Neglected

Shandy laughed politely even though Dustin was being serious. She saw Chloe giving her the eye and said, "Uh-oh. My boss is giving me that look. I should get back over to the register."

"It was very nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Jernigan," Dustin said abandoning the first-name familiarity.

"And you as well, Dustin...?"

"Miller. So if you ever did marry me, you'd be Shandy Calveri-Miller, but of course you'd have to divorce your husband and be willing to date someone you probably see as a...kid, so um, anyway..." Dustin pointed toward the exit then said, "I guess I'll just go back and see if I can sell some shoes now."

"And socks!" Shandy said as she walked away. "Don't forget about those socks!"

"Right! And remember, if you ever need any sales tips..."

"I'll know where to find you!" she said as she reached the register.

Dustin gave her another half wave on his way out and Shandy couldn't help but smile as she waved back.

"Okay, so...who's the hottie?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, that's my future husband," she said trying not to smile.

Chloe gave her a look then asked, "Oh, okay. He's a drug dealer and you just bought from him, didn't you?" before walking away shaking her head.

Each weekday for the next two weeks or so, Dustin walked by the clothing store and looked for Shandy. If he saw her he'd smile and wave. If not, he'd go back by again later and try again.

After being shot down in flames with Mrs. Jernigan, Dustin reluctantly put several other irons in the fire, all of them being with women in their 30s. He couldn't explain why, all he knew was women that age 'did it' for him. He'd dated girls his own age in junior high and his first two years of high school, but something changed when he was around 17. By the time he was 18 he was dating girls in college, and the following year when he was in college himself, he had his first date with a woman over 30 and he was hooked. It was so intoxicating it became like a drug for him.

Although blessed with good looks—extremely good looks—he was still unsure of himself when it came to talking to women that age as it was a very hard sell in most cases. Getting them to take him seriously was a huge problem no matter what he looked like. Then getting more than a first date became even more problematic as any woman not wanting just a quick roll in the hay would find it very hard to imagine being seen in public with...a boy. And while he wasn't opposed to hooking up, he was already more than willing to settle down with one woman for life. Finding her however, was clearly going to be a challenge—a challenge he very much looked forward to but hadn't yet mastered.

He'd wanted to walk right up to Shandy and introduce himself, but he decided to try something different. He'd learned after several direct approaches that most women that age were married and although he was no Puritan, he wasn't going to date married women—hot or not. He was hoping this beautiful woman might eventually approach him and be single, thus giving him the inroad he needed to get to know her. Dustin had been half right and now found himself back at square one.

Seattle was a very liberal, very progressive town and although it wasn't anti-military, no one would call it pro-military. Shandy was therefore very surprised when she came to work on morning and saw a recruiting booth kind of thing set up in the large open area in front of her store toward the end of June.

She saw two very nice-looking young men in very unusually-colored uniforms setting up. Their pants were blue with wide red stripes on the side while they wore tight-fitting khaki-colored shirts on top. As if that wasn't enough of a fashion faux pax/clash, their belts looked downright silly. Shandy thought they looked like thin, khaki-colored ropes with bright, shiny gold buckles. Even so, she had to admit they looked very sharp and she did take a second look before going inside.

She knew almost nothing about the military but she could read, and the red and yellow banner they were hanging from their table which said, "U.S. Marine Corps Officer Selection Team, Seattle, WA." The word 'Marine' meant something to Shandy. The other words however, were meaning-less.

The one thing she did like was the way they wore their hair. Her older brother had been in high school in the mid-90s when many guys wore their hair in a tight fade the way the two Marines wore theirs, and it brought back pleasant memories of a crush she'd had on one of his friends.

She'd forgotten all about the recruiting booth until around noon when she noticed Dustin walk by. For the first and only time ever he didn't even look in let alone wave. She'd never admit it, but his smile and that silly half wave of his were often the highlight of her day. He'd been right assuming she'd never date someone his age even if she were single, but he was so unbelievably cute she would occasionally allow herself to imagine she was closer to his age again and the object of his affection. She'd even taken her fantasy to bed with her a time or two as she took her sexual needs into her own hands. Or...fingers, as it were.

