The Jury

I worked on my invitations. Mine went like this.

Dear Friend,

This is to request your presence at a meeting of the Friends of Janice and Thomas Dixon. We are in desperate need of your help to perhaps save our marriage. As you may or may not know; Jan and I are having a difficult time in our relationship. We have decided that because we each feel very strongly about our position in this matter and are unable to have a cordiale and intelligent discussion about it that we will accept as binding what you as a group find is the solution it our problem. We have discussed the format through an intermediary and have agreed on the procedure. I, Tom am the complainant in this matter, and will state my case, under oath, before the group. After my statement each of you may question me as to my position. Jan also may raise her hand and is permitted to question me about any statement I may make, as I finish the statement. If I deem it necessary I may call witnesses to corroborate my statements. She has the right to question my witnesses. She will then have an opportunity to present her case in the same manner.

When we have completed our cases the group will meet in private and discuss the case. They will have two hours in which to reach a majority solution, which will be binding on the two parties. The group may set procedural rules to govern themselves as necessary.

I cannot stress to you how important this meeting is to both of us. I hope with all my heart that you will in your combined wisdom find a way for us to return to being the loving couple we once were. There is no way I can stress how strongly I desire this.

Thank you, our dear friends,

TOM

I e-mailed my note to Jack and to Jan. Her note on the invitation was similar to mine and basically agreed with the rules I had predicated. The date time and place were agreed upon and included in the invitations.

I was surprised at the number of people present in the rented hall on the night of the meeting. A number of our other friends requested that they be able to attend. I had no objection. Jan didn't object either.

My brother Jack introduced himself and stated that the group had designated him as the moderator. He requested that Jan and I sit at either end of a small table in front of the group. Jack went over the rules and asked if there were any questions. There were none. I was asked to state my case.

I said that I had for some time felt there was a change in our relationship. I said I felt we were drifting apart. I said that Jan had basically agreed with me. I told them about the wonderful Saturday afternoon we had had. I told them it had given me great hope that things were going to get back to normal. I mentioned the garment bag I had seen in the trunk to her car. I told how I checked later that evening and the bag was gone. I turned and asked Jan if she recalled the incident. She said she did. I asked if there had been a garment bag in her trunk full of clothing.

She replied that there was a bag there. I asked if she would give me a reason there was a bag there. She said she often had clothes there so she could change after school so she could go shopping or do other things without returning home. I pointed out that it was only about six blocks from our house to the school. I told of not being able to get her on the phone on the following Monday. I told about the perfume and the cat in the pool. I asked her if she had been in the pool that afternoon. She started to cry and shook her head no!

I told of the conversation I overheard that night by the garbage can. I asked her if I had related the side of the call I heard accurately. She nodded that I had. I told about my canceled trip to Mobile and how I discovered she had been off every Wednesday for six months and never mentioned it to me. I told of all the sexy clothes she had hidden in her closet and of how she refused to kiss me that Wednesday until she had a shower. I told of how I had tried to find out what was going on and about how she got mad because she said I didn't trust her. I related how she had agreed to have a truce and yet had locked me out of our bedroom. She just sat and looked at me cried steadily.

Jack said we would take a short recess. Jan jumped up and ran to the ladies room. Several of my friends greeted me and said they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Jack asked that we not discuss the case.

When Jan returned we were all seated again. I told of the pattern of her not telling me the truth and hiding things from me. I told them how I could never reach her on Wednesday afternoons. I looked at Jack and said. "That is about all I have to say except that she refuses to discuss any of this with me and expects me to accept her word that she still loves me and has never cheated on me. She has never answered any of my questions. Not a damned one. She has lied to me and deceived me and is angry with me because I suspect is being unfaithful to me. I'm through." I sat down.

Jan looked at me through tear filled eyes. Damn I hate to see her cry. She stood up and walked in front of the table and stood in front of me. She looked at me for a long time then said, "Every thing he said is true. He has not even stretched the truth a hair. It is what I knew he would do. I cannot believe I let this happen. If once you tell a fib or try to hide something from the man you love it just goes down hill from there. You have to try and remember every thing you said when you lied. That is hard to do, oh it is not near as hard as seeing the hurt in his eyes and knowing you put that hurt there.

