Timing is Everything

"What are you talking about, Sharon? I was served this morning. It's you that wants a divorce."

"Ray, I don't know what you've been drinking to celebrate, but you've got to be drunk. I didn't file anything. It was you that filed. I got the papers before you started calling with your good news. Why are you so focused on breaking my heart?"

Ray's head was spinning. What was happening? He said, "Sharon, this is all messed up. We both got divorce papers, but neither of us filed. Someone is messing with us. If this is a practical joke, I'm not amused."

"Neither am I," she responded.

Then she continued, "You know I love you. You know I fear for our marriage because of all the pressure you will get out on the road from adoring females. I'm not facing any such pressure. If our marriage ends, I won't be the one ending it."

When the call ended, she began taking action. She called the phone company and they agreed to move her phone and answering machine back to her apartment the next day. She began gathering her things so they would be easy to pack. She just prayed that her shyster could come through with those false divorce papers for her. They had to look like the real thing. Everything depended on it!

When Ray recovered from the shock of what Sharon told him, he knew what to do. He took the problem to the General.

The General was quick to commiserate and vowed to get to the bottom of the whole mess. He knew the people to call. He would solve the mystery. If it was a practical joke, the joker would pay a big price.

Sharon's shyster was William Woods. He drew up the papers that looked like a petition of divorce from Ray to Sharon. He gave them to her and she had to admit that they looked like the real thing. They were just like the papers that her attorney had filed against Ray. She was beginning to breathe a little easier.

As the days passed, Ray's popularity was rocketing upwards by leaps and bounds. The crowds that used to be just tolerating Ray while they waited to hear Teddy had changed completely. More young fans were attending the show than before and they were more interested in hearing Ray than hearing Teddy. After all, Teddy was old news but Ray had the best-selling album in the country!

The General constantly kept his ear to the ground. He was forced to keep track so he could keep up. He knew he had to make a change in the Teddy Harpold comeback tour.

What the General did was have Ray begin the show with a couple of his hit songs. Then Ray began a narrative about the musical stars that came before him that set the stage for all of today's performers.

That led to Ray mentioning the contribution that Teddy had made and how lucky everyone was to hear him once again on his last tour. That culminated with Ray bringing Teddy on stage to a nice round of applause. Then the two of them talked about Teddy's first hit that led to a gold record and a golden career. They sang that song together.

When the two of them finished the song, the spotlight stayed on Teddy who continued the conversation that Ray started. Teddy mentioned each of his songs and told how that song contributed to the overall music scene before singing the song. Teddy ended his part of the show by announcing a small intermission that would be followed by Ray Reynolds singing his surging hits.

After the intermission, Ray came out and performed the remaining eight songs from his album. He also treated the audience to a preview of some new songs that would be released soon. His performance generated thunderous applause and a stage covered in handkerchiefs!

Why the handkerchiefs? It came from one of his songs. The words were: "While I cried she grabbed her handkerchief, I thought to dry my tears you see, but instead she just threw that handkerchief at me."

There was always a call-back at the end. When that happened, Ray brought Teddy back out with him and they sang a last duet together that was made up of lines from both of their hits.

After the show, Ray always came out to meet his fans and sign autographs. Many times he was signing pictures and other souvenirs that had been bought during the intermission. By far what he signed the most were Ray Reynolds Handkerchiefs that the girls bought in record numbers.

Much of the credit for all of this has to go to the General. He recognized Ray for the talent that he possessed and all of the peripheral things, including the handkerchiefs, were his idea. He didn't miss any chance to make money, and Ray benefited from that too.

One other thing the General did, he religiously protected his stars. Therefore, he pulled out all of the stops and hired the best people available to find out what went on with the two-way divorce-papers-mystery between Ray Reynolds and his wife, Sharon. It needed to be resolved since it was a potential problem for his new superstar. He needed to protect Ray no matter what the cost.

Sharon was feeling a little more optimistic, but she had to keep up the farce. She had to remain mad at Ray because of the divorce papers he supposedly filed against her. She had to keep denying that she had filed for a divorce. She had to make sure that he thought it was all a big practical joke on somebody's part. She worried, however, when she found out that the General was instigating an investigation.

Sharon knew that she needed to get back to her apartment. This would have to be her last night with Bruce. To be fair, she should make her last night with Bruce similar to those last nights with Ray.

Accordingly, she asked Bruce to take her to Eddy's nightclub. They hadn't been there since their first date. Just like before, after dancing and drinking, she had him drive to the Hayward Lookout. It was a repeat of that first Saturday, including the mind-blowing sex at his apartment afterward.

There was only one thing that bothered her. When they left the nightclub, she noticed a white Ford behind them. It was still there after they executed several turns. By the time they got to the Lookout, it was no longer visible, so she dropped her suspicions.

After the make-out session with Bruce, as they were pulling out of the Lookout, a white Ford passed in front of them. She told herself it was just a coincidence. After all, there are white Fords everywhere.

