Sophia Continued

This is the second part of Sophia Continued and should be read in conjunction with part 1 and parts 1 to 4 of Sophia, by Castlestone for it to make sense. My purpose in continuing the story is to provide closure to Don and Maria in their relationship. Castlestone is a tremendous writer, and I must thank both him and also Yellowperil, Castlestone's editor for some tremendous help. Before he became unable to contact, castlestone had completed two further chapters which he had sent to yellowperil for editing. Thanks to yellowperil allowing me access to those chapters, I have been able to ensure that the story does not diverge too far from the story line envisaged by castlestone. Thanks also to yellowperil for his voluntary editing of most of this part, as like castlestone, each time I read the story I want to add more to it

Maria

I was with Don and the girls on one of our nights out. I wish it had just been Don and me but I'll take what I can get. We had been out to a movie and were enjoying another bowl of popcorn at Don's apartment. Don got a call from one of his tenants about a problem in their apartment so he went away with his tools to fix it. Megan asked me "How long do you think he'll be away? Can we get serious?" I told her I thought we could, and she took a letter from her book bag."Mother asked us to give this to you. We don't know what's in it, but the way she asked made it sound pretty serious." I opened and read Barbara's letter asking me to help the girls through events that were likely going to be happening soon.

Robin asked, "What's going on? Why would Mother write to you? Is she trying to hurt you now?" I quickly replied, "No, that isn't what it is. I will let you read her letter because it concerns you, and then we will talk about it." They each read the letter. They both looked at me with serious faces. "What will happen to Mother?" they asked in chorus...

"Well, I don't know for sure, but what it looks like to me is that your mother is going to try to put right a lot of things that were said and accepted as the truth, mostly because your Dad didn't want to fight things and make your situations worse. For a time it could mean that she could be in prison."

Robin and Megan both gasped, "What will happen to us?"

"Well, you saw what your mother asked of me. Is that ok with you? You will be staying with your Dad anyway."

Both girls grinned and said, "That's just fine with us, situation normal then."

Then the other shoe dropped.

Megan smiled with that angelic look she has at times. "What about the last section when Mother talked about you and Dad and the use of the two by four? Are you really going to use one?"

I grinned back. "As you two well know, that is a metaphor for a surprise to get Don's attention. Now, do you two think your Dad is in love with me?" There was a concerted YES! from two pent up young girls, so I continued, "Okay, I just love him to death, so I'm really thinking of something that could be more like a two by six. If you two want to get him primed, feel free to help out - just remember, the letter is between us women, so let's just keep it that way. Maybe there is no way that your Mother and Father will ever get back together, but I would like it if even only for you two, they could be friends."

Don

I had been working out in the basement of my apartment building when my cell phone rang. I saw that it was from Richard and wondered what he wanted. I always chatted with him when I saw him, but I wasn't on a regular phone call basis. If the truth were to be told, I was a bit jealous of him for the fact that he had been married to Maria and had remained a trusted friend and financial adviser. On top of that, I didn't feel that I was good enough for her. When I answered, Richard asked if I could pick up Maria and drop by his office. I told him that I would.

When I got to Maria's condo to take her to see Richard, she asked me what it was all about. I told her that I had no more idea than she did, so I couldn't help. I was just doing what I was asked. When we got to Richard's office, his secretary showed us right in. She brought us coffee and we all sat in Richard's interview center, a group of comfortable chairs that he said worked much better than a conference room.

Richard said, "Don, this is pretty much about you and the girls. I wanted to give you a heads up about something that is coming up regarding your divorce."

I replied, "Oh, Lord, there is something wrong or it is being challenged to get more money! I thought that Barbara was going through money like crazy, but this is ridiculous! When does it ever end? Can she re-open things again, or is she after full custody of the girls?"

