An Unhappy Year in Times Square

He finally spoke in a gruff voice, saying, "Jennings, Edwards", and after a pregnant pause he added, "You did it! We landed the Simone account!" "Congratulations!" It took a good minute for Annie and Kyle to catch their breath before responding, "Thank you sir!" Matthews went on adding, "I am transferring you to the main headquarters here in New York effective immediately, that is, after Christmas and you spend some time with your family." "Of course you have to be here for the big New Year's Eve kickoff." It was at that moment that Annie Jennings felt her first true wave of guilt washing over her, as she realized that she had not even bothered to call her husband or talk to her daughter since October. She was so obsessed with landing this account and living it up with Kyle she had completely neglected her family.

Her husband was not the stifling asshole she had portrayed him to be in order to justify her whimsy, but rather the dearest, most loving and understanding person in the world. How could she be so unfair to the love of her life and even worse how could she, in essence, completely abandon him and her precious daughter? She had to make things right. She would be on the next plane to Syracuse as tomorrow was Christmas Eve.

As Annie tuned back in to reality, Matthews was saying, "Here is a little token of our gratitude, a hefty Christmas bonus." "Get out of here and go do a little shopping." Kyle was ecstatic, "Annie can you believe it, we made it New York City!" "Let's celebrate!" Annie replied, "No Kyle, I need to do some shopping and head home to see my daughter and see if I still have a marriage." "I have been so foolish." Kyle replied, "Come on Annie, forget all of that. We can find a loft live and work together. You're a great fuck and the best copy writer in the business. Together, the sky's the limit."

Annie looked at Kyle and finally saw him for the narcissistic, shallow and self-aggrandizing prick he was. What did I see in this asshole, she thought, "What have I done?" Annie was curt and straight to the point, "Sorry Kyle, I'm heading home and I may turn down the move to New York." Kyle looked bewildered as he replied, "But I, I mean we, have worked so hard to make this promotion happen, to land a national campaign. How can you throw it all away?" Annie simply said, "How could I throw my family away."

Meanwhile Jeff loaded the car and put Amy Jo into the car seat. He locked up the apartment and headed out for Albany to spend the holidays with his family. He had a colleague cover his practice in case one of his patients had a crisis as so often happens during the stress filled holiday season. He had no idea where Annie was or what her plans were. He didn't even bother to let her know his plans since she failed to come home or even call for Thanksgiving.

He knew she was living with and fucking Kyle Edwards and he knew that his brother and Jerry had something in the works. He looked forward to hurting her the way she had hurt him. Jerry had put the best litigator in New York on retainer for him as well as hiring the most vicious shark of a divorce attorney in the city. Soon he would have Kyle by the balls and he would cut them off, at least metaphorically, although, he would have preferred to do it with a dull, rusty knife instead.

Jeff arrived at his parents place and was greeted at the door by Jim. "Hello brother." Jim said. He added, "Get settled in and let's go for a walk, I have a lot to tell you." Once Jeff had put Amy Jo in the loving arms of her grandmother, he told the folks that he needed to stretch his legs after the long drive. Jim immediately shouted, "Let me grab my coat and go with." The two brothers took a walk among the bright lights of the homes all decorated for Christmas, as a light snow fell. The air was crisp and a bit of a breeze was blowing making it feel colder than it actually was.

Jim began, "Jerry has been gathering evidence every day. Annie and her paramour have landed the Simone account. She got a bonus and went shopping, oh, by the way, she bought a ticket for Syracuse and she gets in tomorrow morning." Jeff replied, "So? Fuck her!" Jim said, "That's the spirit." Jerry has it all set up. He knows a guy who is going to hack the feed to the Times Square Jumbotron and instead of a rocking new ad campaign for Simone Beauty; it will instead broadcast Kyle and Annie in their rawest debauchery in front of millions live and on television."

They will be so screwed." Jim added, "It seems there is a morals clause in their contracts that forbid them from fraternizing. You will be able to sue Kyle, Matthews and Fralick and Annie." "Beyond that, the humiliation from such a public display will eat them up and they will lose their jobs and be blackballed as far as ever working in advertising again." "Jerry plans on having cameras set up on both tem on the dais and of the Jumbotron where all of the magic will happen.

