Revelation Blues

Copyright 2012 © Sojoman

This is a long story, a really long story, so please be patient and enjoy it or simply skip over it.

I had hoped to keep the story shorter and publish it in a single entry, however due to its final length I thought it would be more appropriate to have it in four parts, all now written.

American English dictionary used, apologies to those who prefer the British English :)

There is no explicit sex in this story. Apologies if that disappoints some readers. I think most readers know how it works and those who don't will find better writers on this site that would provide the appropriate knowledge or excitement :). Nevertheless, this story is for adults only due mainly to the behavior of some of the characters.

At the end of the story, in a separate part, I have included explanations as to what drove me to write this story and some information about its protagonists.

Chapter 1 – The Phone Call

It was just another routine Thursday at work. Scott had just returned to his office after lunch and was consulting his afternoon schedule when his cell phone rang. The call was from a cell number he didn't recognize, he hesitated for a second but decided to answer anyway. He was mildly surprised when he heard Carla's voice greeting him. After the usual civilities, and sensing her hesitation, he asked her to what he owed the pleasure of her call.

"I need to talk to you, it's really urgent," she said. Scott now also sensed the tension in her voice.

"Yes, of course, what is it about?" He answered half curious half surprised.

"It's not something I want to discuss over the phone, can we meet?"

"Yes, eh, sure! When and where?" he distractedly agreed to her request. This is very unusual, not to say weird, he was thinking.

"Can you meet me this evening at my boutique in Bayside, around eight? I will be closing around that time and we won't be disturbed."

"Of course. I'll see you then. Can you give me an idea what this is about?" He was curious and surprised by her call, but now he was also a bit apprehensive.

"I would rather discuss it with you face to face."

Scott felt that he wasn't going to get any further information out of this conversation, so he gently said goodbye to Carla and ended the call. He had a meeting due to start in a few minutes anyway and, although the call was unusual and intriguing, he had other business issues on his mind and thought he could wait a few hours to find out what this was all about.

Carla and her husband Don Weldon are part of Scott and his wife Mary's wider circle of friends. Not close friends but the sort of casual friends they saw from time to time and have dinner with. Carla never called his cell before and he simply never called her. In fact, he didn't even have her cell number. The only number in his contacts directory was the Weldon home number. Usually Carla, and mostly Don, would call them at home and speak to Mary.

Mary had called Scott earlier in the day and told him that she will be spending the afternoon with her friend Fiona, she will be staying over for dinner at her place. She was taking their young son Dean with her. A thought crossed Scott's mind on his way to his meeting; maybe Carla tried calling Mary at home but since she couldn't get her she decided to call him. He dismissed that thought immediately, that call sounded very personal.

Scott worked in his office until a little past seven, then collected whatever documents he needed to review that night and put them in his briefcase, he put his suit jacket on, closed his office door, and headed to the parking lot for his drive to Bayside. Scott's office was in Fountainebleau, near Miami's airport, and he lived with his small family in Key Biscayne.

A while back, on one of their frequent visits to Bayside Marketplace, Mary had pointed out Carla's trendy female fashion shop to Scott. Occasionally, when the shop wasn't very busy, they would go in and say hello to Carla or they would simply wave at her if she was with a client. Stopping by her shop wasn't a big hassle for Scott, it was on his way home anyway, almost.

Chapter 2 – Back In Time

The tag on his office door read 'Scott M. Johnson - Chief Operating Officer'. He was 46 years old, 6 feet something tall, fairly fit at around 190 pounds. To most people, he was a pretty average looking man with slightly graying hair and friendly facial features that inspired trust and indicated an open and friendly personality. His life up to that point was a simple one; despite his demanding professional duties and extensive travel, his life was as ordinary as one's life could be.

Scott was born in the mid 1960s on one of those small islands in the English Channel that some referred to as 'Tax Havens'. He had a normal childhood with loving parents, both professionals and practicing Roman Catholics, a heritage of the Norman era. His parents were not rich by any means, they were just well off then. They were from times gone by where credit didn't exist and where people saved for a rainy day. His family was what people conventionally referred to as an upper middle class family. He noticed early on in his life that humankind had that chronic habit, throughout the ages, of categorizing other people in small meaningless boxes, their social class being one of them. He was brought up to respect everyone, regardless of their race, religion, wealth or social status.

He attended high school, then went to college in London where he graduated with an engineering degree. His first job experience was in Reading, west of London, during which he completed a Master of Science degree on a part time basis.

Two years later he was headhunted and ended up accepting an offer from a multinational company based in London that seemed more promising financially and provided better career perspectives. He was a fast riser. His talent and dedication were noticed by all around him. Four years later, no one was surprised when he was assigned to the company's new North American headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. He was to assist the COO with a new major international project and coordinate their activities with corporate headquarters in London. A year later, he was offered the deputy COO position when the previous title holder accepted a much more lucrative offer with another company based in the Middle East.

From the day he graduated from engineering school and started his professional career Scott was earning good money. He always earned enough, even more than enough, to offer himself, and his family had he had one, a very comfortable life. The comfort was good in the early days and kept improving as his career advanced and his income increased. He indulged in a few luxuries from time to time, but not many. His major indulgence was sport cars.

