My Sister-in-Law Cheated

I was trying to decide how to respond, when my phone rang. I answered, "Hi Scott," while swiveling my chair to face the wall. I wasn't going to hide my words from Mary, but I wasn't going to make it easy for her to hear this conversation through the closed and locked door.

"What's going on, Chris?"

"It's about as bad as it gets Scott. Are you sure you want to do this over the phone?"

After a short pause, Scott asked, "Is she cheating on me?"

I answered, "Yes."

The silence lasted several minutes and was only broken up by an occasional sob.

"I'll see you at the Pit," he said. The call was immediately terminated.

I was going to text Scott and let him know I was available to talk, any time he wanted, but finally decided to leave my friend alone. I was confident that he knew I had his back and was available to him any time he needed me.

Mary had quieted down, while I was talking to Scott. I'm sure she was trying to listen. After hanging up, I heard her say through the closed door, "Please come to the kitchen. We need to talk."

I was actually considering going to our guest bedroom, but decided to finish the bourbon sitting on the kitchen table.

After easing myself into a kitchen chair across from Mary, I took a nice gulp of Knob Creek and relished the slight burn in my throat. I glanced over at my wife and could see the wheels frantically spinning in her head, as she prepared for her next attack.

My brain was dead. I didn't have much fight left in me and knew that the last ounce of booze wouldn't help. I was waiting for Mary to start when my phone started buzzing in my pocket.

"Jesus!" I exploded. "When will this fucking day end?"

I dug the phone out, looked at the screen and saw a number I didn't recognize, which added to my sky-high frustration.

I answered the phone with an aggressive, "Hello."

A female responded, "I'm sorry to be calling so late. My name is Colleen Charmut. Someone from this number called my house twice, earlier this evening. The calls upset my husband a great deal and I suspect the caller was trying to reach me."

With a sigh, I told her, "Colleen, my name is Chris Harrington. I called earlier and I was trying to speak with you."

In a somewhat somber tone, Colleen said, "Let me guess. You're calling to tell me that my husband is cheating with your wife."

"Close," I told her. "He's cheating with my sister-in-law. Her name is Jennifer Palmer and I think they work together."

There was a long pause, before she responded. "This is the third time I've received a similar call and it will be the last. How does a man do this to a wife and four children?"

I knew the question was rhetorical, so instead I offered, "I have pictures of them checking-in together at the downtown New Haven Marriott, kissing in the elevator as the door closes and returning to the lobby almost three hours later. Jenny was dressed differently after their...um...date".

The balance of the call was trading email addresses and a promise that I'd send the pictures in the morning.

After hanging up, Mary said, "Jenny told me he had an open marriage."

"That's a lie. His wife and four children all believe they are in a monogamous marriage and have a happy family."

Mary looked shocked as she held her hands to her face.

I continued, "Apparently this is the third time she caught him cheating. She is going to divorce him."

Mary was stunned as she stared at me.

I twirled the last of my bourbon around in the glass before tossing back the last mouthful. After rinsing the glass in the sink, I headed up to our bedroom.

As I lay in bed and considered all that had happened to my extended family over the last few hours, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't to blame for all the sadness and destruction.

As usual, my alarm went off at 5:00 AM. Instead of starting the day exercising in our basement gym, I quickly showered, dressed and headed to work. I wasn't trying to get away from Mary. I needed to get into the office and complete the memo of understanding and get it off to Tony.

Thursday was busy. Tony and I needed to speak on the phone for forty-five minutes to get the wording exactly correct on a couple of points, but I was easily able to get the completed agreement to my boss by the noon deadline.

I spent the afternoon catching up with emails from the previous day and was heading home at 5:00 PM, my normal quitting time.

I had been wondering what the evening would bring and was only half surprised, when I turned onto our street and saw Jenny's car and her parents' car parked in front of my home. "It's going to be a long fucking night," I groaned, as I pressed the button to open the garage door.

"What the hell did you say to Scott?" Was the opening salvo from Jenny, as I closed the door behind me.

Glaring at my frightened wife, I said, "I'm going to change. I'll be back in a few minutes, but I warn you, if I am disrespected by your family, in my house, I'll physically throw everyone out the front door. That includes you, Mary!"

