CUTTING YOUR LOSSES by PAPATOAD
I assumed my wife, Lisa, would be happy when I told her I didn't have to work all week. I am a heavy equipment mechanic and unfortunately, I end up working a lot of hours. Lisa had a three-day vacation planned with her sisters at Lake Wenona. They usually rent cabins and the families spend three days swimming, hiking, and having fun around the campfire. I had already told the wife that I wouldn't be able to make it and she seemed to understand. It was the middle of the week. I make good money, especially on the overtime. I missed most of these outings so I was really glad when I could get some time off.
"Hi honey. Good news. I'll be able to go along with you guys this time."
"That's great Bob. I am sure the kids will appreciate it and you will have some fun too."
"If it is ok with you, I am going to take the dirt bike along. There are some designated trails up there that I would like to try. I'll only do it if you are ok with it. I don't want to cause any problems."
"That's good. There is a lot of mountain at Lake Wenona and you should get in some good rides. Enjoy yourself."
Lisa was preparing supper while I went out to get the dirt bike ready. It wasn't really an off-road bike. It was a two stroke that was street legal but could be used off-road if you didn't get nutty about it.
I didn't have too many chances to use it around home.
Supper was ready at about the time I got done. We usually ate together every night. Lisa and I had been married twelve years. We had three children; Tammy was eleven, Josh was eight, and Terry was seven. We had a nice little frame house with a big mortgage and things were going great for the Connor family.
After supper was cleaned up, the kids settled in for some TV and I grabbed a shower. Lisa was finishing something up on the computer when I popped in to get out my trail maps. I noticed that she quickly deleted something and logged off when I came into the room. I made out like I didn't see it, while I rummaged through the closet. She smiled and left the room, so I quietly hit the shutdown cancel button. After making sure she was downstairs, I opened her mail. There was nothing in the inbox, and if there was, I was sure she would have deleted it. I went to the deleted mail just in case. Lisa was a very cautious person, especially when it came to her e-mails. I never questioned her about it. She usually double-deleted everything. There was never any record of any incoming or outgoing mail of hers. This time, however, she had been in a hurry, and I noticed she had deleted the file but had not deleted the deleted file. There it was.
"Change in plans. Bob will be coming up with the family. You can still come, but I will have Karen put you in the last cabin. We should be able to have time together because he will be riding his motorcycle. See yah. LC"
The message went to dthompson at zebra.net
This was not good. Who the hell was D Thompson and why was he coming to our family gathering? What did Lisa's sister, Karen, have to do with setting this up?
Lisa was washing some clothes that the kids wanted to take along for the outing, so I pulled her high school yearbook off the shelf. It didn't take me long to locate Don Thompson. There was even a picture of Lisa and Don together at the prom.
I was never a very clever guy and I was never a very suspicious guy. I guess I should have been. I assumed our whole marriage was fine. I met Lisa about two years after she had graduated from high school. I was three years older than her and had a good job. After going out for about six months, I asked her to marry me, and she accepted. Now, I was wondering why? If she was going with this guy in high school and she was still seeing him, why the hell did she marry me? I made a good living, even thought I was never very ambitious. I worked hard for my family. I could care less for myself. I always figured it was worth it for them, but now I wasn't sure.
I never liked kids, but I loved my kids. I would do anything for them simply because they were mine. I was a very protective father. It was going to be an interesting weekend.
The kids wasted no time getting down to the lake. I ended up unloading everything, including the motorbike. Lisa's sister Kathy was there with her four kids. The youngest sister, Cora, was divorced and had three little ones. Kathy's husband, George, didn't make it. It looked like I was going to be the odd man out for the weekend, except for the extra guy who was going to be in the end cabin. After getting settled in I noticed a dark green Durango parked by the last cabin.
