This story is written in UK English, it's only self-edited and since I'm somewhat dyslexic, expect a few gaffs, spelling errors, grammar, just things I simply miss, so either read it or don't your choice. Please don't fucking moan about the errors. Nobody is paying me to write this shit so take it or leave it.
And so to the story... this poor bastard is treated really badly, he feels he has to accept it for a while... but look, if you cannot accept it, don't bother reading it, don't waste your time.
The warnings are all there in the short description and tags so if you read it and whine like "a real man" don't waste your time or mine,. you might read my shit, I won't read yours, capice?
JIM:
I had lost my job, my workplace had been bought by a bigger competitor, they hadn't bought it to develop it or to continue to make the product. They bought it with the absolute intention to close it down, to better place their own products and so in a community with very few employment options I was going to struggle for an alternative job.
Luckily, my wife Lucy, held a steady job as private secretary to the boss of the medium sized insurance agency where she worked. She earned a good salary, not huge, but enough to see us through until I could get work.
I'm Jim Kelly, and my wife is Lucy, we'd been married for 6 years, still no kids, we had put off having them in the economic situation because we knew the company I worked for was vulnerable to a takeover and if it happened it meant a very unsecure future, exactly what had happened, thank God we only had ourselves to worry about.
I was uncomfortable with my wife being the sole income provider because I really hated her boss, and he held all the power in that company. He had more than once tried to belittle me at company functions, I'd attended with Lucy. What made it worse was that she was fiercely loyal to him, thought I'd misread or misjudged his "sense of fun" when he was "just trying to include me."
I'll be honest, I feared that there may be something more personal going on between them. He, James Sheehan, was a tall elegant but well-built man in his late forties, who always seemed tanned and had that flecked grey hair at his temple's that many women seem to find attractive in a man older than themselves. Lucy was 28 so he was 20 years older, but a real physical specimen who obviously looked after himself and prided himself in his appearance.
Lucy had told me several times that she wasn't the only lady at the company that found him attractive, indeed she'd actually described him as sexy on more than one occasion. Right now, with me unemployed and him the CEO of his own insurance company, he had everything going for him and I had very little, indeed I had a sense that I may have to travel a distance to find a decent job.
The night I discovered that I'd lost my job, we sat having dinner and I said, "Lucy, I love this town but I'm afraid that I may have to move to find a good job, how would you feel about moving, could you get a job in your company in another town?"
She looked at me as if I had two heads or I had just said something too stupid to be taken seriously, "Jim, I love my job, I could possibly move but not at the same level, it would mean quite a pay cut and I don't think we can afford that. Besides, I love my job, James is great to work for, I really don't want to move, in fact, I'm pretty certain I won't do it honey."
I looked at her in shock, I thought we were partners, but she was very clearly letting me know that she was not for moving. "Lucy, so do you love that job more than you love me?" I said with a hint of anger.
She looked right back at me, not giving an inch, pushed out her jaw and replied, "I really would have thought that my husband would be capable of holding a job that didn't mean me giving up a job I love to traipse across the country in the hope you will find something suitable."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I was hearing her view and she'd heard mine, there seemed no common ground, no room for "our way", she was only interested in her view. My anger was building, and I was about to shout when she said, "I'll talk to James in the morning and see if he can find something for you with his company."
"Don't even go there, I hate you working with him, no way will I...."
"Oh for God's sake Jim, grow up, beggars can't be choosers and right now you are a beggar in job terms, you'll take it and thank him... if James offers you a job, are we clear?"
She had never spoken to me like that, I was briefly shocked then burning with anger. When did my wife turn into this superior bitch? I couldn't get my head around it and was seething so picked up my car keys and walked out. I started driving with no destination in mind, just putting space between me and my wife. I believe in equality but no wife if mine will talk to me as if I'm an errant child.
I started getting calls which I let ring out, then notifications of messages so I turned my phone off. As my anger wore off, I decided two things, first I wasn't talking to her tonight and secondly, I couldn't afford to shack up in a hotel, I was going to have to save what I had for necessities, so I settled in a small parking area near a public park and decided to sleep in the car.
Fatigue took over and I slept but at 1:30 am a knocking came to my car window and a police officer was shining a torch into the car whilst holding a hand on his gun. I woke up pretty swiftly, a weapon close to your head will do that.
