The Polack

"Had I wasted the last 15 years of my life? I couldn't even say I had at least had a child from the marriage. Sure, I still thought of her, in some way, as my kid, but biologically she was not. What would I do going forward? I knew that I couldn't just act like I knew nothing. Sure, I had been clueless before, but now that I knew, there was no going back.

I knew one thing for sure, George was going to pay! I didn't care if he had been my best friend for years. With friends like him I could use more enemies.

Jenna was going to pay also! I wonder if she knew Carrie wasn't mine. Even if she didn't, she had hidden this secret from me, the secret of her Wedding Day Fuck with my best man, my best friend. Now I had no reason to not believe what I had overheard. She was fucking him "at least twice a month".

I was beginning to become enraged and before I got out of control, I needed to be alone, away from everyone. I needed to call Jenna and tell her I would not be home that night. I couldn't go home, I would likely do something that would put me in jail. She answered the phone, "Hey Kurt."

"Hey, I'm going to spend the night in Albuquerque so I can be ready for the auction at 8:00." I said in an emotionless tone.

"Oh ... Uh ... Okay. Have a safe trip." She said.

I normally don't go all the way to Albuquerque for an auction, so this was unusual. I wondered if she would take advantage of my being gone all night. She'd have to pawn Carrie off on my parents and that would be hard to explain.

I would, however, be taking periodic looks at her phone tracker throughout the evening just to see if she chose to go anywhere.

I traveled the roads up to Albuquerque. I would be looking to buy at least 20 cars, including a Mazda Miata. I would arrange for them to either be picked up or shipped back to my lot once the auction was done.

The question running through my mind now was, who would I have go over them mechanically. I knew that George would not be getting any more work from me once his scheduled car reviews and repairs were done. When he hears about my buying 2 dozen cars there will be dollar signs in his eyes with how much he would be able to charge me to do all that work. That, however, would not happen and I'd keep that a secret until the last minute. I would need to speak to one of the local dealers at the auction to see who would be good enough, and trustworthy enough, to look them over before they were shipped down to our little town.

I made it to Albuquerque at about 9:00 and grabbed a room at a Best Western. Even though I was the owner, I couldn't justify a high priced hotel being charged to the company accounts. The room was comfortable, as well as the bed. That is all I needed. I'm a simple man with simple needs.

I took a moment to check Jenna's phone tracker when I got in. I found that she was still at home, or at least her phone was.

Sleep came hard that night. I kept going over in my mind why she would do what she has done. How could she justify fucking him on our Wedding Day, let alone about twice a month for who knows how long.

I started reviewing our marriage. It was never perfect, who's is, but I thought we loved each other, exclusively. Now I knew that was a misconception on my part right from the start.

Things were rough those first few years after we got married. We surely didn't expect a child right away. The initial plan was to wait 3 or 4 years and then start our family. Three kids were what we had agreed on before we got married. The struggles with Carrie, however, destroyed those plans. To learn that those plans were destroyed by my "best friend" made all the struggles seem like wasted effort.

Fourteen years of wasted effort. Oh, sure there were good times, but even those now were tainted by this news and the probability that they may have been fucking all along throughout our marriage.

"If Jenna wouldn't have fucked George maybe I would have gotten her pregnant and maybe she wouldn't have had such a bad pregnancy, and a difficult baby, causing her to not want anymore. George had fucked up my life when he fucked my soon to be wife on my wedding day. Now he's fucking her at least twice a month, I'm sure laughing at the clueless Polack all the while. He is going to have to pay!" I thought to myself as I lay there trying to sleep.

I was enraged again. I had to calm down or I wouldn't be able to get to sleep. I turned on the T.V. to some mindless comedy show. The laughing helped to calm me down, by 11:00 I was ready to go to sleep in anticipation of a long day ahead of me.

The auction went great. I got some great cars at great prices, and met some of the dealers from around the Albuquerque area. I didn't see a Miata at the auction so I started asking some of the other dealers. Two of them had one, one red and one black. I asked them if they would be willing to work a trade when I found out what color my client preferred.

