The Greatest Love

"You don't believe me? Reid, I'd never cheat on you, I love you."

"Why did you lie?

"I didn't. I didn't mean we met inside the store itself, we met in the parking lot before I went inside. The kiss was nothing. He used to be a good friend and I hadn't seen him in a long time so I gave him a little hello kiss, that's all.

Reid looked at his mother who was pleading with her eyes for him to believe Carol's story. He didn't, not really, but he had no proof of anything else.

"Reid, please, believe me, nothing happened. I probably shouldn't have gone to his room, but I was so anxious to tell him about you and your mother and everything."

"What's his name?"

"What?"

"His name, if he's such a good friend you must know his name."

Again, she had to think fast and come up with a fictitious name. She found it wasn't all that easy, especially when she was on the spot like that. "Adam," she claimed, "Adam Jones."

"Adam Jones? Did we go to school with him?"

"No, ah, his parents and mine were good friends at one time. Adam and I knew each other when we were just kids."

"Carol, I won't stand for any cheating. If I find out you're seeing other guys behind my back, so help me, I'll divorce you, I mean it."

Later that night, while lying beside each other in bed, Carol had to ask, "You do believe me about yesterday, don't you, honey?"

"I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I better not find out you're lying to me, Carol."

There was no sex that night. Carol tried testing the waters but he shut her down flat. She was worried beyond belief. What were the odds of someone seeing them like that? She didn't get much sleep that night.

The next morning, Reid took his dad's car keys from his wife's purse before leaving for work. While driving in, he came up with a plan. It probably still wouldn't provide proof of anything, but he might be able to find out if his wife was lying to him or not.

He told his boss he needed to take a long lunch hour then headed to the Cherry Lane Inn, the motel Tom was talking about. He asked the clerk if an Adam Jones was still there. The young man behind the counter looked a little puzzled as he checked the register.

"I'm sorry, Sir, we don't have a Mr. Jones staying here."

"Did he check out already?"

"He was never here."

"Well, who was in room one-ten then?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Sir, I can't give you that information. We don't give out the names of our guests."

"Will twenty bucks get me the name," Reid asked while pulling out his wallet.

The clerk looked around, then took the two tens Reid set on the counter before looking for the name. "Ah, Arnold Becker," he said.

"Has he been here before?"

"Oh yeah, he comes two or three times a month with a really good looking fox."

Earlier that morning, Reid had asked a couple of his friends if he could borrow pictures of their wives. He promised they'd get them back unharmed the next day. He spread them out on the counter along with a picture of Carol. "Can you tell me if she's one of these women?"

"Yeah, this one right here," he replied, pointing at his wife.

"Okay, thanks," Reid responded. He turned to leave but thought of one more question. "Ah, just one more thing; you said they came in two or three times a month, how long have they been coming in?"

"I'm not really sure, four or five months, I guess, maybe six."

"Thanks again."

"She your wife?" the clerk asked.

"For the time being," Reid replied, on the way out.

He was too upset to go back to work. He stopped at a restaurant for a cup of coffee and used the payphone to call in and tell his boss he needed the rest of the day off.

As he sat drinking his coffee, his anger was bubbling to the surface. By the time he got home, he was seething. Carol was surprised to see him walk in so early in the day, then one look at his face and she knew she was in trouble.

"Where's Mom?"

"She's in her room taking a nap. Is everything all right, honey? You're home awful early."

"No, as a matter of fact, NOTHING is all right. You lied to me. Adam Jones my ass. How about Arnold Becker. You and him have been carrying on for months but I don't have to tell you that, do I. How many others were there before him?" He could see the terror in her face. "Go on, tell me I'm wrong. Tell me how much you love me and would never cheat on me. How about you and I go down to the Cherry Lane motel and you can tell me in front of the desk clerk over there. He thinks you're a good-looking fox, by the way. You should keep him in mind for another candidate."

Mary, having heard the commotion, came out to see what was going on. She saw Carol sitting at the kitchen table, crying, and heard the last few words from her son but hadn't heard enough to fully know what he was talking about.

"Reid—honey, what's going on?"

