Revelation Blues

Chapter 11 -- Away From Home

Scott got up early Thursday morning, he wanted to say goodbye to Dean before they head off, Scott to the airport and Dean to school.

Mary was also up. Usually, she would drive Scott to the airport but she knew that this morning he had made different arrangements. She was conflicted between two feelings. She was happy Scott was going away for a few days; the distance would help alleviate the tension between them and gradually, with time, they will get back to where they were before 'bitch Carla' upset their life. She also had an uneasy feeling about this trip; this was the first time Scott was going away while a serious unresolved issue was hovering threateningly above their heads.

The taxi picked Scott up at the convened time and headed towards the Miami airport. Sitting in the back of the cab, Scott thought about last night's findings and wondered what would happen while he was away. He had thought about hiring a detective or installing recording and tracking devices, as some people he knew had done, but he didn't think that would achieve much. He already knew that Mary had affairs, yes, he was absolutely certain of the plural now. No detective or recording device could help with what happened. He had all the proof he needed. What Mary would do while he was away didn't matter much at this stage. He thought that common sense would lead her to distance herself from Don, but then common sense didn't seem to be the driving factor behind Mary's behavior. He hadn't shared his discoveries with Mary and he knew that her habit of noting down everything in her diary will give him the clues he needed.

He was still gathering data and sifting through papers and he knew that, eventually, he will be able to draw an accurate picture of what actually happened. He knew that the biggest issue was yet to be addressed; his future with Mary, or not.

The flight to San Francisco was uneventful. Scott's colleagues tried to engage him in various conversations but he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He remembered their last family trip to San Francisco. It was for the Christmas holidays. Scott remembered something about that trip that bothered him at the time. Mary's behavior seemed odd.

Scott had taken a couple of weeks vacation in anticipation of the annual trip with Mary and Dean to California. This was some kind of a tradition. Christmas holidays with her parents and summer vacation with his parents. He recalled that this was the first time he felt that Mary was reluctant to go, she even tried to talk him into staying in Florida. He was surprised at the time and he told her that it was up to her to sort things out with her parents and siblings if they didn't go. Mary relented eventually, actually she caved to family pressure, her parents were so keen on seeing them, and particularly their grandson. She must have felt their disappointment when she told them they weren't planning on coming but finally gave in, unable to offer a credible explanation for her reluctance to go. Being with family and friends and having a good time was also marred by Mary's attitude. He couldn't recall seeing Mary as tense and as restless as she had been during those two weeks. Even Mary's family had noticed it. He recalled that this was the first time he saw Mary use a cell phone on two occasions, albeit being her sister's phone. She told him that she called Fiona and Don and Carla to wish them a Merry Christmas then an Happy New Year. He vividly recalled how happy she seemed to be on their way back home.

With what he knew now Scott could conclude two things that would explain Mary's behavior. The first was that her affair with Don had already started and she didn't want to be away. The second was that this was not only sex, Mary was emotionally attached to Don, maybe even in love with him. Scott felt a wave of sadness engulf him, this to him was the worse form of cheating.

Scott and his travel companions headed to their Sunnyvale office as soon as they collected their luggage and spent the afternoon meeting with their local colleagues, going over the material they had prepared. After the meeting, Scott managed to use the executive facilities to freshen up and change into casual clothes in preparation for the long flight ahead. The next leg of their flight was not one he was looking forward to. Although his ticket and his flight said American Airlines, the plane and the crew would be Chinese, they had that code sharing agreement with Cathay Pacific. Nothing was the way it was supposed to be, he thought. The flight departed at 01:10am from San Francisco to Hong Kong then they had to change to a Cathay Pacific flight to Kuala Lumpur, a total of over 20 hours, if all went well.

He sighed, remembering the number of times he came close to strangling Fiona and Don when they used to tell him how lucky he was and how much fun he had traveling the world.

