Visceral Reaction To Disrespect

Without going into great detail, there have been countless stories written about a woman ditching her husband for a one time marriage improvement fling. Doesn't really matter if he comes home to find her getting ready for a date or they are on a date and she leaves with someone else. Go back to the first few stories ever posted in LW and you'll find one. Go to the stories posted recently in LW and you'll find one. Here's another which picks up when the improved wife returns home.

One particular story has countless knock-offs. Unlike those versions, where the subsequent authors painstakingly took the time to write in a manner identical to the original poster, mine is mine alone. I have neither the ability, nor the desire, to mimic another author's style.

Dwight David Yoakam: "Oh but thank you girl for teaching me brand new ways to be cruel. If I can find my mind now, I guess I'll just leave."

= = = =

The man in the driver's seat stared at his conquest as the woman opened her own door.

He smugly spoke "Thanks for a fun night. I'd love to do it again!"

"Ain't happening. I'm a happily married woman. Last night was a one-off in my marriage. Besides, your reputation is undeserved."

"Fuck you bitch" as his tires squealed away from the curb. Wendy, looked at the sports car speeding away. She hadn't even shut the door yet, so she rolled her eyes and muttered 'Asshole.'

With one last primping, she made sure she was presentable. No need to rub Landon's nose in this. Time to get on with her married life.

Not having taken her phone with her when she left last night, her arrival was not completely expected. She found the front door locked. Nobody answered her repeated knocks or the ringing of the chimes. She fished out the fake rock from under the rose bush and then cleaned the dirt off of the emergency key. Whoever had put it back the last time failed to close the rock completely.

Once the door was open she announced "Landon! I'm home."

There was no response. She wasn't completely surprised 'He's probably sulking somewhere. He loves me enough for us to get past this' crossed her delusional mind.

The house was deathly quiet so she shocked herself when Landon was discovered sitting in the kitchen. His head was staring down as his elbows rested on the table. One empty Jim Beam bottle was on the floor and a half empty Johnny Walker Black was in front of him on the table. The smell of a joint was still strong.

"LANDON! Why didn't you let me in?"

He didn't stir, so she tapped him on his shoulder. That's when she saw it. He'd taken his handgun out of its child-proof protective case. Landon spun around.

"YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" with wild eyes as he grabbed for the gun.

Wendy backed away a few steps but when Landon struggled to point the gun at her she sprinted towards the front door. BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM as the glass in the door side panel exploded. She heard a bullet ricochet and felt a stinging sensation near her hip. Once outside she ran as fast as she could looking over her shoulder to see if Landon was following her. He wasn't. She noticed blood dripping down her leg. Without the panties she'd started out with last night, she had nothing to stem the breeze caressing her raw pussy lips. Asshole wanted her panties as a souvenir.

She stopped three doors down at one of her neighborhood friends. A few of the other neighbors had heard the shots ring out and were peeking out of their doors and windows. Sue opened her door.

Breathing hard "Sue, its Landon. He's got a gun and he fired it at me. Please call the police."

"OH MY GAWD! You're bleeding! Come inside, now!"

Gasping for air "No, I won't put you or kids at risk. I'm just going to keep running."

And that's what happened. Wendy was blocks away when the police found Landon passed out on the kitchen floor. Bullet-ridden walls and door window were enough evidence to hold Landon for questioning. Attempts to rouse him failed so paramedics were called. Handcuffed to the hospital bed, with an almost fatally high blood alcohol level, Landon slowly responded to his IV.

+ + + +

Wendy hid outside of a Walmart until her heart rate calmed down. She spoke candidly with a security guard who then summoned the police. A worker wearing a smile logo brought her some napkins to compress the skin grazed by a bullet. The security guard did his best to sneak a peek at her shaved pussy.

The police arrived and questioned Wendy before giving her a ride back to her house. She refused further medical assistance.

Gunpowder residue on Landon's arms gave the police enough to arrest him on attempted murder charges, although his inebriated state made it unlikely that that charge would stick.

Scanning the house, Wendy found neither her purse nor her phone.

