Silly Me!

A wayward wife has to be dealt with. But things are not always as clear cut as they seem to be.

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"How about a quick apero before we go to the restaurant?"

"We've got time," I responded with a smile, the table I'd booked for us, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, not being till a little later on that evening.

Truth was that the Taylor marriage was in trouble, and the possibility of a quiet chat before our meal might just be a good idea. Things had got worse since young Tom had left home to start his studies at university, but she'd so far avoided all my attempts to have a serious talk about things.

Silly me!

Before I could suggest anything more suitable, she'd beckoned me to follow her, and having no other option, found myself waltzing into the loudest, glitziest joint in town; the Bluebell bar no less.

I thought we might maybe be able to find a quiet corner anyway, so that

I could make her understand the seriousness of her actions.

Silly me!

At forty eight she was still a real looker, and was dressed to display what she had to perfection. Women of her age shouldn't maybe wear dresses that short, unless you had legs like hers that is, in which case why wouldn't she? I'd known her all my life since I'd been a child in fact, and she'd always dressed well, but this last year or so, classy had definitely veered towards slutty.

"Look who's arrived," I heard come from a big group who'd put a few tables together. "It's Jenny Taylor."

"Hi Jenny," came calls from several of them, which she responded to, as she left my side and walked over to join them, apparently forgetting to introduce me, despite the fact that I didn't know a single one of them.

One of the men pulled up a chair for her and settled her into the middle of the group, while I looked around for a spare chair, and not finding one, was left standing on the edge of the crowd. A couple of them did glance up at me, no doubt wondering who the hell I was, while the sudden centre of attention, Jenny, seemed to forget I was even there.

Ten minutes was enough, and only that long because it took that long to catch here eye and angrily tap the watch on my wrist to remind her we had a table booked.

What a waste of time that was, as with a dismissive wave of her hand she turned back to the guy who had been talking to her.

She'd never exactly been what you'd think of as a perfect wife, or for that matter, a decent mother. Still, it wasn't that easy to turn my back on so many years and walk out on her.

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The meal wasn't too bad all things considered, though I'd hardly expected to be eating it on my own. When I'd walked out, I don't think she'd even noticed, though I did wonder whether the burst of laughter as I left, was related to me leaving.

My hope that she might join me proved wrong, but just as I was finishing up she did call me.

"Where are you?" She demanded brusquely

"At the restaurant where you should be," I snarled back.

"Never mind that," she snapped back. "We're all going on to a club."

"Are you telling me or inviting me?" I growled in frustration.

"Whatever," was the closest I got to being asked to join them.

"What about the talk we were supposed to be having tonight?" I made a last attempt to appeal to her.

I think she'd forgotten about that.

I think at last I'd embarrassed her.

She put the phone down on me.

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Boy was I pissed off, and I fumed all the way home to the point where other travellers were staying clear of me. That was it as far as I was concerned, and there were divorce proceedings coming down the line. I'd had enough, the whole family had had enough. I'd tried but I'd failed and the bitch had a surprise coming. She wasn't going to be happy.

I wasn't in a much improved mood by the time I got home, and slammed the front door shut much harder than I meant to.

"Didn't go too well?" my lovely wife Sue asked, looking at me sympathetically.

"Didn't go at all," I responded, smiling for the first time that evening, happy to be back in my own happy home.

"Your mother wouldn't listen to reason then?" She questioned me.

"She wouldn't listen to anything," I confirmed. " I didn't even get the chance to tell her that Dad was going to divorce her."

"Well she'll find out in the next few days when the papers are served," Sue sighed. "Such a pity."

"She was never much of a mother anyway," I recalled my rather odd childhood. "She was never there. It was Dad that brought my younger brother Tom and me up."

"Her problem now," my wife comforted me. "Your Dad's solicitor is sure she'll be left with the clothes she's got on, and he'll be able to go and live out his dream in South Africa."

I thought it better not to mention my doubts that my damn mother had any clothes on by then, going by the way she'd been acting.

"Never mind honey," my wife grinned at me seductively. "It's bedtime and I've got just the thing to make you forget your problems."

I doubted that she did.

But I was wrong.

Oh boy I was wrong.

Silly me!