"She lied to us, Mom. She's been seeing another guy for months. She's been telling you she was visiting girlfriends and the whole time she's been going to a motel with some guy named Arnold Becker."

She felt as if her own heart had shattered. "Oh, Carol, is this true? How could you? You've been like one of the family, I... I just don't understand how you could do something like that."

Carol couldn't answer, all she could do was cry. She couldn't believe she ruined everything. She would, of course, beg and plead to be forgiven but didn't hold much hope. When it came to right and wrong, Reid was a boy scout. He believed in honesty and always trying to do the right thing, and he believed others should feel the same way. He wouldn't associate with anyone he knew to be dishonest.

After a few minutes of sobbing, Carol realized the voices had stopped. She lifted her head from her hands and saw she was alone. She could hear Reid talking in the living room. She dried her eyes with a dish towel and slowly walked to the doorway. What she saw was truly heartbreaking. Reid had his arm around his mother trying to comfort her as she bawled like a baby. He looked up at Carol with unbelievable anger in his eyes.

"I'm... I'm so sorry," she wept as she ran into their bedroom and closed the door. She flopped down on the bed and started to cry again. She could have possibly talked him into forgiving her for his own pain, but he would never ever forgive her for his mother's pain, she was certain of that.

"Carol... Carol, wake up, I want to talk to you."

She was being nudged. She realized she had cried herself to sleep. Mary was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her voice was different. Never had she heard Mrs. Prescott speak with indifference.

"I want to know why?" she demanded. "Why would you do something so vile? We took you in when you needed help. Frank and I treated you like a daughter. I encouraged my son to marry you because I thought you'd make him a wonderful wife, and then you betray us like this, why?"

"I don't know, Mary, I guess I just got selfish. When I married Reid, I had everything I wanted, but after a while I guess I started to become complacent. What do you do when you have everything you want? You want more, of course. For one thing, I missed some of the wild sex I used to have when I was younger. Then, one day I saw Arnie, I knew him from before, and talk about wild sex... the guy is an animal.

He works as a department manager at the sports store on York Road. I tried to resist, I really did, but I found myself making excuses to go over there. Every time I'd see him I'd... well, let's just say I got excited you know where.

"The first time we went to a motel together, it was just supposed to be that one time. I thought no one will ever know. When I saw him again and he wanted more, I figured I got away with it once, I could do it again. The next thing I knew we were doing it a couple times a week without getting caught. I can't believe Tom saw us like that."

Mrs. Prescott was disappointed. She was hoping Carol would tell her something that might justify her actions, or at least, give her son a reason to forgive her; unfortunately, she heard nothing. "Well, he's going to divorce you and I won't try to talk him out of it. I don't think I could if I did try."

"I know, Mary. I really screwed up, didn't I."

"Yes, you sure did. I can't tell you how angry and disappointed I am in you, Carol. I don't think I'll ever get over how you hurt my son."

"I know it doesn't mean much, but I am sorry. I never wanted this."

"I'm pretty sure he's going to ask you to leave pretty soon. Where will you go?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll go see if my dad is still living at the house. I haven't talked to him in years so I don't know how welcome I'll be but I really don't have anywhere else."

"Do you have any money?"

"No, I don't have anything."

"Well, I'm sure Reid will be fair once he gets over the hurt and anger. Until then, I have about two hundred dollars saved up. You can have that."

"Oh, Mary, I can't take your money," cried Carol.

"Nonsense, I've been saving up to give you and Reid something special for your anniversary, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen so you might as well take it. It's not going to do me any good."

Carol profusely thanked Mrs. Prescott for her generosity but was really worried about what she was going to do. She had no idea if her dad was even still alive. As Mary got up to leave the bedroom, Carol realized they were alone in the house. "Where's Reid? Did he go back to work?"

"No, it's after six o'clock, for Pete's sake. You've been sleeping for hours. I didn't feel much like cooking so he ordered a pizza. He just went to pick it up. You should get out of bed and get yourself cleaned up. He'll be back any minute."

The following day, Reid talked to his boss about his marital problems and asked if he could take a week's vacation. Sympathetic to his plight, Reid's boss made arrangements for it to start the very next day and then gave him the rest of the day off.

