My Wife Dates a Senator—Alt Ending

"And you husbands should know that since I haven't touched Hester in several months, she is more than ready to get laid. If any of you can separate yourself from your wife for a few hours and show up at my back door, you can probably bed her pretty easily."

"Let the wives worry about that possible eventuality," I thought to myself.

"Finally, all of you should know that, except for Abigail, none of you are welcome at my house ever again."

I looked at Abigail and smiled at her to let her know that she was special to me. She understood.

With that said, I withdrew to the house. An angry Hester found me in the bedroom packing several suitcases.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Buster? She angrily said. "You embarrassed the shit out of me in front of our friends."

"I'm outta here," I replied. "I was crazy to believe I could ever live the next fourteen years of my life pretending to be in a happy family environment with an unrepentant wife. Perhaps, if you had been remorseful and ashamed of your actions, we could have possibly made it with time and some counseling... but I can see that is never going to happen.

I continued to pack.

"Where are you going? What about the children? Are you going to desert us?

"I have to get away from you," I replied. "I will talk with the kids before I leave. I don't know where I'm going or what I'm going to do. When I figure that out... I'll be in touch. Meanwhile, don't try to contact me. I won't respond. I will call to talk with Elise and Nate, but not you.

"Please, Reggie, don't do this," Hester pleaded, apparently realizing that her plan to unite the family was failing. "It's not that bad. We can still make this work if you just look at this as small bump in the road compared to a long, wonderful life together."

I answered, "I'm tired of the humiliation, the hurt and the anger. That's all I feel when I'm around you. I'm going to make a change. I'm not certain what that is yet, but I will let you know when I figure it out"

"You do that!" Bree responded angrily. "And if it's divorce, that's fine, too. I was an ideal wife until I took a little time out for myself—less than twenty-four hours. Now, in your mind, I'm condemned for it by your high moralistic values. I am not going to apologize any more for hurting you. If we are going to go on as a family, then you have to forgive my one indiscretion in our marriage, or file for divorce.

"Be careful what you wish for, Hester," I rejoined. I would love to be in a divorce court and tell the world that I'm divorcing my wife because she fucked Senator Asshole. How do you think he would respond to being named as the correspondent in an adultery case? So much for his chances of being elected dog catcher much less president of the United States."

"You wouldn't do that to such a great man," Hester challenged.

"In a heartbeat," I replied. Hester stomped out of the room.

I finished packing. If I had forgotten anything important, I could return to the house during the daytime when nobody was home.

I carried my things to my Nissan Sport. Then, I walked back around the house to the patio. It was deserted of people. The gas barbeque was still on. Someone had piled all the hamburgers and hotdogs on a plate and just left them there.

Although most of their friends had gone home with their parents, my kids were still playing in the sprinklers at the back of the yard.

"Where did everybody go, Daddy?" Elise asked.

I gathered my kids to me and explained that I was leaving for a few days but that I would call them every night before they went to bed. I asked Elise to watch out for her little brother.

"Are you leaving because you are mad at Mommy?" Elise asked with a wisdom that was beyond her years.

"Yes, I'm angry at Mommy," was my truthful reply.

"You have been so unhappy ever since Mommy went to the party without you." she observed.

All those weeks, when I thought Hester and I had been giving our kids the normal family environment we felt they needed, we weren't fooling anybody... but ourselves. The kids sensed the uneasiness of their parents. They were aware that something was wrong.

The kids followed me to my car where Hester was waiting for me with one last plea. "Don't do this to us," she wailed.

I ignored her. "I'll be back in a week or two. Don't try to contact me. I won't respond. However, I will call home every night to talk to the kids before their bedtime.

"In the meantime, you can practice being a single mom and see how you like it. If you absolutely need help with the kids, call my mom."

I hugged my kids one last time. I was crying. They were crying. I didn't acknowledge Hester as I got in my car and drove away—without a destination in mind.

