Sophia Continued

Part 1. Barbara's Story -- Edited

This story is a continuation to a story by Castlestone. Sophia's story begs a continuation and conclusion and my efforts to contact castlestone have met with no success. I note from one of the comments on the last story by castlestone, that he may have been killed in an accident. I hope that isn't correct, because it means a very inventive, witty mind is with us no longer. Before reading this story I recommend that the reader read Sophia Parts 1 to 4 by castlestone. Otherwise this story won't make a lot of sense. I hope this provides a sense of continuation and regret that I don't have the sense of humor or the gamma ray desk light that castlestone had.

Barbara

Hi, I am Barbara, Barbara, "the fool of a whore!" to be precise though I didn't fully realize it until now. I just got back from a session with my counselors, a husband and wife team that take no prisoners. If they could have done they would have confronted me with Don, but I told them to leave him alone, don't even ask him. I have done enough damage to him, and things just seem to be getting back to an even keel at least where the girls are concerned. They had already told me that the chances of getting back together with Don were slim to none existing; I had really burnt my bridges behind me as far as he was concerned.

Instead they had me write out a journal describing every affair that I had, then had me justify to them what I had done. They used my journal to refute every point that I made. It would likely have been easier for me if Don had been there, because I am sure that he would have gone easier on me than they did. Anyway, after much crying and denial I finally began to realize just how much damage I had inflicted on myself and my family because of my ego and my willful disregard for my wedding vows.

Funnily enough, as a single I have been pretty lonely. Oh yes, there is the bar scene with the ones who would be delighted to get into my pants for a nights sex or the guys looking for the money I ended up with but that isn't for me. The days of fucking all our supposedly good friends came to a sudden end as soon as Don divorced me.

The fact that he alleged and could prove adultery even though the judge found that he had to know about it (Perjury worked). All that meant that my so called female friends wouldn't have anything to do with me in case I made off with their husbands (Those that had not been divorced already due to the fallout). What was that about the life of the gay divorcee? Oh it was great for a couple of months, until I woke up one morning and realized that I could count my really good friends on the fingers of one hand and still have a couple of fingers left over.

I am sure that a lot of the men in our social circle were only interested in screwing me because in doing so they were screwing Don, putting horns on Mr. Perfect who trusted me implicitly and didn't have a clue what was going on. Once the divorce was final and I was available all the time the invitations stopped and the men who had been so enthusiastic disappeared. Men with money don't marry whores and if that was what they thought of me, I couldn't blame them, after 24 affairs the name fitted really well, and that is just the way I was thinking.

After the divorce I did a lot of travelling and I'm sure that many thought I was just going through Don's money and finding male companions along the route. The reality is that while I could find lots of that kind of company in the resorts. It wasn't company that counted.

Really what I was doing was running away and it wasn't long before I realized that the person I was running away from was I. Until I could deal with myself and what I had become, there was no place to hide. The only trips that mattered became the ones I took with Megan and Robin and even then there seemed to be a wall between us that I just couldn't get through or over.

Anyway, here I am trying to get my head straight, wishing that I had never met Don's sisters, let alone confided in them and listened to them. I can't blame them for everything, let's face it I was a willing slut, they didn't have to twist my arm a whole lot, but I'm sure that without their prodding assistance, I would never have had the first affair let alone have gone as far as I did.

Now while I still have hope, I know deep in my heart that Don would never trust me again. I am lucky that he has never tried to block my access to the girls because I don't think he would have a hard time doing so. I hope that one day I will be able to do something to make up in some way for what I did.

The girls are with me for the next couple of days, so I think I am going to try a few questions, whether they will answer, who knows, young as they are, they were pretty pissed with me for treating their dad the way I did. I'm sure as well that they knew that all was not well. They certainly made it pretty clear that they preferred to be with him. Well they will be in from school shortly, and I really need to ask them a lot.

"Megan" "Robin", " I've been going to counseling, it has been pretty rough, and I am really beginning to realize that I haven't been a very nice person, in fact while I would hate it that you would think of me as such the word most people would use is slut. Somehow I can't say that they are wrong. To really get hold of what is happening, I'm going to need your help, that is if you will help me." The looks between the two looked comical as if they figured it wasn't as serious as they thought, oh well, it has to happen, let's get it over with.

"First off ladies, why the sudden change? For over two years, getting you to stay with me was a major chore. Even to go on trips like Europe. You both made it pretty clear who you preferred. If your Dad hadn't made you come to me, I doubt that you would have. Even when you did come, getting a smile or a kind word from either of you was like trying to pull hens teeth. Now in the last couple of months or so, things have changed. Do you know why? I'm interested to know"

Megan replied "Mom, don't get upset with us. We loved you as our mother, but we hated you for what you did to dad and to us. Before you left you insulted us with your lies to us, telling us what you were doing. We had a pretty good idea what was going on, when you were out most afternoons and rushing to get a shower before Dad came home, then the tales we heard from other kids at school about who you had been seen with. I almost told Dad what I suspected but I couldn't be the person to destroy his dreams and his life, but then I didn't have to. You did it for me."

