Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the foundation of so much. A good relationship cannot survive without it. It's preached in churches, classrooms, and therapy sessions.

Forgiveness

is a story that touches on that very thing. The tough part is understanding when it's sincere, unequivocal, or even relevant. The story happens within a fairly tight timeline, and I jump back and forth a little. I've tried to make the changes obvious.

There is some sex in this story, but it's not the main event, although sex is always the reason for stories like this. I hope I'm improving, but expect some mistakes in both spelling and grammar. I've been known to mix names at times, usually from another story that I'm working on, and they get lost in the edit readings... sorry.

It's just a story, folks,

Cheers,

C_T

Forgiveness

"Angie... seriously. What are we? 13?" David said out loud what all of us guys were thinking, but inevitably, the girls smiled at her idea.

The six of us have been friends for a very long time. David, Frank, and I (Kris) all went to school together, from kindergarten to high school graduation. Our paths divided some, due to career choices and post-secondary education, but the bond never stretched too far.

Two of the three girls also went to the same schools as we did. Although we never really knew each other until middle school when girls were no longer yucky. Angie and Lisa's friendship took off more so during our high school years. My wife, Beth, was the only real import into our group. We met in college, fell in love, and married shortly after graduation. You'd never know that Beth wasn't part of the long-term friendship group, as she blended in so well, the others often forgot she wasn't a party to all our old jokes and hijinks.

"I must agree with your man, Angie. How about some trivia or shit, even a drinking game." My two buddies raised their beer bottles in support.

"Oh, come on, old man. What are you so worried about? We're all friends here. Hell, I've even seen your naked butt." Lisa and Beth almost spit out their drinks simultaneously, they started laughing so hard.

It's true, Angie has seen my naked butt. Everyone already knew the story. It had been a focal point of many jokes over the years. We dated for a week or two back in grade 8. One day, she came over after school, and my sister sent her straight to my room. Well, I was changing and never even thought about shutting my door. She did a little sexy whistle as I pulled my clean boxers over the crest of my ass... thankfully I was facing the other way.

That was the extent of our young dates. Basic kissing, no sex; we were both too young and nervous. We held hands in the movie theatre once, and I got a hard-on, but alas, we were destined to be friends. With my encouragement, David asked her to the senior prom, and the rest, as they say, is history.

"Angie, you know guys and feelings. They pretend not to have any!" Lisa chirped, and while the girls giggled, the men feigned being hurt.

"Not true! I feel happy when the Cowboys win, sad when old Yeller died, and horny when you wear that cute little black number." Lisa made a sweet kissy face towards her husband, her face lighting up at his compliment.

"Anyone else need a top-up?" I asked as I headed into the kitchen to grab another beer. Both guys raised their beers, and Angie gave me a nod. By the time I got back with the beers and wine for Angie, I could hear her laying out the rules of her teenage game.

"So, it's like truth or dare, except there's no dare. We each write down 3 thought-provoking questions that require the recipient of that question to give a thoughtful and truthful answer." She raised her eyebrows. "Truthful is the key. If we just blow them off, then we lose the integrity of the game."

"What if some of the questions are the same or if you just don't know the answer?" Frank spoke up.

"If two questions are the same and we've done it, we toss it, and the person picks another. And you see, that's the beauty: We could all have a different answer to the question. There's no right or wrong. Even if you pick your own question, the goal is to stimulate some adult conversation about things we'd normally not talk about." Angie was smiling as she worked hard to win the guys over.

"Like your view of things in the Middle East?" I joked, thinking it would tick her off, but Angie nodded. I pursed my lips and finally accepted that, with or without my input, we were going to play the game.

We all had three pieces of paper to write our questions. I decided to try and take Angie's idea seriously, so I took longer than the other five, trying to come up with thought-provoking questions about things we would never talk about.

Since it was Angie's idea, she picked first, and it was a doozy. "Okay, here's my question." She opened the paper. "Do you think women are better equipped to run the country?" All three women squealed at her question. It was clear that one of them had written it.

As you'd guess, things started sarcastic and gender-biased, but as we all started to offer our input, the conversation became more focused and passionate. We didn't come to a unanimous answer, but I had to admit, everyone scored some solid points. That topic alone took us over an hour and several drinks. Okay, the game wasn't so bad.