Scott dated occasionally, had a couple of serious relationships that could have ended up in marriage, one in England and one in California, but for some reason or another they didn't. No one around him understood why a 30 years old man was still single. He had a good job with great career perspectives, some great friends and a busy social life, but no one to share his life with.

* * *

Mary, nee Mary Clery, saw the light of day and grew up in Oakland, California, where her father was a construction worker and her mother was a receptionist in a local corporation. She lived with her parents, four brothers, and a sister in a small four bedrooms townhouse where everything had to be shared. Mary got by and graduated from high school but didn't go to college; her parents couldn't afford it, and she didn't work hard for it either. She knew she had to find a job but wasn't really looking forward to working either. She simply wasn't motivated. The idea of being like her mother, locked in an office for eight hours a day, abhorred her.

Mary had two aspirations. She had what she thought was an artistic nature and an inner ability to relate to the art forms she wanted to explore. She was hoping to become one day a recognized, even celebrated, artist. Mary also wanted her own home, a nice place to look after and make it a showcase of her artistic creation. She definitely wanted to get out of her neighborhood and her dreary suburban life. Mary always felt she didn't and shouldn't belong there. She loved her parents and brothers and sister, but not their lifestyle. Reading all those people magazines and watching all those celebrities, rich and famous, on TV led her to believe that she had the talent and the will to become one of them one day. She just had to find a way to move on.

Then came Martin. He was a high school friend of one of Mary's older brothers. They remained friends when their paths separated after graduation, her brother working with their father in construction and Martin heading to college.

She met Martin again during that summer following her graduation. Her brother invited Martin home one day and he spent the evening looking at her, his eyes following her every move. Martin had just returned home from college after obtaining his degree in business administration and finance, graduating summa cum laude. It was hard to tell who was more eager to start the relationship. Mary felt that Martin was her opportunity to make her dreams a reality. He was awed by her beauty and happy nature. They stared dating and Mary enthusiastically shared her dreams with Martin.

Martin had just started a job in a local bank when Mary told him for the nth time that she wasn't looking forward to finding a job and wanted to explore her artistic potential. Her parents were pressuring her into getting a job in the meantime. Martin saw there an opportunity and proposed to Mary. She wouldn't have to work, she could focus on her new home and explore her artistic talent. Mary couldn't believe her luck and accepted immediately. This was the opportunity she needed, the way to move on. Within five months they were married. Her family thought she married well and Mary's dreams were about to become a reality, even if their new home was two bedrooms apartment in a somewhat nicer part of town.

Over time, Martin got promoted and became a bank branch manager which helped a great deal financially. They were able to buy a nice house in an even nicer part of town. With Martin's position, getting the loan they needed was no problem at all. Mary didn't work; she never even tried. She dabbled in various artistic experiences but none actually went the way she wanted. She felt she would never be the artist she was hoping to be and became somewhat disillusioned. After nearly eight years together, and for whatever reason, Mary and Martin divorced. Fortunately, or unfortunately as some may think, they didn't have any children.

* * *

Then when Scott met Mary. It was at a Chinese New Year party held at one of his friends' house. In fact they met two weeks before Mary's divorce became final. There was nothing spectacular about their ensuing relationship. First, they enjoyed each other's company, then started dating and eventually fell deeply in love with one another.

Mary was staying with her sister when she met Scott at that party. Dating him gave her new hope; somewhere she was happy to move from one relationship to another without having to worry much about life.

Mary moved in with Scott the following summer, and they married the following February, a year after they first met. It was a simple wedding with Mary's family, Scott's family who flew in from England for the occasion, and some very close friends.

When they first were together, Scott felt strong and deep emotions he never felt before. He was deeply in love with Mary, feeling peaceful and happy, content actually, and ready to start that family he had been thinking about. Mary would be his life partner. What he liked about her was her happy and good nature, her simplicity, the fun conversations they had, the cozy life they enjoyed, and of course her good looks.

Mary was now a beautiful 43 years young woman, 5'4", brunette, with hair length, and sometimes shades or color, that varied depending on her moods or what she considered in fashion at the time. She had the body of a woman half her age. She was one of those lucky women that could eat and drink anything and never have it alter her shapely silhouette. Even pregnancy and childbirth didn't alter it for more than a few months. The resemblance with the actress Rachel McAdams was striking and she was frequently made aware of that.

* * *

Scott never knew the specifics of Mary's divorce. In fact he never preyed into her past life. All he knew was what Mary cared to tell him; she and Martin just grew apart over time and although there was a certain affection between them, there was no love left. Martin had become distant, busy with his job. She suspected even that he was involved with someone. They were practically leading separate lives. Mary thought the best way for them was to separate before their life became untenable.

