Revelation Blues Pt. 01

As Carla spoke, Scott was making several mental notes of things he needed to understand or ask her about. All this was news to him and, although he didn't believe Mary was involved with Don in any way considered inappropriate, he couldn't just dismiss what Carla told him and ignore it. Despite the unusual situation, Carla behaved the way he would have expected her to, she was a no-nonsense, straight forward person after all. At this stage, her suspicions had to be addressed and resolved one way or another. She was still waiting for his answer.

"To be perfectly honest, I noticed several things in Mary's behavior over the last few months that either made no sense at the time or seemed totally out of character but absolutely nothing that would lead me to believe that she is involved with someone else, and Don in particular."

Scott paused for a second, referred to his mental list and continued.

"Carla, I need to ask you a few questions. First, what did Mary tell Don, and particularly which parts made you think that it was more than friendly talk?"

Carla looked a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable, but there was no way this could be avoided or stopped now.

"For one, Mary told Don about her affairs and that you already know about them and have forgiven her. You see, if I had cheated on Don, I wouldn't feel comfortable at all telling you that I did such thing." She was now staring at the floor.

Scott was absolutely dumbfounded. He was struggling to keep his composure. What does she mean by Mary having an affair? No, that wasn't what she said, she said 'affairs', plural! And hell no, he never forgave her! How can he forgive something he didn't know about, or even imagined? He had to think fast. Either Don was lying to his wife for some reason or Mary has been hiding things. This is a binary matter, there were no shades of gray or middle grounds. He had to know the truth. He also had to play his cards right. His professional experience taught him so. Carla is a discreet person, if he said something that may lead her to believe that he knew absolutely nothing she might feel embarrassed, or guilty about the disclosure, and would probably shut down. No matter how much Carla wanted to find out the truth about her husband, knowing her reserved nature, she may become reluctant to share that sort of information, or so he thought. That was definitely not what he wanted now. He had to get it all out first then dissect it and analyze it. There was no way he would let her believe that he wasn't aware of what Mary had supposedly said about her previous 'affairs' or the well of information may dry up. He can always straighten the record later.

"I see. I know what you mean Carla. Did Don mention any specific affair?" His tone was as neutral and as calm as he could manage considering the situation.

"He mentioned one with an artist," she said. "I don't have a name. All I know is that he committed suicide sometime later."

"That would be Andy." Scott then proceeded to tell Carla about Andy's story.

Years ago, when they lived on the west coast, Mary knew an artist called Andrew Blair, or Andy as he was commonly known. A lonely, sad sort of fellow. He was an artist but he also used to give painting lessons and do some graphic design for commercial advertisements. 'Man does not live by art alone', he remembered thinking at the time, rephrasing a famous saying. Andy was in his late forties and fell in love with a young woman half his age, they lived together for a while during which she became pregnant and they had a baby girl. That was roughly the time when Mary first met him, she was attending one of her painting workshops and Andy was a guest artist invited to present some of his work and techniques. They stayed in touch through their common circle of artist friends. Things didn't work out well between Andy and his girlfriend, it seems they were fighting all the time. They weren't married so the woman just packed up one morning and left taking their daughter with her. She went back to live somewhere in the Midwest with her parents. Andy could no longer see his little girl, her mother wouldn't allow him to come anywhere near her, and he became very depressed. People invited Andy over to dinners and parties and tried to cheers him up but his depression got worse and worse. He shot himself in the head about a year after Scott and Mary had moved to Florida. Mary was clearly sad when Scott got home one day and she told him that she spoke with a friend in California and learned about Andy's worsening depression and that he eventually committed suicide.

Scott remembered seeing Andy on three different occasions. Andy invited them once for dinner at his house, along with other artists, shortly after his girlfriend left him. He met him twice after that when Mary worked for him for a few weeks to help him with some exhibition he was organizing; at least that's what Mary told Scott at the time. Scott remembered that period pretty well because it was shortly after that exhibition that Mary's attitude towards the move to Florida had changed.

