I'm Willing to Wait for You

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Jimmy Buffett: "Read dozens of books, about heroes and crooks, and I learned much from both of their styles."

+ + + +

Valerie's story:

This is unlike Caleb. He always lets me know where he is and when he'll be home. It's not like we have anything planned tonight, but I am getting worried.

I poured myself a large rum and cola, turned on the television, and waited. The newscast made no mention of anything out of the ordinary. Every half hour or so I tried his cell phone again. It is still going straight to messages.

Waking up at 5 am, with the television still on, I ran to the garage. Just my car. A wave of panic swept over me. I ran upstairs and checked his closet. Nothing out of place. He hasn't moved out.

Hoping, but knowing it wouldn't matter yet, I called the police and explained my concerns.

"Lady, he got drunk and didn't come home. Get a grip. Call us tomorrow at this time if he still isn't home."

Getting ready for work was tough. When your life long partner is missing, your heart won't let you think straight.

+ + + +

My name is Valerie Mancino. I married Caleb when I was twenty two. From walking up to get my diploma to walking down the aisle in a two week period. Caleb is three years older than me. He was a senior and I was a freshman when we met. We weren't exclusive until I started my senior year. I enjoyed my sexual freedom, and I know that Caleb enjoyed the charms of many ladies. It took me that long to mature and figure out that Caleb was going to be super successful. I'd be a fool to not take the love he was offering and make him my life partner.

To the best of my knowledge Caleb has remained faithful. I cannot make that same claim.

My job is in a highly classified government complex. Access to our facility takes an act of God and a note from his mother. The thought of a private investigator getting damning evidence is laughable. Knowing that, an affair, which never leaves the facility, was low risk. I have no reason to cheat. It's exciting. It's dirty. It's fun. Nobody is getting hurt.

Sucking a different cock, then feeling that strange cock fill my pussy, the thrill was intoxicating. It was just sex, nothing more, nothing less. I didn't do anything with Doug that I hadn't done with Caleb. The thrill was real. I know it resulted in Caleb getting his socks rocked a few times.

I firmly believe Caleb could not possible know what I'd done. He would have left me without any hesitation. Since he didn't take anything, I believe he will walk through the door any minute.

+ + + +

All day long I tried Caleb's phone. Nothing changed. I was an emotional wreck. Please be safe. My ride home was a bitch. They had the shortest route, along the coast, closed. It took almost thirty minutes longer to pull into my garage. Caleb's car wasn't there. I sat in my car and cried. Please be alive.

Rather than subject myself to ridicule again, I decided to wait until morning to call the police and report Caleb missing.

The big story of the day was the reason the road was closed. A car had shot the gap between the guard railings and plunged into the ocean. The water gets deep quickly along that road, but they were able to locate the car. The live broadcast showed the workers dragging the vehicle out. It was on its hood and covered with seaweed.

Around 7 Pm, my doorbell rang. I was still sitting in the front room, watching every newscast. When I glanced out the front window, and saw two patrolmen, my tears started flowing.

"Mrs. Mancino?"

"We've located a car registered to you and Caleb Mancino. Is he home?"

"No. He didn't come home last night. I called the police this morning and they told me to wait until tomorrow morning to report him missing."

"His car was pulled from the ocean earlier this evening. No bodies were recovered. The divers will return tomorrow and search the area."

I sank to my knees crying, with my arms wrapped around myself.

"What time will they start looking again?"

"You would have to check with my superiors. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"If it will help find Caleb, ask away."

"Can you tell us where you have been since noon yesterday?"

I was insulted. They are treating me like a suspect. I answered their questions, but I was indignant about it.

"Look Mrs. Mancino, until we find the truth, everyone is a suspect. More times than we care to count, a spouse is involved. Are you and Mr. Mancino currently having issues with your marriage?"

"NO!"

"Calm down Mrs. Mancino. Do you know anyone who would want to harm Mr. Mancino? A former friend? Someone he works with? Someone you work with?"

Gawd I hope they didn't pick up on that little flinch when they mentioned my work "No, nobody."

"Do you know if he has any sexual interests other than you?"

