My wife Esther and I grew up in the same small town. We dated a little in high school, but we were not exclusive and never went steady. After graduation, she took classes to become a paralegal and I went into the military. My mother could not afford sending me to college. I didn't know what I wanted to do anyway. Military service seemed to make sense. The Army trained me in computer repair. I found out that I was a natural.
When I came home before I was deployed to Afghanistan, I ran into Esther. We went out together a few nights and something seemed to click that hadn't before. Maybe it was because I was extra horny and maybe she was emotional about me going into harm's way. The result was that we made love for the first time. I left and we wrote.
There was a flurry of letters which were mostly mutual confirmations that our recent encounter was not a fling, but a promising start to long-term relationship, i.e. marriage. After a couple of months, we began to discuss things other than how we felt about each other. We described our typical days. She seemed interested in whom I was working with. I soon realized she was mostly interested in any female soldiers I worked with or recreated with and the presence of prostitutes. When I mentioned that Sylvia and I worked closely together, there was a pause in her letters. Her next letter wanted me to clarify if she and I were exclusive or not. Esther came close to accusing me of having an affair with Sylvia. I thought of telling her that Sylvia was a butch dyke and had a girlfriend here, but, instead, I said that I had no interest in any other woman than her. Nor would I risk my health or hers by having sex with a prostitute. That seemed to appease her. For a little while.
We got engaged when I returned stateside and married soon after I left the service. We couldn't afford much of a honeymoon. Esther had just started as a paralegal with one of the local law firms in our hometown. I got a job with the town's biggest electrical business. We were going to wait until we were in better financial shape to start a family.
Since I had experience in working with computers, printers, and iPhones, I specialized in repairing those. I was able to keep busy and was soon turning a nice profit for my boss. The workload was enough that I was able to hire an assistant. It didn't hurt that I was a local boy. People trusted me to tell the truth about what was wrong and whether it could be fixed cheaper than just getting a new one.
I came to tolerate more than an average level of jealously from Esther. My take was that she did not consider herself pretty. Objectively, I think most would say her face was not that pretty, but her body was first-rate. She was not 'bag-over-her-head ugly,' but many of the boys who dated her were more interested in her from her neck down. What I was impressed about Esther was her intellect, her caring for others, her willingness to work hard, and, yes, her body. I tried to make sure I complimented her regularly for traits other than her body, take her out as much as we could afford, and give her cards and gifts at random times besides birthday, Valentine's and Christmas. In a few years, we were able to put enough money away to have a child.
We wanted children while we were still young, so the timing was right. Esther's body turned out to be very fertile. She became pregnant soon after she went off the pill. Esther's pregnancy was difficult for both of us. She gained a lot of weight. She had cravings. She has mood swings. Medication was required for gestational diabetes. I was the convenient target for her bad moods.
Once Esther decided it was time to stop having sex, she also decided it was time for her to assume I was having sex with other women to make up for not having sex with her. My new assistant Cheryl was my most likely playmate according to Esther. Luckily, Cheryl had an older sister who was always jealous of her. That prepared her for being able to handle my wife's slightly veiled accusations of husband-stealing. Cheryl and I just wrote if off as hormone induced ravings.
The birth of our daughter Bonnie seemed to bring things more into balance, but that didn't last long. We shared childcare duties as much as Esther would allow me to. Often my offers of taking care of my daughter were turned down. I felt like Esther thought we were competing for the affection of our daughter. When I did get to play with Bonnie, I would look at Esther's face. I swear I saw jealousy. I began to think she mostly wanted a child because it would be someone who loved her unconditionally. Esther didn't want to share Bonnie with me, her husband and our child's father.
In the next couple of years, I learned to dread social events. Esther and I were both well known since we grew up with most of the people we socialized with. When we went to parties or cookouts, she saw herself as 'mingling.' Esther saw me, however, as 'flirting' when I talked to members of the opposite sex. A night out usually meant a night in the guest bedroom for me because of her anger at my 'fawning over' our women friends. I suggested she seek counseling. That got me two weeks without sex.
Before I get to the meat of the story, let me tell you a little about the town we lived in. It was small - count the stoplights on two hands small. Smallness has its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that communication can be slanted. True statements flow on 3G networks and rumors flow on 5G. Vicious rumors never totally die. One advantage is that friendships can be so deep that one often has a group who will give you the benefit of the doubt even when you are accused of something horrible. I needed that advantage because I was accused of something horrible.
I guessed that it was about to hit the fan the day when my key no longer opened any of the doors of our house. When I called by wife, Esther, I got a 'number no longer in service' message. I was still not absolutely sure what the problem was until I called my wife's sister, Margie. "You rotten, son-of-a-bitch. Cheating on my sister! I hope she burns your ass to the ground." Although that was a confusing metaphor, I got the idea.
"Margie, I have no . . . " CLICK.
I may not be too quick on the uptake, but I got the message. Now I had to figure out who I was supposed to have had sex with and what made Esther think I had. Then I could try to figure out what to do about it. What I knew for sure was this shit was getting old. Esther was an unreasonably jealous woman. If I didn't stop this nonsense now, I would have to add on an apartment to the doghouse in our back yard so there was room for both me and the dog.
I had tolerated her jealousy because I loved her, and because I told myself she wouldn't act this way unless she really loved me. Now, I was coming to believe that she her lack of faith and trust in me had overcome whatever level of love for me she had.
It didn't take me too long to find out more.
"Ben, why in the world did you cheat on Esther?"
"I'm fine, thanks Mom. Hello to you too. Now what in the heck are you talking about?"
"Don't lie to me, boy. You're still not too old for me to put you over my knee and tan your hide. I saw the picture of you and that whore. I am so ashamed of you. How could you?"
"Mom, I have not been with any whore. I have not even seen any picture. And, by the way, if you tan my hide, can you make a leather wallet out of my hide? My current billfold is tearing up."
"You always were a smart-alec. Let's see you laugh when she hauls your butt into court. You better mend fences quickly. Have you begged her forgiveness yet?"
"She hasn't told me directly what I supposedly did. I tried to talk to her, but she changed the locks on the house and her phone is no longer in service. Her sister almost castrated me over the phone when I called her. Esther doesn't want to talk to me. I'll wait a while to see if she calms down."
Mom wasn't the only one to get the picture. My boss, our pastor, our neighbors, and probably everyone else on our email list. Everyone but me. When I went to work the next day, I was told I was fired. My boss had known Esther and her family all his life. She was like a daughter to him. I was now worth less than the scrum he wipes off his shoes when he comes in the door. Our state had right-to-work laws so an employer can fire anyone at any time for any or no reason. In addition, some of my so-called friends and even family members shunned me. I headed for the motel (there was only one in town).
Esther's sister called and asked for my current address. I figured out why. Later that day, a woman knocked on my motel room door. "Hello, let me guess what you have for me: divorce papers."
