A Picture Worth A Thousand Words 1

There is no way I'm attempting to portray any real life event, places, or people. This story mentions RSP's and RRSP's. To my American readers, these are synonymous to your 401K's. Thanks for reading. WR

A Picture – Worth A Thousand Words

It's the same old cliché; the husband is the last to know. Well, in my case perhaps not the last but I was well down on the list. I've always been considered fairly easy going. Not much got me really upset, even the stress of a network that wouldn't co-operate or software that didn't work the way it should didn't really get to me too much. That all came to an end the night I became one of the cliché.

It had been a bear of a week. I spent all day the previous Sunday driving to the plant owned by my client then spent about 14 hours a day Monday to Wednesday sorting out their network and database problem. I finally got it up and running properly by noon Thursday, a day and a half prior to schedule. My client was happy. He'd saved some money and his system was better now than it had ever been. I was happy since Saturday was our 30th anniversary. I figured I'd get home early and surprise my wife Bev. She'd been somewhat unhappy lately about some of the longer trips I'd made. But when the client calls and has a problem that his business depends on it's a no-brainer that I'd do what needed to be done to get it fixed. This last job had been one of those.

A little background here. I own a small computer consulting business that I built up from basically nothing. It's been in operation over 30 years now, and had a good reputation. Bev and I were married almost as soon as I graduated from college. I was never the most handsome guy on the planet, but wasn't repulsive either. I tried to keep my 5'11" frame in not too bad a shape, and have been within 200 pounds most of my adult life. Bev wasn't beauty queen either, something she readily admits, but to my eyes was very attractive. Even after the birth of our two kids she managed to keep excess weight off, and maintained her nice, curvy figure. She worked in an office downtown doing some kind of clerical thing. It kept her in a new car every few years, and her nice new clothes. I never begrudged that; it was what she wanted and that was all that mattered. I could easily support us both, now, but she chose to keep working.

Our kids grew up to be good, responsible adults. Colleen was the oldest. She had moved out and married her boyfriend just after graduating from high school. They were happy and treated each other well. There were no kids yet, but they were trying. Jamie had followed in his sister's footsteps 2 years later, marrying his high school sweetheart. They'd been pretty much joined at the hip from grade school, so that was no surprise. They had 2 kids, a boy and girl that Bev and I didn't get to see enough of. They were the stereotypical modern family; always on the go.

So I pulled into my driveway at about 11:00 PM Thursday night after driving for nearly ten hours. There was a strange car parked at the curb but I didn't think anything of it. Bev's car was probably in the garage. I usually parked outside because, being a male, more important things like tools and toys had to go in the garage. I carried a flower arrangement of 15 yellow roses, her favourite, one for every 2 years we had been married. I went into the house quietly, hoping to surprise Bev. I expected her to be in bed, maybe watching a little TV before going to sleep.

I heard them before I saw them. I knew it wasn't the TV. Bev was moaning and the guy screwing her was telling her what a slut she was and all the rest of it, you know the drill. Instead of taking the flowers and card into my loving wife, as soon as I got over my shock, I retreated to my car and got my latest toy, a fancy digital camera that worked in low light without needing a flash. It also has a great video feature that I put to use. The flowers and card went back into the car. I later threw the flowers into a dumpster.

They were taking a break when I went back in. I heard him say, "So you're sure your little peckered hubby doesn't suspect anything?"

"I'm sure, baby. Not a thing." She giggled a bit then continued, "He won't be back 'til Saturday and by then I'll have clean sheets on the bed, laundry all done and be his little loving wife. That stupid meal ticket will never find out if we're careful. He hasn't clued in yet, has he, after all these months?"

"I know. But if he does find out it could get ugly."

"He won't. He's too wrapped up in that stupid business. Now shut up. Where were we? Oh yeah."

Well, there wasn't much video 'til then, but the audio would be clear. To get the video I crept silently down the hall. The bedroom door was wide open and a bedside light was on. Video would be no problem. I stood in the doorway across the hall. It was dark in the room but they would only have to look to see me; I didn't particularly care if they did. I'm sure that checking out the hallway wasn't on their radar. He was pounding into her and doing all the nasty talking. She began to orgasm again, then I heard her say, "In the ass, baby, in the ass. Come in my ass." She would never do anal with me, it being filthy and degrading.

