Unlucky at Love

"What's up?" she asked.

"I guess now is as good a time as any..."

"What?"

"Nancy called while you were out shopping with her," John said.

Peggy's eyes got as big and round as saucers. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, which now hung open with surprise.

"If you're going to use a friend as an alibi you might want to clue them in on what you're doing."

"What do you mean?" Peggy asked.

She looked very frightened, yet was still trying to maintain an air of innocence. She wasn't pulling it off very well though.

"Why?" John asked.

"Why what?"

John shook his head watching his wife of two years. He pulled his phone out and scrolled around a bit. Then he turned the screen to Peggy. She gasped.

"How?"

"You're a smart woman, yet you completely forgot that you could be tracked by your phone."

Peggy closed her eyes dropping her chin to her chest. She remained that way for a long, long time.

"Remember when we talked about having a baby?"

"I do. Six months ago." John wasn't going to make this easy for her, no prompting.

"Well, I went off the pill back then. For some reason, I didn't catch. I knew it wasn't me and I really wanted a baby..."

"And, what? You didn't care whose baby it was?" John growled loudly.

"No, no, no, I wanted it to be yours. I did. But when I spoke to your brother, he said you couldn't have children..."

"That's a laugh, seeing as his two are mine," John said.

"What?" Peggy screamed.

"He's the one that can't conceive. He and Bonnie have been trying for years. They finally asked if I could donate some of my sperm. I never had sex with her. Everything took place in a doctor's office. I jerked off into a container and left. After the first one, they asked me to do it once again. Bonnie and I never had sex."

I just stared at her, my eyes and face filled with anger. She looked at me once, quickly looking away.

"We're through aren't we?" she asked.

"We are. You know my feelings, as does Jeff. Bonnie will be getting a full report from me on what he was doing. So, your little tryst will have broken up two marriages. And even though he's my brother... I would bet that this isn't the first time he has done this to Bonnie."

"Oh my god, no," she screamed. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't. I don't care how sorry you are. Ever. I'll give you a week to find yourself an apartment. Everything you brought into the marriage is yours to keep, as are the things I brought. As for each of our retirement funds, you keep yours I'll keep mine. The savings account we'll split down the middle. Fair?"

"More than fair. How could I have believed his line of bullshit!" screamed Peggy.

I just sat there feeling depressed. The second time in six years I have had a wife cheat on me. One with some strange black dude and now one with my brother. It was time to see him. I got up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Out. Move your things out of my bedroom while I'm gone. And don't call my brother or you're out on the street today, got that?" I shouted.

"Oh god, no. I won't, I won't, god I have fucked up everything."

I heard her whimper as I left the house. Climbing in my car, I drove over to my brother's place, which wasn't all that far from ours. As I walked up to the front door, my brother opened it and stood waiting for me with a smile on his face. When I got to the door, I smashed him in the face with my fist. He went flying backward into the house. I heard Bonnie scream as I stepped into the house.

"Don't even think about getting up you piece of shit," I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"John! What are you doing?" Bonnie asked kneeling beside Jeff.

"That's just a little payback for what he has done to me," I said.

"What did he do to you?" she asked.

"He's been fucking Peggy!"

"What?" screamed Bonnie scrambling to her feet.

"Yeah, he's been screwing Peggy. He did her not an hour ago at the Holiday Inn."

Bonnie stood, looking down at her husband. When he didn't deny what John said, she kicked him in the ribs. Hard. You could hear his breath whoosh out of his lungs.

"You cocksucker! You have 15 minutes to pack your shit and get out," yelled Bonnie.

Jeff just lay there, trying to catch his breath.

"How did you find out?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, Peggy went out shopping with her friend Nancy, except her friend Nancy called not half an hour after she left. I tracked her phone to the Holiday Inn. I went there, found her car, and waited. I have a video of the two of them kissing like lovers at her car. I then followed asshole home. After verifying it was him, I went home. Peggy is at home waiting for me to return."

"Did she tell you why?"

