Cherry Trees

The Penny Dropped = I realized that

Bro hug = One arm hug

Life is chess not checkers.= Life needs planning, thought, and strategy, not simply reacting.

Pocono Hills is a fake town/ suburb just west of the real East Stroudsburg, PA.

Trigger warnings. No direct BTB. MC is not a willing cuck. BTB lovers will call this RAAC.

Cherry Trees

Saturday, August 20, 2022

It was a sunny and beautiful Saturday in my backyard with my friends and family for a nice end-of-summer barbecue and get together. Neighbors plus family, including some extended family were there totaling around forty or a bit more people. It was huge fun and my newlywed son, Ryan, and his wife, Sydney, were visiting from their home in Roanoke. A nice bonus was that my mom had brought her locally famous and amazing apple pie that she made from the apples she grew in her backyard.

My cousin Jeff and I were away from everyone overlooking a creek that ran behind my property as we talked about sports bullshit, but the conversation wandered a bit as we walked back toward the rear portion which sloped down steeply at the far rear portion of my twelve acre property.

Jeff looked over at the side of my yard in the area just before the land sloped down into the floodplain that held the creek beyond and remarked, 'You got cherry trees, eh? At least those are useful. I got flowering crabapples and you know what mine don't do much? Flower! Damn things sure like dropping the dead parts of the crabapples."

He frowned, "I sure paid for them though."

I looked at him questioning, "Huh?"

He winced, "Took me two weeks to even talk to Wendy and another two to... you know."

He sighed and half smiled, "Then again, I sure got paid before that by Sharon Alexander. Get some, give some. Wish I had known the cost beforehand and I probably wouldn't have done it."

Sharon Alexander was the sister of my mom's best friend, Deborah Fullmer. Several families in the area had intermarried quite a bit and this resulted in a big tangle of cousins or cousins-in-law, you get the idea. Sharon was there with her husband, Mark while Deborah was with her husband, Larry. Jeff's wife, Wendy, was off talking to my mom and her friends. Jeff smiled then didn't then went back to his beer and took a big gulp.

I had to admit I was still confused, "Huh?"

He looked at me, "You know... 'Paid'." He made air quotes.

I had no idea what he was getting at and said, "What the heck does that mean?"

He rolled his eyes at me and said, "I put in a bunch of Wisteria trees at Mark and Sharon Alexander's place and I got paid for them by Sharon Alexander in a most pleasurable way."

He laughed, "Though she sure didn't let me use my usual... techniques that I had used on my old girlfriend, Elizabeth. She sure taught me the right ones."

He was clearly remembering something fondly, "Sharon sure taught me a lot, including how to lick pussy like a pro. It's amazing when I go down on Wendy, Sharon taught me how exactly to do that correctly. Wendy goes wild and will do anything for me after I get her off like that."

Too much information, UGH!

He sighed then winced, "Wendy was sure unhappy when I wouldn't go down on her for six months after I got my crabapple trees." He shuddered.

Wait! What? I was a bit alarmed at that point, much worse was about to follow.

I asked, "You and Sharon Alexander had an affair?" I looked aghast.

He scowled at me, "I saw the Japanese Maples you planted at Deborah Fullmer's place. Don't tell me you didn't get your own private lessons."

I thought back to my 18th summer in 1995. My girlfriend, Cassie, and I were hot and heavy after we graduated high school. We did it everywhere we could and she sure liked sex. We knew it was going to end that fall as she went away to college, but we were determined to wear ourselves out doing the horizontal mambo.

In August of that year, Cassie had a family reunion and my mom had me go to Deborah Fullmer's house to plant trees. What a pain in the ass and I was not a guy who wanted to work in landscaping. My mom made me take a week off of my job at Walmart to plant the damn things. She said I would get paid. Yeah right. What I got was being hot and smelly. Oh, and twenty bucks for four days work and a cold, 'whatever' from her at the end.

It was about noon on the first day and it was hot as fuck. Deborah came out in a white cotton dress with a deep V neck to the mid breast and it was buttoned only about halfway up and the dress was open to her belly button. She called me over to cool down at their fancy and expensive mahogany picnic table and poured a glass of lemonade as she told me that I needed a break and not get heat stroke.

