After the Fact, part 1- Gloria and Johnathan
This is the first in a multi-part series about what happens 'After the Fact'- two people getting on with their lives. It is an excerpt from newspaper interviews for the "Literotica Sex Times" newspaper.
The main characters are from a story I wrote and published, "Jack's Rebirth, Parts 1-3". I got pretty good reviews but there were some nitpickers (aren't there always??). I will attempt to address any discrepancies found and tell you what happened in their lives. Hopefully, there will be several of these stories coming, dealing with those whom I feel are basically good people who overcame shit in their lives. I hope you will enjoy them. (Well, probably most of you will. Some people you just can't please.) Read and enjoy. Grandpa says so.
Also, I want to thank saddletramp1956, for the multi-part of plot idea. I like it. I hope this does his idea justice.
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Gloria's take on her life
"Where to start? What to say? How can I express my life?
"It has been ten years since the events that changed my children's and my life and brought Jack Stone into it. They have been the luckiest ten years of my life. I have been blessed with two more wonderful children and a husband who is the best man I have ever met. It has not been perfect. We argue (after all, I am Puerto Rican) and he is extremely easygoing. But after that one instance in his parent's house, after he had broken up the robbery of the jewelry store, he has stood up for himself many times. When he felt he was right. (He is not often right, but I yield very easily now because the make-up sex is SOO good.) I also have a better understanding of my beloved husband's psyche due to a conversation I had with his mother on Thanksgiving about 4 years after we were married. I started to remember that day, THAT conversation. ...........
Dinner was finished and the guys were in the living room watching football. His sister-in-law and future sister-in-law were riding herd on the kids and we had all finished cleaning up, started coffee running and were setting out dessert. His mother poured us some wine took my hand and led me out onto the back porch. She shut the door led me over to the fire pit, and lit the gas logs.
"We need to talk, dear." I understand that that is a phrase that men dread hearing, but seldom spoken to a woman, by a woman.
We sat down, she took a healthy sip of her wine and stared at me.
"Gloria, you are without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to Jack. And as a bonus, I think Thomas is about to make an honest woman out of your friend, Amanda. Your children, ALL of them, are priceless, and four of the most wonderful grandchildren a grandmother could hope for. Now I have six. Soon I will be ahead of Carolyn Richmond at church. She only has ten." She chuckled. She and Mrs. Richmond were good friends and the 'competition' was friendly.
"But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Her eyes clouded and her face looked down, contemplating her hands and her wineglass.
"There is something in Jack's past that even He doesn't know of. Remember, I talked to you about it before you were married?"
"Yes, Mom, but you never told me what. I mentioned it to Jack while we were on our honeymoon, but he said he didn't know what it could be. I'm a little concerned about what it is. Jack didn't seem too worried. He assured me he was fine and he couldn't figure out what had you so concerned."
His mother sighed, shrugged, and took another drink of her wine.
"What I'm going to tell you must forever remain between us. Jack doesn't know, CAN'T know, ever. And his brothers and sister don't know. It is very embarrassing to me and I live with it every day." With that, she started to cry and almost fell to the deck. I jumped to her side and cradled her in my arms.
"MOM, TELL ME!! What could be so horrible??"
She wiped her eyes and sniffled.
"I'm so embarrassed.
"Many years ago, I made an awful mistake. I cheated on Jack's father. I got drunk, and I was seduced by the bastard, and it only happened once. I was so ashamed and shocked that I thought of keeping it from Michael, swearing I would never do it again. It was all my doing, my fault. I had given him three wonderful children and I knew it would risk my marriage if he found out. So I decided to keep the secret and take it to my grave.
"Then I found out I was pregnant. I was devastated. I was a wreck. I knew I could not go on, holding this secret in. So I told my husband. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, up till then.
"He was devastated. Crushed. I have never seen him like that. The look on his face, the sadness in his eyes. If I could have died or disappeared without leaving a trace, I would have. But it was done.
"My personal feelings aside, my religion left me no choice but to have the baby. So I was doomed. Condemned by my own indiscretion, my OWN actions. I never want anyone else to go through what we experienced in the following 8 months. The tension, the sorrow, the lack of trust. We were not intimate for over a year. We slept together, but the gap, the chasm between us was huge. I'm sure our children sensed something was wrong, but they never guessed what.
"When I went into labor, Michael took me to the hospital but stayed in the waiting room. The only one of our children that he was not in the delivery room for. He was living in hell, but he was there, still trying to come to grips with the situation. When Jack was born, he came into my room and I gave him the child. I told him 'Here is your son.'
"He took Jack in his arms and held him. We sat in silence for several hours, till visiting hours were over. Then he left. I had a DNA/paternity test done, and the results were mailed to the house. We went home two days later. Several days later, I received the results. I kept the sealed envelope until your father-in-law got home, then I handed them to him and said, 'This is the paternity results. I have not looked at them. Whatever you decide, I will abide by it. No matter what.'
"Then I got up and went out onto the new patio and sat. And prayed. And prayed. And cried, and then prayed some more. The Blessed Virgin and all the saints in heaven, especially Saint Jude, probably got tired of hearing my voice.
"Then my husband came out and stood over me, and looked down. I was scared. Petrified. I had no other recourse. I steeled myself and looked up at him.
'Well?'
"All he did was smile, ruffle the boy's hair, and say, 'Son!'
"I cried for what seemed like hours. He couldn't shut me up.
"He told me the report stated that Jack was my son, and his. Our biological child. He said he was sorry for what we had gone through so far, and he wanted to try to fix our marriage. I told him I loved him, and I was sorry for the pain I had caused him. And I thanked him. Thanked him for loving me enough to take a chance on me- again."
This woman that I had come to look on as my second Mother, as a rock in a relationship, was devastated. I held her and comforted her as best I could. What else could I do??
Finally, she composed herself. She extricated herself from my arms, drained her wine glass, and wiped her eyes. She sniffled and burped. I laughed and hugged her. She started to cry again, then to laugh. She gathered herself and looked me in the eye.
"Gloria, I told you this in strictest confidence. The ensuing year was fraught with conflict, pain, and strife. But we came through it. I like to think it made us stronger than ever. I don't want that for you and Jack. You don't deserve it. I don't think you are that kind of woman. I've seen the way you look at and treat Jack, and all your children. I see how Jack looks at you, and treats you and the children. All of them. You are good for each other, and together. I don't want you to ever have to go through what Jack's father and I did. Ever. I have great faith that you won't, but if sharing my secret with you can help keep that from ever happening, I will take that risk."
Now it was my turn. I broke down in tears and hugged her again.
"OH, MOTHER, I am so sorry for what you went through. It must have been tragic. I would never do that to Jack. He is my everything. My reason for living. And I will be forever grateful for you telling this." I hesitated. "I will take this to my grave. I will never betray you. You have my solemn word, on my children's souls."
