Never is Forever

It was pitch black outside when Ryan decided to finish the bottle of bourbon

The next morning a TV crew showed up in time to video a locksmith changing the locks. He finished by posting NO TRESPASSING signs all around the house.

Two hours later police found Loretta Jenkins sleeping in her car a couple of blocks away from Caroline's apartment. She was arrested without incident.

Ryan was hung over when someone began banging on his front door. "Go away!" he yelled.

"It's the police," was the response. He opened the door.

"Mr. Erickson, your fiancé wants to come home so she can explain what happened."

"I don't have a fiancé. And this isn't her home." He pointed at the squad car. "This is my home. It will never be her home. Please take her away because I might do something I would later regret." He stepped outside and pointed at the garbage bags. "That's everything of hers. I would appreciate if you tell her I will never forgive her nor speak to her ever again. Never."

He could hear her screaming from the squad car, "Ryan, I love you!" He slammed the door and cranked the TV up. He punched in the channel for the movie channel and sat back to watch a black & white western.

No one ever came forward to admit to sending the pictures that tipped off Jenkins' wife about the affair. But everyone agreed Scotty's secretary had a mighty smug look on her face when she showed up Monday morning.

Caroline became a pariah in town. She was, of course, fired before she could even walk into her office. With the owner dead and his wife's very expensive lawyers being unsuccessful in proving temporary insanity the business was sold to a Chinese investor who promptly laid everyone off and moved the operation to a small island nation.

Caroline's family and friends were united in their condemnation of the adulteress. The day after she testified in court she packed everything she owned into her car and set off to start a new life.

On her way out of town she drove by Ryan's house one last time. A SOLD sticker had been slapped across the For Sale sign in the front yard. She tried to drive away but couldn't see through the tears. She stopped the car, closed her eyes, and tried to remember how it felt when he wrapped his arms around her. She wished she was dead.

Epilogue

Six years passed and Ryan found himself back in his hometown for the funeral of a childhood friend who died a hero in Iraq. The alumni association passed the word to his graduating class and a large turnout was expected. This was the first time he had returned since "that night" His eight month pregnant wife, Brooklyn, Brook for short, squeezed his hand as he gave her the walking tour of the town square. She knew every step held very bad memories and tightened her grip.

Ryan Junior, being a normal three year old boy, didn't want to wait for his slow moving parents and set off ahead to explore.

When his mom and dad stopped to look in an antique shop's window Ryan Junior took off without looking and ran into a woman leaving a shop. She staggered back a couple of steps and dropped her bag to the sidewalk. Several items fell out including a condolence card.

Brook shouted, "Ryan Robert Erickson, stop moving this instant."

A chill went up the woman's spine when she heard his name.

The mother turned to the woman and said, "I'm so sorry. We spent six hours in the car and he has too much built up energy to walk."

Ryan Junior walked up to the woman and said, without prompting, "I'm sorry I ran into you lady and made you cry."

"Are you okay?" Brook asked.

"I'm fine. Your son is very well mannered gentleman. You should be very proud of him."

As Ryan Senior knelt down to pick up the bag he recognized the woman. Their eyes locked and they kept staring at each other as his son helped pick up an errant ink pen. True to his word he silently handed the bag to the woman. That was when Brook noticed her husband had tears in his eyes. She immediately knew who this woman was and, like a lioness protecting her cubs, stepped between the bad memory and her husband. "Get away from my family." She glared at the woman daring her to speak.

As Caroline slunk away she head Brook say, "Never is forever whore."