"Of course," They each said, "Just let me know what kind of cars you have on your lot and we'll make it happen."

I needed to make a point of coming to this auction more often. The comradery with the other business men (and women) in the same type of business was getting me excited to expand my business. It had also taken my mind off of my problems.

That afternoon, when I met with the lawyer, the news was not good. I would lose half of everything and still have to pay alimony and child support. Child support for a child that was not even mine!

I decided, then and there, that I would not get divorced. Instead I would leave her with George's child. I would pay off the mortgage on the house. She could stay in it, but my name was the only one on the deed, so she wouldn't be able to sell it. If I left, yet kept paying the taxes and utilities, she couldn't file under abandonment and take the house.

I did have to figure out what to do with my business though. It was set up as a corporation, but somehow, I knew if I didn't do something to protect it, I could lose it. I would need to talk to my business lawyer about that.

When I walked in the door of my house I was exhausted from a long day, so I told Jenna, "I'm beat. I'm going to take a shower and go right to bed." And I walked up to the bedroom.

"Do you want dinner?" She called to me.

"No, I had a late lunch." I replied. At least she thought to ask.

The shower felt great, my problems seemed to almost melt away. I had problems, but I was on the road to addressing them.

I was asleep in minutes after my head hit the pillow. I had been stressing for the last week and now that I had started to formulate a plan of action my mind could rest.

I woke up early, refreshed, and headed into the office before Jenna or Carrie were even awake. I had things to do and more plans to make.

As my employees started arriving, they found me knee deep in spreadsheets, financials, and sales projections. I told Paul that I had purchased 23 vehicles and that we would be doing a trade within the week for a vehicle from a dealer in Albuquerque. I told Anna not to schedule any more work for George, but to keep that confidential. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and said, "You're the boss."

"Thanks, Anna, you're indispensable."

When 9:00 rolled around I called my business lawyer and picked his brain about what I should do.

"Well, your business is incorporated, but there may still be a way that she could force you to sell it to get half its value. Have you though of selling it beforehand?"

"No, would I need to?"

"It would keep the business out of her hands." He said.

"This business is my life, I couldn't get rid of it." I told him.

"Well, let me do some thinking and research. I'll call you later in the week."

That news was devastating. I worked hard building my business into what it is today. "It's my baby, unlike Carrie!" I thought to myself. Now I was getting enraged again.

Part of being a good business person is the ability to compartmentalize and multi-task. I needed to put my personal problems aside and get back to business.

The first thing on my list was to call Doug, the Department Head that had determined that what George had said was true.

"Doug, Kurt Kaminski. Hey I got a line on two Miatas that might interest you. One is red and the other is black. Are you still considering it?"

"I am if the price is right." He said.

"Which color would you be interested in? I'll get it here so you can look at it, then we'll talk numbers. Even if we can't come to an agreement on price, I'm sure I can sell it without too much trouble."

"Which one would you suggest?" He asked.

"There are plusses and minuses with each. Fire engine red is a great eye-catching color, but red fades faster. Black is sleek looking, but it gets hot quickly in our climate. Let me ask you, will this car be kept in a garage when you're not using it?

"Yes, I can do that"

"Then the red one won't see much sun, so fading won't be an issue. I'd go with that, unless you feel black is more your style."

"Red sounds great! How soon can I see it?"

"Monday or Tuesday work for you?"

"Sure, call me when you get it in."

"Will do."

I hung up and called the dealer that had the red one to arrange a swap. He was interested in a BMW on my lot. It had been siting there for 3 months, he would have a better chance of selling it in the big city.

By this time George had come in. He had a couple of cars that still needed to have work done. Being an independent contractor, he could come and go as he pleased, as long as the work was done when I needed the car, I was fine with that.

He overheard a couple of the sales people talking about the 23 cars soon to be on our lot. He popped his head in to my office and said, "Hey Kurt, when are those cars coming in from the auction? I want to make sure I set my schedule up to get those done for you."

