History 238

I've heard it said that there's nothing new under the sun. This is my take on the 'Indecent Proposal' theme. Not much sex to speak of here. This is about as brief of a tale as you're likely to see from me.

Chapter-1

Dwight Underwood, Steve Bridges, Greg Abbott, and Frank Nelson were the Four Musketeers. They graduated high school together and to save money, they all lived at home and attended UNC-Charlotte together, the same city they all hailed from. Steve, Greg, and Frank were enrolled in the same Business Administration program but unconventional Dwight had been bitten by a different bug. He majored in history. He had always been drawn to and fascinated by events of the past.

The four 'bros' always had each other's backs. If you messed with one of them, you messed with them all. They always laughed and picked at each other and were seldom apart. They group dated quite a lot together but neither of them was serious about any one girl. That is until their junior year. They had been invited to a fraternity party that was hosting a mixer for their sister sorority. It was there that Dwight saw a young shy beautiful wallflower who captured his attention. His cohorts had spotted her also, but Dwight was the first one to claim her. They never fought over girls, since there were plenty of fish in the sea. She had long sandy brown hair that went all the way to the small of her back. Dwight had a thing about long hair, hell, many guys do. So he decided to mosey on over her direction to introduce himself.

"Hi, I'm Dwight. I hope you don't mind my saying this, but you're very pretty. I almost didn't come to this mixer tonight, but now I'm glad I did. How are you?" Dwight almost kicked himself for his cornball conservative greeting but was relieved when she smiled and answered.

"Hello, Dwight. I'm fine, thank you. I'm Patricia by the way, Patricia Koontz. I'm a freshman so this is all new to me. What's your major?" She inquired.

"Me? History. I realize it's not the most popular degree in the world but I've always been attracted to the past, especially the ancient past. I'm a junior so that means I've got a couple of years on you. You?"

"Either philosophy or anthropology. I'm not sure which one right now, at least not until I get my feet wet. Perhaps we'll have something in common with some of the great philosophers of history."

"How interesting. Yes, we will have a lot of intersecting characters in common to talk about. I see your hands are empty, can I get you a drink?"

"I'm not 21 yet, so just a coke for me if you don't mind." She replied.

"I just turned 21 myself, so I'll just stick with coke right along with you. I'll be right back Patricia. Now, don't you go anywhere." He said with a big grin on his face.

Patricia returned his smile, "I'll be right here when you get back, promise."

When Dwight returned with the cokes, he saw her talking congenially with another guy. It was one of his close friends, Frank Nelson. As he handed Patricia her coke, he asked, "Hey Frank, what's up?" And gave him the eyes to clear out.

"Oh, don't mind me" Frank stated," I was just holding your place for you until you returned ol' buddy. I got your back." And he quickly excused himself and wandered off.

Patricia and Dwight hit it off. Their common interest in people of ancient history gave them a springboard into a burgeoning relationship. Patricia lived on campus with her fraternity. She envied the close relationship that Dwight touted having with his parents, Earl and Harriet. She wanted her freedom from her parents and that was the reason for her living on campus.

They hung out together as much as possible and appeared to be joined at the hip. Steve, Greg, and Frank still dated from the bounty of available women but the group dates were a given when they could work out their schedules. On campus, the three of them kept an eye on Patricia for Dwight when he was taking his different classes. If they ever saw another guy trying to put the move on Patricia, they made sure they knew she was taken and she was glad that she didn't have to fight off any predators. Dwight took her to his home for Thanksgiving and Christmas and his parents Earl and Harriet loved her as much as she loved them.

Dwight graduated with his bachelor's degree in history at the end of Patricia's sophomore year. But he wasn't through with his education. His professors encouraged him to pursue advanced degrees and he agreed with them, partly so he could continue college there for two more years towards his master's degree while Patricia was honing her focus on a degree in philosophy. She had taken him to her home there in Charlotte as well, numerous times and her parents were very impressed with Dwight's directness and dedication to his passion for history. They would sit for hours listening to him regale stories from the past that they'd never heard, and he fleshed out details unfamiliar to them on the stories that they had heard before. Patricia was very proud of her man.

