Sometimes, you hear things you shouldn't. Sometimes, those things aren't good.
I was halfway to school before I realized my cell phone was at home. When I entered, my Mom Bev was talking to someone.
"Don't worry, Bill is used to me working late. He won't be suspicious." The other person must have said something, and Mom sighed. "We haven't had sex in over two years or even kissed in a year. So he won't notice anything different between my legs or in my mouth."
Yikes! That was all I needed to hear. I left before Mom noticed me.
I couldn't think about anything for the rest of the day. Mom was cheating on Dad. I couldn't believe it. They seemed to be getting along fine. They were warm towards each other and talked all the time. I saw no signs of marital difficulties.
I was a daddy's girl and got madder and madder as the day went on. How dare she cheat on Dad! Part of me wanted to tell him when he got home, but what if I misinterpreted what Mom said? Although her comments seemed pretty clear.
I decided to tell Dad exactly what I heard. He could decide. I was nervous telling him. He got very quiet. Then he thanked me and headed straight for Mom, who was in the kitchen. I positioned myself so I was out of sight but within hearing range.
It didn't take long for the shit to hit the fan. Dad confronted Mom immediately.
"Have you been having an affair?" He asked sternly.
Mom looked surprised, but I wasn't sure if she was genuinely surprised or pretending to be surprised.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because Hailey overheard you tell someone that we hadn't had sex in two years or kissed in a year, so I wouldn't notice anything different between your legs or in your mouth."
Rats! Dad exposed me. I hoped Mom wouldn't be mad.
"So, have you been having an affair?"
"Yes," Mom answered calmly without flinching. It must have been her lawyer training. I would have been shitting myself because Dad looked furious.
"How long?"
"A year."
"Who?"
"A junior lawyer at work. No one you know."
"Why?"
"Sex." She said calmly.
Holy fuck! It seemed like mom didn't care.
"Why?" He asked again.
Mom sat down and lit a smoke which she rarely did.
"When you and I were young we couldn't keep our hands off each other. The sex was great. But over time it petered out. The passion faded. It dropped from almost every day to a few times a week, to once a week to nothing. We haven't had sex in over two years. You're fifty but I'm only forty. I'm at my sexual peak. I dressed up in lingerie to entice you. I approached you all the time in bed but nothing worked. You didn't seem to care. You'd lost interest but I hadn't so I pushed you to see a doctor. You resisted which frustrated me but you finally went. The doctor said your testosterone level was low which was causing impotence. He said testosterone treatments or other things like Viagra might help. Buy you resisted. I didn't understand. You wouldn't even try. You may have been okay with no sex but I wasn't. I was only forty and frequently horny. I wanted sex."
"I went a year without sex or kissing. We weren't even hugging. One whole year without being touched. Not once! And then someone new started at the firm. He was attractive and charming and was interested in me. One thing led to another, and we had sex. I've been sleeping with him ever since. I'm sorry but I'm not ready to be celibate at forty."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"Bill! I did. I constantly bothered you to take the drugs but you brushed me off. I dressed up in lingerie, but you ignored me. I approached you repeatedly in bed."
Dad seemed upset.
"So that gave you the right to fool around and cheat on me?"
Mom still seemed calm, but a steely look had crept into her eye.
"Yes. You weren't giving me what I wanted so I took it from someone willing and eager."
Ouch! I would have left out the 'eager' part. Mom continued in a calm tone.
"Have I been home later? No. Have I stopped doing the cleaning and laundry? No. Have I been distant from you? No. Do we still do things together? Yes. Do I still love you? Yes. Do we still sleep in the same bed? Yes. Do we still snuggle in bed? Yes. Do we still go on vacations together and have a good time? Yes. Has anything in our relationship suffered during the last year? No. In fact, I've been in a better mood because I'm not frustrated sexually anymore. Is anything I just said untrue?"
Dad's face was getting beet red. Uh, oh!
"Yes!" He yelled. "There has just been a huge change in our relationship! I just found out my wife has been fucking another guy for a year! Am I supposed to be happy about that? How often do you fuck this guy?"
Mom seemed hesitant.
"Well?" Dad exclaimed.
"A few times."
"A few times a year? A few times a month?"
"A few times a week."
Dad shook his head incredulously.
"OMG! You're fucking this guy several times a week? It's unbelievable that you can sit here calmly and act as if it's no big deal because we're not having sex so it's okay to get it from some guy at work. Do you honestly think I'm going to want to sleep and snuggle with you anymore, knowing some other guy recently had his cock in your pussy and mouth? Do you think my love for you will be the same after what you said? You betrayed me. The trust is gone. I won't even want to be in the same room with you and won't be vacationing with you. If this is your version of love, I'd hate to see what you do to people you don't like. Are you going to keep fucking this guy?"