The first place I went was to the Iris Lounge. It was a club that I went to along with my associates from work when we wanted to unwind and have a few drinks. I told the hostess that I was just going to hang out in the bar for a few hours. I needed to think about my next move. Along with a bourbon & Seven, my long endurance drink, I ask for paper and a pen.

I started to write down subjects with no particular order of importance. Then, I organized the events I wanted to accomplish in a sequence of action.

The first item I needed to accomplish was easy. I needed a place to live for the next few weeks. As it turned out, there was a Marriot hotel directly across the street for the Iris Lounge. "How convenient," I thought. Even though I was well off financially and could easily afford a few weeks in a hotel, I knew I needed something more permanent.

I was pretty certain I knew all the major aspects of a divorce, I felt it was important to speak to a lawyer anyway. I would certainly need one if I decided to file for divorce. And too, I was particularly interested in anything to do with custody of my kids.

I told my boss at work of my situation and he was good enough to give me the time I needed to sort out my affairs.

I made arrangements at the Marriot to stay an entire month. The manager had the authority to give me the long-stay rate—a considerable discount to the daily rate. Additionally, I had concierge privileges. My room was on the same floor as the concierge lounge that featured an almost-breakfast in the morning and an almost-dinner in the evening. It also featured computer workspace where I could do much of my office work remotely. I spent a lot of time there and at the Iris lounge over the next few weeks.

Probably the most significant accomplishment over those few weeks centered around my permanent living arrangements. It took some fancy rearrangement of my finances but it wasn't a strain on me over the long run.

After four weeks away from home, I called Hester and told her I would be home for a few days the following Friday. She said it was about time. The time she has had to spend minding the kids and running the house had her pretty much worn her out. She said, the lawn is overgrown and I need to cut it ASAP before she gets another notice from the HOA. She added that she needed me to distract the kids for a while so she could get some time to herself.

Hester finally took note of what I said and asked, "What do you mean you will be home for a few days. Aren't you coming home permanently?"

I told her I would explain everything when I saw her.

Just after the kids arrived home from school on Friday, I pulled up in my new Nissan Rogue Murano Platinum. I was greeted with hugs and kisses from Elsie and Nate practically before I got out of the car. Elsie was the first to comment on my new mode of transportation.

"Gosh, Dad, when did you get this?"

"I picked it up last week. We needed something bigger than the Rogue Sport if we want to get all of our camping equipment in the car with us. Besides, we needed a bigger car so that we could pull our boat when we get one."

Hester had followed the kids to the car but held back on trying to give me any sort of affectionate greeting. While the kids climbed through the car, she said, "I'm happy you are home at last. We can now all have dinner together for a change."

"I will only be here until Sunday night. Then I'll be away again for a few days. I'll explain my schedule to you after dinner."

I had a good evening with the kids. We didn't have anything planned for Friday night until I suggested going to the movies and then out for dessert. The kids were happy with that plan and even Hester seemed happy to get out of the house as a family. We picked a child-appropriate movie at a nearby theater. Afterwards, we went to a Baskin-Robins ice cream parlor for dessert.

When we returned home, I gathered Hester and the kids together for a serious discussion.

I spoke to the kids. "As you know, your mom and I hadn't been getting along very well for several months before I left. We've had a difference of opinion that has caused us to question whether or not we should live together. I realized that if I lived at home all the time, I would be very unhappy being around your mom all the time because she wants me to overlook something she did that hurt me very much and made me very angry.

"You mean, going to the party without you," Elsie blurted out.

Hester registered surprise upon hearing Elsie's comment. She realized that the little display of leaving that night, all dressed up, had made a deep impression on Elsie.

"That's right," I confirmed. "Going to the party."

"The problem I had was, that I couldn't stay with your mom but I couldn't give up being you dad. Your mom suggested that if I couldn't forgive her, then maybe we should get a divorce. A divorce meant that I would have very little contact with you kids and, again, I didn't want to give up being your dad.