Carol, knew her stay at the house would be short-lived, so she begrudgingly accepted the two-hundred dollars from Mary and left. Reid still had the keys to his dad's car, so she walked the three and a half miles to her old home to see if she would be welcome.

She wasn't even sure he still lived there, so she knocked on the door several times before trying it. It was unlocked. She was completely taken aback when she walked inside and wondered how anyone could live like that. There were empty liquor and beer bottles everywhere, a sink full of dirty dishes, clothes scattered all over, and the place stunk to high heaven.

The furniture was all the same, the living room rug was still the same, so evidently he still lived there. She checked her old bedroom and found it just as she left it, only dirtier. She assumed he was at work. Maybe she'd hedge her bets by cleaning up the place before he came home. If she could show him her worth around the house, maybe he'd let her stay. She walked down to the little corner grocery store she was sent to so many times as a kid and got some cleaning supplies.

Reid had used his day off to seek out an attorney. He called the one with the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages and was given an appointment for that afternoon. It was a little after four in the afternoon by the time he walked in the door.

He greeted his mother then looked around. "Where's Carol?"

"She figured you'd be kicking her out of the house, so she left to see if she can go back to live with her father."

"What time did she leave?"

"About eight-thirty or so, why?"

"So she just left you here alone all day?" he angrily asked.

"Young man, you are really starting to make me mad. I am NOT some feeble old woman who can't care for herself. For many years, I took care of you AND your father with no problems, and I could do it again if I had to.

"What do you think, that you are going to divorce Carol but still keep her here as a housekeeper or something? Don't be ridiculous. If you're going to divorce her you both need to get on with your lives. Are you?"

She hadn't yelled at him like that since he was a kid. It threw him a little. "Huh, am I what?"

"Going to divorce her," his mother replied.

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm not going to stand for her cheating, that's for sure. I saw a lawyer today. He's going to have the papers ready in a couple of days."

"You know she has absolutely nothing, no money, no job. She took care of your dad and me for a long time before you came back and she always did more than her share around the house, even after you two were married. That's got to be worth something, honey. I hope you're planning on being fair with her."

"I am," he responded. "When I explained everything to the lawyer, he suggested I pay her twenty percent of my take home for a couple of years, that's about forty dollars a week. That's more than she would have made as a housekeeper."

"I guess that sounds fair," she agreed.

"Did she say if she's coming back today?"

"I have no idea. I guess it depends on her if her dad says she can stay there or not."

*****

By six o'clock Carol had the place aired out, her bedroom cleaned up, the kitchen floor scrubbed, the laundry done, the living room rug vacuumed, and the dishes washed. She started supper, hoping the aroma of a home-cooked meal would increase her chances of having a place to live.

As she sat, eating alone at the kitchen table, Carol was reminded of why her mother left and why she left as well. She was sure her dad was sitting in a bar someplace and figured he wouldn't even show his drunken carcass until midnight, at least. By eleven, she was too tired to stay up any longer. Most likely, by the time her dad got home, he'd be too drunk to talk anyway. It would have to wait until morning.

Unfortunately, with no alarm clock, Carol overslept. She awoke with a start when she saw how bright it was outside her window. "Shit," she cursed as she quickly got dressed. She rushed into the kitchen hoping he hadn't left for work yet but no one was there. In fact, there was no sign that he had even been there. The coffee pot was empty, there were no dishes in the sink, nothing. She checked his bed but it was still made and hadn't been slept in.

Maybe he had a girlfriend and was sleeping at her house? Ridiculous, she thought, what woman in her right mind would have him as a boyfriend? The only thing she could think to do was check the garage to see if his car was there... it was. What the hell? Now she was getting concerned. Where could he be?

She wondered if the Crawfords still lived next door. They were always nice to her when she was growing up. She went over and knocked on their door.

"Carol Johnson, is that you?" Mrs. Crawford looked a little older but she still had her friendly smile.

"Yes, Mrs. Crawford, I came to check on my dad, but he didn't come home last night and I'm worried about him. Do you know where he is by any chance?"

