New Beginnings - 001

I collapsed into my recliner and looked at my cellphone. It was a little after 9PM, and I was exhausted. The twins were just now in bed. I had picked up the six-year-olds from school at 4pm. That meant I had to leave work almost an hour and half early. Once they were in the car, it was home, a rush to fix something for dinner, an hour of play time and then an hour fight to get them ready and into bed. I was a wreck.

I stood and struggled upstairs to the bedroom, where I dropped clothing haphazardly on my way to the bed. Laying down on top of the bedspread in my boxer shorts, I easily fell asleep. When the alarm went off at 6 AM, I rolled over and groaned. Several minutes later, I was in the bathroom standing in a hot shower trying to collect myself. I shaved in the shower to save time, got out, and quickly dressed for work.

The next chore was to get the twins ready for school. Both are in the first grade, at the local elementary school. Handing them both a cherry Pop-tart and a package of juice, solved the breakfast issue. Managing to make a cup of coffee using the Keurig machine, I had a little caffeine enhancement in my system.

Fortunately, our local school has a morning program just for parents who have to be at work about the same time that most kids are arriving at school. I dropped the twins off and one of the aids waved at me as she took them into the school to have a second breakfast before they were ushered off to their regular classroom. I didn't wait around, intent on getting to my office as early as possible to make up for the hour and half I had to leave early.

I am a financial analyst, and a good one, I might add. I make a great living and provide well for my family. I thought I had a strong marriage and a loving wife. That all changed four days ago when my "loving" wife sat down next to me. I was by the pool in our backyard, enjoying a Yuengling lager. She took the seat closest to me, sat down her glass of white wine and started to talk.

"Sweety, we have such a great life and marriage. I love you to the ends of the earth. I don't want anything to ever come between us. I hope you feel the same way."

I make my living taking nuances of information and making judgements about the value and risk involved with deals that can involve millions of other peoples money. I am good at it. After 11 years with my wife, 7 of those as man and wife, red flags started popping up everywhere I looked as I listened to her.

"You have a great job and career and make more money than we need to enjoy a great lifestyle."

I ventured to add a comment.

"Baby. You have a great career as well. You may not make as much money as I do, but your job as a counselor with the battered women's shelter maybe more important than mine. Not only that, but you touch more lives positively than I ever will."

She blushed at my effusive praise.

"Nevertheless, there is something missing for me, and I am eager to explore why I have this void in my life."

UGH OH. Now the red flags were standing out like it was blowing hurricane force winds. I looked at her face, only to find an eager look of anticipation. There seemed to be no guile or guilt in her eyes.

"So you want to get some counseling? That's shouldn't be a problem."

"No, no. Allow me to explain. You know Tom and Ruth."

I nodded. Tom and Ruth lived four or five doors down from us. I didn't know them well. I knew that Tom was some kind of real estate developer and Ruth owned a women's boutique. To my knowledge, they didn't have any kids.

"Tom and Ruth have a sailboat that they keep in the Virgin Islands. From the pictures I have seen, It is a really nice sailboat. They have invited me to go down to the islands for a week to sail around the Caribbean. I have never been on such an adventure, and I think it might be just the thing I need to figure out why I feel like I am missing something from my life."

I tipped the bottle of Yuengling and drained it before I dropped it onto the trashcan near my chair.

"When is this supposed to happen?"

"We are leaving on Sunday and come back home late in the evening the following Sunday."

"I can't take off a week on such short notice. Plus, it will be almost impossible to make arrangements for someone to take care of the twins for a week on two days notice."

She shook her head and then dropped her eyes, a sure sign she knew what she was about to say wasn't going to be taken well.

"Ugh... The plans don't include you. You would be here to take care of the kids."

I was incredulous. I looked at her like she had sprouted a third eye on a stalk.

"Let me get this straight. You intend to leave for a week on a sailboat in the Caribbean with two almost total strangers, leaving me here to take care of the kids and work, all without talking to me beforehand?""

"I'm talking to you now."

"Two days before you plan to leave. The point is, it sounds like you have already committed to this, without any discussion. That is a unilateral decision."