I didn't wait for a reply and hustled down the hall to our bedroom.

After contemplating the coward's way out and climbing out the bedroom window, I decided to face Mary and her family. It was difficult walking by my open bottle of bourbon, but I thought it was prudent to have a clear head.

My second thought was, "Fuck it," and I returned to the bar. One inch didn't seem to be enough and two inches was over my limit for polite conversation, so I settled for an inch and a half of my favorite amber liquid.

All eyes were on me when I reentered the kitchen. Everyone was seated around the table. There was an empty seat between Mary and her father, Steve. Instead of sitting, I leaned against the kitchen counter, watched the group and wet my lips with my drink.

I liked my in-laws. They were good solid people. Steve, my father-in-law, was a man I respected. He was straight forward, honest and you always knew what he thought of you. If you remained on his good side, you couldn't have a better friend in the world. If, on the other hand, you crossed him, I was confident he could make your life miserable. Steve considered Scott and me as friends.

My mother-in-law thought of herself as a wheeler-dealer and business-woman extraordinaire. She owned and operated a well-known local real estate franchise with an outstanding reputation. While Betty oversaw the day to day operation of the business, everyone who mattered knew that Steve was the brains behind its success.

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable sitting here?" Mary patted the chair next to her.

"I've been sitting all day. I'm good where I am."

Jenny had her emotions a bit more under control. She asked, "What did you tell Scott?"

I thought for a second, before responding. "I texted him and asked to meet when he got home tomorrow. I told him it was urgent." After gathering my thoughts, I continued, "Scott called and wanted to know what was wrong. After I confirmed that he wanted to talk over the phone, I told him that you were cheating on him. He cried for a few minutes, before he was able to confirm that he'd meet me."

I was somewhat surprised at how devastated the family seemed to be. Mary was crying and said, "I begged you to mind your own business."

I wondered if her statement was for her family's benefit. I answered, "And I told you, it was my business."

My mother-in-law jumped in and said, "That's debatable".

Before I could comment, Jenny asked, "Are you going to meet Scott tomorrow?"

"I am."

"What are you going to tell him?" she wanted to know.

I answered, "I don't have much more to tell him. I've sent him the pictures I took and told him you were with Mike for just under three hours. I've sent him Mike's name and address, along with his wife's contact information. I'll guess that I'm going to be his support and a shoulder to cry on."

"What about me, Chris?" Jenny wanted to know. "Don't I deserve support, too?"

I actually cracked a smile as I looked around the table. "It looks to me like you have plenty of support, Jenny. I'll stick with Scott on this one."

"How do you know that Scott doesn't cheat on Jenny, while he's traveling? It's common for married men to stray when they're away from home," commented Betty, the girl's mother.

"Although I can't imagine Scott cheating, if I'm honest, I'll have to admit I don't have a clue how he behaves when he's away. Until yesterday, I never gave a thought that Jenny was a cheater or if my wife might be cheating on me."

The table exploded with "how dare you" and "that's uncalled for."

Mary was visibly shocked at my statement, so I jumped in and continued, "At least I was upfront and told Mary that, last night. Her cavalier and dismissive attitude to Jenny's cheating has me concerned."

Steve, the girl's Dad, told me, "Mary has never cheated on you! I can't believe you would think so poorly of her."

I knew I had to be careful with my next few words. I didn't want to turn Steve against me. I purposely lowered the volume and harshness of my voice, looked Steve in the eye and challenged, "Prove it."

After a few moments of silence, I continued, "That's the thing, Steve. You can't prove that Mary hasn't cheated on me." I held up my hand, when the protests started. "All I have is six years of absolute trust in Mary. I told her last night that my trust in her is shaken."

"That's not fair Chris..."

I jumped in, before Mary could finish, "I asked you three times last night if you knew Jenny cheated on Scott. You refused to answer my question. Instead, you changed the subject. You didn't lie, but you were dishonest."

"Yes." I looked at Mary as she admitted, "I've known about Jenny's affairs. I haven't supported her, but I didn't want to cause a mess ... like this." She waved her hands, indicating our current problems. "I've hoped that her affairs would run their course and Scott wouldn't find out."

