The Consequences of Infidelity Ch. 02

I looked at Gunnar and Helga, people that I've always respected and have come to love as if they were my own parents. It nearly brought tears to my eyes that this may be the last time I call them Mom and Dad and the last time I will be welcome in their home.

I said, "Thanks for everything Mom and Dad." I shook Gunnar's hand and gave Helga a great big hug. The kids hugged and kissed their grandparents goodbye. I got them all belted in the back seat and as I backed out of the drive I watched as Gunnar and Helga were standing on the sidewalk waving. I gave them a wave as I pulled away doing my best to choke back the tears.

I had about a two hour drive to our hotel and all I could do is think about how my world is on the verge of imploding and I cannot do a damn thing about it. Thankfully the kids were absorbed in watching the SpongeBob videos I brought so they didn't notice the tears streaming down my cheeks. Thank God for sunglasses.

We arrived at our hotel at 4pm, checked in at the desk and I got my room key. I got the kids settled and I carried up our luggage to the room. The hotel had a pool and the kids wanted to go swimming. I said, "Why don't we go to dinner first, then if there's time you can swim a bit before going to bed. I asked them, what would you like to eat?"

Jena said, "Pizza!"

Bobby said, "I want a cheeseburger!"

I said, "Let's compromise and get a cheeseburger pizza?"

They both replied in unison, "Yea Daddy let's go."

I get the kids down to the car and get them belted in. I looked on the internet and found a place that does wood fired pizza so I started the car and left for Mario's. When we got inside the restaurant and looked at the menu I found that you can get individual pizzas and that Mario's also served burgers.

I said, "Jena, you can get an individual pizza and Bobby you can get a cheeseburger here if you want." Jenna decided to order an individual cheese pizza and Bobby asked for a cheeseburger with fries and I ordered milk for the both of them, I ordered a BBQ bacon burger with fries and I had a Coke, as I never drink and drive with the kids in the car ever.

We ate and returned to the hotel. I got my trunks and the kids bathing suits out. Jena changed in the bathroom and Bobby and I in the main room. I took the kids down and watched them as they splashed and swam in the shallow end of the pool. They made a couple of friends and I sat and chatted with the girl's mother Audrey Thompson.

She looked to be about 32 with brunette hair, honey brown eyes, and a cute face. She looked to be about a 34 C and she had killer legs. She told me her husband was in their room as he was exhausted from a day of driving and she told me they were taking their girls to the water park tomorrow as well.

She asked, "Is your wife in the room as well? I look forward to meeting her."

I said, "No my wife went on a spa weekend with colleagues from her firm."

She replied, "You are a brave man, taking two kids to the water park alone. If Jonathan couldn't be here I would never try to manage my two girls on my own."

I told her, that, "I look forward to meeting your husband; perhaps we can all meet for breakfast at the pancake house across the street. We're in room 118, talk it over with your husband and if you want to go give me a call in the morning, we'll be up by 7."

Audrey replied, "I'll call you either way."

I found out that she worked as a pharmaceutical representative and I told her I was a physician with a thriving family practice. She told me that her territory included my area and that she had stopped in several times but it was always busy and couldn't be seen. I told her that I usually set aside time on Thursdays to meet with pharmaceutical reps.

I said, "Please stop in, my receptionist's name is Alice." I took out a business card and asked her for a pen and she got one from her purse. I wrote on the back of the card 'Ms. Thompson has a standing appointment to see me.' I told Audrey that she should call and set up a time with Alice a couple of days in advance of her visit so I can schedule that time to meet with her.

Audrey said, "Why thank you Dr. McAlister, I'm sure we have drugs that you'll want to prescribe and I provide a generous amount of samples as well."

I replied, "Audrey, it's Hank and I'm sure we will be able to do business." It was getting dark and we had a big day tomorrow so I told Bobby and Jena, that, it's time to get out."

Bobby shouted out, "Can't we stay a few more minutes Dad?"

I replied, "No, we all need to get a good night's rest to be ready for the water park, so say your goodbyes and get out."