'Don't tell me that Landon left my stuff at the hotel' crossed her mind making her mildly upset. At least Landon's phone was still here. There were several missed calls from her parents. They'd watched the kids last night and she was supposed to pick them up before noon. Wendy wasn't prepared to talk to her mother, so she ignored parenting for a little longer.

Instead, Wendy called the hotel and spoke with the manager. He informed her that they had billed them for another night and that their belongings were stored safely. Her keys were in her purse so she rifled through the office desk drawers until she found the backup set of keys for her car.

Once at the hotel, she looked through their belongings. Not only were her clothes there but Landon had apparently left without taking anything of his either.

'What the hell? Did he just head home? I guess he took it harder than I thought he would' crossed Wendy's mind.

Using her phone, Wendy called her mother and disclosed that Landon had shot a gun at her. Things happened quickly after that. An emergency restraining order was served on Landon as he waited for the hospital to approve transport to his holding cell. His mind was in such a fog that he simply shrugged his shoulders.

Monday morning Landon was moved to the city's holding cell. He wasn't completely sober yet, but no one seemed to care. Detectives were unable to get his name from him, so they postponed questioning.

For Wendy, word spread quickly. Her friends quickly distanced themselves as the introduction of firearms changed the landscape.

As the day progressed, Landon recalled why he had drank so much. The pain in his heart returned but now there was nothing to dull his senses. He became quite agitated. The detectives tried their interview again. Unfortunately Landon couldn't recall a thing from Sunday. He did tell them what led to his drinking. They'd heard it all before. Just another dumped husband story as far as they were concerned.

Landon rebuffed all attempts to have him secure his own lawyer. He was allowed one call and still hadn't used it. He'd rather sit in jail than face anyone he knew. Just before the court's closing time, a judge set bail at two hundred thousand.

"Your honor, if someone bails me out do I have to leave?"

"Yes, you have no recourse. If you had an attorney they would have advised you of that. I strongly suggest you get an attorney."

"Well your highness, if someone bails me out I'll fucking track the bitch down and kill her with my bare hands. Understood?"

Bail was revoked. Landon now faced additional charges.

No one called in sick for Landon, but several of his co-workers had seen the story on television so his superiors understood why he hadn't called. Landon was placed on unpaid leave.

Wendy did call in sick. During the day she vacillated between heartsick and extreme regret. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. She even called the police to see what would happen if she refused to testify. Wendy was told that they had all the evidence they needed. Landon would go on trial for attempted murder and now additional charges for making threats to commit murder.

Rather than risking outright rejection, Wendy had her mother approach Landon to see if he would be willing to talk with Wendy. The net effect of his profanity laced tirade was 'NO!'

By Wednesday Landon came to realize that he had children. His emotional state had pushed them completely out of his mind. He finally used his one call. Living several states away, his parents were unaware of his situation. Although his father couldn't get away, his mother could and did.

By the following Monday Landon was represented by a friend of a friend of a friend of his father. Bail was denied again but this time pending a psychiatric evaluation.

Sitting with her eyes pleading, Wendy waited for Landon to enter the visitor's room.

Walking towards his seat, Landon shook his head no.

"Well look who slithered in. Did you bring me any booze?"

"Hello Landon. No, I didn't bring anything. I wanted to talk with you."

"What makes you think I could give a shit about ANYTHING you have to say? You wasted your fucking time coming her so go spend your time fucking your boyfriends. GUARD get me out of here!"

"Landon! Wait! It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!" didn't make any difference as Landon stood impatiently for the guard to escort him away from Wendy.

Wendy had tried to visit again, but Landon refused to see her. Landon's mother visited with his kids. Honesty took a back seat. This wasn't the time to tell them that daddy wanted mommy dead and was willing to do the time.

With that mindset, the judge again denied bail. Landon was laid off from his job. Worker bees are expendable especially if they could embarrass a company.

+ + + +

"Mr. Mitchell, my name is Mrs. Martin. I've been assigned the task of doing a mental evaluation of you. You may call me Mary if you prefer. How should I address you?"

Wearing shackles, and tethered to a chair, Landon sized her up. A little older than himself. More professionally dressed than Wendy. Light makeup made her a naturally good looking woman. 'Aren't they all' crossed Landon's mind. Wonder if I'll ever date someone like this lady again?