I got about 30 minutes of good video and audio. It was all making me sick. It took all I had not to upchuck all over the spare bedroom where I was crouched. I waited until they started up again for at least the third time since I arrived and crept out of the house. With me, she wanted to quit as soon as one of us climaxed, no matter which one of us it was. With this guy, it seemed she couldn't get enough.

At first I was upset, more than just upset, and then I got mad. Now I would get even. It would take some time. I could feel a cold rage building. It would serve to keep me on track with what I wanted to do. Inside, my heart was crying, crying for the family I felt I had already lost.

I found a cheap motel not too far from my business and tried to get some sleep. Instead I tossed and turned all night, coming up with different scenarios. Physically I had no plans to hurt them, much as I wanted to; every other way I would if I could. I had his plate number; it would be easy to find out everything I needed to know about him.

Bev was another matter. I had to make sure she had nothing left but maybe her RSP's that I had contributed to over the years. She had a job that didn't pay all that much but it paid for her car and fancy toys with her salary. I paid for everything else from my 'stupid business' that had put food on the table, a nice house to live in, and all the goodies and toys she just had to have that she couldn't afford on her salary. Well, tomorrow morning the gravy train would stop rolling and the meal ticket would get voided.

I was up early. I made a couple of calls, the last being to my lawyer. "Glen, I know you do corporate. Can you recommend a good divorce lawyer?"

"Jack, are you and Bev having problems?"

"Let's just say that she found a boyfriend to keep her company while I'm busy busting my ass with the business."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Jack. The best one I can think of is Sally Fields."

"Like in the actress? Is she local?"

"I doubt she's related to the actress, but she doesn't take prisoners if you know what I mean."

"Can I use you as a reference?"

"Sure, here's her number. If she's not in the office it will forward to her cell. Jack, I'm really sorry to hear this. I thought you two were the perfect couple." He gave me her number, and a back room number that bypassed the secretary.

"Thanks Glen. So did I. I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon. I'll be removing her as a director in the company and taking away all her signing authorities. That will be effective yesterday, but she doesn't know that yet."

"Okay Jack, thanks for letting me know. I'll get my staff working on it right away. Give me a call when you're ready."

"Will do Glen, and thanks. Probably next week, Wednesday or Thursday. I'll call."

I had a shower and shave and vacated the motel. A waste of a few bucks, but I wasn't going to sleep in my car; not that I'd had much sleep anyway. I got to my store just after my office manager, Joyce, opened up. She looked after everything in the office and did some counter work with customers as well. I had a young girl working the counter and display area and 3 techs working in the back. I was usually helping all over when I was in the store, but if a large customer, like the one I had just done the troubleshooting for, needed anything other than routine stuff, I handled it myself. They were paying for my expertise so I didn't feel right in sending over one of the techs unless I had their permission first. Usually I went because it allowed me to keep in personal touch with them.

Joyce saw me walking up the sidewalk and waited for me. "Jack, what are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be back 'til Saturday."

"Yeah, that was the plan but I got finished early and drove back last night."

"Was Bev surprised or did you tell anyone you were coming home yesterday?"

"She will be surprised. Let's get the coffee going and go to your office. I'll tell you the whole story."

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good."

"Trust me, it's not. Spread the word to the staff, if anyone asks for me I'm not here. No one, especially Bev or anyone from her office."

"I'll let them know, and also let them know that if they screw up, the wrath of Joyce will descend upon them."

"Thanks Joyce. Let's get a coffee then close your door." We got our coffees and she spoke to the techs in the back, explaining that I'm not here and not expected back 'til sometime Saturday. Lisa, the front counter girl would be told when she showed up for work. She came in later than the techs since she had to drop her young daughter off at day care. It was the only perk she ever asked for in the years she worked for me.

