Mid-Life in Crisis

"Yeah, but they're just not you." She smiled. "So, do you want to go out for dinner some time?" She asked before her heart could over rule her head again.

"Maybe next week, I have to get that article done or I don't get paid. The kids are all going to be at friends houses and I don't expect him to be home until that..." She sighed, "Until later. Maybe this is just a phase he's going through." She huffed and pulled back the tears. "Anyway since I'll have the house to myself, I might as well make use of it."

"Yeah, I understand... and no, this isn't a phase. This is all about him getting what he thinks he needs while keeping the safety net of his home and marriage. He knows even in a no-fault state, he'd lose his ass in a divorce. Just remember this isn't a no-fault state and they frown on infidelity."

"Yeah, but I'd need proof and he would have to file." She said flippantly, knowing that it would never happen.

"Proof is easy, you know the who, and my brother is a PI. He makes his bread and butter off cases like yours. And you should know; the other woman always gets tired of being the other woman. She will want the whole enchilada. Trust me, if he thinks he's 'in love' with her, he'll file and I'll be there for you."

"If wishes were fishes..." Stella sighed pitifully.

"Then beggars would eat." Karney finished.

"How do I support my daughter if she decides to be... well like you. I mean if she decides she likes girls more than boys?" Stella changed the subject.

"Wow, what brought that on?" Karney asked shocked.

"Oh, just something she said about guys and why she understands why there are so many gay girls. I don't want to push her with everything else that's going on." Stella furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Well, just support her no matter what she decides. She might become a lesbian, bi-sexual, or even just straight. You never know at her age. She still has a lot of growing and maturing to do. If you asked me if I thought I would end up being bi-sexual or a lesbian when I was her age, I would have told you no way in hell. But life has many surprises, and I've just learned to go with the flow and keep myself happier. You never know, if the right guy came along, that I wouldn't hook up with him. I mean sex is sex. To me it's more about the heart that turns me on."

"That's clear as mud." Stella smiled at her friend who she knew was trying to be helpful.

"I, like you, was married. At first it was great. The sex was great, the loving was great and I thought the sun shined out of his ass. Then the miscarriage, ovarian cancer and I packed on a lot of weight. In a way, I don't blame him for finding solace in another woman's arms. To me it was more about the lie, than the act. Hell, we weren't virgins or anything when we got married."

"I didn't know." Stella looked at Karney.

"Yeah well, I don't advertize it. Anyway, by the time the chemo was done and I got a clean bill of health, he had already gotten her pregnant. Not that I ever could give him children. Then he got hateful and the rest is history. I'm sure he feels vindicated. He's got what he always wanted. A subservient wife, a brood of kids, and a fuck buddy on the side. To him life is great."

"Why did... what did you do?" Stella asked shocked.

"At first, I just felt sorry for myself. It ended up with me looking at a handful of old prescription drugs, that I knew would get the job done, and the bitch in the mirror. We had it out and I flushed the drugs and then pulled my head out of my ass. I was in group therapy when I met Sally. She taught me what it meant to be loved again." Karney sighed at the memory of her only true lover.

"Where is she?" Stella asked, keeping the topic off her problems.

"What... oh, we were in a survivors group, she didn't survive. The cancer came back. We made love one last time and she went home to be with family until her time. I think she just didn't want me to remember her as she ended, gutted by the disease. I'll always remember the sweet sassy vibrant Sally I fell in love with." Karney smiled and then looked at Stella. "You remind me a lot of Sally. The first time I saw you, I thought she had come back to me. So I walked over and said hi."

"I never knew. I hope I didn't disappoint you." Stella said overwhelmed.

"Hell no, you never could. You've become one of my best friends. I'll be honest, if that idiot husband of yours doesn't pull his head out of his ass and realize what he has. I'm waiting to finish that little shower. I'm hands off because you are right. You are not a cheater and I will not ever be the other woman. So I'll wait and hope and be your best friend and support you in whatever you do. Isn't that what true unconditional love is all about?"

"Thank you." Was all Stella could say.