They joined their local colleagues for an early working dinner at a nearby restaurant, then had a drink at the bar while waiting for the shuttle that would drive them to the airport. Fortunately, check in and even the security checks didn't take long and they had time to visit American's Admiral Club lounge before heading to the gate and boarding their flight.

Scott sat in a quite corner of the lounge and pulled out his laptop. The TV was switched on to a news channel, a reporter was developing a news item and speculating about the impending divorce of some celebrity. Scott's thoughts wandered for a while, trying to focus on something that seemed to be evading him, then his mind focused on Mary's divorce papers. He stopped what he was doing and looked for his secure flash drive.

Browsing Mary's divorce documents didn't tell him a great deal. The divorce was initiated by Martin, that much was evident. The petition was based on 'irreconcilable differences', but then that didn't mean much these days. Scott would probably opt for 'incurable insanity' if he could, that would best describe Mary's behavior and attitude towards their marriage. There was a split of assets and an alimony paid to Mary, which Scott knew had stopped once they married. The house was obviously sold as part of the settlement, that's why Mary was staying with her sister when he met her.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Scott's mind. He wanted to know more about the circumstances of Mary's divorce and there weren't many ways to find out. He couldn't ask her, her family, or her friends. She told him all she wanted to say and her family and friends would find his questions odd to say the least at this stage, not to mention that they probably didn't know more than he did. The only way he seriously considered was unconventional and probably a bit bold but it was the only way to get the facts quickly and discreetly.

Scott did a quick search on the Internet, two sites confirmed what he was looking for. He wrote down a phone number. He then switched off his laptop, removed the flash drive, packed both and was ready to join his colleagues as they headed to the departure gate.

Chapter 12 -- Recollections

Scott settled in his business class seat for the 13 hours flight to Hong Kong. His body needed sleep, that was his priority now and the first thing he did after indicating that he didn't want to be disturbed, offered drinks or meals, or woken up by a hostess to be asked if everything was OK. The Chinese crew was friendly and competent but sometimes they overdid it. His sleep was as good as one would hope in such circumstances, he was tired and hadn't slept much in the last few days, his body just claimed its dues. When he woke up six hours later his neighbor was still asleep. He was sitting next to the CFO. He thought about switching his laptop and going over the other documents he found the previous night, but he dismissed the idea. His privacy was limited, his neighbor would wake up soon anyway and he didn't want him to see what he was doing. He plugged his headset in the seat socket and pretended to be watching a movie but his mind was well and truly somewhere else.

Scott remembered the second time Don and Carla came over for a drink and invited them, again, to the spa in Miami Beach. It was in the latter part of August last year. He recalled that the invitation was made by Don, Carla seemed somewhat reluctant, indifferent at best. Mary demonstrated the same enthusiasm as the previous time in accepting the invitation. Scott recalled the Don's frozen face when he said that he would join them this time. Mary had obviously omitted to tell them that Dean was invited to a birthday party that afternoon with a range of activities and entertainment followed by a sleep over. Scott wondered now if Don would have made the invitation had he known that fact.

At the spa, they spent some time in the hydrotherapy pool but Don started to hint that they should move to the spa. They finally gave in and headed to the spa area, again Don insisted they try the small spa, not the big one. 'Much more efficient' he claimed. Again they relented and followed him, well that is Carla and Scott relented, Mary was following him the way a small puppy would follow its master, Scott remembered. He snickered at the thought that the tail wagging was probably done by the master in this instance. The spa was square shaped and seated eight people, two on each side. One couple was already enjoying the warm bubbles.

Mary went in first and sat at the opposite side of the couple. Don almost rushed and sat next to her. Carla went in and sat at Don's right, then Scott sat at Mary's left. As they settled in, enjoying the bubbles and the steam, Scott exchanged a few civilities with the other couple. When he turned towards his party, he noticed the position of Don's left arm. The bubbles hid their bodies below chest level, but Don's arm was obviously on an angle that, if extended, would put his left hand right on Mary's thigh. Scott recalled looking at Mary and noticing that she was distractedly staring at the water. Scott nudged her but noticed that she made no attempt at removing Don's hand. Scott then looked at Don and asked him if he was having a good time. Don, being Don, gave him an unnecessarily long and flourished response, but Scott noticed that his arm was now moving slowly and returned to what should have been its 'acceptable' position.

