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Without Honor, what's left?
This is a continuation of the LW Legends day story I posted. The first chapter was edited by BlackRandl1958 (thank you very much), the remaining chapters are self-edited, so yes, it's all my fault.
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She was 29, I was 33. I was on my own.
My sister Peg was right about one thing. I did need to get away. Get some distance.
I went for a ride.
First stop was Roger Hammonds. I spent the better part of a week with him, getting the business worked out and just talking about my life and what had gone wrong. He told me I couldn't run away from my problems. I agreed. I was taking a break because I was too upset to be around anyone I knew. I'd go back before too long, I assured him.
He and his wife were good listeners. They didn't fault me. They didn't make excuses for her, or for anyone else. They asked simple questions, which made me question people's intentions and motivations, but I could see no way around what they had done to me. Roger asked me to stay in touch, and I did, calling at least once a week. I talked to Anna as often as I spoke with him. They were good friends.
I talked to Beth once a day. I asked if she had signed the papers. She told me she never would. I'd hang up.
At the end of the week, I called. "Did you sign the papers?"
"Please talk to me Honor."
"Did you sign the papers?"
"I'm not going to."
"Payroll is in two days. If you don't sign the papers, you can't take control of the company and you can't pay anyone. Fifty plus people will not be able to pay their mortgages or put food on the table. More than two hundred people will suffer, including children and spouses. Two hundred and seventeen at last count. Sign the papers."
"Why are you doing this to us? Don't you love me anymore?"
"I'll always love you. I just can't stand you right now. Sign the fucking papers, Beth." I hung up.
The following day I heard from the lawyers. She'd signed. The separation was official. The company was hers. She had control of all the accounts.
I called her. I always blocked the number so she couldn't see it, so I knew she wouldn't call me. "Thanks for signing the papers. Did you have the DNA test done?"
"What? Of course not! That's insane. You know they're both yours."
"I know nothing. I thought you could never be unfaithful to me. I thought you loved me. Now that I know you've fucked at least two other men, I have no idea when you started or how long you've been doing it. Do the test."
"I won't. You know I've never been with anyone else. I told you everything."
"Everything. I'm sure."
"Yes, everything," she insisted.
"Three times? You were with them three times."
"Three times with Fred. Twice with Dale."
"Three times. He came inside you three times? Dale twice?"
She was quiet. "I didn't say that."
"You were with them three times. What does 'with them' mean, Beth?"
"I ... I slept with them. We had sex."
"Three times. Five including Dale. Three ejaculations for Fred."
"No. We did it more than once each time except the last. Dale didn't even do it the last time."
"So what was it, two, three good fuckings each time?"
"Why do you keep asking? It doesn't matter. I cheated, yes, and I regret it. Regret it horribly. Let me make it up to you."
"How many times? How many times did he fuck you? How many times can he come in a row?"
"I don't know. I didn't keep count," she said softly.
"Give me a guess. That first time, when I was in California. Three, four? How many?"
"Why can't you leave it alone, Honor? I screwed up, okay?"
"No. You didn't screw up, you screwed down. You screwed Fred. I want to know how many times."
"Maybe a dozen. Maybe a few more," she finally admitted.
"Wow! Who ever knew that Fred was a superman? He came a dozen times for you in one session!"
"Over the entire week. Maybe three or four times a day once it started."
"Oh,
now
I understand. When you say you cheated once, you meant you cheated lots, but you're only going to count it as once. I thought you were a business major. Not very good at counting are you?"
"What do you want me to say, Honor? I screwed the bastard four different times that week. Is that what you wanted to hear? Six more times when you were in China before Dale joined us. Then another four times with both of them, and one more time with just Dale."
"That's not what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear you were faithful to me. But it's nice to hear you starting to tell the truth, if that's what it is. Do you see why I can't trust you? Now you're telling me you cheated with Fred, what, about fourteen or fifteen times, and five more times with Dale. At least six if you weren't interrupted."
I thought about her statement. "Wait, you said five times that first trip, but you mentioned him coming in you a dozen times or more. I take it that one 'time' to you includes more than one ejaculation. Let's say two, to keep the numbers reasonable. That would make it more like 40 times you let those bastards pump their traitorous sperm into your cheating cunt or lying mouth. That's hardly three is it?"
