Chapter-1
I'm Nolan Rierson, a native North Carolinian, and as I reflect upon the extremely unusual circumstances that have led to the situation in which I now find myself, I am astonished that never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined how the lives of four people could be turned any more upside down than they now are. My wife of 5 years has just pleaded and begged me not to divorce her while, at the same time, insisting that she must spend the next month living with another man as his wife in EVERY way. And as crazy as that sounds, believe it or not, for coercive reasons, I'm actually considering it! Lest you think me some kind of willing cuckold, I assure you I am NOT. It is necessary to explain how the four of us arrived at this crossroad by going back in time to lay the foundation for what I have been imploringly asked to accede.
I dated a few girls to the movies off and on throughout my school years before college/university, however, I never got very far with the girls. My parents were heavily steeped in the Church, always admonishing me to live by the golden rule. Since I was neither a jock nor a genius, it was easy to remain on the outskirts of the social scene. I did ask Charlene Ball to the prom and she agreed, most likely because neither of us was in demand as popular students were. She didn't know how to dance; neither did I but I wanted to at least try it once. She refused me and remained at the table as I fast danced with another unattached girl on the dance floor. I'm sure I looked just as stupid as I felt but I endured it simply for the experience. Of course, Charlene was ticked off at me the rest of the evening for dancing with another girl. I was unconcerned and never asked her out again.
Lydia...
I had still never been in a serious relationship as I entered college. I majored in Business Administration at UNC-Charlotte while living at home to save money. My parents weren't wealthy by any means but had scrimped and saved enough to pay for my tuition, books, and fees as I attended our local State College. The cost was barely affordable to them but they assured me that I would graduate debt-free if I completed my degree within four years. Since I had a younger brother, Cole, I had to set an example for him, so I kept my nose to the grindstone.
It was early during my junior year as I was walking to class that I observed a vision of beauty, a goddess hurrying down an adjacent sidewalk wearing a backpack book bag, as did nearly everyone. In her haste, she jogged a few steps now and again to gain distance. She appeared oblivious when a book jostled loose from her backpack and landed on the grass as she scurried on her way. Remembering the golden rule, I called out to her but she was on a mission. I ran across and picked up the book. By the time I had it in my hands, she was entering the building. I ran quickly to catch her. As I opened the door, I saw her enter a classroom down the hall and rushed to return it to her. As gorgeous as she was, there was no way I'd ever forget her face.
The class hadn't started yet but everyone was jockeying for their seats. As I approached my dream girl, I nobly held the book out to her.
"Here," I said, almost out of breath with a big smile on my face. "You dropped this out in the yard. I thought you might need it."
She gave me a stunned look of disdain, which was unexpected. "Well, now I've seen it all. You steal a book from my book bag somehow, pretend to be a good guy, and return it to me as a gallant knight? Of all the dumbass ways to hit on me. What makes you think I'd ever go out with the likes of you?" She added crassly. Everyone in the vicinity was now eagerly watching the confrontation.
I was immediately reminded of the phrase, 'No good deed goes unpunished'. My responsive anger fueled my fiery reply, "Look, Miss High and Mighty. I realize that I'm undeserving to even be in your glorified presence but quite frankly, I don't care what you think of me. This is your book. I found it on the grass outside as you were running to class. If you don't want it, I'll just throw it in the trash along with my opinion of you."
She angrily snatched the book from my hand and saw her name written inside it. Before she could offer more sarcasm, another girl who had followed me into the classroom spoke to her.
"Lydia, he's telling the truth. I saw it all. Your bag popped open as you were running, and your book flew out of it onto the ground just as he said. I saw him pick it up and run after you to give it back but you didn't respond when he called out to you. Don't be such a rude bitch. Who crawled up your ass today?"
Lydia's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She had embarrassed herself greatly. No longer expecting her appreciation, I seethed, "Forget it," as I quickly fled the room and rushed to my class. I was a few minutes late, and angry at myself for trying to help someone blatantly unappreciative of my effort to be helpful.
Two weeks later the girl I'd previously believed to be a goddess suddenly and unexpectedly sat down opposite me in the cafeteria as I was taking in an afternoon snack before my next class. I now thought of her as an evil witch.
"You're a hard man to track down, Nolan Rierson," she began. "I'd almost given up on ever finding you."
