"Honey, we need to talk."
Those dreaded words came out of the mouth of my gorgeous wife of 5 years. I had known Deborah for 8 years and waited for 2 of those before I could ask her out on a date. She had been in a steady relationship with Norman as long as I had known her and I would not be the person to interfere with that. It was just not the thing done. I had seen the damage done when someone tried to muscle in on a relationship not just to the couple but to the friendships all around them. Some of the friends would choose her side, some would choose his, and in one case another couple broke up when they took opposite sides.
Deborah was 28 to my 29, blonde and very well built. We enjoyed frequent intimate relations and I was happy with that, I thought she was too. We had recently decided that we would start our family and had set a date to stop birth control. I was ecstatic and I was looking forward to telling my parents that we would be expecting their first grandchild.
She sat across me at the kitchen table and slid a manilla envelop over to me. The label read 'Superior Private Investigations, Discreet and efficient'. I looked at it for a bit and noticed that the seal was broken.
"I don't understand" I started to say. "Have you been investigating someone?"
"Yes, Brian. You!"
"Why", I wanted to shout but I managed to keep my cool.
"Those late nights at the office, those recent frequent trips out of state, that new pretty young secretary", she was calm, no raised voice, no blazing eyes that she sometimes shows when we argue. It was almost as if she had already given up on our marriage and this was the coup de grace. In my defense, these were all legitimate and she knew about them. I had not had an affair and I knew it. But how can I prove it? She must have some evidence to confront me. That feeling that you get when the police are driving behind you and you start to think? Did I stop at that stop sign? Am I speeding? And the relief when they turn of to chase someone else. I wanted that relief. She gave it to me.
"There is nothing in that envelope that tells me you are having an affair or doing anything beyond what you have already told me. "
"So why?" I stammered.
"6 weeks ago Stephen called me and wanted to meet me for a coffee. He wanted to talk about a surprise he was organising for you. So I caught up with him at the Cape Bay Café. He looked worried at first and reassured me that he did not want hurt me and that I was a very attractive woman. He could not believe that you would do anything that would hurt me."
I had know Stephen for 12 years first year at college we had a Psychology class together and formed a study group with some other students. We stayed friends and would occasionally go to campus parties. We had chased girls, usually unsuccessfully. After school I started work using my business degree while he pursued a Masters Degree in human resources before being employed as a HR manager somewhere else. We still talked on the phone and played golf every few weeks. He did come to our wedding but was not in the wedding party.
Deborah continued: "He told me that you would not come to the golf game as often as before and that when you did go you raved about this new secretary of yours. He told me that he thought you were having an affair, maybe emotionally only. But he said 'emotional affairs often lead to physical affairs'. He was very insistent that I needed to know about that and that I should watch out. I asked him about an investigator but he said that would be a waste of money at this stage and that if I keep my eye open for things I would learn the truth for myself."
"So why did you get these guys involved?"
"I thought there was enough evidence of your 'cheating' that I started thinking about divorce. I needed actual evidence for the courts. But there is no evidence so either you are clever enough to hide yourself or you are not having an affair. Stephen has called me a number of times to see how I was doing and that he would support me emotionally.
"So here it is, Brian" She looked me straight in the eye, "Are you having an affair? Do you want this secretary? If so then we will file for divorce and go our own way. I will not be a party to an adulterous relationship."
I reached over to my wife and acknowledged that this was possibly the hardest thing she ever had to do. I took her hands in mine and said;
"My Darling, I am not having an affair, Grace is a wonderful secretary but her boyfriend would literally kill me. He is the Karate champion of the state and owns and runs the Health club. She very happy with him and even if I wanted to, I would not stand a chance. What I am wondering about is, why would Stephen do this to you? I think I better call him."
"No, wait, not yet. I have an idea but first I had better make it up to you" She dragged me to the bedroom and we enjoyed a few hours making love.
The next day we discussed the situation. What did Stephen stand to gain in interfering in our marriage? He was not that good a friend. We could just ignore him and leave it all alone however I am not that forgiving and I wanted to know and maybe some payback. Our local priest would not be happy with my lack of Forgive and Forget attitude.
We made a plan. If Stephen called again, Deborah would tell him that I had become distant and seemed to spend more time at the office. I had an out of state meeting coming up and I was going to take Grace with me. Not true of course but it might allow Stephen to broadcast his intentions. As luck would have it, he called that very week.
Deborah recorded the call, as a two party state we were not supposed to but what the hell, this was not going to court anyway.
"How are you doing Deborah?"
"Not sure Stephen, Brian came home late last night and went straight to bed. He barely even said hello. What does this mean?"
