One Voice

"Please, Paul. You have at least ten days of unused vacation time saved up. What better way to put it to use than to spend it in Paris and see the best of France?" Chelsea entreated.

It's true that I have two weeks of vacation time due to me. But I don't like it being hijacked without Chelsea and me first having the opportunity to thoroughly discuss it privately. Apparently, she's already concluded that she'd like to go. After having just been dazzlingly blindsided by Pierre's unchecked generosity, I would feel as low as a worm not to accede to his request. Plus I sincerely wanted to get to know my brother better as well. He's quite a remarkable fellow it would appear, more so than I had previously given him credit for.

"I can all but guarantee it, Pierre, and we would love to accept your kindness. I have seniority at work so I don't see why they wouldn't allow me my vacation request, even if it is on short notice. I'll be sure to get with my supervisor first thing in the morning. Chelsea and I both are looking forward to spending more time getting to know you better. The kids will benefit greatly from visiting a foreign country. It will be the ultimate vacation opportunity for our whole family," I gushed.

"Ah, yes, the little ones. There might be a problem with them coming on such short notice," Pierre suggested.

"How so?"

"My brother, when I asked her, Chelsea informed me that while the two of you have your passports in proper order, your children do not. And with all my wealth and resources, even I cannot rush your Federal government into supplying your children with passports overnight. It simply can't be done. With your permission, I will arrange for Helena, my assistant, to remain here and see to your children's every need while the three of us enjoy each other in my home country. If you are uncomfortable with Helena, of course, you may make any provision for your children you deem suitable, at my expense."

"Passports! I forgot about that. We'd mentioned that we might one day apply for them but didn't think it urgent at the time. As much as I'd hate to leave Amber, Neil, and Rhonda behind, it is still a great opportunity for Chelsea and me. I have no objection to Helena being responsible for them if Chelsea doesn't," I conceded. Chelsea nodded in agreement.

Helena contributed, "I will guard them with my life. They are exceptionally well-behaved children and it would be my honor to care for them as long as you need." She seemed sincere.

Pierre jumped back in, "It's settled then. I'll have Helena make our flight arrangements in the morning as soon as we hear positive news from you, Paul. I can't recall when I've ever been this excited. Thank you, brother," Pierre spouted. Chelsea was grinning from ear to ear. If possible, she appeared as excited as I.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Greg Dickson is the managing partner of New Directions, Inc. and is also counted among my many friends. When asked, he didn't hesitate to allow me the vacation leave and wished me well. He said he'd read about our twin situation in the news and was excited for me. I immediately called Chelsea with the good news. Helena was already with them and standing by to make the flight reservations and all other arrangements. Chelsea excitedly promised to have us both packed and ready to fly out in the morning. I worked vigilantly to ensure smooth transitional care for my patients while I was out of the country.

Imagine my surprise when Greg called me into his office at 4:45 that afternoon, fifteen minutes before I get off at five.

"Paul, I'm sorry man, I really am but I'm afraid I have no other choice. Carl Reid and Francine Walsh both have called in FMLA leave. As you know, the Family Medical Leave Act requires that we honor all such requests. They will both be off work Monday. That will leave us seriously shorthanded. I'm truly sorry, Paul, but I have to cancel your vacation time for Monday. There's no way that I can be without you three key employees without compromising patient care. They swear they'll both be back Tuesday, so you can take off after Monday. To make it up to you, I'll even approve your vacation period for the full ten work days so you can have your two weeks beginning Tuesday. I hope you can work with that."

"But they've already purchased the plane fares and everything. We're all set to fly to France first thing in the morning. What do I tell them, Greg?"

"Just tell them it's a fluke that can't be helped. Look, I'm blindsided by this as much as you are. I didn't know that either of them had been approved for FMLA requests but when I checked on it, it's legit. I don't know what else to say, Paul."

"And what if I was a no-show on Monday? What then?"

"Please don't even kid about something like that, Paul, you're the best therapist we have on staff by far. I'd hate like hell to lose you over something like this. See what you can work out but I expect to see you here on Monday. You can disappear for two weeks after that, and you won't hear a peep out of me. Alright, man?"

