"The Talk" Leads to Explosive End

© 2021 by T.S. Fairfield. Uploaded to Literotica.com; The author reserves all rights. No further use or dissemination without the author's expressed permission. This is a work of fiction, and all participants are aged 18 or older. You must be at least 18 to read this.

Check the 'tags' before reading, as some themes, language, ideas, opinions, beliefs, imagery, conclusions, characterizations, dialogue, depictions of sex/violence, and obtuse film or cultural references might hurt your little feelings or offend your tender sensibilities.

This work represents one person's views on life, relationships, lifestyle choices, and cultural issues and is presented solely for entertainment purposes. It's fiction, and while I strive for authenticity, I occasionally take a trip into the world of the improbable, where some things maybe are incomprehensible or unexplainable. Don't take it personally. It's make-believe!

I used a full version of Grammarly to edit this work within the limits of that program. Much of the feedback from it is conditional, requiring you to view the item in the context of your writing. There are some errors within this story, kindly left there to check reader awareness, attention to detail, and reading comprehension.

This story takes place in Texas. Although I strive for authenticity, I've had to round off a few sharp edges concerning specific legal procedures, namely the District Attorney's participation in the inquest, which is highly unusual, but it made the story flow better. The Texas county of Prather is fictional, but the setting is north-central Texas, northwest or north-northwest of the Metroplex, up towards Oklahoma. Y'all know where I mean.

Finally, the person who looked this over for me and made a few timely edits is shy and wishes to remain anonymous, but deepest thanks to him, nonetheless. Also, I've used the character name Dave Brown, Vandemonium1's ubiquitous, irrepressible 'that guy' character. Vandemonium1 has been a stalwart and gifted contributor on Literotica whose style, graciousness, and talent have been an inspiration and example to me. I want to pay him this small tribute! He's one helluva bonzer bloke, too!

Feedback through this site is not only welcomed but encouraged, and each comment will be thoughtfully considered, except for obvious trolling. Finally, I try to respond to all direct feedback promptly.

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PROLOGUE

I once visited an old fortress in Portugal in the city of Elvas. It's one of the best examples of the trace italienne style of massive post-gunpowder "star fortresses" in the world. Looking up, I noticed a bird's nest in the muzzle of one of the old cannons and thought about how ironic it would be to have your secure home suddenly become the mouth of an angry weapon. I filed away that image in my brain where one day it would be recalled with alarming clarity.

My name is Dave Brown, and when these events occurred, I was a 42-year-old contract engineering consultant running a very steady business from my home. My wife, Maria, was 44-years-old and working as a paralegal at her brother's law firm, a short distance from our home in a semi-rural area of Prather County, Texas. We had two children, 20-year-old fraternal twins, Andrew and Andrea, known as Drew and Andi, who attended my Alma Mater about two hours from here.

Unlike most of these tales, I'm not a former Navy SEAL, and Maria wasn't one of these women who retained her supermodel looks, despite having two children. I stay pretty fit by running a mile a day and eating well, but it's mostly my genetics that keeps me healthy and reasonably fit. When these events occurred, I was 6'1", 188-pounds with a bit of gray in my dark brown hair. Maria was 5'7" and around 150-pounds, about 20-pounds heavier than when we married, with much of that in her nice round ass and full 36C breasts.

While Maria was a bit thick in the middle, I loved her curvy, voluptuous shape as much as she detested it. Her coal-black hair had no gray in it, and it shined almost blue in the sunlight. Her dark brown eyes were piercing and intense and could cut through me like a hot knife through butter, at both the good times and when I was in trouble with her. Even after being married 21-years, our sex life was still pretty good, but it had fallen off to just once or twice a week in the month or so before things went haywire.

I finished my engineering degree two semesters behind the stork, so we lived with my parents in the house where Maria and I eventually raised our children. In effect, we moved in, had the twins, and never left. My parents renovated the home, originally built in 1935, after they inherited it from my mother's uncle, Bill. Soon after I graduated, I went to work for a local manufacturing company. Six of us lived comfortably in the house until Dad, also an engineer, was grabbed by a headhunter and moved to Pittsburgh. Mother, the actual homeowner, leased it to us for $1 a year, contingent on us paying all taxes, insurance, and upkeep. That windfall, along with a good salary, allowed Maria to be a stay-at-home mother.

