Decisions 24

DECISIONS......

Ben and Julia Hansen had been married for 18 years. He is now 39 and she is 38. Their twin daughters, Kelly and Nicola, are now 16.

The past few months in the family household have been tough. This was basically because Julia had been difficult to live with. Moody, distant, pre-occupied, not at all like her previous loving self.

Ben had been worried about her. He'd talked to her about her moods and asked her what was wrong. "What can I do to help?" He'd asked. But she'd just shrugged him off saying that she didn't know what he was talking about.

Kelly and Nicola had been concerned as well, but they couldn't get through to their mother either.

It was Saturday, 5

th

January and Ben and Julia were going to Julia's firm's New Year Ball. Ben hoped that the party would bring Julia out of her black mood and cheer her up. The couple were booked into the hotel where the party was being held for the night, and had brought a change of clothes with them for the following morning. Julia seemed to have brought quite a lot as she had a suitcase with her. When Ben remarked on it, she said that she couldn't decide what she'd wear the following day so she'd just thrown a lot of things in a case and would decide what to wear in the morning.

Julia seemed to be a lot more relaxed than recently as the party got underway. She danced with Ben a few times and was laughing and chatting with some of the other people from the firm. She was much more like her old self, and Ben was pleased to see it.

A couple of hours into the evening Ben had gone to the bar for fresh drinks, but when he returned to the table they were sitting at, Julia wasn't there. "Where's Julia?" he asked the others at the table.

One of the other women replied, "Oh, Brad Thomson asked her to dance just after you went for drinks, and she hasn't come back yet."

"Oh, okay," said Ben sitting down to wait for her to come back.

Half an hour later Julia still hadn't returned, so Ben started to look for her. There were not many people on the dance floor now and he could see that Julia wasn't amongst them. He walked round the room looking for her and checked the bar area, but there was no sign of her.

Returning to the table he asked if she had come back, and the other guests said that she hadn't. "Which one is Brad Thomson," he asked, "I'd better check that she was alright when he left her."

One of the women at the table said, "Actually, he seems to be missing as well."

Before Ben could say anything more, a member of the hotel staff approached him and said, "Are you Mr. Ben Hansen?"

"Yes, I am," he replied. The man held out an envelope and said, "A lady asked me to give this to you before she left, she said I was to give it to you after 10.30 pm."

Ben looked at the envelope, it was just addressed 'Ben Hansen'. He thanked the man and opened the envelope, the enclosed letter was just headed 'Ben'. His blood ran cold, even before he started to read, he knew the letter was bad news.

The letter:-

'Ben,

No doubt this will come as a shock to you, but there is no easy way to tell you. As you're well aware I've been in a bad place for the last few months, and you and the girls have been on the receiving end of my moods.

I love you all, but the problem is that I've also fallen in love with someone else. Brad is a lovely man and he's also in love with me. He wants me to go and live with him and eventually marry him, but I don't know yet if that's what I want.

You will have guessed by now that I've already been having sex with Brad during the last few months. It was good sex and I've enjoyed it with him as much, or maybe even more than I enjoy it with you. But, of course, good sex is not the only important thing in a relationship. It's important that the two people involved can share their space amicably and it's difficult to judge that on a few hours in bed, especially if those hours are filled with passion.

I've been putting off making a decision about whether to ask you to divorce me, so I can go to live with Brad, or to end my affair with him and devote myself to you again. I can't carry on splitting myself between two lovers. It's causing me emotional problems, as you and the girls have seen in recent months.

I have to decide which of you I am going to spend the rest of my life with. I've tried hard to just think it through and arrive at a decision, but that hasn't worked. I've discussed it with Brad and between us we've made a plan to see where my future lies.

Tonight, I've left you for a month. By the time you read this letter I'll be on my way to Spain with Brad. We'll stay at his holiday home for two weeks, and I'll be with him constantly. As living in holiday conditions is not the same as the reality of everyday life, we'll return to the UK in two weeks' time, then I'll live with Brad in his London apartment for a further two weeks. At the end of the whole four-week period I hope to be able to make the decision about which one of you I will live with permanently.

