Unfriended

I would like to thank my proofreader MrsIntJ and editor Headitor. They worked hard to improve the quality of this story. We hope you enjoy it. As always, comments are welcome.

-*-

It was a typical spring afternoon at the insurance agency, Arman and Associates, where Don worked. Five years ago he had left a larger office where they thought sixty hours was a light week! His current gig was much more relaxed, but the agency had a good reputation which ensured enough clients to provide Don and his family with a good living.

It was a small office with five brokers and ten support staff. Don had been a broker there for almost four years. He liked his job. In his first few years in insurance, Don had learned the industry and found that he was good talking to people. He especially liked the fact that he didn't have to use high-pressure sales tactics. People needed auto and home insurance, and as long as his company provided decent rates, the coverage sold itself. In fact, it was the relationships that kept Don's customers coming back. People liked Don's laid-back style. He spent a lot of time just staying connected to clients and making sure his company was meeting their needs.

Although Don spent much of his time on the phone, the call he had received today was unusual. A woman who only identified herself as Terry had called him and asked if they could meet. Don was more than happy to meet another potential client and asked if she could come by the office.

"I'm not looking to buy insurance, Mr. Primack, but I do need to meet with you. You don't know me but I have information you need to see," she said. Don started asking questions, but Terry was secretive. "This is a personal matter, it's not about business, and I'm not selling anything. Could you please just meet with me for a few minutes this afternoon?"

Don thought meeting someone like this was strange, and maybe even dangerous, but the call had been intriguing, and his curiosity was piqued. He spent a lot of time meeting and networking with people and, over the years, had had many strange encounters. This Terry, seemed well-spoken and sincere. She was secretive, but he thought, "I'll just have to go and see what this is about".

-*-

The coffee shop was one of those neighborhood places, not your typical chain shop. It was set up to sit and relax with a friend or two, mostly with comfortable overstuffed chairs, but it had a few tables and chairs for those needing to get work done. Being late afternoon the place was mostly empty. Three students sat at the tables with books and papers spread out around their laptops. They had their heads down concentrating, and none of them looked up as Don walked in. He stopped a few steps inside the door and scanned the room looking for Terry.

Terry said she would be wearing a green shirt and she was easy to spot sitting in the far corner in one of the overstuffed chairs. Don walked over to her, "Hello, I'm Don Primack." He reached out and lightly shook the woman's hand.

"Hello, I'm Terry Dixon," she said with a slight smile on her face. "Would you like to grab a coffee before we talk?"

"No thank you. I don't have a lot of time," Don said, just in case he needed to make a quick exit. He hated slick sales tactics but knew how to set up and work conversations. Setting things up for an easy exit was a way to keep both parties comfortable in case it became necessary to end things quickly.

"Have we met before Ms. Dixon?" They had already established this fact in the earlier phone conversation, but Don was just trying to set the stage for Terry to speak.

"No, we haven't," Terry said but didn't follow it with additional details. Don could see she was nervous.

Don sat down in the comfortable chair across from Terry. "Ok, I'm curious - what are we meeting about today? Your phone call was very cryptic. How can I help you?"

Don didn't know Terry, but he could clearly see she was uncomfortable. Her eyes searched Don's for a few seconds. It was like she was trying to get to know him better without speaking. Don smiled, trying to soften her discomfort.

"I don't need anything, Mr. Primack, but I do have some information you need to see. We don't know each other. I don't believe we have ever met, but our spouses both work at Davin Construction."

The conversation paused for a few seconds as Terry and Don looked at each other. Don didn't know where this conversation was going, but he had an uneasy feeling. The look on Terry's face was one of deep concern or maybe fear, and that look made Don uncomfortable.

Both of them just stared at each other for a moment trying to feel more at ease in the slightly tense atmosphere.

Terry started to speak but paused like she was searching for a word. Then her voice became more forceful, "I'll get right to the point, Mr. Primack. I have some bad news for you. I brought you here today to show you the evidence I received from a private investigation firm I recently hired." Terry stopped speaking for a few seconds giving Don time to ingest this little morsel of information.