We all had a quick lunch and I announced I was going for a ride. I had the bike all ready and grabbed the video camera before leaving. The bike was a noisy little sucker and I was sure that Lisa was counting on that, so she could be assured I didn't sneak back. I went about a quarter mile, let the bike idle for a while, and then shut it down. It only took about ten minutes to walk back to the campgrounds. The three sisters were sitting around the picnic table chatting while the kids were scattered all over the place. About that time, a tall good looking fellow, who I assumed drove a Dodge Durango, came over to the table. All the girls greeted him warmly. After about ten minutes, he got up and walked off. He went around the cabins and over toward the changing rooms. I started to work my way over, when I saw Lisa leaving the table and coming our way. Don entered the back way of the ladies side so no one would notice, and Lisa followed in a little while. I quietly entered the other side and turned the video camera on. I didn't even take the lens cap off because there was nothing to see. I worked my way over to the adjoining wall and could hear them talking.
"I am really sorry Don, I had no idea Bob would be coming today. I'll try to make it up to you. He will probably be running around on his motorcycle most of the time, so all we have to do is watch out for the kids."
"It's Okay Lisa. I understand. I am a little disappointed, but I am sure it will be great regardless."
"They are going to have a little sing-a-long thing tonight by the cabins. I will sneak down to the lake and we can have a swim together like old times. Kathy will see to it that Bob is kept occupied."
"I don't know if I can wait that long."
"Silly boy. Lets see, I think I can take care of you a little bit so you can make it till dark."
I could hear the sound of a zipper and some clothes being removed. As Don started to moan it was evident that he was getting a blowjob from my wife. I listened carefully and could hear her slurping and humming as she worked on him. Finally, he started to moan and breath a little faster. After a few coughs and the sound of spitting, Lisa started to giggle.
"Ok, Don, that should hold you until tonight. I have to get back to my sisters."
I sat there stunned. I was heartbroken, but what the hell did I expect. I was sneaking around, trying to catch her, and I did. I guess I was disappointed that it happened at all, but I knew it was going to. I stayed in the bathhouse another ten minutes after they left, trying to figure out what to do. It was depressing as hell and I hated being depressed. I didn't get any video but I did get ten minutes of good audio on the camera.
I walked back to the bike and then took off on a long, rough ride. I needed something to cool me off. It would be so easy to confront Lisa and have it out, but it was just not my style. Actually, I didn't have a style. I was just non-confrontational about most problems. For twelve years I thought I had a great marriage, and now I find out I was just a provider for my wife and kids, a necessary convenience.
I spent the better part of the afternoon surveying the area around the beach. There was a long grassy slope going down to the water's edge. The beach was narrow with rocks and woods on the sides. There was a fire pit in the middle, about fifty feet from the beach. Lisa, Kathy, and Cora had taken the kids on a hike up to a local waterfall. I took the time to collect and arrange a lot of wood in the fire pit. I put kindling on the bottom and carefully stacked up some nice, dry logs on the side. I found some cardboard that I was able to layer on the bottom to help in starting. There were not many people at the site, so I didn't draw any attention. I didn't notice Don anywhere.
When everybody got back from the hike, I took Josh and Terry out into the woods and we cut about twenty nice roasting sticks for marshmallows. I told them to keep it a secret for tonight. They were excited about it. I gave Tammy two big bags of marshmallows, and again explained what we were going to do.
Evening came and everybody was gathered around the picnic area. We had a good supper and the kids were winding down for the day. Kathy was being very chatty and sticking close to me. She was asking me to help her to do frivolous little things and being extra friendly. I kept an eye on Lisa, but tried not to be too obvious. Finally, the sun was down and there was only a slight bit of moonlight. There was an ongoing argument as to what we were going to do the rest of the evening and it looked like ghost stories was winning by a slight margin. All of a sudden I noticed that Lisa was gone and Kathy was very close by my side. I got a very detailed explanation about how Kathy's husband, George, was redoing their kitchen. She was making a great effort to keep me interested, but my mind was elsewhere. I finally excused myself to go to the cabin for the video camera. Since it was in the opposite direction from the lake, Kathy did not seem too concerned.