You'll be able to watch it from your laptop." "Melinda Grayson, the divorce lawyer is ready to serve her as early as New Year's Day once you give the okay. Meanwhile, Goldman, Stein and Mendelssohn have all of the briefs prepared and will file them on Tuesday with the clerk of the courts, filing suit with Kyle for alienation of affection and Matthews and Fralick for failing to enforce their morals clause by allowing them to conduct such a public affair on company property and using company funds."

Jeff was nearly in tears. He replied, "How did my marriage go so wrong, how could Annie do this to me, to us?" "Tell Jerry it's a go on all fronts. Get the lawyers involved and burn them. If he knows someone who could give that bastard Kyle a tune up afterwards by all means have him do it." Jim replied, "I will let him know." "When she gets home she will start looking for you and naturally figure you're here with us."

Jeff replied, "When and if she calls, and that is a big if, tell her I took Amy Jo on a little trip for Christmas and I won't be back to the New Year. If she asks why tell her how hurt Amy Jo was when she didn't show up or even bother to call on Thanksgiving. So I wanted to get her away from being disappointed by taking her on an adventure." Meanwhile, I'll let the family know the cover story; I just don't want to deal with her. I know that I couldn't pretend everything is alright and I don't want to ruin Christmas for Amy Jo or the family." "Let the bitch get a taste of her own medicine."

Jim slipped out and made a call on a burner phone Jerry had given him. He dialed the number and when Jerry picked up, he simply said, "Sorry, wrong number." That was the code to start the full op and Jerry immediately set the wheels in motion.

Annie finally arrived home to find the house empty, no Christmas tree or gifts, no Jeff or Amy Jo. She put her things away and immediately called her in laws in Albany to see if her husband and daughter were there. Her father in law Arnie answered and gave her the cover story about the trip and the adventure Jeff planned for Amy Jo over Christmas and he thought they were going to Colorado or somewhere out west but he was not sure of the destination.

Annie felt alone, she knew that Kyle had also flown back to Syracuse on another flight in order to pack and make arrangements for the move to New York. He was having most of his furniture and such items in storage until he could get an affordable place in New York. Until then he would remain in the executive apartment owned by the company. He strongly encouraged Annie to do the same. He had already accepted the proposal and the contract. Annie asked if she could speak with her husband first. Mr. Matthews told her she could sign the contract but would have until the New Year to back out and remain in Syracuse if her husband did not agree with the relocation.

Annie sat dejected in the empty apartment, devoid of life it did not feel like a home, just an empty and lonely shell. However, she was determined to not see Kyle and she would wait for her family until it was time to return to New York. Jeff, however, did not call as Christmas came and went and on December 30, Annie finally had to return to New York. Upon her return she did not sleep with Kyle, opting to use the second bedroom that she should have used all along. Her behavior kept haunting her as she wondered if she had a life to go back to.

Finally, she was able to reach Jeff on the phone. She asked, "Where were you? I came home for Christmas but you were gone without a word." Jeff summoned up all of his courage and kept his composure as he replied, saying, "I'm sorry Annie, I assumed you were busy as with Thanksgiving so I didn't want to disturb you. Amy Jo was so disappointed when you didn't come home or even call on Thanksgiving so I decided I would take her on an adventure so we went to a small town in Colorado near a ski resort that goes all out for Christmas. The lights, hot chocolate, tree lighting, parade and Santa kept her occupied and her mind off missing you."

Annie replied, "I'm so sorry Jeff, I wanted to surprise you for Christmas, so I didn't call. I was so busy with the campaign that I lost track of the days and I didn't realize that I missed Thanksgiving until it was over. I'll make it up to both of you I promise."

She continued, "I got the account and I also got the promotion to the New York office but I have to decide by January 2. So I need to talk to you about it. We are having our big kickoff on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Kyle and I will be with Ryan Seacrest and as soon as the ball drops the campaign kicks off on the Jumbotron and on ABC as soon as the next commercial break happens. I want you and Amy Jo to come to New York, I will get a nice room at the Waldorf and we can celebrate the New Year and talk possibly relocating to New York."