He said, "Sir, you cannot park here. Why are you here, have you been drinking?"
"No officer, no drinking tonight, I've lost my job today and had a fight with my wife, I've nowhere to go this evening, I planned to sleep in my car, I don't have money for a hotel and don't want to disturb friends or family at this time of night."
"Sorry man, it sounds like a rough day, OK my friend, I'll tell you what, pull your car over behind the big tree over there -- that way I never saw you when I drove past, OK? Have a better day tomorrow and sorry for your troubles, but don't be here tomorrow night, go home and talk it out with her." And with that he got back behind the wheel and drove away.
Morning light came at about 6:30 and roused me, I had slept but barely, I needed a bed.
I found a diner and ordered coffee and toast and took my time over it. I accepted refills until around 8:30 I decided I could go home, Lucy would have left for work, I was going to avoid her, get some sleep and be ready to have the coming confrontation that evening when she came home.
Of course, I miscalculated, she had been worried about my disappearance, had called her boss and got the morning off and was in the house when I got home. Her car was in the garage, and I'd parked in the driveway so didn't realise she was at home so when I walked in, I was not prepared for what greeted me.
"How fucking dare you do that to me you thoughtless bastard, I've been so worried about you all night, I thought you might be dead. I called the hospitals within 50 miles, I called the police, I called your mother and father and some friends I thought you may have gone to see, so it's not just me, everyone is concerned where my lunatic husband skulked off to. You have a lot of making up to do Mister and you can start by moving your things into the spare bedroom, I will not be treated that way. Do you understand?"
"I'll tell you what I understand Lucy, since I lost my job yesterday, you are speaking to me as if I'm worthless, that you will call all the shots. I won't live like that, I'm warning up, stop pushing me." I growled at her.
"Really Jim? What are you going to do? Don't you get it? You left me to worry about you all night, I'm your wife for God's sake, no matter what you think I care about you, and you callously left me to worry, ignored my calls and texts and now your huffing because I'm annoyed? Well fuck you Mister, two can play at the silent treatment, I don't want you in my bed until things are sorted out."
And so started the cold war, neither of us spoke to the other for three days. On day four Lucy came home with take away just for herself. Just before bedtime she looked at me and said, "You have an interview for a job with James tomorrow at 10:30, don't even think of not going or we are finished."
With that she stomped off to bed, not waiting for any discussion, ultimatum given. I wondered what I should do. It was true I didn't like being treated as she'd been treating me since I'd lost my job, I seemed to have lost importance to her by becoming unemployed even if I'd only lost my job because the company had been bought over and closed down. It was nothing that I had done.
My other issue is that I hated Lucy's boss James and he was to interview me. He made fun of me at their company events previously and what had irritated me most was that Lucy had laughed right along with him. That had stung and had made me wonder if there was more than a working relationship between them, though that may have been in my head. I had no proof of anything, just suspicion and a strong dislike for him and stronger dislike that she could see no wrong in him and seemed to find him belittling me funny.
I decided only at breakfast that I would go to the interview, no matter the rocky spell with Lucy, I didn't want to lose her, so I would bite the bullet and go see James. I did need a job, but I hated the idea of working under him, so I just dressed casually and didn't bother shaving.
JIM, LUCY AND JAMES
At 10:27 I walked into the part of the office where Lucy worked, just outside James's office. She wasn't at her desk, but I heard her laughing inside his office. What heard next made my blood run cold, I heard James say to her, "Is the little jobless cuckold here yet, Lucy?" and again I heard her laugh and reply, "Let me check James."
Lucy emerged from the office and did a double take when she saw me. "For fuck sake Jim, you are dressed for the bar, not an interview, you haven't shaved, what the fuck are you thinking, what is in that head of yours?"
"I'll tell you Lucy, what is in my head is murder, you and your lover, I want..."
Lucy glared at me and said, "I don't have a lover Jim, what the fuck, makes you disrespect me like that?"
"Disrespect? Lucy, you don't know the meaning of the word, I just heard that bastard say, "Is the little jobless cuckold here yet, Lucy?" he is your lover you cheating bitch, I'm going to see..."
"Jesus H Christ, Jim how many times do I have to tell you, it's his sense of humour, I have never done anything with another man since we..."
"Yeah, I'm supposed to believe that, you, must both get quite a laugh disrespecting me, well see how you like a divorce, I'm ..."