She could just see the booth from where she was standing. Dustin stopped when he got there and shook both Marine's hands. The older men in uniform stood up and spent a few minutes talking and laughing with him before he walked away.

This time, to her great delight, he stopped and looked for her. For the first time, she both smiled and waved at him before he did. He returned both and Shandy felt a flutter that made her feel downright silly and yet it was just so...pleasant and sadly, so unfamiliar. And then he was gone. Out of sight but not out of mind.

As the 4th of July came and went, Shandy was growing more and more unhappy with her life at home. Ted was gone from early in the morning until ate at night and was on the road even more leaving her at home alone more often than ever before.

He would let her know maybe a day in advance he'd be leaving. If she asked, and only if she asked, he'd tell her where to and for how long. Other than that, she had no real idea what he was doing or with whom, and Ted had no interest in calling or even texting when he was away. Sure, he'd reply to her texts but generally with one or two-word answers. Yes, no, sure, okay, and the like, were pretty much all she could expect so she'd stopped sending them altogether.

As she lay in bed alone—again—she cried for the first time. She'd been sad for months and resentful just as long. But she'd never felt sorry for herself until that night. It was just so unfair. She was much younger than her husband, she took very good care of herself, and she dressed very nicely. She cooked and cleaned. She picked up his dry cleaning and ran other errands for him and in return she got to live in a very large, very nicely-decorated home—by herself.

Why then was he so completely uninterested in her? Could it be something as simple as low testosterone on his part or was it due to something else? The thought of her husband with another woman used to break her heart. Now the thought almost seemed like it would be a relief. At least she'd know and then she could finally act.

She was awake all night either crying or tossing and turning. She was so exhausted when she finally got up, she just couldn't drag herself into work. She gave Chloe a call and told her what had happened and that she wouldn't be coming in today.

"Oh, Shandy. I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could say or do, but you know how many problems I have in my own relationship with Chris." Shandy managed a small, forced laugh before Chloe said, "Yeah, stay home. Do something for yourself and please, please feel better, okay?"

Shandy promised she'd try then hung up. Moments later, she was again crying and cried off and on most of the day. She spent another night alone but managed to get some sleep and went in to work the next morning.

Chloe met her on the way in and said, "Feeling any better?"

"A little," Shandy told her. "I think I've decided I'm going to have to finally do something, you know?"

"As in...leave?" Chloe asked with great surprise even though it shouldn't have surprised her.

"I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I've brought this up with Ted so many times in the past I've stopped bringing it up. He always tells me he's doing this for 'us' and yet there is no us anymore. It's him...and it's me."

"For what it's worth I feel really bad for you, Shandy. But at some point I guess it's like my dad used to tell me. You can't keep throwing good money after bad, you know?"

"Your dad is right, you know. I can't expect things to change if I don't do something different. It's just so scary to think about cutting ties with my entire life."

"But what's scarier? Cutting those ties or not cutting them?"

"You know, you're pretty smart for a girl your age."

Chloe laughed then said, "Yeah, well, I have two loving parents and an older um...co-worker who's pretty wise herself."

Shandy laughed then asked, "What did I miss yesterday?" as though something unusual might have happened.

"Oh! I totally forgot. Your future husband stopped by and asked for you."

Shandy stopped walking and said, "He what?"

"Yeah, he actually walked right up to me and asked if you were working and I told him you had the day off. Why? Are you upset?"

"No. No, of course not," she said not wanting to admit she was extremely disappointed. "Did he say anything else?"

"Well, yeah. He said he'd be out of town for a couple of months and he'd back around the middle of August."

"Oh, I see. Did he mention where he was going by any chance?" she asked trying to sound nonchalant.

"You seem more than just curious, Shandy. Is there something...going on with you two?" Chloe asked because Shandy's interest seemed a little much.

"Going on? Oh, heaven's no! He's...he's just a kid. He's very sweet but still just a kid," she said attempting to smooth over any holes she'd opened up.

"Oh, okay," Chloe replied. "No, he didn't say where he was going or what he'd be doing." She looked right at Shandy then with raised eyebrows said, "Sorry?" Chloe wasn't convinced it didn't really matter to her employee-friend and felt bad for at least not asking Justin Bieber where he'd be for two months.

