The High Price of Kim's "New Me"

Kim nodded her head. "Yeah, I know. I told him Mr. Cruz was retiring" The way she just came out and admitted it, I couldn't have been more stunned if I'd pissed on a 500-megawatt power line.

Shakily, I poured another cup of coffee and leaned back against the kitchen table. "So, this was a deliberate, pre-planned act to get back with you and you helped him. You have no remorse except that you got caught." I took a sip and burned my tongue. "I'll call you a cab, so you can go back to him."

"No. This is my home, too." she said defiantly.

"You're only half right, Kim. This is a house. You destroyed the home. I would never throw you into the street, because you probably won't be able to collect unemployment when they fire you for cause. Plus, legally I can't make you leave."

"What? My job? What did you do, Kevin?!" The manic Kim was back. I thought, 'This woman is as bipolar as a magnet.'

"Honey, I had to protect the chillllldren. I emailed the principal and the school board. Told them you and your boss were fucking. I included pics and the video. And, dear Kim, if you fuck with me any more, and I'll send this shit to everyone on my email list.

"If you stay here, I'll sleep in my office, on the futon couch. You can have our room. There's too many memories for me to sleep there. Plus, if that son-of-a-bitch sets foot in this house, I will beat his ass. Wanna fuck him, go to his place. I'm filing for divorce, tomorrow."

"Can't we stay married," Kim pleaded.

I shook my head. "Do you have so little regard for the man who has always loved you? The only thing I got from you are Scott and Jill and some pretty good sex." Inside, my heart was betraying my harsh words, but I had to learn to start loving myself again. "Seriously, Kim, only a mentally-ill person could think I'd stay married to you and let you fuck your soul-mate or whatever the fuck he is!"

I added softly, "Kim, I'll always love you, but you need to learn to love yourself. You've never grown past that young woman who was hurt and humiliated so badly. Think about it; you lived your whole life wanting to be good enough for a man who did that to you. Yes, dear, you need to see a mental health professional. But I won't be part of that, because we are done."

---

The next day, I got into our joint investments before Kim could, simply by changing our passwords! Then, I went through the whole package with our investment counsellor and pre-paid Scott's remaining college expenses and paid for Jill's 4 years. Kim hesitatingly signed the papers, but when I flashed the infamous cheating-photos/video memory stick in her face, she quickly relented.

Kim was served with divorce papers on Thursday, with adultery listed as the reason. I asked for us to keep the assets we'd individually acquired, and split the jointly held assets, 50/50. As for adultery, I provided ample evidence that Kim and Nick Smith engineered this whole thing, from the onset. Her lawyer tried to get half of my investments and alimony, but my lawyer decided to claim half of her teachers' retirement, and they backed off. In the end, we left with what was originally, and we split the sale of house. Yes, the home was no more.

Nick Smith was fired as soon as he arrived by cab at school on Wednesday. Kim, though, was suspended with pay, and her union asserted that she was a victim in all this shit, since Nick was her boss. She kept her job, but she was put on a 3-year conduct probations. She returned to school in mid-May to finish the year. That's a good thing too, because Smith was toxic to school districts. He was like the hapless man who couldn't get laid in a women's prison with a handful of pardons. Nick was working at the Ace Hardware across the street from his apartment, as well as tutoring GED students in math. Like Trudy Smith predicted, Nick walked away with pretty much nothing.

Well, Kim moved into the master bedroom, and legally she had every right. Plus, I'm still a nice guy, but I do have my limits, which I was learning to enforce. Over the next few weeks, she tried to reconcile, but I kept her literally and physically at arm's length. After about six weeks, Kim moved in with shit-head. Seems he was getting jealous.

Jill was ruthless towards her mother. We spent a lot of time in my office or on the deck just hanging out, talking things over. We both gained some wisdom and became even closer. In late March, Jill went to counseling for depression and issues with her mother. To Kim's credit, she went to sessions with Jill when invited by the counsellor, and I also attended a few, but never with Kim. Jill improved, but repairing her relationship with her mother will be a hard road. Scott, was also pretty torn apart by this, and like his sister, he went very hard on Kim.

The automobile insurance companies threatened to come after me for vandalism, so I paid out the ass to repair my misdeed, but it was worth it. I still see photos of my work on the Internet, taken by many of the bystanders. I've sent these to Trudy Smith, who has become a good friend. I see myself as an unsung urban hero, destined to live forever on the web!

When I saw Kim at the final divorce hearing, I almost didn't recognize her. She had ballooned up to about 170, and the 'New Me' was gone. I guess without my income stream, she couldn't afford the gourmet diet meals, and all that money sucked up by the gym. Her hair and make-up had reverted to her pre-cheat days, but again, I guess it's hard to afford the $200 haircuts and $45 dollar mascara on their salaries.

Oh, my accountant, who'd also been fucked over by a "loving wife" (quotes intended), made it his personal mission to find money Kim had been spending on lover boy. Hell, for the first three months of the year, she'd paid half of his rent. You see, there was one of those long-term stay places - you know the kind - a block over from the middle school, that the district had contracted; there were three, mid-year hires staying there, but Kim and lover boy knew they'd get busted if he lived in the district-provided accommodations. So, he took the stipend and rented that out-of-the-way, love nest, and he couldn't even afford to pay the difference. That, and more was provided to the court. Never piss off the accountant!