"No, I doubt he is that kind of man."

"Do you have any sexual interests other than Mr. Mancino?"

"Definitely not. Are you about finished, because I think I'm done?"

"We can stop. Do you have any travel plans?"

"Not until Christmas. Why?"

"Trying to find answers to questions that are sure to come up. Thanks for your time Mrs. Mancino."

+ + + +

After a long wait on hold, I found out that the divers would resume at 8 am. Getting up early, I was there at 7 am.

There was a stretch of guardrail missing. It appeared that it had been missing for some time. There were indications that they had started to rebuild it. That would be horrible if Caleb lost control at a section that would normally have a guardrail.

It was the longest day of my life. Every time a diver surfaced, I prayed that he would come up empty. I left for home when the divers called off the search. They said they had canvassed the likely area. I held out hope that Caleb was waiting for me at home. He wasn't.

Friends and family joined me in our house. Food was brought over, along with tears and hugs. The conspiracy theories were flowing. Was he even in the car? If not, was he kidnapped? We are worth north of seven figures. With all of our real estate holdings, it's hard to put anything other than a ballpark estimate on our net worth. I think Caleb's stock options are worth a bunch too.

Every day, for the next two weeks, I talked with the detective assigned to his case. Little tidbits were all he had to offer. Caleb's cell phone was found in the car. His passport had not been used. There were no electronic trails for him. The credit and debit cards had not been used. His trail was dead.

The house was eerily quiet. I refused to believe Caleb was dead. His kidnappers should have called by now. What am I going to do without him? I cry a lot.

+ + + +

Doug, the man I'd had a fling with, was now pressing for a more encounters.

"No need to keep this inside the complex is there Valerie?"

"It's too soon Doug. I need time. I can't accept that he's gone."

"How about dinner then. Just a shoulder to cry on."

Dinner, along with the drinks and dancing, did help me to set aside my somber existence.

Doug and I continued to have a weekly night out. Our goodbyes went from pecks on the cheek to mild groping. It's been four months since Caleb disappeared.

I tried to contact our attorney, but was informed that he was tied up on several big projects and couldn't represent me at this time. With some phone calls, I found a lady who agreed to take my case. Linda was a white haired beauty who acted like my grandmother.

+ + + +

We are now at the seven month mark. At one year I can file for divorce, taking my fifty percent of the assets. The remainder would be placed in a trust for Caleb. Once he is declared dead, those assets will be distributed according to his will. I'll get most of those assets too.

The police had already figured that out, and I have been interviewed on several occasions. I'm innocent, and my story never changes.

Nine months in and I am resigned to being a widow. After dinner with Doug, we went back to my house and had sex. Fighting through several emotions made it difficult to enjoy it. Still, it had been many months without, so this felt good.

We repeated the encounter a week later. Caleb can't be replaced. Doug is just a warm body. He doesn't make love to me. He gets me wet enough to plunge his average cock into me and a few minutes later, he fills my pussy. It's good for him but it leaves me wanting. He doesn't give a shit.

+ + + +

The police had left me alone for the last six months. Detective Osceola was at my front door again.

"Detective. Please come in."

"Mrs. Mancino, when I first interviewed you, you said you had no sexual interests other than Mr. Mancino. Do you remember saying that?"

I paled. What did they know? Should I request my attorney to be present?

"Detective, my attorney has advised me that she should be present at any further encounters. Let me give her a call."

Linda talked briefly with the detective.

"Valerie, you've told me that you are innocent. I see no problem with answering this question."

The detective continued "Again, you said you had no sexual interests other than Mr. Mancino. Do you remember saying that?"

"Yes."

"Does the name Doug Blessant mean anything to you?"

I glanced at Linda. She nodded towards the detective.

"Yes. He and I work together."

Sliding pictures towards me, of Doug and I having sex "Does work include sneaking off to room 309 and fornicating with Mr. Blessant?"

My stomach cramped. I was sweating.

"We have had sex."

"So you lied."

"Yes, but I had nothing to do with Caleb's disappearance."

"To me, that's just another lie. Did you and Mr. Blessant conspire to harm Mr. Mancino?"