Steve, Greg, and Frank had graduated with their business degrees and had put them to good use. They all found lucrative positions. Steve and Greg worked together for the same firm and Frank landed a cushy job at a different company. The three of them by that time were in serious relationships and over the span of eighteen months, had married. In each case, Dwight was the best man at all three of their weddings. And of course, the other two served as groomsmen. They urged Dwight to get out there in the world and get a job somewhere, even offering to set him up where they worked. But he still clung to his passion for history and couldn't see himself doing anything else.

Needless to say, Patricia may have been a wallflower when they first met, but she was a steamy sex kitten in the bedroom. The girl was completely uninhibited when it came to Dwight. She never initiated new things in the bedroom, but she never refused to try anything Dwight would suggest and she had a very healthy appetite for sex. She never allowed Dwight to leave her bed until she had completely drained his balls. They knew that they belonged together forever and shortly before graduation, Dwight popped the question and Patricia nearly strangled his neck hugging him and shouting YES!

Dwight had really applied himself during his pursuit of the master's degree. To him, the subject matter came as naturally as breathing. He graduated with honors and his professors had urged him to apply for several scholarships, which he happily obliged. Patricia received her bachelor's degree in philosophy and quickly landed a job as a social worker. She had a passion for helping others. She and Dwight moved into a small apartment together there in Charlotte as they planned their future. Her mother said they'd need a year to plan the perfect wedding, so they set a wedding date for a year after his proposal. The four Musketeers still often met and went out together, the three with their respective wives and Dwight with his beautiful fiancée.

"Honey, you aren't gonna believe this!"

"What babe?" Patricia asked of her betrothed.

"The scholarship, the Truman Scholarship; this letter says I won it! Can you believe it? I can transfer my credits to Duke University and in two years I should have my Ph.D. in history. I can become a professor and teach anywhere in the state. I just have to work for one of the state universities for four years after I graduate and the terms of the scholarship will be fulfilled!"

"Oh, that's wonderful news, Dwight. It's your dream come true. I'm so happy for you. If anyone deserves this, you do" she proudly boasted. But why Duke?"

"Well, for one thing, Duke is where I would have gone all this time if my parents could have afforded it. Nothing against Charlotte, it's a great university, but my dream has always been to graduate from Duke. They have an awesome Ph.D. graduate program and it would round out my education perfectly. It says here that all of my academic, dorm, and cafeteria expenses for both years would be completely covered by the scholarship, a free ride basically."

"But we already live here in Charlotte. I just started my new job and I love it. I'd hate to uproot and move to Durham."

"Oh, but you wouldn't have to, honey. Durham is only about 140 miles from here (225 km). That's just a two and a quarter hour drive. I'll stay there during the week and come home every weekend. And I'll drive home on any special weekdays as well, like your birthday or anything like that. Once I get my Ph.D., I can become a full professor, not an adjunct. That's my dream job baby and it's so close I can almost taste it! Will you support me in this?"

"Of course I will sweetheart. But what about the rent and bills here? It would be very tight living here on just my salary alone."

"That's the beauty of this baby. I'll work whatever jobs I can get over the summer here and sock away every penny. While I'm at Duke, I'll become a TA or research assistant during any spare time, anything that pays money, plus I could work an evening shift at a grocery store there or anything like that. I'll bring every cent home to you for us babe. When I get my Ph.D., I'll apply for a professorship back here in Charlotte teaching what I love and the starting pay is much better than what our three amigos make with their business degrees!"

Sensing his enthusiasm, and seeing the logic of his plan, Patricia could see the long-term benefit of dealing with this temporary inconvenience. "I'm with you Dwight, all the way. But you better come home every weekend like you say because I'll be as horny as hell by Friday night with you being gone all week."

"You won't be alone in that sweetheart. My dick will be so hard when I get home I may use it as a battering ram to bust open the door. We'll fuck 'til neither of us can walk straight." He laughed.

She kissed him passionately and said in a husky voice, "I'm counting on that big boy."

True to his word, Dwight worked hard all summer and was able to substantially add to their joint bank account where their rent and major bills would be easily covered. Any extra money that he would bring in during the week while at Duke would be gravy and give them a lot of breathing room. Besides, Patricia would be working closely with her mother and future mother-in-law to make the hundreds of decisions for their upcoming nuptials.