It was too dark to take any video, so I didn't bother to get the camera. I grabbed two cans of charcoal lighter and some wooden matches. By going behind the cabins, I was able to dash down the slope to the beach without Kathy seeing me.
There was just enough moonlight to keep me from killing myself. As I got closer, I got quieter. I could make out two figures in the water. On the grassy area near the beach was a blanket. Lisa and Don had left their clothing and underwear on the blanket along with two towels. I carefully lifted all four corners of the blanket and walked over to the fire pit. I emptied one can of charcoal lighter on the wood, and then placed the blanket on top, and added lighter fluid. With a quick flick, I threw the barnburner on the pile of combustibles and jumped back. I was still too slow. I singed my eyebrows and the hair on my arm when the pile of wood erupted in flames.
That was the signal. Tammy and Josh jumped up and started yelling. "Marshmallow roast. Everybody to the bonfire."
All the kids started running down the hill to the fire pit. I looked over to the water and saw Lisa. The light from the fire was reflecting from Lisa and Don's eyes as they stared at the hoard descending on them. I could see Kathy at the top of the hill looking like the world was going to come to an end.
The kids were quickly spread around the fire. Josh handed out sticks and Tammy had the marshmallows. Lisa was trying to hide along the side of the dock as I slowly walked out. I looked over at her lover.
"Hi Don. I'm Bob, Lisa's husband. Nice to finally meet you."
He seemed flustered and didn't say anything.
"Lisa, can I help you up the ladder so you can join your children around the campfire?"
"No, damn it. Just go over to the blanket and get our towels."
"Sorry honey. I'm afraid I used the blanket, towels, and clothing to start the fire. Great fire, isn't it?"
"No, Bob no. Why the hell did you do that? How are we going to get out of the water?"
"I am sure Kathy will be more than happy to help you. I am going home."
Kathy passed me on the dock as I was leaving. I went up the hill and no one even noticed me going. I got my jacket and the videotape out of the cabin. Using the valve stem tool from the dirt bike tool bag, I removed the four valve stems from Lisa's SUV. She would not be able to get them fixed until the next day. I took a pair of pliers and tried to open the petcock on Don's Durango but couldn't budge it. I ended up hitting it three times until it just broke off. The Dodge wasn't locked so I reached inside and took his registration out of the glove box. I realized that Lisa could just take one of her sisters' cars, but I figured she would wait to get her own.
I turned my cell phone off and left the campsite on the dirt bike for the highway. It was a long way on an uncomfortable vehicle. I didn't get very far because I had to stop and refuel the sucker, as well as mix the gas and oil. At least it was late and the roads were not too crowded. I leveled it out and started to knock off the miles. A green Durango passed me at a good clip and I noticed some white vapors coming from underneath it. About ten miles further down the road, it was pulled over. Don Thompson was leaning under the hood trying to figure out what the problem was. I went flying by unnoticed and headed for the next gas station. A bigger gas tank would have helped.
I grabbed a cup of coffee after filling up and pulled the Durango registration out of my pocket. Don lived in Pottsville, which meant I could cut over right now and be there in less than an hour. Of course, after I got there I had to find the address. That took another hour. He lived in a modest frame house, just south of town. I couldn't tell if he owned it or rented it. Anyhow I figured he wouldn't be home for a while so I broke a kitchen door window and let myself in. Don had a little computer area set up in his bedroom. I found a nut driver in the desk drawer and took the side off the CPU. After removing the hard drive, I looked around for anything else that might be interesting. There was a CD album type book on the corner of the desk that contained about twenty discs. I grabbed it and the hard drive and left. Less than two hours later, including another gas stop, and I was home.
It was at a time like this that I was glad my pick up had a king cab. I was able to get my clothes, PC, and some household items behind the seat. I gathered up a bunch of personal papers and documents and went to a motel on the other side of town. It was three AM. I had to get a little shuteye because tomorrow would be a busy day.