Linda objected "This interview is over. Come on Valerie, we need to talk."

The talk didn't go well for me. I told my story over and over. Every detail remained the same. I was innocent and my story wasn't changing. Linda suggested that possibly Doug took things into his own hands. I guess anything is possible.

Where did those pictures come from? Who else knows? This is not good. Caleb wouldn't understand that this meant nothing. I was ashamed of myself for thinking that it was a good thing he was dead, and didn't have to deal with this.

+ + + +

Caleb's story:

My name is Caleb Mancino. I've been married to Valerie for eight years now. We want kids but decided to wait. It's never going to happen now.

After college, I was very successful as soon as I hit the bricks. Within two years my start-up company went public. A year later we were acquired by a venture capital group. I'm still heavily involved, but traded away some speculative potential for immediate fortunes. With the leadership behind the new money, my shares have skyrocketed in value. I can retire any time I want.

When it came time to marry, a pre-nuptial agreement was mandatory. Valerie, in love and with no evil intentions, eagerly signed. We talked at length about fidelity. The pre-nuptial agreement makes it very punitive if adultery is involved.

My sexual needs are minimal. I have absolutely no need or desire for anyone other than Valerie. I thought I could say the same about her.

When I received an email, with some innocent pictures, detailing how Valerie and a man named Doug Blessant were disappearing for unscheduled meetings, my blood was boiling. I agreed to meet a courier, with an envelope containing five hundred dollars, to get the full set of pictures.

Paying for your own heartbreak. How sick is that? There were several pictures showing the two fucking. All of these would be inadmissible in court. I needed my own evidence. Valerie works in a government complex that would prevent me from acquiring the needed proof of her infidelity.

I had to come up with a way for the lovers to have sex outside of work. After working out the details, I got busy. Driving home one night, I saw that an eighty foot segment of the guard railing, along the coast road, was missing. A semi overturned and the railing worked. No one was killed.

It was risky, but I felt that I could survive the twenty foot plunge into the water. I waited until traffic cleared out. Shortly before 9 pm, I shot the gap perfectly. With the driver's door window open, I braced for impact. Thankfully I'd put on my bicycle helmet. I banged my head pretty good on impact. Unbuckling my seat belt, I exited the car before it came to rest on the bottom. No matter how well you plan, when you do something for the first time, there's that period of time when you think you might have overestimated your abilities. I was beginning to worry that I'd committed suicide. I thought I'd hit the surface within ten seconds. It was more like thirty seconds and I was panic stricken.

Once I surfaced, I slowly let the current take me a mile down the coast. Crossing under the second bridge, which was my intended exit point, I began to savor my success. I did the backstroke into the marina then pulled myself up onto the dock. It took me at least an hour to calm myself and find the strength to continue. My aunt, a Christian with a jaded view of cheaters, agreed to hide me in her house. I walked for about two hours before knocking on her door. I wouldn't leave her house again for over nine months.

My assumption was that Valerie would file for divorce after a year, based on abandonment. Over the years I'd set aside about fifty grand in cash. If I followed my strict budget, I could survive. Work wouldn't miss me as I had reached the position of figurehead manager. If my plan didn't come together, I'd have to scramble to come up with an alternate plan.

Don't ask me how, but with a few payments, there were phone tracking apps installed on both Valerie and Doug's cell phones. All I had to do was wait for both of them to come together at the same location. As time went by, they began meeting weekly. That made my investigator's job easier. I'd let him know when the lovers were together, and he'd set up his surveillance. I was burning through my fifty grand at a manageable rate.

I spent my days writing short stories, reading similar, and keeping track of the lover's phones. After months of surveillance, I wasn't sure my plan was actually going to work. Reading the weekly reports from the investigator, it became clear that things were escalating. I doubt we get anything usable the first time they copulate outside of work. My hope is that they are creatures of habit and return to wherever to do it again.

Two hundred and eighty one days after my accident, I had what I needed. Doug and Valerie spent the night sucking and fucking at my house. After the first time, my investigator wired the bedroom. It was my house, and my cameras, which made all of it admissible in court.

