Virginia Ménage

"I JUST SAW YOUR TEXT,BABY. IM SO SORRY - I HAD MY PHONE IN MY CAR AND FORGOT ABOUT IT UNTIL THIS MORNING - CALL ME WHEN YOU GET FREE - LUV U - LUCY"

I'm a glutton for logical explanations I guess. I could believe that and I could believe she was just with a girlfriend or classmate afterwards for a while before going home. We have a practice in our paper lab at work. It is Test, Measure, Confirm, Repeat. The lab techs live by TMCRs. After a quick breakfast, I excused myself to go back to my room for a bit before heading out.

I opened my laptop, opened the GPS history and saw that Lucy arrived at Jardine Lane sometime after 9PM and her phone remained there for each of the one hour increments right up until she called and texted me 25 minutes ago. The Tracker showed her at a Panera Bread store in Charlottesville. She spent the night with somebody and now the task was to find out with whom.

We had been married short of three years now. I don't think she lacked for anything and I know I'm proficient in bed and most women in my less than sordid past have considered me reasonably well endowed. I couldn't think of any time that I hadn't given her 110% of everything I had. So, I sat there before going back downstairs with a deep sick feeling inside me. It wasn't anger that she might be or more likely was cheating on me. Instead it was just sadness, and that sick feeling that made me feel like I was being robbed.

Kathy and Dave noticed my less than cheerful demeanor when I joined them but I brushed off any inquiries by feigning a slight case of indigestion which was really no lie. I really did feel sick to my stomach. That evening Dave had some work to catch up on before we flew back in the morning so Kathy joined me at the bar for drinks after dinner.

"Care to talk about it? I'm a great listener." She asked me.

I looked at her pensively before replying.

"Kathy, it's pretty personal really."

"Carl, I'll understand if you don't want to but if you want to unload, go ahead. I really am a good listener and anything we talk about stays right here." She replied with tinge of sadness in her voice.

I told her to grab her drink and we'd grab a table out of the way.

"Well, Kathy, It might be good to unload but if I decide to just drop it, it won't be because you aren't good at listening." I smiled at her when I said it but I don't think I was convincing.

"I think Lucy is cheating on me and it's pretty hard to accept, really."

"Jesus, Carl, I'm so sorry. Are you sure or are you just guessing at it?"

I told her the story and some of the background and she listened intently just as she said she would. When I finished, she called a waitress over and ordered two shots of Jägermeister. When they were delivered, she toasted.

"Here's to both of us! I've been there done that and burned the tee shirt!"

I've never really liked Jägermeister but I downed it and actually enjoyed it.

"Now, Carl, here's my story. Oh by the way, from what you said, yeah, she's probably got somebody on the side and it's a crying shame. You are a great guy and she's a fucking fool.

"My ex-husband decided to chase some strange when he was teaching at Blacksburg, not that it was difficult; some people might be surprised what a young co-ed might do to get an A in a course. I didn't find out the way you did. I walked right in on them in his office. He was balls deep in her and with her straddling him in his recliner there wasn't much to do about hiding it; caught red handed.

"Somehow I had the presence of mind to actually take a couple pictures of them with my cell, called him a few choice words and slammed the door so hard on the way out that it cracked the glass in the door. I had barely made it back to my car when he came running out of the building on a tear toward the parking lot. I flipped him a swirling bird and got a wheel right out of the lot.

"Jesus I can laugh about it now but I was so fricking mad I would have shot him if I had a gun. We were living in a condo he had bought before we married so the place was his. We had only been married less than four years so there wasn't a hell of a lot of assets but I did empty the damn bank accounts; kept it all too.

"As for the pictures I took, it gave him a reason to settle with me without any fight or publicity. He would have lost his job if I pushed it. So I kept the money that was in the accounts, he signed the papers and we went separate directions. The last I knew he was teaching at some small college in West Virginia, married again and probably still trading A's for ass."

Kathy laughed when she finished and I just shook my head but I did feel better knowing that there are a whole lot of people out there who have been through the same thing or worse.

"Kathy, at a minimum you at least made me feel a lot better about myself and this damn mess. Thank you for that."