Next up was Frank. He reached in like he was waiting for a snake to bite him, then ripped his hand out quickly, causing the girls to laugh. "Okay, let's see what we got here. If you had a million dollars but had to give it away in all one sum, who would you give it to? Keep in mind it cannot be to family or anyone you know." Everyone gave a thoughtful "hmmm".

Franks's idea was to give to one of those outfits that help the homeless in Ethiopia or whatever impoverished country. While others agreed or had similar ideas, the interesting part was, why were we not helping people in our own country? This, unlike the first topic, did invoke some friendly arguments. I finally had to intervene and remind them what the game's goal was. "Guys, guys... and girls." I was clear that I was addressing everyone. "Remember, the goal of the game was to get us talking about things, not solving the world's problems. At some point, we will have to agree to disagree... right?" That silenced the room.

"I need some more wine," Angie got up.

"Just bring the bottles in." Joked Beth. We were all going through the alcohol a little quicker than usual. After a 10-minute bathroom break and the introduction of some much-needed snacks, we all settled down and agreed to continue with the game.

"Did anyone put something lighthearted in here?" Lisa asked as she reached for the bowl. She unfolded her paper. "If you had one free hall pass, with no guilt, anger, or remorse to come your way, who would it be? It can't be anyone sitting here tonight... Beth." Lisa started laughing, as did everyone else but Beth. She glared at me, knowing it was my question.

"What? Did you think I was going to sit here and let you pick David? I know you have a black guy fantasy." David spit out his beer, and everyone laughed harder, except for Beth. I slid off my chair and kneeled at her feet. "It's just a little fun teasing, babe. Don't get all bent out of shape."

The girls encouraged her to let it go, and after a few minutes, the smile returned to her face. She looked at David. "Just for the record, it's his fantasy, not mine." The girls almost fell from their chairs, they were laughing so hard. The boys were giving me a tough time, so I put my hand up to yield to my wife, who now had a satisfied smile on her face, having gotten me back.

Unlike the first two conversations, this one rolled by quickly. There wasn't too much to debate about people's personal fantasies, but we did give Frank a hard time when he picked Glenda, the good witch from The Wizard of OZ.

After a few more rounds, it was close to midnight, and although none of us had children yet or work in the morning, we typically shut our get-togethers down about now. If they were anything like us, a night of unbridled passion was awaiting them at home.

"Okay, okay," Beth spoke up. "One more." She faced me and prompted me to pick. "You have the honor, Kris."

I stood up and walked to the bowl. Without any fanfare, I grabbed the first piece of paper I touched and opened it. I read it through, and I guess my face looked serious because Angie told me I had to read it out loud.

"Uhm... Maybe I should pick another." For some reason, I felt this one could go completely sideways.

"Boo!" Beth exclaimed and the other girls joined in. "Fair is fair, Kris." My wife of 4 years added.

I took a deep breath and read the question. "If you found out your spouse was or had cheated, would you forgive them?" A collective 'oooh' made its rounds.

I guess they expected me to take some time and struggle with my answer. In reality, there were two different types of answers possible. The careful, politically correct one that won't ruffle any feathers... or the truth. So, in the interest of playing the game by its intended rule, I tossed the paper onto the table and gave my simple answer.

"NO." I silenced the room with my quick and pointed answer. I sat down and waited for the ensuing discussion.

"No? That's it?" Angie tried to re-engage me. "There's no grey area?"

"Explain what a grey area would look like, Angie. I slipped at the pool and fell on his erect cock. Every time I tried to get up, I slipped back down, and I kept trying. Unfortunately, by the time I got off, so did he?" The guys tried not to laugh, but they couldn't hide it very well.

I looked over at Beth and expected her to have my back since we had had this discussion before we got married. One and done was our mutual feeling, but instead, she looked stunned.

"I never knew you were so insecure, Kris." Angie almost attacked me.

"Are you shitting me? What does saying no have to do with being insecure?" Frank took offense for me. The temperature in the room rose quickly. Angie was stunned by Frank's rebuttal, or more specifically, his tone.