Worse is not knowing how to get out of the fix you are in. Worse is seeing your life falling apart around you. Worse is not being able to talk it over with the man you have always shared every secret with, the man you love beyond all reason. Worse is realizing that what he is thinking is a thousand times worse that what you have actually done. Worse is the feeling that you have actually been unfaithful to the most important person in your whole life because you started out trying to do something to please him. Please do not get the wrong idea here. I have only had sex with one man in my whole life, that man is my husband. I have never betrayed him that way. I know my explanation of this situation is going to sound silly, and damn it, it is silly on my part.

Let me start from the beginning. Tom, as some of you know, is a marvelous dancer. He even danced professionally when he was in college. I, on the other hand am a complete klutz. Tom loves to ballroom dance. Oh! Not competitively, just for fun. We watched together when ballroom dancing made a big comeback on TV. He loves to watch it. I wanted to dance with him. I wanted to surprise him and learn to dance like that. I was desperate to please him. I joined a ballroom dancing club here in town. There are classes going on almost continuously. It is difficult to learn properly if you change partners every time you go. At least it is easier for me if I learn what to expect from my partner. I teamed up with an older gentleman. He loves ballroom dancing. He has been learning for about three years. He loves the exercise.

His wife is in a wheel chair She was a ballroom dancer when she met him. They were married, had kids, the kids grew up and left, he retired and she was in an accident and lost her right leg. He had promised her for years he would learn ballroom dancing. She promises to learn to walk on her artificial leg so she can one day learn to dance with him.

Anyway he is my partner. We are required to wear dance costumes. I am getting fairly competent. He wants us to enter some amateur contests. I never meant to lie to Tom. I hated it before it was out of my mouth. I don't understand why I got so furious when Tom accused me of being unfaithful to him. I couldn't believe he could think that of me, and here I was making it so he had to believe that. Oh! Our practice day is Wednesday afternoon. My dance partner is 'Shorty' Bradley, he is 67 years old."

Jan looked around the room, "I know this explanation sounds disjointed and like the ramblings of a crazy woman. That is exactly what it is."

She turned slowly and walked back to her seat.

Jack asked if any of the group had any questions before they went into closed session to come to a verdict.

Jan's mother asked her why she hadn't come to her or one of her friends for advice.

Jan said, "Mom, I just couldn't admit to anyone how stupid I was being. I have been really scared the whole time; I haven't been able to really relax. I couldn't make love to Tom with him thinking I was cheating on him. I was always sure Tom knew something, or would find out. Then he and everyone else would think I was a silly lying fool. I couldn't bare the thought of having him ashamed of me. I really have no rational excuse."

Jack looked around and asked if anyone else had a question for either of us. No one responded. The group left the room. Jan ran off to the ladies room. Tem minutes later a speaker requested all parties to the meeting return to the room for the decision and the sentencing.

When everyone was seated Jack said, "I have the results of a unanimous verdict by the group. Janice Dixon is hereby declared guilty of deceiving and lying to her husband as charged. She is found innocent of the charge of infidelity. Here is the sentence imposed upon her by this group of her peers. She is sentenced to love, honor and obey this man, Thomas Dixon, for a period of fifty years or until death do them part. She is to forsake all others and to never, ever, utter unto him even one little white lie. She will dance with him off into the sunset when ever possible. Next this group decrees that the husband shall apply twenty slaps to the bare bottom of Janice. When the sentence is carried out she may request twenty therapeutic kisses to the effected area as soon as possible. Janice Dixon do you accept the verdict of this group?"

Jan smiled shyly at me, "Yes I do."

"Thomas Dixon do you accept the verdict of this group?"

I looked at the woman I loved and said, "I do."

Jack slammed down his gavel and shouted, "This group is adjourned. The bar is now open."