Scott recalled mentioning this to Mary later that evening, after the Weldon returned home. Mary just dismissed it adding that Scott was 'letting his imagination run wild', then in what seemed like an aggressive defense reflex she testily told him that he 'couldn't take his eyes away from Carla'. Scott was not happy with Mary's reaction but he didn't want to aggravate the situation for something he considered after all as trivial and very much typical of Don's bad manners.

With every new thought he had or element he collected, Scott could clearly detect Don's manipulative moves behind every invitation. However, Scott also knew that when it comes to attributing responsibility for what happened, Mary was as guilty as Don. She encouraged him, passively in the beginning, then actively, then she colluded with him if not took the initiative for the many things that happened later.

Scott snapped out of his thoughts for a few minutes and observed a Chinese business woman sitting on the other side of the isle, she was typing something on her laptop. Scott couldn't help noticing the ostentatious diamond ring she was wearing. He thought of the diamond ring he bought Mary for their fifteenth wedding anniversary last February.

Scott had to fly to London and Brussels for a few days before their wedding anniversary. He was invited to speak at a conference in Brussels dealing with technological challenges confronting industries and companies similar to his. He was having one of those unavoidable business dinners and networking with other executives when the conversation with the person sitting to his left on the dinner table took a different direction. He had known Simon professionally for many years and they met occasionally at conferences or technology events and some form of friendship developed between them. The conversation drifted away from professional matters and Scott found himself telling Simon that his and Mary's fifteenth wedding anniversary was this Thursday and that he was planning on spending some time during this trip to shop for a gift for Mary. Simon asked Scott what kind of gift he had in mind. Scott jokingly replied that if he had the opportunity he would have liked to visit Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world, and look for a diamond ring or a necklace. Simon laughed and tapped Scott's back. Scott knew that Simon happened to be Belgian and knew Antwerp pretty well, his father owned a very specialized diamond business in Antwerp that supplied some big name jewelers with custom made jewelry. Despite Scott's protestations, Simon insisted on driving Scott the next day to Antwerp. He told Scott that although his father wasn't a merchant, only a manufacturer, he could still help him with his quest and find him a beautiful ring for a fraction of the price he would normally have to pay in a big name jewelry. The next day they left the conference early and headed to Antwerp in Simon's car. After two hours visiting and chatting with Simon's father not only did Scott learn a great deal about diamonds and the diamonds business but he was also shown some of the most incredible jewelry he ever set his eyes on. A few items were made many years ago and for one reason or another never got delivered to the jewelers or the rich people who ordered them.

One item in particular attracted Scott's attention, it was a lovely vintage diamond ring, with a central diamond surrounded by a constellation of smaller diamonds and mounted on a white gold band. He was told that the ring was modeled many years ago after a Cartier design and was made to order for an outrageous amount to a wealthy buyer who ordered it. The buyer broke out with his girlfriend and never collected the ring despite paying a hefty deposit for it. It has been sitting in a safe for ages. Scott loved the ring and imagined it on Mary's finger, he imagined how thrilled she would be wearing it. The jeweler saw the look on Scott's face and smiled knowingly. He told Scott that he will make him a very special price if he was interested in that ring. He asked the jeweler about the band size and was more drawn to the ring when he found out that it was the right size for Mary's finger. An hour and several thousand dollars later, Scott was sitting next to Simon and his father in one of the nicest restaurants in Antwerp. He had invited them to dinner to thank them for their help finding that beautiful gift that was now in a small box in Scott's pocket.