I was unhappy driving home, hoping that my and Chelsea's tickets could be changed to Tuesday without too much trouble. The only bright spot to come of this development is that I could stay for two weeks straight.

"That's terrible news, honey," Chelsea lamented. "How can they do that to you after all these years? You're the best man they've got."

Pierre, Helena, and Chelsea listened with interest as I explained the unusual circumstances.

"I was thinking on the way home; could the airfares for Chelsea and me be switched to Tuesday instead of tomorrow? I'll have the full two weeks after Monday but you and Gerald could go ahead and leave tomorrow so you can take care of business. We'll just catch up with you Tuesday. Will that work?"

Chelsea looked down at the floor as if I had given away her puppy. This was the most exciting thing to happen for her in years, after all, and I was causing complications. "But sweetie, I've already got us all packed for tomorrow," she appealed. "Would it be too much to ask if I flew to France with Pierre tomorrow for an early start on our vacation? Helena will be here with you all weekend to help with the kids so you won't be alone. Then you can fly out Tuesday morning and join your brother and me on this adventure of a lifetime." Pierre nodded assent to her suggestion but wisely remained silent. I didn't want to disappoint her by putting my foot down and Pierre would acquiesce to whatever I decided.

Helena looked at me with a furtive smile as Chelsea offered her suggestion. I acted pensive for a moment before saying, "Sure, why not? Besides, it would give me a couple of days to try out my new wheels. I'm looking forward to trying to stay alive in that beast," I chuckled.

Chelsea chimed in, "Of course, honey. You do that. Isn't all this so exciting?! Since your things are already packed and mixed with mine, how about I go ahead and take all our things tomorrow when we leave? That way, you can fly out Tuesday morning free as a bird without a care in the world, and we'll pick you up at the airport, won't we Pierre?"

"But of course," Pierre concurred. "I'm saddened that you will be unable to leave with us on the morn, Paul, but thrilled that you will have two full weeks to spend with me at my home. Play with your new toy over the weekend. A mixed blessing, no?"

Early Saturday morning, my three children, Helena, and I saw Chelsea, Pierre, and Gerald off at the airport. The kids were unhappy that they would not be able to go to France this go round but I promised to get them all passports soon for the next time. That seemed to placate them. I told Helena not to worry about watching the children until Monday morning. Since I'll be home, I would see to their needs in Chelsea's absence over the weekend. She seemed very disappointed in not being needed and tried her best to change my mind. For some reason, she became very assertive. I stubbornly refused her kind gesture and she eventually nodded and returned to her hotel. I wondered if she was losing money because I wasn't allowing her to help out until Monday. Perhaps Pierre commandeered her for this purpose.

I wasn't unfamiliar with occasionally pulling single-dad duty so the four of us fell into our usual routines. Before she left, Chelsea had made Amber promise to help with her little brother and sister and she took to her role like a duck to water and immediately began bossing them around. I had misgivings about sending Helena away when it occurred to me that I couldn't play with my new Vision Fetish sports car. It wasn't suitable as a family car so I backed my regular driver, a green Chevy Tahoe, out of the garage and pulled the blue Vision Fetish in its place to protect it from the elements and prying eyes. I returned to the den where my three angels were watching their new favorite animated movie (it changes weekly).

I answered the doorbell Saturday afternoon after feeding the kids their lunch. "Hello, sir. Are you Mr. Dumont or Mr. Blaylock? I can't tell the difference to be honest."

"Paul Blaylock."

"Mr. Blaylock, I'm Roland from the security company that installed your new system earlier this week? May I come in?"

"Of course." I opened the door for his entry. "I thought you guys wouldn't be back until next week, something about a missing part, I believe?"

"Yes, sir, that's right. The key component arrived sooner than anticipated so here I am. You know how it is, always under-promise and over-deliver to keep clients happy. If I may have a few minutes on your office computer where we integrated the system, I'll have you up and running in a jiffy."