As tired as I was, I was still up early. It took me a while to tap into Don's hard drive, but I eventually got it. Don appeared to have saved all the e-mails that he and Lisa had written to each other. Most of them were saved in his documents file, but a lot were still in his mail. I started to read them but didn't have that much time. It would have taken me the whole day to read them all. I glanced at a few here and there to get an idea what was going on. They were definitely having sex but the e-mails were not filthy. I didn't find anyplace where they said anything derogatory about me. On the contrary there were several remarks made that indicated just the opposite. Lisa had commented on the great job I did putting in new kitchen cabinets and Don replied that he wished he were as handy as I was. It was a little odd. Here were two people that were cheating on me, but were not dumping on me in any way. I was confused.
The CD's were another confusing story. There were no pornographic pictures. There were lots of pictures of them together doing all sorts of things but not a thing that was dirty.In one set of pictures, her hair was dark and short. That was when she was carrying Tammy. The next set it was auburn, when she was having Josh and then long and dark when she was pregnant with Terry. On all the pictures, Don was beaming like a proud father. That really hurt.
It was time to get going. I made the usual rounds. First, I closed all the bank accounts and credit cards. I quit my job and collected all my vacation pay and sick leave. I cashed in my life insurance policies and canceled the cell phone services. I made arrangements to have the utilities turned off at the end of the week. I was sure that I was going to miss something but I did the best I could. I stopped by the family doctors office and had a nurse take a DNA swab with instructions to send the results to my lawyer. Then I went by the lawyers' office and filled out the papers for the divorce. I told Seymour to give her nothing and offer child support only if the DNA showed them to be mine. At this point I held out little hope. I left two thousand dollars in the checking account for Lisa and her kids. I said she could have the house, but had to make the payments herself. I left two signed power of attorney forms in case he needed them. I signed one form to help her sell the house.
Yuba City was a long way from Reading. I had enough money to support myself for a long time but knew I had to start working to keep from going nuts. I felt pretty certain that I left a few messes behind, including a breaking and entering charge in Schuylkill County. I had no idea what things I had skipped out on at home that I was legally responsible for, and didn't care too much. I also wasn't very clever when it came laying low. My car registration, driver license and insurance would be good for a while but eventually I would have to get myself updated and run the risk of being discovered. Bank accounts and employment could also trigger problems.
Every morning gangs of men looking for day work would be gathered on certain key corners. Potential employers would drive by and pick out the ones they wanted, paying them straight cash on an independent contractor basis. No SSN were required, and no forms needed to be filled out. A day of hard work was rewarded with some untraceable cold cash. I didn't mind the work or the poor pay, but I found that I was unhappy not being able to talk to my fellow workers. I started to pick up a little Spanish and things got better.
I ended up being a regular pick by the Sutter Nut Growers foreman. They grew walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios. The work was demanding and did not require me to use too many brain cells. I slept well at night.
After about a month, I borrowed a cell phone from one of the supervisors and called my lawyer. He had served Lisa with the papers. She did not want anything from me but was insisting on some support for the children. She hadn't provided him with any DNA test results. I told him that I would not pay any support for somebody else's kids. Her parents and sisters were helping her with expenses until she could get a job. She had put the house on the market. If everything went Okay, the divorce would be final in four months. Don Thompson had not turned a report into the Schuylkill Country police. I guess I didn't have to hide any more.
I spent my evenings reading the e-mails and looking at the CD pictures. About four years ago, Lisa and Kathy took a weekend cruise to Nassau. Lisa spent the cruise with Don Thompson and Kathy was with another fellow, not George, her husband. I was able to find out from the e-mails that his name was Richard Witt. It was not a pleasant set of pictures to look at. From the pictures, it became apparent that Lisa and Don shared a cabin. I had loved Lisa and would do anything for her. I had a hard time accepting all the new information that I was finding. How could I have been so stupid?