"Also, if I wasn't allowed to spend a lot of time at home with you, then your mom would be responsible for everything: taking care of you two, taking care of the house and yard, cooking, shopping, maintaining the cars, etc. That's a lot of work. So much so that she might not have enough time to play with you."

I looked at Hester when I said this.

"So, what I have done is buy a townhouse not too far away from here. It's a very nice three-bedroom townhouse at The Gardens, a gated community of townhomes, patio homes, condominiums and apartments. The unit I have is an end unit in the family area. I'm right next to a large patio with two swimming pools, gas barbeques and large tables with umbrellas. Just outside the patio area is a playground and a small park.

"This townhouse will be my new home away from home. I put a large down payment on it several weeks ago and I am scheduled to close in another week."

My intention is to live in my townhouse, but visit our home here often during the week. I will try to come back every Friday after you get out of school and stay until I put you to bed on Sunday night. I will also come over on Tuesday or Wednesday nights to see you and have dinner together as a family.

Elsie understood everything I was saying. "Can we come and visit you and play in the swimming pools," she asked.

"Of course, you can," I answered. "You can also stay overnight with me if you like. I will have a bedroom for each of you."

"This is going to be so much fun!" a delighted Elsie said. Nate didn't understand everything that was said but he seemed happy because Elise was happy.

After a few more minutes of explanations, Hester and I hustled the kids off to bed after giving them each their bath and reading them a story.

Once we were together again in the family room, Hester said, "So this is your answer to divorce or no divorce."

"It is," I stated.

"And just where did you get the money to buy a townhouse?" she asked.

"I responded with, "I used the money we had been saving for the lake house."

My reasoning was that I had just taken money out of one pocket, the Fidelity savings account, and put it in another, the townhouse—which would probably increase in value at least as fast as the Fidelity account would.

"With such an important purchase, and change in life style, perhaps you should have discussed it with me first before making such an important decision."

"Like you discussed your date with Senator Asshole with me." I reminded her. She looked away with a hurt expression... like it wasn't fair for me to remind her of why we were going through this.

Hester still had a number of questions on her mind and soldiered on.

"Where have you been for the last four weeks. Your office only said you were working from home."

"I've been camped out at the Marriot. It's been very relaxing compared to living at home: Room service, maid service, an exercise room, a swimming pool, concierge privileges... I've spent most of my time there or at the Iris Club."

"And did you make any friends at the Iris Club," Hester asked, clearly hinting that I may have developed a relationship with a woman... or women while I was away."

"I've met some very nice ladies, Hester, but that's none of your business anymore. What I do socially is my private concern, just like what you do socially is now your own business." Don't forget, you're the one that opened up our marriage.

"I love you, Reggie. What I did was a one-time thing. Now I want you home with me and the kids. I don't want to be a single mom."

"I will be home often enough to take some weight off of your shoulders. I will mow the lawn and take out the trash. I will take care of car maintenance... and all the other things that I used to do when we were a real family."

Please, Reggie, I need you to take care of me, too. I love you and I want you in our bed."

"That's not going to happen. When I stay overnight, I will be sleeping in the guest room. I still have no desire to be intimate with you again."

"But what about me? You, apparently, have your floosies from the Iris Club to satisfy you. What do I do? What about me?"

"Why don't you contact Senator Asshole and ask him to come back to visit you? If he can't make it, perhaps he can send one of his goons to entertain you in his place.

"More realistically, you will have to find someone local to bed you. Maybe one of the single male teachers or counselors at your school. If you did have a date, I could keep the kids at my place so they wouldn't see you dressed for your date, and wouldn't see you come home the next morning."

"I was hoping we could become exclusive again, Reggie. Just you and me, like it was before all this started."

"Until Senator Asshole comes back to town," I inquired sarcastically.

"You don't understand, Hester. You still are not regretful of what you did and expect me to overlook your night of bliss. I don't trust you not to do it again—especially if I was to forgive you for the first offense. I'm not going to put myself in the position again of going through the pain and suffering I did when you first pulled your little stunt.

