This is a re-post of a 2009 story that had been re-edited.
There is no sex in this story.
***
It was Saturday and I was not looking forward to another afternoon of humiliation. My wife, Cathy, and I were spending the afternoon in the condo common area with three other couples drinking beer and eating off the grills. The beer was pretty constant but the food choices changed with whoever had a turn that week. We had been doing these gatherings for about four months. They started fine, but, lately, I have been noticing that the wives seem to be having more fun than the guys and it was different. The other three husbands did not seem to notice anything and at first, I thought I might be paranoid until I looked into it a little further.
Most of the conversations were between men or between women. The men talked about sports, work, and politics. The women talked about other stuff. As the afternoon wore on, the conversations all seemed to blend and usually ended up with all eight of us chatting. It was about this time, that the subtle cuckoldry started to show up. It was never anything in your face, but always sort of sly and cutesy, and it was usually followed by snickering and giggles on the girl's side of the table. I started to pay attention the over last few weeks.
We all moved into the condo at about the same time. Gary was a welder and was married to Amy, who was a fitness buff. Amy was a small brunette and had a great body. She loved to work out and keep fit. Gary was large, burly, and a little slow on the uptake. They did not appear to go together at all, but I assumed it was love.
Raymond was a cop who was on permanent desk duty due to an injury. He didn't mind being off the streets. He was married to Julie, who was the only one of the girls who worked. Julie was blonde and bubbly. She worked in the claims office of a local insurance company.
Cecil was a mail-sorter at the local main post office. He was a quiet, laid-back type of guy and his wife was the same. Marcie had shoulder-length, mousy, brown hair and a reserved. The only time she showed any personality at all, was when the girls were being giggly. She wasn't ugly and she had a nice body, she was just sort of invisible.
I am John. I am a lawyer, but only do pro bono work. The office I work out of is funded by several grants, so even though I do my work for free, I get a decent salary. I met my wife Cathy in college. She is cute and perky, with short blond hair. Up until a few weeks ago, I assumed everything was perfect between us. Now I know different.
As if on schedule, the girls started their little game. They started teasing Raymond because Julie was spending so much time at the supermarket. They made a few off-color references to having sex with vegetables and ended up telling him to be careful that she doesn't get too friendly with the butcher. Everybody had a good laugh at Raymond's expense including his wife.
Cecil was next on the chopping block. The girls thought it was great fun to talk about Marcie working overtime, with her handsome Italian boss, and even made some references to long lunch hours. Cecil didn't seem to think it was funny, but Gary and Raymond got a good laugh out of it. Marcie just smiled and rolled her eyes coyly.
Gary got attacked worse than the other two. The three girls went on and on about what a good work-out Amy was getting every day down at the gym, and how envious they were. Gary tried to laugh it away but you could tell he was hurting a little. Amy smiled and rubbed his balding head as if to let him know everything was OK.
I knew I was next, but I also knew I was not going to stay around for it.
Two weeks earlier, I had decided to check things out a little more. Some days I would catch a ride to work with Gary, so this allowed me to try something. After the guys left for work, the girls would gather at Amy's for morning coffee and chitchat. Marcie wasn't there because she had to work. When I left for work, I went to meet Gary at his place. It was no trouble at all to put a voice-activated recorder on top of the buffet in the kitchen. I was going to put it on the refrigerator but was afraid the vibration would be recorded. After work, I went with Gary to his place and retrieved it.
The first two days I got nothing but chit-chat, but I was determined, so I kept it up. The third day was the eye-opener.
The first thirty minutes of the tape was standard talk about everyday, boring stuff. I wanted to fast-forward through it, but I was afraid I would miss something. Finally, Amy broke the ice.
"We have to wrap this up soon girls. I can't keep Thom-Thom waiting for too long."
"Oh boy, am I jealous." Cathy chimed in. "I never get to play with anyone like pony-boy."
He's not that big. Just bigger than normal, or anything else I've seen."
There were a lot of giggles around the table.
I could make out Julie next, "-Just how big is big, Amy? Is it eight, nine, ten, or bigger?"
"I never measured it, you idiots, but I would guess about ten."
Cathy had to ask next. "Doesn't it hurt?"
"Only when he puts it in my back door. I can only do that about once a week."
That brought the table to a good laugh.
"Today is Marcie's motel afternoon, too. Boy, I feel neglected. I don't think I can wait until tomorrow to go to the mall." Cathy faked a little sob.
"I can't believe Marcie got a tattoo on her butt with his name on it," Julie said.
"You have to look close to see the name. It sort of blends in with the design on the butterfly wing. How did she explain it to Cecil?"
