Stuff

I'd like to thank Wolf Vixen for all her feedback in hopefully making this story more than meaningful to a lot of readers out there. I'd love to say this is a true story, but it's just something I thought was worth telling. So relax with a cool one and read on.

Oh by the way, there is no sex in this story, sorry, maybe next time.

Stuff

Stuff, that's all we have left of our marriage. She has her stuff, I have mine and together with our son Andy, we have even more. We both have high paying jobs, but spend everything we make and then some. It doesn't make much sense to do what we're doing, but that's all that's holding our marriage together now.

You see if we were ever to get divorced we'd lose almost everything. Neither one of us makes enough to afford the payments on the house and lake cabin on their own, so they would both have to be sold. We are also maxed out on everything else and all the vehicles and toys would be history. So we stay together out of necessity.

We don't have much of a marriage left any more I'm sorry to say. To piss her off, last year I made sure I took my vacation when Tammy was working and she in turn did the same to me. Just like two kids taking pot shots at each other.

You see we had a major blow up two years ago. I lost a lot of money in a bad investment, money that was supposed to pay for our European cruise. All our friends were going and without that money there was no way we could afford to go.

"Roger, I can't believe you invested that money without checking with me. You know it was spoken for, how could you do it?" Tammy asked as she paced back and forth. "We're going to be the only ones not there. What am I going to say when they ask me why we're not going? That my stupid husband lost our cruise money on one of his hair brained investments. We're going to be the laughing stock of the neighborhood."

"Tammy, you talk like I did it on purpose. I'm sorry, ok? I screwed up and I should have checked with you, but it seemed like such a sure fire investment and they needed an answer by the end of the week and I got took."

"We got took," Tammy, corrected me.

"Well, the three of us can still go up to the cabin and have some fun. And, there'll always be another cruise," I told her.

Well she didn't take it well and a week later bought five new pairs of shoes, just to show me know how unhappy she was. That was the start of our decline.

We lived in a six bedroom, five bath house with a spa, sauna and a pool. We each have new cars, a motorcycle, a cute sports car, a boat and a few other such items. I think you get the picture. My bride is about 5'3", brown hair; hazel eyes and has a killer body. She goes to the gym/spa three times a week and does spinning the other two nights.

I, on the other hand am a runner, I'm 5'10" tall and a rock solid 175 pounds. I run four days a week and go with Tammy to spinning on Thursday nights. We stay fit because we're always going somewhere or doing something.

Andy goes to a private school that costs us over $15,000.00 a year. You see, every child in our neighborhood goes to Trinity Academy, so Tammy had to send Andy to keep up with the neighbors. We sound like a bunch of social climbing idiots and we are, but won't admit it to ourselves. So we just spend, spend and spend.

Our sex life is almost nonexistent because when Tammy gets mad, she cuts me off. I don't remember when it first started, but about nine months ago, after a bitter argument, she told me it would be a cold day in hell before she had sex with me again.

You'll notice I said sex, because I can't remember the last time we made love. I think it was just before our failed cruise but it's been so long, I can't remember any more. So we do it only when she feels the need or to reward me for doing something she likes. Something like throwing the dog a fucking bone.

When we first got married we use to spend our weekends in bed, but life or should I say stuff got in the way. For a while, when we first got married we even worked two jobs, just so we afford more stuff.

Tuesday night I wanted to fool around. Andy was in bed, there wasn't anything going on and for once Tammy didn't have her nose stuck in some damn book.

"You in the mood for a little fun?" I asked. "I've got a bottle of massage oil that hasn't been used in an awful long time and a body that's crying out for some attention," I told her as I tossed the bottle of oil on the bed and took off my shirt. I pulled her into my arms and started to kiss her and play a little tongue tag. I was removing her nightshirt when her cell phone rang.

"Let it ring, don't answer it," I yelled but I was too late. She picked it up and started talking. The conversation went on for the next forty-five minutes. I got bored, washed up, turned off my night table light and went to sleep. The mood was broken.

"I'm off," she announced to me.

"Maybe tomorrow, I'm not in the mood any longer," I told her as I was about half asleep.

