Erasing Julie Ch. 01

A sour note interrupted her musings. Gus never took her sailing they didn't even own a boat. With Gus it was always save, save, save for retirement - and for what kind of retirement? A dingy little house in an Arizona retirement community, surrounded by people their age or older; waiting out their time until they died. What kind of life would that be? Certainly not the kind of life she wanted.

Saturday, March 20th

The garage sale was a success. Gus had hired a neighbor's daughter, a college student, to collect the money and to keep records of each sale. By noon, over one hundred bargain hunters had walked through the items that lined the edge of their driveway and at least one half of their possessions had been sold.

The previous day, the movers had packed the family's possessions and taken them to a secure storage facility. Those belonging to Julie had been deposited in one bay, while the rest had taken to a separate bay in the same facility. He kept only two items of Julie's jewelry; her original engagement ring, which had belonged to his grandmother, was given to Bess, while her wedding ring and engagement set they had purchased on their fifteenth wedding anniversary, was put aside. For obvious reasons, Julie had omitted to take either ring on her trip to Seattle and once he had found them, he had decided to do something special with them.

The previous afternoon he had disposed of all the anniversary gifts they had received; ranging from a crystal bowl given to them by Julie's parents for their first anniversary, to a set of china given to them by his crew on their twenty-fourth anniversary. He had taken a picture of each and then had smashed them with a hammer; which, using one arm, had not been an easy task. Once smashed, he took pictures of the shattered remains and disposed of the debris in a dumpster which had been delivered the day before. The one item he could not bring himself to destroy was an original Sydney Lawrence oil painting they had purchased for their twentieth anniversary. It was a combination of history and art and he sold it to a private collector at an excellent price.

Yes, he thought, as he watched the bargain hunters at the garage sale, everything is coming together very nicely. Our life together is being swept away by anonymous strangers. The erasing of Julie has begun.

Sunday, March 21^st.

The local children's hospital was dedicating a new wing and Greg, who had donated a generous sum towards the improvement, had been invited to the ceremony. Julie had accompanied him, both to the ceremony and afterwards to a party in the foyer of the new wing, hosted by the hospital and attended by a large group of donors, local dignitaries and hospital administrators.

Initially they had circulated together, talking mainly to other donors and local dignitaries, but, as the afternoon wore on, they became separated. On her own and looking for Greg, Julie was approached by an elderly man.

"You look lost. Can I help you?"

"I'm not really lost. I'm looking for my friend -- Greg Peterson. Do you know him?"

"I do. I think I saw him a couple of minutes ago talking to one of my fellow doctors. By the way, my name's Huntington."

"I'm Julie Randall, Dr. Huntington," she replied.

"Hi Julie, it's not often I often I get the opportunity to talk to such a beautiful woman. By the way; please call me George. I know why you are at the party; Greg is a generous man. If you're wondering why I'm here, I'm afraid I'm only here because I'm a retired doctor."

"Did you work at the hospital?"

"Yes. Yes, but many, many years ago. Then I went into private practice. I'm a psychiatrist."

"Oh," said Julie.

George laughed at her response and said humorously, "It's funny, whenever I tell anyone I'm a psychiatrist, I get a similar response. Don't worry, dear, I promise I won't analyze you."

"Thank you!"

"I notice you're not wearing a wedding ring. Are you Greg's wife?"

"No, Greg and I are just good friends. We knew each other in college."

"Well, just as a casual observation; it's clear your relationship didn't end in college. You treat each other as if you were more than good friends," he said, a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh. Is it really that obvious?"

It was obvious to George she was in love with Greg, whether Greg was in love with her was not as apparent.

"Yes, my dear, it is - and you seem to have a lot on your mind right now. Here's my card, drop by for a chat sometime. Call me first, but I generally keep my afternoons free."

"Well, I couldn't impose on you," Julie replied, taking his card and putting it in her purse.

"Nonsense. I'm retired, but I'm a good listener and I would certainly enjoy the company of a beautiful woman."

"Thank you for your flattery, George."

"Just the truth, my dear. Just the truth."

