William Sawyer couldn't believe how much his life had changed in the last three months. He had a fairy tale life -- a beautiful, loving wife and a great job, everything a man could want. But, that had all changed.
Erica was now distant; her head seemed to be somewhere else. William couldn't even remember the last time they made love. He tried to talk about their problems, but she was always busy with work.
These conversations often turned into arguments. Erica claimed that her husband was jealous of her newfound success. She said everything was fine when he was successful, but now he resented her hard work.
Her career had become very successful of late; her marketing team had captured three major accounts and was working on a fourth. Business had doubled. It was so good, that company leadership was telling Howard to slow down. Human resources couldn't hire new employees fast enough to keep up with orders.
More troublesome for William was the change in Erika's relationship with one Howard Fenster, a man she once laughed at as an old masher. First, she had given up leadership of the marketing team to the guy, and now she was more like his personal assistant. She worked with her new boss late into the night, and they had long phone conversations at home.
William had become jealous, but not just of Erika's job. He was getting to hate Howard. Every time the young husband tried to get some time with his wife, the old bastard was in the way. No vacations, no quite days off together and damn few meaningful conversations.
The young man was at his wit's end. He loved his wife and didn't want to loose her. Yes, every once in a while, the idea that Erica was having an affair would pop into his head. That would explain the changes in their lives over the past few months. But, who could she be sleeping with? The only man she spent any serious time with, was Howard, and it sure couldn't be him. He bet that Howard would know something, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.
What was worse, the problems in William's home life had began to affect his work. He'd made two major screw-ups and now had to work even harder just to keep from being demoted, or worse. He offered to take a last-minute business trip to Austin, Texas, to kill two birds with one stone. He could earn some points with his boss and see his wife, who was on an extended trip to nearby San Antonio.
Erika had been out of town for a couple of days. Her husband thought they could get together for a romantic rendezvous. He could drive up to Austin in the morning. She didn't answer her cell phone, so he called her hotel and left a message, then rushed to pack a bag and get on the plane.
Of course, the plane was late, and William didn't arrive until nearly 8 p.m. He went to the hotel and got a key for his wife’s room. He called Erika's cell phone and she answered.
"Where are you?" he demanded.
"On my way to meet with a client. We're pitching a proposal to him tonight."
"Is Howard with you?"
"Of course. Why?"
"Can I come? I'd like to see you."
"I don't think so; we're halfway to the client's ranch in the Hill Country, whatever that is."
"What kind of meeting starts so late?"
"The man's having a party, and he's letting us come and talk with him."
"That seems a little unusual."
"Not everyone works the same way you do," she snapped back. "It's his company, and he can hold meetings any way he wants."
William asked when he could see her, and she said it would be very late. She would catch up later at the hotel. The phone call ended, and William couldn't have been any sadder. This whole trip was turning into just more marital frustration.
William thought he ought to grab some dinner, but just wasn't hungry. He couldn't get his mind off his wife and her meeting.
He started to unpack his things and hang them in the closet of their hotel room. He noticed that Erika's briefcase was in the closet. Why would she go to a meeting without her briefcase?
The young man picked up the briefcase and examined it. The bag had some information about her travel plans, but no real business papers. He thought she used to carry a laptop computer, but there wasn't one in the bag or anywhere else in the room.
He thought he could find some information about tonight's meeting. He looked around the room for a slip of paper, an address, anything. Then he saw the pad of paper next to the phone.
It was one of those hotel pads with an accompanying ballpoint pen. William held the pad up sideways into the light, and sure enough, there was something pressed into the pad. He grabbed a pencil from his briefcase and started sliding it across the pad.
There was an address. He called the front desk to ask where it was. In Kerrville, he was told. He decided to try and find it. Jumping in his car, William went west on Interstate 10.
He got lost a couple of times, but stopped to ask for directions and got back on track. He eventually came to a long drive that led to a ranch. There were cars parked up and down the driveway and the house was lit up and rocking. It was definitely a party.
The young husband parked with the other cars and approached the house. The door was opened and a young, plump Hispanic woman welcomed him. Her name was Alita. She asked if he was alone. She was too. Could she get him a drink? Would he like to dance?
Would she shut up and get out of the way, he thought. He looked over her, scanning the room for his wife, or Howard. Alita kept talking to him, but he was no longer listening. He squeezed through the crowd loosing the plump woman along the way.
He worked his way around the house and finally made it out to the backyard. That's when he saw them. Erika and Howard were dressed casually, his wife in a shot yellow print dress. They were sitting at a table with a big man. He must have been somewhere between 50 and 60. He was wearing a cowboy hat, a t-shirt, swimming trunks and cowboy boots.
