The Truth after Seven Years Pt. 01

My mother looked at the pictures and sighed. "I'm sorry you found out this way. Tuck wanted to wait until he could settle with his wife before I talked to you. But it seems that isn't going to happen. In answer to your question, I guess, our marriage meant something, but it's over now. It's time for both of us to move on. You've always known that I loved Tuck."

"Then why the hell did you marry me?" my father's voice was calm, but I could see the pain in his eyes even from where I was hiding.

"I loved you, but I love Tuck more. Please, don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."

My father sighed and shook his head. The devastation I saw in my father's eyes lit a fire in me. If I had been asked before this day, if I loved my mother, I would have said, "Sure." And, up until that moment, I did love her. However, the love I felt for her paled compared to the love I felt for my father. And, at that precise moment, whatever love I had for my mother withered and died.

"Fine, I suppose we should talk about the details of your divorce." I heard my father say in a detached voice. I was surprised. I couldn't believe how calm he was about his wife's ultimate betrayal. "What is it that you want?"

My mother gave my father a look like he should already know. "I want half. This is a no-fault state, and I'm entitled to half of everything, including the ranch."

My father did something, at this point, that totally surprised me, he chuckled.

"Not going to happen, Ashley," he said calmly. "You obviously have been taking your legal advice from Tuck."

"I looked it up online, smart ass," my mother hissed. "I'm entitled to half of everything."

"Oh, you're absolutely right, this is a no-fault state," my father smiled. "And you're absolutely right that you're entitled to half of anything I own. The only problem with your research is that I don't own anything. The ranch, all the equipment, all the other businesses, all the cash are owned by a trust. All I get is a salary, and a percentage of the profits assuming there are any. That was all set up after we were married by my mother. In case you hadn't figured it out over the years, she never liked you and was only civil because of me. Anyway, if you were hoping for a big payday, it isn't going to happen."

I could see my mother's face go hard. Then a nasty smile appeared. "Fine, if you want to be that way, the lawyers will handle it. Besides, Tuck is rich enough to take care of me without anything from you. I'll just take the kids and leave."

I had remained hidden all this time, but my anger had been building as I watched my mother destroy my father. When she threatened to take Tanya and me, I lost it. I came boiling out of my hiding place.

"You Bitch!" I screamed at my mother as I came charging into the room.

"Jake, don't talk to your mother that way," my father said in total surprise. Neither of them had any idea that I had been listening to the entire thing. My mother was clearly more shocked than my father.

"Dad, I've always done what you've told me," I said with my voice shaking. "But today, I'm going to have my say, and I don't care if you like it."

My father was speechless as I turned on my mother. It was then that I saw the pictures of her fucking Tuck. One of them had cum dripping down her leg. I was disgusted.

"I called you a bitch, and I'm sorry," I said, lowering my voice and pointing at the pictures. "You're not a bitch, you're a fucking slut! What's that disgusting stuff running down your leg?"

My mother recoiled as if someone had slapped her. She glanced at the pictures and then at me. My mother, at least, had the decency to look embarrassed. I was surprised to see tears begin to flow. Finally, she was able to shake free of her shock. "Jake, honey, you need to go upstairs and let your father and me finish our discussion. This has nothing to do with you."

"I don't take orders from fucking sluts," I said with pure hatred in my eyes.

My mother's façade started to crumble slightly. As I think back on that moment, I realize it was the first time show any emotion toward me. Apparently, she did love me at some level, but now I didn't care. It never entered her mind that one of her children would object to anything she wanted to do. Now she was faced with the devastation she had caused her own son. I could see her pain, and I was glad.

"Mother, I have absolutely no respect for you," I raged on. "In fact, I hate the sight of you, and the sooner you're gone, the better. I will never live with you, and that asshole Tuck. I want you to know, as far as I'm concerned, my mother died today."

"Jake, you don't mean that," my father said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Jake, sweetheart," my mother said, deeply upset, "just because your father and I aren't going to be married anymore doesn't mean that I don't love you."

"I told you, I don't have a mother," the anger was still coursing through me. "She died today."

I pulled away from my father and started out of the room. Then I stopped and turned around. "I am never going to talk to you again, and I don't ever want you to talk to me. We're done."

I stalked out of the room and up the stairs. But as I went, I could hear my mother sobbing. I took a quick glance, and I could see my father with his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he doesn't mean it," my father said, trying to console my mother. "I'll talk to him tomorrow after he's had some time to cool off."

My father did try to talk to me in the morning, but I wasn't interested in patching things up with my mom. I had said what I meant and meant what I said. In my mind, she had never been there for me, so it was no loss. And, all these years later, I still haven't talked to her.

The divorce went through, and my father's assessment was correct. My mother was entitled to damn little. But bitterness had filled my father concerning his ex-wife. What little my mother was entitled to, my father fought her for. Eventually, when the lawyer's bills began to exceed that, so my mother abandoned the fight. That was one of the very scarce happy days for my father.

Tanya opted to live with my mother, and I stayed on the ranch. My father was not upset initially that my sister had decided to live with her mother. I guess he sort of expected it. But when she spoke against him at one of the divorce hearings, that all changed. After that day, my father never talked to Tanya or about her again.

I don't think Tanya was ever really pleased living with mom. Tanya never said anything uncomplimentary about her mother, but I know she was devastated that dad had cut her off. The few times we talked, Tanya would ask me to have dad call her. He never did. I knew that both Tanya and my dad were hurting, but I couldn't help either of them. This was more fallout caused by my mother's selfishness.

When Tanya graduated from college after my dad disappeared. She stayed back east and got married. I wasn't invited to either event. I didn't understand why, and it pissed me off. I stopped talking to Tanya after that.