Sutter Nut Growers had two big tree shakers. One of them was broken since I started working there and today the second one broke. The company had to get a service man to come up from Sacramento to fix them. They were going to cut the workday short and send everybody home so I ask the supervisor if I could look at it. It only took about an hour for me to get it up and running. All my amigos were happy because they got to finish out the work shift. I spent the rest of the day working on the second shaker, and finally got it running at about seven that night. Everyone else had left earlier, so the supervisor, John Forman, offered to give me a ride home. On the way to the house, he offered me a regular full time job as an equipment repairman, which I immediately took.
About a month later, I came home from work and found a Budget rental car in my driveway. George Mitchell, Kathy's husband had found me. He was sitting on the front porch and gave me a half smile as I walked up to the house. I wasn't real happy to see him but tried to be congenial.
"How long have you been waiting, George?"
"About two hours. I could use a cold beer if you have any."
I got us both a Fosters and we sat down at opposite sides of the Formica kitchen table.
"What would be important enough for you to fly almost three thousand miles to see me, George?"
"Lisa asked me to come and her parents sprang for the cost of the tickets."
"Okay, let's get started. First of all, what are you trying to accomplish?"
"I spent the whole flight out here trying to come up with the right way to approach this. Let me tell you something not too many people know about concerning Kathy and I."
"Does it concern Richard Witt?"
"Yes. I guess it wasn't as big a secret as we hoped."
I just smiled.
"Bob, all three of the Spencer girls, Lisa, Kathy, and Cora, wanted big families. It was important to them and it was very important to their parents. We were married two years and had no luck. The test showed that the problem was mine. I was shooting blanks and Kathy was fine. We didn't want to adopt and we couldn't afford the artificial procedures. It took a long time, but we finally agreed that we would try and find someone else to get Kathy pregnant. I realize that it sounds bizarre, but we gave it a lot of thought. Richard was a friend from high school. Kathy had dated him and had sex with him prior to meeting me. He was one of the ushers at our wedding. I liked Richard, so Kathy and I met with him to explain the problem. He was reluctant at first and only agreed to do it with some concessions."
"Concessions?"
"Richard said he would get Kathy pregnant as many times as we wanted but he wanted to be able to get together with her once a month and one weekend a year. On those terms he was willing to help until he found a wife of his own. All four of our kids are Richards. About three years ago, I was best man at his wedding and he has not seen Kathy since."
"Just how does that relate to Lisa and me?"
"The same, but different."
"I assume you are going to explain that."
"Lisa and Don Thompson had been sweethearts since junior high school. They had their whole life together planned out except for one problem. Don had a water skiing accident right after they finished high school. He could still have sex, but could not father any children. Lisa was devastated. The most important thing in her life was going to be her children. Don convinced Lisa that she should marry so that she could have her family and that they would remain close friends."
"You mean fuck buddies?"
"That's a crude way to put it, Bob, but I guess the answer is, yes."
I was listening very closely to what George was saying. Some of it sounded like the truth but most of it was bullshit. I decided to let him talk some more.
"Lisa finally agreed to it, but asked Don to find her a husband. He didn't want anyone in the Pottsville area so he looked up a friend he had in Reading, David Lippmann. I believe you worked on some of David's fuel oil trucks."
"Yah, Dave seemed to be an all right fellow."
"Well, they narrowed the search down to three guys and Lisa picked you. She pursued you, got you to marry her, and let you think it was your idea. You gave her a good home and a happy marriage along with three beautiful kids. She tried to be a loving wife to you while still maintaining a relationship with Don. As the years went by she grew closer to you and was seeing less and less of Don. She and Kathy both tried to fix Don up with other girls but he loved Lisa and wanted to keep his relationship with her."
George reached into his coat pocket and slid an envelope across the table. Inside was a DNA report. The letterhead read 'Schuylkill Scientific Labs'. I was expecting a form of some type but this was just an official looking letter that stated that I was the biological father of our three children. I looked at the report and looked at George. He said nothing.
"Is that it George?"
