Time to Trade Up

She was ready to leave her 6-month lifestyle experiment. She wanted to be back in Marvin's large beautiful house as opposed to small apartment that was closing in on her. She missed her Mrs. Marvin Johnson status around town.

She had forgotten how fun it was to go to the formal dinners with a new dress and sit at the head table. She missed the always fun July 4^th party at the country club. Those friends had moved on and she did not get as many calls for coffee or lunch at the club.

The clubbing was not as exciting as she thought it would be. Sure, she danced and kissed a number of her potential suitors but no sparks flew. All those guys wanted was to fuck her, not after several dinner dates but that night. Right now, in the bathroom, in the parking lot, it did not matter. Yes, that was what she wanted in sexual experiences but as she reviewed the other divorced women being hit on at the club, the less she wanted to be like them.

To her Ted was different, that really was what she envisioned for a lover. Maybe she can sneak off every 3 or 4 months and meet Ted for a weekend of great sex. Marvin would be clueless.

Even though she was confident in her prospects of being rejoined with her husband, she thought it was odd for neither of her kids to have called her for several weeks. She has called them but the calls just dropped off. The same thing happened when she tried to call Ted, the call was just dropped. Her texts and emails went unanswered. The only calls she was getting were the men from the night club that wanted to fuck her. She thought maybe she needs a new cell phone.

WEEK 26: At Marvin's request, his attorney contacted Cheryl's attorney and asked that the parties meet at his office at 1 pm for the final decision on the divorce. He requested two things; a current STD report and that both Marvin and Cheryl sign the divorce papers at the start of that meeting. If the two decide to stay together they will symbolically tear up the final divorce decree and get back together. The attorney will have champagne and four glasses on the table.

The outrage was quite vocal as Cheryl was to be tested for STD like a common tramp. She hated going to a clinic where she knew some of the employees to ask for that test. She knew she was clean, or really hoped she was.

Cheryl spent a lot of time on her makeup for this meeting. A new fashionable sexy dress was required. She looked forward to being Marvin's wife again as she realized she really did miss him. She was the first to arrive at the attorney's office, followed closely by her attorney. Marvin was the last to arrive and apologized for being late as he laid a bright red envelope on the table.

Cheryl's heart started to beat faster. She was thinking that he has resurrected the Paris trip and they will have a second honeymoon there.

The STD reports were exchanged without either being infected. Cheryl breathed a sigh of relief.

Both parties signed the final divorce decree and then Marvin asked Cheryl if she had anything to say.

She began "This has been a long 6 months without the love of my life being with me. But with all adversity there comes the ability to make improvements. That improvement comes in the form of being re-imaged as a more enlightened woman that is even more committed to my marriage than before. I would like to thank my loving and selfless husband for giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and learn to fly. Marvin, you will never regret the gift you gave me as I will demonstrate my faithful love for you the remaining days of my life. "

Now it was his turn and he said "Faith is trust in someone. All marriage vows speak to faithfulness by both parties because without trust there is no love."

"That brings us to the initiation of this divorce petition and my desire for my wife and I to remain faithful to each other. I spent time with several women during the last six months. I did not have any sexual contact with anyone during this time. Cheryl, did you remain faithful to me?"

Shocked at the formality of his comments she said "Yes, I did remain faithful to you."

Marvin grimaced at her comment, Cheryl noticed his reaction and became worried. He picked up the red envelope and pulled out a picture of her kissing Ted. He asked "Were you being faithful here?"

She started to stutter and mutter then said. "It was only a kiss. It didn't mean a thing. I was not being unfaithful."

He pulled out the other vulgar picture "Is this being faithful?"

She was so flustered that her attorney advised her to be quiet. But she said "How did you get this picture? Have you been following me? My dress accidently pulled up when I tripped and fell on this guy I did not know."

Sternly he said "This is the most disgusting situation I have even been in. This picture was taken by one of our sons' friend in Dallas. Our son found out about the picture as Matt and his father were laughing at a slut that jumped all over Ted at a club. They confirmed this was you by showing him the photo displayed here."

At this revelation Cheryl's face went pale and tears welled up in her eyes.

Marvin snarled "Imagine the pain of a son seeing his mother's bare ass in a crowded club as she tried to pick up some guy to fuck her. Our son sat across the table from the man who made his father a cuckold and his mother a slut. Imagine what went on in his mind looking at this disgusting display of wanton debauchery. And you wonder why the kids won't return your calls."

He turned to his attorney, handed him both signed copies of the decree and said "Please file these."

"Marvin, the sex meant nothing to me. It meant nothing to Ted. It was just physical activity, no love, no devotion."

Sternly he said "That is even more cruel Cheryl; that you would think fucking Ted was nothing to you, while you knew it meant the world to me. How disrespectful to me is that. That is the worst thing you could ever say to me."

Cheryl dissolved into a puddle of tears, moaning and mumbling. She did not have enough strength to stand to leave, even with her attorney pulling her up by her arm. She kept repeating "NO, NO, NO. I want to be your wife again. Please forgive me. I promise to be faithful forever. Please don't do this to me. I do not want to be a divorcee like the other women at the clubs. Please don't push me away. I'm sorry, I'll never do that again."

As he walked out of the office, he could hear her howling and crying all the way to his BMW.

