My Step-Son's Wife...A Cheater?

"Okay. Thank you for the update. I'm going to call your Memphis contact and ask him to keep an eye on both of them."

"We've already talked to him. He has your name and number and will be in touch."

The rest of the week was comparatively normal if you factor out the fact that I still felt that Jenny had something to tell me but was hesitating. Finally, on Thursday evening she opened up. We were in bed reading when she started.

"I think Ty and Lauren are having problems."

"Why do you think that? Did he say anything last weekend?"

"Not directly. He did say that he had offered to help her and the office staff move, but she was quick to say that they wanted to do it themselves and that it would be a good opportunity for him to visit his sister."

"Is that all?"

"It's just that she never wants to go anywhere with him and Madge. She keeps saying she wants to stay home."

"Nothing wrong with that."

"No, but remember three months ago when he and Madge came here? Lauren couldn't come because she was going to train a new employee and her boss preferred the training be done over the weekend and not when patients were there. Well the day before he drove down here he had her car serviced and cleaned. The day after he got home, he noticed that one of her tires was low on air so before he went to work he took it to put air in the tire. While he was airing the tire, he noticed that the car was dirtier than it should have been after just having been washed. And there were a couple of fast food bags in it. The only time Lauren eats that junk is when they are traveling. So he looked at the mileage and compared it to the invoice from when he had it serviced and it had gone over 500 miles."

"That's strange. Especially since she was supposed to be working all weekend. Did he ask her about it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He was afraid too. He honestly doesn't know if he wants to know." She hesitated. "That's not all. He called me Monday morning. He and Madge got home late Sunday from our trip to Colorado and Lauren was in the living room with a glass of wine. She told him she had just taken a bath because she was sweaty from working all day helping move the office. He got her dirty clothes from the hamper in the bathroom and took them to the laundry room with the clothes he and Madge had taken to Colorado. He was going to wash them and as he was sorting through them he didn't find anything that resembled what she might normally wear when moving office furniture. No jeans or shirts. Just skirts, blouses and dresses."

"Why didn't you tell me this when he called?"

"He asked me not to. You had voiced concern about her not traveling with them before and he didn't want to add fuel to the fire."

"Does he have any idea what might be going on and what he might do about it?"

"No to both. Again, he's not sure he wants to know."

"Well he has to do something."

I was on the verge of telling her what I knew, but chose not to. After listening to Jenny, I had decided to talk to Lauren personally and tell her what I knew then see what happens. Jenny and I talked for a few more minutes before going to sleep.

She and Ty talked several times over the next couple of weeks. He decided to give Lauren some time and see what would happen. Jenny told him not to give her too much time.

I had also been talking. To the Memphis investigators. Apparently, Lafazo had made another trip to Nashville with another woman. She was the wife of the Mayor of one of the small towns around Memphis. The investigators in Nashville were able to get videos thanks to the Hilton doorman again. Apparently, he asked for a copy of that video like he had asked for Lauren's. He told the investigators that he would not cooperate any more unless he received a copy of everything they made going forward.

I also talked to my boss and told him that I would probably be taking a Friday off in the near future.

From what Jenny told me, there was some progress on the Ty and Lauren front. Things seemed to be getting better. Maybe so, I thought, but wait until it's her turn for Nashville.

That happened all too soon. The following week Ty called Jenny and told her that Lauren was chosen to attend a conference in St. Louis the next weekend. Her boss was paying for it. She was happy and he was proud of her.

I told my boss and I was cleared to be off on Friday. I also told Jenny that I would be in Nashville for the weekend. She assumed it was for business and I didn't tell her differently. Since Lauren is going to be gone over the weekend, why don't you see if Ty and Madge can come down?"

"Good idea. I'll call him now."

On Friday morning, I flew to Nashville and was met by my investigators. Ty and Madge flew (courtesy of Jenny and me) to New Orleans.

"Welcome back, Mr. Hansen. Everything is ready for you. They arrived at the hotel about two hours ago and have been having sex since. We made a deal with our favorite doorman and our cameras are rolling. He won't get copies of anything we video, but he will get more money."