"We have been trying to get pregnant for a while now. It seems like we can't. We were going to see a doctor as I know my sperm are good when asshole here talked her into having his baby instead of mine. Of course, he forgot to mention he couldn't father children. She was naive enough to fall for his bullshit."

"Oh my god! And Peggy is such a smart woman. How the fuck, could you do that to your own brother? What a fucking asshole you are," Bonnie said.

Bonnie kicked him in the ribs again. This time Jeff was prepared and just grunted in pain.

"Get your fucking ass up and out of here. I'll put your things on the lawn. Out! Now! Asshole!"

"I'm surprised he isn't trying to talk you out of throwing him out. It makes me wonder how many other women he has on the side," John said.

Bonnie just glared at Jeff. He closed his eyes and shook his head as he climbed to his feet. I was slowly backing away from him as he did. I knew my brother well. He swung at me. He missed. I grabbed him by his hair and walked him quickly to the front door and out. He stumbled down the stairs.

"My keys," he shouted.

"Walk asshole," Bonnie shouted slamming and locking the door.

Leaning against the door, she started crying. I went to her pulling her into my arms. She wrapped me in hers. She was a much better person than my brother was. She was actually too good for him, yet I held my tongue. We stood there, holding each other.

"Okay," she whispered. "I have things to do. I need to cancel his credit cards and his checking account."

"No leave the checking, you can't cut him off completely. That's one thing he has taught me over the years. I do know a shark of a divorce attorney. Better than he is."

"Good. He's... he was stupid enough to let me handle the money, not only for the house but also for his practice. I'm the only one that has access to all the bank accounts. Fool."

John chuckled. Bonnie giggled as she heard John chuckle.

"What about Peggy?"

"She's out. She also had her own accounts and I have mine. I made sure of that before we were even married. She has no claim to mine nor I, to hers. Plus there is an ironclad prenup in place, drafted by your soon to be ex-husband," John said chuckling. "The only thing I'm worried about, for you actually, is that he will refuse to support your kids because they are actually mine."

"Oh, no problem. He drew up papers saying he would support them as he would his own."

"Hmmm... I don't know, but what the hell, I will help you any way I can, Bonnie."

"No need, but it would be nice to have someone to talk to every once in a while."

"Deal," John said taking her hand and giving it a gently squeeze. "I better get back home or she just might be robbing me blind."

"Go. Call me with the lawyer's number," Bonnie said waving him to the door.

When John got home, the house was empty. All of Peggy's clothes were gone and a bunch of keepsakes she loved were missing. There was a note on the kitchen table. John picked it up and read it...

'Dear John,

Oh god, no. Honey, I do want to apologize to you and I know you won't let me do it in person. I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry for what I did to your brother's family.

Done. No more. I will not say I'm sorry ever again.

I have left. I took my clothes and a couple of things that will remind me of us. I hope you don't mind. I will be at my parent's place until I find a new apartment. I'll let you know where that is when I move in.

I wish you the very best and a happy future. I hope you find love again and I hope she doesn't fuck it all up, as I did.

I love you very much. I know what I did doesn't seem like I do, but I do still love you very much.

You know my number.

Love you,

Peggy'

I tossed it back down on the kitchen table and went to the couch in the living room. Sitting, I sat there weeping like a baby. Two, two marriages... gone. One before it even started. The second, two years in. Was I jinxed?

The divorce was final a year later. Bonnie's was also. Jeff didn't put up a fight. After all, I was a witness to his infidelity. Bonnie sold her house, she had to give Jeff half the proceeds, which was not all that much. I let her and the kids live with me. No there was no hanky-panky between us. It would be a long time before I even went looking for some hanky, let alone some panky.

So, my life continued on without love, except those of the children I fathered, yet couldn't claim as mine. I had no doubt that Bonnie loved me for allowing her and the kids to live with me. I didn't charge her rent and she bought the food. And she and the kids ate a lot. What will I do in the future? I haven't the faintest idea. I just take it one day at a time. Peggy does stay in contact. I mean we were married for two years. No, I don't go out with her. We talk on the phone or via email.