"You're welcome. Now, I was thinking, you need to finish that article and take the kids somewhere fun and blow off some steam, before you become a total basket case. Let them bring a friend each, and we could do a week at the Mouse House. They are old enough to go for hours without supervision, but young enough to still have fun. I'll split the cost with you." Karney said all business.

After they talked about it, she decided to put it to a vote. The kids were ecstatic. "Can I bring my girlfriend?" Brian asked quickly.

"Not unless you can promise me no sex, no petting, and no sneaking off. I'm not ready for grandkids and you are way too young to be a father." Stella said in all seriousness.

"Okay I'll bring someone else." He smiled at being able to pull his mom's chain.

*********************************

Two weeks later, Stella and Karney wondered just what they were thinking as they tried to load up six excited teens into a van to the airport.

"Did you remember your...?" Stella asked as a kid whizzed passed.

"Yes mom...! Oh, I forgot...!" Amy headed back into the house for the tenth time to grab something she forgot and had to have.

"The train will leave in five minutes with or without you and whatever you forgot." Karney yelled over the babble, gaining an instant of quiet, then the noise level swelled again.

"Remember, this was your idea." Stella smiled at her friend.

"Me and my big mouth." Karney muttered before yelling out. "Four minutes and counting." She boomed at the kids and started the van. "How did Frank take it?" She asked stuffing in another case.

"He almost seemed relieved. Better than I thought. Of course he said he had a big project at work, but we both know better. I give them ten minutes after he knows we're on the plane before they're fucking like rabbits." Stella shrugged at the inevitable. She was looking forward to having fun with her kids.

"You're taking this better than I ever would. Is there any hope?" Karney asked sadly, not wanting her friend to go through what she did.

"For our marriage, I still won't divorce him. For our relationship, I guess it just doesn't matter anymore. I know he won't be doing anything with me as long as he's fucking her. It's his choice." She shrugged again and slammed the back of the van.

"One minute until departure..." Karney called out. "Please make sure you are properly restrained and keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at all times until it come to a full and complete stop. All Aboard...!" She yelled making the teens laugh as she got behind the wheel and waited until Stella buckled herself in.

*****************************

The next week was chaos and mayhem, fun and excitement. The kids were jazzed and the adults exhausted. All in all, it went great. The world didn't crash down until they got back.

Lucky for Stella, one night while the kids were entertained elsewhere, Karney made Stella look at the possibilities and ramification of what was happening in her life. They took a long walk in the semi-private area reserved for adults and Karney asked her outright.

"So what are you going to do if he wants a divorce, and also what would he have to do to reconcile?" She was trying to prepare her friend for what was to come.

"Wow, I don't know. I mean I've thought about it, but I haven't really looked at it that way yet." Stella answered confused.

"I know dear. That's why I asked. You are far enough away to look at it clearly now. I mean we both know he's with her, instead of with his family. His choice seems clear. You need to know how you will respond either way." Karney hooked her arm in Stella's and walked slowly, giving her time to think.

"Well I won't stay married to him if he wants a divorce. But, I'd have to have the house... he could have the cabin I guess. It's been his from the start. Other than that, the kids can decide who they want to live with and we can separate our finances by him paying for what is his and I'll pay for what is mine. That would be the easiest thing to do."

"Sweetheart, that makes total sense. So, you can guarantee that's not what is going to happen. If that's what you're willing to settle for, then you will have to go after everything and back off to that position. If you start there, that is the position you will have to negotiate from. Don't you want a pound of flesh for his betrayal?" She pressed, knowing how she responded to hers.

"Why, it won't change anything. He's cheated and refuses to admit it. I can't prove it, so it will have to be under irreconcilable differences. I don't see why he would want to drag it out if she is what he wants, honestly she can have him." She shivered against the anger that threatened to boil over.

"And if he decides to come back and make it work?" Karney asked again.

"Well first off, he'd have to fire her for cause. Then he'd have to bring me proof that he didn't catch the crud from her. Then after some intense marriage counseling, we might get past this, but I'd never trust him again. Love him and accept him, maybe. But, I could never trust him not to go out and find some other big breasted broad to fuck around with. If he gets away with it once, what's to stop him when he knows I won't divorce him for it? Either way, I'm basically fucked. All I can do is protect the kids from the mess as much as I can."