The girls are sixteen years old now, and they can legally decide for themselves who they want to live with. If I decide to continue living with Brad, I hope they decide to stay with you, so you won't lose close contact with all of your family at once. They might also find it a little difficult living in Brad's apartment as they'd have to share a room, and it's not really the sort of place young people would enjoy. But if they do decide they want to stay with me, you'll still be able to see them anytime you want, and you can have them stay with you whenever they want to, or when Brad and I are out of the country.

If, at the end of the four-week trial period, I decide that I want to continue living with you instead of Brad, I'll come back to our home, I won't see him again and we can pick up where we left off.

Please don't phone me during the next four weeks, I won't pick up your calls. If there's an emergency with one of the girls you can text me and I'll call, but otherwise I want to have no contacts so that I can devote myself to being with Brad.

If my decision is to remain with Brad at the end of the trial period, we can instruct lawyers to proceed with our divorce and I'm certain that we can come to an amicable split.

Please, don't think too harshly of me.'

It was signed, 'Love, Julia.'

Ben immediately tried to phone Julia, but his call went straight to voicemail.

He sent her a text saying:-

'Don't do this, Julia. As well as extreme anger and bitterness, I still feel love for you at the moment. If you come straight back to me and the girls there might, just might, be a chance of saving our marriage, despite your admitted infidelity. If you do go to Spain with your fuckbuddy don't bother to come back, I don't want a raving slut for a wife whatever decision you arrive at. I'll give you 48 hours to get back to us or it's over. Ben.'

Ben left the function and went up to his hotel room, the one he should have been sharing with his wife. He found that she'd taken her belongings with her when she'd left, no wonder she'd brought a suitcase, she and her lover had this all planned for some time. He'd been too blind to see that there was something underhand associated with her bad moods at home. He'd been too blind and trusting to suspect that her evenings working late, and the frequent shopping trips to London, were just covers for her time spent fucking with her boyfriend.

My God, he thought. She has to be absolutely deluded if she thinks that she could come back after a trial 'marriage' with another man. The knowledge that she had already fucked him for months, made him feel sick in his stomach. How had he not noticed? Probably because he'd hardly had sex with her for weeks, she always had an excuse when he wanted her. The one she never gave was that she was saving it for Brad.

He packed his things and left for home; the girls were staying with Julia's parents tonight but how was he going to explain things to them in the morning? Did Jean, Julia's mother, know about the affair? She must have noticed Julia's moods herself. Ben didn't think Jean would let her do this to him and the girls without trying to dissuade her or without tipping him off, surely there was no way she'd condone her daughter's behaviour. Ben was damned sure that her dad wouldn't, if he knew she was cheating on her husband and daughters he'd have kicked her out of his house.

After a virtually sleepless night alone in the house, Ben went to pick up his daughters. When Julia's mum opened the door to him, she looked out and said, "Where's Julia, was she tired after her night out?"

"Probably," said Ben, certain now that she knew nothing about Julia's capers.

"What do you mean, probably?" asked Jean. "Didn't you go to the party with her?"

"Oh, I went to the party with her alright," he replied, "Only she didn't come home with me, and she didn't stay at the hotel. She's swanned off to Spain with her new lover."

"New lover," said a shocked Jean, "What are you talking about, Ben. What's she up to."

Ben took Julia's letter out of his pocket and gave it to Jean. "It's all explained in there," he said, "When you've read it, you'll know as much as I do. Which isn't a lot."

Still standing in the hallway, Jean face tightened up as she read Julia's letter. "Why the stupid bitch," she said, "Has she lost her mind? Dear God, Ben, who is this man who's enticed her away, had you any idea this was going on?"

"I had no idea what she was doing until that letter was given to me by a hotel employee last night," he replied, "She went missing while I was at the bar getting drinks. I was looking for her when one of the hotel staff told me that he'd been asked to give me an envelope, that letter was inside it."

Wondering what was going on Julia's dad, Arthur, had come into the hall. "What's going on?" he asked, "Where's Julia?"

Jean gave Julia's letter to Arthur. As he read it, his face grew red with anger, "Oh, my God," he sighed, "What has she done, why?"