"Dumbass works" came his reply.

"And why would I call you Dumbass."

"For ever thinking that that bitch was worth wasting ten years of my life."

"I see. Do you understand the charges against you?"

"Well yes and no. I'm told I used the slut for target practice. I'll have to defer on that one as I have no recollection of doing that or anything else that day. However, I'm not sad about it if in fact I did do that. The other charges are because I pissed off the judge. Apparently you can't tell the truth if you're charged with a crime."

"How about you tell me what happened that broke you down."

"Well we were out celebrating my overtime bonus check. We'd sent the kids to her folks as I'd reserved a suite with a Jacuzzi and we planned on spending the night."

"Sounds romantic."

"Whatever. So we're sitting there listening to the band and watching people dance. We'd boot scooted a few but drank a few too many. We agreed to sit a few out now. Then this dude in a fancy suit recognizes Wendy. Without being asked he pulls up a chair and those two start making eyes at each other. Apparently this guy owns a business that Wendy's company does work with. By the way they were flirting with each other I'd have to say they knew each other much too well. At first it didn't bother me, but when Wendy said 'Let's dance' and grabbed HIS hand, not mine, I objected."

"Definitely a lapse in judgement."

"Whatever. After about twenty minutes I went out on the floor and tried to break up the party, and then Wendy told me she was going up to his room for a nightcap. I don't remember much after that. I wanted to kill both of them so I got the hell out of there. How I got home is beyond me. After downing some booze and smoking a joint, I got my gun out to kill myself. Then I thought about my kids, so I didn't. However, I did put bullet holes in the middle of her forehead in every picture we had hanging on our walls. Next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital handcuffed to my bed."

Mary was madly scribbling notes and then addressed Landon again "Looking at the second set of charges, you told the judge that you would track your wife down and kill her."

"What? Should I have lied about it? When the memory of what happened returned, the rage was overwhelming. It's still there but lurking now."

"You're that mad?"

"Mad doesn't begin to describe it. Bitches like her deserve to have their necks wrung. Is that something you'd ever do Mary?"

"This isn't about me."

"So you would ditch your husband if the right guy came along?"

"Mr. Mitchell, I'm here to evaluate you, not for you to evaluate me."

"Well I just want to know if all women are wired that way. Sell me a clue. I'll never get serious with another woman if you think you'd all act like my slut wife."

"Mr. Mitchell, I do not personally believe her actions reflect my beliefs or those of the majority of married women. That's just my opinion so you are free to agree or disagree with me. My report to the court is going to be that you have a firm grasp on reality and are not insane. I will also let the court know that you have been severely harmed emotionally by your wife actions and are in need of anger management therapy."

"Finally, a woman who says something intelligent. I've been around way too many of the other kind recently. Tell the mister he has a special lady."

It's tough to fight back a blush, and Mrs. Martin failed.

"Thank you Landon. I hope you find inner peace before it costs you your children."

Landon's eyes watered a bit, but he wasn't about to let Mary see that.

"Guard! Get me out of here."

+ + + +

By the end of the fourth week, money was getting tight. This would be the only mortgage payment Wendy could make from savings so she skipped sending the payment in and kept the money for more pressing things. Wendy's parents were willing to watch their grandkids, but couldn't help financially. 'It wasn't supposed to turn out this way' was often whispered as Wendy cried herself to sleep nightly.

With Landon on the loans, only a court ordered division of assets in a divorce, would allow Wendy to sell the house and cars to free up some funds and stop the bills she was unable to pay. Her fancy car seemed so insignificant about now.

The county jailhouse counselor was helping Landon deal with his demons. Dreams buried deep in one's heart send out a lot of shrapnel when detonated.

When served with divorce papers, Landon showed little emotion. He missed his kids, but put the blame on Wendy.

Landon's attorney turned out to be quite good. After four months, Landon pled guilty to reckless endangerment. With his sentence reduced to time served, he was released although still subject to five years parole and completing anger management courses. The restraining order, protecting Wendy from Landon, remained in place.