Don's previous uneasy feeling had suddenly turned to dread. Up to this point, it had been a curious conversation, but now his mind was suddenly very clear. Now he was focused, trying to anticipate where this conversation was headed. Each of the roads his mind foresaw led to places he didn't want to go. He stared into Terry's eyes. It was like he was trying to see her words before she spoke them. He couldn't see her words, but what he could see was her sadness.

"What kind of evidence?" Don finally asked.

"Well, as I said I know your wife works at Davin Construction and my husband is a VP of Marketing for them. I'm sorry to give you this news, but your wife and my husband are having an affair."

Suddenly the room seemed to shrink. Don's eyes could still see, but nothing around him registered. It felt like his brain was running at a million miles per hour but was also locked on a single thought: Brenda... cheating? For a few moments, his eyes stared at nothing. Whatever visual information was coming into his eyes was not registering in his brain. After a few seconds, Don's mind began to work again.

He finally looked up at Terry. His eyes searched her's for guidance, but he still saw only sadness. Don wasn't sure he could form a coherent conversation. He didn't know what to say next.

When Terry had first read the PI report, it had broken her heart. Now her heart was breaking again as she watched Don's sadness and confusion.

Terry just sat there for about a minute giving Don a little time to wrap his head around what he had just heard.

"What do you mean an affair?" Don finally asked. "What have they been doing? For how long?"

"The PI service I hired thinks the affair has been going on for about a year. They got information from a couple of Davin Construction employees that work with George and Brenda." Don realized that Terry knew his wife's name. That fact caused the knot he had developed in his stomach to tighten.

"Apparently they take long lunches at least one afternoon every week. It didn't take much for the investigator to determine they are going to a hotel not far from the office."

Terry pulled an envelope out of her purse and pushed it across the table. "It's all in here," she said. "I don't have graphic pictures of them together, but we did get audio recordings of them having sex. We also have a phone call, text messages, and email evidence. My PI service was very thorough."

"Oh my god," was all Don could say. This was all too real and happening too fast. Earlier, he hadn't been sure what this meeting with Terry was about, but he certainly hadn't expected this. He sat silently for a moment and stared down at the envelope. He could see the name - Howard Investigative Service on it. He imagined what was inside but couldn't bring himself to reach for it.

Terry noticed Don staring at the envelope. "It's all in there," Terry said softly.

Don didn't know how to respond. He didn't know what to do next, but obviously, from what Terry was saying, she had the evidence. Her demeanor was so serious and her sadness so obvious, Don knew what she was saying must be true.

Don couldn't believe his wife would cheat on him and that she had been cheating for some time. He finally spoke, "For a year or longer? How could I not have seen it? There had to be signs." Don said out loud, but not really talking to Terry.

"I know... I didn't suspect George either. We have always been such a close couple. I was as shocked as you seem to be, Mr. Primack. I only had him investigated because someone at Davin Construction sent me an anonymous email."

"Please, you can call me Don. Can I call you Terry? It seems we have something in common."

"Ok, Don. I'm planning to confront George tomorrow, but I wanted you to know first. I'm sure your wife will know they have been exposed soon after I confront George."

Her statement kind of shocked Don. "Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? Can you wait a day or two and give me some time to get myself together? I need to process all of this. I don't know my next move, and I need some time to think. Could you please hold off a day or two?"

"Ok, sure, Don. I can wait for a few days. After all, I've known or suspected for weeks. But I don't want to wait too long. The investigative service people told me the lovers are planning a trip together in a couple of weeks. I'll be damned if I'm going to let them go off on a trip like two love birds."

"Oh, wow. That must be the conference Brenda has been talking about for the past month. When is it?"

"I don't know if there is a real conference, but the PIs said they have a 4-day adult cruise booked from the 14th of this month.

Don was still in a state of shock. How the fuck could she do this? We have two young kids?