I followed him to my home office where he went right to work on my system. "All that is left to do is install this security key in one of your USB slots. Your system has been working tirelessly ever since we installed it on Monday. The final aspect was accessing your video log files. This security key allows you access to our secure cloud servers. It is programmed to allow access to your files from this one location. As long as you have this computer and this key, then you can access all of your file logs and no one else can but you. No other client may access your files and you may not access anyone else's. It's an extra layer of protection for you as our client and us as your provider. We take the security of your data very seriously. The cameras are in every room of your home except for the bathrooms. That includes the ring-doorbell camera interface as well. They are all motion and voice-activated. Once activity and sounds cease, the file is logged with time and date stamps for your records. Bear in mind, that you will be unable to delete any records directly from the cloud; you may only access them. We have a procedure for record deletion but it involves notarized forms and paperwork."

Roland continued, "Alright, you're all set now. Would you allow me to demonstrate how to access your backlogs?" I nodded. Two clicks and I was watching a multiple-divided screen with all the numbered cameras showing real-time monitoring. One more clicked link led him to a series of log files of past recorded events associated with my unique account number. He clicked one at random showing us all eating in the kitchen the night I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on French cuisine night. Then he clicked another random file for Wednesday afternoon and after a few seconds, embarrassingly clicked to close the file.

"I apologize. Please don't be embarrassed sir. We see files like this all the time. You and your wife were obviously enjoying private time together. The system doesn't know when to record and when not to. You can easily disable a camera for a specific length of time to prevent unwanted personal recordings such as this. Just follow the links and it does the work for you. Do you have any other questions, sir?"

"Yes, just one, if I may. Is it possible for me to download and save any of my archived log files for playback as a separate file off of your system?"

"Why yes, sir. It is one of our most popular features. Many clients build their own private libraries of such files. When viewing any of your files in the cloud, simply right-click anywhere on the playback screen and select 'save as'. The files belong to you and you may do with them as you wish. We maintain them against tampering in the event of crimes like robbery or assault. We retain the chain of evidence required by many legal jurisdictions for your protection.

"You've been exceptionally helpful, Roland. Thank you for your time." We shook hands and he left in his truck.

I sat down in a stupor. My mind had exploded and I was trying to will my brain back into functioning. The recording that exposed me and Chelsea having sex wasn't recorded in the master bedroom where she and I always have sex, and I was at work at the time of the recording. She wasn't having sex with me! Rachael's premonition had come true! Of course, seeing just a moment of them having sex in the spare bedroom didn't tell me the whole story. I wanted to know as much background as possible. I made it my immediate priority to download and scan all the recorded footage from before they left for France. I wanted to hear any conversations in addition to revealing everything they'd done behind my back. Apparently, Pierre misunderstood the actual operational status of the security system he'd commissioned. He mistakenly believed parts were missing that prevented it from functioning. I suppose it was nice having a twin brother for a short while but I knew I would remain brother-less for the remainder of my life.

I realized that I had inadequate hard disk storage capacity to hold all of the available files that had been logged, so I began the process of quick scanning each of the files searching for any that had Chelsea and Pierre in the same room or area. I made notations of the filenames along with the date and timestamps so I could keep everything in order. Chelsea excitedly texted me at 3:15 pm.

Chelsea: just arrived in Paris! it's already 9:15 pm here, 6 hrs. ahead of you. the night lights are stunning!

Me: I bet

Chelsea: how's Helena?

Me: idk

Chelsea: isn't she there with you?

Me: no

Chelsea: pierre's gonna be so upset with her, she's sposed to be helping you

Me: i don't need help til mon. sent her to hotel til then

Chelsea: he's still gonna be disappointed with her

Me: all my fault, blame me not her

Chelsea: if I call now can I talk to kids?

Me: sorry, down for nap, maybe latr (I lied)

Chelsea: ok. Not sure when call again, time diff

Me: ok

Chelsea: i'm beyond excited, gotta go now

Me: ok

Chelsea: give kids my love, love you too

Me: ok bye

Chelsea: hugs & kisses

Me: bye

She hadn't even noticed that I'd not returned any terms of endearment. Her excitement level is off the chart and I was counting on that to distract her. I wasn't prepared for any confrontations. But I did wonder why Pierre would be upset with Helena when I had sent her away. Did he think me incapable of taking care of my own children?