When Mary told Scott that she would prefer to stay at home and look after him and their home he didn't object. Scott understood that Mary was not a career person, not even motivated by professional work. She preferred to be at home, look after her house, explore her artistic penchant, have an active social life, and of course take care of her future family. In a way, Scott was very happy with her decision considering that any money she would have earned with her limited qualifications would have eroded to almost nothing once they considered the additional income tax they would have to pay and the expenses she would incur anyway. They could afford a maid to help with the house chores but Mary objected vehemently. The cleaning was very important for Mary because she occasionally suffered from allergies and the house had to be kept allergen-free. She seemed to thrive on all the cleaning, shopping, laundry, cooking, and all the other things that people do to keep a house, a very nice house at that, the way Mary liked them.

Scott didn't think any less of Mary. Quite the opposite actually. He was bored with all those career women he had dated. Some of which considered other people as a stepping stone, maybe even a necessary fuck, towards the advancement of their own career while others simply showed distinct signs that they would put their personal career before their family. Both his and Mary's families had traditional values and respected a well kept home. Both their mothers worked, in fact Scott's mother was a career woman, but both mothers had put their families' happiness and well being before any professional interest or considerations. The fact that Mary didn't work meant that she was able to take care of their household during the day and they could have all the time they wanted to enjoy their evenings and weekends together, occasionally with friends, or simply relax and enjoy each other's company.

Interestingly, after they married, Mary offered assistance to a friend here and a friend there that lasted a few days or weeks and for which she seldom got paid. She helped a friend who owned an antique shop redecorate the shop, she helped another friend with administrative work and preparation for an art exhibition. These were indeed very rare occasions; all in all, Mary 'worked' three times since she met and married Scott, and only once did that work extend beyond a week. Each time Scott hoped that Mary would find something interesting she could get involved with on a regular basis, but that didn't happen.

On a few occasions, when Scott invited work colleagues over for dinner or when they met them at business functions and parties, and particularly when work or business topics were discussed, which was unavoidable at times, he heard Mary tell his friends or their spouses that she is the dumb one in the couple. A few times, as they were driving back home, she told him how intimidated she was by the intellectual abilities of his friends and work colleagues. The first couple of times Scott dismissed it and joked about his friends' desperate attempts to look good and impress Mary. When it happened a few more times he addressed the matter openly and seriously with Mary. He told her that she is far from being dumb and that she had immense qualities and talents that she could put to good use if she felt that was important to her and to her self-esteem. He even suggested, several times, that she considers studying and pursuing a college education or working part-time, even supporting some local charities, but she systematically refused. He suggested she develops some of her interests and hobbies like painting and sculpting which she attempted from time to time with pretty good results for a beginner, he thought. Mary enrolled in a couple of workshops and 'ateliers' but dropped out after a few weeks.

Five years into their marriage they had it all, or almost all. They were in love and enjoyed thoroughly their friendship as well as their intimate relations. In fact their intimate life was excellent, alternating between tender love making and raw passionate sex, depending on their moods and needs. They had a busy social life and traveled together frequently. Scott had a great job, he had been promoted to COO when his former boss took an early retirement. They were well settled in their beautiful home, they were financially comfortable, they had four cars, Scott's company car and Mary's personal car, in addition to Scott's two pet cars, a Jaguar and a Mustang, and life was absolutely great.

Two things nagged Scott though.

He knew that Mary had plenty of spare time during the day; they were not a high maintenance couple. In the early days of their marriage, after they moved from Scott's apartment to a house in Redwood City, Mary was focused on supervising some painting and repair work, buying things for the house, decorating it, setting up her kitchen, and looking after the plants in their small garden. In simple words, giving their home the woman's touch it desperately needed. Scott was ecstatic with the way their home looked now. Mary's interest in artistic circles took a new turn and she would spend time visiting galleries and exhibitions and buying various works of art for the house, and even one amazing painting for Scott's office. But all that had changed recently. Mary's life now revolved around getting up late, having a long breakfast watching some TV, occasionally catching up with a friend or going shopping or, when the weather allowed, heading to the beach and sitting there for hours suntanning and reading a book or her favorite magazines. She would come home late afternoon and start preparing dinner. Although not a great chef, Mary was a good cook and always made sure they had nice meals and great deserts, her specialty. The thought that Mary may be bored during the day worried Scott.

There was also one thing missing in their life; children. When they married Mary was on the pill, they wanted to enjoy each other's company before expanding their family. But time went by, Mary being in her mid thirties and her body clock ticking, they couldn't postpone this any longer. Scott also wanted to enjoy their children before getting too old.

Scott saw an opportunity to address both concerns.

They were on vacation in Hawaii when Scott brought the subject up. They were both thrilled by the prospect of having a child and growing their family. Mary stopped taking the pill and one year later their son Dean was born.

When Mary became pregnant, she had the most wonderful pregnancy one could hope for. Mary's gynecologist told them that they were expecting a boy as soon as the ultrasound scan allowed the doctor to detect the gender. Mary never had morning sickness or felt uncomfortable with her weight; people could hardly tell she was pregnant till the sixth month. She was happy all the time and Scott was as happy as she was. It was probably the happiest time of their life so far. When the day came, Scott drove Mary to the clinic and attended the delivery. He actually took some photos and held her hand throughout labor. Dean was one beautiful and healthy 7.3 pounds baby.