"The auction house is arranging for them to be shipped down here. It will be sometime late next week or early the following week." I told him. It was hard for me to speak calmly to him, the fucking backstabber.

"Okay, I'll get with Anna and have her get me on the schedule." He said.

I just chuckled to myself as he left.

That weekend I tried to stay at a distance from Jenna. I did yard work and ran a lot of errands. I didn't even bother checking her phone tracker. It really made no difference to me anymore. I felt only contempt for her, having me raise someone else's child was beyond forgivable.

Monday I was back at the car lot. I called the dealer in Albuquerque and told him I'd be driving the Beemer up and picking up the Miata.

He said, "Great, we'll have a late lunch when you get here."

It was a nice day for a drive, so I let Anna know I would be gone the whole day. "Hold down the fort." I told her.

"Will do, boss." She replied. She truly was indispensable.

"I need to give her a raise." I said to myself.

The drive was nice, along with the lunch. The other owner really made me feel welcome and I felt like I had a new friend.

On the way back, driving the Miata, I was really enjoying myself. The top was down and the wind was blowing through my hair. I decided that I would call the other dealer and get the black one for me. I needed to live a little and I would have no need for more than a 2 seater shortly.

I drove into our driveway with the red sportscar. Jenna looked out the window and must have said something to Carrie, because they both came out to see it.

"Honey, why do you have this car? You know we need something with a back seat for Carrie." She said in a condescending way.

"Just picked it up from Albuquerque for a customer. I thought you each might like a ride in it." I replied.

"No honey, I don't like small cars." Jenna said with a little disdain in her voice.

"Carrie?" I said, motioning to my daughter to get in.

"No Dad, its bad enough having to be teased about my last name. I don't want to be seen riding around with 'Polack, the used car salesman'." She said in a way only a teenager can say it.

I was taken aback, to say the least. Where did this disrespect come from? I looked at Jenna and she acted like Carrie had done nothing wrong. Great, now I have both women in my household disrespecting me.

I know teenagers aren't supposed to be "best buds" with their parents, but the hurtful way she said that made me look at my whole family life as a sham.

"Well, I'm going to take it for another spin, I'll be back whenever." I said as I put the car in reverse and took off.

I drove along the roads through and around Silver City fuming. My marriage was quickly deteriorating.

When I finally pulled into the driveway at around 9:30 I went right upstairs, hopped in the shower, and climbed in bed. When I didn't come down after my shower Jenna came up and walked into the room. The light from the hallway was shining right in my eyes, I squinted them shut.

"What, your feelings hurt because we didn't fawn all over the sportscar? You're not going to come downstairs and spend time with your family? You're not only a Polack, you're also a baby."

Where was this attitude coming from? I had to believe it was coming from George. She's been spending time with him and his cutdowns of my heritage were rubbing off. Now she's spreading that to her daughter. It was her daughter, not mine! I should probably get that into my head. I would probably have to support her, but she was not my daughter.

"It appears that you and your daughter would rather not have 'The Polack' around, so you can just Fuck off!"

I was pissed and her attitude wasn't helping her case at all! She would regret ever treating me the way she was.

Needless to say, it was quiet and cold in the Kaminski household from then on.

The next day I called Doug and he came down to check out the Miata. He was thrilled. We talked numbers and he was surprised at what a great price he was getting, $3,000 under Kelley Blue Book.

As he was about to leave, after filling out all the paperwork, he said, "My best friend is in charge of purchasing for the University and we rotate 16 cars out about every 2 years. I know it's not much, but would you be willing to talk to him?"

"Always glad for the business, and you know I'll cut them a deal." I said.

"I'll have Jim call you later this week."

"Thank you." I said. That is how I had grown my business, treating people right and letting them know that I appreciated the referrals.

On Wednesday my lawyer called me. "Hey Kurt, I think I have a solution to your potential problem. Could you stop by this afternoon to discuss it with me?"

"Sure, I'm eager to get this going. The atmosphere around my house is getting pretty unbearable."

At the meeting that day I listened and liked the plan. It would take about 2 weeks to implement it, but if it worked it would be worth it.