They parted, the doctor to the bar and Julie to continue her search for Greg. She spotted him, next to the punch bowl, talking animatedly to a very young and striking blond woman in her early twenties. What else could she expect?

Monday, March 22nd

As Gus was still unable to drive, Charlie drove out to Eagle River to present the report on Julie's activities for the previous week. Seated in Gus's living room, now only partially furnished as a result of the garage sale, Charlie started on his report,

"Okay, I'll begin. On my way out here I dropped off two copies of everything in my report with your attorney; this is your copy,"

Gus nodded as Charlie handed him the orange binder containing his report.

"The report contains everything, including transcripts of the audio recordings and twenty of the digital photos enlarged to eight by ten."

Gus accepted the documents and glanced at several of the very explicit photos without comment.

"This is a flash drive with about two thousand photos plus all the audio files. It also has a PDF version of the written report."

"So what's the bottom line here, Charlie?"

"Well, based on our surveillance, it would appear they lead a hectic life. They are always on the go and spend most of their time together. Most days they go out; usually to a party, a play, a museum or a restaurant. As to their sex life, our investigator had been able to compile a lot of evidence. It would appear they have sex every day, usually more than once, and basically wherever and whenever the mood takes them and it would appear, without much regard for who may be watching. Our agent managed to take over two thousand photos, many of which caught them in flagrante delicto. Some of the photos are included in the original group of photos I gave you, the rest are in the report. It would appear they have few preferences as to location; I should warn you there are graphic pictures of them making love in bed, on his deck and on his boat. Your counsel should have a field day with them.

"From the audio recordings, we have also ascertained she may be considering staying with him permanently. She hasn't agreed to his offer, which includes marriage, but he has been pressing her for an answer. It is difficult to tell what the answer is likely to be, but she certainly seems to be enjoying herself."

"Damn!" He exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Is this enough for you, or do you want any more evidence?"

"I don't know," He replied, looking down at the unopened report.

"Well, what you have in your hands cost you about eight grand and it is probably enough for any court. If you want; we can do a reduced surveillance for about fifteen hundred a week. Why don't we try that for a few weeks, okay?"

"Okay. Go ahead, Charlie and thanks for your help."

"I'm sorry, Gus."

"Yeah, me, too."

After Charlie left, he read the report, looked at every digital photo and listened to every conversation. It was well after midnight when he finished and if there had been any doubt about his course of action, it was eliminated by viewing the report. Damn her!

Tuesday, March 23rd

Greg seems to be going all out to convince me to stay, Julie thought, as she lay next to her sleeping lover. The previous evening they had been to an outstanding Seattle Symphony concert, followed by a post-concert party, then back to Greg's home for an extended love-making session. Greg had never been as caring and tender as he had been with her that evening and if she hadn't have known him, she would have thought the leopard had changed his spots, but she knew him and knew any change would be transitory. He had asked several times, both before and during their love-making, whether she had made up her mind about living with him permanently. She had said nothing; she was still confused about her decision and wanted more time to consider her choice and as he was leaving the next morning for a three-day business trip to Chicago and would not be returning until Friday evening, she knew she had time.

Julie knew he had at least one lover in Chicago, would probably be fucking her in the evenings and may even be saying the same things to the lover he had been saying to her. Infidelity was something she would just have to accept if she chose to stay with him. Greg was not Gus; would never be Gus and would never stay faithful to one woman. It was just who he was.

She closed her eyes and moved closer to her lover's warm body. Decisions could wait until tomorrow, she told herself, as she drifted off to sleep.

Wednesday, March 24th

Gus was seated in a booth in his favorite Anchorage restaurant and its oldest steakhouse, the Club Paris. It had been around since before statehood and had successfully weathered both economic downturns and the 1964 earthquake. He loved the dark, warm interior and the friendly, no-nonsense waitresses. He looked up from the menu and saw, to his left, his children approaching. He smiled, waved and watched them walk over to the booth. As they sat down, he greeted them.

"Hi, kids. Thanks for joining me for lunch."

"Hi, Dad," they chimed, as they sat in the booth across from him. "Thank you for asking us."

