Was It Ever True?

I replied, "Who in the hell do you think you are talking to? You made it clear that I wasn't man enough for you tonight. Tell Baldwin to take care of you. I don't have to take this crap from you," and hung up.

In a few minutes the phone rang again. Bev was a little more civil and told me that since I hadn't waited for her, Buster (snicker) Baldwin was going to bring her home as soon as he fixed a flat. "And Cliff (giggle), I have invited him to spend the night since he doesn't have a room. Oh, and Jimmy will be with us. I expect you to be nice (giggle)."

I blew, "Bev you had better get yourself home and you had better find a way to dump the two assholes with you." I hung up and turned the phone off before she could reply.

Turning to Tim, I told him what had just transpired. He said, I think it would be good if you let me come with you. We went home and he parked the cruiser next door, knowing it wouldn't be noticed behind the fence. He told me when we got there that a car would follow them just to be sure nothing happened on the way, that if they became dangerous on the road, they would be pulled.

While we waited, an idea struck. I said to Tim, "You know those spike things you guys use to blowout tires and stop cars?" He nodded.

I said, "Have they ever fallen out of you car, like in driveways?" He started to shake his head and then, catching my meaning, answered, "Well I haven't heard of it, but I suppose it could happen."

We went to his cruiser, pulled out two bars and set them in my driveway. My driveway drops down slightly from the street and the spikes wouldn't be seen until he had rolled over them.

He said with a smile, "You know, I have heard of things like this happening, but this is the first time I have actually seen them fall out. We may need to install retaining straps in the cruisers." We both chuckled. About then his radio broke the silence and he was informed that Buster, with two passengers, had just left the hotel.

Tim reminded the officer that safety was the first concern but that if they could make it to their destination without endangering anyone, to let them go. He gave my address and said he believed they were headed here. Regardless of where they stopped, turn on the lights, get them out of the car and give them a sobriety tests. If they pulled them any where but here, he was to be informed. That over, he said, "Cliff, I'm sorry this is happening. Why don't we go inside and wait?"

It was about twenty minutes later when I heard a short chirp of the police car and I could see blue lights flashing through the curtains. I had expected a big bang as Buster drove over the spikes and was disappointed when I could just barely hear air escaping from the front tires.

The living room lights were off and Tim and I watched through the big window as all three were taken from the car and could hardly stand, let alone even start a sobriety test the two officers were trying to administer. We weren't surprised when they refused to take a breathalyzer test. The side window was open and we could hear what was happening.

The three of them were giggling. Amid the giggles, Buster and Jimmy were tossing light threats and barbs at the officers. Finally the officers cuffed Buster, informed him he was under arrest for driving under the influence. He started swearing and the officers had to forcibly put him into the cruiser. "Tim whispered, now he is resisting arrest."

One officer was looking at Jimmy's driver license, and asked him where he was staying; he would call a cab to get him home. Jimmy had no money, except for about three dollars and also had no place to stay. The officer informed him that he was taking him down town and booking him as a vagrant, that the city would provide room and board for the night.

I was totally enjoying the scenario that was taking place outside. I also noticed a few neighbor's lights had come on and they were observing the proceedings. About that time, Jimmy took a wild swing at the officer, completely missing him and the officer caught him by the back of the neck, slammed his head onto the trunk of the car and cuffed him. Tim whispered, "That's assault on an officer."

While this was going on, the second officer, having secured Buster in the cruiser, was interrogating Bev. He finally determined that this was her home and walked her to the door. Her language was not something to repeat.

I opened the door and let her in. The officer saw Tim and said, "Hi sergeant. I didn't know you were here."

Tim returned the greeting and thanked him and then asked me if he could be of further service.

Seeing Tim, Bev shrieked in a slur at me, "You set this up. Where are Buster and Jimmy going?"

I told her that I had indeed set it up. They were going to the holding tank for drunk drivers and that we didn't need a bunch of drunks driving the streets. I told her the two of them wouldn't be lonely since nine of their buddies were waiting for them. I also told her they would be there until tomorrow morning at least unless someone bailed them out.

