I Was Waiting For It To Happen Pt 02

Part Two

This will make no sense unless you read Part One.

Part one was a LW story, this is the outcome and is more of a Rom follow-up

I know very little about golf. So please excuse any details I have got wrong.

He looked at me. "The thing is I am still full of anger, you may understand that? I was going to take it out on you. Glad I didn't now by the way. But the anger is still there. I need to shift it before I can move on and decide what to do next."

I knew the man's pain. I quite liked him in the short time I had known him, not so sure about Ron yet though, even if he had brought the beer, I think the feeling was mutual.

"Look, I am booked at the cricket nets tomorrow morning, why don't you come with me and beat the shit out of some cricket balls. I will keep them coming at you and you can slog away with all you might until you can't slog anymore."

Pete thought about it a bit and accepted. I offered Ron a go as well, but he declined.

It didn't work. We got to the nets, and I knew Pete played golf so I expected he could hit a ball. But I was wrong, he couldn't hit a moving one and after ten minutes he was getting frustrated. It didn't take a physiatrist to work out that this wasn't working. He was getting angrier.

I stopped it and we went for a coffee. I suggested we go to my golf course for a round, I thought the concentration might calm him down. He hadn't played there before, and it would be a new challenge. I was going to take the mickey about how he would be able to hit a stationary ball. That would have probably not gone down well.

I managed to get a slot for the afternoon. We started playing. It was obvious he was far better than me. His drives far exceeded mine and they were accurate. He was calming down, he even gave me a few tips and that was working.

Then on the tenth ​​hole he sliced the ball into the woods next to the fairway. It still went a long way. I struck my ball and it went close to where his went into the woods. He told me to go next whilst he looked for his ball. I heard the swishing sound of someone clearing the undergrowth with a stick. I concentrated on addressing the ball. I hit it well, I saw where it went and then headed to the woods to help Pete find his ball when I heard an almighty shout and the sound of something being hit hard and more shouting. It was Pete. I did not want to be the target of his anger as he had a driver in his hand.

It all went quiet, I wandered closer to where the shouting came from, after a short distance I heard sobbing. I found Pete huddled with his back to a tree. He had his arms around his knees, and he was crying his eyes out. I didn't know what to do, but I knew his pain. I walked up to him, got down beside him and gave him a man hug. He let it all out. I wish someone had held me when I cried.

His crying stopped and I heard him take a deep breath. I stood up and left him and found my way to the fairway. Not a word had been said.

A couple of minutes later he came out, his eyes all bloodshot. He waved his driver at me. "I think I'm going to need a new one of these." He gave a wane smile. It was well bent.

He had to use his biggest wood for the rest of the round. He still beat me.

By the time we got to the clubhouse his eyes were almost back to normal.

We didn't mention the incident, but he did seem more settled. We had a coffee and talked about some of the more interesting holes we played, not mentioning the tenth​​.

We walked to the cars, as we got to his he held his hand out. "My course next week?"

I was dubious. "I need to sort out babysitters. Which day and what time. Give me a call?"

We swapped phone numbers. Jackie had mine, I didn't mention that point.

Chapter Six.

Pete gave me a call on Tuesday about golf on Sunday, he mentioned that if I couldn't get a babysitter, Jackie's sister, Janice, had offered to do it. I did not let on that I had met Janice. After we sorted out the times he paused and said. "What shall I do?" He asked. He wasn't talking about golf.

This is not the sort of thing you talk about over the phone. Wednesday night is quiet in pubs, so we met in town in a pub neither of us used.

He said. "I've got lots of friends, but I can't ask them for advice. That would show them what a shitty situation I am in. I don't want to do our dirty washing in public or even with friends. I am so confused.

"You are the only one I know that has experience of this. I know it's different. I'm sure no two of these things are the same. But I have absolutely no experience."

He's right, you can't expect a decent answer to a question unless you have been through the pain. Even then the answers will be different for everyone.

"I will tell you the options, but it's up to you to make the decision. I don't know what's in your heart. You will have to decide the best way forward for you, Ben and Katie.