We finished up at the table, gave each other a good night hug and retired to our respective rooms. I still had not called Lucy in spite of 4 more calls from her over the course of the day. Rather than have the conversation, I sent her a lie of my own.

"SORRY. BEEN VERY BUS DAY. BUSINESS EXTENDED ANOTHER DAY - WILL BE BACK FRI EVENING - CARL"

I turned the buzzer off my phone and went to sleep, the Jägermeister making it fairly easy.

The next morning we flew back and I went straight to the plant. Before I could settle in and get caught up, Mother called me.

"Carl, How come you won't call your wife? What is the matter with you?" She said right off the bat.

"Mother, better question: Why is she calling you and talking to you about me?" I replied.

"Because, she trusts me to talk to and besides, she says you are running around with one of your employees. What the hell is going on with that?" She asked with just a tad bit of indignation.

"And, you believe her of course." I replied with my own pique.

"I don't know what to believe, Carl. All I know is when Lucy talks about you running off with somebody she gets mad as a hornet; even told me what's good for the gander is good for the goose. Where are you anyway?"

I thought about what I told Lucy in my last text.

"I'm on business. She knows that. Now, wait a minute. You are telling me that Lucy thinks I'm cheating on her?"

"Apparently so, Carl, you need to sit down with her and get things straight or if you are running around on her you better start walking the straight and narrow or your marriage is toast."

I didn't share anything else with Mother because I didn't trust her not to share it with Lucy. We ended the call and I tried to finish up what I was working on. Around 3PM I left the plant and drove to the community college where I knew Lucy had 2 afternoon classes that let out around 3:30.

The parking lot was half full and I parked my truck behind a row of rice burners where I could get an unobstructed view of her returning to her car. Around 3:45PM, I saw her coming down the steps with a small group of other students except for one particular fellow I didn't think or know was a student; Dale Rhodes!

Lucy, Rhodes and another man I had never seen before headed off toward her car in the parking lot. Rhodes split off from the two of them and entered his own vehicle. Lucy and the other man hopped in her car and they started to exit the parking lot. I turned the ignition over and started to follow them at a bit of a distance. Rhodes had already headed toward the main road.

Instead of following Rhodes to the main road, Lucy turned right and drove toward a set of apartments and townhouses behind the campus. I didn't know the area but I knew the street sign when I saw it; Jardine Lane. The two of them pulled into the complex and when I pulled in slowly I saw both of them enter Unit #105.

I don't know what spurred me to do it but I couldn't keep this bottled up in me. I'm not a sleuth by nature and I'm generally a trusting kind of guy. For the life of me, there wasn't any need to hire some private investigator to follow her around or bug her phone and record her conversations. I didn't need any of that. I was looking directly at where she was. I made up my mind. Then, my damn phone went off.

"Jr.! I'm so glad we got ahold of you. Hey, this is Tammy and Tonya and we need a HUUUUUUGE favor. Please you gotta help us!" Tammy burst out in excitement.

"Hold on, young lady. Slow down and tell me what you need, OK?" I answered.

"OK, so, what we need is, like, we need to use your pool and patio Sunday because, like, Kerry, our best friend is sick as a dog, like totally sick puking and stuff. We can't use her place now and we don't know what to do. Please?"

With everything going on in my world right now I didn't need this at the moment so I said "sure" and turned my attention to that terrible door to Unit # 105.

I guess I should probably say something about myself just so the stage can be understood. I'm just a tad under 6'4", I work out almost daily like Father did and my weight fluctuates between 215-220 lbs. depending on my workout regimen. I was a wrestler in college and did fairly well and I won my weight class in Div. 1A finals my senior year. I guess what I'm saying is it wasn't fear of some guy on the other side of the door that was making me ill. It was the knowledge that my wife was there too.

My boot hit the pavement almost in slow motion and I could hear my heart beating in my chest as I moved up the step and toward the blue painted door on the brick façade. A bronze number 105 was mounted on the door at chest height and a singular peephole stared me in the face. There was a doorbell I could have used but I didn't. I simply knocked.

A guy yelled out 'Who is there?"

I rang the doorbell next and the scurrying of footsteps made their way to the window where the man I saw earlier peered out. I could hear him through the door.