Terry pushed the envelope in front of Don. "That is your copy, Don. I warn you, it is difficult to read. It's like a stab in the heart when you realize someone you love is so deceitful and destructive. I'm so sorry to have brought you this news. I've written my cell number on the envelope. Call me after you've had time to think."

"Terry seems so composed," Don thought but realized she had known for a while. He had just found out this terrible news but already realized that if it was true, his marriage was over.

"Thank you, Terry. I will call you soon. Just give me a little time to digest all this. Since I'm asking you to wait on your talk with George, I will not confront Brenda until I tell you I am going to do so. I just don't know what I'm going to do right now. I've got to do some planning."

"Don, I'm so angry with George for screwing up our lives. Right now you are in shock but believe me, your emotions will soon turn to anger. I don't know how you plan to deal with this, but I will not stay married to a man who cheats on me. I'm so angry, I want to make him pay. I would love to get back at the selfish, cheating bastard. I just can't figure out how to go about it.

"I guess I will just confront him and then divorce him. And... he probably won't give a shit. He and Brenda will likely ride off into the sunset while you and I get left in the dust."

"If you have any ideas on making them pay, please let me know. Maybe we can send emails to people they work with? Perhaps we could use the PI firm to get more info? I'm just not sure what would work? I still have the investigative firm on retainer."

"Make them pay?" Don said in a questioning tone, staring out across the coffee shop. "Yeah, maybe I can come up with something Terry. I'll give that some thought. It's all so confusing. I just don't know right now."

"I'm sorry I brought you such bad news today, Don," Terry said as she stood up from her chair. "Call me if you need anything. I will talk to you soon."

Terry walked out of the coffee shop, and Don just sat there for a minute watching the students doing their work. "What the fuck do I do now?" Don thought.

Don sat and stared at the envelope. Looking at what was inside felt like the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew it was a necessary next step forward. His future path was through that envelope. He reached across the table and began pulling the papers out, chuckling without humour at the irony of the situation. "I look like I'm doing homework like the others in here," he thought. But I have a feeling this homework is almost certainly going to change my life.

-*-

His thoughts went to his kids. This was going to destroy their world. That's when he fully realized that, if what Terry said was true, if the envelope proved Brenda was having an affair, divorce was inevitable. He just didn't see staying with a cheating wife. They didn't have a perfect marriage, but it wasn't bad. In fact, up until today, Don thought it was pretty damn good. But, obviously it wasn't working for Brenda, and she didn't respect him enough to talk to him or even to leave him for her lover. He wondered what part he had played in Brenda's cheating. Had the sex not been good enough? Was he not attentive to her other needs?

Don had left work early, and Brenda wouldn't expect him home for another couple of hours, so he sat quietly and read the report with all its sordid details. It took him almost two hours to go through it all. There was lots of information, and it was all so unbelievable. There was a thumbdrive with the recorded calls that had also been transcribed into documents, and there were a number of pictures of them together holding hands and kissing. There were also photos of them walking into and out of hotels. It all made Don sick to his stomach. He looked around for the restroom just in case he needed to jump up and puke.

By the time he was finished reading, it was perfectly clear. Brenda wasn't a loving, caring wife and mother. She wasn't a mother concerned for her family's well-being. She was a selfish, lying, cheating slut and had been for over a year. Not only did she meet her lover at least once every week, but they had been together during two business trips as well. He had thought he knew her almost better than she knew herself, but in reality, he clearly had no idea who this person was.

-*- Seven Years Ago

Don and Brenda had first met shortly after college. They both worked for a tech firm that provided inventory management services for large enterprise companies. Don started working on one of the many aspects of the company's services as an assistant product manager. Brenda had been there for about a year and had worked in the accounting department. They first met at the company's holiday party in late December. The company was hosting the party downtown, and it was a formal affair.

"Brenda, you look great all dolled up," Natalie said. Natalie was one of the many friends Brenda had already made at Davin Construction. She and a group of five girls had decided to go to the party together.

"Thanks, Nat. I do like to play dress up every so often."

"Well, you clean up well Bren. That red dress looks beautiful on you and it fits your curves perfectly. The guys are going to be all over you tonight," Nat said winking.