I packed up the kids and took them to Costco. 5-TB external hard drives happened to be on sale for less than a hundred bucks. I picked up two of them. Of course, while we were there, we had to go through the toy aisle though they don't carry a lot of toys except during the holidays. I let each of them pick one item within my cost range which seemed to appease them. We stopped at McDonald's on the way back and they expended a huge amount of energy in the enclosed playground area. We all got fries and a milkshake to tide us over until supper time.

Once home, I continued scanning the log files which took up the rest of my day Saturday. Mentally exhausted, I completed my rapid searches and ordered pizza for supper. My three could eat pizza three meals a day and never offer a word of complaint. After I put the last one down for the night, I realized that they'd torn the house up. I smiled at the privilege of picking up after them. It wasn't a chore to me. There was nothing else more important in my life now than the three of them.

I tried not to think about what I knew Pierre and my wife were doing tonight and until I arrived on Tuesday, three days of uninhibited and uninterrupted sex. Who was I kidding? There was no way that I was going to fall asleep any time soon so I set myself to the task of downloading all twenty-six of the numbered files I had earmarked for in-depth review onto the new external drives. All I needed was one but it nearly filled it up because the files were huge owing to the high-definition format in which they'd been recorded. I finally nodded off somewhere around 2 am.

I didn't have to set an alarm because I had three hungry children pushing me out of bed at 7 am to make my special flapjacks. No, I didn't get enough sleep, and yes, the kitchen was a mess afterward, and yes, there was syrup everywhere on the kids but I still didn't mind a bit. Once I'd cleaned them up and made the kitchen presentable once again, the phone rang.

"Hi, honey. Can you hear me okay? I'm calling all the way from France!" The animated voice said.

"Oh, hello Chelsea. Hang on just a second, the kids are right here, they just finished breakfast."

Without another word, I handed the phone to Amber who engaged her in conversation for several minutes. One statement caught my attention when Amber said, "No, she didn't spend the night; she's not here; daddy's watching us by himself." Why would Chelsea be asking our daughter if another female had spent the night here? I whispered to Amber to pass the phone to Neil and Rhonda after her. When three-year-old Rhonda finally said, "Okay, mommy, here's daddy," I took the phone from her and turned it off so it couldn't ring again. Chelsea would conclude that Rhonda had accidentally turned the phone off somehow and let it go that she had been unable to converse with me. I waited fifteen minutes before turning the phone back on again. It rang again almost immediately but surprisingly it wasn't Chelsea.

"Hi, Paul. How are things going with your newfound twin?"

I couldn't help it. I broke down and sobbed on the phone with my sister. We might not be related by blood but our love and bond far exceeded anything I'd ever felt with Pierre.

"Anita, thank God you called. I'm about to go crazy over here trying to get to the bottom of everything."

"Bottom of what, Paul? What's going on? Did Chelsea's plane not make it safely to France yesterday?"

"Yes, it did. That's not the problem. Chelsea is cheating on me with Pierre and it's killing me inside."

"CHEATING? CHELSEA? I can't believe it! Are you sure?"

"One-hundred percent. I need to peruse a bunch of video recordings to see and hear what's been going on behind my back to get a clearer picture. But Amber, Neil, and Rhonda come first. With Chelsea in France and me here with them..." Anita interrupted me.

"I'm SO sorry. Damn! Cheating! Say no more, Paul. I got this. Darren and I were planning on taking our two to the water park today and I was calling to see if you wanted to join us. How about us swinging by in about thirty minutes and we'll take them off your hands for the day?"

"I couldn't do that to you, Anita. Five kids at the same time? Are you kidding me?"

"No need for concern little brother," she chuckled. "Mom and pop will be there to help out. They love nothing more than spoiling all five of their grandchildren at the same time! We'll have 'em back by eight tonight well-fed and completely tuckered out. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like a lifesaver to me, sis. The kids can have some real fun today and I can wade through all these recordings and try to put something cohesive together to prepare for a confrontation. Pierre's very wealthy so I need to be extremely careful to confront them only with irrefutable facts."