Marvin took the rest of the day off. He went home as he felt it would be a danger for him to drive or even be around people. He poured a large glass of scotch, lit up a cigar and tuned in the Frank Sinatra channel on Sirius radio. The scene from his patio deck was quiet and serene, just what he needed. He looked at his muted cell phone and saw a call every 5 minutes from Cheryl, then he deleted those calls. Both Tara and Greta had called several times as did Robbie and Cindi. "All in due time, all in due time." he thought.

Secretly, he knew this would be the final result. Cheryl was so intent to do this, it was inevitable. That is why she had to take all of her possessions out as she left six months ago. He wanted all of her gone so he could get used to being without her. Her, the woman he loved but then lost with the passage of time. Ever since last summer he had seen her discontent with their marriage swelling. Whether she cheated or not, was immaterial, she was gone. He recognized that as he spent time with Tara and Greta, they displayed more concern for him than Cheryl did. They had exceeded the 25-year warranty on their marriage.

It was either the scotch, the cigar, exhaustion, just plain relief or a combination of all of those that he remained unconscious all afternoon and into the evening. He awoke with a gentle touch from Tara. She had a concerned look on her face and asked "Are you okay?"

He smiled weakly and said "Yes, why shouldn't I be ok?"

She laughed at him and said "I see you didn't lose your sense of humor in the divorce."

Groggily he replied "It turned out to be what I expected six months ago. She is gone. It has been nice just sitting here in the quiet. I have been emotionally preparing for this day since she walked out. Not knowing the exact details but I knew what the end result would be. I was not blindsided on this, I at least, got to make alternative plans for my future and not be a rudderless canoe for the next year."

She sat next to him with her arm around his shoulder and said "Does that future include me?"

When he quickly answered "Absolutely" she moved her face to his and smothered him with a kiss. Instead of a kiss of "hello or goodbye" this was their first kiss of passion and desire. It did not go unnoticed by Marvin.

She then said "As long as you have plans for me, I can wait. Do not hurry or rush to do anything. You are feeling the final gasps of a 25-year relationship. It does not disappear quickly. I will be here for you." Then she kissed him again and left.

Cheryl was so certain that her husband would welcome her back to their home she made arrangements to leave her apartment at the end of the 6-month lease. Now she needed a new place to stay. Since the apartment building project filled up, the owners did not offer her the "new apartment discount". Instead, they increased the rent by 40%, putting her in a cash flow bind.

She did not push for a lot of money in the divorce settlement because she just knew that Marvin would take her back. Besides, the house was a gift from his grandparents and the company was passed to Marvin by his father prior to their marriage.

The divorce papers were just for show to prevent people from thinking he was a cuckold. Diana Marco testified that Cheryl would not give up her right to have sex with other men forcing Marvin to divorce her. The judge affirmed her right to do so and approved a settlement that was not advantageous to Cheryl. She did get to keep her teacher's retirement account. Since she was fully employed and there were no children involved no alimony was awarded. This was not accounted for in her new budget as she expected to be in Marvin's house this week.

She was going to have to move to a cheaper place. Paying moving expenses again, plus deposits was going to hit her hard. She would like a small house but that would entail yardwork. Something that her now ex-husband took care of and she had no interest in preforming those duties. She did find a smaller apartment in a less desirable neighborhood that fit her budget. The thought of an evening job terrified her. Not for the danger or inconvenience but of the humiliation of being a waitress and having to wait on her former country club friends.

Her kids are now returning her calls but the bond between them and their mother has been damaged. It will take some time for the possibility of a full recovery. They both promised to some see her the next time they were in town.

It was now fall and the trees were turning colors, the days getting shorter and the nights becoming cooler. Cheryl shivered and thought "It's going to be a long cold winter."

The next morning was Saturday and Marvin slept late. He had told his Saturday golf group that he would not be playing that day. Around 10am Greta appeared at his door. She said "I heard it was brutal but it is finished."

"Who told you that?"

Greta smiled and said "We have the same attorney silly. He knows how close you and I are. Plus, I threatened to break all of his golf clubs and his left arm if he did not tell me."

He laughed and hugged her. She asked "Finally over?"

"Yes, finally over."

She said "Good. As you start making plans for the rest of your life, I have some things to tell you. Things I wanted to tell you before but you had enough on your plate and I was having so much fun with you I just could not tell you this. Please sit down with me."

He became nervous as he tried to imagine what she was going to say.

In a soft voice Greta said "The ladies around town consider you quite a catch and as the final decree is filed more women will come on to you. As you make plans for your life you may be intending to get married again one day. If I were the lucky one to be asked, I would have to tell you "No", because I am already married."

That snapped him to his feet. "What, when, how", was all he could formulate in his mind. He asked "Who is your husband and where does he live?

"My wife lives in Atlanta; we have been married for 5 years. One of the reasons I go there often is to see her. Marvin, I am a lesbian, and have been for 10 years. That does not negate the fact that I love you as my best friend and want you to always be in my life. My love for you does not include sex. That is why I was not jealous of you being with Tara."

"I could love you but not marry you; your penis comes in the way of that ever happening. As far as I am concerned, we can go forward just like we have been this summer, so long as Tara does not object. In fact, I would like to have a better relationship with Tara. I want her to know I am not out to steal her man. If she is important to you then she is important to me. Afterall we are business partners."

She continued "I was happy and relieved with the 'No Sex Rule' you put in place this summer. It did not put me into an uncomfortable position. My wife does not want me to have sex with you any more than you did not want other men to have sex with your wife. She does not like the idea of me cuckolding her. I have a great friend who just divorced his wife for having sex with another man."

Continued in Part 2