The Slums of Heaven

"I am WHAT? My father told you that I was not his son?" Kendall collapsed on the couch.

"Didn't he tell you? He said he would tell you before you got back. Oh God, Kendall. I'm sorry. It must be a great shock for you. You need to talk to him. I would never had said anything if he hadn't said he would tell you first."

Kendall sat in a daze. Mariah kept pleading her case.

"Kendall, think about it. We will get to start our family right away and have extra money to support a larger family. As soon as he, I forgot to tell you that it's a boy, is born, we can start to have children of our own. I know this is strange to you, but I hope you can see that it's the best thing for all of us. Please tell me you'll at least think about it."

Kendall got up and made his way to the door. "I'm going back to my motel room."

"Please, don't leave me. I told the truth. I did not really cheat on you. It was the Army's fault. I need you more than ever. I love you more than ever. The baby will need you. Please stay. I'll do anything."

"Mariah, I have just heard the two most earth-shattering pieces of news I have ever received. I need to get away. My mind is total mush. I'll call when I know what I need to do."

Once at his motel room, Kendall felt compelled to call his father in Michigan, or the person he had always thought was his father. His emotions were high and all over the spectrum.

"Hello."

"Mr. Parker, this is Kendall."

"Kendall? Where are you? And what's this Mr. Parker nonsense?"

"I'm back at Fort Campbell. I got in yesterday."

"I thought you weren't due until next week. Oh shit, that means you've already spoken to Mariah. Did she tell you something about me?"

"You mean like you're not my real father?"

"God damn it Kendall, I am your REAL father from the moment you were born until I die. The sperm dumper that got your mother pregnant was never your father."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What good would it have done? The only reason I told Mariah was that she called and told me what had happened to her. She was going to ask you to help her raise a child fathered by another man. She asked how I thought you would handle that. That's when I felt compelled to tell her about our situation. I told her I would tell you before you came back. The only reason I didn't was that I was afraid the news might upset you and make things more dangerous for you. I was going to contact you once you were away from Afghanistan. I'm sorry. I had originally planned on you never knowing and I certainly didn't want you to hear it from someone else.

"Now that you know, I want to help you make the right decision in your situation. Son, marrying your mother, even though she was carrying another man's child, was the best decision I ever made in my life. We had a great marriage. You have been the best son a man could ever hope for. I have never thought of you of being anything other than MY son. I can honestly say I love you ever bit as much as I love your younger sister. I would not trade our relationship for anything in the world. I am begging you to consider going back to your wife and becoming a father to YOUR son."

Kendall felt a crying spell coming on. He did not want to cry over the phone. "Dad, I mean Mr. Parker, do you remember watching re-runs of 'The Twilight Zone' with me? That's where I think I am right now. I have been asked to believe my wife had sex with a man by mistake and I should raise his child. Now I find out that the man I had always known as my father is not my father. The plot of this episode is too bizarre for me to believe. I've got to get my head together. Please don't contact me until I know what I want our relationship to be. I will call you, maybe."

Kendall debated his sanity. Any choice he made would impact numerous lives besides his. The responsibility was overwhelming. There was only one way to relieve his stress he could think of, and it was loaded and available. It was an almost reflexive action that he put his right hand on his WWJD tattoo. He started crying again.

Kendall realized he needed help. He needed to talk to someone familiar with the military and cheating wives. Luckily, he knew where a nest of such folks lived, the local VFW. At the price of quite a few drinks, the experts expounded. The majority went for burning the bitch while trying to reduce the financial losses as much as possible. There were a few wimps who said to suck it up, keep the wife and raise the kid, especially since someone would be paying child support.

There was one man who had been quiet sitting with the group. Kendall sensed he wanted to say something. Suddenly the man said, "Let me tell you how it really was in Vietnam." The other members of the group scattered and left them alone. The older man chuckled. "Clears them out every time. Everyone wants to tell their war stories, but not listen to others. I do have some advice for you."