Before I disappeared, I'd apprised my attorney, Alex Harkins, that I might go missing for a while. He agreed to represent only me in any family matters.

Once I had my proof, I contacted Alex. He filed the petition for divorce. To make Valerie's life a bit complicated, Alex sent a copy of those original pictures to the police, with a typed note identifying the people and places involved. We also planted the idea that my life was in jeopardy from the gold digging pair.

Coming out of hiding, I figured that I would face some legal consequences. Alex said it would be insignificant stuff since I never did anything illegal. I'd likely have to pay for recovering my car. The city might come after me for restitution of the time that law enforcement spent looking for me. Against the bigger picture, it was a drop in the bucket.

My first stop, coming back into society, was to talk with the police. In a city several miles away, we met in a conference room at a hotel. I spent five hours answering questions. Once dismissed, the news crew interviewed me. It was broadcast live on the local evening news.

There was no reason to talk with Valerie. I'd long since spent my anger. She was a nothing to me now. Get the legal stuff resolved and move on.

+ + + +

Valerie:

There was a car parked on the street in front of my house. I noticed a well-dressed woman sitting in the driver's seat. She was obviously waiting for me.

"Mrs. Mancino?"

"Yes. Can I help you?"

"You have been served. Have a nice day."

Oh crap. Is someone suing me for who knows what? I tossed it on the kitchen table and fixed myself a drink. I flipped on the television and watched in horror.

"This is John Edwards reporting. With me today, from an undisclosed location, is Caleb Mancino. Mr. Mancino disappeared about ten months ago, and he has now resurfaced. Welcome back Caleb."

"Thank you John. I'm not quite back. Until my divorce is final, I am staying in hiding. If I'm found dead, my pre-nuptial agreement wouldn't take effect and my cheating vindictive wife would get all of my assets."

"So why go into hiding in the first place?"

"She was having an affair, inside the confines of her government facility. Without any evidence, I couldn't invoke the nuclear option of the pre-nuptial agreement. I felt, correctly as it turns out, that the lovers would eventually have sex outside of work. Once I had my proof, I started the divorce proceedings."

"Quite a ruse just to protect your assets."

"A man's got to do what a man's got to do. Like most married men, I have no desire to pay her to have sex with others."

"Earlier today you spent several hours with the police?"

"That's correct. I wanted them to know I felt threatened. I've supplied them with copies of everything I have."

"And are you facing any charges?"

"No. They'd like me to repay them for the cost of recovering my vehicle."

"Thanks for your time Caleb. Back to the studio. This is John Edwards reporting."

I raced to the kitchen and tore open the envelope. It was a petition for divorce. I woke up later, on the floor, as it seems I fainted. I'll walk away with scraps, and for what? A few stolen moments of excitement, to feel dirty, or was it the cheap thrill of getting away with something? Something I didn't get away with after all.

+ + + +

Caleb:

Spending the evening talking with those who were once friends, my return was met with what can only be described as collective disdain. About the only ones who were glad to hear from me were my brother and sister.

Alex called to inform me that Valerie had been served. Her lawyer, a lady neither Alex nor I knew, called and informed Alex that Valerie wanted to meet.

"Do I have to?"

"I suspect she'll ask for counseling if you don't. My guess is that you're headed to counseling anyway. The judge assigned to your case has a proven record of ordering a few months' worth. Let's make her wait."

I didn't attend any of the courtroom hearings. When your attorney holds power of attorney in the matter, you just sit and wait for the call.

"Clear your calendar. He ordered twelve weeks of counseling. She's counter filing on grounds of mental cruelty. I've gone over the pre-nuptial agreement and it matters little what the reason for the divorce is. As long as you can introduce legally obtained proof of her infidelity, she loses just about everything."

"Lovely. So how does this counseling shit work?"

"Find a few who'll take your case. She does the same. You can do meet and greets with her choices. Don't be too picky. The judge can extend the sessions if you two can't get along long enough to even choose someone."

"Got any recommendations?"

Alex gave me a few names. I really liked Shelly Summers, the second name on Alex's list. When Valerie met with her she was impressed too. The meetings would be held in a conference room at the courthouse.