Jeff remained calm as he replied, "Annie, I can't get away from my practice, it is too late to get someone to cover for me and my patients need me with the stress of the holidays and all. If you had called sooner, I could have covered it. I'm sorry. As far as the move to New York, you told me the last time I saw you back in September that I was stifling your career and that you were going to take the promotion. I was not involved, our family was not a consideration, and you made it perfectly clear. So make your decision and let me know. I will be watching on television and will pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate with you in spirit." Jeff chuckled to himself as he realized he would be celebrating her downfall, not her success.

Annie replied, "That's fair. I did let myself get too wrapped up in my career and I treated you unfairly and I punished you and Amy Jo without meaning to. Jeff, I need you here, I need to decide this with you. Please try to make it." She was pleading. Jeff replied, "I'll try but don't count on it. I got to go; I have a patient to see." Jeff hung up without a goodbye or showing any signs of affection. Annie knew how badly she had treated him and how she must of hurt him, and, if he found out about her and Kyle, how devastated he would be. So she decided to fly home on New Year's Day and speak with Jeff about New York, it would be his decision. The promotion, New York just didn't seem important anymore.

It was 4 pm on New Year's Eve and Andrew had been working to put the final touches of his plan into motion. The video was edited and loaded and the connection into the Jumbotron was set and all he had to do was push a button. He established the black hat persona Krampus on the dark web and engineered a series of low level hacks into several companies under the premise that he was trying to bring justice to the people by exposing corruption of corporate capitalists.

He chose companies that deserved a screwing over and hacked them, exposing all sorts of misdeeds and scandalous behavior by some of the executives. This provided Jeff Jennings, Dumbarton and himself with a suitable cover so the events that were about to unfold would be the actions of a disgruntled anarchist with a hatred of capitalism who hacked the cameras in Matthew and Fralick's apartment, found something juicy and ran with it. He would bounce the signal around the world and make it appear that the hacker was Russian. It is now T minus 8 hours and counting.

Jeff made the trek to Albany to stay with Jim and together would watch the fireworks that was about to unfold. Jerry made arrangements with the lawyers to have her served at the hotel on New Year's morning before she left for the airport. Of course she would arrive to an empty apartment.

Annie and Kyle arrived at Times Square at 4pm. They met with the producers and Ryan Seacrest and went over the schedule for their appearance. Ryan would do a quick interview with Sandy Bergeron and Frank Allison from Simone and then introduce Annie and Ryan who would point to the Jumbotron as the new ad campaign was unveiled. They were given a trailer as to keep warm, get some food and have a place to wait until the festivities began.

Once they went to the trailer Kyle said, "Annie, I hope you have come to your senses about this promotion. Chances like this don't happen every day and if you pass it up you may never get another." Plus, if your husband was supportive of your career, he would be here for the biggest moment in your life." Annie replied, "It's not as simple as that Kyle. He is a psychologist and he just can't drop his patients and come running. Especially since I didn't notify him until it was too late, besides, I have been selfish. I didn't even call on Thanksgiving and I haven't even tried to see my husband or my daughter since September."

Kyle replied, "Okay. But we can't let it ruin our evening. Let's ease the tension with a quick romp before the kickoff." Annie replied, "No way, that ship has sailed. I should have never fallen for your snake oil salesman charm and sleeping with you was the biggest mistake of my life and it may have cost me my family." So they sat in silence until Kyle left to join the crowd and excitement for awhile. Annie sat there pondering her future.

11:45 pm. It was time for Annie and Kyle to head for the stage. During a commercial break they were escorted onto the stage and placed on their marks so they would be in place when the program returned to air. All of the participants of Operation Auld Lang Syne knew it was nearly go time, T minus 15 minutes and counting. Andrew had his finger ready. Jim and Jeff had a glass of champagne ready to toast a New Year and a new beginning. Jerry sat watching his TV ready to watch his op go green and he was excited to get some payback for himself, Andrew, Hondo and Jeff.

11:59 pm. The ball starts descending. Ryan Seacrest began the countdown, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Happy New Year 2018! Confetti flew; bells and whistles could be heard as Auld Lang Syne began to play. Lovers were kissing and people were toasting looking forward to a new start. The scene was electric and hope was in the air. Ryan turned to Annie and Kyle, who said welcome to the new year of fragrance, fashion and beauty, the year of Simone as they turned and pointed to the Jumbotron Andrew hit the button.

