A Tale Of Many Mistakes Ch. 01

"Yeah, I'll make it up to you."

On these cryptic words, she went down on me, trying to revive something that should be handled by St. Jude, the patron of desperate causes.

***

The rest of the weekend was spent in a series of lovemaking sessions, sometimes tender but often frantic. Well, the frantic ones were more simply down to business fucking and Eileen led the charge. Thanks to the little pills ordered by our family physician, I was able to perform like a young man, almost...

On Monday at lunch, I started to make a few inquiries with contractors now that we had more specific details about our dream country estate. One contractor that was recommended by a colleague, who had worked with him before, agreed to talk about it. He took a few days to look at the proposed plan and helped me to understand everything that had to be done. He didn't mind answering my uneducated questions. He didn't even mind working with me despite the fact that the construction would not start for another three years.

On Thursday, we had lunch together. He was somewhat younger than me in his late 30's or early 40's. We did connect right away. It took him only a few minutes to present his schedule for the different tasks needed to go from an old cabin to a brand new cottage.

"How soon do you want the old cabin demolished?" he asked.

"The sooner the better. My wife doesn't even want to go there anymore with the mice infestation."

He proposed to do it in the next few weeks at a very fair price. I told him that I would consult with my wife and give him a definite answer very soon.

I was excited by the way things were shaping up. I wanted to surprise Eileen and made a reservation at a very nice restaurant that catered to many young professionals (so my secretary Tammy said). Hey, I don't need to be told twice that the subject might make Eileen feels old so the setting would be perfect.

Eileen's work schedule was from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. So I decided to leave work early to pick her up. On the way to the hospital, I realized that I might be a bit late due to the traffic. I phoned her cell but got no answer. Shortly after 4:00, only a few blocks away from the hospital, my phone rang. Eileen's cell phone number was on display. Seeing a free spot at the curb near an intersection, I pulled in and answered the call.

"Hi honey! What are your plans in the next few hours?" I asked.

"Work, work, and more work. Somebody called in sick, and I have to stay a couple of hours till a replacement arrives."

Damn! I thought. Maybe I can reschedule the reservation for later.

At that very moment, the light turned red for the traffic going south on the next street. A grey Mercedes stopped. I looked at the woman sitting by the driver. She was on the phone. I could only see her profile, but I could swear that the passenger was my red-haired wife. Weird!

"You at work?" I asked.

Less than 50 feet away I could see the woman talking.

"Yeah! Stuck here for a while."

Even from the side, I knew now that it was Eileen. It's like a heavy weight has been pressed to my chest. A terrible feeling hit me and a wave of heat went through me.

"You there honey?"

"Yes!" I was able finally to get out.

"Oh! I thought for a second that the call was dropped."

Their light turned green and the Mercedes started to move. Hurriedly, I cut back into the traffic, earning a loud horn from a driver I cut off unceremoniously. Unable to talk while chasing the Mercedes, I said "I'll talk to you later then," and I hung up.

I turned on the street and could still see the Mercedes moving along, about six cars ahead of me. Thanks to synchronized traffic lights, even if I had to stop at a red light, their car also had to stop ahead.

My mind was in turmoil. What was happening? A sinking feeling hit me. Eileen was lying to me! I was not inclined to be paranoiac. I didn't see conspiracies around every corner of my life. Why would she lie to me? Nothing in our own social and professional circles could warrant that. Going out with colleagues, a late meeting, a girls or guys' night out, we always told each other everything. Was my mind playing tricks on me?

For a few minutes both cars traveled due south. We were heading toward the outskirts of town, Motel Town we used to call it because of the many motels and hotels that serviced the travelers coming into town. That's also where the traffic lights stopped playing in my favor. My light stayed red while theirs turned green. I quickly lost sight of them.

Still driving aimlessly in Motel Town, I was unable to kid myself. The only reason Eileen would lie to me was if she felt guilty about something, and the only thing that made sense was that she was cheating on me. Did I really want to know? You bet I wanted to know. There were about 20 motels and hotels in that area, and I had to check them all. What for? Well, I would play it by ear. I decided to systematically inspect the parking lots of the motels. A total wreck inside, I almost made it complete when turning right at a red light to start my search. A driver with good reflex avoided me at the last second.

I had a hard time concentrating, but I mapped the entire area in my mind and started my search. Driving slowly, I watched every parking space. After an hour, at the last motel, no luck! I started to breathe easier until I realized that some of these motels had parking spaces behind their building, so I resumed my search. Twenty minutes later, I hit pay dirt. There, hidden at the back of a cheap motel, I recognized the grey Mercedes.

I parked right behind it. I was shaking all over. My mind was running at full speed. What should I do? What could I do? A disturbing thought crept into my mind - your life is over! Morbid curiosity, seething anger, terrible sadness were fighting to take control of me. As a result, I was simply sitting still in my car, unable for the first time in years to have a coherent thought.

I finally stepped out of the car and walked toward the Mercedes. I looked at the row of doors of the motel, 20 in total divided on two floors, and realized that I had no way of knowing which room they were in. In a daze, I knew also that I didn't really want to find out. What could I do? I am not a violent man, so barging in a room to avenge myself was out of the question. Anyway, doing so would put me in contact with Eileen too. Despite all the rage that built up in me in the last minutes, there was no chance that I could do violence to her. And I sure didn't want to look at her, ever! Her lies were hurting me too profoundly.

Well I am not a violent man and couldn't think about hitting somebody except in self-defense. I looked at the brand new Mercedes (they all look brand new, mind you) and took a first kick at a side door, producing a dent. Gee, that felt good! I started to go around the car kicking it and making the most marvelous dents possible. One side mirror went down too. I was getting frantic. Instead of calming me down or diffusing my anger, I was getting worked up.

I was simply livid and full of angst when I heard a door open and I looked up. A young man in his 30's appeared. His back was toward me and he was facing the inside of the room. Then a flash of red-hair told me all. You don't spend an hour and a half in a bedroom to play cards. All my rage was suddenly gone. Despair and a dreadful fate were facing me. I was trembling like a leaf on the winds of autumn, hanging for dear life to some sanity, but finding no purchase.

Eileen finally stepped out of the room. In a very familiar way, the guy gently grabbed her ass. Smiling, Eileen did her well-known backhand swat of his hand caressing her buttock. Instead, he grabbed her more closely to him and tried to kiss her. She feigned avoiding the kiss but doing so, she moved her head aside and looked down straight at me. Her smile froze. Her mouth made an O.

While trying to disengage from her lover's embrace, she said "Kieran! No!"

Unaware of what was happening, her young lover held on to her. Bad mistake! I have no doubt that in my state of mind I could have kicked the shit out of that boy but Eileen did it for me. She hit him square on the nose with her elbow, so hard that the blood started pissing right away (broken nose). Then she pushed him back toward the room and his head hit the corner of the door frame (concussion). Then she started to run, crying "No, no, no... Kieran!"

She had to run all the way the length of the motel before reaching the stairs. That gave me a few precious seconds to think of what to do next. Do I want explanations? No! What is there to explain. I cheated and lied to you. Do I want apologies? No! Is my world coming apart? Definitely yes! Do I want Eileen within reach of me? Not now, not ever!

Before she reached the bottom of the stairs, I was in my car, shaking badly. Like in a movie, my tires squealed when I got in reverse and when I surged toward the exit. A brief glimpse in the rearview mirror showed me a last view of my wife, yelling my name, running after the car.

It was the end of my life the way I cherished it.