"No, Don, it's nothing like that, it's the absolute opposite in fact. The truth is that there has been a very quiet investigation and, I guess as of right now, the DA's staff and police are in the process of arresting the Judge, Barbara's lawyer, your sisters, Barbara and a few others on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and a number of perjury charges. I just wanted to warn you that it was coming and to be prepared for the whole thing being made public again. I understand if you want to take the girls and go away for a while, and I can guarantee that the Child Welfare Department will not be raising any objections. I'm also sure that your lawyer can get the custody order varied, certainly until the court cases are dealt with. You should get full custody if you want it; the only thing is that you may be called upon to give evidence, so we would have to know where you are. Before you come to any decision, I want to tell you one thing Both girls grinned and said, "That's just fine with us, situation normal then".

I have to tell you; this whole thing got off the ground because Barbara looked at herself in the mirror, didn't like what she saw, and decided to do something about it, so don't hate her for it being opened up again. She came to me and talked about it and realized that if we said nothing, not only would it not do anything to restore your reputation, but it would allow the judge and Barbara's lawyer to do the same kind of thing again. The minute the Judge saw who Barbara's lawyer was, she should have recused herself from the case.

I also recommend that you take the time to sit down alone with Barbara to have that talk that you should have had but couldn't a year ago. Just as an aside, I can tell you that what she got of the extra million dollars after that scumbag lawyer was finished didn't go into her pockets or her lovers'. She invested the whole lot in a trust fund for the girls' education."

I thought about what he said for a moment. "Richard, I can't possibly look any worse than I did the first time around. Can I retain your lawyer to look after the girls and my interests? I will let you know about going away later. That is a decision that I have to make with the girls."

I turned to Maria and asked, "Maria, can you come to lunch today? I need your wisdom on a couple of matters and you can help cheer me up if anyone can."

We settled for Mario's as it was close and we both enjoyed it. Pizza for lunch sounded just fine. I didn't think it was as good as mine, but I wouldn't tell Mario that. After we ate, I asked, " Well, Maria, what do you think of this all being opened up again - do you think it will do any good?"

She replied, " Well, at least if all goes as Richard said, it could show you in a very different light and might change a lot of people's ideas about your part in the divorce. What Barbara might want I don't know, it may well be a change of heart. I hope so, for your sake and for the girls."

"Do you think it will hurt the girls a lot? Do you think we should we go away while it is all going on?"

Maria thought a moment and replied, "I think the girls are a lot more grown up now. They now know what Barbara has done to you, and have been able to both handle it as well as be with her as friends, if nothing else. I feel they can handle it, and I will certainly help and support them without any reservations at all."

I began to feel better about the thoughts of another court case; it would also help Maria see that I wasn't quite the wimpy ex-husband that I appeared to be, that I had purposely let things go to avoid hurting the girls.

She asked, "Are the girls with you tonight?" I told her that Barbara had asked me to pick them up from school and keep them for at least a week, as she had some things to do that might take her away from home for several days. I had just taken it for granted that she had planned a trip with one of her male friends as she had done a lot after our divorce. Maria said, "Then I will pick them up, if that's okay with you, so you can get supper for us all and we can sit them down and tell them what is happening." "Sounds good," I agreed. We then left and I dropped her off at her condo. At about 5 that night, Maria and the girls arrived, just as I was putting the finishing touches to a great Lasagna and they went to watch the TV news while I was finishing off.

"Dad" Megan yelled "Mom's on TV. She has been arrested along with Aunt Diane and Aunt Michelle and a few other people. What's going on?" Maria and I sat the girls down and told them that there had been an investigation into what amounted to a conspiracy, and that Barbara was cooperating with the District Attorney, but as she was a part of it, she had to be arrested with the others and that she would likely make bail in a couple of days.

"Will you bail her out, Dad?" asked Megan. I stopped to think for a minute, and I was tempted to say it would be a frosty day in hell before I would, but Maria surprised me

"I'm sure that your Dad and I will help. Maybe Barbara has broken the law, but she is still your Mom, she still loves you, and I think in her own way she is trying to put things right as much as she can." The smiles of relief on the girls' faces were all that I needed to put me in instant agreement.

