I drove to the airport Hilton; I didn't know where else to go and I knew that I needed someplace to park myself, at least for a few days.
I left most of my stuff in the car, checked in and collapsed on the bed in the room. I felt so fucking tense, I thought I was going to have a stroke. Thank goodness no one was taking my blood pressure at that moment, they would have called 911 pronto.
"Gene McNally" I suddenly thought to myself. Gene owned a successful real estate office in town and I knew him fairly well from the club. Yeah, he belonged to the same club since he lived in our development.
I moved over to the phone, checked with information, and hoped that he would be in on a Saturday. Luck was with me, the person who answered the phone told me that he was in and transferred the call.
"Gene, this is Paul Rieger, you busy right now?" I began.
"Hey Paul, good to hear from you. How have you been?"
"Look Gene, it looks like I'm going to need a place to move to. One bedroom, two bedroom, I really don't care, but I would like to have it fairly close to work. Can you help?"
There was silence on the phone for a moment. "Shit, Paul. I can't tell you how sorry I am." It didn't take Gene long to figure out where I was coming from.
"Yeah, Gene. Shit happens. Can you help me?" I asked again.
"Paul, is this, maybe, for just a few days or weeks? If so I can probably find something for you, or you can just use a place like Extended Stay or Residence Inn."
"Gene," I explained calmly. "I need a more permanent place. Do you understand?"
"Shit. Yeah, I understand. Give me your number, I'll get back to you in an hour or so. Stay there, I have something in mind that may be for you."
True to his word, Gene called back in an hour.
"Paul, I have something in which you might be interested, but...."
"Ok, Gene, what's the but.....?"
"You would have to sign a yearly lease, but I think it's worth looking at. The kicker is, of course, that yearly lease. Are you sure you want to see it?"
"This afternoon ok, Gene?" I asked calmly. Sweat had broken out on my forehead.
"I'll pick you up in an hour, Paul," replied Gene.
We drove to an impressive high rise apartment building within walking distance to my office. We rode the elevator is silence. Gene just didn't know what to say to me and I didn't really want any conversation.
He unlocked the door to a unit on the 23rd floor and we entered. Shit, , the place was amazing, like something out of a design magazine. Gene showed me around to two bedrooms, two marble and glass bathrooms, a private wraparound balcony, you get the idea. To top it off, the place was completely furnished, down to a complete kitchen and towels and linens. It seems that the owner was living in Europe and wanted the place leased for a year. He would decide later if the lease was renewable. I didn't ask how much. I just turned to Gene and told him to draw up the lease papers. This place would do me fine. I think you get the idea that I'm far from poor. I didn't care what the place ran, I could afford it.
I was in my new digs by Monday morning and unpacked and settled in by Monday afternoon. Oh, yes - my cell phone had been a little busy on Sunday. Emily had called three times. I didn't answer. The fourth call I answered.
I didn't let her speak, I attacked. "Are you still fucking him"?
I knew who "him" was but I really didn't give a shit. The very fact that she was unfaithful was enough. I didn't want details, I didn't want to know how it began, I sure as hell didn't want a blow by blow description of how they fucked. My stomach heaved at the thought.
There was silence on the phone. I hung up before she could reply. She didn't call again.
The next few days were busy at the office, thank goodness. It didn't give me a lot of time to think. What the fuck was there to think about anyway. Like, how is Emily doing? Is she ok? Is she still seeing and fucking her boyfriend?
On Friday afternoon I called Terry Oldham, my lawyer. Terry is one of my oldest friends. We both started at my firm at about the same time, he in the legal department, and we became buddies for some reason. You couldn't meet a nicer guy. Emily and I had become close with Terry and his wife Julie. He left the company about ten years ago and had opened his own practice.
I told him to start divorce proceedings. There was dead silence on the phone. I was getting kind of used to that.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" he grated. "Get your ass over here now. I'm clearing the rest of the day."
Half an hour later I was seated in front of Terry's desk. He got up and motioned me to the couch in his office. He moved to the bar and mixed us both a couple of drinks.
Looking over to me, he muttered, "I think we're both going to need some Dutch courage." Seating himself, he stared at me and said, "Ok, begin at the beginning, don't leave anything out."
I took a large swallow of the scotch. "Emily has been cheating. I confronted her and she told me to drop dead. You want to know anything else?" I added a bit sarcastically.
"Knock it off, Paul. Don't be a wise ass, I've known you too long. Why don't you start from the beginning. Whatever triggered this off didn't start now. Give me some background."
I sighed, I was getting good at that. So I went back and told Terry how things had deteriorated in my house. We couldn't seem to get along anymore. It was difficult for Emily to even talk without some smart aleck remark. I would also often snap at her for nothing. We were both at our wits end. Then I discovered that she had been cheating. I told him that I didn't know how long it's been going on.
"Paul, do you know, or are you guessing? If you're just guessing you could be making a huge mistake,"
"Terry, I know, ok? I know. There is no doubt. Look, the reason I came to you is that I anticipate no problem with this divorce. Emily will be taken care of very nicely. She won't have any money worries. She can maintain her lifestyle and she will be able to fuck anyone she wants without worrying about me." I said bitterly.
Terry just looked at me and shook his head sadly. "Paul, at the very least, let me talk to Emily. No, don't get your balls in an uproar, all I want to do is talk to her. If I'm going to represent you, I'll have to speak with her anyway."
I just shrugged, rose, shook his hand and left.
Three days later Terry called and asked me to stop drop over to his office when I finished for the day. I told him that I would and didn't ask any questions.
He had an solemn look on his face. "I spoke with Emily, Paul. She didn't seem surprised and she told me that she would go along with anything you wanted in terms of a final settlement. I tried to get her to discuss your problems, but she was tight lipped. She refused to engage in any discussion."
"Doesn't surprise me one bit. File the necessary papers, Terry. I want this over with as soon as possible."
Terry nodded, looked at me searchingly, and then asked, "Do you still love her, Paul?
The question threw me and I sat silently for a moment. I really hadn't given that any thought recently.
"I truly don't know, Terry. I am so fucked up emotionally that I don't know how I feel. No, strike that. I know that I feel hurt, humiliated, betrayed - you know, all the things that a husband feels when he finds his wife has been unfaithful. But it's not only that, although "that" is bad enough.
"It's gotten to the point that we just can't seem to get along. Living with her was really getting to me. The tension, the stress, the gulf that had opened between us - it was just too much. Do I love her? Yeah, I guess I do - it's just that I can't live with her.
***************
So that's how it all ended and I still don't really know why. How could two people, so happy and so in love with each other, suddenly find themselves in this kind of situation?
Telling my daughters almost tore me apart. They had already spoken with their mother and were terribly anxious to fly home and speak with us in person. Emily, it seems, had emphasized that that would not be a good idea. I told them the same thing and promised that we would get together soon. I finally placated them and told them that I would be in touch with them as frequently as before. They hadn't lost their father.
I spent the next few months totally immersed in my work. I became obsessed with my job, to the exclusion of anything else. Sales increased dramatically and I was the golden boy of the company. I was also making a ton of money that I really had no use for. What was I going to spend it on, a bigger headstone?
The divorce became final a couple of months later and life moved on. Approximately six months after the final decree I decided that I would take a few months and visit every sales team we had in the country. The CEO knew why I suggested this and he didn't put up any objections. He knew it would help me emotionally and he also knew that it would probably be very good for the bottom line.