"You left us alone with our family in pieces and what you and your lawyer and friends did to dad can never be forgiven. One day we hope the truth will come out. Anyway we talked to our friend Maria who we both love and has made a big difference in our lives. She convinced us that it isn't constructive to hate, it takes too much work, and that we should have you in our lives as well. When all is said and done you are still our Mom and we still need you in our lives. Let's face it Dad isn't the best judge when it comes to dressing and talking about girl stuff."

"Just an off the wall question girls, do you think that there would ever be a chance for your dad and I to get back together' Robin spoke up "Mom, for a year, every night we stayed with dad we could hear him crying himself to sleep. He never said anything to us to put you down but you hurt him really deeply. That can never be fixed and if you did get back together again, we and I'm sure dad would be waiting for you to do exactly the same thing again"

Megan continued "Since we met Maria, and her friends, dad has been much happier. He is back to doing his helpful things, making himself useful. As if he has something else in life other than work and us and he is valued, especially after he knocked out those guys who were trying to kidnap and rape Kathy and held them for the police. Believe me Mom you were lucky that he never met you out with one of your boyfriends. You and he may never have escaped in one piece."

Wow, this was a side of Don that I had only once seen, long before we married, something that in my foolishness I had forgotten. I knew that he was really strong though. Maybe I was a lucky lady but I had never ever felt threatened by him. I'm sure that was part of why I betrayed him, I'm sure I put Don in second place because he felt dull and dependable, always there whenever I needed him.

I craved excitement but he was so steady but now I know that if I had put the energy into my relationship with him that I had into my affairs we would still be married. Now the question is who is Maria? And what does she mean in Don's life and that of my girls?

"Okay girls, who is Maria? What have I been missing over the last couple of months? "Once the girls started, the words came tripping out of them. Before long the two of them told me pretty much the whole story, about the rescue from the car

old reliable Don again

, the handling of the tree, the meals, the special trips to Maria's house even the un dorking of Don (try as I might, I just couldn't see him dancing) I had tried with him so many times.

The part of the story that hurt the most was hearing how much she had done with Megan and Robin without my knowledge, things that I should have done, I really hurt to hear that, but I also knew that without that help that she had given them, we wouldn't have been sitting on my bed chatting.

Now for the sixty four thousand dollar question! "Girls is Dad in love with any of these women?" Megan replied "Mom that is the worst part, even to two kids like us, Dad and Maria are absolutely nuts about each other, but for some reason both of them are scared to say anything in case they hurt the other" Megan continued "honestly at times I feel like telling Maria to drag Dad into her bedroom and keep him there for a couple of days until he gets the idea". "I wonder who this girl is and what she has done with my Megan. Who has she been talking to to get these ideas? Not exactly what you expect from a young teenager, but at least she has become a very attractive forthright young lady. I just hope that she stays that way.

For the first time in a long time the girls joined me on my bed where we watched a couple of movies and ate a whole pizza between us. Silently I thought to myself, "Maria, whoever you are, thank you for bringing my babies back to me". Now with a little help, maybe we would become as much of a family as we possibly could. I resolved that no matter what, I was going to do whatever I could to bring that about. It is time that I really show the person I can be, not that person that I had become.

I had been aware that some investigating had been going on into my past. Friends had let slip the fact that an investigator had been asking questions about me, and my previous life and a couple of days later I contacted the only really good friend I had left. She had tried all she could to get me to stop my destructive rampage, but unfortunately I hadn't listened. When the world came crashing down around my ears she had been the only one not to tell me "I told you so" I may have made lots of money, but I lost the three best friends that I had, in Don Megan and Robin.

"Molly can I ask what you told that investigator" She replied "What do you expect, I told him the truth, that you screwed up royally and when you listened to your so called friends, you had to know that what they were saying was bullshit but you listened to them anyway!" "Thanks," I replied, "I'm glad to know that I have one friend left who will call it as she sees it,"

"Now I need your help, do you still have the name and number of the investigator who talked to you? There is something I need to do, and he may be able to help me" She told me he was Peter Symons of the Symons Agency. I agonized for a couple of days thinking of what I could do, and what doing it could me do for me then I called his office and made an appointment to see him the next day.

At 9 am prompt the next day I walked into his office, dressed in a smart blue business suit. He was a tall good looking (in a craggy sort of way) I almost expected him to be dressed in a plaid shirt, cords and hiking boots. He certainly looked larger than the office anyway. He sat me down, brought in some coffee and said to me "Barbara, this is quite a bit out of line, an investigator actually sitting down with the person he investigated. Can you tell me what exactly you had in mind?"

I told him that I was aware that he had investigated me and told him that a lot of lies had been told about my former husband Don both in court and in the press. Want I wanted to do was to try and put that right. Don had always put his family first and because he was so trusting and busy looking after us, it became so easy to mislead him and cheat on him, that he never had a clue, especially when I played the loving sexy wife at home every chance I got. He didn't really defend himself in court to avoid hurting the girls

Peter picked up the phone, dialed a number, when he got through, he asked for Richard and said "Richard, you aren't going to believe this but the break you have been looking for to help Don is sitting right across the desk from me." He told him I was there, and why. He listened for a moment, and then put the phone down.