"Frank! Don't be so rude." Lisa gave her husband shit.

"How come what I said is rude, but what she said isn't?" He glared at his wife, who had no response.

"Everyone settle down, okay? It's just a game, remember? Kris answered it honestly, so why don't we call it a night?" David was trying his best to redirect things, and I, for one, thought he handled it well... until Angie's drunken mouth opened again.

"There's a difference between love and sex, Kris! An affair is just sex. A break of sorts. You'd think so little of your wife and bail so quickly just because of sex?"

My buddies looked at me and knew shit was about to hit the fan. As far as the women knew, I was Kris, the easygoing, never say shit even if my mouth was full of it kind of guy. That was until the other guy came out. Both David and Frank have seen him, and we all agree he's not a great guy. Fortunately, he only makes an appearance when someone outright attacks me, verbally or physically. They both knew Angie invited him into her home now.

"You know who says shit like that Angie? Cheaters! It's right out of the cheater's handbook! How can you not love me enough to look past the fact that I need a strange cock or pussy! It's their insecurities that are the problem, not a good person like me. I'm a fucking saint!" Everyone froze at my outburst.

"Let's talk insecurities, shall we?" Beth grabbed for my arm, but I shook her off. "Maybe it's the insecurity that drives a person to cheat. Am I still pretty? Do others find me desirable? You seem quite confident in your opinion, Ange. Does David know you're thinking of fucking other guys just for sex?" There was a collective gasp in the room.

"How dare you!" Angie blurted. Lisa was now at her side. Frank was trying to keep his wife out of the fray while David was appealing to me to stop. As for Beth, she just sat there and took it in.

I put my beer down and locked eyes with David. My apology was in the look, and I knew he saw it, but he was trying to contain his angry, drunk wife. Without even looking at Beth, I picked up my coat and went outside, figuring she'd follow, where I called for an Uber. I was tempted to drive, feeling sober by the event that just happened, but I knew my alcohol content was going to tell a different story.

It was just shy of ten minutes before the Honda Accord pulled up. I looked back, and Beth was still inside. Subsequently, I figured she wanted to stay, so I walked to the car. As I opened the back door of the car, Beth came running from the house and climbed in beside me.

"You were seriously going to leave me?" She complained. My response was silence, like the whole ride to our house.

Beth went straight upstairs to our bedroom while I went to our kitchen. I made a roast chicken earlier for lunches next week, and it needed to cool before it could be stored in the fridge. I quartered it up (the meat cleaver got a good workout), put it in containers, and after a little clean-up, I headed upstairs knowing round two was about to start. So much for a night of sex!

I had just peeled my pants off when Beth came out of our bathroom. "Well, I hope you're happy with yourself!" She was already in her sleeping shirt.

"Nope. Not at all." I answered without any emotion.

"Did you have to go all caveman-like?" Her choice of words and tone put the tiny hairs on my neck on alert.

"Caveman? Really? And here I thought we saw eye to eye on this. I remember a very serious conversation with a girl before we got married, and that girl would have had my back. Any idea where she went, Beth?"

"We were still young and full of ideals, Kris. The world is different now, with multiple facets of grey. Black and white went out in the fifties."

I took my shirt off and threw it on the chair in the corner. I stood still, staring at a woman I had never seen before. "That so? Did we age that much in four short years? Well, let me be crystal fucking clear my dear wife. While much in the world is changing, as you say, my belief in infidelity hasn't. Not one iota! So, if you are having 'just sex' or plan to have 'just sex' you can 'just' pack a fucking bag and take your 'just sex' cheating ass out the door!"

I stormed from the room and went down the hall to our spare room, slamming the door. It was a makeshift office with only a recliner in the corner for reading but it looked like the perfect place to spend the night. I locked the door as I looked around for something that could act as a blanket. I found my winter parka in the closet and used it as I settled in.

I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. How did this happen? Fuck, I knew that question was a bad idea. Who wrote it, I wondered, and why? As my breathing slowed and my temper yielded, I began regretting that the asshole in me was invited to come out. Like I said, none of us liked him very much.

I must've finally fallen asleep because I was awoken by the sound of the doorknob rattling. Then I heard a series of soft knocks and the distinct shaky voice of my wife asking me to open the door. I guess the asshole was still around since I closed my eyes and chose to ignore it.