* * *

Scott had never missed any of their wedding anniversaries and this one wasn't going to be an exception. He flew back home on Thursday, arrived mid afternoon, and started unpacking. He saw a small Victoria's Secret pink bag and tissue wrap laying near Mary's nightstand and a playful smile appeared on his face. He retrieved the small ring box and wrapped it with the tissue wrap and slid it in the small bag and tucked it in his jacket pocket. Mary wasn't home, she knew that Scott was planning on taking her out to dinner so she had organized for Dean to be staying that night with one of their neighbors. The neighbor whose son was at the same school was to pick up Dean at school, keep him that night, and drop him at school with her son the following morning.

Mary came home around 6pm. She told Scott that she was out with Fiona. She had time to shower and dress up for tonight's dinner. Scott had booked one of the nicest restaurants in Coconut Grove, famous for it's romantic atmosphere and great scenic waterfront views.

They had a wonderful meal and Scott told Mary a bit about his trip, omitting his visit to Antwerp. While they were waiting for their dessert, Scott retrieved the small bag from his pocket and put it in front of Mary and wished her a very happy wedding anniversary. She recognized the wrapping immediately and wondered what could Scott offer her from Victoria's Secret. She let out a small scream when she unwrapped the gift and opened the box. Several other patrons turned their head and looked at them then smiled. Mary put the ring on and found out that it fitted perfectly. She was accustomed to that from Scott. She then got up, he stood up, and they shared a long kiss that made patrons wonder whether Scott had just proposed. They were interrupted by the sound of the waiters bringing a special anniversary cake that Scott had ordered when he made the booking. Scott told Mary about his trip to Antwerp and buying the ring omitting of course any mention of its price or value. It would not have mattered to Mary anyway. That was another thing Scott liked about her, she liked gifts and having beautiful things for her or for their home, but she never asked for any gift or flaunted the financial value of things to friends or family. When they returned home, they made wonderful passionate love and Scott thought that life couldn't get any better.

That was where the nice part of the ring story ended.

Friday night they were invited by Don and Carla to a dinner party at their home. Mary had told Scott about the invitation when he called her from London on Tuesday, but somewhat it had slipped his mind. When she reminded him Friday morning he was about to ask her to call Carla and excuse themselves but he saw how excited she was about going and he didn't want to spoil the spirit of their wedding anniversary.

Don and Carla had invited a few of their friends over, Aldo and Wanda were there and so were Henry and Frances, and Bobby and Theresa. The evening started well and they were enjoying their main course and engaging in light conversation, that is until Don decided to make an asshole of himself, once again. Don wasn't drunk but not too far off. He started asking Scott about his trip, stupid questions really, whether one of the hostesses on the plane made him join the mile high club or whether he met some hot women when he was clubbing in London and Brussels. Scott was both accustomed to Don's stupid questions and not willing to spoil the evening by telling him off in his own house and in front of his wife and friends. He just smiled politely and told Don that he was truly lucky to live in a fantasy world, detached from the hassles and worries of the real world.

Mary noticed that Don was being stupid and that Scott was seething but holding his temper. She mentioned that yesterday was their wedding anniversary and showed everyone the ring and announced that Scott bought her a wonderful anniversary present from Belgium. Don found a new topic to make an even bigger asshole of himself, he held Mary's hand and looked at the ring then started making derogatory remarks about the ring's authenticity and questioning its value. Scott was really baffled, no one had made any comments about the value of the ring for the simple reason that no one knew, not even Mary. He had no idea why on earth was Don going there.

The other guests were clearly feeling uncomfortable, they reluctantly got involved in the discussion, trying to silence Don and dismiss his remarks. Then Don did something that really upset Scott, he suggested to Mary that they should go see a friend of his who was a jeweler and get the ring appraised adding that it was necessary anyway for the insurance. Scott was now thinking of a not so polite way of telling Don to mind his own business when Mary said that this was a really good idea. Scott looked at her intently, shaking his head, and wondering on whose side she was but she just smiled at him as if what she did was the right thing to do. He thought that Mary was probably just trying to defuse this ugly situation that was about to spoil their evening. Scott decided that the only way not to lose his temper and do something he would truly regret later was to just ignore the idiot and not say anything to him anymore.