This is a continuation of the "Life's Cruel Irony" series.
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As the sun rose on December 22nd Doris was sipping her coffee as she thought about her to do list. The final dusting and cleaning needed to be completed. Much of the vacuuming and dusting was tasked to Royce. She was relieved that he had recovered so well. The prognosis in those first two days was not good, but he was strong willed. He returned to work for half days six and half weeks ago and was back to full days after Thanksgiving. The thought of loosing him haunted her as she knew that he was still at some risk.
For over twenty years she feared loosing him discovering her shameful skeleton and finding herself alone. The first night shook her to her core. She cried in anguish as she gazed upon his whitish form and the all the wires and tubes. Two days before he had his attack she decided that she needed to confess to Royce even if she lost him. Though she was already trying to break free of Vince because he kept demanding more and more, she knew Vince's hold could not be broken fully until she told her husband. Increasingly Vince wanted to control her and when she fought him she was hit by him.
Three weeks ago she fought to control her frustration when year her daughter-in-law insisted that they were going to stay with them rather than with her parents across the street. Pam said that her mother was going to be in Chicago for several days and would not have time to have the place ready for visitors. Fortunately her daughter Kristy who was six-months along with their first child, and her husband Peter, lived only fifteen minutes away. Betty who was home from grad school was delighted to have the baby in her room. Room was not the issue. She just wanted a quieter home this year because of Royce's heart.
As the grandfather clock struck eight, Pam joined Betty and Doris in the kitchen for breakfast. Like her mother, Betty had a quiet shy side, but Pam knew from their time together in high school that she had her wild side. Jeff was still in bed as they arrived late the prior evening and he spent time talking late with his father. Betty soon left with a list of items to pick-up at the grocery store early for her mother before the grocery lines got long.
Doris with a fresh cup of coffee in hand excused herself to go to the den to check her email. She was anxious to track Royce's gift as it was to have arrived the day before. She breathed a sigh of relief when the report showed it as on today's delivery truck. Checking her other emails her eyes then noticed an email titled "Doris – Your Sin Is Known".
She did not recognize the sender's address but her heart was thumping. "Surely not now" she groaned inwardly. Her hand quaked and her heart seemed to stop as she moved the mouse to open the email.
She sat stunned. There before Doris was a message that struck fear into her heart. "Headline – Mother allows brother and sister to wed. Story – A local mother allowed her son to marry his half-sister. Though the brother and sister have different mothers, they share the same father. When approached for a comment the mother was unapologetic saying, 'so I am a slut. What are you going to do?' More details to follow. See the attached picture."
One picture attached to the email showed her on her hands and knees with a cock clearly part way in her. Though his face was turned away it was clear that he was not her husband. Who and when they were taken was unknown, but the pictures indicated the veracity of the sender's position.
As soon as the initial shock diminished Doris quickly sent a return message asking the sender to identify himself and to know what he wants. She also begged him to do nothing as she loved her husband deeply and was trying each day to show him how much she loved him.
As she tried unsuccessfully to focus on other emails, a second email from the same sender arrived. "Doris – my identity is unimportant at the moment. Watch for an email either tomorrow or Christmas Eve. Oh...if you tell Vince about this I will immediately send an email to all your family and friends. Those two pictures will go with the email. Below you will see I know the email addresses for many of your family members and various friends."
After reading the messages twice more Doris sat dazed. She wondered who sent it. Who could know? She was not tempted to contact Vince. Since she had been blackmailed all these years, she realized she may have to trade another favor to protect her secret and family for at least three more weeks. She thought, just three more weeks and then I will be free. In three weeks she planned to tell her husband the truth, full and unvarnished. It was the least she could do.
Doris had vowed that if her husband recovered she would tell him, and she meant to keep her word. She just needed to get beyond the holidays and into the middle of January, just a few days before Vince's birthday on the 18th.
When she first decided to confess to Royce she also knew she would loose her friendship with Tara. She would walk through fire to make amends with Tara but knew it would do little good.
When she confessed Doris had already been preparing her heart for the worse. Her heart hoped her husband would understand but she knew how she would react hearing the news. She was preparing herself to loose her family and friend, but for her it was the right thing to do and loosing them would be appropriate justice.
She knew a motel where she could rent for a month and had already been looking for a one bedroom apartment. For a year she had been putting some money aside, and since July she had been putting even more aside. She had enough twenty and fifty dollar bills in her bedside drawer to cover start up costs on an apartment.
She had pieced together that Lois, who she had meet, had been blackmailed into helping this out of control twosome seduce young ladies from Lois' high school. After Thanksgiving she mailed an anonymous letter to the District Superintendent indicating that a female teacher was being blackmailed into helping a middle aged couple to seduce high school students. Wanting to still protect herself she did not sign the letter or give names.
Doris hoped the she had given enough information in the letter to get an investigation started. Even if Lois, Jill and Vince were not exposed, the investigation and the interviews of teachers could be enough to end Vince's using Lois for an unrighteous purpose. Just last week the rumor was that an investigation into in appropriate teacher conduct was underway that all four district high schools. Word was that one volleyball coach was already being charged with sex with a minor.
When Doris emerged from the den Pam noticed that her mother-in-law looked shaken. When Pam asked if she wanted to join her mother shopping Doris just walked past silently.
Doris could not make eye contact with Pam for fear of what her eyes would show. Clearly Doris was nervous and upset as she rushed down the hallway to her bedroom, but Pam remained silent.
For the remainder of the morning and early afternoon she was so distracted that Betty asked if something was wrong. Though she said she was fine, her daughter did not buy it. When Betty pressed, Doris explained that she was thinking in what to get as another gift for her husband when she went shopping with Tara and Pam.
Initially Doris did not intend to go with the two ladies but did so. It was a means to avoid Betty asking any more questions. She had already decided to go the extra mile during the holiday season to assure her husband of her love for him and a few extra special gifts would help.
Tara had been distant from Doris for months. In October she wanted to claw her eyes out and never see her again. As she learned more details and as the weeks passed she softened her position. After Royce had learned about the details of his wife's affair she and Royce had numerous long conversations and emails. Tara agreed to allow Royce the opportunity to redeem his wife and agreed not to complicate matters by avoiding her.
For weeks Tara recalled how Doris has been by her side. Tara recalled her friend's unwavering support during when Tara recovered from an accident. Recollections like this one enable Tara to dig deep down into herself to find strength and courage to act as if nothing was wrong.
Her heart softened a little further when she returned home in mid November for five days. Tara found Doris raking the leaves in her backyard. Doris knew Vince was not going rake the leaves. So to help her friend, Doris took over the task while Tara was visiting Jeff and Pam.
In the last five weeks Tara continued to recall the good times with Doris and her kindness. She really hoped that Royce's theory was correct that Doris found herself in a quagmire from which Doris did not know how to extract herself. Royce felt that if Doris was given the opportunity Doris would break off the relationship and maybe even confess.
By Christmas, Tara really hoped Royce was right. Everything she knew about Doris fit with Royce's theory. If Royce was willing to do act like Hosea, the least she could do would be to support him.
That afternoon Tara and Pam too could tell Doris was distracted, but they said nothing. Tara pulled them into a lingerie store. When Tara was holding up a bustier Doris looked away as it was almost identical to one Jill wore that horrible day in August.
Minutes later Pam had looked at various items and asked her mother and mother-in-law, for their opinions. "What about this naughty thing?" Pam would ask.
A few minutes later Pam said, "What do you think my lover would like more?"
Doris was speechless. Doris was shocked that her daughter-in-law just suggested that she had a lover.
Seeing the pained expression on Doris' face Pam added, "my husband silly is my lover."