I was nodding. Although I was greatly disappointed that Mary hid her sister's infidelity, I could understand protecting her sister.

"Do you remember the talk we had about being exclusive, a few weeks before you proposed to me?" Mary asked. When I nodded, she looked directly into my eyes and said, "I promise, I haven't had a romantic or intimate relationship since our talk. In fact, I haven't been with another man since we started dating after college."

Call me naive, but I could see the angel I married five years earlier as she spoke those words. "I love you and I believe you," I told my bride.

Her family was kind enough to let a few moments pass, before we continued our conversation. I could tell that Steve was particularly happy with the turn of events.

Betty asked, "What are you going to do about Scott?"

"I'm simply going to support my best friend, just like each of you will support Jenny. Scott deserves my support and I'm going to give it to him."

The following six weeks were a grind. Scott moved out of his house and into a nearby apartment. He immediately filed papers for an official separation from Jenny, but held off filing for divorce. I had dinner with Scott every Wednesday, while Mary kept the same schedule with her sister.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and I was having lunch with a couple of work buddies at Clyde's BBQ and Bar. We were sitting at a table for four when a man pulled out the empty chair and sat down across from me.

"Hey asshole! I'll bet you forgot about me."

It took a couple of beats, before I was able to put a name to the face. "Hi Mike. I heard Colleen has dumped your cheating ass. How does it feel to be an absentee dad?"

He sneered and said, "Fuck you, dick-head. It's your fault."

I looked at my friends, Carl and Joe and saw that they were mildly amused. Turning my attention back to Mike, I answered, "Yeah. Your divorce is my fault."

Mike laughed and admitted, "I guess it was partly my fault too. But there's so much married pussy around that it's impossible for me to stay faithful."

I had started to feel uneasy about Mike's response, when he continued, "It seems I'm a sex addict and my kink is fucking married cunt. I like hooking them on my cock and sharing them with my friends."

Mike nudged Carl on his right. "That's what I did with Jenny, his sister-in-law. When her wimp husband left town, I turned her into my personal whore and I shared her and traded her with my friends."

He winked and told me, "She was really popular and we used her holes for over a year. She loved every second with me and my friends. I was about ready to dump her worn out ass when I ran into her and her sexy younger sister at a happy hour." His smirk left little doubt about the rest of this conversation.

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out an envelope and tossed it onto the table, next to my plate. It was the type of envelope that held pictures. Mike's smirk told me everything I needed to know about the contents.

I'll admit that my heart shattered into a thousand pieces, but I would be damned if I'd let the asshole see me falter.

I picked up the envelope and stuffed it into my sport coat pocket. Trying to provoke me, Mike asked, "Aren't you going to show your friends? I'll bet that they'd love to see the pictures and video of your slutty wife and her slutty sister fucking my boys. I've been turning her out for over five months. As wild and slutty as Jenny is, your slut wife is ten times wilder."

Laughing, Mike continued, "This loser never got to fuck his wife's ass! To be honest, she wouldn't give it to me either, so I took it. I fucked his wife's tight virgin asshole and after dumping a load of cum, my buddy followed me in. After, we promised Mary that we would lube up instead of dry fucking her, if she begged for it. I have a video of her on her knees; with her ass cheeks spread wide, pleading for us to bang either hole. She loves being used like a whore." He laughed again.

"What's the matter asshole? Don't you have anything to say?"

I was gritting my teeth, but needed to respond. I said, "You've got to be the stupidest scumbag on the face of the earth."

His smirk was still ear to ear, when I told him, "When I give Jenny's husband Scott those pictures, he's going to file for divorce. Since you are Jenny's direct supervisor, how long do you think it's going to take to sue you and your company? You'll be out of work in a week." It was hard, but I started laughing.

The idiot knew he had underestimated me and he was considering his next move, when I said, "Did you know I grew up in this town?"

"What do I care about where you grew up?"

The asshole was in for a world of hurt, but I'd take my time. "I know all the movers and shakers in town." Mike didn't look very impressed, so I continued, "I also know the meanest pieces of crap. I'd like to suggest that you leave town, while your legs still work."