When the twins were in the third grade, Maria's brother, Robert, hired her part-time in his law office. We also agreed that she would become a paralegal, and I was happy to sacrifice and do what I needed to help earn her certification. After all, I reasoned that Maria gave up college and helped me complete my engineering degree and raise our small children. That's when I branched out on my own and started my own home-based consulting business, which did well from the outset.

Life was idyllic. Many nights, we sat on the long, covered front porch of that old home and planned our future. It was there on those quiet evenings that we forged our hopes, dreams, and goals. It is where we hammered them into reality on the rugged anvil of love, trust, and understanding.

Together, Maria and I maintained a vegetable garden, grew flowers, and enjoyed cooking. We also continued working on that old house, much of the effort being routine and preventative maintenance. We had so much in common that it was natural to become secure and comfortable.

When the children were around 12, the natural gas utility laid a line along the county road, and we connected to it, which eliminated our huge propane tank and the higher cost of LP-gas from our budget. Most of the cost was tapping into the main supply line, laying the service line to our home, and connecting it for use. I had a plumber look at the original house piping, which was in good shape, but Maria asked for an additional water heater. So, we upgraded the older unit, located in the basement, and added a newer one in the attic. Part of that upgrade was a new gas supply line that ran from the meter-side of the home to the water heater at the other end of the basement; it ran across the ceiling joists and dropped to the water heater connected with a ball valve and flexible pipe.

Existence on the edge of the rural countryside was good, and life assumed a comfortable, predictable flow. There were ups and downs, minor misunderstandings, and all those other conflicts any marriage experiences. We always managed to talk them through, and we had a great supporting family network to fall back upon when we needed it. Most of all, we had that perfect, all-binding adhesive called love.

LIFE CHANGES

Maria started to change in the late fall and winter after the twins left home for the university. She became quieter, more withdrawn, and when I asked her, she dismissively attributed her moods to the kids being gone. Since I worked from home, their absence seemed to hit me harder because since Maria had gone back to work, I took care of their morning and after-school needs. When I had to travel for work, Maria adjusted her schedule or called one of the family members or neighbors to help. In any event, I wasn't about to get into a pissing contest over who missed the kids more, but I just seemed to handle it better.

As the dark, depressing days of winter lay upon us, Maria became more distant and even angry. She started finding fault over small things, and it seemed like anything set her off. There was no rhyme or reason for her outbursts. After a particularly nasty fight, I angrily confronted her, and Maria stormed out of the house and returned well past midnight.

After that incident, I asked Robert, her brother and boss, to talk with her. He and their mother, Beatrice, had a sort of intervention at the end of a workday, and the result was that Maria told them to butt out of her life, and shockingly, she resigned from her job. The days that followed were terrible around the Brown home. Beatrice tried to get my wife to see her OBGYN or family doctor, as she suspected my wife was having hormone problems. That seemed to anger Maria even more, and we were all in her cross-hairs after that. In Maria's mind, life was horrible, she was bored, and her family - except for Drew and Andi - were part of her 'problem'.

Christmas and New Year passed tensely, and both kids were as disturbed as all of the rest of us, but they tried not to take sides. When it was either one or both of them alone with their mother, Drew and Andi said she was still tense, but Maria was the mother they'd always known in every other way. Andi tried to talk to her mother about the atmosphere between her and me, and Maria told her it wasn't any of her business.

Just after Christmas, Maria left the house one morning in full work attire, and when I asked her where she was going, she just looked at me and said, "Out." Andi followed her to the garage and pressed her mother on what she was doing, only to be told, "I'm doing something for me."

Later that day, I found out from Andi that her mother went on a job interview with another law firm, and they hired her on the spot as a paralegal and personal assistant to one of the partners. When I asked her, she merely nodded and said, "Now, I'm not working somewhere simply because I'm family."

"Maria, I don't think Robert hired you for that reason. You're good at your job, honey," I said gently.

I was surprised when she gave me a warm kiss on the lips. "Thanks, Dave." That was the first one since after Christmas Eve Mass. "Oh, we're invited to the law firm's New Year's Eve party. It'll be like a get-acquainted for me."