"Good, let's get to my room."

"Yes, sir."

We sat in my room for the next several hours. I started watching the live broadcast from the room next door, but stopped after only a few minutes. Finally late in the afternoon Lafazo and Lauren left to go eat. As soon as they left my investigators retrieved their equipment from Lafazo's room and I called Lauren. They had been out of the room less than 15 minutes.

"Hello Pat. What's up?"

"I am Lauren. I'm up on the eighth floor of the Hilton in room 837. You need to come and talk to me. You shouldn't have any trouble finding it, it's right next to 835, the room you were in while you were fucking Dominic Lafazo. Be here in 15 minutes."

I ended the call. The video was loaded in my computer and I was alone in the room 16 minutes later when she knocked. I opened the door. Both of them were standing there. I stood aside as she stepped into the room. He started to enter as well. I shoved him back and closed the door. I turned to Lauren and just looked at her.

"What happens now?" She asked.

"That's up to you."

"What do you mean?"

"You can either walk out of this room and out of Ty and Madge's life or I can show him the video of you and that asshole."

"Video?"

I walked to my computer and pushed a button. It immediately showed Lauren on her back with Lafazo's dick buried in her. "Oh my god, Dom, fuck me, fuck me. Jesus God, fuck me!"

So much for my thinking she was a moaner.

She reached to stop it but I grabbed her hand. It continued.

"It's here. God, I'm cumming."

"Yeah, Dom. Cum baby. Cum hard for me. Cum hard for me baby...I feel it, oh, God, I feel it. Don't stop...don't stop...don't stop..."

She reached again to stop it. I let her.

She slumped on a chair and looked up at me. "I can't just walk away. I have to talk to Ty."

"Why didn't you talk to him before you decided to cheat?" Silence. "Ty and Madge are at my house. You go back to Memphis right now; pack your shit and leave. You write Ty a letter telling him you don't want to be married any more. You don't talk to him or Madge and you don't look back."

"Don't I even get a chance to apologize?"

"No."

"I can't leave Madge. I won't leave her. Maybe...Pat, maybe Ty and I can work through this. I'll stop. I'll be a good wife. I'll never cheat again."

"Could you do that Lauren? Could you be a faithful wife? The last time you were here, I watched as you sucked Lafazo's dick and then talked to your husband and joke about loving the taste of the hot dog you just ate. You humiliated him and you laughed about it. If you just walk away, I'll never tell him about you and Lafazo and he will think you just didn't want to be married any more. But if you fight me on this, I will make sure everyone you know sees the videos."

"Oh, my god. You saw that?"

"Yes."

For the first time since she came in the room, she started crying. "I'm sorry, Pat. I'm so sorry."

We sat in silence. Her phone was in her purse and we heard it ring.

She looked at me. I nodded. She opened the purse, took out her phone and spoke. "Go home, Dominic. It's over." The phone dropped back into her purse. "I'll do it, Pat. But I need money."

"Ty will be home Monday afternoon. That will give you time to get half of the money out of your accounts. Your car is paid for isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Is it in your name?"

"Yes"

"Then you should have no problem. You'll have money, your personal possessions and transportation. Ty will never know you cheated on him and Madge will soon forget you ever existed."

She got up and started to leave.

"Are your car keys in your purse?"

"Yes."

"Go straight to your car and leave. Don't go back to that asshole or the room. Understand?"

She nodded and walked out of the room. I packed and headed for the airport.

I was back in New Orleans, in my car and almost home when my phone rang. I saw who was calling.

"What do you want, Lauren?"

"I won't do it, Pat. I won't leave without talking to Ty and I can't...no, I won't...leave my daughter. The worst that can happen to me is that he will divorce me, but I will still be able to see Madge. I won't give that up. You can tell whoever you want, but I'm not leaving until I talk to Ty."

"What if I give copies of the videos to your family and friends? Are you willing to endure the ridicule and scorn from them? They will shun you, you know. They will laugh at you and call you whore, slut and other things. Will talking to Ty and being able to see Madge be worth it?"