"Okay, I'll keep you too that, but honey, I hate to say it, but I've got a bad feeling about this. He gave in way too easy on the vacation. He's up to something, and trust me it isn't going to be nice." Karney warned her friend.

"What else could he do? He's destroyed our marriage, his relationship with his kids, and is a step away from losing his job. He might get fifty thousand dollars from our joint savings, which I've already protected. My 401k will not mature for another fifteen years and he can't touch that and the rest is in my mother's name. He has his own retirement and I've been making more money than him for over twelve years. Financially he can hurt me, but then only to a certain extent."

"Famous last words." Karney said and patted her friends arm. "Just remember I'll help in any way I can. I know in divorce what should be easy, never is. I personally think the judge is not happy unless everyone else is unhappy. If and when it happens, I have a great attorney, who also knows a great councilor." She offered, knowing the perils of separation and divorce.

Stella thought a lot about that conversation on the way home. She examined what she would really do and how she would really act if divorce papers were served on her. She thought about the seventeen years she had invested in her marriage and the hurt she felt on the day she learned he was sleeping with another woman.

************************************

It all came to a head when they pulled into the drive. Stella didn't recognize the car in the driveway and didn't think much of it until the kids tried to get in the house.

"Mom, my key doesn't work." Ryan said as he tried again.

"Oh shit!" Karney said and pulled out her cell phone, instantly knowing the game being played.

"What do you mean? Did you lose another key?" Stella said and brought hers and put it in the lock.

"Yeah, I need a civil standby at my friends address." Karney said into her phone. "Yeah, my friend and her kids just got back from vacation and her husband has locked them out. No, no papers have been filed that I know of. Yes, he has a lover and I think he's trying to kick out her and the kids for his lover. I don't want this to turn into a domestic disturbance, so if you could send someone out?" Karney talked fast into her phone.

Stella didn't hear what Karney was saying as she tried her key. When it didn't work, she knocked. "Frank open the door. The kids are tired and we've had a long day."

Frank cracked the door and told her. "You'll have to find somewhere else to stay. I've filed for a divorce and you will be served as soon as tomorrow. I'm keeping the house." He started to say more, but Stella saw a flash of Sheila and screamed.

"Get that Bitch out of MY house. Open this fucking door right now. If you want a fucking divorce, fine, but you and that tramp will never get this house." Stella screamed, startling the kids.

"Stella, the house is mine. It's all in the divorce papers. I've worked and paid for it, I'm keeping it. No need to bring the kids into the middle of this. If you have enough money to take them on vacation, you can afford to sleep in a hotel until this get sorted out." He tried to smile.

"Don't let him do that. It gives him possession of the dwelling." Karney said to Stella urgently.

"I don't think so." Ryan nodded at his twin and they rushed the door together. In their teen anger, they put more force than necessary and the wood cracked down the middle. Leaving a startled Frank and a shrieking Sheila, looking at the ruined door.

"Hey, there's dad's slut. Shave your snatch lately?" Ryan asked with contempt as he stood just inside the door.

"Ryan, go to your room. Take Brian, your sister, and your friends with you. You will keep a civil tongue in your head young man." Stella turned on her son, who fled from the unrestrained anger in his mother's eyes.

Frank went to block them but stepped back when the boys said in unison. "Don't do it." And stepped past him with their friends and sister in tow.

"Alright, what's going on here?" A loud voice said, breaking the imminent confrontation.

Karney walked up to one of the cops standing there. "We just brought the kids back from vacation and they were locked out of the house."

"Is that true?" One of the cops asked Frank.

"Well in a way. They left over a week ago..." He tired to remember what his lawyer told him to say. "They abandoned the house and I filed divorce papers. I've retained possession of the house until the courts can divide the property." He answered by rote.

"And you are?" He asked Sheila.

"His new fiancé. We're getting married as soon as she signs the divorce papers. She has known about us for months, but refused to let the divorce go through." She said snidely.

"I wouldn't hold my breath and get my fucking robe off and put some clothes on." Stella spat out, taking a threatening step forward.

"I'm sorry ma'am but I can't let you do that." Another cop stepped in front of her. "I need to see some ID please?" She asked holding out her hand.