Lord but I'm easy to get turned around.

For me most of the evening was a somber time. I really had to examine the way I felt about Barbara. What I had been feeling was the 'cheated on male, kick 'em to the curb' line of thought, but Maria had really made me think more positively, especially in light of what Richard had said. Later, after we had all had a spell in the hot tub and the girls had gone off to their beds, Maria and I sat in the lounge in the big recliners. I looked at her and smiled, "Thank you for helping me with the girls earlier, it could have been a real problem if I had said what I felt at the time. You have really made me think about what has happened."

What Maria said then really shook me to my core. This perfect woman who I had believed would never have time for anything but friendship for me, really opened my eyes. "Don, you are a wonderful guy. There doesn't seem to be anything you won't try to fix. You are a fabulous cook, you can do anything with your hands, you have a great brain and you treat your daughters with nothing but love. The trouble is, you are so busy "doing for others" that you don't sit back, relax and see what is going on around you. You look on me as a friend, not as a woman who loves you and adores your daughters, and looks upon you as her family. That is why I help, not because I feel as a friend that I am obliged to. Yes, you heard right, I said I love you!"

I could see the tears starting to run down her cheeks as she continued. "Why do you think that we were teaching you to dance, to date, relax and have a good time? You need to become involved with others as well as the girls. Break out of the mould your father set you in and enjoy yourself. You aren't Dudley Doright and you aren't responsible for helping the world every time something goes wrong."

I was stunned, "Am I that bad?" Maria continued, "Don, you are a great guy, but you are so complete and capable within yourself that, without even knowing it, you make other people think that they are less than you, that they are not needed, that all you need is yourself. Your father may have been a great guy, but what he did to you by making you responsible for your family when you were a boy was the worst thing he could have done. You didn't have the opportunity to be a child or to grow up gradually. You were forced to mature really quickly and be a young father figure and provider. "

That's what Barbara saw in you when she grabbed on to you so quickly. If you had been able to relax and show your true self, someone who needed others, like everyone else, you would probably still be married to Barbara, raising those two beautiful girls and maybe a boy or two. The worst thing is that you sometimes can't see and accept the reality of what is right in front of you." With that Maria burst into tears and continued, "I have to go home before I am a total mess. Please tell the girls that I will see them tomorrow night, hopefully with better news about Barbara!"

I replied, "Maria, please don't go yet, I am absolutely floored by what you have said. Ever since that night I pulled you out of the car, I have valued your friendship. I've wanted so much for it to become more, but I was afraid that you with your smart and cultured friends would not feel anything for us but friendship. I was scared that, some time down the road, we would lose you to some smart man who might take you away from us. That night was the night I fell in love for the second time in my life. Yes, I love you too, and ever since we met I have been terrified that dull old Don was not enough for you, just as he wasn't for Barbara. Please don't go, the girls and I need you in our lives so much!"

Maria let out a sob of relief and smiled through the tears as she said the words I had really wanted to hear since we met. "Don, we really are a bright pair, aren't we? You are the most loving, capable and knowledgeable guy I have ever met but, just like me, you have been reluctant to say what you feel. The truth is that I have loved you and the girls since you pulled me out of that car, and I have been so afraid to say anything in case you didn't feel the same way. When I was driving out to the house that night you saved me, I was feeling devastated. I had just been put down by the family of the man I had pinned so many hopes on, which is why I was in the ditch - I wasn't concentrating on the road. Suddenly there was a knight errant who appeared out of the storm and saved my life by risking his own. Then, on top of that, he saves my house from destruction, not thinking of the danger to himself or what could have happened if he failed to do everything just right. That was when I realized that the jerk's family had done me a favor, and that for once in my life I was in the company of a real man who was content in being what he was. Something started growing inside me that has developed into a warm glow when I am with you, and an empty feeling inside when I am not. I just haven't been able to show that for fear that you didn't want me once you knew about my past."