Upon his release, Landon's parents picked him up. They stayed for two weeks and arranged two visits with his kids. The divorce would take a few more months. Every time he heard Wendy's name, his buried anger would start to surface again. He was getting better at forgetting her.

With a cheap Tracfone, he started looking for a job. Nothing he could find would pay remotely close to what his projected child support amounted to. Wendy was also petitioning for maintenance and housing. It was tough finding a good job so he didn't. He worked odd jobs earning enough to pay for his tiny trailer and a steady supply of liquor. He'd already lost close to thirty pounds and changed his wardrobe at the thrift store.

Landon always made his parole meetings as scheduled. His parole officer suggested he find a therapist. Landon told him he would as soon as a free one showed up.

The trailer park turned out to be a cauldron of drama. Who's cheating who? Who's being true? It occurred to Landon that this was no different than what he left behind.

A lady who always wore sweats made a point of flipping him off whenever he said 'Hi' to her as she walked by getting her exercise. Finally one day the lady had had enough.

"What is your problem? Maybe you don't understand what this means" as she flipped him off again.

"Probably not I suppose. I just assumed you were showing me that you hadn't shoved it up your ass yet today."

"You men are all fucking pigs. Stay away from me."

"Well you women are all lying cheating whores, so I'll have no problem with that."

She stood staring daggers at him before reaching for her cigarettes "Name's Betty. Got a light?"

"Don't smoke. You shouldn't either. Name's Landon. How long you lived here?"

"A few years I guess. You?"

"Since middle of last month. I can offer you a cup of coffee or something stronger."

"No thanks. I mean thanks but no thanks. See you around."

"I'll try not to say 'Hi'"

"I'll try not to flip you off."

Both were said with slight smiles.

Over the next couple of weeks, they continued to spar like the early rounds of a boxing match. Test, but don't leave yourself exposed. Landon finally made the first move.

"Betty, I kind of miss human touch. Would you mind sitting so we could lean our backs against each other?"

Betty squinted one eye, and then scooted next to Landon. Silently their backs pressed into each other. Ten minutes worth. Landon was glad Betty couldn't see his face as his eyes were misting over.

"I need to go" as Betty left rapidly.

At their next meeting, it was Betty's turn to make a move.

"Look asshole. Don't go getting any ideas, but could I ask you for a hug?"

It was awkward, but her head wiggled against his chest. They stood silently for a few minutes.

"Thanks asshole."

"You're welcome bitch."

Surprising them both, Betty gave Landon a quick peck on the cheek and left rapidly again.

+ + + +

Wendy's parents were very disappointed in their daughter, and let her know in no uncertain terms. Her uppity friends had long since become scarce. Juggling her schedule, as a single parent, was proving to be overwhelming. Fearing Landon's possible reaction, Wendy refused to date or ever even be seen with another man in a social setting. Her whispered 'It wasn't supposed to turn out this way' was wearing thin.

Landon's parents hired a therapist for him. Landon never intended to make life so difficult for his children, but his visitation was limited due to the restraining order. Wendy, against her parents' wishes, had the restraining order lifted. She'd been keeping tabs on Landon through his mother. That being said, she planned to tell Landon personally about the restraining order. She knew when his next parole meeting was and planned to ambush him afterwards.

His eyes were cold and emotionless when he spotted her "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I've cancelled the restraining order. I need your help raising the children. I can't do it myself. They miss you."

"Well I miss them too. You, not so much."

"Understood. What would think about shared custody? I watch them for two weeks and then you watch them for two weeks."

"I got no room as I'm living in a really small trailer."

"We could swap. You could stay in my apartment with the kids and I'd live in the trailer."

Landon stood silently, for a little longer than made Wendy comfortable.

She kept the conversation alive "Can I buy you a scone or coffee?"

Landon was somewhat surprised that he didn't what to choke the life out of Wendy. In fact, he realized his rage had faded. He didn't see Wendy as a woman, just another social worker. He'd been through a bunch of them so far.

After an hour working out details, they parted amicably.

For the next six months, the arrangement worked well. Landon cut back on the drinking to only a few nights when he was lonely in his trailer. He was always sober around his children. They made his life bearable.