Classes at Duke proved to be challenging but were everything Dwight had hoped they would be. He was provoked into considering history from many different perspectives and viewpoints and it fascinated him. He was three months into his first year toward his Ph.D. when, on a Thursday evening, he received the following cryptic text:

You need to get your butt home ASAP! Don't call home or tell anyone that you're coming. Just show up. I can't tell Steve or anyone else but you. You'll see why. I'm so sorry.

Sonya

Chapter 2

Sonya was Steve's wife, the wife of one of his best buddies. What was it she couldn't tell her own husband but could tell me, Dwight wondered? But Sonya was like a sister to him and they were as close as any friends could be without being lovers. She would never play a stupid prank on him. This was a no-nonsense girl sending a no-nonsense message. It was 5:30 pm. If he jumped in his car right now, he could be home by 7:45 pm. By breaking every speed limit in the state, he actually miraculously made it there, arriving at 7:20 pm without getting ticketed.

The lights were off in his apartment, so he quietly let himself in and tiptoed back towards the bedroom. He half expected that this would not be a pleasant experience for him. As he neared the open bedroom door, he heard the slapping of flesh together, the unmistakable sounds of fucking that he knew all too well. Except that it wasn't him that was fucking his bride-to-be. It was one of the Four Musketeers, Frank Nelson! The sight was devastating, heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching to witness. The ardent couple furiously fucked with abandon, oblivious that Dwight was not only watching, but also recording high-definition video on his cellphone. After over two minutes of the depraved act had been captured, Dwight very loudly cleared his throat.

"Ahem!!!!" The shocked couple immediately jumped up, prepared to defend themselves from an intruder until they saw who it was."

"Dwight!" She shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here, remember? Or at least I used to. I've been paying the rent on this place, but not any longer."

Frank, trying to cover his nakedness in front of one of his best friends blurted, "It's not what it looks like man, I swear."

"Well, Frank, it looks like you've been fucking my fiancée, even though you're married to another woman. Please tell me where I'm wrong."

"It's nothing man, I swear!"

Patricia urgently appealed, "I never meant for this to happen Dwight, and it never will again! PLEASE! This is the first time; I swear it on my life!"

"Frank, don't you think you should be getting home to Darlene?"

"Yeah, sure man, my wife. I'm sorry. Patricia's right. Neither of us meant for this to happen. One thing just led to another and..."

"GET OUT ASSHOLE!" Dwight blasted. "And don't you ever darken my door again for as long as you live. Because if I ever see you again, EVER, your life may very well end right then and there!"

Horrified, Frank quickly put on his pants, grabbed his underwear, shirt and shoes, and ran from the room like the scared rat that he was.

"Dwight, Dwight honey, please forgive me. We can get past this. I'll make it up to you. I'll do anything, ANYTHING you want. I swear!" She begged sobbing out loud.

He walked over to her naked trembling body and picked up her hand. He nimbly slid her engagement ring off of her finger and stuck it in his pocket. She wailed and sobbed, pleading and crying for forgiveness.

"Patricia, if you meant what you said about doing anything for me, I ask this one thing of you right now. Give me some space. Just the sight of you makes me sick and I need you to be somewhere else for tonight. Don't touch me. Just please leave and spend the night anywhere but here. Can you do that for me?" He said seething.

"Sure, sure baby. I'll give you some time to clear your head. I understand you're upset and you have every right to be. What Frank and I did was wrong and it will never happen again. You were just so far away and he was here and one thing just led to another...."

Dwight demanded, "I'm going to the bathroom to pee. When I come out, I want you gone. Not another word, just gone. Got it?" She silently nodded in shock. Her whole world was unraveling before her eyes. But she knew she had to leave before he exploded.

Dwight took a long leisurely piss, flushed, and slowly washed his hands. When he came out, she was gone, just as he had requested. He was glad for the emotional reprieve. He was presently numb for the experience. He hadn't cried. His anger overrode any possibility for tears at the moment. He spent the rest of the evening packing up all of his clothes and personal items in his car. Once he walked out of the apartment, he would never come back. When his cellphone rang and he saw that it was Frank, he simply turned it off and put it on the charger. There was no one that he wanted to talk to that night.