A middle-aged waitress, who had been watching their entrance, came over to the table.

"Can I get you folks a drink?"

The men ordered beer and Bess a white wine.

After the waitress left, Gus began,

"I wanted to give you an update on my activities, but before I start I want you to know whatever happens, I love you both and want the best for you."

The children nodded their understanding.

"First; Josh your college fund is secure and untouched. Enough money is in the account to cover your next two years at UAA. If you want to go to graduate school, you are going to have to fund that effort yourself. Okay?"

"I understand, dad," Josh replied.

"Next, the Eagle River house is under contract for sale and will close the end of next week. The Sun City house has also been sold and will close about the same time. After I move out of the house next week I will be living at an extended stay hotel in Anchorage.

"Here is the information on your belongings in storage," said Gus as he handed them each a packet.

"I have cancelled our cell phone service. I have a new phone and a new number. Josh you need to let your mother know when -- or if -- she returns to Anchorage her cell phone won't work until she gets another plan. She's returning on April the thirteenth, right?"

"Yeah, that's her planned return date," Josh answered. "What's your new cell number, dad?"

"I'm not giving it to you," he replied.

"What! Daddy, no," Bess cried. "We have to be able to get in touch with you!"

"You can, though my attorney," Gus answered and handed each of them John Davis's business card.

As the children studied the card, the waitress returned and after dropping the drinks on the table, asked what they wanted to eat. The decision was simple, all of them ordering the daily steak special. After the waitress left, Gus continued,

"I don't want you mother contacting me in any way. She has used all of us to get her own way and I believe she wouldn't hesitate to use you two in order to contact me. I will eventually open a blind post office box so you can send me mail and if you need to contact me in an emergency, you can call the attorney and he will arrange it, is that okay?"

"I don't like it, Dad," Josh said emphatically.

"I understand, son," Gus replied. "After a time, perhaps it may be different, but right now, this is the way I want it to be.

"I read the first PI report and it confirms my worst fears. It appears your mother is seriously considering living permanently with her lover in Seattle - and before you ask; no, you can't read the report at this time. Perhaps later. You should also know, I will be working out of state for at least two years. My company has approved my request for temporary relocation to the lower forty-eight and I will be leaving Alaska on April the ninth."

"Wow, dad," Josh offered. "You have been busy."

"How is your arm, Dad?" Bess asked.

"Healing nicely, thank you Bess," he answered. "I go back to the doctor next week for a checkup."

Their food was delivered to the table and they ate in comparative silence; their only conversation; small talk. When they finished eating, Bess looked at her dad, a serious expression on her face, and asked,

"Daddy, I have something important to ask you. Brian asked me to marry him this past weekend and he wants to ask your permission."

"Honey, congratulations, but you're twenty-three years old and you don't need my permission to get married. Brian is a good man and you two will make a nice couple."

"Dad, he's rather old-fashioned about certain things. It's important to him to formally ask you for my hand."

"Okay, then," Gus replied. "Let's do it right and in public. I'll make reservations at Simon and Seafort's for seven next Friday evening. It'll be my treat. You should come, too, Josh. It will be a family gathering."

"Thank you, daddy," Bess cried. "Thank you so much!"

Thursday, March 25^th.

It was raining lightly as the chauffeur Greg had hired dropped Julie off in front of a modest Queen Anne Hill town-home. As she left the car, he reminded her to call him at least fifteen minutes prior to her planned departure.

She walked up to the house unsure of what to expect. George had been right; she was worried, but of what help he would be to her, she was not certain. She paused for a moment on the step, wondering whether she was doing the right thing and then, reasoning she had little to lose, rang the bell. Inside George, who had been looking forward to the visit of the attractive women he'd met at the party, heard the door chime and went to the door; looking forward to seeing her again.

George opened the door and smiled as he invited her in; she really was as attractive as he remembered, but nice tits and a lovely ass were not the type of thoughts a professional should entertain.

"Thank you for coming, my dear,"

She entered and stood in the entrance, as if waiting to be convinced to stay.

