The Beaches of Belize

"Get dress and get the fuck out of here asshole," I said.

Tom, Bob and the kids came out of the room. Without shame, Helen came after them draped only with the bedcover.

Her father turned toward her with a stern face.

"Get back in that room and get dressed," he ordered her.

Like the little girl at heart that she was, she turned around and went toward the bedroom. The process server had made himself scarce during the altercation but now was standing at the door.

"Helen Durocher?"

"Yes!"

He handed her the envelope. "You are served."

We all went back upstairs. The original plan was to spend the night there and have a final talk with our wives. But I was in no mood to be in the same room as Mandy. I grabbed our overnight carry-on and told the kids that we were going home. Tom told us that he wanted to stay. He had a lot to say to his daughters. Bob and his kids came with us back to Minneapolis.

* * *

Four months later, despite many pleas of forgiveness from Mandy, a judge heard our case and awarded the uncontested divorce. It had taken a lot of convincing from Tom to have Mandy sign the divorce papers.

The house was mine as I already inherited it from my parents before I even met Mandy. I also received main custody of the children but I did not ask nor received any child support from Mandy. Tom would see that they were well cared for. Our other assets were split even and I received a generous gift from Tom the next Christmas to put me back on my feet financially. As he explained to me, it was coming from Mandy's future inheritance anyway.

Bob's divorce went about the same way except that their house was a common asset. However, Bob and Helen started dating again not long after the divorce and I am pretty sure they would end up together again. Pity!

As for Mandy and me, there is no chance in Hell that I would ever take her back. I kind of believed her when she said that she was real sorry for what she had done. I also believe that she still loves me. My problem is that her betrayal stomped hard on my love for her and left it in the dust of her cheating, on the beaches of Belize. I couldn't love her anymore.

For the sake of the kids, we are very civil with each other, but that is as far as I will ever go.

One day, when she was waiting for the kids to get ready to go with her, she asked me: "I am curious Jack. How did you ever found out about the stupid thing I did in Belize?"

"It's my love for tan lines," I answered.

"I don't understand. I wore my bikini for the whole time. We never went to a nude beach or nothing."

"Think about it Mandy. What do you do each time you scrub the bathroom with all the chemicals involved?" I asked.

"Gather everything I need, put on my plastic gloves and roll up my sleeves," she said.

"You forgot one thing that you always do first," I said. "You remove your rings, the engagement ring and the wedding band. You had no tan line on your finger..."