"Fuck you, pussy. I'm not scared of you. I've got witnesses that you threatened me." He indicated Carl and Joe.

They both laughed and Joe said, "He really is an idiot!"

"You're getting divorced and losing your kids. You're going to be fired from your job, while paying alimony and child support. Best of all, I'd advise you to be looking over your shoulder. Soon...someday soon, you're going to end up in a world of hurt."

Mike smugly pushed his chair back, stood and said, "Fuck you, asshole. You're nothing but a wimpy cuckold with a cum-dump for a wife."

My mind was whirling out of control as Mike walked away.

Later, back in my office, I did look at the pictures and confirmed the most grotesque details imaginable for a happily married man. There were explicit photos of Mary with six different men. In a couple of pictures, the slut was surrounded by three men and a woman. A second grouping of pictures showed Jenny doing many of the same acts.

The video was even worse and crushed my soul. Mary and Jenny loved being the center of a series of grotesque gangbangs. Orgasmic cries of "Fuck me harder" and "I want your cum" are words I'll never be able to forget.

After gathering my thoughts and pushing the overwhelming sadness and anger to the side, I called Scott and asked him to meet me for dinner. After fifteen more minutes of staring off into space, I invited a second person to join Scott and me.

I had tears in my eyes as I sat at my desk and continued to outline my plans. I knew it would be impossible for me to act normal around Mary. I had to get away. I traveled almost once a month for my company. Half of my trips were planned in advance. The other trips were urgent and last minute.

I texted Mary, [The Whitaker account is in trouble. I'm on my way to the airport.]

Scott and I had a very quiet dinner that night. After ordering beers, I handed him the small stack of pictures that Mike had given me earlier in the day. Scott was equally devastated for himself, as he was for me.

We agreed that divorce was the only option that worked for us and we discussed the possibility of suing the insurance agency that employed Jenny and Mike. In the end, we decided to follow the advice of our divorce attorney.

We'd been sitting at our table for well over an hour, when I saw Sal Morello enter the bar. He scanned the room, spotted me and headed in our direction. He stopped to shake hands and exchange a few words with people at different tables.

Sal is a generation older than Scott and I. His daughter Trish went through our school system, one year behind me. Sal owned a large automobile salvage yard just outside of town.

Fifteen years earlier, when I was sixteen years old, I was practicing my serve at the high school tennis courts one summer afternoon. Trish gave me a wave as she rode her bike past the courts.

A few minutes later, as I was gathering up the balls, scattered around the court, I looked up and saw five classmates forcefully pushing Trish under the baseball field bleachers, about a hundred yards away.

I had a pretty good idea what the assholes were thinking and I knew Trish wasn't that kind of girl. I ran from the courts and was under the bleachers a short few seconds later. Trish's tee-shirt had been pulled off. She was screaming, crying and trying to cover herself, as the shitheads were tugging at her shorts.

Stan Malloy turned just in time for the rim of my racket to connect with his nose. It exploded. Blood splashed in every direction and Stan let out a blood curdling scream, as he dropped to the ground. My backhand solidly connected with Joey Burns' cheek and he was down for the count.

I don't remember much after that. The three remaining assholes tackled me and stomped the living shit out of me while I was down. After they got the last few last kicks in, they got scared and high-tailed it away.

Trish continued to cry as I tried to get my bearings. We left Trish's bike at the field and she helped me to my car. I was barely able to drive, but eventually pulled up to the front of her house. My car hadn't fully stopped before Trish jumped from the front seat and ran crying into her home.

I had to get out of the car and circle it, to close the door Trish left open. As I closed the door, I heard a crash and turned toward the house. A huge bull of a man was running toward me. His face looked ready to kill. It wasn't until he was close that he noticed the damage to my face and my hunched over posture.

"You're Harrington's kid," he growled at me.

I was barely able to nod. I told him, "I think I need an ambulance Mr. Morello." I slumped against the car and slowly and painfully lowered myself to the ground.

Mr. Morello turned and yelled toward the house, "Call an ambulance. Do it now!" Mr. Morello kneeled next to me, took my chin in his hand and turned my head until we locked eyes. "What the fuck happened to my daughter?" He wanted to know.

"Some assholes pulled her under the baseball field bleachers."