"Well. Lisa broke off all contact with Don right after you left. She made the decision that it was better for her and the children. She hoped that with Don out of her life for good, you would reconsider the divorce and come home."
I got two more beers. I didn't say anything, but just sat there and stared at the paper. I couldn't believe that this guy had taken a plane all the way across the county to feed me this bullshit. There might have been a small piece of the truth somewhere, but I couldn't pick it out. I never did understand why Lisa married me and even after listening to George's crap, it wasn't any clearer.
"What time is your plane back, George?"
"I have to be at the Sacramento terminal by eight. I'll have just enough time to drive down there and get the rental car checked back in."
"I really appreciate you coming all the way out here to explain things to me George. You probably could have done it on the phone but I guess being face to face is more effective."
"Is there anything you want me to tell Lisa or the kids when I get back home? I know she is hoping for some good news. She was really devastated when you left."
"I can't think of anything right now. Give them my best and tell them I'll be thinking about them."
I walked George to the car. I could tell he was hoping for a little more reaction than he got. It was an interesting story, especially when he started off by making a confession of his own relationship with Kathy. If everything he said was true, then I might want to reconsider the divorce, but there were too many holes. I felt a lot of affection for Lisa. We had a lot of great years together and I always considered us to be a team. Her apparent betrayal left me heartbroken. I would like to mend it if I could. I was looking for more information and more answers and I wanted them to explain and improve things. I still couldn't believe that George flew all the way out here for a thirty-minute conversation.
The next day I called my lawyer.
"Seymour, this is Bob Connor out in California."
"I don't hear from you often enough Bob. What do you need?"
"First of all, did you ever get any official results back on the DNA paternity tests?"
"Bob, I didn't get a thing. I asked Lisa three different times and she promised each time but I still have nothing. I told her I would pay for the testing, but I don't think it made a difference."
"Lisa's brother-in-law gave me a letter from the Schuylkill Scientific Labs in Pottsville that indicates that I am the father. Did you give them anything from my tests that they could use as a standard?"
"Never heard of the lab and I still have your results here in the office. I never gave them out to anyone. Unless they did their own DNA test on your hair or fingernails, I have no idea what they were testing against. I'll look into it. Anything else?"
"Do you have anyone who could check out a guy named Don Thompson that lives in Pottsville? I can't help thinking that knowing something about him could be important. I realize that the divorce is almost final and I don't want to screw things up, but if I can stop myself from making a mistake, I want to."
"That should be no problem."
"Do I owe you any money?"
"There is still a nice buffer in your account. I'll let you know if you get close."
About a week later, Seymour called and told me that Schuylkill Scientific Labs was a fake DNA facility and had been shut down by the state. He also let me know that Don Thompson made it through high school by the skin of his teeth. He was not too bright and had a hard time holding a job. He had just been fired from his last position as a fuel truck driver and was having trouble finding anything else in the Pottsville area. He was reported to be a nice person, but just not too intelligent.
That evening when I came home from work, Tammy, Josh, and Terry came running up to the truck. They were all over me as I tried to make my way to the front porch, where their mother was waiting.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"I felt that the children should be with their father and since you would not come back to Pennsylvania, I decided to bring them here. I have already rented a place across the river in Marysville."
"Why don't I send out for pizza and we can get settled down?"
The kids spent the next hour telling me about their trip across country. They didn't stop much on the trip, but saw a lot of new and exciting things anyhow. Lisa was quiet and just let the little ones ramble on.
I turned on the TV for them and they started to unwind slowly.
Lisa and I cleaned up after the haphazard meal.
"Bob, I am sorry for the way things worked out. I was hoping that George could explain it to you, but apparently he didn't do too good of a job. The day after you found Don and me together, I broke it off with him. It was stupid for me to keep the relationship going as long as it did. I knew, for several years now, that our marriage was more important to me that my friendship with Don. We were together for so long and we were so close, that it was hard to sever the ties. I am sorry if that sounds stupid, but I don't know how else to explain it. I haven't seen Don since that day at camp and have no intention of seeing him again. I hope you can realize that it is you that I love and want to spend the rest of my life with. You are the father of my children and I want you to help raise them."