I looked her straight in the face and put my finger on the table to emphasize what I was saying.

"No. I don't think so. You simply need to call Tom or Ruth and express your gratitude for the invitation, and then decline it."

She never flinched. Her eyes hardened and I saw an entirely different look. Her face was filled with an almost grim determination.

"I'm sorry, but this is something I must do for myself. I know it will be tough on you with the kids, but you are strong and adaptable. It's only a week."

My ire was growing by the second, and my emotional control was redlining. With clenched teeth, I tried to corral my frustrations enough to respond without sounding like a Marine Corps drill instructor in full form. Then the doorbell rang. My wife jumped up without a word and ran to answer the door. I heard voices and in a few seconds, to my surprise, she came back out on the patio with Tom and Ruth.

I looked up at them with my mouth open. Both Ruth and Tom were grinning widely, and my wife now wore an almost conspiratorial look. My brain went into overdrive and was clicking off thoughts almost faster than I could process them. This was a definitive setup. All the defenses and tools that I use daily to deal with situations where people's lives can be affected came into play.

Tom stopped, as if he expected, me to rise. I looked up at him with a flat expression. My poker face was on, and the game was afoot. A few uncomfortable seconds passed before my wife started directing people to chairs. I found myself bracketed by Tom on my left and Ruth on my right, with my wife directly across from me. I didn't say a word. I learned a long time ago, that whoever started a negotiation like this usually was in a weaker position. It was Tom who finally broke the ice.

"We are so excited that Shelly is going with us to the Caribbean."

I still didn't say anything. I looked hard at my wife as if I expected her to say something. She dropped her gaze. Ruth chimed in next.

"She will have a great time. It is so relaxing on the boat. She will come back like a new woman."

I glanced back at my wife, but she was still examining the top of the patio table carefully.

"I don't want a new woman. I am perfectly content with the one I have."

That evoked a flash of uncertainty on all three faces. Apparently, my attitude and my comment were not playing to the script that the trio expected. Tom stammered a bit when he finally found his voice.

"Ugh.. Shelly left us with the impression that you would be all for her taking this little vacation."

"Shelly assumed wrong. I am vehemently opposed to her jetting off for a Caribbean holiday on short notice with people we barely know, while leaving her children and her husband to fend for themselves."

Tom glanced nervously at Ruth. Ruth picked up the conversation.

"We are hardly strangers. Shelly and I have been having coffee in the mornings regularly."

I looked at Shelly. She was still looking at the spot on the table-top.

"I thought you worked at the shelter every day?"

Shelly's voice was quiet and soft.

"I decided to cut back my hours a few weeks ago. I have been working in the afternoons for 3 hours a day."

More things were adding up in my brain.

"Another unilateral decision that I wasn't a participant in. Interesting. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

She shook her head. In what I took to be an attempt to divert the conversation, Ruth continued in a glib and perky manner.

"Shelly and I have become quite close. We have a lot of the same interests. We are excited to do a lot of sunbathing, swimming, and shopping in the islands."

I looked at Tom.

"And what will you be doing?"

"Oh the usual. Taking care of the boat, seeing to it that we get from here to there, and joining in with the girls for some fun and recreation."

I nodded.

"Pardon the change of subject, Tom. But just what is it that you do?"

"I am an independent real estate developer."

"Do you work for a real estate company, a bank, a broker, or what?"

"No. I am independent. I broker the deals with the landowner and the financier and the construction companies to get the projects all headed in the right direction. Then I help develop lessor's for the properties and manage the assets after they are built."

"Do you have an office?"

"I work from home."

I nodded. Things were beginning to add up.

"Let me summarize this, and the three of you can tell me if I am understanding this situation correctly."

All three suddenly had bright smiles on their faces.

"Shelly. You, in the past three weeks, have altered your work schedule so you can spend time with Ruth and Tom at their house. Or have you been at our house as well?"

The smiles faded rapidly. I waited for Shelly to speak.

"I really didn't think you would mind. My income doesn't mean much in the scheme of things."

"It isn't about the income. The thing is that you made a major decision in our lives without making me a part of it. In any event, let me continue."