I didn't mention her family's New Year's Eve party, which is a yearly tradition for us. Instead, I decided to roll with this and see where it led. After all, I reasoned, this was the most civil Maria and I had been since she unilaterally declared a Christmas Truce.

When we showed up at the small banquet hall for the Baker, Long, and Flannigan law firm's New Year's Eve party, the office manager, a woman named Peggy Leeson, introduced Maria and me to the attendees. It was a 'boilerplate' event, with a rented venue, catering, an open bar, and a passable D.J. At dinner, we were seated with three other couples, and I noticed right off that everyone was drinking a lot.

As New Year's Eve parties go, this one was pretty typical. Maria seemed to be her old self, and we mixed pretty well with the other couples and some of the singles. I met all three partners, and they seemed to be pretty nice guys. There was no misconduct on anyone's part that I could detect, so this party was nothing in the overall scheme of future events. For me, it just served to put a name and face together, one which I would see pretty soon under vastly different conditions.

Unlike Maria's two-day Christmas Truce, this period of domestic tranquility lasted until I shifted the car into 'Drive' leaving the party venue. I placed my hand on my sexy wife's leg, and she roughly shoved it away. "Maybe if you hadn't hovered over me all night, I might be in the mood! Damn, you were like my chaperone, Dave."

"I didn't know any of these people. What did you expect me to do?" I asked.

With a stern look, she replied, "I don't know! You're grown. Maybe you should've gone to Momma's party and let me meet these people on my own."

"Really, honey? Go to your family's New Year's Eve party without you?"

She shrugged and sulkily looked out the window, indicating that the conversation was over.

Even though she began her new job on the 2nd, Maria continued to be sullen and moody. The first several days, she never acknowledged that supper was ready when she got home, and Drew finally called her on it.

Andi tried to get Maria to see a doctor about her moods and got repulsed as badly as anyone else. Robert told me that Beatrice met Maria for lunch the following Friday, and their mother left in tears. As an indicator of how bad it was around the Brown house that early January, Drew and Andi drove back to school three days early.

THE TALK

Towards the end of January, I was performing routine checks on the basement water heater, central heating unit and generally checking on things in general. This included looking for water leaks and checking plumbing and wiring. I saw the light from the kitchen door and noticed Maria standing in the doorway at the top of the basement stairs. With folded arms and a stern expression, it appeared she was intent on starting another of the frequent pissed-off confrontations we'd been having over the past months.

"Dave! We need to talk," she barked. Before I could respond, she turned away towards the family room. When I came in, Maria sat on one of the big comfortable occasional chairs that face the L-sectional sofa and loveseat. "Sit down. I've got something to tell you," she said coldly. She was still in her office attire.

One part of me was concerned because there was something different in her eyes. Another aspect of me was preparing for some more of the never-ending, complaining, angry bullshit. No part of me was ready for the turd that was dropping from the stratosphere into my punchbowl.

"Honey, I don't know any other way to tell you this, but I'm fed up with the way my life is going. I'm dissatisfied and unhappy. Life is boring, and the world is passing me by. There's no passion, no excitement. And you, Dave, are a major part of how I feel."

"What? Honey, you..."

"Hush, Dave! I need to tell you this, damnit!" she shouted. "See, you won't even let me tell you how I feel!

"As I was saying, I'm sick of my life, so I'm making more big changes. I've hit it off with my new boss, and we've been seeing each other for about two weeks now. There's a chemistry between us, and we can't hide it any longer. Brent is picking me up here in an hour for a date, and I may not be home until tomorrow sometime or maybe even Sunday."

I was so angry that the words poured out of me. "What? Like hell, you will!" I shouted. "What makes you think I'll stand for this shit? Have you lost your mind, Maria?"

"Dave, be reasonable! I haven't been happy for months! It's probably just an adjustment problem to being without the kids, but I need this for my sanity! Let me get it out of my system! I love you, honey, and I want to spend my life with you. This thing with Brent is just physical, baby."

"Godammit, Maria! Why do you think I'd go along with this? Did you forget our wedding vows?" She looked at me like I was crazy. "I love you, Maria, and I won't put up with your infidelity!"