"If you divorce her, you will become a part time Dad and have to pay child support and still not see them as much as you would like. There is also the risk she will find another man and he will become a father type figure to them, and he will see more of your children than you do. That is just the way it works. The other option is you make the best of it until the children leave and then you divorce her. The risk is you will get comfortable with her and forgive her, you will have to work out if she is faithful to you until the children leave. Or you can try to work it out and see what went wrong. Maybe go to a marriage guidance counsellor. You will also have to work out whether your life will be better with her or without her and finally the big one if you go down the staying together route can you trust her?"

He sat there taking it all in.

Then he asked the question I really didn't want him to ask. "What would you do if you were in my position?"

"I'm not in your position, mate and my split was completely different."

I took a long swallow of my beer and started. "I would look into my heart, set some priorities. Who comes first is it you or is it the children. Does Jackie figure into it and if she does where? T​​hen work it out from there. I don't envy you, it's not easy, mine was cut and dried. I'm sorry mate, I'm not a great deal of help."

He sat there for a little while and sipped his beer.

"I have to ask, was it good?"

Shit.

"Pete, please do not go into this." I paused. "But I realise you need to know. I did when I was in your position. I won't go into details. All I am going to say is there was no kink, no fetish, no dressing up. It was two people in love having sex. I'm really sorry mate.

"She never ran you down, she never said anything bad about you. You were a great father and an excellent lover. She never appeared to compare us." She may have done it, but she kept it to herself. That was good.

I really felt his pain again, unfortunately I knew it.

I could see things going round in his head as he looked into his beer.

"Thanks, I think."

He came up suddenly. "You called me 'mate' are we friends now?"

"I hadn't thought of it, but we're sitting here in a pub you're asking my advice, and I am trying my best, that's what mates do. I just wish I could be more helpful."

He looked at me and with a sad smile said. "You don't know how helpful you have been, I don't feel so alone at the moment. You weren't any help with the questions but you at least you have given me a direction, I will just have to sort it out myself."

He got all melancholy "All I was trying to do was make our life and future better and I was making the here and now worse, we may not have survived to get to a better life if she hadn't met you. Weird isn't it."

We hadn't finished our beers, but he got up and went and got some more. It was like a signal he had enough to think about. When he got back, we chatted about golf, cricket and the weather. He admitted didn't understand the rules of cricket and I failed to explain them completely. He had shown his lack of ability to hit a moving ball in the nets a few weeks earlier. I asked him to come with me to a match next summer. I had already been to his golf course in Gravesend. To play a different course is always good. At about half past nine he excused himself saying he had to arrange a lift home. I hope he's getting a taxi. He's in no fit state to drive. My ex mother-in-law was picking me up. The family thought I was seeing a woman. They wanted me to move on from my divorce, they were very supportive.

We finished our beers. It was just before ten, when a car horn sounded outside. One long and then two short bursts. It sounded like a signal. He stood up. "That's my ​​lift, please give me a couple of minutes." I stood, we shook hands and he left.

I didn't give him a couple of minutes. I followed him as discreetly as I could and peered round the door. It was Jackie picking him up. I had a feeling she knew he was meeting me. I was confused, but to be honest with you that wasn't difficult.

Chapter Seven.

Then it happened. In a place of nearly 300,000 people in nearly 80 square miles, you do not expect to bump into the one person you do not want to meet.

I don't often shop in Marks and Spencer's but Sandra asked me to pick up a cake for a children's party she was having for Gary and Beth, it was a special order, it had boats on it.

I turned a corner and there was Jackie. The anger came up quick and hard. I was in the process of turning away when I felt her hand on my arm. I was going to wrench it away, politeness be buggered. "Please have a coffee with me, please."

A look must have passed over my face. "I will tell Pete, No I'll ask Pete." Before I could say 'No'. Because I was going to, she had her phone out and I could hear it ringing. I was surprised it was answered so quickly. "Pete, I have just bumped into Jeff in M&S, can I have a coffee with him?" I heard a muted reply and then she handed her phone to me after she put it on speaker. "He would like to talk to you." She mouthed at me 'Please'.

"Hi Jeff, you alright mate. This must be difficult for you?"