It was quite a view even before she called me over as what I saw could be the wiki reference picture for 'pokies'. Then she bent over nice and slow while looking away and yes, the dress fell fully away revealing some pretty nice and medium to large breasts. The view was spectacular when she accidentally spilled some of the lemonade on the table. She went inside and came with a cloth and spent quite a bit of time bent over cleaning the table very vigorously, fretting about ruining the finish. Her booby jiggle dance was the memory of a lifetime.

Jeff asked, "Did you learn a lot from Deborah?"

I shrugged, "I learned an appreciation for her boobs when her dress fell open, but I liked Cassie's better."

He sighed, "Did you learn any techniques from her?"

I thought back to her taking my hand and saying she would like to pay me in a most personal way after showering with me. I looked at her then said, "I'm flattered, but my girlfriend, Cassie, would kill me and even though we end things in a couple weeks when she heads to Penn State, I want to be able to kiss her that last time and look her in the eyes, having been a loyal boyfriend."

I asked Jeff, "Remember Cassie Carter? I was loyal to her. Deborah offered, but I turned her down."

Jeff looked stunned then sick. The penny dropped. Logan Fullmer had planted my Cherry Trees last year.

I hissed, "I turned Deborah Fullmer down."

It didn't seem possible, but Jeff got even more pale.

I never felt so angry and so alone in my life then I lost control. I'm a big guy and work as an electrician. I'm not ironworker big, but at six foot two and since I work in heavy commercial electrical as the lead electrician and I climb and exercise quite a bit at my job. I stormed over to the rest of the people then located Logan Fullmer and stormed over to him as he was talking to my father next to the house.

I grabbed him by the shirt then pushed him hard against the side of my house with a thump then held him by the front of his shirt, "DID YOU FUCK MY WIFE!!!!!?"

Yeah, everyone within three houses heard me and certainly each and every one of the forty odd people in my yard did.

He nodded, scared shitless and not thinking. I raised my fist to smash him into pieces. He was maybe five foot ten or eleven and only moderately built. My father grabbed my hand then three others tackled me, pushing me away from him. That was a favor. Had they not done that, I would have killed Logan Fullmer and the minimum sentence in Pennsylvania is five years for involuntary manslaughter.

Logan's parents, Timothy and Lisa Fullmer took Logan and made a hasty exit.

It took me five minutes to calm down enough to even look around and comprehend where I was. I had never experienced red rage before. Blind fury with no control. I had been angry before, but never completely out of control and unaware with rage.

I finally calmed just enough to not go chasing after a car now retreating from my house. I looked around and most people had left. My wife, Julie was crying and my son was holding her a bit awkwardly. My father, Jeff, and my neighbor and Dan had let go of me, but were wary. Dan's wife was looking stunned while my mom was looking at me angrily and Deborah Fullmer had an unreadable expression. I had no idea where her fucking husband was.

My father asked, "Logan is gone. Do I have to restrain you? Are you going to hurt Julie?"

I shook my head, "I don't hit girls."

He nodded, sighed and pursed his lips, "Well, I taught you well on that."

I sat there for what seemed like a year, but was likely only a few minutes then I looked at Julie and the only thing I could do was ask, "Why?"

Julie sniffed out, "She said you were paid and it was my turn to return the favor. To teach..."

She started crying hard again.

I looked at Julie, studying her and gauging her reaction then said, "I've had sex with exactly two women and I turned Deborah Fullmer down. I had a girlfriend at the time and I was as loyal to her as I have been to you. Julie, I've never stepped out on you or my old girlfriend. I didn't have a lot of opportunities over the years, but I did have a few. I never even considered it. I never touched Deborah Fullmer."

Julie's expression went from sad to shock to horror as she processed what I had said, then her face changed to complete and utter despair and she ran into the house.

My father swore as he glared at my mom, "Julie said... 'she'... You... are 'she' You are the one that told Julie! THIS IS YOUR MESS!"

He looked over at my mom in anger and said with venom, "I thought the madness ended with me. When I overheard you talking to Deborah when Michael turned her down, I thought this madness had ended with me."

My mom looked at him in defiance, "You were spying on me!?"

He stepped closer to my mom. I had never seen him do that before, "I overheard part of it enough that I knew something was up and it wasn't good. I thought your sick little game of young lovers had ended with me when I heard Michael turned her down. I thought I was the last dumb bastard married to a cheating slut."

