A November to Remember (750 Words)

Yep, I know, a collective groan from the audience with someone shouting out from the nose bleed section "not another bloody February Sucks story!" So please forgive me, but I have to drive one last nail into the coffin on GA's arguable masterpiece of emotional conflict. He did a fantastic job in stirring up some anxiety amongst his readers and for that he is a quality writer in my book. Thank you George Anderson and keep doing what you do.

https://www.literotica.com/s/February-sucks

I thought that my first submission to Lit should be a baptism of fire, straight into the literary breach with a 750 word, self edited submission in the most brutal of sections, Loving Wives. I'm sure I'll come to regret that and have a nice bottle of spiced rum at the ready to help me get through the comments should I be lucky enough to receive any. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, eh?

My take on this is hopefully a new twist. In real life, there is no cavalry, no balance and certainly no justice. So many others have focused their efforts on how Linda should be remorseful, or not in some cases (looking at you KitDeLuca164.) Others are all about BTB and Jim regaining his manhood (Omegaman56) but one of my favourites which is more to my liking is from BlackHeart93. All excellent reads from quality authors and I recommend reading them if you haven't already but especially GA's original. Anyway, here we go....

Looking into the dark abyss masquerading as coffee I swirled the styrofoam cup and swallowed the last of the dregs of my life before crushing it in my hand and letting it fall from my fingers to the floor with a sigh.

The metaphor was not lost on me.

Nine months after "that" night and here I was, waiting for my name to be called for the walk to the gallows. Much to the confusion of the midwife I opted to remain in the waiting room whilst my wife gave birth. It was an easy choice, I didn't want to add to the shitstorm that I felt in my bones was coming her way. For nine months she'd assured me it could only be my child and for nine months I'd listened to her lies.

Never repentant, never apologetic, never remorseful for her cosmic fuck. "It was only one night out of a lifetime of moments together" she would repeatedly try and persuade me.

I wasn't buying the bullshit she was selling.

When she told me she was with child I raged demanding an immediate paternity test. Unfortunately her age and a convenient complication nix'd that escape route. So here I was, locked into a hell not of my making pretending to be the brave forgiving husband and the strong, dependable father to my two children. Our friends who witnessed that night eulogised my almost divine level of forgiveness, letting me know at every opportunity how much they respected me.

Same bullshit, different salespeople.

I looked up from the stained floor and caught the gaze of my mother-in-law. She stared at me with a mixture of pity and fear. I think she worked out very early in the play the storyline her daughter had written. My father-in-law was euphorically oblivious, buoyant in his actions awaiting his third grandchild. I worried for him the most because if proven right, his reaction towards his daughter would require soul searching I didn't think he had it in him to overcome.

My parents wisely stayed away after I'd given them the synopsis of the plot.

My mind drifted back to that night, our night, our "special" February night that we'd planned with our friends. It soon turned into a betrayal worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy. Man takes woman, women leaves with man, husband remains behind contemplating his worthlessness. And the friends, our friends.....no, her friends that helped facilitate her betrayal.....they were the plot arc that just compounded my misery. At least Judas received payment for his treachery.

The approaching footsteps brought me back from my despair, only to renew its assault on my psyche when I saw who they belonged to. The she devil, the putrid excuse for a human that had been the architect of my wife's treason was approaching me with outstretched arms.

"Hey Jim....." the snake hissed as she slithered down into the seat next to me. "You must be so excited" she gushed with false affection.

I was about to tell her to piss off when I heard my name called.

"Mr Anderson" a nervous voice called out. "Mr Anderson, you may go in to see your wife now....congratulations, you have a health baby boy" she said without conviction. The hesitancy went unnoticed by everyone except myself and my mother-in-law. We both looked at each other as I sighed deeply and raised myself from the chair not having acknowledged the death adder next to me and started my very own Sandakan death march.

As I entered the ward I was greeted by a distraught wife, guilty tears running down her face as she held the bundle of our demise against her chest. Instantly I could see the truth of the matter and so could those that followed me into the room. She looked pleadingly into my eyes, searching for any semblance of forgiveness. She only saw the reflection of her betrayal in my orbs and knew the way to redemption had been shut. Renewed wails assaulted my ears as she reached forlornly towards me with her arm, just out of reach of the comfort she so desperately wanted.

"I hope it was worth it Linda" I whispered. "I hope to God you remember every moment of every second you spent with the arsehole each time you look at his son for the rest of your miserable life".

Turning away I pushed past the others and out the door as she screamed "Jim, it was only one night".