"Yup."

"I trust you, but it is up to you. Look, we have become mates, and it is likely you two are going to meet sometime." At that point Janice came round the corner holding up a pack of smoked salmon. She was starting to say something, she saw me and quickly closed her mouth. Pete carried on. "It may clear the air in a neutral situation, but I am leaving it up to you."

"Okay, I'll think about it."

"Watch out though mate, her little sister Janice is with her. She has a thing for older men and if Jackie liked you then so will Janice, you are right up her street." He laughed. "See you Sunday at one." He cut the line.

I looked at Janice, I could feel the heat from the blush on her face.

"Okay, you are buying." I said.

"Thank you." I heard Jackie say.

She reached out again to touch me. I pulled away. The anger was still there. I had not got over it yet.

As I walked to the cafe, I thought to myself that this felt organised. I never came to this shop, but Sandra asked me to collect a cake from here, special order. I had the cake and I was heading towards the checkout via the beer aisle to see what they had on offer. Jackie was in the same shop at the same time. There are other M&S stores that sell Smoked Salmon closer to where she lives. Sandra didn't know Jackie. It was not possible to arrange this and the look on Janice's face was total shock.

It must be fate.

I had better go with it.

Jackie went to get the drinks. Janice looked at me and said quietly. "Are you okay?"

"No!" I snapped back.

Her face fell. I felt a shit.

"I'm sorry. That was very rude of me. This is not of your making. You have only tried to help. Sorry." I tried a small smile. I failed.

As we waited, I wondered why I was doing this, what good would it do, who was I doing it for? Myself, Pete? Certainly not Jackie. Pete had been correct. We were going to meet socially. It was probably a good idea to do it where no one knew us.

I had got Jackie's explanation in her letter, but I had not vented my anger at her.

Fuck it, she had broken my heart, that's twice in two years. What a stupid gullible arse I was. She was going to get both barrels.

Jackie came back with a tray of drinks. As she put my tea in front of me she said in a quiet voice. "Sorry, it's not very hot."

I took a sip and grimaced, she was correct. "You asked for this, the floor is yours."

"I wanted to apologise in person."

That made me think again this had been set up, but how? "For what?" I asked.

"For hurting you, for the pain I caused, for lying to you." She was gripping her sister's hand.

"Not for breaking my heart, again!"

"Yes, yes that as well. I should have broken it off when you told me about your divorce, but I couldn't. I was in love with you, I was weak."

"You told me in that letter that you loved your husband. I like Pete, he is a good man. What did he do wrong? All he was trying to do was provide for your and the kids' future. What did we do wrong that you could treat both of us that way?​​

"You say you love both of us. You had to choose, but you couldn't choose me because of what Sandra did. So you were stuck with Pete. Why didn't you just leave me knowing how I felt?"

"He ignored me. Everyone else was more important to him than me. The kids, his boss, the bloody job and fucking golf." She was shouting. "He wouldn't listen to me." Then she said quietly, with tears pouring down her face. "You did nothing wrong. I just couldn't give you up. It wasn't the sex, it was you."

"Oh fucking brilliant, now I'm crap in bed too?"

"No you're wonderful, but love is more than sex."

She was right.

A man in a smart suit with a security guard behind him was standing next to the table, I didn't see him till he spoke. "Excuse me. I am going to have to ask you to leave. Now! You are upsetting our other customers."

I stood up and stormed out and headed to a corner of the car park. I was seething. Meeting her had not made it better, it made it worse. I wanted to find a litter bin to kick.

Fuck, they were all concrete. I was angry, not stupid.

I sat on a kerbstone put my head in my hands and tried to slow my breathing.

I heard two sets of heels hurrying across the carpark. Fuck, why can't she leave me alone.

I was about to shout when I looked up and it was Janice. Jackie was a couple of yards behind her.

She sat down beside me and took my arm. I wanted to push her away. At that moment in time I wanted nothing to do with the females of that family. But that would have been rude, and I try not to be rude. Sometimes I succeed, this was one of those times. I just shuffled away from her. She stayed where she was, we broke contact.