Soon the Jumbotron came alive with the bodies of Annie and Kyle. Annie was heard saying, "I am in the mood for love not to talk with my asshole of a husband. "It's a beautiful evening. We have excellent scotch, an exquisite view and tomorrow we are having dinner at Le Bernardin and tickets to see Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theater. The last thing you want is me thinking about is my husband. Last chance mister, are you taking this gorgeous woman to bed?" It was soon followed by the grunting and groaning and the two of them copulating in fullest pornographic detail.

Annie and Kyle were stunned. Kyle even pissed himself a bit. Ryan Seacrest called for security to have them removed just as Andrew pushed a second button and saddening the screen erupted with the words brought to you by Krampus.

Annie back at the hotel was told she needed to be out by 8 am. She had to get back to Jeff. Maybe he didn't see it. After spending a fitful night, Annie got up, showered and dressed when there was a knock on the door. She thought it might be the bell hop to pick up her luggage. A young man asked her, "Are you Annie Jennings?" "Yes." She replied. "I have some documents for you and by the way, you have been served, Happy New Year."

The first packet contained her termination from Matthews and Fralick. The second was a set of divorce papers. Annie began uncontrollably sobbing and was still in tears when the hotel security officers showed up to escort her out of the hotel. They placed her and her luggage in a cab heading to JFK for her flight back to Syracuse.

She calmed down and began reading the papers and found that Jeff was suing for full custody of Amy Jo, three fourths of their marital assets and that if she in anyway contested the divorce in any way, they had enough evidence to prove in addition to adultery and alienation of affections, abandonment of her child, she would be declared an unfit mother and would never have a chance to see her daughter again until the age of 18. If she signed uncontested then she would receive half of the marital assets and since she was out of a job and blackballed for life, she would need the money.

After arriving at their empty apartment she found a note from Jeff. He wrote, Annie, I just cannot wrap my head around what happened. I thought you loved me, loved Amy Jo but now I know this is not true, perhaps it never was. I have this guy Krampus to thank for showing me what a lying, cheating, unloving, manipulative and narcissistic bitch you really are. Amy Jo and I have relocated to Albany where we will be surrounded by family. You and that cheating bastard you are sleeping with can have each other as far as I'm concerned. The courts will set up your supervised visits in Albany. I hope you find time to see your daughter. Why? Why did you destroy our love, our family? I guess I will never know the answer to that. May you both rot in hell. Jeff.

Annie moved back to Watertown with her parents. She was finally able to land a job writing ad copy for a local radio station. The station manager was an old family friend and took pity on her mostly to relieve her parents of the financial burden. She tried to make the trips to Albany but she did not have a car and couldn't afford one. Her parents wouldn't allow her to use theirs. She took the bus once or twice but couldn't make it work without the prospect of losing her job. Soon her daughter forgot her and saw Devon as her mother when she and her father married. She never dated and became a spinster who inherited her parents' home and remained there for the rest of her days and she never did again see her daughter.

Jeff received a settlement from Matthews and Fralick for seven million dollars. He and Amy Jo are happy, settling into Guilderland and he opened a practice in Colonie. After some intense therapy, Jeff started dating a fellow psychologist named Devon St. Croix who works for Amy Jo's school. Eventually they married.

Kyle did not fare so well. He was fired and security refused to let him in to the apartment building. He also received his termination letter. He ended up sleeping in the airport with barely enough for a plane ride back to Syracuse. Shortly after arriving home, he was evicted from his loft in the middle of a lake effect snow event. He and his property were now under two feet of snow. Also, he was mugged and quite severely beaten. He pointed a finger at Jeff but he was in Denver at a conference and hadn't been back to Syracuse since he moved to the Capital District.

He was broke due to the civil suit filed by Jeff Jennings for the destruction of his marriage. Since he was unemployed they seized his assets including all the money he had and the loft was put up for sale, yet it wasn't enough to cover the one million dollars he was ordered to pay. He found himself working as a freelance graphic artist under an assumed name. Eventually, he was caught and since he failed to pay his taxes he ended up in federal prison for tax evasion. Soon he became the girlfriend of a very bad man and was passed around. One night the C.O. found him during his security check hanging in his cell from a bed sheet.