"Well, I won't be home Wednesday and Thursday until late so if you want any sex I'm here, available right now," she told me.

There was no passion or emotion in her voice. She didn't come over to my side of the bed and wake me with a kiss or cuddle with me to get me in the mood again. It was like here I am, if you don't use me tonight, who knows when you're going to get another shot at me.

"I think I'll pass," I told her.

Tammy, however, didn't take my rejection well, not well at all.

"What do you mean you'll pass on it tonight. Do you know how long it's been since we've made love?" she asked.

"Made love or had sex, which, one or both?" I asked kind of being a smart ass but trying to make a point. Sitting up in bed I asked, "why in the hell did you have to answer the phone? Was that phone call more important than me?" I asked.

"I couldn't let it just ring could I?" she replied in an indignant tone.

"Yes you could have. If it had been my phone, I would have just put it in my night table. It all comes down to your priorities and tonight, I feel you made the wrong choice," I told her. "So you killed the mood and I'm going to sleep."

"Fine, just fine," Tammy replied. "It's going to be a long time before you get a whiff of this pussy again," she yelled at me.

"Tammy, fuck you. You can take that damn pussy of yours and shove it up your ass for all I care. I've had it up to here," I motioned to the top of my head. "I'm tired of playing your stupid ass games. Right now I don't care if I ever see your hairy cunt again. As much as I've seen it in the last year I probably wouldn't recognize it anyway. So sweet heart, I'm done begging. You might as well get yourself a God damn lover because from now on I don't give a shit who you give it to, I'm done," I said as I walked out of the bedroom and into the guest room and locked the door.

"Roger Taylor you get your ass out here right now," she screamed through the door, but I ignored her that night and for the next two weeks.

Life became tense around our humble abode. We didn't talk to one another unless we had to and when we did it was to trade insults. I moved completely out of our bedroom one day when she was at work, which started another huge fight.

"I just might take a lover," she told me sarcastically one night. "You never really got the job done anyway," she snipped at me.

"Who'd want a middle age prude with a fat ass anyway," was my response.

We then took it up a notch and didn't stop until we'd woken up our son.

"See what you did?" she shouted at me.

"Me? It was your idiotic ramblings that woke Andy," I said turning around walking towards my new bedroom.

"That's right walk away like the coward you are. I hope your palm doesn't get too sore because that's the only action you're going to see," she said with a smug smile on her face.

"You want to bet?" I said to her just as I shut my door.

Tammy had friends that worked with me so I knew if I started doing anything, it would get back to her. Sue was a cute red head with a killer body that worked in accounting. I told her I had a huge favor to ask of her.

"It's not illegal is it?" she asked.

"No, not at all. All I want you to do is have lunch with me every day, my treat," I told her.

"And the reason behind this is?" Sue asked.

"My wife and I are having a little tiff and she told me no one would be interested in me. So, if you have lunch with me all her friends here will let her know and hopefully she'll see I'm not the total dork she thinks I am."

"Just lunch? There's no way I'm not going to sleep with you, I hope you understand that," she said in no uncertain terms.

"Lunch is all I'm asking for. Is it a deal?"

"It's a deal for me. Just how long do you think it'll take?"

"Probably a week, two at the most," I told her.

"At least I'm going to save some money and just to let you know I'm easy just not cheap," she said with a laugh.

So my little charade started the next day. It only took three days for word to get back to Tammy. She confronted me the following day.

"Who is Sue, and what the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked in an angry tone.

"She's just someone I work with and I'm not doing anything with her," I replied. "Why do you care anyway? I've been cut off so long, your holes probably closed up by now anyway," I told her as we traded barbs.

"If I find your cheating on me, I'll cut the son of a bitch off," she yelled as she turned around and went into her bedroom.

"Yes," I said pumping my fist. "That's one for me."

When I took Sue out of the office for lunch two days in a row and came back late, Tammy had a fit.

"You taking your whore out for a quickie at lunch now?" she said accusing me.

"We went to Tony's, you want to see the receipt?" I said as I dug it out of my wallet.

"I don't believe a word you say any longer," she shot back at me.