I looked between the three of them and saw looks of consternation and confusion. Obviously, this wasn't going the way they had planned.

"In light of your new-found friendship with Tom and Ruth, you have been invited to go to the Caribbean for a week, at their expense."

"Oh. I have to pay my airfare."

I let that ride without comment

"And the three of you intend to have a holiday of swimming, sun, shopping, and I assume raucous sex."

All three mouths dropped open simultaneously. Tom was the first to recover and reply.

"Ugh.. No... Nothing like that. No one has mentioned sex."

"Not specifically. But let me tell you what my spider sense tells me. My wife has changed her work schedule. I have a sneaking suspicion it was changed to make it easier for her to spend time at your house. You work at home. That puts the three of you together regularly. My wife has, over the course of the last month, suddenly had a change of habit around our home. I have noticed that she dresses differently in the mornings. There has been an upswing in her libido which I find quite refreshing but now wonder about the reason. On short notice, she has informed me that she is going away for a week with people who we have no profound relationship with, or at least I don't. Do you understand why I am a bit suspicious that there is more going on here than what your bright, smiling faces would have me believe?"

The glances between the three of them told me a lot. I should try to get them into a poker game. I could probably make a killing. Tom tried to salvage their plan.

"Bill. You are totally off base. There is nothing going on with any of us. Shelly told Ruth that she was feeling a little hollow, like something was missing from her life, and we thought a trip to the islands might help her get out of her funk."

"Tom, you will have to excuse me, but this all sounds like you making plans to get Shelly where you can help her with her funk."

I changed gears rapidly.

"Shelly. I will make this plain. You know that I am adamantly against you making this trip with these people. Whether you go against my objections is your decision. Just be aware that there are consequences for every decision and, all too often, there is no way to predict what those consequences will be. That is the risk you take and the challenge you face."

I scooted the chair back and stood up.

"Since Shelly invited the two of you here without my involvement, I don't feel I have any reason to stay any longer. She can have her friends over in this house whenever she wants. I am tired, and I am going to bed."

I left without saying goodbye or goodnight. Upstairs, I changed clothes and turned out the lights before climbing into the bed. I laid on my side with my back to Shelly's side of the bed. I had no problem going to sleep that night.

I have no idea how long Tom and Ruth stayed speaking with Shelly. I didn't wake up when she came to bed. I usually sleep in a little later on Saturdays. Once I was up, I put on some work clothes and made coffee. I'm not much of a breakfast person, so I was soon behind the lawnmower, trimming the grass on the front lawn. Saturdays were my day to catch up around the house and then spend the afternoon in the pool with the twins, weather permitting. I saw no reason to vary that schedule.

Shelly was reticent about talking to me that day. She seemed to be avoiding me around the house. I did see her on the phone several times, watching me through the patio doors. I had to assume she was talking to Ruth or Tom. I ignored it.

Sunday morning was typically a quiet affair. The kids were occupied with videos. I liked to spend a quiet Sunday morning on the pool deck with coffee and my tablet, catching up on the local and regional news. Frequently, Shelly would join me. However, things were out of the ordinary today. Shelly remained upstairs all morning. I didn't pay a lot of attention, not out of ignorance, but because I wanted to see how this situation played up.

About 10 AM, I walked back into the kitchen to get another cup of coffee and saw Shelly putting a backpack near the front door next to another piece of luggage. I finished making my coffee and walked in to look at the suitcases. Shelly came back down, dressed in a pair of Capri pants and a print sleeveless shirt. I sipped my coffee.

"So you are actually going on this cruise?"

"Yes. It's only a week. It will do us both good."

"Shelly, the only thing it is going to do is create more grief and pain than you can imagine."

She looked at me incredulously.

"What do you mean? How could it cause grief and pain?"

"I am not going to try to explain it to you. If you want to be obtuse and ignore what you are doing, what it means, and the consequences, then it tells me you really don't care."

"Nonsense. I am doing this for us."

I shook my head and went back to the pool deck.

It wasn't long until I heard the kids wailing in the house. I got up quickly and went in to find the twins standing at the door, crying vociferously, and holding desperately to their mother's legs.

