Many thanks to Greowulf for his wonderful editing.
*****
Sherry watched her husband drive out. Tears streaked down her cheeks. She had never thought that she would have to hear something like this in more than a million years. When Dave broke the news to her, it was as though the earth had split under her feet and tried to swallow her whole. Somehow she had managed to hold back her tears in front of him... only just. And that hussy had the guts to call her up!
Why... and for how long?
Sherry closed her eyes, her mind recalling memories of the distant past.
They had grown up together. They had played together in childhood, she, her brother, Dave and his elder sister, Julie. They had always been so close—even their parents had hit it off.
Then childhood had morphed into adolescence. She had always had a crush on him. He began to grow tall, started sporting a moustache and let his hair grow long, as was in vogue. She would watch him go jogging, hang around till he returned so that she could chat with him and admire that lovely growth on his upper lip. He had become a bit self conscious of the changes taking place in his body, and he would keep a distance from her, preferring to hang around with guys of his age.
Then she entered puberty herself.
She began to grow taller, the rose buds very much noticeable on her chest and her hips wider and rounder.
Sherry had felt pleased. Her new appearance translated into Dave spending less time with his male peer group and more time with her again. The fact that he had difficulty maintaining his gaze fixed on her face made her all the happier.
She went to her bedroom and opened her closet. She rummaged about until she found what she was looking for. It was a small, intricately designed wooden box. Sherry sat on the bedside and placed the box besides her. She sat looking at it for some time, then picked it up and lifted the top. Sherry lifted the plastic wrapper and gingerly took out the hand towel.
Sherry unwrapped the hand towel and looked at the contents with a wistful smile. Dave had deflowered her on her own bed. She had wanted it like that. To make it more memorable and romantic, he had plucked fresh roses from his garden.
After they had done with the foreplay and she had become wet and ready for her first time, Dave had placed the hand towel beneath her with the rose petals. By the time they finished their coupling the hand towel was soaked with her blood, her juices and his semen. He had then wrapped the towel and placed it inside the wooden box and gifted it to her.
That was moments before they heard Mother O'Brien's car turn into the driveway. Sherry smiled. Dave had to then make a hasty exit from the window, making the moment all the more memorable, and she had to tuck away the empty beer cans... yes, Dave had a weakness for booze.
And now he confesses to this indiscretion. She had been devastated on hearing him confess to his fling. Somehow she had managed to retain her composure, but his confession had opened a Pandora's Box in her journalistic mind.
Was this really his first time behind her back? After all those years of togetherness... was he tiring of her and wanted to taste what else was out there? If she were to believe him that it was actually his first time straying, then what guarantee could he give for the future?
She sighed.
The betrayal of trust hurt her the most. He was asking her to give him another chance, but could she again bestow her faith to her husband?
This was her family, and like any other married couple, they had dreams of doing so many things together. Suddenly she seemed unsure of what lay ahead as well as insecure. She picked up her cell and called Ma Harding.
* * *
The next day at office, Dave looked dully at the reports on his table, his eyes totally unfocussed. He had spent a restless night in his friend's apartment which was lying vacant, as the friend had moved out of town and lacked the time to put it on rent.
By late evening yesterday, all hell had broken loose in the Harding and O'Brien clans.
Ma Harding had been the first to let him have it with both barrels. He wondered what exactly Sherry had told her, because all his explanations and reasoning seem to only heighten her anger. Her next volley of words was even more scathing; she looked upon Sherry as her own daughter, just like Julie.
He looked at his watch. In a couple of hours, Ma Harding would be touching home—well, at least the place where his family lived.
Julie took the next slot in the firing squad. She had first politely heard him out, perhaps just like she listened to her patients, and then her questioning had started. Although she had sympathised with his drinking problem, she found it hard to believe that a man with one too many drinks under his belt could end up losing all sense of coordination and land in bed with a total stranger. In sum, he had cheated on Sherry with his one night stand, and deserved whatever punishment Sherry chose to dole out.
Dave clenched his fist in despair. His very own family turned against him, forming a sort of protective wall around Sherry and DJ. He was an outcast, a pariah.
His cell phone buzzed. He looked to see Mother O'Brien's incoming number.