"I don't really know why I'm here, George, but what you said yesterday when we talked on the phone, convinced me to come.

"Don't just stand there, come in, come in," he replied, a broad smile on his face. "Let's have a cup of tea in the study, shall we? I would have suggested the patio, but we would have to sit in the rain."

George led her to the study, left and returned, a few minutes later, carrying a large ornate teapot and two cups on a wooden tray. For fifteen minutes they sat, drinking tea and chatting about Seattle at the end of which, their topic exhausted, he got down to business.

"Julie, I believe you are conflicted about something. I'd like to help you and want to offer you, on a pro bono basis, my expertise as a psychiatrist. You know, as I'm a psychiatrist, anything you say to me is confidential and I am bound to keep that confidence."

"Why? Why are you doing this for me, George?"

"Because I like you. Because I think talking with me may help you resolve your conflict and because, I believe your situation, is similar to a situation I faced many years ago."

Julie considered his offer in silence for at least a minute. His offer was tempting and assuming he had made the correct diagnosis, what did she have to lose?

"All right, George, under those conditions, I accept your offer."

He nodded, smiled at her and suggested, "Why don't you start at the beginning and don't be afraid to tell me everything; it will make my job a lot easier.

Julie spent the next forty-five minutes recounting everything that had happened over the previous two years and, in particular, detailed details of her affair with Greg. George listened; interrupting only occasionally to ask clarifying questions.

"So, that's it, George," Julie concluded. "In a nutshell, the question I face is whether I should abandon my family in Alaska and stay in Seattle with Greg? Or should I return to Alaska and leave Greg behind? It's the hardest decision I've ever been asked to make and I've not much time to make it. Greg will be back in Seattle the day after tomorrow and expects his answer then."

"Thank you, Julie, both for your honesty and for putting your trust in me. I'm going to tell you a story which, out of embarrassment, I've never shared with anyone else,

"My wife, Betty I were married for forty-four years. She died seven years ago of cancer and after all these years, I have to admit, I still miss her terribly. When we were in our early forties, which, I suspect, is a similar age to you, we ran into a rough spot. I discovered Betty was having an affair with her old high school boyfriend. It had been going on for over a year when I discovered it. Interestingly enough, it was one of my patients who told he had seen a woman, who looked like my wife, in the company of another man. I couldn't believe it, but I hired a private investigator and it didn't take him long to confirm what I'd been told.

"I confronted her with the information the investigator had provided and without apologizing in any way, she confirmed it. My first reaction was to throw her out, but I gave her a choice; it was to be him or me and she had one week to decide. It was a difficult week for me. I moved out of the house for the week and went to live in a nearby motel - if she was still seeing him, I needed to know. I knew I still loved her; but there were two questions which had to be answered; one by her and the other by me. Did she still love me? Was I capable of forgiveness?

"She opted to stay with me and although the next year was a difficult period for both of us, we worked through it and became a couple again. I never told her, but I was sure she chose me because I was a doctor and could provide a better life for her than her old boyfriend, who was a mailman. But she never did apologize, which was a major disappointment."

"So, were things the same afterward?" Julie asked.

"No. No, they weren't. I tried, but I never really got over her lack of respect for me; the fact she had betrayed me for over a year. And I was never able to completely trust her again. We became intimate afterwards, but we had lost the innocence we'd had. Every time we made love I wondered why she had chosen him over me. Was there something wrong with the way I made love? Was he better in bed than me? I even wondered whether I was less well equipped than him. She never mentioned him or compared me with him and from her reactions in bed, she appeared to enjoy our love-making, but it was never the same. Some of the trust and respect returned over time, but always in the back of my mind was the feeling I was second best and if she had been totally free to select a lover, would not have chosen me.

"When she was in the hospital, we had a final conversation about the affair a few hours before she died. She told me she had never regretted the affair; it was something she had enjoyed and something she felt she had to do. If there was one thing she had regretted, it was the pain she had caused me and the loss of trust it had caused in our marriage. She told me I was a good man, better than she deserved and she had remained faithful to me after the affair. I wanted to believe her, but still wonder as to her faithfulness.