She slurred out again, "Well I'm going to go bail them out."

Tim stepped closer to her and said, "Bev, if you go, I will pull you over as soon as your wheels touch public roadway and I will give you a free ride to headquarters and a free overnight cell."

She called him an SOB and attempted to slap him.

I grabbed her arm, put my face in hers, and told her to go to bed. I told her if she didn't she was going to see a "nerd" she had never seen before and she might even get to see a nerd" being hauled away for beating his wife. Then with authority I said, "Get your whoring ass into bed; RIGHT NOW." I released her and gave her a shove towards the bedroom.

It was after three in the morning and Tim looked at me and said, "I went off duty fifteen minutes ago, I'm heading in. Oh, by the way. Since that is a rental car, call the agency and tell them it was abandoned here when the drunk driver was taken to jail. Tell them to come pick it up with their tow truck, that it is not drivable." He cast a glance at Bev, said, "Goodnight," touched a finger to his visor, and left.

She glowered and went to the bedroom. She went in and collapsed on the bed and was out in minutes. I just left her and went and lay down on the couch.

* * * * * *

I caught a couple of cat naps before dawn. During that time I retrieved Bev's checkbook and all but a few dollars from her purse and I cancelled our joint credit card. I was thinking how grateful I was that I had been advised to keep only the money I would need for day-to-day living in any account that was accessible to anyone but me. The bulk of my money was in off-shore accounts that are available to no one but me.

About noon, Bev came dragging into the dinning alcove. Naturally she looked like hell. She didn't look at me as she sat down. I got up and poured her a cup of coffee.

She sort of mumbled, "Thanks," and then she began to cry. After crying a few minutes she half looked up and said, "Honey, I'm so sorry. I was pretty bad last night wasn't I?

I replied that I wished that "pretty bad" would cover her actions.

She was about to say something when the phone rang and since she was next to it she answered. I couldn't hear what was being said but I could tell it was someone who was very unhappy. She listened for another minute and said, "I'll be right down," and hung up.

She looked at me for a moment and then in a half-whisper she said, "That was Buster. He's being held until someone comes and bails him out. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I stood up and pushed her back into the chair. Then I said, "Bev, no matter what you think; you are not going to bail him out. I have your checkbook, your cash, and the credit card has been cancelled. I am not sure that our marriage can be salvaged after your performance last night but, if I ever see asshole Buster near you again, or if you ever mention his name in my presence again, our marriage is over. I am deadly serious about what I have just said. Do you completely understand me?"

She began to cry and wanted to call him back since she had told him she would be right down. I told her that he had gotten what he deserved and that he could rot in jail for all I cared.

(I learned later that he spent two days in jail since no one posted bail and he certainly didn't enough money to post bail.) He was charged for the rental car until he returned the keys a day after he got out of jail. He was charged an extra day for the car being out of service to have new tires put on, and he was charged for the new tires. The judge fined him $500 for DUI and suspended his license for six months. Since he had hitch hiked to town, he had no means for going home and he was going to have to raid his rainy day money, the judge ordered him to get bus fare as well. Apparently the fines, car rental costs, and bus fare pretty well wiped out his savings account. Jimmy was released a day earlier and escorted to the bus station. I understand his weekend wiped out his savings too and he had to borrow money from another buddy to get out of town,)

Tim told me that he had an officer escort each of them to the bus terminal to assure they left town without any further incidents. He also told me later that eight others pleaded guilty to the DUI charges and received $500 fines and license suspensions for six months. One, having a previous DUI was fined $1500 and lost his license for a year with a warning that the next time would get him a permanent revocation of his license.

You can't imagine the buckets of elephant tears I shed when I heard of all of their misfortunes. I may not be a muscle man, but I do know how to inflict pain and discomfort.