"That was my client, a financial adviser, Richard Younger; he was the person who asked that Don be investigated because he was involved with one of his clients. He would like to see us later today if you can make it. It would be after lunch, and if it is ok with you, I would be happy to take you to lunch. If you would like I can get you a taxi to the City Center Mall and I will book a table at Mario's restaurant right there, for 12 noon."

Peter and I met at Mario's, and surprisingly enough we had quite an enjoyable lunch. He treated me as if he had known me for years, regaling me with stories of things that had happened during investigations. Before long my Capalleti was gone. Along with a couple of glasses of wine as well, I was feeling quite relaxed until Peter said it was time to go see Richard, I was really concerned about what was going to happen. I could not have foreseen just how easy it was going to be.

Richard could not have been nicer. He said "Originally the investigation began into Don after I had talked to my former wife Maria. We are still great friends, just couldn't live together. I'm also her business manager and I had been concerned that Don came across as a little too good, too able; I believe that Maria has fallen for him pretty badly, though she might not even realize it yet. I was really concerned as to what kind of a guy he is as Maria's last boy friend and his mother hurt her badly. I still care about her enough to want her to be happy."

I told him, "With Don what you see is what you get. He is so loving it is painful sometimes, and so duty bound he willingly accepts any task that comes up. He is the only guy I have ever felt secure with and trusted absolutely" he asked, "then why did you cheat on him" I replied "because I thought I wanted excitement, I wanted away from children, away from the staid life that I had, from the matron I was becoming. I still loved Don as a man but he just wasn't exciting enough for me." Now I know just what a fool I was, I can't even say it was lust, as some of my choices were no hell, right from the word go they were nothing but another cock, and none of them lasted very long".

Richard then asked "why then was there so much rancor in the divorce, making it look as if Don was aware of everything that went on?"

I said "that was kind of a put up job between Don's sisters and my lawyer. Until the divorce came up, I really had no idea how much Don's sisters wanted to hurt him. They figured that the worse he was made to look the more sympathy and money I would get and the more he would be hurt.

I still can't believe that his own sisters could hate him like that. I guess it was because even though he was the youngest, when their father died he pretty well took over, made the girls toe the line for their mother. If it hadn't been for their urging, I'm sure I could have resisted the temptation to cheat."

Richard asked, "What do you want to happen?"

My reply was "what I want more than anything else is to be back with Don and my girls, but I know that after what happened during the divorce, that just isn't going to happen. We made Don pretty much the laughing stock of the City as if he was the biggest wimp going. He isn't and I would love to be able to tell people that the only thing he did wrong was that he placed absolute trust in people who didn't deserve it and he worked too hard to realize that he was being made use of."

Richard's next question was, "If possible, would you go public with what you have told me, even though it might make things look bad for you?"

I told him, "Without a second thought if it made up for some of the harm I have done to my family."

He replied, "I'm glad to hear that answer. When we were doing that investigation we found some matters that seemed out of line, but we couldn't find definite evidence of any wrongdoing. You may be able to help us out."

The next morning I got a call from Richard asking me to go to his office. I went there and he introduced me to a lawyer James Jones telling me that Jones was the President of the Bar Association. After James told me he was investigating the possibility of collusion between the judge in my divorce and the lawyer representing me, I had a lengthy interview with him which was taped. He told me he would be in touch and then I went home, wondering what I had let myself in for, was I right or wrong?

I didn't hear anything more for several weeks, so I busied myself with the girls. As much as they would let me anyway, there was still that wall between us that I desperately wanted to pull down. Like always, I tried to buy my way in to their confidences, but like always it didn't work.

The only time they would even begin to thaw, was when they talked about Don or Marie or something they called the PDA. I asked what that was and they said it was a kind of secret society that Don knew nothing about and that if it had been started well before the divorce, there wouldn't have been one.

After wondering for a couple of weeks I finally heard from James Jones. He called me into his office and when I got there, Richard was there also. James told me that the executive council of the Bar Association had recommended that the material I had given him be passed on to the District Attorney as not only did it give grounds for Don to commence several civil suits, but it also could be construed as a conspiracy to obstruct justice besides revealing a number of perjury offences. He wanted my consent before he sent it on because without my testimony it would be hard to proceed.

Richard warned me that if we did proceed with the complaint, it would mean that I could be indicted as a co conspirator. While my cooperation would count a lot, I could still find myself facing criminal charges, as the result of the evidence I had given, the DA would not be seeking a severe punishment, but I might face one nevertheless. Where I got the courage from I don't know but my answer was "Go right ahead, let the chips fall where they may Don has suffered enough."

He also asked me if I would sit down with a local reporter and tell her my story, so that the real story would appear in print and help to negate what was bound to be put out when my former lawyer, the judge, and Don's sisters heard what was against them. I said I would.

I then went home, took out pen and paper and started to write the toughest letter I have ever had to write in my life.