She glared and took a step toward my dad with a slap ready to go then reconsidered and stepped back. She retorted, "Don't you ever call me that! You had no right to listen!"

He screamed, "And you had no right to fuck Matt Fullmer!" He took a step forward and my mom took a step back. My dad clenched his fist then backed away five steps, not wanting to escalate physically.

My mom asked with an annoyed expression, "So when did you figure it out?"

My father looked at her, "It's an open secret and I knew who planted the trees. I knew you had had several meetings with Andrea Fullmer. Wish I had known before I saw those fucking apple trees. It took a while, but I pieced it together, most of us have, but it's fucking embarrassing and we don't talk about it until after we figure it out. Sometimes a woman would only have daughters or she would have two sons. Yeah, your dirty little game of spreading the wealth was fairly easy to trace once I knew what to look for. I stopped looking after Michael turned her down, figuring the madness had ceased."

My mom just couldn't let it go, "It never hurt any of the marriages and made them stronger. Learning to please a woman properly makes him a better lover which makes him a better husband."

My father closed his eyes in fury, clearly doing some kind of calmness exercise then finally said, "It damn near killed me, but I had responsibilities so I sucked it up."

There was a feral smile on my mom's face, "You got over your snit."

Eerie calmness followed as my father said in an oddly quiet voice, "Snit? We didn't have sex for two months and for four months after that, sometimes I was awake but would have mental images of that little shit taking what you had promised exclusively to me. Sometimes my dreams involved you fucking other men as they laughed at me."

She offered a faux apology, "Well, sorry it hurt."

She had no idea how shitty her apology was.

It was like I was forgotten as silence reigned as I sat there taking in the hideous truth of the women in my extended family.

Another penny dropped and I looked at my mom, "I didn't have sex with Deborah Fullmer..."

My world crashed down. Complete betrayal by my own mother as she had clearly set this up. I looked at her as a stranger and quietly said, "And you knew that."

Rage took over, "YOU FUCKING KNEW THAT! YOU SET THIS UP! YOU WRECKED MY MARRIAGE AND YOU FUCKING LIED TO JULIE!!!!!"

She tried consoling me with another shitty fake apology, "A little white lie to convince her. First, it was a little break and Julie deserved it after all those years of being a devoted wife. Second, It doesn't have to wreck anything. I'm sorry you are angry, but you can get over it."

I felt that red rage start again, but I at least had a slight idea what I was dealing with then looked at my father, "For the safety of Mo... YOUR WIFE... Get her out of here!"

She protested, "I will not leave and you will grow up! Every woman deserves a break from the same old, same old and raising a successful family."

My dad approached my mom as Dan and Jeff interposed themselves between myself and... 'her'. Not mom anymore, just...'her'.

My dad grabbed her arm but she twisted away, "I'm sorry you are hurt, but you have no right to be angry. You had your opportunity, but gave it up."

I repeated, "Dad. Get her out of here before I end up in prison."

My dad took her arm again more firmly, trying to push her toward the car, Dan's wife Kim, joined in as did my son. They finally got her into the car then they drove away. My mom was yelling at my dad about being embarrassed by him.

My son and his wife went inside to see if my wife was recovering and I sat there with just Dan and his wife, Kim.

Kim came up to me and quietly said, "Please. I won't lecture you... well much, but put some time between now and when you make a final decision. I'm not saying don't leave her, I am asking on her behalf that you take a few days to get some distance and clarity."

I shook my head and said, "I've never heard such selfishness. My mom lied to make it happen, but how could Julie think this was okay?"

Kim was a wonderful momish kind of woman. She was a bit of a plump woman and maybe four on the ten scale on physical looks but she was a billion on the ten scale of sweetness and empathy, "I don't know. I'm not as attractive as your wife, but I would never step out on Dan, even if I were a catwalk model."

She kissed my forehead in a momish way and somehow my anger went from a ten on the ten scale to a nine and I sighed, "Thanks, Kim. You are a wonderful wife for my friend."

Kim's smile showed in every part of her face as she kissed my forehead again, "Thank you, Michael."

That forehead kiss dropped my anger to an eight on the ten scale. The rational part of my brain began to re-engage in earnest. She was right. Life is chess, not checkers.

They left and I was alone in the backyard. The happy voices of an hour ago were replaced by the quieter summer sounds of the birds and the summer breeze. Eventually, my son came out to see if I was okay, saying Sydney was locked in the master bedroom with Julie, talking.

