The Handshake

I walked into the party with my wife Jenny. We were met by the host and hostess, Harold and Letty Jenkins. They were in their sixties, and well dressed, but otherwise not physically imposing. Harold was head of the City Corp., where my wife worked as an executive VP, in charge of hospitality and entertainment. I know that seems strange. CC was an investment firm in NYC. Jenny's office was here in D.C. She was basically a lobbyist. Well, she supervised the various lobbyists. She oversaw assignments, managed large conferences in the city, and approved various expenses connected with convincing a lawmaker, or lawmakers, to do the right thing. Jenny had attained the VP position three years prior to this particular party. She was well paid and highly respected. She was also, at thirty-eight, a beautiful blond, tall and well-proportioned.

The party was at the Hilton near the Hill. CC had rented a big room, and was having a dinner dance event for some of their targets in government. The event was to be lavish, and was designed to impress the targets with the power and prestige of CC.

I had always shied away from these events. So, when Jenny introduced me to Harold and Letty, Harold offered his hand and said, "Well, we all wondered if you were a myth, Jake. Made up to keep Jenny from being badgered at work."

I smiled at him. I said, "No myth, only a shy guy. You seem to have quite a spread here, and lots of important people."

Harold laughed, "That's kind of the point. Jenny is good at doing these things. She's a real asset to the company."

Jenny said, "Harold, thanks. But, I'm just a party girl who found a good job in her field."

Letty laughed. "I've heard different, Jenny. And I see you have a very handsome husband."

That was me, I guess. I'm Jake Braverman. I have been described as handsome maybe twice in my forty years. A better description would be nondescript. I'm 6' tall, average build, brown over brown.

But Jenny accepted the compliment for me, and clutched my arm. She said, "Now that he's actually here, I'm going to show him off a bit."

We wandered around, and I was introduced to various politicians, and some business associates of Jenny. About thirty minutes into the event, Jenny looked at the entrance, where there was a small commotion.

What caused the commotion was the arrival of Dick Morgan, a young Senator from a Midwest red state. He was a media sensation - at thirty-four, the youngest in the Senate, tall and rugged, with longish blond hair and startling blue eyes. He had been a football star at his state's university, but suffered a career ending knee injury in his first year with the pros. Since then, he was a commenter on TV, until he surprisingly won a Senate seat when the long-time incumbent retired.

Jenny saw him coming, and said. "C'mon Jake, let me introduce you." She seemed a tad off when she said that. But we walked over to him. He had no plus-one, it seemed, and I knew that he was single.

Jenny said, "Dick, hi. This is my husband, Jake. Jake, Senator Dick. Jake works for State."

Dick beamed at Jenny and turned to me, "A pleasure to meet you, finally." He had a smirk on his face for a second. Then he stuck out his big hand, and I took it.

He squeezed. He was looking right at me, and trying to break my hand. I squeezed back. I have various physical qualities, and one of them is very good upper body strength, all the way down to the grip.

I was quite surprised by his attempt to embarrass me, for that's what it was. And, to say the least, I was angry about it. So, I gave him all I had, gradually, staring right back at him. His hand was bigger, but mine was steel. The contest went on for what must have seemed like a long time to those around us. Finally, I saw a tear slide down his handsome face, and he let up. I squeezed a little more and let go.

There was a longish silence around us. Then I said, "Nice to meet you, too, Dick." I gave him a smile. Then I turned to look at Jenny. She had let go of my arm, and stepped back. She was white, and looking down at the floor.

I said, "Well, Jenny, I guess I'll let you get on with your job.....or whatever you're up to." I turned and walked off.

She and I had been married out of college, at twenty-one. So, seventeen years, and two kids, who were both in high school. John and Mary, seventeen and sixteen. Jenny had worked her way up the corporate ladder, and I had taken a government job, at the State Department. Although the job did require some travel, it allowed me to work from home quite a bit. So, I had the major role raising the children. My job also required the highest security clearance, which I had attained and kept for twelve years.

As I walked away from Senator Dick and my wife, I heard her excuse herself. She caught up to me, took my arm again. She said, "Let's take a break and go outside." She gestured to a door to a second-floor balcony.

When we got outside, I turned and simply looked at her. Maybe I raised an eyebrow.

She said, "Jake, what.....I mean...what did you do?"

