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Pete Townshend: "No one knows what it's like to feel these feelings, like I do, and I blame you!"
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I sat on the swing watching a spider build its web. The sun was several minutes away from starting a new day. This spider had chosen the bottom of the children's slide in the community park. Back and forth it went across the exit point of the slide. Almost four inches tall and eighteen inches across. An engineering marvel. I admired the completed web. Such a complex creation built in one night. Isn't it amazing what can be accomplished if you remove the spreadsheet pushers from a project?
The first child down the slide would test the spider's handiwork. You have to have a plan. The spider did and he only needed it to work once to dine like a king for the rest of his life. Alright, maybe his plan had some holes in it, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"I'm rooting for you buddy. My plan is about as ridiculous as yours, but I've got a plan too!"
Only the spiders and crickets heard my voice. Today was Monday and it was day one of my plan. If things worked as planned, some night soon we would see the last domino fall.
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My name is Blake Folle. I married Shauna soon after we graduated from the University of Michigan. We both found work in the suburbs of Detroit. Our past is unspectacularly boring. The typical college students find each other, tried others, then found our way back to each other.
I'm somewhat insecure and that leads me into the land of jealousy. I can be a real asshole to Shauna. If I don't like how she dresses or acts in public, I blast her, sometimes in public. It's not like she doesn't know where I'm coming from. We talked endlessly about actions and consequences. In spite of my shortcomings, Shauna agreed to marry me.
No problems, right? I wish.
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Shauna and I are avid pistol shooters. We've taken all of the courses. The Defensive Pistol Courses, the NRA Basic Pistol Course, and the courses required to acquire a Concealed Carry Permit.
We do the shooting tournaments at the indoor range. Shauna has won the Annie Oakley award, which is the best female shooter, more than once. I'm not bad, but not nearly as good as she is.
There are mostly great areas to live in the suburbs of Detroit. There are a few where I rest a little easier knowing she is armed and capable.
We still attend many UM games, football, basketball, and baseball. I played all three sports in high school but focused on my studies once in college. Well that and the fact that I'm nowhere near talented enough to compete at the collegiate level.
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The previous Thursday:
"Aw shit, it'll take me forever to get home!"
I perked up as Greg, my co-worker, slammed his fist down on his desk.
"How do you know that Greg?"
"I'm looking at the traffic cam at the junction of highways 7 and 82. There's a pickup truck on its side and a car on its top. No way is that going to be open tonight. You should see this."
I wandered the path from my cubicle to Greg's cubicle and gazed at the screen on his notebook. My stomach cramped. Standing with the paramedics, gauze wrapped around her skull, was Shauna. At least I think it's her. She has a very distinctive tattooed left arm from the shoulder to the wrist. The people on the cam were a little too small to confirm my suspicions. Apparently her flight to Chicago left without her yesterday.
The truck on its side was familiar to me. I just couldn't put a name with it.
"Can you get snapshots of that crash?"
"Only until I change cams. I can save the video from the time I started watching this cam. You can create snapshots from it. What has your interest?"
"I think I recognize that truck. I need to search my memory banks, but I know I know it."
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Greg captured the video and emailed it to me. After zooming in on the frame, I'm almost positive that's Shauna. The phone call last night was complete bullshit.
'Uneventful flight.' 'Nice room.' 'Meetings went well.' 'Miss you.' 'Busy day tomorrow.' 'Late flight, don't wait up for me.'
I was completely distracted on my drive home. What kind of fool have I been played for? How is it that I know that truck? I went through the whole cast of characters: close friends, family, neighbors. Not even a hint of a match. The blue and yellow stripes on the truck haunted me. Who is it?
Shauna's call came around 7 pm. I let it go to messages.
'Hi babe. Bad news. My cab to the airport was in an accident. I'm okay but I did sustain a gash across my forehead. Long story short, I missed my flight. I'll let you know when I know. Love you. Call me.'
My heart hasn't stopped racing since I first saw that picture. The complete betrayal has my stomach in knots and flames shooting out of my ears.
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Try as I might I couldn't eat. The emotions unfolding were killing me. Having realized my marriage is a sham I wanted revenge, on both Shauna and her lover.
I spent the next few hours going through the house. Trying to find something, but not knowing what I'm looking for, was frustrating. Simmering rage fueled my search. Nothing caught my eye.
My next step was to go through our credit card statements. Since Shauna travels at least twice a month I figured there had to be some kind of slip up in her purchases. In a sense I was right. Crosschecking her travels with her credit card usage, every other month one of the trips had no credit card usage. On those trips the only charge was for the parking lot at the airport. She uses her business credit card for tickets, hotels, and rides. Everything else is put on her personal card and she submits an expense report. I'm supposed to believe that she paid cash or just didn't eat on those trips?