The next day, she told Bruce that she was having cramps and needed to stay home. After he left, Sharon packed her stuff and moved back to her apartment. That evening, when it was apparent that she had left him, Bruce called her. The telephone line was burning with his anger. He tagged her with every name in the book. He said, "I spent hours with you so you could pass a dealer test in Vegas. You just used me. When your Ex became an overnight star, you dropped me like a hot potato. Do you really think he will take you back? He won't and neither will I, you miserable, gold-digging bitch."

Just when she thought things couldn't get more messed up, she got a call from William Woods. He was ready to collect his fee. He told her that he wanted to spend the night at her apartment. Knowing that everything depended on the false papers that he had prepared for her and that providing them was not risk-free for him, she agreed to welcome him into her bed for the night.

She spent a disappointing night with her shyster. He filled her with sperm several times but she didn't have a single orgasm. Was it guilt, fear, or both? Or was he just a bad lover?

As he was leaving her apartment the next morning, she noticed yet another white Ford parked across the street. This was one hell of a coincidence. She became apprehensive once again.

When the General got the report about the two-way divorce papers fiasco, he was in a quandary. His new superstar was really looking forward to the upcoming break in the schedule so he could go home to Sharon. Ray was talking to her every day now. He planned to take her with him on the rest of the tour.

The General hated to burst Ray's bubble, but reality is reality and even superstars have to face it. Truth is truth, and this truth was bitter.

It was just three days before the tour break when the General took Ray aside and as gently as possible showed him the results of the investigation into the "practical joke" divorce mystery.

First, the divorce papers from Sharon Reynolds requesting a divorce were prepared by a licensed attorney and were legitimate in every respect. Her petition was filed with the court and it is legal in every respect. It's not a part of a practical joke. The divorce process is underway and the clock is ticking.

The divorce papers that Sharon claims to have received from a filing by Ray do not identify the preparing attorney and were never filed as required by law. As real as the papers look, they are completely fake!

The bombshell that rocked Ray's world was the envelope containing pictures and films. They plainly showed her having sex with two different men. There was sex in both a car and their apartment. The film quality was not the best, but it was good enough to break his heart.

The General said that his attorneys had advised a quick course of action. Since the divorce proposal that Ray received from Sharon was legally filed, had not been withdrawn, and was more than fair; he should let them send an acceptance immediately. It had to be done before she changed her mind and withdrew her divorce petition.

She had agreed to split the money in their joint account and keep only her car. She said he could have everything else. The lawyers speculated that she was feeling guilty at the time and didn't want to make his hurt any deeper than it already was. She did not request alimony and there was no claim leveled against his future earnings. She didn't ask for counseling and she did not request an in-person meeting. She had made it as simple as possible. She would get nothing from his recent success since it occurred after she filed for divorce. That's another reason to act quickly.

With tears in his eyes, Ray signed the acceptance document that the lawyers had prepared. It only asked for one change. It insisted that she must revert to her maiden name. She would once again be Sharon Brown instead of Sharon Reynolds.

The divorce went through and the years passed. Ray's career was still going great five years post-divorce. His admiration of Kay led to a friendship. The friendship led to a relationship. The relationship led to an engagement. The engagement led to marriage. The marriage led to fatherhood -- one of each. The whole package led to happiness.

Over the years, Sharon made many unsuccessful attempts to contact Ray. She finally resorted to ordering a backstage VIP ticket to one of his concerts. It was expensive, but she had to see him. The VIP ticket guaranteed that she would meet the star.

Yes, she did meet him. He shook her hand saying, "Sharon, I can't believe you're a fan of mine."

She said, "Always have been, always will be. Can you find a few minutes to let me talk with you? Can we go somewhere for a drink or something?"

He said, "I'm married, Sharon. I doubt if my wife would approve of me spending time with another woman. You, of all people, should understand that!"

She answered, "Bring her along. I'm not going to make any detrimental remarks. She will know how lucky she is when she hears what I have to say."

He said, "As much as that appeals to me, there's no time for that. We have to be on the move again right after the crew finishes loading our gear. Plus, I need to talk to the rest of these fans. Thanks for coming anyway."

There were tears in her eyes as he walked away.

She decided that she would never attend another one of his concerts. She already had all of his records and she read all of the articles written about him. She tried her best to keep up with his fabulous career.

She dated a few men, but never became serious about any of them. She lived in constant regret.

She remembered crying for hours after seeing pictures of his wedding. Kay looked so happy and so did Ray. There were pictures of their RV too. It was fabulous. He didn't tour as much anymore, but when he did, he had his whole family with him. The family was the very picture of happiness.

Sharon knew that it could have been her traveling with him on his fabulous concert tours. If she had trusted her husband, none of this would have happened.

Hell, if she had waited just one more day before having Ray served with those ill-conceived divorce papers, she would have learned that she would be able to travel with Ray and there would have been no divorce. It would be her in the RV with him instead of Kay. She would still be Sharon Reynolds instead of Sharon Brown. She would be the mother of his children. She would be a contented and complete person instead of this troubled and shattered hag that she sees in the mirror every day. She missed sharing his fantastic life by one fucking day!

Timing is Everything.

The End