"Son, I have been talking to Sherry, and well, you guys seem to be sailing through some rough weather," said Mother O'Brien in a soft but distinctly sad tone.
Dave felt his heart give a lurch. Mother O'Brien had always been an optimistic personality, always seeing the bright side of everything, cheering him up whenever he was feeling low. But now she sounded totally broken-hearted. He felt a slow anger building up inside him. These were the people he loved and cherished.
"Mother... "
"Dave, the two of you make a pair, and then there is DJ. As we move on in life, we realise that we don't live for just ourselves, there are others who are dependent upon us for their happiness and well being... a man is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a bread-earner and so on. All of those roles make the complete man, and a woman is just the same. And life has a habit of throwing up surprises just when you least expect them. It's how you overcome those obstacles that matters. I... I hope you understand what I mean."
"Mother, I love Sherry and my kid. They are my world. I have made a mistake and I don't deny that. But I am going to do everything possible to have them back with me. People are finding it hard to believe that this was the first time... but I have never lied before and neither am I lying now when I say that this was the first-and only—time anyone will find an excuse to point a finger at Dave Harding!" replied Dave in an emotion filled but strong voice.
"Son, I believe in you... I believe you when you say it was a mistake. Mistakes are unintentional. But Sherry is hurt, any girl in her place would be. Now it is up to you to convince her, to win back her trust. Just how you are going to go about it is something you will have to figure out."
"I'll be doing that Mother, and thanks for your support. Ma and sister have more or less disowned me."
"I know," replied Mother O'Brien with a sigh, "She has always looked upon Sherry as her younger daughter. She kinda filled the void on Julie's growing up. But Dave, I think you should keep a check on your drinking. If my memory serves me right you had some problems in your younger days also."
Dave nodded in agreement. He remembered the incident pretty well. He had been in his first year in college then. He and a couple of others had gone out on a late night drive after a drinking session. To cut the story short, he had lost control and the car hit a tree on the road side. Luckily nobody was injured, just a few scratches and bruises.
"I will keep that in mind. By the way what has dad got to say?"
"Why don't you speak to him yourself," she replied as she handed the cell over to her husband.
A moment later he heard his father-in-law's voice. His tone was somber.
"Hello, Dave."
"Hi Dad," he replied.
"Look son, nobody is happy with what has happened, but then what happened, happened. We cannot undo the past. What matters is how we move ahead from here. I have known you since you were a toddler and it is not in your nature to deliberately hurt another person... and I... we have known your family well enough to say confidently that the Harding's never lie. So when you say that it was something happening for the first time under the influence of alcohol, and that you will never allow that to happen again, I know you mean just that."
Sherry's dad was breathing heavily. Dave could tell he was having difficulty in controlling his emotions.
Heck, he had hurt a lot people with his indiscretion.
"Dad, I accept that it was my fault, I should not have gone on a binge... and I ended up hurting you all. But I'm glad to know that you all are standing by me."
"Son, the very fact you are speaking along the lines I have just heard you say shows that you are a man of substance, but the final decision will be coming from the two of you. Sherry has Irish blood flowing strong in her veins. Family and marriage mean a lot to her... in that typical Irish way of things. And right now she is hurting a lot. My advice to you would be to give her a bit of space, let the dust settle down a bit, and then go about talking to her."
"Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it," replied Dave.
"And Dave, that Orbit Mall is only an hour's drive from our place. So why don't you stop by the next time you are there?"
"I'll be doing that, Dad," replied Dave, accepting the olive branch extended by his in-laws.
He had hardly put his cell down when it buzzed again.
It was Scotty.
"Chief, there's been another of those accidents. Luke slipped and fell from the first floor of the building. Luckily he managed to hold on to some scaffolding. That broke his fall, but we think he has a dislocated shoulder. You're needed here."
Dave immediately became brisk and businesslike. All personal sufferings got locked and stored in a distant place in his mind. "Work is Worship" had always been his motto.
He immediately called Cyndi to his office. She was his PA and perhaps the only person he really trusted.
"Cyndi, we have had another of those freak accidents at the Orbit site," he said in a crisp tone.