"What else is new?" I replied and started to walk away.

"Don't you walk away from me when I'm speaking to you," she yelled at me.

"I wouldn't if it was my loving wife talking to me but not the shrew you've become. What happened Tammy? When did we lose what we once had? I'm sorry to say, but our marriage is all but over. I can't live with a damn roommate any longer. I need a wife and if you don't want the job, I'll find someone who does." Now I walked away from a quiet and dumbstruck wife.

The following morning Tammy texted me to say she was going to be late and not to wait up for her. She added a few other ugly comments but the jest of it was she could do whatever she wanted to do.

About 11:15 I heard a text message come into my phone.

"I'm so angry with you right now I can't see straight," her message read. The next one read that two could play the cheating game and Tim doesn't think I have a fat ass," she ended with.

"I was going to send back something really ugly but thought why go down to her level. I went to sleep. The house phone rang at 5:15 am.

"Mr. Roger Taylor?" the man asked. "Is your wife Tammy Taylor?"

"Yes, do you want to talk to her? I can go upstairs and wake her if it's an emergency," I told him.

"Your wife is home?" he asked.

"Yes, she's sleeping in her room."

"Sir, if you don't mind, can you please verify that for me?" he asked.

I was getting a little concerned at this point. "What's this in regards to," I asked.

"Sir if you don't mind, can you confirm your wife is with you at home."

"I went to her room and it was empty. She never came home last night. I raced down stairs and got back on the phone.

"She's not there, what is going on? Where is my wife?"

I dropped the phone, and just stood there. I could hear someone saying something on the phone that was now lying on the kitchen floor. I finally cleared my head enough to pick it up.

"How, when, where and I'll be right down," I told the policeman. I dropped Andy off at my parents, told them that there had been an accident and I'd get back to them later, but not to say a word to Andy.

Mercy Hospital was almost a half hour drive from my parent's house and how I made it there without getting into an accident I'll never know. I called my boss and gave him a brief explanation and said I wouldn't be in today or Friday. They told me to take all the time I needed.

The emergency room was chaotic and it took me almost twenty minutes before I found out what happened. Tammy and another man were in a serious accident. They'd both been drinking and had hit another vehicle head on. The man driving wasn't wearing his seat belt, went through the windshield and died at the scene. Thank God Tammy was wearing her seat belt. However, because of the extensive damage to the car she had to be cut from the passenger's side. The other vehicle, a ¾ ton Chevy truck was totaled but the two passengers had only a few scratches.

"Mr. Taylor, Tammy has some life threatening injuries and is in surgery right now. There's no easy way to tell you, other than to say your wife sustained a lot of injuries and will need multiple surgeries down the road to repair the damage. Our immediate concern is to repair the internal damage and stabilize her. We should have more information in about five to six hours. Please leave a number where you can be reached with the nurse's station."

"I'm not going anywhere," I told him but I did give the nurse my cell and home number.

Seven damn hours I waited before the doctor came out to see me.

Mr. Taylor you wife came through the surgery and will be in intensive care for a while, but she out of danger.

"Thank God," I said as I felt a weight had been lifted off my chest.

He then went on to tell me the full extent of her injuries, which was a long list.

The seat belt and air bag saved her life, but with the dashboard and lower part of the car being pushed into her she's luckily to be alive.

"When can I see her?" I asked.

"You can see her in a couple of hours but she won't be coherent until probably tomorrow morning. My suggestion is for you to go home, get some sleep and come back later. I just want to warn you, there is a lot of facial damage and we had to remove half her right foot. She's going to be medicated and probably be in a bit of a shock when she wakes up. Mr. Taylor, it's going to be a long recovery I want to prepare you for that. If you need anything here is my direct line," he said handing me a card.

I thanked him and left for my parents. My dad had called Tammy's parents and everyone was there waiting for me. I told them what the doctor had said and finally melted into the seat from sheer exhaustion.

Both husbands had a hard time controlling their wives who wanted to immediately rush to the hospital. I told them to wait for a day or two so Tammy would have time to adjust to her condition. At that point Andy came in and asked what was going on.