"No, it's okay. I really was just curious. He's probably headed off to Europe or some exotic place for the summer. You know, drinking wine, dating all kinds of girls, having fun."

Chloe opened the back door to the store and let Shandy in then reset the alarm.

"Well, he won't have any trouble meeting girls, that's for sure. When he was standing right next to me, I thought I was gonna swoon or whatever women used to do back in the day. Those eyes of his are so freaking gorgeous!"

Shandy laughed then said in her best Scarlett O'Hara voice, "I...I had a case of the vay-puhs the moment I saw his handsome face!"

Chloe laughed loudly as did Shandy. For a brief moment, she forgot about how sad she was she'd missed seeing Dustin before he left. Then again, what did it really matter anyway, right?

When Ted returned home three days later, Shandy told him they needed to talk.

"Can't it wait, Shandy? I've got a ton of paperwork to do after the trip. How about this weekend?"

"No, how about now?" she said finding the courage to demand some of his time.

"Okay. Now it is," he said taking a seat. "Can we make it quick, though?"

"Sure. I have two questions, Ted. One: Do you still love me?"

"What? Of course I do, Shandy. What kind of question is that anyway?" he asked defensively. "I work all the damn time to provide you with everything you want or need. Isn't that proof enough?"

Shandy ignored him, took a deep breath, then asked him. "Are you seeing someone else? Anyone else? In other words, are you sleeping with another woman or women? Yes or no will do."

She stared into his eyes boring holes into his brain as she waited for an answer.

Ted made a snorting noise then said, "That's even more ridiculous than your first question. It's so absurd I'm not going to dignify it with an answer."

He went to stand up, but Shandy said quietly but firmly, "Sit down, Ted."

It took a few seconds, but he sat.

"Yes or no? It's not a hard question. No tap dancing. No deflecting. Yes or no?"

He sat there then rubbed his hands together while looking down at them.

"Look at me, Ted. Look me in the eye and answer my question, please."

"Shandy, look. We've been married a long time. There's no need to throw it all away just because you think I might be..."

"YES or NO, Ted?" she said raising her voice for the first time ever.

When he looked away she knew then said, "How long? How long have you been screwing other women? Can you at least be honest enough to tell me that? Can you be man enough to tell me the truth?"

"Two years," he said without looking at her.

That coincided with the time she'd started feeling neglected. That was when he became so busy he had no time for her.

"So...have you had unprotected sex with her...or...them and then come home and fucked me?" Her voice was hard and cold and trembling with emotion.

"No. No, of course not," he said still not looking at her.

"Bullshit," she spat. "You're a fucking liar and fucking bastard!"

"Shandy, listen. We can work this..."

"Out? No, Ted. I want YOU out. Now. Today. Pack your shit and leave and don't come back. And Ted? If I have some kind of STD I will sue you for every dime I can get. If not, I'll take my half and let you walk away. But if you've fucked me over by fucking your bimbo whores, I swear to God..."

Shandy surprised herself when she didn't cry when her husband stood up and walked away. She didn't even cry a couple of hours later when he started bringing suitcases downstairs. Even when he stood by the door and said, "I guess I'll talk to you later?" she didn't get emotional.

She just said, "I'll send you the name of my lawyer as soon as I hire one. He or she will contact Ben." Ben Thompson had been their attorney for years and Shandy was going to need one of her own to represent her interests.

In the meantime, she needed to make an appointment and find out if she had some hidden kind of STD that didn't show any visible signs. The thought of having HIV or Hep-C or something else both sickened and infuriated her. She swore to herself she'd find a way to destroy him if he'd done that to her. Otherwise, she had no intention of being vindictive. She just wanted out and the sooner the better.

The following day she had appointments with her doctor in the morning and her new attorney in the afternoon. She learned over the phone that the minimum amount of time for an uncontested divorce in the State of Washington was 90 days. It could be a year or more if Ted fought her.

By the time her results came back from the lab, her attorney told her her husband wouldn't contest the divorce as long as she wanted no more than her half.

The results had been negative for every STD for which a person could be tested. Relieved beyond words, she said that would be fine.

"Your husband is offering you the house, your car, and the rest in cash. Is that acceptable to you?"

