it on. As she was standing at the door, she looked at the two of us and said quietly, "I'm really sorry Michael."

Michael nodded his head. "So a am I." She left his life forever.

With that it was done.

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

Two Years Later, Somewhere in Scotland

Michael

I picked up my daughter, Adrienne, and carried her across the courtyard to the barn. We have four horses there and an assortment of cats that have decided to call our barn home. Rebecca is right behind me. We both have our Wellington rubber boots on since it's misting heavily, and the yard is very damp.

We bought an old estate that has a large rambling house and about a thousand acres of land. We even have our own pond to fish in. I'm not much a fisherman but have tried it out a few times.

Rebecca is now about six months pregnant with our second child. When my ex-wife tracked me down in London a couple of years ago, we had just learned that Rebecca was about two months pregnant with Adrienne.

So, now we live in the country. I like to think of myself as a country gentleman, but I know at heart that I can live just about anywhere if I have my family with me. My wife and children are my life.

My brother called a few days ago. He continues to make good investment choices and that's good news for me since I need the money to start the next part of the house renovation. Oh well, what good is money of you can't enjoy it. If I run out, I'll go back to work. Not sure what I'd do, though.

My greatest joy is having Rebecca and our daughter near me. We don't know whether we're having a boy or girl next, but it doesn't matter, if the baby is healthy.

I work on a couple of projects a year as a contractor for my former employer. Mostly analysis stuff. With budget cutbacks in the US government it's cheaper to have outsiders do some things and keep the full-timers busy on the priority tasks. Rebecca spends her time managing our family and keeping me on track. I love every minute of it.

When I go to bed at night next to Rebecca, I thank all the various gods in the heavens for the luck I have, to be with her. I close my eyes reluctantly as I want to see the sun rise in the morning so that I can spend another day with my family. Mind you, not everything we do in the bed is sleep. But that's for another time.