Turning to Ben, "I assume you knew nothing about this, Ben. I suppose she fancied a romp and it's got out of control, stupid bitch. Did you try to phone her and tell her to get her arse back home?"

"Of course, I tried to phone her, she doesn't answer, and the call goes to voicemail. I sent her a text telling her to come home right away and we could talk it out. She hasn't replied. I gave her 48 hours to come back and talk or not to bother coming back at all."

"If she does come back," said Arthur, "Would you take her back after what she's done, and after she's had sex with this other man, or will you kick her to the curb? I would."

"I don't know," said Ben, "I have the girls to consider as well, they need their mother more than ever at this time in their lives. I'd have to think about them, about their needs, but it wouldn't be easy. If she doesn't come back within 48 hours, I don't think I'd want her back for any reason."

Just then the two girls came in from the garden, "High dad," said Kelly, "Where's mum."

They all looked at Ben. "She had something else to do," he said, "She should be back in a couple of days."

"A couple of days," said Nicola, "She didn't say she had anything to do. Why a couple of days. Where is she, where's she gone?"

"I don't know where she is," said Ben, "She's just gone away for a bit. She should be back in a day or two."

"What are you not telling us dad?" said Kelly, "Come on, what are you not telling us? We're not children you know, is this something to do with her bad moods?"

"You're right," said Ben, "You're no longer children." He took the letter back from his father-in-law and handed it to his daughters. "You'd better read this, then you'll know as much as I do."

They all wandered into the living room while the two girls read their mother's letter together, when they finished it, they were angry.

"She's a no-good bitch," hissed Kelly angrily.

"No," said Nicola, equally angry, "She's a slut. I never want to see her again." Then she burst into tears.

"So that's why she's been such a cow these last weeks," said Kelly, "There's no way you're going to let her come back after something like that, is there dad?"

"That's no way to talk about your mother girls," said Ben, "You mustn't stoop to her level. As it stands at the moment, she won't answer my calls. I've sent her a text giving her 48 hours to come back home, so we can talk. In the hope that something can be sorted out. But I've told her that if she doesn't come back in that time, we are finished."

"I should bloody well think so," said Nicola, "Who the hell does she think she is telling you that she'll decide who she's going to live with. She seems to think she'll be doing you, and us, a favour if she decides to come home. She's broken her marriage vows and destroyed our family for a bit of new cock, the fucking cow."

Arthur and Jean gasped at the outburst by their sixteen years old granddaughter.

Ben replied, sharply. "Please girls, don't resort to language like that, that's not the sort of people you are. I know you're very angry, so am I, but we're not going to lower ourselves to the same level as you mother has. Now please apologise to Grandma and Grandad, they're going to need our support. Your mother is their daughter and they're as shaken at what she's done, what she's become, as we are. We all need to stick together and support each other now, whatever happens."

"I'm sorry dad, grandma, grandad." said Kelly, "We shouldn't say things like that."

"I'm sorry too," said Nicola, "But I'm so angry, I couldn't help it."

"We're all sorry, love," said Ben, "But whatever happens and whatever your mother does, we mustn't let it change who we are."

Ben hoped that Julia would return within the 48 hour grace period that he'd given her. He persuaded Jean and Arthur not to tell her siblings about what she was doing until the deadline had passed, he would also put off telling his own parents until she came home or failed to respond to his ultimatum.

Ben and his daughters returned home on Sunday evening. Ben half expected Julia to be there, and as they'd got closer to home, he'd wondered what he would say to her if she was there. He needn't have worried though, the house was quiet and empty, Julia hadn't been there, she was obviously busy in the Spanish idyll giving all her attention and her body to her new man. 'Fuck her', he thought, 'They are both going to pay for the hurt he and the girls were suffering.'

Towards the end of the second day, Ben's deadline had almost passed, and it was obvious that Julia wouldn't be coming back. Both Ben and the girls had called Julia's mobile, but the calls went straight to voicemail each time. When the 48 hours had finally elapsed Ben told her parents the bad news, he then had to explain what had happened, to his own mother, father and brother. They were all shocked and sad about the situation and pledged to support Ben and his daughters as much as they could.

Ben busied himself gathering Julia's belongings together and putting them into the garage, ready for her to collect in due course.