They spent a few minutes saying goodbye to their 'lifelong friends' that they made the way kid's do in just a minute or two. I said to Audrey, "It was nice to meet you." We went to the room and I got the kids ready for bed. They were exhausted from the traveling and swimming so they went right to sleep. I checked to see if there were any messages from Mallory and there were none after she told me that she would call.

I was beginning to accept that she could ignore me for the weekend but her children? Was getting some strange cock really so important that she would fail to call, to at least check up on her children's welfare or to say goodnight?

I did receive a text from Andy. He wrote 'Everything is in place.' I have eyes on her outside the room and my colleague has A/V set in both rooms just in case. I will meet with you at Trudy's on Tuesday at 9am.'

I texted back, 'Thanks Andy, please, nothing until we meet, I need to keep it together for the kids.'

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, the stress and anxiety I have felt since that fateful day in her office, trying to hold it together around family, friends, and my kids, I was bone tired. I put my phone on the charger and I crawled under the covers. For the first night in a long while I was able to drift off into a restful sleep.

I had the kids up and dressing when our room phone rang, it was Audrey Thompson.

"Good morning Hank!"

I replied, "Good morning Audrey."

She said, "We would like to meet you and your kids for breakfast in say 10 minutes? My Jodi and Sarah want to eat with their friends."

I said, "Sounds good, see you in 10." I told the kids that Jodi and Sarah would be joining us for breakfast and I added, in 10 minutes but only if you're dressed and ready to go." I never have seen them get ready so fast.

We arrived before the Thompson's just enough ahead of time to get a table for all of us. I spotted Jodi and Sarah running toward the table saying, "Bobby, Jena!"

I then spotted Audrey coming our way followed by a rather tall good looking young man with sandy blonde hair, about 6' 195 lbs. He looked to be rugged and most likely worked some type of physical labor.

I stood up as they approached the table and Audrey made the introductions, saying, "Jonathan, this is Dr. Hank McAlister, Hank this is my husband Jonathan."

Jonathan, as he extended his hand, said, "It's good to meet you Doctor."

I reached out with my hand to accept his hearty handshake and replied, "It's Hank Jonathan, and it's a pleasure to meet you and your wonderful family." This is my son Bobby and daughter Jena, kids say hello to Mr. Thompson."

Jena said hello and it was almost comical in how my 'little man' reached out with his hand, while saying, "It's nice to meet you Mr. Thompson."

I could see the grin on Jonathan's face as he reached out and shook Bobby's hand, saying, "Same here Bobby." We all sat down the four kids were sitting together chattering away about the water park and what kind of pancakes they were going to get.

Jonathan said to me, "Hank, its Jon to my friends Audrey says that you might throw some business her way." I could see he was a bit concerned that maybe I was trying to put the moves on his wife.

I said, "Yes, I have a family practice and we see quite a few patients a month and my partners and I are always on the lookout for the latest medicines for our patients. Our current rep has gotten a bit complacent and we've been looking to find a new rep and they'll be happy that I happened to run into your wife by virtue of our children forming a fast friendship."

That's when his 9 year old Jodi piped up, saying, "Yeah Dad, Bobby and Jena are our best friends!"

He replied, "That's great sweetie." He seemed to be a bit more relaxed. Audrey is a fine looking woman but I would never cheat on Mallory even in the light of everything going on this weekend and I most certainly would never break up another couple or destroy their family. I liked the Thomson family; they reminded me of ours a few short days ago.

Jon said, "I am a contractor and I just started my own firm Thompson Construction. He added, for now, I need to work as part of the crew plus do the bidding, ordering, supervising and payroll to name a few."

Audrey said, "Jon works hard, a lot of long hours but we know it will pay off in the long run."

I said, "I know how it is, when I first opened my practice I worked crazy hours plus I was and still do surgery at the local hospital. I left my surgical practice to go into family medicine for more stable hours but before I grew enough to hire more staff and bring on more doctors I was crazy busy but you're right it is worth it in the end."

I added, "It's great you're making time to spend with your family." We ordered and ate our breakfast while making small talk. We agreed that it would please the kids if we did the water park rides together. We left and spent the day in the sun watching the kids splash around, going up and down the different slides again, and again and again.