Over those two weeks I slowly removed personal items, and any tools, out of my house and into an apartment in a nearby town. Also, over those two weeks, George was getting anxious to have those 2 dozen cars come in so he could have some work that he could bill me for. When he'd ask, I just put hm off.

Over that last weekend I spent the time doing yardwork, and when Jenna and Carrie weren't around, I cleaned out my closet and dressers. Jenna did laundry during the week so she could have the weekends to do what she wanted to do. That was good for me because she wouldn't notice my closet being emptied out.

So that brings me back to the Monday night that I told Jenna, "I'M LEAVING!"

She had, again, been giving me attitude and disrespecting me, both for being a Polack and a used car salesman. I amped it up by calling her a cunt. She hated that word. That is when she blew her top, and that is when I told her I was leaving.

In the past I would go to a motel for a night, maybe two, depending on how pissed I was.

Tuesday morning, after the blow up, I went into the car lot early and, as my employees were coming in, I asked them to go into the conference room. I shut the door behind them. I had weekly meetings, so this wasn't unusual.

I started the meeting.

"Good morning, as you are all aware the cars I bought a couple weeks ago have come in yesterday afternoon. They have all already been checked out and prepped, so they are ready to be sold as of right now. We are no longer using George to do any work here. If he asks you, tell him that we have decided to go a different direction, and leave it at that.

You all have been terrific, you're like family, so that is why I am having a hard time with what is coming next." I paused and wiped a tear from my eye. "I have sold the business." They all looked at me, surprise in their eyes. "However, nothing will change as far as your jobs are concerned. Well, except Anna, you are going to be taking on some of my duties, and of course getting a raise to coincide." They all, even in their surprised state, started congratulating Anna. They all respected her and knew she deserved it.

"Anna, after the meeting please come and talk to me and we'll go over a few things."

"I will still be involved however, I will be on a consulting basis, and maybe do an occasional sale. I don't want to take any sales away from any of you." They were all glad that I would still be around, if only sometimes.

The meeting broke up and as we walked out the door George was standing there. "Hey, why wasn't I included in the meeting." Most of the prior meetings he had been included.

I spoke up, saying, "Because this was an employee meeting, and you are not an employee."

He stammered a little bit and then said, "I see the cars finally arrived, I'll get started on them right away."

"No, they have already been thoroughly inspected and prepped for sale. They aren't going to need anything done to them." I said sternly.

He looked at me, stunned. "But I check out all your cars, Kurt. What's going on?"

"George, I've sold the business and the new owner wants to go in a different direction." I told him, not ready to blow up on him. I would save that for another day. I left it at that. I've learned that sometimes fewer words are better.

"I can't believe you sold the business!" He exclaimed. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Of course, it was all about him. He had effectively been told he was out of a job.

"Well," I said. "You can pick up your check for what you've done in the last two weeks." That hadn't been a lot. Anna had only used him a few times. He had been relaxing before the 23 car delivery, thinking he'd be busy once they came in. How wrong he was. I didn't feel sorry for him at all. I only wished that I could tell him it was because he was a backstabbing asshole.

As I met with Anna, I asked her if she could keep our conversation confidential.

"Sure, Kurt, you know I would never say anything you didn't want me to." She assured me.

"Okay, here is the deal. I have created companies that I incorporated in Nevada. One of the companies is buying this car lot, the other is buying the other company. I am the sole stock owner of both of the companies. I will be divorcing Jenna at some point and I am insuring she doesn't get the business."

"Why?" She asked.

"I have moved out of my house. Jenna doesn't know it yet, but I'm not going back. She has been having an affair with George. In fact, Carrie is not my daughter, I believe she is George's. I don't even know if Jenna knows, let alone George. They will find out soon enough though.

I am not pursuing a divorce, but rather will continue to pay the utilities and taxes on our house. That way she won't be able to say I abandoned her and take everything I own.

Just in case she files for divorce for "irreconcilable differences" I don't want her to be able to take the business. That is why I have arranged for the company to be purchased twice. Let them try to figure out what's going on.