Chapter 5 - Joining Families
Martin Caulfield had never been one of those guys who was lucky in love. For a number of years, the entirety of his love life had been an unmitigated disaster. 4 long-term relationships since he had turned 16 and now the promise of a bitter, acrimonious divorce loomed on the horizon.
Iris had left him and their son behind to run off with her much-younger yoga instructor. "Mom's fucking nuts Dad, you know that, right?" Richard had complained to his father over cold pizza. "The guy is what -- maybe 10 years older than I am and she's -- 40? What the hell does he see in her anyway?"
Martin wasn't going to reveal to his son the merits of his ex's skills in the sack and how great she kept herself looking. At 18, kids didn't see the beautiful maturity that women like Iris possessed. It was hard for Martin to see her as beautiful though, her lawyer was raking him over the coals. At times, Martin often found himself wondering if Iris might not also be sleeping with her pretty female attorney, the attacks towards him seemed so vindictive and highly personal.
Richard had vowed once his divorce was finalized, his days of marriage would remain behind him. He could date, he could have flings, but commitment was for idiots and the young, like Richard. He intended to go it alone.
It was going to take a while to adjust and Iris' lawyer had their finances snagged up in litigation. Martin's book store made enough money to support them adequately for now, but until everything was finalized, they would have to play it frugal and close to the vest. Richard was a very involved student but he had a weekend job bagging groceries at a local supermarket. He told his father he'd use his money to pay his own way until their lives became stable once again.
Martin appreciated his son's offer and he was quite surprised to discover his in-laws were very supportive as well. Beth, his mother-in-law, didn't understand what had gotten into her daughter. "Frank and I have been married for over 40 years, we set a good example for Iris," She told Martin over Sunday dinner. "I still love my baby Martin, but Richard said it best -- she's gone nuts."
Martin did his best to settle into a new routine. A few of his prettier customers flirted with him once they knew he was separated and he went out for a few lunches, a few dinners and a little fling here and there. He let himself have some fun, but some of these women were particularly young and at times, he felt odd about that. How could he be angry at Iris for being involved with a younger man if he was dating younger women? Richard set his father straight.
"Mom left us to go after this guy Dad; she's the one who cheated. She pursued him. You're separated and these women asked
you
out, you didn't do anything wrong," Richard said as he took their lasagna out of the oven.
Martin conceded that his son had a good point although he also decided he probably should date women closer to his own age. It was tempting though -- he had a lot of young and attractive college students who patronized his store and they tended to wear their skirts short and their heels high. Sweet young eye candy was in his store nearly every day and they were shameless in the manner in which they flirted.
Martin was just settling into a new routine when another member of his family was dealt a blow almost as devastating as his own. Sally, his sister-in-law, discovered that Martin's brother was cheating on her. She filed for divorce immediately, but as Martin's brother was a lawyer, he was making it hard on Sally.
Martin reached out to Sally. "I can't believe what a jerk Barney is being -- hold on Sal, what am I saying? Barney's
always
been a colossal jerk!" Martin laughed as he talked to her over the phone. Martin and his brother had never been close; he'd always thought by marrying Sally, he'd married someone far too good for him.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Sally laughed. That was just like her, a dynamo with a take-charge attitude. "We just have one small problem, the bastard wants Jessa and me out of the house, he's moving his little teenaged girlfriend in. Would it be okay with you if Jessa and I came to stay for a few weeks until I can find a place for us? I can throw some money towards expenses. I know it'd be an imposition and might cause problems with Barney, but ..."
Martin stopped her right there. "I don't give a rat's ass about Barney; I know what it's like when someone cheats on you -- especially with someone younger. You two come and stay with us for as long as you need to. You can help out with the cooking and it'll be nice for Richard to have family his own age around."
Richard sure didn't see it that way. "Jeez Dad, I'm 18 and even though Jessa's almost 2 years older than me, she was just so ... so ... well, you know. She was tall and weird looking and a bit of a geek." Richard saw the look his father was shooting his way, so he sighed and said "You're right, she's family, I'll be nice. It's not like I'll be dating her or anything."
"Introduce her to one of your friends, you never know," Martin smiled.
"One of
my
friends with a brainiac like her? Yeah, like that's gonna happen," Richard snorted.
Sally arrived late Friday night with a carload of suitcases and supplies. What struck Martin is that she hadn't let any moss grow underneath her heels. Sally had always been attractive, but now she was sexy as hell. Her blouse and dressed hugged her body close. Sally had always had nice legs and in 4-inch heels, they were fully on display. He would have guessed she had lost over 30 pounds and her fiery red hair was now a lush auburn. Barney was a damned fool to give up someone this sexually alluring and Martin had to rein himself in when she hugged him.
"Where's Jessa?" Martin asked her as he helped her carry a few of her bags into the house.
"She's driving her own car, she'll be here in about an hour," Christine told him. In her heels, she was almost able to look him in the eye. Her blue-green eyes were dancing and had she always had that gorgeous face? Martin composed himself and nodded. "We'll try not to get in your way too much," Sally told her brother-in-law. "I'm sure Richard isn't thrilled about having two more people around."
"I've handled things with Richard, you get in my way as much as you want," Martin smiled. "I certainly won't object."
"Why Martin Caulfield, are you flirting with me?" Sally giggled.