"Sport, mom was in an accident yesterday and is in the hospital. She going to be ok but it's going to be awhile before she can come home," I told him as upbeat as I could.

"Can I see her?"

"Maybe this weekend when she's feeling a little better," I said giving him a big hug. "Don't worry, it's all going to be alright."

I packed Andy up and told the parents I was going to grab a little shuteye and would call them both later.

"Mom, if you don't mind, I'll drop Andy off before I go to the hospital," I told her as I left.

I showered, shaved and lay in bed for the better part of two hours before I fell asleep. My mind was going a mile a minute but thankfully my tired body gave in. Four hours wasn't enough, but it would have to do for now.

I hate hospitals. They smell funny and are depressing as hell. I walk by room after room until I hit #331, Tammy's room. Her parents have already sent flowers and when I contacted her work and told them what had happened, they said they were sending a bouquet to cheer her up. Hell, the only thing that would cheer me up if I were in here would be to get the hell out.

I took a deep breath and walked in not knowing what I'd find. It wasn't as bad as I thought, it was worse. Half her face was bandaged. I knew she has a broken nose but her face still looked puffy. Her entire right leg was in a cast along with her right forearm. She was still asleep or out of it, so I just pulled up a chair and sat down.

A couple of times she made a few noises and I tough she was coming around but she never opened her eyes. About 2:00 she moved and opened her eyes.

"Hi babes," I said smiling at her. "How are you feeling?"

I could see her eyes looking around, I watched as she moved her arms and tried to move her right leg before looking back at me.

"You were in an accident but you're going to be just fine." I told her. "Are you in any pain? Do you want a drink of water?" I asked.

"Tim?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry, he didn't make it," I told her as I saw a tear in her eye.

"But you're fine, and will be back on your feet in no time," I said trying to sound optimistic.

"Some water please," she said now looking at me again.

I held the cup and put the straw in her mouth and watched her drink a little and then wet her lips.

"What day is it?"

"Friday," I replied.

"Andy?" she asked wide eyed.

"With my parents. I told him as soon as you were a little bit better I'd bring him to see you," I told her as I held her hand.

She was looking at me when her eyes blinked a couple of times and then closed, she was back in la la land. They told me the best medicine was sleep right now especially because of all the pain medication she was on. I sat there Saturday all day and night before going home about 10:00.

Sunday I brought Andy. Her parents were already there and it looked like she was more lucid and awake. They only stayed for a short while after we came in the room.

Andy hugged his mom and told her how much he missed her. She talked a little and told him to make sure he didn't give me a hard time. I just sat there holding her hand the entire time. After about an hour I told Tammy I was going to take Andy home.

"Are you coming back?" she asked.

I smiled and said I'd be back before she knew it. I kissed her on the forehead and Andy gave her a baby hug and we left.

"Mom looks bad," he said when we were in the car. "How long is she going to have to be there dad?"

"Don't know, but for awhile anyway. I just need you to help me out and don't give your grandparents too hard of a time. Ok?" I asked.

"I'll be good I promise." And he was.

I spent Sunday and Monday all day at the hospital. The doctor came in twice a day to check on her and we talked about her treatment going forward. He gave me the name of a few plastic surgeons and a physical therapist associated with the hospital.

We set up a plan and scheduled her next surgery, on her leg, for in about six to eight weeks from now.

"Her nose is healing nicely but being a woman, she'll probably want it redone somewhere down the line. She's also going to have some rather large scars on the right side of her face but a good surgeon can do wonders," he told me as Tammy looked on.

"Roger, how bad do I look?" she asked.

"A little swelling but not too bad hon," I told her.

"Liar, hand me my makeup mirror, I want to see for myself," she told me.

I relented and handed her the small mirror. She looked at both sides and raised the hair off her face. Her hands fell to the bed as the tears started to drip down the sides of her face.

"I'm hideous," she sobbed.

"No you're not," I told her. "And all this can be fixed. Damn it Tammy, you're alive and that's all that matters I said still holding her hand. Now enough of that type of talk, Andy will be here shortly and you don't want him to see you like this do you?"

"I guess not, but I'm so ugly now," she said as the tears started again.