"In my opinion, you have to think of whom you want to get hurt and whom you don't. Who is the one person in this situation that is the most innocent and is whom you want to hurt the least? The baby. It's not his or her fault for having been conceived. Make sure the baby is taken care of, no matter who does it. Next, the baby's father's wife and family. They do not deserve to suffer from what he did. That could be tricky, given what punishment might befall him. I would suggest you talk to his wife and see what she thinks would be best for her. I wouldn't worry about losing child support since DNA should establish paternity. Then there is you. You didn't deserve it, but you will be hurt no matter what. Be careful that you don't wind up punishing yourself more by trying to get too much revenge on them.

"Finally, your wife and her lover. If you decide to get revenge, make sure it hurts them almost exclusively. It will be difficult to punish her and not harm the baby at the same time. For her lover, the difficulty is in punishing him but not his wife and kids. It will not be easy. Good luck."

Kendall went back to his motel room. This time he did not rely on his bourbon for support. It took a while to figure out what to do. He came up with a tentative decision, but first he needed more information.

In three days, he called Mariah back on the phone in his motel room. He agreed to postpone any divorce proceedings at this time. He even said he would move back into the house in order to stop paying for a motel and help prepare her for the baby's birth. Kendall demanded that he keep his stuff in the guest bedroom and that there would be no conjugal visits between them.

Mariah saw his return as a chance to prove that she really wanted to be his faithful wife again. She was pleased. She was sure a man who had been without sex for nine months could not turn down her body, even if pregnant. When she got a chance, she called Shelton to tell him of Kendall's response.

Kendall came in with his duffle bag. He avoided any hugging or kissing. When he returned from the guest bedroom, he told her he forgot to tell the motel he had checked out. He said his cell phone was not connected yet and asked to borrow hers.

"Is the phone book still in the kitchen?" She nodded yes.

He went into the kitchen and pretended to look through the phone book for the number for the motel. Instead he took the back off her phone and put in a device that would allow him to listen in on calls and see text exchanges. His buddy who handled communications for their unit had provided that piece of technology. Mini-cameras were too expensive; besides, he doubted Mariah would bring Shelton back to the house. That was if she were indeed cheating with him.

While all this was going on, he was preparing financially in case the worst was true. All his money slowly began to disappear until very little was left. Since Mariah was used to taking care of the finances, she asked Kendall about it. He was able to convince her of having needed car repairs since his car had been in storage. He also had bought some new guns. She knew that guns were his hobby. Although she fussed about the expense, she seemed to accept the reason. She also didn't want to rock the boat anymore.

The new guns he showed her, however, were ones he bought for some members of his unit. They told him which guns they wanted and then agreed to let him buy a gun. Later they would pay him back in cash, which Kendall promptly hid. His will, life insurance, and any asset with his wife as beneficiary had a corresponding legal document to get rid of her name ready at a moment's notice.

All credit and ATM cards, except the one in her name only, were ready to be cancelled. All utilities were ready to be switched to her name only. He could not change the rent on the house, and his automatic payment was a set deduction on his military paycheck. He just had to wait.

It did not take long before Kendall knew the truth. It was from a call from her cell phone. She admonished Shelton for calling her at home. He said that it was safer this way. One of the office staff had almost overheard them the other day. He asked if she could stay late this Friday. As the office floor was open with dividers but no full rooms with lockable doors and walls up to the ceiling, trysts had to be done at the office at night or offsite at a motel.

They had tried going to one of the local motels but found out that there was a city ordinance that any adult staying in local motels must show identification in order to book a room. The city council did not want to have the reputation of being a place for adulterous couples to conduct their cheating. They had used motels in the next town, but with Kendall back, they had less time. The motels now were too far away and too expensive. Mariah's house was definitely too risky because of neighbors who were in contact with Kendall.

Mariah said she would try to arrange to stay Friday night but was afraid Kendall might be suspicious. She said she would get Amy to provide an alibi. Mariah had provided Amy an alibi for Amy's extracurricular activities. Her friend did not stay true to her husband during his deployments, either.