He had a fitful night's sleep on the couch. He'd never sleep on that bed again even though it was one he'd brought from his home. He awoke Friday morning around 9 am and drove to the bank, whereupon he removed half of the funds from their joint account. He had contributed most of what was in the account, but he didn't want to leave her stricken for money. They didn't have any joint credit card accounts yet and for that, he was thankful. The apartment was in both of their names jointly and the manager would not allow him to simply remove his name. So Dwight declared that they were vacating the apartment at the end of the month. He settled with the manager on the rent and told him that he might want to consider talking to Patricia about the apartment, that she just might want to rent it again in her name alone.

Dwight next visited the jewelry store where he had purchased her ring and sold it back to them minus a twenty-five percent restocking fee. He hated taking such a hit on his investment, but it was still much more money than he would have received at a pawn shop. He returned to the apartment one last time and turned on his phone. He ignored the many calls and texts that were coming in. He'd review them later. He pulled up the video that he had taken the night before and created a group send from his contact list. It included all of their friends as well as her parents and his. It was simply captioned, 'The wedding is off' and he pressed send. Of course, Darlene and the other Musketeer wives were included among his friends. He immediately turned his phone back off and returned to his dorm room at Duke University, moving all of his belongings from his car. He'd only missed one day of classes which he could easily make up.

But he did decide to make one special call.

"Hi Sonya, thanks for the heads up. I owe you one."

"I'm so sorry Dwight. You didn't deserve that. At lunch yesterday, I was in a booth back to back with her and Frank. They had no idea I was there, but I overheard them talking and saying things that were inappropriate about their plans for that night. I was in anguish about telling Steve or you or anyone else. I couldn't tell Steve; he'd have killed Frank. You've always been the one who was cool under fire, so I felt compelled to let you find out for yourself."

"Sonya, you have nothing to be sorry about. You did nothing wrong. You did me a big favor. You saved me from marrying a two-bit cheating slut and, as I said, I owe you one. But I just can't talk about this to anyone right now. Can you explain to everyone why I won't be answering my phone for a while? I need to focus on my studies and try to heal up from this double betrayal. Oh, by the way, I don't ever want to hear neither the asshole's nor the cheating slut's names again. I can't tell you guys what to do about them, but they're both cut out of my life forever. I wasted over four years of my life on her and I'm not gonna waste another second.

"I understand completely Dwight and don't blame you a bit. I'll be sure to pass on everything you've told me under one condition."

"What's that?"

"That if I call you or text you, you won't ignore me. If you think you owe me as you say, promise me you won't ghost me. Deal?"

"It's a deal, Sonya. Give Steve and Greg my best. If you ever call or text, I'll respond IF my phone is on. I promise." Dwight conceded.

Two weeks passed and Dwight received an incoming call from Sonya.

"Hey, girl, how's it going?"

"Oh it's crazy here as you can imagine, but that doesn't really matter. What's really important is how are you doing?"

"I have good days and bad ones. Hopefully, the bad ones will be coming fewer and fewer in between, but I have to admit that there sure are some bodacious babes here on campus. I never noticed them before because my eyes were only for someone else, but the blinders are off now."

"Well, I'm glad to see that you still have some red-blooded male running through those veins of yours. Just be careful Dwight."

"Oh, I will. Trust me."

"Anyway, I just wanted to pass on a couple of things as an FYI. The asshole was kicked out by Darlene but get this: she just found out she was pregnant, so they're going through extensive counseling to see if they can patch things up. She's so pissed that, if she takes him back, she'll have him on an extremely short leash." Sonya informed.

She continued, "All of us are basically shunning him. He is persona non-grata around here and he hates it. Fuck him I say. Now we girls are still tight with Darlene; she didn't cheat, her husband did, so we won't abandon her as our friend. She told the asshole to personally apologize to you but he told her that if you ever saw him again, you might just kill him and he believes it" she said laughingly. But the bitch, she calls non-stop begging one of us to intervene on her behalf with you. She says you won't return her calls or texts and she says communication is necessary in order to make amends."