This revelation startled Scott. It was like an acceptance of a fact. There was no way Don would have known about Andy unless Mary had told him. Still, that was not what Scott would call conclusive proof that they had an affair. Mary may have mentioned Andy's story and Don added his own sauce to the tale. Nevertheless, the seeds of doubt were sown in his mind and things were now in motion. He decided that he will find out the details about this and the other 'affairs' later. He wasn't prepared for this now nor was he on familiar grounds. He decided to change tack. Maybe there was a part of him that just didn't want to know!

"Andy is history now," he continued, "and that doesn't necessarily mean that something is going on between Don and Mary. What else did she tell Don?"

"Well, she told Don that she is unhappy with her life with you, that you work too much and she is just bored being at home and looking after your son. She told him that she will probably leave you. She also told him about the new BMW you bought her. She said that she will wait for it to be delivered before she leaves you. Did you really buy her a new BMW?"

Scott seemed to go from surprise to surprise. Shock to shock was a better way of describing his state now. He was not aware that there were any issues between him and Mary, let alone serious ones. She apparently clearly stated an intention on her part to leave him. He couldn't believe that. He always knew that he and Mary could discuss any matter openly and always try and find a solution that worked for both of them. Of course they had that odd heated argument now and then; he didn't know many couples who didn't have issues inside fifteen years of wedlock. In their case, their arguments usually revolved around Scott getting late from work, or having to travel for business when they had made other plans and had to cancel them sometimes, or about what he thought of Fiona, but the longest he could remember was about moving to Florida. He knew that Mary never really liked being in Florida, too hot and humid she said, and he knew her preference for California. Yet, she is the one that suddenly decided that they should move. Anyway, he could hardly call these grounds for the sort of unhappiness Mary was apparently sharing with Don. The time they spent arguing about this and that was so minimal it would barely deserve a mention. Furthermore, Mary never told him she was unhappy and bored with their life as a couple. If anyone had asked Mary, he was certain she would answer without the slightest hesitation that they were a very happy couple. That's what she tells him anyway, regularly. As for the car, they merrily went to the BMW dealership a couple of weeks ago to order her birthday gift. A custom made 328i convertible. She chose everything from the color of the paint to the heated seats and everything in between. She had to wait for at least three months to get the car built in Germany and delivered to Florida. Scott didn't even want to get a loan or lease it, it was a gift, he paid for it in full. The deal was approved and the order was being processed as they left the dealership. Mary was ecstatic beyond words.

"Yes, a couple of weeks ago, I bought her a 328i convertible." he slowly replied still mulling on all those thoughts and processing all that information.

"How much did that car cost you anyway?" Carla asked.

"Let's just say that it was well in excess of $50,000 home delivered."

Scott could see the surprised look on Carla's face, she probably had no idea what those cars cost. They just looked at each other in silence for a while.

"You know," he said breaking the silence. "If Mary wants to leave me it's not a car on order that would make a difference or affect her decision. Even if she told Don that she no longer loves me, which I don't believe is true. Let's assume it for a minute, we have a 15 years history, a deep friendship, a life that many envy us, and most importantly a son we both adore. All that can't just be dismissed on a whim, she never gave me the slightest indication that she wants to leave me. There is something else you should know, living on her own scares the hell out of Mary, she would have to deal with new responsibilities and handle issues she never had to confront in her whole life. Mary is also used to a lifestyle that she would lose the minute she sets foot out of our door and, let's be honest about it, she is not the downsizing type. "

Then it dawned upon him, "I know what you may be thinking Carla, but the idea that Mary would be leaving me for Don is just preposterous. They may be very close friends, I'd even grant you that they could even be lovers, but certainly not in love. I truly don't see Mary living with Don. How can he support her and her lifestyle while being unemployed?"