"Don't go mommy. We don't want you to go away. You have to stay here and take care of us. Who will take us to school and make our dinner?"

Shelly looked at me like she expected me to say or do something. I sipped my coffee and let her handle this situation that she created. She knelt down to their level and cooed to them.

"It's okay, babies. Mommy just needs to have a little time to herself. Daddy will be here, and he will take good care of you. I will be back in a few days and I will bring you special surprises."

She stood, gathered her bags and managed to peel two 6-year-olds away from her legs. I could see Tom and Ruth in their BMW SUV waiting. Tom had the hatchback open and Ruth was smiling and waving. The twins were still crying for mommy as the BMW pulled away.

I gathered the kids up and promised them breakfast. I had no intention of cooking, but the chocolate pancakes at IHOP were always a favorite. After breakfast, we spent the morning at the park, where I met several other mom's sitting at a picnic table under a shade tree while their children played. They were friendly, and I was soon part of the conversation. One of the women asked if I was a single dad, and I offhandedly quipped that I was for a week. That brought about countless questions about the situation, but I did my best to deflect the questions, putting my wife's absence off to a family trip.

Lunch involved a tip to the Golden Arches, where there was another play area. It wasn't the most nutritious of diet's, but I kept me out of the kitchen, the house, and with some adult companionship. I actually found three other Dad's treating their kids to lunch and playtime. All of them were single dads, having their court appointed weekend visits with their kids. Good conscience prevented me from asking too many questions.

After lunch and many negotiations, which is an interesting affair with six-year-olds. They negotiated like old pros, and I swear they can communicate among themselves without words. I found I had promised a trip to the mall and the toy store. I did get out without any purchases and home in time to make dinner, have a little quiet time and managing to get the twins in bed just after nine PM.

Monday was nearly a disaster. I overslept, which made the rush to get the twins to school a challenge. The teacher met me at the door, asking if there was a problem. I told her that the kids' mother was away, and I was dealing with them on my own. She shook her head and told me about the school breakfast program at the school. I didn't have time to sign up then, since I was already late for work.

I talked to my boss and explained a little about the situation. He was a bit annoyed but allowed me to flex my schedule at work with the twins' needs for the week. I agreed that I would come in early to make up for the time I had to leave in the afternoon. That just about brings me back to where I was at the beginning of the story.

As I lay in bed that night, exhausted, I was convinced that this was not going to end well unless I could do something proactive to deal with this situation. I laid there looking up into the darkness and a sudden thought came into my mind. I wrestled with the problem in my head for several hours and finally came to a dramatic conclusion. With the decision made, I quickly went to sleep.

The next morning was a little easier. The kids were helpful and managed to get dressed by themselves. They weren't the epitome of fashion, and I am not sure their socks matched, but they were up and ready. Knowing that they would get breakfast at school, I dropped them off, did a bit of paper work with the school secretary, and then headed to my office. My first stop was my bosses' office. He looked concerned as I walked in with a cup of coffee and a smile on my face.

"You either ate the canary or your wife came home. Which is it?"

"Neither, but I have a request."

"Ok. I'm listening."

"I have almost 3 months of banked leave and personal time."

"Yeah?"

"I want to take 10 days starting tomorrow."

"WHAT! That is short notice."

I shrugged. I knew he couldn't refuse. He might not be happy, but I had the time coming, and I could use it at will."

"Ok. I'll do the paperwork. Would it be too much to ask what you are going to do?"

"I'm taking the kids on vacation?"

"Are you joining your wife."

"I'm not sure. That remains to be seen."

By the time I left the office to pick up the kids from school, I had made all the arrangements I needed to set my plan into motion. From the school, the kids and I headed to Walmart to do a little shopping. When we left several hours later, my wallet was much lighter and the back of my Suburban was crammed. We stopped and got pizza to carry home and had a picnic in front of the TV, which the kids thought was a novel idea. Their mother would have been aghast that her carpet and the upholstery might have been stained with pizza sauce. I had no such reservations. I talked to the kids while we ate and watch Frozen on the Disney Channel.