After a horrible 20 minutes of actual sleep, I found a pair of old joggers in the closet, put them on, and headed downstairs. The clock on the wall said 5:30. I sighed and put myself in motion by putting a pot of coffee on. After the machine beeped that it was complete, I poured myself a cup with cream and pulled up a chair at our small kitchen dinette that looked out at our backyard through the sliding patio doors.

It was still dark out, but I could make out the outline of our shed and the trees Beth asked me to plant the year we bought the place. I spent too much time already wondering what happened with Beth, wondering when she got so cavalier about cheating. Instead, I used this time to think about the blow-up last night at David and Angie's. I wasn't proud of my outburst, and I wasn't honestly accusing Angie of cheating. I was more making a statement of how ridiculous her view of cheating was. I had no proof or even an inkling that Angie or Lisa would cheat. She just pissed me off with her arrogance. No doubt there'll be some heavy conversations in their homes today as well.

I was on my second cup of coffee, and the horizon was starting to lighten up when I heard the familiar shuffle of Beth's slippers. I turned and gave her enough eye contact to acknowledge her.

"Coffee is made. It's a little old so..." My voice drifted off with the incomplete sentence.

I heard the cupboard door open, then the fridge, and finally the spoon stirring in her sugar. It took her a few minutes before she came to the table and sat across from me, although all she could see was my back; I was still looking at my yard. Usually, I'm the icebreaker after a fight. I don't believe in holding grudges and dragging things out, but last night was a different animal. So, I was comfortable with the uncomfortable silence.

"Can we talk?" Her voice was slightly louder than a whisper.

"Go ahead." My response was just as quiet.

"Look. What happened last night was just a silly misunderstanding. Angie was drunk, and you know how she gets sometimes." I huffed and took a sip of my coffee. "But you called her a cheater last night, Kris, and that wasn't called for." I decided to cut in before she took this conversation the wrong way.

"You're right. I lost my cool when she attacked me for being insecure. Not my best moment. I'll make sure I apologize when we talk to them next." That seemed to take away her thunder because she curled her legs up on the chair and focused on her coffee. "Now would you like to talk about the elephant in the room, or are we just going to pretend it doesn't exist?" I could see her reflection in the patio doors and could see she was thinking.

"I believe in fidelity too, Kris. That hasn't changed. You just freaked me out last night when you got so fired up."

"I didn't get fired up. All I said was no. Where things went from there wasn't totally on me." I took a deep breath. "You sure about your stance, Beth? I mean, you were arguing the grey areas when we got home."

I heard her lift from her chair and shuffle until she was in front of me. She pushed my arms open and straddled my lap, so we were face to face. "I was fighting Angie's fight, baby. She's my friend, and you upset her, and you embarrassed her." She put her hand on my mouth when I was about to say something. "Shhhh. I know. She started it, but I've never seen that side of you in all the time I've known you. Instead of supporting you, I tried to defend Angie, and that was wrong. We are so on the same team, baby. You know that."

I looked into her deep chestnut eyes. The eyes that could melt my heart with a single glance or stir my loins with a sexy stare. God, I loved this woman! She kissed me on the lips and hugged me tight, playing with the hair on the back of my head.

"Want to make up?" She whispered in my ear and wiggled her butt on my cock. I grabbed her full ass, squeezing those perfect globes with desire. I heard her sniff my neck, then she pulled back with her nose all scrunched up. "You need to shower first. You smell horrible." She gave me a teasing grin.

Without giving her a warning, I stood with her on my lap, and when I was clear of the table, I lifted her over my right shoulder. "Caveman want woman! Must clean for fucking!"

Beth giggled and squealed as I made it up the stairs and took her straight to the stand-up shower in our ensuite. After a brief soaping, I had her body pinned to the shower wall. My iron-hard cock pushed under her ass cheeks and found its' home. For a time, I tried to fuck her through the wall, before I pulled out and turned her around. She knew what was next and slipped her legs around my back when I picked her up and slid her back onto my cock. Now I had her back pressed against the far wall, and I made love to her until the water was ice cold and long thereafter.