"But in case of a separation or a divorce you would have to pay her alimony and child support." She obviously had given this some thought.

Scott thought briefly of Mary's divorce from Martin. She had told him that they grew apart and eventually divorced. Maybe Mary was now at the same crossroads with him. He quickly dismissed that idea; Mary had never told him anything that would lead him to even suspect that she was unhappy, let alone wanted out of their marriage.

"Carla, this is not something I want to get into or worry about at the moment. Let me just tell you this, and again let's forget about love, Dean, the years and all the other things that bind us together for a moment. I have no reason whatsoever to believe that Mary is having an affair or that she seriously wants to leave me. That she may be bored at times because she is alone, I can accept that, in fact I know that, but then the solution is in her hands and it surely isn't divorce. There is something else you need to know. Mary knows perfectly well that I would not be happy to live with someone if we drifted apart and no longer loved each other, as was the case with her previous marriage. I told her that if we were ever in the situation she was in with Martin, I would prefer to see her happy on her own than unhappy together. Regardless of what the courts would order, I would help her financially for the sake of our past together and because I don't want Dean to see his mother unhappy or miserable. But we never discussed what would happen if either of us had an affair, simply because it never crossed my mind that either of us would do such thing, and I suspect the same with her as well."

Scott paused to collect his thoughts. He realized that this wasn't helping Carla much.

"Consider this for a minute Carla. Let's assume you were right and they were having an affair. I can't speak for Don as I have no idea what his plans are or what his future holds for him. But I do know Mary and I know how much she is attached to her lifestyle. If Mary wants to maintain her current lifestyle she will have to do one of two things; either find a person that would provide her with a lifestyle similar to what she is enjoying now, regardless of other considerations such as love and marriage, or she would have to significantly downgrade her lifestyle. Any money she would get from me wouldn't last forever if she wanted to maintain her current lifestyle. I don't see a third option. Don is definitely not the person that would help her with the former and I can tell you that the latter is the last thing Mary wants to do. If it happened it would be one of the hardest things she would ever have to confront and deal with considering her background and the current economical conditions. For goodness sake, she never had to pay an electricity bill or worry about a medical bill in all our married life, in all her life I may add. Sorry to put it this way Carla, but Mary is not stupid, if she lived with Don she would live miserably, if she married Don she would lose any alimony she would hope to get and if she didn't remarry, in ten years Dean is gone or I may be gone or dead, what will she do then? What kind of financial support will she be able to rely upon then?"

"She told Don that she can depend on the financial support of her father, she also mentioned something about an inheritance from her grandmother, or something like that."

Scott had to smile. This was just so unreal.

"Look Carla, again, I am sorry to put it this way but I think Don is bullshitting you; he is writing his own tale and lying to you unashamedly. Mary would never tell him anything of the sort, unless of course she is delusional, which she is not, or lying to him and then I would have to wonder why she would bother lying about something that makes no sense one way or another. Her parents are retired blue collar workers and their pension barely covers their basic needs. Her dad is in his early seventies and her mother in her late sixties. We, I mean us and Mary's brothers and sister, send them money regularly to allow them some extras. I truly don't see how her father can help her financially. Assuming for a minute they could do it, if we divorced and they found out that the reason was that she was having an affair, helping her would be the last thing they'd want to do. They have strong moral values and are practicing Catholics, they have zero tolerance towards adulterers. As for a hypothetical inheritance, her maternal grandmother is still alive; she is over 90 years old and lives in a retirement home paid for by her children, including Mary's parents. Mary saw her once or twice in the last 30 years. Even if she had any money, which she doesn't, it wouldn't be much and it would have to be spread between her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and this is one big tribe I tell you."

As hard as he tried, Scott couldn't believe that Mary would have said those things to Don. He was nevertheless starting to be seriously troubled. Don is either lying or being lied to, but there is a hell of a lot he knows about that he couldn't have just invented.

