Payback of Different Kind

I stood up really expecting his to knock me down again, but he stood there looking at me with hate in his eyes. I pointed to the bar stools and we both sat down. The bar tender had the phone in his hand, calling the cops I guess and I motioned for him to put it down, telling him everything was cool. Ordering two of what Jack was drinking I told him my story.

"I swear Jack; I didn't know she was married until tonight. If I had I would have never started up with her."

He looked like he didn't believe me so I gave him a short version of Stella and me. "I always felt she didn't get punished but then all I wanted was out. I wasn't into the revenge thing." I could tell his eyes that now he believed me.

"Here's my card, if you decide to divorce her or whatever call me if you want me to testify or give a statement for you," I offered.

He nodded and put the card in his wallet. I motioned for another drink for him and stood to leave.

"One more thing you need to know before you make a decision Jack. I'm not the only one. She calls me every two to three weeks to get together and I don't think she's just sitting at home the rest of the time. Good luck, Jack. You deserve better than this."

"Wait Steve. Would you hang around and confront her when she gets here? I'd like to see her reaction to your being here."

I nodded and went to a booth in the back that you couldn't see from Jack's seat or from the front door. This is going to be fun, well maybe interesting is a better word, I thought.

Julie came breezing in about ten minutes later. She walked over to Jack saying, "Hi honey, gosh I've missed you." She gave him a hug and kiss. "Order me a drink please; I've got to use the ladies room." Off she went to the bathroom. When she came back Jack had moved and she took his seat with her back to my booth.

After a couple of minutes Jack lifted his hand and sort of motioned for me to come over. Walking up behind Julie I said, "Hi Julie, can I buy you and your friend a drink?"

She turned around saw me, then turned back to look at Jack, then back at me and fainted. I nodded at Jack and left.

******************

Three months later I got a call from Jack Wilson. He said he wanted to fill me in on what happened between him and Julie. Jack said that he let her talk him into going to a marriage councilor and for one month solid twice a week Julie tried to shift the blame to him. He traveled too much; she got lonely, bullshit bullshit bullshit.

He told me he chalked it up to a bad move when the therapist began to agree with Julie. He told them both to go to hell and filed for divorce. Apparently Julie didn't want her activities to become public knowledge so she didn't contest the divorce. He would be a free man in another month or so.

I said, "Jack don't let it get you down, you'll come through.

As a friend of mine once told me ...life goes on.

The trick is to go with it."