"No. It's not three. I considered it three. Twice you went away, and I was stupid when you were gone. Once more when I was telling them it was over."
"A nice goodbye fuck. Or was it see ya later? So considerate of everyone except your husband. Test the kids, Beth."
"It was just them! I told you! You have to believe me."
"The only thing I believe is that you're a lying, cheating slut with poor math skills. Test the kids." I hung up on her.
* * *
A quick detour to Nazareth, PA, took me to the Martin Guitar factory store, museum and factory tour. Until I'd started working I'd played guitar. I wasn't all that good, but I always had one fan. Little Beth. She could sit and listen to me play for hours and hours. I don't know why I'd stopped playing after college. I hadn't picked up a guitar in years. I'd always been fascinated with the Martins, the old ones. Never had one, and wasn't sure I could do one justice. On a whim, I did pick up their Backpacker acoustic. Odd shaped little guitar, it had nice sound and projection in spite of the ultra narrow body, and the neck was close to full-size. It fit my hands well. I figured I'd see if I remembered anything, and it was small enough to strap on the back of my bike. At under $200 I could beat the hell out of it, and if it got lost or damaged, no big loss.
I made a stop in Philadelphia, for an authentic steak and cheese sandwich as well as a tour of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (think Rocky, at the top of the steps, although I wasn't in the mood for arm raising). I'd lived a few hours away much of my life, and never had made it there. Just a few of the places I'd always wanted to see. I never imagined I'd be doing it alone.
From there I made a trip to see Beth's parents. I figured I owed them as much. They were surprised to see me.
"What's going on, Honor? Why aren't you home? Beth won't tell us anything, except you left." Carol, my cheating slut wife's mother, asked.
"I was hoping she'd tell you. I didn't feel it was my place."
"She didn't. You're going to, right?" her father asked.
"She cheated on me."
"Impossible!" Carol snapped. "Someone's lying to you."
I laughed. "Why do people keep saying that? I saw it. I walked in on her, with two men, in my own house."
"You didn't actually see them, did you? It was some mistake, I'm sure," Dave said.
"I saw them, naked, in the act. No mistake. Music playing, porn on the big screen. I saw it. I'll never be able to unsee it, as much as I wish I could. I see it almost every night."
"Why?" Carol asked. "What did you do? Were you cheating?"
I glared at her before answering. She knew better. At least she had the decency to eventually blush and drop her eyes. "No. Never. Like an idiot, I was working to make our life as wonderful as I could. Maybe working too much, I don't know. I never cheated. Hell, I don't even flirt. I didn't hit her; I didn't deprive her of anything. I didn't ignore her. I thought everything was perfect until I found out."
"It was one time, wasn't it? One mistake?" Dave asked.
"Three months. She'd fuck them the whole time I was on travel. She admitted to twenty times. She'll probably tell you three, she likes to count a full week of non-stop adulterous fucking as one. Everyone in the whole damn town knew, including my own family. They covered for her."
Carol looked distraught. "God, this must be destroying her."
I laughed. "It's not doing a whole lot for me."
"What about your business?" Dave asked.
"It's her business now. I gave it to her. She and her lover, my cousin and right hand man. He's running it. She owns it. I just wanted out."
Carol got up and returned with a bottle of Scotch, and three glasses. "I need a drink right about now. Anyone else?"
I accepted one. No more. I didn't like to ride the Harley after drinking.
"You're going to fix this, aren't you, Honor?" Carol asked. "You know she loves you. There must be some reason for her to do what she did."
"If so, she hasn't told me. I spoke with her afterward. She said she had no excuse other than he chased her and she gave in. About forty times."
"What about the kids? How are they handling it?" Dave asked.
"Billy isn't old enough to understand anything. Marie thinks I'm on a trip. They'll get over it. They're young."
"What do you mean, they'll get over it?" Carol snapped. "You're not leaving them for good, are you?"
"I don't know what I'm doing. I don't even know if they're mine, or how long she's been cheating. I asked her to get a DNA test done, and she refuses. Pretty damning if you ask me."
"You can't believe they're not yours," Carol said. "Not really."
"Why won't she have the test done?" I reminded her.