"It's just some salesman or something. Let me get rid of him."

I heard the sound of the deadbolt sliding back into the door frame and the blue entryway door slowly opened enough for the face of the man, my interloper of sorts, to make his presence known.

"What do you want? Whatever you are selling, I don't want any." He said and started to close the door. My left foot prevented him from doing so.

"You can either let me in to talk to my wife whose name is Lucy Harvey or I can have her belongings delivered here before nightfall. Which do you prefer?"

The door opened a bit further and the startled look on his face was priceless. As he stepped away from the door without uttering a word, I entered the foyer, towering over him by nearly a foot with my boots on. It led into the living room of the apartment and on the couch was Lucy with her shoes kicked off and comfortable, her blouse half unbuttoned. A bottle of wine and a couple stems were on the table.

"Carl!" she whispered almost inaudibly.

"Hey man, I didn't know she was married, honest." The interloper said to me even though I wasn't listening or paying any attention to him. The stupid ass clearly saw the large rings on her finger.

I turned toward him and told him to leave and he did. That left the two of us; me and my about to be unfaithful wife, Lucy. I sat down in the chair next to the couch she was sitting on. I could see the other guy outside on the walk and on his phone.

"Why, Lucy?" was all I could really say at that point. I started to tear up and struggled to maintain my composure.

Her tears had already started and she tried to form words for several moments until she spit it out.

"Because you did."

I looked at her. She was still beautiful to me and I still loved her but she had broken my heart and the emotion I had welled up in me was not going to stay contained if I sat there any longer.

All I could do was mouth "Never, I never did" and I stood up. When I got to the door, I told her to come back to the house when she was ready and we'd figure out where she was going to stay. Lucy broke down crying at that point and I couldn't bear to watch her so I left.

The fucker outside was still talking on his phone but he hushed it down when I came out. I did catch the name 'Dale' however and I went right up to him and got in his face.

"If I find out Dale Rhodes has been involved in any way with my losing my wife, there will be no place safe for him. You make sure to tell him that."

I saw Lucy standing in the window and crying, watching me.

It was a long ride back to the house and I felt like my whole world had come down crashing on me. For whatever reason, Lucy thought I was cheating on her and as a result chose to cheat on me. 15 minutes after getting there I couldn't stay. I texted Lucy before I left.

"I WOULD APPREICATE IF YOU WOULD TAKE SOME THINGS AND GO STAY SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR NOW. IM NOT READY TO TALK TO YOU YET - THANKS - CARL"

My truck and I ended up at Horsefeathers Saloon. I hitched her up in the parking lot and moseyed inside and up to the bar. Twelve hours later I woke up in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar home and two small pugs staring at me while licking their chops. When I sat up I immediately laid back down again. My head had failed to keep up with the shoulders.

A pot fell to the floor in the kitchen with a loud clanging sound and I heard the "Oh shit" exclamation. Somehow the body pulled itself up from the bed and I staggered into the adjoining bathroom where I found a spare unopened toothbrush in a drawer and brushed the residual plaque of the previous evening out of my mouth. Whatever I did last night passed all expectations of complete idiocy.

"There are towels in the closet." A feminine voice called out.

I turned around, found the closet and turned the shower on. I still had to wear my clothes from yesterday but at least they were not covered in vomit and spilled booze. I still had my wallet although my truck keys were missing. When I finished and was presentable, I walked somewhat tentatively into the kitchen with two pugs at my heels.

Kathy was at the stove top scrambling some breakfast and turned to look at me.

"Jesus, you sure look better now!" She laughed and turned back to the pan.

Shortly after she pushed a plate of breakfast eats in front of me with a large mug of black coffee and a glass of orange juice. I accepted it rather graciously and dove in.

"I stopped in at Horsefeathers last night around 11PM and discovered my boss and a table of 4 women arm wrestling for drinks. You were losing bad and at that point you didn't even know your name. So I pretty much took you under my wing and got you to another table and Jimmy, the bartender and I figured out what to do with you.

"I found Lucy's number on your cell and called her to tell her what we were doing so she wouldn't worry. She told me you kicked her out. Is that true?"