There was a long pause. I was on pins and needles waiting for Mom to answer. Mom took a long drag on her ciggy and exhaled slowly.
"Yes. I'm not willing to live without sex. He fills a need you're no longer willing to. You'll never see him. No one else will ever know."
Dad snorted.
"Ya, right! You said your office is like a soap opera. I'm sure everyone knows this guy is fucking you. Do you think I'll ever attend another of your Xmas parties? Not likely! Everyone would think, 'There's the wimp who can't satisfy his wife.' If you don't stop seeing this guy, we're through."
I heard Mom sigh. I didn't know if it was frustration, sadness, or irritation.
"Bill, I know you're hurting now, and you have every right to be but we can still stay together. We can still be friends. We can still help each other. We can still share the household duties. I can sleep in the guest room if that helps. If we split up life will be harder. We'll have to do everything ourselves. And we'll take a huge financial hit. We won't be sharing our incomes. We're set right now. The house is paid for. The cars are paid for, and we have no debt. We'll have to downsize and sell the house."
"Why would I have to sell the house?" Dad said irritably. "This is my house. I bought it when I was eighteen before I even knew you."
"Yes, but state law dictates that all the assets will be split including the house. I'm not lying, Bill. I work at a law firm. I know.
Dad's face turned beet red. I thought his head was going to pop off. He looked at Mom with hate and repeated, "If you're not willing to stop then we're through."
Mom looked sad. "Then I guess we're through. I'm going to sleep in the guest room. I'll draw up a divorce agreement. I have more money in investments than you and a company pension, so you'll get some of that which will help offset losing half of the house. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but I'm not willing to go without sex for the rest of my life."
Mom left the room. Dad left the room. Holy shit! That went badly! Divorce! Selling the house! I was sorry I told Dad. Maybe he was better off not knowing.
===
I didn't think the next day could be any worse, but it was. You could cut the tension with a knife. Dad avoided Mom like the plague. He looked away when they crossed paths. He ignored her when she spoke to him as if she wasn't there. I had to ask him things she wanted to know.
Dad and Mom stayed longer at work to avoid each other. One day, she didn't come home, and all her clothes and personal things were gone. She called and said she couldn't take the tension anymore and was staying with a friend. I wondered if the friend was her lover.
When I told Dad he said, "Good riddance!"
The house felt lonely without Mom. She'd always been there. I was used to her presence and voice. Her laugh and smile. It was all gone.
And Dad wasn't in a talkative mood. He threw himself into his work. I didn't see him much. Like I said, lonely.
Mom picked me up one day with the divorce papers. We went out for lunch and she explained the details. She said to call if Dad had questions.
I explained it that night. He was relieved he didn't need to sell the house. Mom knew it was his pride and joy and didn't press for as much money as she could have. She didn't want to hurt him more than she had and mentioned her income was larger and she could afford the loss. I mentioned that to Dad and he snorted, "Big of her!"
Mom gave me some history so I understood the significance of the house to Dad.
Dad started a plumbing apprenticeship at sixteen and saved money by living at home. A 'fixer-upper' house came up and his parents lent him enough to get a mortgage. Several friends moved in and paid him rent. He gradually paid off the money he owed his parents. Because he was handy, he slowly fixed the place up. He was a saver and continued to pay the mortgage off. By the time he was thirty, all the guys were gone. He was making good money and had paid off much of the mortgage.
He met Mom at a party. She was ten years younger and they clicked. She was impressed with his place. Based on what Mom said, they had passionate sex all the time. One of those occasions produced me.
Mom came from a poor family but was very smart and ambitious. She wanted to become a lawyer. She stayed home with me and took night courses until I went to school. When I started kindergarten, she applied the courses against her degree.
The house was eventually paid for and renovated. Mom was happy because she had an in-house handyman to make changes. Over time she added her touch to the house.
It took Mom years to get her law degree and advance at a local firm. But now she made more money than Dad, had accumulated significant investments, and had a company pension.
So when the dust settled from the divorce agreement Dad was able to keep the house and Mom bought a small condo.
I was pleased for Dad and me because the condo was close to the College where I went, whereas Dad's place was thirty minutes away by bus. Dad bought me a junker car, but parking was expensive, and there weren't enough spots. It was more convenient to sleep at Mom's and walk to school when I had classes. I usually spent three days at Mom's and the rest at Dad's.