"She said she got it for him," replied Cathy. That was followed by another round of snickers. "So Julie and I are going to be celibate today, but we will make up for it tomorrow. Where are you going to go, Julie?"
"Jerry is off tomorrow, so we will just go to his apartment. It's nice that he lives alone."
"Go, girls. Get out of here. I have to get down to the gym before Thom-Thom runs out of steam." You could tell Amy was anxious.
That was about it for the tape, but after playing it several times, I was able to piece a lot of things together. I called in sick the next day. Luckily, I didn't have any court appearances.
That night, I checked the computer and found no secret e-mails or anything. I also checked the calls in and out of her cell phone and there was nothing. I checked the last two months' cell phone records and saw nothing to indicate that she was cheating. I left for work as usual but pulled over down the street from the condo to wait for her. It was a long wait, but just before noon, she left the house for the mall.
I had a pretty good idea where she was going, so I didn't have to follow her too closely. She parked near the center access to the mall. As she walked toward the entrance she was fumbling around inside her purse. She pulled out a small red, flip-phone and made a call. Her normal cell phone is silver and this was the first time I saw the red one. She stopped at the entrance, turned, and looked across the parking lot,- not too well, apparently, because she didn't see me. After going down the long entrance corridor, she made a right turn down the main part of the mall. She stopped several times and looked back but, still didn't see me. I watched her enter Sears and go towards the service area in the rear. She stopped the last time, looked around, and went out to the pick-up and loading area. By the time I got there, I just caught a glimpse of a blue Ford Explorer leaving. She was in it.
I was pretty sure she would be gone for a while, so I stopped at the food court, and had some lunch. After picking up a couple of magazines, I drove around to the back of Sears and parked so I could watch people coming in and out of the pick-up area. My car was pretty common looking, so I didn't have to worry about being noticed. About two hours later, the blue SUV drove into the pick-up lane, and Cathy got out. She made a few remarks, smiled, and went into Sears. I had no trouble getting the license number. I went down to work and ran the plate. The blue Explorer belonged to Bobby Gerhard, the salesman who sold us Cathy's Focus six months ago. I went home at my normal time, and Cathy had supper ready, as usual. That night she was feeling a little frisky, but I claimed I had a headache.
I had to go to work the next day and do some catching up. I didn't think she would be seeing Bobby two days in a row. However, the day after, I left work for an early lunch and drove to the parking lot at the rear of Sears. Right on schedule, Bobby pulled up and my wife jumped into the SUV. I followed them to the Rainbow Motel. He didn't have to go into the office, because he already had a key. They both walked into room 114 like they had done it a hundred times before. I found myself crying as I drove back to work. As Cathy was getting ready for bed that night, I found the red cell phone in the lining of her purse. It was a pre-paid cell with one pre-set number labeled BG.
It was time to come back to reality. I was the only one of the men left, who hadn't been humiliated. Of course, I was the only one who had any idea that the humiliation truly was going on in reality. I could tell that Amy was getting ready to say something smart and I held up my hand.
"Sorry girls, but it is time for John to go home. I am sure you will be able to belittle these half-drunk idiots for a while longer, but I do not intend to participate today. I bid you all good night. I'll see you when you get home, Cathy."
There was a little uprising among the troops. I don't know who was doing the most talking, the girls or the guys. Universally, they were looking for some kind of explanation, which I had not given.
"What do you mean, John? We are not belittling anyone here. What kind of bullshit are you making up? This is all good fun." My wife said that to me with a straight face.
"Not true, sweetie. You and the other girls have been making fun of us every week. It gets meaner and meaner each time we get together. It is bad enough you are all cheating on your husbands, but it stinks when you choose to rub it in our faces."
At that point, the group got silent. The guys looked stunned and the girls appeared to be somewhere between pissed and apprehensive.
"John, we are all having a good time. This is why we get together. If you have something on your mind, just say it. It sounds like you are mad at the world and taking it out on us." Cathy was trying to bring some calm to the gathering, but I felt she was adding to the humiliation.
"I can't speak for the other guys here, but if you want me to dump all our dirty laundry on the table, I will, but you have to be ready for the consequences."
"What consequences and what dirty laundry are you talking about? You are so full of shit John Terrell. Go ahead and tell everybody your fantasies so we can have a good laugh." Cathy had a confident smirk on her face as she laid down the dare.
"Gary, Raymond, and Cecil, I apologize ahead of time for anything I say that causes strife in your families. I won't speak of any of your problems, but I will expose mine. You can confront your wives when you are ready, but I assure you they are just as guilty as Cathy."
The whole table sat quietly waiting. The guys looked awe-stricken and the girls seemed a little nervous but still arrogant.