I went to her, put my arms around her and kissed her lightly. Her arms went up around my neck pulling me into her, her mouth opening slightly and her tongue poking at my lips. That light kiss became a sensation like sinking into a pool of warmth as she returned my kiss with interest. We stood there in the center of the floor and held each other tightly, leaving me very conscious of Maria's breasts pushing into my chest with their hard nipples poking holes into me. Our tongues touched together, pushing against each other, when there was a click of the latch as the door opened and the air was split by two whoops and we were almost knocked off our feet by two teen tornados who apparently had been listening in. They took the opportunity to race across the room and joined in a group hug that lasted quite a while. "Maria" I said. "Please stay with us, we need you, I need you, you have become a big part of "Us"

Megan poked her teen nose in, "Maria, we would love you to stay, forever if you want, but tell him that it's only one room from now on. We'll tie him down for you if that's what's needed."

Maria looked at them, looked at me, smiled and said, "Out of the mouths of babes. Don, you heard them, that's condition number one, one room with a big bed. Condition number two is that you start to relax. Get your counselor, if you must, to teach you to let others do things for you, especially when they are done out of love. They don't commit you to making any return other than accepting that love."

I grinned as I replied, "Maria, condition number one is easy, but I will need help with number two. Mainly your help though. I think we can leave out Freddie, Kathy and Vanessa of the Polishing Don Association, though they are a great bunch."

Maria agreed, "Okay, we know how everybody feels, but first I have something to get off my chest; I think it is something that you all have the right to know. It is something I haven't been able to tell you before, not because I wanted to hide something, but because it may make you think less of me, and because, after you hear it, you may not want to even have me as a friend, let alone a member of the family."

"You all know that I was married to Richard. After 3 years it had become more like sister and brother than a marriage, so we decided to end it while we were still friends and didn't get into any other problems. We did that and you know that we are still friends and that we do business together. Well, as soon as the ink was dry on the divorce decree, I got kind of carried away and became a real party girl. I got into some wild relationships and did some things that I should, on second thought, not have. In a way, you could say that, for around four months, the only difference between Barbara and me was that I wasn't married."

"A lot of people I know say that it was my own business, that I didn't harm anyone but myself, but there are a few of my former rivals in the modeling business, namely Joanne and Anna and by virtue of association Gwen, who delight in repeating the tales and keeping them going, especially if it seems to them that I am going to achieve any kind of happiness. You've all met them. I call them the three witches. That life was over pretty quickly, but it still is spoken of sometimes especially if it appears that I am going to get any happiness and could reflect badly on you and the girls. I would hate it to make the newspaper sometime and hurt us all."

I carefully thought about what we had just been told before responding. "Maria, our life with you began the night we pulled you out of the car. What you did before that night has nothing to do with what we feel about you. Certainly, to the best of my belief, ever since that night you have helped and supported our family far beyond the normal bounds of friendship. For the first time since the divorce I feel a sense of direction and have a confidence back that I thought had been smashed to pieces. But, I do think that maybe we can do something about Hagatha and her cronies. Let me think about it."

Well, of course, as the result of all the ado, there was very little sleep the rest of the night. First, the girls figured it was a Pizza night, my PIZZA didn't qualify, so I wasn't allowed in the kitchen. Maria and the girls made a great late night meal. I wasn't needed except to eat, and I sat back thinking

I could get to like this.

The girls sat Maria and me together on the couch. Maria curled into me and the girls claimed the recliners while we ate the pizza drank milk and watched a movie on the Disney channel. At least the girls did.

I was deep in thought for a while as we cuddled together. Maria had given me a lot to think about. Thrilled as I was with what she had said about us, I had lots to think about with Barbara, Diana and Melanie and how, usually without consulting them, I had pretty well always done what I thought was best for them. What I had been doing was controlling them, not caring for them. I guess I finally realized that. No wonder my sisters hated me.