Mark looked at the computer screen with the images he received from his friend Amy. She had looked at his social media profile and saw something about his wife that was unsettling. After clicking on her page, Amy had discovered that Mark's wife was seeing someone else. She couldn't believe she would cheat on her husband and really couldn't believe she would be dumb enough to post it on a public platform.
The images of the two cuddled up together made Mark's blood boil. How could she? They had dated each other for three years, having gotten married just six months earlier. It was a betrayal of the worst kind. What made it worse was he was halfway around the world and felt hopeless.
He had given her everything he possibly could while he was gone. She was living in his place rent free, wasn't paying the utilities and was even given the keys to his truck to drive around town. How did she repay his generosity? By spreading her legs for some dude that was twice her age.
He sent her an email letting her know that he knew about this other guy. To the military, he would be called Jody.
To him, he was simply known as Dean.
Unsurprisingly, he didn't hear back from her until a few weeks later. By that time, Mark had coordinated with his first sergeant to get her out of his place. He would be damned if he was going to support someone who was running around like a slut and letting her live in his house. The email was short and to the point:
Sorry this happened. I would have tried working it out with you but I'm pregnant.
-Mandy
Mark just stared at the email. He was at a loss for words. Opening up another browser, he reached out to a law firm back home. There was only one thing left for him to do; he filed for divorce. After filling out the necessary information, he closed the browser and went for a run. He ran for two hours. His mind processing thought after thought of what had just happened. He stopped and looked around. Facing a setting sun that was getting ready to rise back home, he tried to make peace with the newfound revelation.
However, that peace would not come around as quickly as he would have liked.
Four Months Later
He sat in his truck staring at the bar where he saw Dean go into just a couple of hours earlier. Mark looked down at the handgun gripped in his hand. His phone was buzzing non-stop. He didn't have to look at who was texting and calling him. It was Amy. She was pleading for him to not do anything irrational and to think of the consequences.
Mark had spent the last several weeks home being fueled by anger. He was drinking a lot more and he was losing sleep. His unit ordered him to seek counseling for his mental well-being. He thought he could work his way through the infidelity Mandy had put him through, but coming home to a messy house, cum stains on the bed sheets and the sanctity of his house violated, he had been pushed too far.
Rain began to fall and it was the only sound Mark heard for several minutes. His phone buzzed again. He pressed the magazine release of his Glock and emptied out the chamber. "Fuck it," he thought. He put the truck in drive and went home.
Dean would get his, but it wouldn't be that night.
21 Years Later
The sun was shining brightly and the summer day was very pleasant as Mark had finished scouting a location to shoot his next documentary. Life for him had gotten better post-military and he had found success making independent documentaries related to social issues of the time. He decided to unwind at the Bullpen, a local sports bar that did quite well for itself. The beer was cold, the wings cooked to perfection, televisions everywhere and some of the hottest women one could find in a place.
Mark entered the establishment and made his way to the bar. An attractive young lady was working behind it. "Must be a new employee," Mark thought to himself as he sat down.
She was beautiful. She stood about 5'6" and carried a lean frame. She had long, dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, a sexy midriff and perky breasts. Her ass was a nice round shape as well. She looked like she had no problem filling up the tip jar on a busy night.
"Hey there! What are you drinking?" she asked.
"Let me get a tall Sam Adams," Mark replied.
He watched as the young barmaid expertly poured the drink from the tap. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn't place it. She brought over his drink and caught him strangely looking at her.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yes. Don't take this wrong way, but you look familiar," Mark said.
"Guys say that a lot to me," she replied. "Usually it's a weak attempt to pick me up."
Mark shook his head. "No, no...it's nothing like that."
The young lady gave him a smile. "No? Pity," she said as she went back to cleaning some glasses behind the bar.
Mark decided to turn his attention to the baseball game in front of him and drink his beer. He knew there was something about her, but he couldn't place it. He wasn't deterred. These kind of things happened to him all the time, but he always found a way to figure them out.
By the seventh inning stretch and the end of his fourth beer, Mark glanced over and saw the young barmaid posed in a manner that he had seen before. "Fuck me, Mandy did that same thing!" he thought. He nearly fell out of his seat after processing what he had just witnessed.
Everything from his past came flooding back to him. This girl was nearly a dead-ringer for Mandy. She was shorter than Mandy but as skinny as her; her breasts were bigger and her legs thicker. The only real difference was the hair color. Mandy was a dark redhead with really small breasts.
"Excuse me," Mark said as he motioned her over to him.
The young lady walked over and smiled. "Another one?" she asked taking his glass.
"Yes, please. Also, I am curious. Is your last name Hildenbrook?"
She stepped away a bit startled by this stranger calling her by her last name. "Yes....yes it is. How did you know?" she asked.
Mark looked at her closely, getting a read on her facial expressions and body language. He knew she was feeling a bit uneasy.
"Your mom's name is Mandy, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yes. How did you know?" It was obvious the girl was a bit flustered with being caught off-guard by someone who was a complete stranger to her.
Mark extended his hand out to her. "I'm Mark. I knew your mom a long time ago."
The young lady accepted it. "Hi, I'm Erica," she said sheepishly.
Erica went to pour him another drink. When she brought it to him, she asked, "When was the last time you saw my mother?"
Mark sat there looking pensive. He looked up at her. "It's been well over 20 years," he said.
Erica's eyes became wide. "Oh, wow...so it was before I was born."