"I don't know what to say Lisa. You caught me by surprise. There are a lot of things I don't understand and maybe don't want to. It is nice to see the kids again and I hope I can help you with them. Right now, I don't feel comfortable enough to want to start up a relationship but I am open to working on it."
"That's Okay. I understand your reluctance. I have a restaurant job lined up that I start next week in Marysville. I'll have to work evenings and weekends. I would appreciate it if you could watch the kids, when I am working, until I can get something set up."
"That's sounds good to me. Are you going to drop them off or do you want me to pick them up?"
"I'll drop them here and pick them up after I am done. I just hope it won't be too much of an imposition."
The arrangement seemed to work out fine. Needless to say on the first day I took DNA mouth swabs from each of the children and immediately mailed them to Seymour. Tammy was opening up a little bit more than normal and seemed to be concerned about the relationship between Lisa and I. I didn't want to get the kids involved in this mess and tried not to even mention anything about the divorce.
A letter arrived from George and inside was a newspaper clipping and a note that just said: FYI. The clipping was a picture of Don wearing a soldier uniform. He had finished basic training and was being sent to Bosnia for two years. I called Tammy over.
"Do you know this man?" I said, while I pointed to the picture.
"Sure. That's Uncle Don, but we are not supposed to talk to you about him."
"Do you see Uncle Don a lot?"
"We used to, but we could never tell you that we did, or mom would get mad."
"Did you see him since I left?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Mostly we would see him at Chucky Cheese or someplace like that. Mom and him would talk while we played the machines and stuff."
"Did he ever stay at the house?"
"Only once. That was a week before we left, the day before he went to join the army."
"Tell me about it."
"Okay, but I am not supposed to. He came to the house in a cab. He told mom he had enlisted in the army and that he was leaving the next morning for Philadelphia. Mom started crying and hugging him. She was saying all sorts of mushy stuff. Josh, Terry, and I went in and watched TV while mom and him talked. She was crying a lot and saying things that I couldn't understand. We all went to bed and they were still talking. I came down in the middle of the night to get a drink and he was not on the couch. The next morning I looked out the window and he was getting in a cab. Mom was still crying. That afternoon she told us we were going to California to see you. Don't tell mom that I told you this, or she will get real mad at me."
"Did you mother cry when I left?"
"No."
Things were starting to fall into place. I don't think the newspaper clipping achieved the results that George was hoping for. I was looking forward to some way of getting back together with Lisa, but now I had doubts. I would have loved to confront her with all the information I had and let her explain some things, but I couldn't force myself to do it. I guess I was too much of a coward to start an argument about fidelity with a woman that I loved. I had no reason to believe that Tammy had lied to me, but what she told me contradicted what George and Lisa both had said. It seemed pretty obvious who was lying. I did what cowards always do.
I was sitting in the Seattle airport when my cell phone rang.
"Dad, This is Tammy. Where are you?"
"I am in the Seattle airport, sweetie."
"When are you coming home?"
"Not for about ten months. I had to sign a contract to get this job and I will be busy for a long time."
"Mom is really mad at me for telling you about Uncle Don. We are leaving to go back to Reading as soon as she gets her final paycheck from the restaurant. I think she is mad at you too."
"Tammy, I am sorry if I got you in any trouble with your mother. Just remember, you didn't do anything wrong. None of this is your fault and don't forget that."
"I am going to miss you. Josh and Terry will too. I am sorry you had to go, but I think I understand."
"I love you honey, and tell Josh and Terry I love them too."
I called Seymour after Tammy hung up. The DNA results were back. None of the kids were mine. It was another lie from George and Lisa. The divorce would be final in two weeks. I told Seymour that I would be sending support money for the kids as long as there were no further problems. He agreed to handle it for me.
It is cold as hell in Prudhoe Bay but at least the knife wound in my back is healing.