Joyce was my right and left hands. She probably knows more about the day to day part of the business than I do. She'd come in looking for work just about the time I was starting to really get swamped. She isn't much to look at, a bit overweight with rather plain features, something like you envision when someone says "single school marm". That isn't really a fair comparison though. She knew office work inside out, could do all the accounting up to a P&L, and was great with people. Her most amazing attribute was her personality. If you went by looks alone, you'd never notice her. If you heard her before seeing her, she's someone you'd definitely want to meet. I'd hired her the same day she came in. No other applicants came close to having the qualifications I needed.

It turns out that her hubby had left her the day after their youngest daughter got married. That was a few months before she came to see me. He'd been planning it for some time, apparently, and left her with little but the clothes she owned and whatever she had in her RRSP. I gathered it wasn't much. He'd cleaned out all the other accounts. The house was over-mortgaged and there was no way for her to make the payments. She just handed the keys into the bank and signed a quit-claim. He'd departed for parts unknown with some arm candy that was far prettier. Maybe prettier, but I doubt nicer or smarter. But then I'm biased. She'd become indispensable since I'd hired her over four years ago.

Just after I hired her, her oldest daughter, Gloria, came in to talk to me. Joyce had taken the actions of her ex pretty hard and didn't have a lot of self esteem when she came in to interview for the job. Her daughter wanted to make sure that it wasn't just a sympathy ploy; my feeling guilty for the actions of another of my ilk.

I assured her that the hiring was on merit alone, and that she was actually over qualified for what I needed at the time. Gloria seemed a bit doubtful and checked up on me from time to time, as did her youngest daughter, Jen. They gradually thawed when they realized I was on the up and up.

After I'd told Joyce the story of last night she just sat at her desk, trying not to weep, "Why does this shit always happen to the good people, the ones who did nothing to deserve it?"

I had no answer. She knew exactly what I was going through.

I hung around the store, called the divorce lawyer who would see me first thing, and generally stayed out of the way until after 9:00 just to make sure Bev would be at work. I called a friend of mine who owned a locksmith business and told him what I needed. He said he'd meet me at the house around noon. I went to a business that sells moving materials like boxes and tape. I bought a few more of a variety of sizes than I hoped I would need, and some packing tape.

I went down to a branch of the motor vehicle registration office and told them I was thinking of buying this car and gave them the plate number. The girl came back in about ten minutes with a printed history of the vehicle including the current and past owners and their addresses. The best $25 I ever spent.

Then I stopped into a florist that I had never frequented before and explained to the manager what I wanted. She wasn't buying that it was a practical joke, but he promise of an extra $50 to have my order ready by 3:00 made her agreeable to my request. I left half on deposit so she could rest assured that I'd be back.

The florist was near the building where Sally Fields had her office, so I just walked over and took the elevator to the top floor. It certainly wasn't what I expected. The elevator opened directly into the reception area. A small sitting area was just to the right, and the hall to the offices started just left of the receptionist. Several secretaries were busy behind reception.

"Good morning, Jack Ames to see Sally Fields."

She brought up the schedule on her computer. "Yes, of course Mr. Ames. Ms Fields will be with you shortly. Would you like some coffee?"

"Thank you, I'd love some."

She went in the back somewhere and came out with a mug with the name of the law firm on it. I sat back and waited for Sally Fields.

She wasn't at all what I expected, but then isn't that usually the case. She was tall, maybe it a bit taller than my 5'11", and very well proportioned. Her brown hair was curled and shoulder length. She wasn't beautiful in the usual sense of the word, but she had a presence. For the first time since I arrived home last night I thought I might be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel; or at least enough to see I was in a tunnel.

"Mr. Ames, I'm Sally Fields. Remind me to thank Glen for the referral."

"Ms. Fields, I'm very pleased to meet you. Please, call me Jack. Everyone does."

"Okay, Jack it is. Come with me and let's get started. Please bring your coffee."

I followed her into a large, well-appointed office. One wall lined with bookshelves holding numerous legal reference books. The wall to the right of her desk was all windows that looked out over the centre of the city. You could easily see the mountains where I used to go camping, far in the distance.

"Jack, I need you to tell me exactly what's going on, and whether you have any proof of impropriety."