"I returned what I got from him. That's all. The question I have is why he smirked at me, and then tried to embarrass me in front of you. Actually, I believe I know the answer. Well?"

"It's nothing, Jake. Really."

"Bullshit. You fucked that guy, right? And he was trying to show the world. You know, he's an asshole."

She couldn't look at me. She sobbed out, "It's nothing, Jake. Please, Jake."

I said, "It's not nothing to me. I'm leaving, and if you have any respect for me, you'll leave with me, and we can settle this privately."

"I can't just leave. This is a big deal. We can talk tomorrow. I love you so much, Jake."

"Not so much as I thought. Not much at all, Jen." I walked inside, and went straight for the exit. My walk attracted quite a bit of attention. Senator Dick moved to cut me off. He had two other men with him. Big men.

He stepped in front of me and said, "Don't be a jerk, Jake. Nothing...well, Jenny is a wonderful woman."

I snarled at him. "Get the fuck out of my way, asshole. If not, nothing can save you, not even these two guys."

He hesitated. I slapped his face. It was a very hard, short blow, that knocked him backward, but not off his feet. The two men moved on me. I darted to the rear of one and shoved him into the other. All three fell in a tangle, and I walked out the door. No one followed.

The harder they come.....

I called an Uber and went across the river to my house. It didn't take long, at that time on a Saturday evening.

Both the kids had visitors. They didn't expect me home so soon. The visitors were of the opposite sex. However, all four were in the living room, watching a movie, fully clothed.

Mary got up and said, "Hi, dad. Why are you home so fast?"

"The party didn't agree with me. So, I left."

John said, "Where's mom? Did you leave her there?"

"Yep. It's her....forte. Not mine."

Mary said, "Dad, we can both see you're upset."

I said, "I'll get over it. Why don't you introduce me to your friends."

They did. John has a nice girlfriend named Helen, whom I'd met before. Mary was with Jed, who looked a little older. I sat and spoke to all of them and then said, "I'll let you all finish the film. I missed dinner, so I'm gonna get something."

That was at eight-thirty. The kids' guests left at eleven, and Jenny came home thirty minutes later.

I was sitting in the kitchen. I didn't get up to greet her. She came back, still in her fancy dress.

She said, "I've been suspended, with pay. All due to your little drama."

"All due to your fucking some asshole, who then tried to humiliate me in front of you. Too bad for him. As for you. Leave."

"I'm not leaving. I have nowhere to go."

"I don't care, Jenny. You're behaving like your name implies. You need to go, and not to come back."

"I apologize, Jake. It just happened. I'm so sorry."

Mary came off the stair and said, "Mom, you fucked around on Dad. Jesus, Mom!"

Jenny slipped to the floor. Not a dead faint. John came into the room, then. No one moved to help her. She started sobbing, incoherently.

I got up, stepped by her and went upstairs. I pulled a duffle out and packed some of her clothes in it. Also, her toothbrush, and assorted face and body creams. A pair of trainers. I brought the bag down and put it by the front door. Jenny was sitting at the kitchen table. John and Mary were there as well. But there was no conversation.

I said, "I packed your bag, Jenny. Get yourself out of here."

She looked at me, tears streaming down her face. She saw nothing good. She got up and walked to the door. She picked up her duffle and left.

Mary watched and said, "Who was it?"

"Senator Dick Morgan."

John said, choking, "What should we do?"

I looked at both of them. "I believe we should decide nothing now, when things are raw. I sent your mom away because I hated what she did. I....I'm not sure how I feel about her."

Mary said, "She's broken our family. I know how I feel."

"At some point we'll all have to listen to her, about what she wants, and about why she did it. Not now. Not now...."

We all eventually went to bed. I know I didn't sleep so well. I woke at 5:00 am and went for a run. When I got back the kids had bacon and eggs.

We ate and I asked, "Did you guys sleep?"

Mary said, "Not much. I wonder where she is."

"Probably at her folks' house. I assume that. Maybe she went to her buddy Kate's. We can find out." I searched for her phone location. Her phone was at Kate's house, about two miles away.

So, I called her parents - Henry and Mona Brandt. They were mid-sixties, lived in Fairfax. Jenny was their middle child. She had an older brother, Hank, and a younger sister, Missy.

Mona answered the phone. "Hi, Jake, How're you?"

"Not so great, Mona. I threw Jenny out last night. She's at Kate Smyth's house."