Maria laughed! "Oh, Dave, that's your ego talking. Baby, I love you, but right now, I need a change of pace! It's only sex, and it doesn't mean a thing to me except for having some fun before I get too old to enjoy it."

I stood up suddenly, and Maria said, "Stop! Don't you come one step closer to me!"

"What?" I asked, confused. "I'm fucking pissed off right now, Maria! I mean, what do you want me to do, agree to let you fuck somebody else? Because it ain't happening!"

"Dave, I mean it! I don't like the way you're standing there! Back off!" she hissed.

Perplexed by her behavior, I walked over and sat on the stairs. "Look, if you go through with this shit, we're done. We are through. Instead of wrecking our marriage, let's go to marriage counseling or take a vacation. Please!"

"This isn't about us, Dave. It's about me and my happiness. I love you more than you can ever imagine, but right now, I need a break from you, from us."

"Honey, I love you more than life, and that's why I can't stand by and let you do this! Our marriage is at stake, and I won't share you with anybody. I've never cheated on you, and I can't stand by and let you cheat on me."

"It's not about love. I know what I'm doing. Now, get away from those stairs. You can't keep me from my own bedroom!" Maria said, her tone cold and officious. As she walked past me, she said, "Don't you raise your hand like you're going to hit me!"

Surprised, I raised my voice. "Maria, I'm not..."

She interrupted me, "Get back, Dave! I'm warning you!"

She disappeared quickly upstairs into our bedroom.

"What the fuck just happened?" I said loudly enough to be heard upstairs, "I'd never lay a hand on you, and you know it!"

For at least twenty minutes, I sat on the stairs, tying to get my mind around what I needed to do when Maria, stunningly dressed, pranced past me. She was wearing an LBD that displayed her firm, shapely legs to perfection and alluringly draped her voluptuous figure. Her 3" heels were a pair she bought for New Year's Eve last year and wore only on that occasion. In her hand, she carried a small overnight bag.

Anxiously, I implored, "Please, Maria, I'm begging you not to! Please!"

About that time, the doorbell rang, and she looked at me with a cold smile; it was all warm grinning mouth and cold, heartless eyes. Maria opened the door, and standing in the doorway was a tall man in an overcoat and expensive suit. He was at least 6'4" and at about 220-pounds, with reddish-blonde hair and blue eyes. I guessed he was in his late-30s to early-40s.

As if I wasn't there, he bent down and gave my wife a warm kiss. "Hi, baby!" he said. "You look good enough to eat!" They both laughed.

"Hey, motherfucker! That's my wife! Get out of my house, or I'll throw you out!" I yelled. Seething with anger, I walked up and grabbed my wife's wrist.

"Turn me loose, Dave!" She twisted out of my grip, and the man stepped between us.

"Leave her alone, Dave!" he warned with a smirk.

"Motherfucker, you have some nerve!" I spat.

He turned to Maria and calmly asked, "Has he been like this long?"

"Yes, he has, Brent, ever since I told him about us," Maria said seriously. "I know you've only met Dave at the party, but he's not usually like this!"

It dawned on me that this was Maria's new boss, Brent Flannigan. He was one of the partners in the law firm where she was working. When I saw the look that passed between those two, I felt like that bird who'd made her nest in the mouth of the cannon. Serious shit was coming down, and I had no idea how much and from where.

Turning back to me, Brent said, "Maria is going with me, and you can't stop her. You've no legal right to detain her or to restrain her as you just attempted. Of course, you can file divorce proceedings against her; that's your legal right. Be forewarned; if you choose that route, my law firm would gladly bankrupt you with legal fees.

"Right now, your loving wife, who is also a dear friend and a valued colleague of mine, needs a break from the unhappy, boring, and stressful routine of her marriage. Frankly, so do I, so we're taking this break together." They exchanged warm smiles.

Flannigan continued, "So, as long as this lasts between Maria and me, you need to calm down and remain the hard-working, kind, and loving husband about whom Maria so often brags. And don't think for a minute that Maria or I want to break up our marriages. It's just physical, animal attraction." They both laughed. "Don't worry, Dave, this won't be every night, and if I know Maria, she'll still look after you," he turned to my wife, "won't you darling?