I handed her my camera and told her to just push the video button, then push 'playback latest'. "I don't think you'll have much doubt after seeing this." I sat back in my chair while she watched some of the video.

"How long is this?"

"In total, it's about 35 minutes, but the first part, as you heard, is just audio. I was just down the hall from the bedroom when I recorded that. The rest of it was from the spare bedroom across the hall. They had no idea I was there."

"Okay Jack, what exactly do you want, really want?"

"Sally, I've busted my ass for over 30 years building up my business. If I may say so, it's become quite successful. It's evident that all she sees is a meal ticket. She even says so. We've hardly been intimate for the past two years. Now I know why she's tired or not in the mood. That is ending as of right now. I want her gone, out of my life. Totally!"

"Do you have a prenup or postnup?"

"Yeah, her dad insisted on a prenup. He thought I was after her for her supposed inheritance. He died a couple of years ago without leaving a thing. He drank or gambled all of it away."

"Do you have the document with you?"

"Do you have a phone I can use? I'll get Glen to fax you a copy. I'll get him to send copies of all the business records too. You'll probably need them at some point."

"Good idea. I probably will. Thank you. Now, your business. Are you the sole owner?"

"It's actually a LLC. I incorporated a few years ago when I started getting really busy. It was better for me, liability-wise and for insurance to have it incorporated. I'm the owner and president. Bev, my wife, is, was, a director only. She holds no other interest in the business, and always said that she wanted it that way.

"Okay, I understand. What I need you to do is not do anything rash. I know you're upset and disappointed, but don't go do anything stupid that will give her or her lawyer some ammunition."

"I got over upset and disappointed last night. Now I'm more angry now than I've ever been in my life. She and her boyfriend are going to wish they'd never met, and never, ever fucked with me." I laid out my plans for the rest of the morning. She told me to get to my bank as soon as possible to make sure Bev had no signing authority on anything but her own accounts. If I gave Sally the details, she'd have her staff relate new account numbers to any companies that had automatic bill payment. She also told me to get hold of my insurance company, personal and corporate and make the appropriate arrangements with them. Feeling that I was in good hands, I left Sally and headed over to the bank.

My account manager was busy, but the branch manager would see me immediately. I went in and found out that the manager who had been there for longer than I remembered had retired. The young, well, younger than me anyway, woman sitting behind the desk rose to greet me and shake my hand. I explained to her what was happening and what I needed done right away. I assured her that the appropriate forms for my business, removing Bev from the company, would be forthcoming from my lawyer.

Dianne, the manager, had one of her staff bring all the forms I would need to sign, as well as the records for the company. By the time I left an hour later, Bev had no access to any of the business accounts, including the credit card registered to the company which I cancelled. A new one was on the way and I could pick it up in the bank later in the week. The only accounts she could touch were her savings, her RRSP and the chequing account I had removed my name from. I closed all the joint accounts and opened the necessary ones for myself. I had called Glen at his office and let him talk to Dianne. He assured her that it was all above board and his staff were working on it as they spoke.

"Mr. Ames. I'm truly sorry for all this. I hate to see it happen to anyone, let alone a good customer. I hope this won't affect our business relationship."

"Thank you Dianne. You've been most helpful. My sincere thanks to you and your staff. My wife might come in and make a scene when she finds out, but as far as our business relationship, I don't expect that to change much."

"Thank you Mr. Ames. Good luck."

I left the bank and headed home, stopping long enough to grab a sandwich and beverage from a small store not far from the house. The locksmith was parked in front, waiting for me. I told him what I needed done, and where everything was and left him to it. My friend couldn't come himself, though he wanted to, but he had sent one of his best technicians to do the work.

While the locksmith worked, I took all the boxes that I had purchased, taped them up and began dumping all of Bev's clothes and personal possessions into them. Her clothing alone took 4 large boxes. It might have taken more boxes, but folding neatly wasn't in my plans. I just stuffed them until I could barely tape them shut. I didn't bother boxing the TV from the bedroom. I'd paid for it but didn't want it. She had said she needed it to help her go to sleep when I was out of town. As if. I placed it on top of one of the boxes in the yard.