"Oh, God, what did she do, Jake?"

"She's been....unfaithful. I wanted to warn you, I'm sorry."

"Do the children know?"

"Yes."

"How are they?"

"Not great. Not terrible. Who knows what lies ahead."

We ended the call, and I went through the same sort of thing with my parents, who lived in Pittsburgh. My mom, Ella, was flabbergasted. My dad, Steve, not so much. He had never really cottoned to Jenny. I guess he was prescient.

It was Saturday, and both kids had soccer games. We made them, but they played poorly, each one. John, however, did blast a long shot right past the keeper. A better, harder shot than he's ever made. Some anger there.

I took them out for dinner, at a seafood place near our house. Neither had heard from Jenny - that I knew of anyway.

We were driving home when my cell rang, and it was Jenny. I put it on hands free, and said, "We're in the car, all of us. Not the time for talking."

She choked out, "I'm so sorry. I'm saying it to all of you. So......sorry."

Mary shouted, "That's for sure. Sorry is a cop out word."

I shushed her. Then I said, "Not the time, Jenny." I hung up.

I knew that I had to report this entire event to my job. It was questionable in terms of security. However, it occurred to me that Dickhead might not be the first. I had to know, before I reported. And I had to know how long this had been going on, and whether she had him at our house. I had to know these things because once I reported, there would be a very thorough investigation of Jenny, Dickhead, and me.

So, when I got home, I dropped the kids off and went to Kate's house. I rang the bell and her husband Robby answered. He looked spooked, and said, "I don't think you should be here now."

"But I am, and if you don't let me in, some minions from my work will be here in an hour or less. Your choice." He had some idea of where I worked. He stepped aside. I walked in and saw Kate and Jenny in the dining room.

They stood, startled. Jenny said, "Jake, why have you come?"

I said, "I wonder if we can have some privacy, Jenny."

Kate said, "I won't....I mean...."

Jenny interrupted, "Kate, can we go onto the patio out back? It's okay. Jake isn't a violent man." She wasn't lying. She believed that. But she was wrong.

Jenny and I sat outside, at a table. I said, "I need to report this to my work. And when I do, soon, all hell is going to break loose. Before I do, I need facts. I need all the facts, no lies. Any lies and......well, shit happens, even to people like you. And like Dickhead."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes. Really, I'm simply reporting what might happen. We had this discussion when I got my clearance. You forgot?"

"No. I never thought you meant it. I thought you were putting up a front, so I'd be a nice faithful wife."

"I wasn't. I want you to understand that - NO LIES!" She paled.

I said, "How long have you been fucking Dickhead?"

"Six weeks."

"Has he been to our house?"

"No. He...we do it in his office."

"Who else knows?"

"Everyone at the party, I guess."

"What did your boss say? Why are you suspended?"

"We have a morality clause. He knew right away what happened. Dick just blew it. He thought he could lord it over you. You're right about him being an asshole. Jake, I'm so sorry."

"That I do not believe. How many others have there been?"

She looked away. She was shaking. She whispered, "Two."

"Who and when?"

"A one-night stand when I went to St. Louis." She paused.

"And?"

"And, Paul Drake."

Paul Drake was a fellow member of the country club, and a guy with whom we socialized. He was a big, buff fellow, like Dickhead. I assume also like the one-night stand.

"How long? How many times?"

"About ten months. Every week. At....mostly at his house."

"But?"

"Two or three times at our house. In the late mornings. I'm so sorry, Jake."

Have you kept up with him while you were boffing Dickhead?

"Yes. Well, we missed two weeks of the six. Dickhead wanted me those days. Sorry."

"When was the last time he was at our house?"

"Wednesday last week. In the morning after the kids left for school."

"Does he get to wander around? Like maybe when you shower?"

"I...no...well, there might be a chance. Last week he stayed until I showered and dressed, and I gave him a ride to town. I'm so sorry, so very sorry, Jake. I've gotten weak."

I had the same poker face that I had maintained throughout. I said, "Sorry doesn't cut it, Jenny. It's lame, and I don't believe you anyway. We can discuss all this later, with our lawyers. For now, is that it?"

"Yes." I looked at her, a hard look. She said, "I swear. That's all."

"People will call you soon, probably in the morning. You'll have to talk to them. You recall that paperwork you signed when I got the clearance?"