"Besides, Hester, this arrangement may work out well for both of us and the kids."

The new normal worked out pretty good for me. I was much more relaxed. Hester was relieved of the burden of being a completely single mom so she was happy—happier. The arrangement wasn't perfect, but it was much better than the alternatives: Living together or being divorced. And it was much cheaper. Although I had the cost of another mortgage, it was no more expensive than the amount of money I put into the Fidelity account for the lake house each month and was within my financial capabilities.

I took Elise and Nate with me when I bought furniture for the house. They felt that they helped to decorate it. I used the artwork that Elise and Nate had done in their classes at school, had it framed, and put it on the walls for a little color. I gave them a lot of latitude to decorate their own bedrooms.

I started the enjoy my time as a class B bachelor. At least there was no conflict between Hester and myself when I was on my own. And while at home, I made an agreement with Hester to refrain from all references to her night with Senator Asshole as long as she didn't try to bring it up in some ploy to seduce me or to justify it. I know, however, that she still hoped that I would forgive her and restart our marriage as it was before the incident.

As time went on, I began to make friends at the townhouse, usually meeting people at the pool area on weekends when Elise and Nate came to swim. Actually, they made friends with the other children at the pool and I would meet their parents. Over time, I formed a tight click with a number of the single moms at the townhouse complex and we would all hang out together on the weekends and meet at the pool area in the evenings without the kids around. They were happy to have a man around who could provide some of the direction to their kids that an absentee father could not. I often took time out to teach their kids how to swim or make them drown-proof.

Meanwhile, Hester had taken my advice and left the kids with me for a weekend while she "dated" men she met at her school or other places. She expressed her opinion to me that she wasn't happy to relieve herself occasionally with such social diversions. She said that she would much have preferred to have sex with me. In fact, she said that she missed the loving times we used to spend together. She longed for the cuddling and spooning, and the pillow talk we had enjoyed before her date with the Senator—even though at the time, she had thought of it as routine and predictable.

It wasn't too, too long before Hester began to hear of the friends that our kids met while at the townhouse. And then she learned of the ladies that had befriended me. She was curious. When she learned that me and my friends were going to have a barbeque at the townhouse, she asked if she could attend, too. I told her that she was free to join us.

When we arrived at the townhouse pool area, a number of tables had already been pushed together and several of my lady friends had set out food for the afternoon. Meanwhile, the kids quickly linked up with their friends and disappeared to the pool. I was regarded as the cook and opened my cooler to reveal the hotdogs, hamburgers and corn to be barbequed that afternoon.

Hester was most interested in my friends—and they were very interested in her. They made a place for her in the midst of them and were extremely gracious to her. She didn't understand why they were being so good to her. They were Andrea, Belinda (Bell), Carmen, Roxann (Roxy) and Kate.

To be descriptive, Andrea was a beautiful black woman. She had a slender figure with more than adequate breasts. She enjoyed showing her body off with an almost risqué bikini.

Bell, was a full-bodied woman who had all the right curves in all the right places thanks to an extremely narrow waist and flat stomach. She was a perpetually happy person and always had a smile on her face. She was the most gregarious of the five.

Carmen, was also slender. It was difficult to believe that she had had children. She looked athletic and sculptured. She easily wore a two-piece bathing suit although not at suggestive as Andrea's.

Roxann (Roxy) was pixie of the group. She looked like a grown-up Tinkerbell. Although she was only about 5-feet-1-inch tall, she was very vivacious and out-going. Roxy was in her mid-thirties, but her enviable smooth complexion made her look like a teenager.

Kate was the quiet one. Although she easily fit in with the rest of the ladies, she sometimes seemed withdrawn. Kate was medium everything: Medium height (5-feet 5-inches), medium build (35C-24-34), medium brown hair, and a medium beautiful face. You would have to call her 'the girl next door'.

"I can't believe you are all being so good to me," Hester questioned the group at large.

"We owe you a lot," Andrea, the only black among them, stated.