I'm now in a disagreement with her over the ranch, and I'm afraid she's going to win. She wants to sell everything, and I don't. It's really complicated with the trust, no will, my aunts and uncles, and my father's disappearance. I've been running everything in my father's absence. About a week after I took over, I discovered that my father's brothers and sisters, some years back, had given him half of their shares. They all felt that since my father was doing all the work, he should get the lion's share. My father owned sixty percent of everything.

With my father now being declared dead, the lawyers have told me; that if I want to keep the ranch, my sister and I would have to raise a lot of money to pay the taxes. That is the main reason that my sister wants to sell everything. She and her husband don't have any money to pay the taxes. And they don't want to go into debt to try and say the ranch.

The thing about my father's estate is that he didn't seem to have anything in place. This totally surprised me because he was a meticulous planner. Everything my father oversaw was carefully planned out. So, when I found out that there was no will, I was shocked. Now the state was going to step in and decide how everything would be disbursed. It was a mess.

After the divorce, Tuck and my ex-mother married within a month. And true to Tuck's asshole personality, be bought a large piece of land right across the road from the ranch, and he had a huge house built on it. Tuck did this so my father would see it every time he drove out the front gate.

Once the divorce was final, my father retreated into his work as that was all that seemed to give him any pleasure. While I was still living with him at home, he would sit on the front porch for hours, just staring into space in the evenings. His heart was broken, and his soul had been crushed. And his hatred of Tucker Morris now consumed him.

The worst part of it was that Tuck continued to rub it in my father's face every chance he got. There was no doubt that Tuck hated my father, and stealing his wife was the ultimate victory. Don't get me wrong, Tuck was head over heels in love with Ashley. But beating my dad made it all that much sweeter. Whether or not my ex-mother felt the same way about Tuck, I doubt.

Tuck's taunting of my father got so bad that my father started limiting his trips to town. He began skipping all of the social functions. But still, Tuck wouldn't let up. The one thing that my father was still heavily involved with was the Cattleman's Association. This was a special interest group to protect the rights of the cattlemen. My father had been chairman for two years and had been elected to his third and final term. You were only allowed to serve as chairman for three consecutive years.

It was during this third year that Tuck joined the Cattlemen's Association. He was quickly elected to the board, so my father had to deal with him at every meeting. Tuck always brought Ashley with him to each board meeting. Of course, she didn't stay, but Tuck made sure that my father saw him give her a passionate kiss before her departure. My ex-mother was there to humiliate my father, and she seemed to enjoy doing that.

Tuck and my mother were married for about a year and a half when everything turned crazy. I didn't understand why my father was doing the things he was doing. I also couldn't understand my ex-mother's actions. It was as though the world had been turned inside out. Nothing made sense anymore.

"Mr. Stanton," a voice intruded into my thoughts. I looked up and found the bank manager standing next to me. "We've verified the court order, and I can take you to your father's safe deposit box now. I assume that you would like a private room to examine the contents?"

"Ah, yes, please," I answered as I got to my feet.

The manager led me into the vault, where we collected the box and then into a private room. The room was only a little bigger than a broom closet, but it had a counter and a chair.

Once the door closed, I locked it and put the box down. I opened it to find two large envelopes, and on top of them was a letter-sized one. I opened the smaller envelope first and found a handwritten letter from my father. I recognized his handwriting immediately.

Dear Jake,

I am so sorry to have left you without a word. However, there was nothing I could do about that. Time was short, and you were out of town. Besides, it was best that you didn't know as I feel sure you would have tried to stop me.

My decision to leave was of my own free will, and I won't ever be returning. The two other envelopes in this box contain the complete story of what happened to me, and my last will and testament. The will is notarized, and there is a business card for the law firm that prepared it. When you read my story, I know that your first instinct will be to think that I've lost my mind. But believe me, every word is the truth.

When you read this, you can assume that I am alive, but please don't tell anyone, not even your wife. Where I have gone, no one will ever be able to find me. After you read my story, you'll understand why.

In the course of my story, I have asked you to do a few things for me. I know they will be hard, but I'm begging you to please honor my requests. I can't truly atone for what I've done. But if you agree to do what I ask, I believe it will help relieve some of the sufferings I have caused. I am deeply ashamed by my actions.

Do not worry about me, I am content and, God forgive me, happy about where I am going. My only regret is that I will never see you or your sister ever again.

I always tried to be a good father, but I know that I failed miserably I disappeared. I want you to know that I was always so proud of you and loved you as much as any father could love his son. I also loved your sister with all my heart, despite everything.

Even if you don't believe a word of my story, please do the small favors I've asked. That will mean so much to me. I have caused so much damage.

I love you beyond words,

Dad

I dropped my father's note on the counter and sat back in my chair. I was beyond shocked. My father was still alive. Where could he have gone? In today's world, no one can hide forever. But I had already spent a small fortune on Private investigators trying to locate him with no success.

I was puzzled and troubled by my father's remorse. What had he done that he wanted to make amends for? I ran back over the two years before my father disappeared, and I could affix no blame to him, despite the craziness that happened.

So many emotions and thoughts filled me. Perhaps the overriding feeling was total happiness that my dad was still alive. At that point, I didn't believe for a second think that he couldn't be found. I would begin again by hiring the best private investigators money could buy. Only this time, I felt they had a real shot at locating him.

It really bugged me that my father felt he had done some horrible thing. Again, I ran my mind over everything, especially the last half-year before he disappeared. Still, I couldn't think of anything that he had done that was so wrong.

I glanced quickly into each of the large envelopes and then pulled out his story.