An hour later, after the kids had been questioned, the lead cop came back up to Frank and told him. "Sir, you and the lady friend... need to get dressed and find somewhere else to stay tonight."

"Why do we have to leave?" He asked pissed.

"Since there are no orders issued yet, it's all about numbers. This, by your own admission, is the family home. Your kids have the right to sleep in their own beds. It is better for you and your friend, to find someplace else to stay." He said pointing at the half naked Sheila.

"Yeah, just take her to your love nest, I've been paying for." Stella spat out trying to remain composed.

"Ma'am please, I know this is upsetting, but please stay quiet until they leave." One of the other cops said, trying to keep the peace.

"I'll take her out to the van while you help him get his things. He can take his clothes and briefcase, but nothing else until the court says so." Karney said giving the cop a meaningful look.

"I hear you loud and clear. You've been through this before haven't you?" She asked politely.

"Yep and he isn't going to trample over my friend, especially since we just paid for the vacation to the Mouse House, for the kids, over the last week, while he shacked up with that bimbo."

"Gotcha... Maybe I'll arrest her for indecent exposure if she doesn't keep them tits contained and in that robe." She said, as she walked them out the broken door.

"On second thought tell her she can have that robe... as a parting gift from me." Stella said with venom in her voice.

"Yeah, I wouldn't wear it again either." She walked up to her partner and whispered into his ear.

Outside, Karney pulled out her cell phone again. "Who are you calling?" Stella asked trying to keep her rage in check.

"My brother. He can fix the door for tonight, and has some stuff you'll need in the upcoming divorce." She punched a number and waited.

"What have you done?" Stella asked suspicious.

"The only thing I could do.... Hey Ed, I need you over at my friend's house and bring some tools. Her front door needs fixed." She listened. "Yeah that friend. Bring the file too. I think she's going to need it. You know the address. It should only take you about twenty minutes to get here. The cops have to clear the vermin out anyway." She ended the call and refused to look in Stella's eyes.

"What did you do?" Stella asked looking at Karney with malice in her eyes.

"After you told me about what was going on, I called in one of the many favors my brother owes me. When I knew you were going to be elsewhere and Frank had free time, I had my brother check on him. He has a file, that in the eyes of the court, would be considered evidence of infidelity. You're not going into this unarmed."

"But why?" Stella asked confused.

"Like I said, I've been there. If you wanted to just fuck Frank over, and I wouldn't blame you if you did, I might not have given this to you. But, you only want what's right, so I'm just leveling the playing field."

"What's in this file?" Stella asked.

"The proof you need." She put her hand on Stella's. "Let me warn you. Ed has one picture to prove the affair. That is the only picture you need to look at. The rest, well it would be better if you never saw them. The court, or his attorney might want to see it, but you should never see it. Please if nothing else, trust me on that one." Karney pleaded with her friend.

"Why what's in it?" Stella pleaded.

"Them doing the nasty in every conceivable position and place you don't want to know about. I'll help you pick out a new bed set. That is where the one picture was taken." She said sadly.

"How long have you known?" Stella asked tearing up. "And why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried, but you wouldn't listen until after your birthday. So, I did what I could, when I could, to be your friend. Then after the shower thing. Well, what would it look like if I, all of a sudden, produce the evidence needed to push you into my arms? How self serving would that look? I refused to do that. You refused to even think about divorce unless he filed, so I just kept having him watched when I knew he'd be with her, and supported you, as best I could."

"This is too much... I can't. What the fuck did I ever do to deserve this?" Stella finally broke under the strain.

"Nothing sweetheart, nothing at all." Karney hugged and patted her friend.

"I hope you are happy now. This isn't the end of this." Frank spat out as he passed. "Sheila's twice the woman you ever will be." He taunted.

"From what I seen, she's three times bigger than Stella is. Just wait a few years and those mammoth tits of hers will be dragging the ground with that fat ass." Karney spat back. "From what I saw, you just shove your little pin dick in whatever hole you can find and hope for the best." Karney pulled Stella into a tight embrace. "Take that home-wrecking bitch and get the fuck out of here." She finished, and pulled Stella away from the ugly scene.