"I want him to pay the property taxes for the rest of the year. Other than that, yes, that's fine."

Ted was also relieved to know that was her only demand. He had a very long paper trail out there and Shandy might have been able to take him to the cleaners so he was quite happy to grant such a simple request.

She and Betsy had gotten together several times during this very stressful period and her support had been invaluable. Chloe had also been very supportive, but she just didn't have the experience to offer much more than a sympathetic ear.

"I guess it's better knowing, right?" Betsy said as they sat at the kitchen counter having a glass of wine.

"I should have done this a year ago," Shandy said in reply. "I knew something was going on. I suspected it might be another woman. I guess I was just more afraid of knowing than not knowing."

"Did any one thing change your mind? Did something 'tip the scale' to make you finally want to know?" Betsy asked her.

"Kind of," she told her best friend.

"Ah, good to know," Betsy teased.

"Don't laugh, okay?" Shandy said prefacing her comments.

"But what if it's funny?" Betsy had a great sense of humor and it was one of the things Shandy loved most about her.

She couldn't help but laugh herself before saying, "It actually is kind of funny."

"Yeah? So?"

Shandy took a decent-sized sip then said, "I...I kind of met someone."

"Oh?" Betsy said with raised eyebrows. "Okay. So, come on. Keep talking."

"No, it's...it's not like that. It's not a guy I'd actually date."

"What other kind of guy is there? Oh, wait. Let me guess. He's gay and he's becoming your new BFF, right?"

Shandy laughed then told Betsy the story about thinking this 'new guy' was a male crossdresser.

"That's hilarious! And scary."

"What's scary?" Shandy asked.

"How old did you say he is?"

"I don't know. Maybe 20 or 21. Why?"

"And you said he wanted to ask you out? After all the skulking around and the furtive looks and stuff. Do I have that about right?"

"Pretty much," Shandy replied feeling very silly now.

"O-kaaay...so how exactly did meeting this Justin Bieber-without-the-tattoos-look-alike-guy make you want to find out the truth?"

Betsy wanted to know. "Do you have a thing for this kid or something?"

"No! God, no. It was just...I dunno...really nice to have some guy—any guy—pay attention to me like that. Yeah, he's way too young, but my God, he is so hot!"

"Yeah, okay. I can see that. I've seen some younger guys who've um...let's just say...caught my eye. And I suppose if I were single...and hot like you..."

"Psssh! Hot like me. Get real!" Shandy said flattered her friend thought that.

"A guy that cute no matter what age, isn't gonna ask you out if you're not hot. And trust me, you are still very hot. I'd kill to just to be warm again!"

Once again, she made Shandy laugh.

"You understand all you could do is have a little fun with him right, Shandy? I mean, the kid sells shoes, for God's sake. I can just see you packing his lunchbox and sending him off to the mall in his black and white striped referee shirt. 'Have a good day, honey! Sell lots of shoes!'"

"He sells socks, too," Shandy said having explained the joke already.

Betsy nearly spewed her wine because unlike her, Shandy was rarely ever funny.

"That was too funny! Yes, the sock king. I almost forgot. I wonder if he still holds the record, you know?"

Shandy gave her a look then couldn't help but laugh.

"You want some more wine?"

Betsy held out her glass and said, "Fill 'er up!"

Shandy had been so consumed with the divorce she'd all but forgotten about Dustin Miller. It was a Friday during the third week of August when she was standing next to a display rack changing out the items on display when she felt someone's presence behind her.

Even though she knew someone was there, she was still startled when she turned around.

"Oh, my gosh, you scared...me," she said her voice trailing off as her brain put the puzzle together.

He was leaner, well tanned from the eyes down, and the longer, sandy-blond hair on top was very short.

"Dustin! Hi..." she said trying to take it all in.

"Hi, Mrs. Jernigan," he said. "It's good to see you again."

She was still staring as she said, "You...too."

"You look great," he said smiling for the first time. "As always."

"Um...you, too, Dustin," she said still at a loss for words.

"I stopped in before I left to say goodbye, but your...boss...said you were out that day."

"Oh, right. Yes, that was a really bad day." She paused then said, "Or maybe it was the start of better days."