I nodded and tried to explain but the food was too good.

"Well, she didn't sound too happy to hear from me and started crying and everything so I just told her I'd get you somewhere safe and y'all would get this figured out later. Jimmy took over the conversation and let her know what shape you were in and vouched for me, as if she was listening to that!"

"I caught her with a guy yesterday afternoon, Kathy, and I guess I didn't take it too well when I left. I don't even remember much past 10PM last night. I do know she thinks I cheated on her and that's why she did it. It's really fucked up. I think my marriage is over."

"We'll see, Carl, we'll see."

I made it back to the house later that morning after Kathy drove me to my truck and walked through the place on a whim. A couple of Lucy's bags were gone and her closet was a bit lighter than it was last time I looked. Other than that and some toiletries everything looked much like it did when I left early evening yesterday. I worked my way to the kitchen and started making a small pot of coffee before I saw the handwritten note on the counter.

"Dear Carl,

I am so sorry for what has happened and I hope we can talk later and maybe make things work. I am going to my sister Claire's place to stay for a while. This is never what I ever wanted between us and I know how angry you are but please understand how angry I am too or at least I was until now. Now, I'm just saddened and lost. I'll call later before I try to come back in a few days.

Love you always,

Lucy"

I read the letter a couple times and lost it emotionally. I was alone in my home and the tears could flow without any outward inhibitions to stem the flow. It hurt very badly to read that letter but it hurt worse to know the reasons for it. My phone rang a few minutes later but I let it go to voice mail when I saw it was from Mother. I wasn't prepared to talk to her right then. It did spur a thought that was not so welcome.

The fucker who lived in the apartment was talking to somebody and mentioned Rhodes. I was going to get to the bottom of it no matter the obstacles. If Lucy didn't tell me, I'd pull the bastards teeth out until I got the answers.

The rest of the day was spent just watching a dull ballgame and drinking a few too many beers until the solitude was interrupted by the bursting in of two precocious and lively 14 year old girls and three others following close behind.

"Momma is sorely pissed at you, Jr." Tammy said in between chomps of the wad of Dentine in her mouth. For some odd reason both girls started referring to me as Jr and I never corrected them for it. They were the only ones other than Mother who always prefaced it with 'Carl'.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you drove Lucy out when she found out you were doing the dirty with a bitch." Tonya piped in. There were a couple giggles from the chorus behind them but I paid no mind to them.

"First, Tonya, if I hear you talk like that again in my house, I'll bleach your tongue with Draino, you hear me?" I said sternly. She looked a bit sheepishly at me. I didn't tolerate such talk in my home, at least not from 14 year old girls!

"Secondly, I was doing no such thing. Lucy and I are having problems, adult problems, and they are not any of Mother's business at this point, or yours."

I looked at both of them. I think they knew from the scowl on my face that I meant business.

"So, what brings y'all here this afternoon?" I asked.

As if a magic veil had been lifted, both the twins plastered enormous smiles on their faces and excitedly informed me that they were here to plan for the pool party tomorrow afternoon. Hell, I had forgotten about it but I did tell them they could. So all five of them rushed out the kitchen door to the patio and pool area and surveyed the spread with animated hand waving and pointing.

Fifteen minutes later all of them were in my kitchen asking if I would take them to the store to stock up for their party. Two and a half- hours later, all their 'stocking up' was laid out in my kitchen and somehow I ended up about $600 lighter in the wallet. The girls spent the rest of the late afternoon and early evening making their preparations.

At 9AM the next morning they were all back setting up. I also realized I had no idea who was coming to this party so I dared the question.

"Tammy, how many kids are coming to this thing?" I asked her.

"We invited 25 that we know of." She replied.

At 1PM there were around 50 kids or so of varying teen age years in my back yard around the pool and patio. It seemed every couple of minutes some other suburban mom was dropping off one girl or another. Now I'm a VERY red blooded American male with no shortage of testosterone so it was not lost on me that there were over four dozen teen aged girls in various stages of undress dancing, playing, lounging and swimming in my back yard. Every style and size of bathing suit from one pieces to the skimpiest of bikinis were on full display. I started to kick myself for agreeing to it.