By the end of the day I'm not sure who was more tired the kids or the adults. I looked up a family friendly restaurant and invited the Thompsons to join us. Jodi and Sarah were saying, "Please Daddy, please?" I could see that Jon was concerned and I guessed that this place was a bit above his budget for the trip. He had let it slip that he was starting up from the ground up and without any real investment capital and that things were a bit tight.

He said, "Unfortunately Hank we can only afford to go for one day and I know it's going to break their little hearts. I'm not looking forward to disappointing them." During a moment alone I phoned the hotel and booked their room for another night and then I ordered their tickets for a second day at the park.

I knew he was worried so I immediately said, "Dinner is on me, my way of thanking our new friends."

Jon, said, "No Hank that's too generous."

I said, "Jon, our kids will all be upset if we can't dine together tonight, I have been where you are now and it would be my pleasure to share some of my success with you tonight. Tongue in cheek, I added, "Besides, without my wife's shopping bill to contend with I have plenty of cash to spare."

Jon and Audrey both chuckled. Jon said, "Well in that case, how can I refuse."

We had a delightful meal and it was time to put the kids to bed. I stopped at a liquor store and picked up a twelve pack of beer, a Styrofoam cooler, a bag of ice, and a bottle of chardonnay and pinot noir plus I purchased a corkscrew and an inexpensive set of plastic wine glasses.

I went back to the room, got the kids bathed and into their pajamas and finally into bed. They were out almost immediately. I went over to the Thompson's room and tapped lightly on the door. Audrey answered and said, "Come in Hank."

"I asked, "Are the kid's asleep?"

Jon came over and said, "They're out like a light."

I told them that I have some cold beer and some wine chilling and invited them to come down by the pool as I needed to talk to them for a minute. I said, "We can see the rooms from here." They agreed and Jon helped me carry the glasses down by the poolside. The pool is closed but I cleared it with the manager so we could sit at the tables by the pool as long as we were quiet.

I began by saying, "Guys, we've had such a great time with your family, so great that we don't want it to end tonight. So I have already paid for your room for another night, bought you all tickets for the park tomorrow and here is a$100 gas card to help you get back home."

Jon was starting to protest, and I said, "Before you tell me no, understand, I have been in your shoes where money is tight. You remind me so much of my family and I realize how precious moments like these are, these are the times you make lasting memories. Besides, what I paid for room, tickets, gas and meals for all of us are less than I spend in one evening at our country club."

I added, "Look, I'm not bragging and I don't see you as a charity case but rather this is my turn to pay it forward and if the truth be told, I'm a bit selfish; because I am thankful for the help watching the kids, they would be a handful if I'm on my own."

Jon replied, "Hank, I just can't accept, I don't want to mooch off of you, especially since you have already been so generous."

I replied, "Look, Audrey will be doing business with my practice and I know that once you get your business up and running, you will pay it forward some day. It's not a handout, it's a gift to a young family that is working hard and will soon be successful. Family is important; let me give this gift to you and your family."

I could see that Audrey was weeping softly and Jon was choking back the tears. He replied, "Okay Hank, thank you, thanks so much."

I said, "That's settled, how about a cold one? With that Jon grabbed a couple of beers from the cooler. I asked Audrey, would you prefer red or white?"

She replied, "If it's all the same to you, how about a beer?"

I said, 'Be my guest." Jon jumped up and immediately got his wife a beer from the cooler. We sat and talked for a couple of hours before retiring. It was good company and pleasant conversation where we planned out the itinerary for the next day.

We said our goodnights and planned to meet for breakfast at 7am. I went in and I checked for any messages and found none. I texted Mallory to tell her that the kids were doing well and that they're having fun. I waited to see if she would reply but she didn't.

I guess she was too busy fucking Kolinsky to bother to check her messages. I felt the anger rise and I said to myself, "Fuck her." I looked upon my sleeping angels; somehow I had to make sure they come out the other side of this. Then I undressed and went to bed to prepare for the long day ahead.

We got up and got ready for the day. I saw the kids were sad thinking their new friends would be leaving. I said, "Well you will see them at breakfast."