With what I saw on the traffic cam I knew better. She was taking a two day fuck fest under the guise of a trip. I had to find out with who. Shit! That's a no-brainer. I'll ask for a copy of the traffic accident report. Duh.
Shauna keeps a filing cabinet with her important papers. I wondered if her expense account submissions were in there somewhere. She is so organized it only took a few minutes to locate the appropriate folder. Another minute to confirm that the 'trips' without credit card usage were not being reported on her expense account. I wanted to get drunk but knew better.
Does it matter how long it's been going on? Not really. Hers is a cold calculating betrayal. My revenge will be crafted to match the depth of her deceit. In the divorce, I'll be fair, what choice do I have. She'll get her fifty percent. Pre-nuptial agreement? Yeah right. I wish. She'll get her fifty percent.
Sleep came slowly and coffee was taking longer to get my engine running in the morning. When I turned on my phone there was a message from Shauna that she would be home later today. I went to work without attempting to get back to her.
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After scanning the internet for divorce advice, I took stock of our joint accounts. I would need to open an account in my name only. The brokerage account was going to be a little tougher. No way to move positions, so I sold enough to reach the fifty percent mark. I'd come back once those have settled and transfer my half out, when the time was right. The house was virtually under water so there was no need to do anything.
Not wanting to tip my hand, I didn't talk with any of my friends, family, or co-workers about my upcoming divorce.
At lunchtime I acquired a copy of the police report for the accident. No doubt about it now. There she is listed as the injured passenger in the pickup truck. The name of the owner of the truck, Ray Stronzo, was not one I recognized. It still baffled me how I thought I could recognize that stupid truck. At least I had an address of where her lover lived. It was three blocks from where we lived.
A quick online check produced the deed on the address. Lover boy owned it with Jill Stronzo. I'd guess that's his wife. Other webpages I found gave some personal information for both Ray and Jill. It looks like both of them attended the same high school as Shauna.
When Shauna called around quitting time I figured I'd better answer or she'd know something was wrong.
"You're back!"
"I've been trying to call you since last night. Is everything okay?"
"I'm surviving. I did find my phone powered off this morning and again around lunch. I guess I should take it in and get it checked out. How was your trip?"
"It was fine until the cab ride. I'll have to cake the makeup on to hide this cut on my forehead. Take a girl to dinner?"
"Sure, someplace light. I don't have much of an appetite. Choose a place and I'll meet you there."
I took the long way to the restaurant. Driving by the Stronzo residence I did not see the truck out front. There was a flag dangling from the porch that clued me in. A University of Michigan flag. This is the truck we see when we are tailgating at the Michigan football games in Ann Arbor. That's why there are blue and yellow stripes on the truck. We always head to the same area for tailgating and the Stronzos did the same. I just assumed he and his wife were friendly to everyone.
At dinner I tried, I really did, but Shauna could tell something was wrong "Is there something bothering you Blake? You seem really distracted tonight."
"A lot on my mind. Don't let it bother you."
When Shauna started the nightly ritual of makeup removal, I crawled into bed and feigned being asleep. Shauna was naked when she slid into bed and snuggled. All I had to do was imagine Ray's cock in her mouth and I remained limp. She shook me a little but abandoned her amorous advance.
Shauna was sound asleep when I left for work in the morning. I tore through her car and found a cell phone hidden in the back seat cushions. Powering it on and scrolling through the texts solidified if for me. Shauna and Ray have been going at it for months, if not longer.
One text in particular sent me off the deep end. Well kids, I'm not sure what your punishment is going to be, but there will be a price to be paid.
I'm not a violent man. I can't see me doing anything physical to either of them. Some creative thinking was required. I decided an appointment, to talk with an attorney, would be detrimental to the plan I had in mind. I was going to be completely blindsided when she admitted her affair. If my plan comes to fruition, I'd have to act quickly to protect what I could. I bought what I needed and spent the weekend avoiding Shauna.
She wanted to make love on Saturday but it was simply me climbing on, getting off, and quickly falling asleep. Shauna tried again Sunday night, with a slow sensual blow job. After she finished we laid there silently until she tried to get me hard again. I held onto the image of Ray's cock in her mouth and she failed to excite me. Frustrated, she gave up and we drifted off to sleep.
I got up early Monday morning and spent some time in the park. I needed to make certain this was the path I really wanted to take. Thinking back to that text message convinced me to proceed.
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Shauna's dilemma:
I thought I had things under control until that phone call. Monday mornings are always a busy time at work. I handle several calls an hour. I jumped on the call when my office phone rang. The caller ID showed 'Private'
"This is Shauna."
"I know what you're doing with Ray. I want in on the action."