EPILOGUE

In late June, I met Hannah Stone, a 36-year-old engineer who works for one of the firms I do contract work for. She was promoted to project manager, and we kind of just hit it off. She had a 9-year-old daughter, Autumn, the innocent victim of an absentee father. He'd moved out of state for his "soul mate" and only sent a monthly child support check. Hannah even created birthday and special occasion cards and gifts for her daughter, and passed them off as being 'from daddy'. The beautiful child was just a financial obligation to him.

We became fast friends, and went on few friendly weekend outings. Jill tagged along sometimes, and an amazing thing happened. I saw Jill and Hannah growing closer. There was also a gentle, motherly aspect to it. Autumn and I also became very close, and I began to fill more of a father role, much to my delight. Strangely, we were pulling together like a family. As the opportunities availed themselves, Scott was also drawn to us. Neither of my children would acquiesce to being around Nick, and when with their mother, Scott said the 900-pound gorilla still made a lot of noise.

The house hadn't sold by late summer, and I was making the payment every month. Kim reimbursed me only once for her half, and thereafter, I got an email I.O.U. for the balance.

As Hannah and I grew closer, we both acknowledged that our previous relationships had made us wary, but that all changed one weekend in October. Jill, who'd decided to stay at home and attend my Alma Mater to study, of course, engineering, kept Autumn while Hannah and I took a long weekend at a B&B up in the mountains. There, we made love for the first time, and it was truly wonderful. Hannah fell asleep in my arms, crying joyful tears on my shoulder.

In December, I asked Hannah to marry me, and she accepted with glee. Shortly afterward, she shared an idea she'd had, clearly anticipating this day. She proposed we buy the house at a reduced price, deducting Kim's I.O.U.'s and my share of the profit from the sale. Hannah knew that ghosts that haunted me in that home, but she had an idea to address that. Hannah also recognized that I had built and rebuilt so many things in that house, the value of which, wouldn't be fully realized in any sale. Like the wonderful project manager that she is, Hannah came up with a fine plan, ran all the numbers, and then we presented to proposal to Kim.

As my ex-wife sat at our old kitchen table, I saw the pain-wracked guilt in her face. The reality of her loss had dawned on her somewhere, probably months ago. However, this tall, beautiful, immaculately-attired and confident younger woman sat across from her, dispassionately discussing the sale of the house in which we'd once made a happy family home, drove reality deep into the marrow with a swift thrust. Hannah was the opposite of Kim in every way: tall, beautifully exotic face with slightly almond-shaped gray eyes, black hair and creamy white skin; she is selfless and loving to a fault. Jill opined that Hannah was much like a female version of me.

Hannah wrapped it up with, "So, we're buying your half of the house outright, as is, from you for this price - here are all our numbers - and it's a cash offer. No realtor fees." She slid over the cashier's check made out to Kim Armstrong. Kim looked up, expressionless. I could see that she was being torn apart, but she kept looking at the check. She sure needed the money.

Finally, Kim said flatly, "Okay. Where do I sign?"

Hannah rose, went into my office and returned with a middle-aged woman. "Kim, this is Mrs. Furness. She's got all the papers, and she will preside over the signing and notarizing of them. Later, she'll file the required paperwork with the appropriate offices. Kevin and I have already paid for her services. All you need to do is sign, along with Kevin and me."

Hannah also discussed the pending sale of her condominium with Mrs. Furness, who would also handle the transaction later that day. The proceeds from her condo would go into helping offset the purchase and remodel of this house so as to make it into our... home.

The real kicker? It wasn't Hannah and I eventually getting married that seemed to unnerve Kim. No, during the paperwork signing, Hannah did something as natural for her as breathing is for some people. Once, when passing the papers around, she reached over and took my hand in hers and squeezed it affectionately, which she punctuated with a warm, sweet smile. Kim saw it, and for the first time since I've known her, the light in those sparkling, expressive, blue-violet eyes went dark. And all I felt was pity.

Several months later, just before Nick and Kim were going to tie the knot, she walked in early one afternoon when a water main break forced classes to dismiss early. She caught Nick in flagrante dilecto, balls deep, in the upstairs neighbor. She left and moved in with another divorced teacher, as roommates, in an apartment close to the school. There, she lives a pretty private life.

This is when Kim finally broke down and went to see a psychiatrist. Her teacher's union has a good Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and she began therapy twice a week. Jill told me that her mother was diagnosed as being bi-polar, and having extreme self-image and self-confidence issues. Moreover, they were exploring her self-destructive obsession with Nick Smith, but to date, Jill hasn't found out what Kim has discovered, if anything. I'll admit it; I still want to know why.

Kim and I still have the children in common, and I see Kim occasionally at family events. The therapy and medication treatment have obviously helped. But referring to her mother, Jill told me sadly, "The worst kind of hell is the one we create for ourselves." My daughter has developed a real empathy for Kim, and Jill now spends more time with her mother. They're getting along much better, and they've started on that long road to recovering their relationship.

Scott, doesn't see Kim as often as Jill does, so he's still struggling with their relationship. He and I are closer than ever, and I've encouraged him to try and repair the damage done to their relationship.

When Hannah snuggles up warmly with me or enfolds me in the warmth of her embrace, I realize those preceding 21-years were a prelude to finding the healthy, unselfish love of a true, Loving Wife. In retrospect, the pain was worth it, but I'm sorry so many innocents were so unfairly affected.