"Oh, yes, Carol, they took him away in an ambulance a few days ago. I don't know what happened. I'm sure he's probably still there, though."

That didn't sound good at all. "Okay, thanks, Mrs. Crawford, I'm going to check with the hospital," she said. She ran to the phone but found it was disconnected. "Shit!"

Her dad always had a bad habit of leaving the keys in the car when it was in the garage. She wondered... sure enough. She drove to the hospital and checked in at the desk. They gave her the bad news. Her father was suffering from Cirrhosis of the liver and had only a couple more days to live. She didn't even recognize him went she walked into his room but he recognized her.

"Carol," he said with a weak voice, "how did you know I was here?"

"I came by the house to check on you, Dad. Mrs. Crawford saw them take you in an ambulance. How are you doing?"

He chuckled as best he could. "How does it look like I'm doing, honey, I'm dying. All the booze finally caught up to me. Listen, when you go home lookup Philip Barkley, in the address book by the phone. He's my attorney. He has my will. It's not much, but I left everything I have to you."

Carol stayed with him until they kicked her out around dinner time. She needed clothes, so she headed back to the only happy home she'd ever known. After she brought Reid and Mary up to speed on her circumstances and told them she would be living in her old house from then on, Reid's mother excused herself so he and Carol could talk privately.

They went over the terms of the divorce. Since there were no kids involved and the house was still in his mother's name, it was all pretty straight forward and Carol readily agreed to the alimony payments.

Things were winding down, but before she left, Reid had to ask, "Carol, be honest, did you ever really love me?"

She looked into his eyes and knew she couldn't lie. "I... I admired you. You were everything I thought a man should be. I knew you would treat me right and take care of me forever, but I'm not sure I even know what love really is, Reid. Right now my dad is in the hospital with only a couple days left, and I can't find it in my heart to love him even now. My mother didn't love him. She obviously didn't love me either, or she wouldn't have left me behind when she took off. The only thing my dad ever loved was his booze. Maybe it's genetic, but I'm not sure I have it in me to really love anyone, certainly not like you love Leilani.

"I knew when you married me you did it because you felt it was your responsibility, your duty, not because you loved me. I knew that, even if you didn't. I'm not sorry, though. The last few years have been the happiest of my life and I thank you for that. I'm just sorry I hurt you and your mother. You didn't deserve that, I am truly sorry."

Reid gave her a hand with her clothes. She had everything she owned piled in the back seat of her dad's car. As she backed out of the driveway, she looked one more time at Reid and his mother standing on the front porch and tears ran down her face. She cried all the way to her new home.

The following day, Reid was gone most of the day and seemed a little agitated when he came home that afternoon. When his mother asked him what was wrong, he told her he had gone first to Arnold Becker's house and told his wife about his affair with Carol. At first, Becker's wife didn't believe him but the more he talked the more convinced she became. By the time he left, Reid was pretty sure divorce was in Becker's near future.

He was driving home after that, but the situation still felt unfinished. He turned around in a parking lot and drove to the store Becker worked in. He asked around until someone pointed out the home wrecker.

"Arnold Becker?"

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"I'm Carol's husband. I just wanted to tell you that since you ruined my marriage, I ruined yours. I just came from your house where I explained your affair with my wife in detail. Your wife's pretty mad. Hopefully, she'll be waiting for you tonight with a shotgun." He watched with glee as the color drained from Becker's face. As he turned to leave, Becker grabbed him and started to cuss.

"You son of a bitch, I'll kill you!" he yelled before hauling back for a right cross.

Reid saw it coming from a mile away and sidestepped the punch before smashing his right hand into the asshole's nose. Blood spurted everywhere and Becker hit the floor. Reid spent the next two hours at the police station but was never locked up. He had several witnesses who said he was acting in self-defense.

His mother scolded him for his lack of self-control, but she couldn't blame him. If she'd been a man she would have done the same thing.

It was several months later when Reid came home and made an announcement. He still had two more weeks of vacation, so he was taking his mother to Hawaii. It was like a dream come true. Ever since reading her son's letters about the tropical paradise, she'd wanted to see it for herself but never thought it would happen.