Then the bombshell. Evidently Mariah got comfortable in talking because she brought up their scheme. "I still can't believe that the Army cut his deployment to 9 months. If Kendall had stayed the 12 months, I would have had the baby and you would have been able to have you and your wife to adopt him. Kendall would have been none the wiser."

Shelton interrupted, "What would have been wise was for you to wait until birth control pills could take effect."

"You were the one to push going bareback." After a pause, Mariah continued, "Let's not fight over spilt milk. We both wanted to have sex and now we have to deal with the consequences. We still have a good chance of this not ruining out plans. As far as fooling Kendall, he didn't seem to have too much trouble believing the Army mistake story. I really had him going until I brought up the thing with his father. Anyway, I think It will be rough going for a while, but, hopefully, the sight of a cute baby will help smooth things over. I can't believe he can go much longer without sex either.

"Shelton, I am so sick of not having a man around, going without sex for a year at a time, being a BX and coupon wife instead of buying things I want. I would like to go where I want and not where the Army sends us. Before you, he had been my only sexual experience. Life with you will be so much better.

"Shel, I am not going to get that much out of a divorce, so I'm ready to go ahead. Sweetheart, I can't wait until we can both be divorced and can marry. When do you think that will be?"

Shelton answered angrily, "Quit asking that. I've told you I have to hide more of my business assets before I can divorce Courtney. I have to leave her enough that she doesn't fight too hard, but plenty for us so we can start our marriage in good financial shape.

"We have to keep Kendall under control, so he doesn't say anything to my wife. If he decides to get a divorce, he has no reason not to tell Courtney. Did you tell him about the child support and college fund? Did you tell him he could call me?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, I was going to offer him more money to agree. I would offer almost anything until I am ready for the divorce. After that, all deals would be off, and I wouldn't be out that much money. Like you said, you're not going to bring much money with you, so I have to keep as much of my money as I can."

"I may not be bringing much money but I'm bringing your child and my body."

"Well, I'll have to see how much that body is worth this Friday."

Although these recordings would have no impact on an Irreconcilable Differences Divorce, they did give Kendall the moral authority in his mind to move on to the next step within his plan.

Kendall paid a visit to Courtney Lanier, Shelton's wife. Upon seeing her, he thought she was as pretty as, if not prettier than, Mariah. When he told her that his wife and her husband had been having an affair which was producing a child, she protested. She reported that she and Shelton had been talking about adopting a child. Courtney told him how she had a hysterectomy after their second child but wished she could have at least one more. Shelton had told her he knew of a woman who was pregnant out of wedlock and wanted a good home for her child.

Kendall told her that the child he was talking about was the child his wife was about to have, and Shelton was the father. His early return had ruined that plan. She was about to throw Kendall out until he produced the recordings. After hearing the conversation, Courtney changed her opinion.

"That bastard! I have rationalized away my suspicions when he started staying later the last six months or so. He was 'working late' to help us afford another child. What a fool I've been! Are you going for a divorce?"

"Yes, but I still have a few more ducks to put in a row. They are mostly done but I want to wait until after the baby is born before I file. I wanted to tell you what was going on and ask you to help me get my revenge on my wife and your husband with as little harm as possible to you or your children. I know this is new to you, but do you know yet what you are going to do?"

"Well, I'm sure I will think of things later, but I do know I'm going to my friend's husband. He is a forensic accountant and I will get him working on uncovering my husband's assets. I plan to find the most ruthless divorce attorney I can to make sure my children and I are not financially harmed. If I decide to keep him, there will be a lot of changes, a short leash, and a restrictive post-nup."

"I need to know when you're ready. It will be crucial that one not be served before the other."

Courtney added, "Are you sure this isn't a ruse for you to suggest revenge sex with me?"

Kendall was shocked and replied, "No. I will live up to my vows until I am divorced."

"Good answer. I feel more like I can trust you now."