Brenda wasn't convinced many guys would be looking her way, but she wasn't opposed to it. She didn't usually go out of her way to attract guys. With her light brown straight hair and brown eyes, Brenda felt like her face was pretty enough, but she always considered herself a little chubby and didn't have the shape that seemed to attract the guys. At 5 foot 4 inches she wasn't tall like Natalie and guys seemed to really like those willowy girls. Plus, she didn't often spend the time on hair and makeup like the others.

Brenda enjoyed focusing on work instead and going out with her friends on weekends. She was very sociable but wasn't the flashy, sexy type like many of her circle. When they were out at bars and clubs, it seemed that the guys were always more interested in the other girls in her group.

A few times, as guys were hitting on Brenda's friends, she would connect up with one of them. And more than once she had ended up in bed with a guy. She wasn't shy and enjoyed the sexual experiences, but they never seemed to connect up afterwards. Sometimes she felt she was the consolation prize in the hookups between her friends and the guys.

But at the holiday party, Brenda had caught Don's eye. She seemed so unassuming standing there with the rest of her friends. She was wearing a mid-length red dress trimmed in white lace. To him, she was the prettiest of the lot and he wanted to meet her.

Brenda saw Don walking towards her group. He was one of many that had approached them for dances. She assumed he would soon be asking Natalie or Theresa for a dance, but as he got closer, he was looking straight at her.

"Would you like to dance," Don asked Brenda, looking straight into her eyes. Brenda was pleasantly surprised and accepted. After the dance was over, Don asked her to stay on the dance floor for another. Soon they had been together for more than an hour.

"You are a beautiful woman and I would like to get to know you better," Don told her. "Can I get your number and call you sometime?" Brenda smiled and nodded.

They walked back to the table and Don handed Brenda his phone. "Send a text to your phone, that way I'll have your number." When that was done, Don looked into Brenda's eyes and smiled, nodded, then walked away.

"Score!" said Natalie, looking at Brenda and winking.

-*-

Brenda thought a lot about Don over the next days. He had been so nice at the party and very attentive. He had her phone number and now she was wondering if he would call. "I'm not going to get my hopes up," she thought. She had waited too many times in the past hoping a guy would call and then they didn't.

But on Monday evening, Brenda was pleasantly surprised by Don calling and asking her out to the movies on Friday. The Friday movie date went wonderfully, and soon they were spending most of their free time together.

Don fell for her quickly, and Brenda loved the attention. She wasn't used to getting so much focus from a man. He was smitten and courted her with flowers and candy. When they dated, he always tried to make every date special. Brenda loved being pampered, and he was winning her over. "Nerds do sometimes get lucky," Don thought.

Brenda did love being spoiled and told all of her friends about him. Brenda had a large circle of friends and was always posting on Facebook. "He's a romantic," Theresa posted, then followed it with, "He's a keeper Brenda, those types don't come along every day."

After a wonderful date Brenda had come home and laid down on her bed still fully clothed. The date had been wonderful and she was in a state of euphoria. She hadn't felt like this since her first love back in high school.

I've found a man that thinks I'm special. I didn't know men acted like that anymore.

Don would hold her hand when they were out and open doors for her. He was always giving her casual displays of public affection. A light kiss on her cheek and her heart would flutter.

Brenda knew she was falling for him quickly. It felt like she was being swept off her feet and she loved every minute of it. It was a wonderful feeling to be falling in love.

-*-

Don and Brenda had been going out for about a month, and they were still spending most of their free time together. This Friday night was no exception, but Don had something special planned. "Where are we going tonight?" Brenda asked.

"You'll see. It's a surprise," he said as they drove downtown. Brenda was intrigued. Finally, Don started circling, and Brenda could tell he was looking for parking.

"There's a lot over there with some spots," Brenda pointed.

Within minutes they were standing in front of a club. The sign outside said it was Blue October playing. "Oh my god, Don. How did you know I am a huge fan of Blue October?"