My son looked at me and said, "Dad, it's like an awful nightmare. Like some internet story written by a madman. Still, as your son... I am only asking that you take time in making any permanent decisions. I won't ask forgiveness for her directly, only that you give it some time."

I nodded and felt nothing but despair. My son left my side to head inside again for me to think in solitude.

We all existed in the house for the rest of the day and I slept on the couch. Everyone left me alone to think.

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Our son and his wife got up extra early to head back home to Roanoke. My son looked at me and asked, "Are you divorcing Mom?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. It's all too new."

I heard a gasp then heard Julie sob and run back to our... her? bedroom and slam the door.

I sighed. Shit. She came out of our room for the first time since the day before and overheard me considering divorce. Shit just keeps raining down.

I slumped into the couch behind me, "I'm so lost. I love your mom, but I want to do horrible things. Suddenly I'm looking at being alone for the rest of my life... or not. Forty or more people heard how my wife got boned by some stupid eighteen-year-old and it's probably four hundred people know by now."

I shook the bad thoughts out of my head and looked at my son then said, "Are you and Sydney going to be okay?"

He nodded, "I think so. She figured out that I had my own private lessons and made me admit I was a piece of shit for screwing Shannon Cartwright."

He sighed, "And yeah, I am a piece of shit for doing it. I knew better, but the little head was doing all my thinking."

Sydney came up to him and frowned a bit, "Better get used to your hand for a bit. Of all the shitty things to do! UGH!"

He nodded and sighed, "I know."

He pondered for a moment, "Sydney and I did have some pretty deep and uncomfortable conversations last night and did agree on a narrow definition of fidelity we both will follow mutually. So this mess did accomplish something."

He laughed, "I can't even have a one on one lunch with a woman in a private setting."

She sighed and looked at my son, "Two people having a private lunch together is called a date and the only person you are allowed to date is me. I can't do a similar lunch with a guy so deal with it. Also, I won't fall for any bullshit from your grandma if she says I owe anything to Deborah's great-grandson."

Sydney shuddered and muttered, "What part of 'forsaking all others' is unclear?"

She shook her head to clear it then pondered, "What kind of slu... woman even thought this awful scheme up in the first place?"

Another penny dropped. It was raining fucking pennies, "Shit. Your mom set your 'lessons' up?"

He shook his head then equivocated, "She was there and kind of looked confused why we were there, but Grandma introduced us. Grandma didn't come out and say, 'hey, you are getting sex lessons from Shannon.' We talked and maybe Shannon flirted a bit, but I wasn't sure of anything except the meeting was weird."

FUCK! Another issue, was my wife was at least complicit in my son taking part in this atrocious arrangement, even if my mom was the driving force?

We stood around in silence then it was time for them to leave and Ryan quipped, "Ready buddy?"

Sydney looked oddly at him then asked, "Who is buddy?"

He waved his left hand at her, "My new sex partner. Let's call him Lefty!"

She thwapped the back of his head lightly then laughed a bit, "Stop. Maybe if you treat me to a steak on the way home, I will give you a reprieve from dating Lefty."

He exclaimed, "Deal", then I received a bro hug from both of them.

Sydney said, "Give Julie our goodbyes and our hugs. I know now is not the time to go barging in on her."

I agreed and my son took their luggage to their car, playing doting husband for all it was worth as he left Sydney to say her final goodbyes.

Sydney looked at me with sympathy. Let's be honest... pity, "Your wife is truly sorry for what she did. I will tell you she feels horrible for how she hurt you and said she would do anything if she could be able to undo her week with Logan."

I sighed, "There is so much blame... so much deceit... so much destruction."

Sydney nodded and gathered her thoughts, clearly wanting to advocate for my wife, but not add any more lies to the pile of lies in my life, "For what it is worth, she probably said it a hundred times she wished she could undo that week. She cried every time she thought about how much she had hurt you."

We stood in silence then my son came in after loading their car. I got one last bro hug from each of them as I walked them out the door. Yeah, I caught it when he goosed Sydney's bottom and she jumped just a bit then kissed him and gave him a faux finger waggle. She blocked an attempted under shirt boob fondle then stood still and let the second one through her guard... I think. I was busy turning away.