Jena replied, "I'm going to miss seeing Sarah, she's my best friend in the whole world!" We arrived at the pancake house and this time the Thompson's were their waiting for us at a table. Bobby and Jena took off running to the table and sat down next to Jodi and Sarah.

I finally arrived and said, "Good morning!"

Jon and Audrey said in unison, "Good morning Hank." We placed our orders and the server brought us our coffee, milk. and juices. I gave Jon a little nudge so he would finally let the kids in on the good news.

He said, "Kids, I know we are planning to leave after breakfast. There were audible groans coming from the peanut gallery as Jon said, But, let me finish—I found out that we are going to be staying one more day!" Now the groans turned to cheers.

I spoke up before Jon let the cat out of the bag, saying, "Yes, your Dad found out that he has a new job starting in two weeks that allows him to be able to stay, great news huh?" The kids all nodded in agreement. Audrey was misty and Jon's eyes screamed thank you and I give him a slight nod to indicate that he and his family were most welcome.

Audrey was with the kids in the wave pool and Jon and I had a chance to talk. He said, Hank, I really wanted to tell them that because of your generosity we're able to stay."

I replied, "Well, I wanted to give all of you a gift and you should be the hero in their eyes. I added, Jon, my partners and I have been talking about having a new building constructed to give our growing practice more space. We have purchased a parcel of land that has room for building and plenty of parking."

I told him that, "I have talked to my partners about you and your business and we all agreed that we want you to build our building that is if you're interested. Jon was speechless and just bobbed his head up and down. I said, Fantastic. Do you know where Trudy's Café is on Route 11?"

Jon replied, "I do."

I told him to meet me at Trudy's on Tuesday at 8 am. "I'll bring the blueprints with me and then we can check out the site and drop in so you can meet my partners."

Jon said, "Hank this is so overwhelming. To tell you the truth I thought at first that you were trying to seduce my wife."

I said, "I had guessed that and it's not that Audrey isn't an attractive woman but I would never do that to anyone. I believe that good marriages are sacred and families are the most precious commodity anyone can ever have."

Jon said, "Hank, I firmly believe that and I realized it in the first 5 minutes after I met you. I will be there at 8am with bells on."

We all had another great day at the water park. On the way home we stopped and had spaghetti and Jon insisted on paying the check.

I told him, "Only if you allow me to leave the tip."

He replied, "Deal." The kids really loved the spaghetti and meatballs.

As the day before, the kids were dragging by the time we arrived at the hotel. I told Jon, "Let's meet at the pool after we get the kids settled. Audrey, care for some wine tonight?"

She replied, "Yes, I'll have the pinot noir please." I went into the room and I opened the bottle of pinot to allow it to breathe. I got the kids showered, in their PJ's and into bed. I was waiting to make sure they were sleeping soundly when Jon and Audrey tapped lightly on the door.

Jon grabbed the cooler, I grabbed the wine and Audrey carried the glasses. When we got to the poolside table I saw a small charcuterie platter waiting for us.

Audrey said, "I made us a little snack."

I told her, "It looks wonderful." I poured Audrey a glass of the pinot and Jon and I enjoyed the last of the beer. I told them, I'm so glad we met, our kids get along great and both of you have become friends and future business associates, so I'm making a toast, here's to the future."

We had a great evening and Jon said before we retired, "We'll be leaving early in the morning, so I will say our goodbyes"

I said, "Let's plan on getting together with our kids in the future."

Audrey replied, "Most definitely, Hank I look forward to meeting Mallory."

Jon said, "I'll see you Tuesday morning."

I added, "Take care."

I went in the room and checked on the kids, they were fast asleep. Before I put my phone on the charger I checked my messages and again, nothing from Mallory. I took time to lay out our clothes for morning and I and I packed up our bags.

I took them down to the car and put them in the trunk. I went inside and took a shower. I put my clothes in a laundry bag which I set out for our night clothes. As I climbed into bed I felt the ominous storm clouds gathering above, knowing that our lives were about to change for the worst.

I felt impotent and powerless to stop it. Why didn't I satisfy her? I didn't feel inadequate in the bedroom. What is it about Kolinsky, what does he have that I haven't or couldn't offer her?