He spoke to her father and told him that her failure to respond to his ultimatum meant that it was over between them, and he saw no alternative to divorce. He'd consult a solicitor as soon as he could get an appointment. "I gave her 48 hours in my text, which I know she's picked up," he said. "But she hasn't responded. I would have tried to salvage our marriage if she'd come home, but she obviously isn't interested. I don't see any point in prolonging the agony any longer, so I'll go ahead and start the proceedings. I'll be able to use her letter as proof of her adultery, so I don't expect it to take long."

"Who is this new man anyway," Arthur asked.

"I don't know anything more than I've already told you," Ben replied, "I've no idea who he is, but I presume that he works for the same company. I'll find out though and he'll learn that there's no future in stealing another man's wife. If he did meet her at work, I'll see if I can take some action against the company for not having procedures to prevent such liaisons developing. I'll see what action might be possible against him on a personal level, and I look forward to meeting him sometime in the future on some dark night."

"Be careful, Ben," Arthur said, "Don't do anything physical yet. You would be the immediate suspect and you mustn't do anything that could take you away from the girls, they're going to need you, they'll need us all. Remember 'revenge is best served cold', there'll be plenty of time to sort him out later."

Ben agreed. "Don't worry Arthur," he said, "I won't do anything silly or precipitate. You're right about revenge, I'll want to be sure that whatever I do it causes the maximum damage and with the minimum chance of comeback. If I put myself in danger of arrest and prison the girls would have a tough time, I know you and Jean would do the best you could for them but I'm sure Julia would try to get involved, which I've no doubt would cause problems for them. No, the first thing I'm going to concentrate on is getting shot of her cheating arse. Sorry, to refer to your daughter like that Arthur but I'm pretty angry as you can imagine."

"We've got every sympathy for you Ben, don't worry about our feelings we're totally with you on this." replied Arthur, "She'll get no support from us, we're ashamed of her."

"Don't be," said Ben, "Her actions are no reflection on you, or the way you brought her up. This is all about her and her boyfriend. I'll keep you updated as things happen. 'Bye for now."

'Of course, Arthur's right', thought Ben. 'No one should have to suffer from Julia's actions except her and the arsehole she is shacked up with, and suffer they will, I'll make sure of that."

Ben called his boss on Monday morning and told him he had a family crisis. He asked for a week off to deal with it. His boss agreed and told him that if it needed more time to sort things out, he should call and arrange it.

Ben's next call had been to Julia's workplace. When Ben got through to the receptionist, he started by introducing himself. "Hi, I'm Ben Hansen, Julia's husband."

The receptionist, Hazel, replied, "Oh, hallo Mr. Hansen, aren't you supposed to be on holiday, Julia told us she was going to Spain for two weeks."

"No, I wasn't invited to the holiday," said Ben, "Tell me, what does Brad Thomson do in your offices?"

There had been an uncomfortable delay in Hazel's reply, "Uh, well he's a senior manager, the Head of Procurement."

"Yes, that figures," said Ben, "Does Julia work with him?"

"Erm, Yes, he's her line manager." Replied Hazel.

"Do they share an office?" he asked.

"No, but they do have offices on the same floor," she said.

"Something is going on between Julia and Thomson, isn't there?" said Ben, "Look, I know she's with him now, so you won't be giving anything away if you tell me what you know. If it's difficult for you to tell me on the phone, perhaps we could meet when you break for lunch. You could tell me what I want to know then. I promise not to get you involved or let anyone know what you tell me."

After a few seconds thought, Hazel said, "Ok, I'll tell you what I know, which isn't a lot really. I'm Hazel by the way, I'll meet you outside the building at 12.30, I'll be wearing a red coat."

"Thanks, Hazel." Said Ben, "See you at 12.30."

Ben was waiting outside the offices when Hazel came out wearing a red jacket over a smart tightly fitted grey skirt. She was a perky, pretty, young woman that Ben guessed was in her late twenties. Going up to her Ben offered his hand, which she shook with a surprisingly strong grip. "Hello Hazel," Ben said, "Is there somewhere we can go to talk. Can I buy you lunch, or something?"