For the next few days Bev and I had little in the way of conversations. I decided I was going to wait for her to make the overture. If it weren't for the fact that her parents moved back to their hometown, about an hour North of Baltimore, a month before the reunion, I believe I would have taken Bev to stay with them until she sorted herself out.

On Wednesday night, as we were getting ready for bed, she came to me and asked if we could try to repair the damage. She hugged me, lifted her lips for a kiss and let her hand rub my very soft cock.

I pulled her hand away and told her the damage was not going to be repaired in bed. Then I dropped one on her. I said, Bev, our sex is over until after you have a complete medical exam. I don't know what kind of shit Buster and his gang may be carrying, but I'm not taking any chances.

She pulled back from me and exclaimed that Buster and her friends weren't carrying anything. How could I think such a thing?

I just looked at her and then said, "Very easily. When people go around fucking anything and everything they can find, the probabilities are very high that they are carrying some form of creeping crud. You performed like a whore, now get yourself checked before you spread it."

"By the way, you will be checked by our doctor and you will bring me a written certification."

She sobbed, "Please Cliff, let me go to someone we don't know. I'd be mortified to go to Dr. Matthews for this kind of check-up."

I said, "You should have thought of that before. I didn't think anything could mortify you after what I saw on Saturday. But, you can be checked by any doctor you wish. However, you will not have sex with me again until it is certified by Dr. Matthews." I could still hear her crying as I drifted off to sleep.

When I came home Thursday night she came to me hugged me and said she was sorry. She seemed to be acting like her old self. She asked if we could talk after supper. We talked about normal necessary matters during supper. After dinner she looked at me and sheepishly said, "I went to Dr. Matthews today. All the results will be back tomorrow."

We went into the living room and after a few moments she started. "Honey, I have been thinking a lot about the weekend. I can only tell you again how sorry I am for my conduct."

I started to interrupt, but she asked me to let her finish first.

"Honey, you knew that... I'm not to mention his name... but you know who I mean. Anyway you know that we were quite the lovers in high school. What happened Saturday night happened several times while we were in school. I'm not going to apologize for what happened then. That's past history. I am saying that I am extremely sorry for Saturday night,"

She stopped, cleared her throat and continued. "Well, I was accustomed to being an exhibitionist and I was accustomed to having sex before we met. I thought I had put that behind me after I left school. I don't know what happened, but Saturday night it all came back. I wasn't ready for it and I didn't know what to do. But with the booze, I fell back into my old pattern."

I interrupted, "Before you go on, let me ask three questions. Why did you ignore me and put me down when I tried to stop it early in the evening? You weren't that drunk then. Why did you allow and encourage your friends to humiliate me? And most importantly, why did you lie to me about not knowing Buster was coming?"

She started to cry and shook her head and told me she didn't know why to any of the questions. Something had just taken over in her when she saw all of the old gang. "I'm sorry. I just don't know what happened to me."

I was not at all satisfied with the answers, and I was getting really pissed that she was trying to sidestep Buster's appearance. I said in a loud and unloving voice, "Bev, why did you lie about Buster's coming?"

She looked at me like I had just slapped her. I had broken her thought and she was at a loss for words. Finally she meekly replied, "Honey, I don't know why. I guess I was just afraid you would refuse to go if you knew he was coming."

I looked at her for several long moments and almost shouted, "You know that's bullshit. You know that all you have just told me is bullshit. You knew before the reunion exactly what was going to happen. You were looking forward to whoring yourself out again. You really don't give a damn about me or my feelings. The truth is that it's all Bev, what makes Bev happy, what Bev wants. A person who loves another doesn't pull off the kind of shit you did and then try to hide under a, 'I just don't know why I did it' excuse. You damned well knew what you were doing and what was going to happen! You planned it in advance!"

There was dead silence for a few moments. She cringed and went on. "Cliff honey, you knew who I was and what I did before we were married. You know that I love sex, lots of it. You may not have known that I liked it with different partners."

"Honey, this weekend just made me realize that not only do I need sex, but I want, no, need to have it with others."