"Madge is my daughter. She may hate me for a while, but sooner or later she will forgive me and love me again."

"What about Ty?"

"I don't know. He may always hate me and never love me, but I have to tell him that what I did was not his fault. That he did nothing to deserve it. It was my desire for sex and the opportunities Dominic Lafazo offered for sex that led me to do it."

"Are you sure you're doing it for him and not for you? It sounds to me like you want to tell him more to salve your conscience than to convince him he did no wrong."

"No, Pat, no. It may sound like that, but it's not what I meant."

"Let me think about this. I'll get back to you."

I pulled into a park near my house and sat there for over an hour thinking. I called Lauren.

"Yes, Pat."

"You have one week."

Jenny, Ty and Madge were having grilled hotdogs when I walked out on the deck. Jenny and Madge hugged and kissed me. Ty shook my hand and offered me a hotdog. I declined telling him that I had recently learned to hate them and would probably never eat another one.

We spent a pleasant evening together. Jenny put Madge to bed and went herself. Ty and I had some Port and chatted. After a couple of glasses, I heard. "Pat, may I ask you a personal question."

"Of course."

"Why did you divorce your first wife?"

"The short answer is we just grew apart. During the first years of our marriage, we did everything together and wanted the same things and we had our daughter, Barbara. Over the years, we just grew apart. I learned to like country music for example and she leaned toward classical. She wanted to go to the theatre and I wanted to watch television. I liked to work with wood and she hated sawdust and on and on and on. When we were first married, everything was 'WE' will do this, or 'OUR' vacation and the two of 'US', but over the years it became 'I' want to do this or 'MY' vacation or I want to do it for 'ME'. One morning we both woke up, shook hands and parted as friends. We are still friends and talk often. We actually still love each other to a certain extent. She and your mother get along and are friendly to each other. Whenever we go to Cincinnati, we have dinner with her and her husband."

"Did either of you ever cheat?"

"I never did and as far as I know she didn't either."

"What would you have done if she had?"

There it was. The opening. Lauren was going to be toast and I was going to be the toaster. I was going to tell him that there was never any excuse for cheating; but for some reason I didn't say that. I was not Ty and what was right for me might not necessarily be right for him and Madge. He was going to have to make that decision, not me. What happens if he forgives her this time and down the road someone else gives her 'the opportunities' she had with Lafazo? Will she cheat again? 'Once a cheater, always a cheater'. That's what I had always heard.

"I have no idea. I guess at first I would have wanted to kill her...or him...or both. But I think I would have wanted to know why. What did I do or didn't do to cause it? Had there been some way I could have prevented it? Any number of questions would need to be answered."

"Would you have forgiven her?"

"Ah, the $64,000 question. I can't answer that. I can only say that IF she had cheated, and IF I had found out about it, and IF I forgave her, I would never...and I mean never...mention it again because once you forgive someone, you can never bring that particular incident or event up again. That doesn't mean you have to forget it. Remember what Santayana said, 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'.

We sat in silence and sipped port for another half hour. Finally, I said. "It's been a long day. I'm going to bed." We said good night.

Ty and Madge left for home Monday morning. After they left, Jenny and I talked a little about our concerns for his marriage, but generally just enjoyed being near each other.

On Tuesday evening, Jenny received a call from Ty. It seemed Lauren had confessed that she had been having an affair with her boss for the past year or so. She asked his forgiveness and promised to never do it again. She suggested they go to counseling and work to get past her cheating for the sake of their marriage and Madge. Ty told her to pack up and move out. And she did. He had no intention of tolerating her cheating.

Jenny came and clung to me sobbing. "He did the right thing, didn't he, Pat?"

"I think so. Nobody should have to live with a cheater."

We sat, talked, held hands and hugged. She went upstairs about an hour later. As soon as she was out of hearing range, I took out my phone.

"Hello, Mrs. Lafazo? You don't know me, but I have a couple of videos I think you should see..."