Janice spoke. "Jeff please don't drive like this, you will have an accident and all the people that love you and rely on you will be without a wonderful man, please." Bloody hell she was right too.

I looked up. Jackie was standing there. She looked a mess. She was looking at her shoes.

I loaded both barrels and let fly. "You couldn't get the excitement at home, so you used your lovers for it." I caught the startled look on Janice's face from the corner of my eye at the use of the plural, lovers. "And you didn't even give your husband the chance, you didn't talk to him about what was wrong, you gave in and took the easy way. You make me sick. Your cowardice not to face facts and make a fucking decision has hurt the people you say you love the most in this world, your husband, your kids and even your sister. I told you how much pain my cheating wife caused, and you FUCKING CARRIED ON CHEATING ON YOUR HUSBAND. To make it worse with ME!"

I took a breath. "And to think I loved you." That made her look up at me.

"You never said."

"Guess what, I was frightened of commitment, it appears I was fucking right."

"She knows she hurt you." Janice said.

"I don't fucking count, obviously. If I did, she would have fucked off after telling me she was married when I told her about what Sandra had done."

I felt a hand on my arm, I looked at Janice. That was the first time I looked properly at her since Jackie brought the drinks to the table. She was crying as much as Jackie was.

"That's not true. "Jackie said." I was lonely with Pete being away all the time. I thought I was safe in Portsmouth. that was till I met you. You changed things."

"So it's my fucking fault now, is it?"

"NO, IT'S FUCKING NOT, ARSEHOLE. I fucked up and fell in love with you."

After the good times we had together I wanted to believe her. I said quietly "How can I ever trust anything you say, how can I trust anything any woman says. The two women in my life that I loved both lied to me and cheated on me.

"You both hurt me, how can I ever trust another woman ever again. Twice in two years I have been let down by you lot. I must be a fucking idiot. I bet the whole fucking world is laughing how stupid I have been.

"That is what you have taken from me. Trust in the whole of womankind. It's surprising I don't hate women."

Janice reached my arm. "Please don't do that Jeff, you're too good a man to do that."

Jackie pulled herself up, tears were pouring down her face. "Sorry, it wasn't supposed to happen like this. There is no way I can make this right, but I didn't use you. I love you. You are right. I was a coward. I am so very sorry." With that she turned and was gone.

Janice hugged my arm. I wanted to shake it off, but I was too knackered after that rant. I heard her say. "You have my number on the back of the envelope, give me a call or a text to let me know you got home okay, please."

I just nodded. She gave me a small smile, mouthed 'Sorry' and rushed after her sister.

I finally calmed down. I was feeling better, still shit, but better. I think I had got most of it off my chest. Now where was that fucking cake? I stood up, took a deep breath and noticed the white box on the curb next to where I had been sitting. Well, that will save the embarrassment of going back into the shop or telling Sandra why I hadn't got it, more importantly telling the children I didn't get the cake for their party.

I managed to get home, wash my face and make myself look reasonable by the time Beth and Gary needed collecting from the school bus. I did think about sending a message to Janice but fuck them. I knew I was alright. I know I hadn't killed myself on the drive home.

When I got back from collecting the children from the bus there was a strange car parked opposite our house. We don't get many strange cars up Thames Ave unless the main road is blocked. As I approached our house I saw Janice get out of the car. I felt guilty. By nodding my head, I had agreed to contact her and I hadn't. I just gave her a little wave and a small smile. She smiled back, got in her car and drove off.

Later that evening Pete phoned me and asked me for a round of golf. He was good, probably with all the practice he got with his boss. He was certainly better than me.

He was giving me quite a few tips, and I was getting better. But his invites were not usually to improve my golf, he generally had a question.

Not this time. In the clubhouse afterwards he told me that Jackie and he were going to counselling. She told the counsellor that whilst they were both at fault she accepted that the vast majority of the blame lay at her door.

He did query with me how the chat with Jackie and Janice went. I told him it was heated, we both got stuff off our chests. Well, I did, but I didn't want to talk about it. It was in the past. He told me that was what the girls had said. He seemed to accept that, he wasn't happy, but had little choice in the matter.