What she said was like a bombshell going off in my head. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Before she could continue I forcibly interrupted. "Bev, first, stop calling me honey. I can't believe you said what you just did. That brings up a whole new question. How long have you been fucking that asshole since we've been married?"

She gasped and after a moment told me that this was the first time since high school.

I just sat a stared at her. This new possibility was making me feel sick. After a long silence during which she kept her eyes averted from me, I said, "Bev, please note that I am calling you by your given name. I believe you have unintentionally told me much more than you would like for me to know."

"For now, I will not press further. But I have a gut feeling that Saturday night was simply a continuation of something that never went away. Regardless of that, you had better understand that you will never be able to justify sex outside of our marriage to me. We took a set of vows and they are irreversible. What you did in the past, as you said, is history. I can live with that. But, I can tell you right now, if you want to have sex with others, then the proper avenue for you to take is to ask for a divorce. My stand will not change, EVER."

Sobbing she said, "Cliff, you just don't understand."

I replied, "No Bev, you are the one who doesn't seem to understand. The women I have known and know don't go jumping from one bed to another. Unless you have something constructive to say that will help us get over what has just happened and move on with our life, this conversation is over. What I'm hearing tells me that I'm wasting my time thinking we can repair damage that apparently has been there forever."

* * * * * *

Prior to the reunion, we had started to talk about beginning a family. Tonight I had let her know that the family issue was on hold indefinitely; that there was a lot of repair needed on our home, and I wasn't talking about the house, before I would want to bring children into it.

Still sobbing she said, "Oh Cliff, I'm sorry. I know how much I have hurt you and what I just said was a senseless and stupid statement. I love you and I don't want anything to ruin our love and marriage. Please give me a chance to make things right again. Right now I am so mixed up. Please, let's go ahead with the family, that will help put things right."

I went to her, took her by the arm, and told her we could give it a try. But I was not guaranteeing that we would be successful. Regardless, under no circumstances were we going ahead with a family now. She was beginning to understand that she had hurt me deeply and that it wasn't something that was going to go away soon.

Over the next few weeks we had several discussions and we put some benchmarks in place to allow us to judge our progress.

Over the next year and a half we made progress. One of the items that surprised me and made me feel better was that after our shoot-out the week after the reunion, Bev has never made any comment or reference to wanting to have sex with others again. We eventually (about a month ago) began to discuss family plans again, and I was beginning to get excited. Still, I wasn't sure that what she had done could ever be repaired. The memories of that night were still vivid and still hurt. I repeatedly asked myself, "Could I really put them behind me and, could it happen again?" At this time I didn't have answers.

* * * * * *

Initiated a couple of weeks after the reunion, and continuing, about every four to six weeks during the middle of the week, Bev drives to her folks and spends two or three days with them. I love her folks and this seemed a good way to maintain the family union.

We set nine o'clock in the evening as a time she would call me each night she was gone. The call hour was set to assure us that I would be free from work and we could have a few minutes together. This arrangement allowed her to see her folks, us to keep in touch, and better yet, we had our weekends together.

Since I couldn't make the trips, I asked Bev to take her folks out, on me, for a nice evening out. I would give her two hundred bucks so that it was my doing.

I didn't mention it earlier, but I was raised by an aunt and uncle. My parents died before I was a year old. My aunt and uncle took good care of me but we were never very close. I contact them once or twice a year.

It was obvious that Bev was enjoying being with her parents and in addition, she had rekindled some friendships with girls she knew in grade school before her dad's company moved them to Petersburg. She always seemed like a new and refreshed woman when she returned from her folks. Our sex was extra great on her return but it would only last a day, sometimes two, and then we would be back to our normal style, six or seven times a month. Of course, that wasn't bad when you consider one week of the month was taken by the 'bloody lady.'

On her last trip I had some free time at mid-afternoon and was missing her so I decided to get in an extra call. When her mom answered the phone, I talked with her for a minute and then asked for Bev. Her mom told me she had gone over to Janice's house for a slumber party and wouldn't be back until in the morning.