Surprised to see her again, I defensively inquired, "To what do I owe the honor of 'Her Highness' generously gracing me with her magnificent presence?"
"I guess I deserve that. I was extremely rude to you when you returned my book, and I came to apologize for my outrageous behavior," she offered demurely.
"Apology accepted. Have a nice day," I quipped as I looked back at my study notes.
Frustrated, she reiterated, "Look, may I have a minute of your time? I promise if you send me on my way afterward, I'll never bother you again."
"Fair enough," I agreed. "What else do you want to say? I accepted your apology already."
"Yes. Yes, you have, and I thank you for that. I just wanted you to know why I was so rude to you that day. That's not who I am, or the kind of person I wish to be. You see, I had just caught my boyfriend cheating on me for the third time the night before. I was unduly angry at all men right then. You were trying to be a gentleman by kindly returning my book, and I bit your head off redirecting my anger at you. I was wrong to do that, and I'd like to make amends. It would be my privilege to treat you and your girlfriend to dinner this evening at the fast food establishment of your choice; my budget is limited," she humorously injected.
After hearing her reasonable and sincere explanation, my opinion of her shifted into a more hospitable category. "I can understand that. Infidelity is a deal breaker for me as well, except I would never wait until the third transgression. I'm a 'one-and-done' kind of guy. I don't have any time for cheaters. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"Me too, thanks."
"I don't have a girlfriend at the moment but I'll let you buy me a roast beef sandwich later at Arby's if you're serious," I chuckled.
Her expression transitioned from concerned, to brightly lighting the entire room. "Of course I'm serious. I'll let you get back to studying. Meet you there at six?"
"Six, it is," I confirmed and gulped at my good fortune as she left. Every eye in the cafeteria, including mine, remained on her curvy form until she exited. It occurred to me that perhaps I had misjudged her. I was only too happy to spend whatever time she would allow me to later bask in her raving beauty. Needless to say, it was challenging to focus on my studies that afternoon.
She showed up in a short yellow sundress with red accents, very stylish. When we sat down to eat after ordering, I seemed to be the envy of every other guy in the place.
I began, "You seem to know my name. How did you find me?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. My bad. My name's Lydia, Lydia Reynolds. Jocelyn, the girl who put me in my place in front of you that day, said she'd seen you around a few times but she couldn't remember where. I desperately wanted to apologize to you. I'm a nice person once you get to know me. I do get hit on a lot and thought that's what you were doing. I'm so sorry. Anyway, after about a week, she remembered seeing you with a guy she's met before, Steve Bascom."
"Right," I rejoined. "He and I have several classes together and hang out from time to time."
"That's what he told me. Once Jocelyn recalled his name, I looked him up. I'd never forget your face but I didn't know your name. I found out he lives at home as you do, so I couldn't find him in a dorm on campus. The student directory led me to him and he told me where he thought I might find you this afternoon," she stated proudly.
"Well, in all honesty, I'm glad you went to all that trouble. It speaks well of your character to go to such lengths just to apologize for a rude remark," I responded.
Lydia turned nervous for a moment before admitting, "Thank you for saying that. You're very kind. That's all I had planned for this to be at first, a simple apology. But Steve was very talkative and he spent several minutes talking you up. To sum up the results of that conversation, I'm convinced that you're one of the very few good guys left. I've dated enough bad boys to last me a lifetime. It's about time I started looking closer at a man's heart and his character. I've overlooked that in the past and it's caused me a lot of heartaches. What I'm trying to say here, Nolan is that if you can spare the time, I'd like to go out with you so we can get to know each other better."
To call me shocked would be an understatement. The most drop-dead gorgeous woman I'd ever seen was asking me out on a date, and from appearances, not just one. I was simultaneously confused and elated. Why would this vision of beauty want to spend time dating a nobody like me?
Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I instantly replied, "Sure, I'd love to." And that was the beginning of our whirlwind romance. We soon became inseparable. She was always invited to the best parties and I accompanied her as her plus one. I received more than a few puzzled looks from others when she introduced me as her boyfriend. As did I, everyone who met us knew she was way out of my league. Yet here we were, a couple in love. My parents thought I'd won the love lottery when they first met her. Lydia was one of those rare girls who were beautiful inside and out.