"Yes."

"It obligated you to speak to these people, if they had questions. You have no choice. Do you understand?"

"Yes." She was crying.

"We'll have our personal discussion when I'm ready. Perhaps you'll have some explanation. It won't save the marriage. I'll have to choose between you and my job, if I'm lucky. I won't choose you."

"Oh, God. Oh, Jake! The kids. Jake, please."

"It's done and dusted, as far as I'm concerned. You betrayed me, many times over."

I left her there, sobbing. And....I found that her tears made me feel......good. The bitch.

When I got home, I settled the kids. Then I took my secure phone out of the office safe, and made the call. Giving details took about thirty minutes. My head of section was very unhappy that I had waited as long as I had. She was also unhappy that Jenny could conduct herself as she had, and no one in the agency knew about it. That, by itself, was a breach of security.

At work the next day, I was on the carpet. The investigators were onto Jenny right away, and I assume she told them what she told me. That meant that Dickhead, Paul Drake and the St Louis guy (and for sure they'd locate him) would be investigated thoroughly. I was not suspended. I was working a project that could not be delayed, and I continued. In about a week I'd need to go to Berlin.

I was told, at the end of the day, that Jenny would have to move back home until things were sorted. What happened inside the house was irrelevant. But it needed to look to others as if nothing much had happened. Our house had had a going over, by the tech guys, to see if there had been any tampering. The focus was on my office safe, where some sensitive material was lodged. The conclusion was that there had been tampering, but that it had not been penetrated. Unlike Jenny.

What that seemed to mean was Paul Drake. He was the one who had been inside the house, and the tampering appeared to jibe with his latest visit, and not with visits from friends of my children.

Paul Drake was the CEO of a shadowy corporation called Megasec. It was touted as providing security for executives, and celebrities. I was certain that my agency had a big file on it, but it wasn't in my purview, so I didn't know much. They hadn't told me not to socialize with him.

That afternoon when the kids came from school, I explained to them that Jenny would be moving back in, but that we hadn't made up. I told them that it was a matter of convenience, until I had made up my mind about stuff. They seemed to accept my explanation, although Mary appeared to be skeptical. She was a bright child. She kept her apparent misgivings to herself.

Jenny arrived with her duffle bag just at dinner time. I had made a large salad, so there was enough for her. She sat at her normal place, as did we all. But placement was the sole normal thing about that dinner.

John and Mary remained monosyllabic, in response to Jenny's conversation. She again apologized to them. She said, "I have made a series of bad judgements, for which I am sorry. I have said that before. This is the last time I'll say it to you kids. When, or if, you accept my apology, please let me know. She was greeted by silence.

I said, "Just so everyone knows the score, I'll be sleeping in the cellar for the time being. That's my choice. Your mother and I will see what can be worked out between us. We may ask for your input, eventually."

Mary said, "You can have mine now Dad."

"Wait a while, please. I understand that you have your viewpoint, but mainly this is on me to make decisions. Or your mom."

Jenny said, "I know what I want. To forget, and make it up to all of you."

I said, "We'll talk about it later. How's the salad?"

John said, "Not enough dressing. But good." He added some Newman's.

And we, all four, lapsed into silence. I served a store-bought cake for desert. When we'd finished, Jenny said, "I'll clean up."

The kids went upstairs. It was 7:30pm. I sat at the table while she washed up, watching her. She was jumpy, like a scared dog. She didn't look at me. When she finished, she sat at the table.

She said, "You can sleep in our bed, Jake. I won't attack you."

"Oh? Maybe I don't believe you, but maybe that isn't the problem - you attacking me."

She stared. "That's an ambiguous statement, Jake."

"It fits my mood. I have conflicting emotions. So, right now, it's better for me to sleep elsewhere. You wouldn't even be home except for work made us."

She shook her head. "I want to explain some. I've obviously been thinking about all this. About why I did it."

"Okay. Shoot."

She smiled. "I don't have a gun, but I will....try to let you know stuff."

"Okay."

"You remember my Uncle Winston?"

"The guy married to your sister for a while?"

"The very one. He took my cherry when I was in high school. And, we kept at it after that, until I left for college. When I came back for Thanksgiving, he'd left Aunt Sally. I never saw him again."

"He made an impression?"

"Yes. All through college, I tried to find someone that could make me feel like he did. Not happening, until I met you."