"Scott, there are other things that worry me as well," Carla was apparently not convinced by what Scott just told her. "When I put them all together they all add up nicely. Don and I had a few heated arguments recently and on a couple of occasions he told me that he is leaving me. I know that one says stupid things in the heat of a dispute, but this is the first time in our twenty one years of marriage that Don ever said that he would be leaving me. Our relationship has been stressed several times over the years, but never been as stressed as it has been in the last few months. Even our intimacy has suffered. I couldn't resist last night and I looked up his cell phone while he was sleeping. In addition to all the calls he made and received from Mary, I found out that he recently called another woman, several times, and had her name in his cell's address book. I have no idea who she is."

"What name was that?" Scott asked, instinctively.

"Fiona. No last name." Carla's shoulders slumped further as if carrying a new weight.

"Mary has a friend called Fiona! As a matter of fact she is having dinner and spending the evening with her as we speak. I am surprised you guys haven't met her yet! Mary may have told Don about her but I don't see any reason for him to have her phone number, let alone call her. Maybe Mary used Don's cell to call Fiona." Scott ventured, but he knew as he spoke that his logic was flawed. He was probably trying to self-deny rather than comfort Carla. He just knew that if Mary had used Don's cell to call Fiona she wouldn't have to put the number in his address book.

"Don't you think it's odd that he has that Fiona's cell number? Maybe Mary introduced them and he's having an affair with Fiona. Maybe Don and Mary are meeting at this Fiona's place. Maybe Mary uses her as an excuse to meet Don. I am imagining all sorts of things now Scott." Carla was getting really upset and her eyes were misting.

"This is odd indeed and all these are certainly possibilities," he had to admit. "But we have no proof. It could be something easily explained." He added unconvincingly.

"Look Scott, whichever way I look at it, it doesn't look good, it doesn't smell good, and it doesn't taste good," she finally said forcefully. She had obviously more time to think about her suspicions than Scott had.

Scott heard her loud and clear. To be honest, this is how he felt as well. Something was definitely not right. He knew that he was not prepared for this situation. He had no facts, no proof, no time to think things through. He knew that if any of what Carla told him was true he would have to rethink his entire relationship with Mary. He knew that there would be consequences. But he wasn't going to lose his temper and start shooting before finding out the truth and the real culprit.

There are a few people he worked with that would shoot everyone they suspected screwed up a deal or a project, they would feel good about it believing that, whatever the cost, the real culprit was among the victims. These guys don't have a good reputation and people hate working for them. Scott thought of himself as being as competent and as efficient as any of his colleagues, maybe even better in some aspects. What made the difference however wasn't his professional qualities. He always distinguished himself through his personal relationships and his compassionate character. That character doesn't always sell well with his boss, the CEO of the company, nor with some of his colleagues. But his staff loved him for that, they knew he was fair and cared about them and about their well-being, and not just at work. He understood their difficulties or stress, even when the origin was personal or domestic and not necessarily professional. He helped them through the difficult times and they repaid him back in respect and loyalty more than he would have ever expected. That was really the secret of his success, the loyalty and dedication of the people that worked with him. He thought about that and realized that he cannot be fair and understanding with his colleagues and staff at work and unfair with his own wife. He needed to know the truth, he needed hard evidence and facts, assuming something happened, he needed to understand the 'why' before acting. He needed time.

It was obvious that they had reached the end of their conversation; all they could do now was rehash what was already said and it was getting late. There were things Scott wanted to ask but again he didn't want to push things with Carla and he didn't consider what Don told her as the most reliable source of information. So they agreed to leave it at that for the time being.

As he headed towards the door, Carla hesitated for a moment while opening it for him then started talking slowly.

"You know Scott, I need to know what's going on and where I stand with Don. I am terribly worried and can't sleep at night. The cheating would be bad enough to deal with but losing my business would be a disaster. I depend completely on Don financially and I am afraid if he leaves me I will be in a great deal of trouble."