Kendall played the dutiful husband and prospective father until it was time for the baby to come. When the time came, he took Mariah to the hospital and was with her in the delivery room. The baby was born without any problems. Kendall refused to have his name put on the birth certificate. He did not, however, offer Shelton's name. The certificate had 'Unknown' as the father. Mariah said they could always add his name later when Kendall came to his senses and realized what a good life he could have with her and the baby.

A few weeks later, Courtney said she was ready to move on the divorce. Mariah had recovered sufficiently to return to the late Friday night meetings at the office with Shelton. Not having sex with Kendall or Shelton before and after the child birth gave her more incentive to take the risk. This Friday night was to be the restart to her times with her boss.

As Shelton's wife, Courtney was allowed access to the office building after hours, so she led the process server and Kendall into the cubicle right in the middle of the floor where they could hear the moans and groans of coitus.

It was not until the group surrounded them that they were noticed by the fornicating couple. "Mr. Shelton Lanier, you've been served. Mrs. Mariah Palmer, you've been served. You can go back to whatever you were doing."

Kendall couldn't believe that Mariah actually said, "Kendall, it's not what you think."

Mariah was surprised in a couple of days to discover that she had almost no funds available to her from their joint accounts. She used those funds to get a lawyer who immediately moved to get information on Kendall's assets. Kendall had one more trick to reduce his income since he had depleted his assets. This was done to reduce the likely alimony payments and housing support.

He went into his Commanding Officer's office one day. The CO was Captain Prescott who was in Afghanistan with Kendall. Kendall requested an appointment with the now Major. After saluting and standing at ease, Kendall whispered, "I have laryngitis. Permission to come closer to talk." He got permission. From a couple of feet away, Kendall sucker punched the Major. Prescott was out cold. It reminded Kendall of the videos of the punks that sucker punched people on the street. Kendall reckoned he was now a punk.

Kendall was promptly arrested and thrown in Army jail. He grinned the whole time. The general wanted him stripped of all rank and put in jail for ten years. The convening board disagreed and took a couple of stripes and allowed time served. While in jail, Kendall got to reflect on his life. He imagined being St. Peter and reviewed Kendall's life, using the ten commandments as the template.

Kendall had probably had not loved God with his whole heart all the time. He had honored his father and mother until the recent news about his parents. That one was still up in the air. He was in the military so that meant he was around a lot of people who used God's name in vain. He didn't think he did it as much as others, but it was probably going to be a black mark against him. 'Everyone does it' was not much of a defense. Lying? Well, again, at least not as bad as others. Too bad St. Peter would not compare him with Mariah on that count. Killing someone else? That he was guilty of. He had rationalized what he had done for his country but would St. Peter? Coveting? Since reaching puberty, he had 'coveted in his heart' and in the images he used as an incentive to masturbate: women in naked pictures, girls at school, female teachers at school, and, shamefully, even his younger sister.

Kendall projected that he might have a tent waiting for him in heaven the way things were going.

Mariah had been going nuts. With little money beyond her salary, she was struggling. Shelton was of little help as his assets were frozen in his divorce. Mariah went to the Army to see if she could get more money now that she had another dependent. To her dismay, she was actually going to be getting less. Kendall had filed papers with the Army to have his fatherhood challenged. He alleged Mariah had committed fraud by claiming the child as his dependent. Kendall was now ready to name the father to the authorities. Mariah could not get Medicaid, which she would need without naming the father. Her Tricare health insurance would disappear once the divorce was finalized. But the main reason Mariah was going to get less was that with the loss of rank, Kendall lost pay.

When Kendall got out, he visited Mariah. She tried to use the boy's cuteness to get Kendall to change his mind. He refused to hold the boy. Mariah begged Kendall to start making babies with her, pleading that they could both get everything they wanted in a family, plus a bonus child. She said she was barely able to support the baby and herself. Kendall asked her to make a list of the things the baby needed. He would buy those. He would not give Mariah money.