This is a repost of a 2008 story that has been re-edited.
There is no sex in this story. Sorry.
***
I first met Jean at the diner where I had lunch every day. She was bright and cheerful and I looked forward to seeing her. Jean was a pretty girl and popular. She was the type of girl that I would not normally even think about dating. I was a large, though not fat, plain-looking, heavy equipment operator, and she was "Miss Personality". I never thought I would have a chance to date a girl like her, much less marry one. It was painful for me, trying to work up the nerve to ask her out. Rejection would crush me, even though I was used to it. Eventually, I did ask her out for a date and she accepted.
For several years, Jean had been going with a guy named Ray Cotton. It appeared that she and Ray were very close, but somewhere along the line, he lost interest in her and just disappeared. She was heartbroken for a long time and I was sort of picking her up on the rebound. I didn't know if that was good or bad. I didn't care since I was just happy with the way things worked out.
The dates we went on were very unexciting. I had no experience at all doing this sort of thing and was super careful not to make any mistakes that might ruin our relationship. Of course, I had never had sex with a girl or even done any serious petting, so I was clumsy as hell in that department. Eventually, with a lot of help from Jean, we did have sex. Everything I knew about it, I learned from Jean. I think I was a good student. I know I was enthusiastic. I was trying my best to meet any requirements that she might have in this arena. My only aim in life was to make her happy. It took me a long time to work up the courage to talk to her about marriage.
"Jean, would you consider, maybe, moving in with me or something like that?"
"John Simmons, are you asking me to shack up with you or marry you?"
"Whatever you feel comfortable with would be fine with me."
"Do you have a preference, John?"
"Well, yes. I'd like to have children and I think it would be better if we were married, but I don't want to rush you into anything."
"It's a big step, John. Can I have a few days to think about it?"
"Sure. I think you should take your time. It is a big decision."
That was not a good sign for me. I felt uncomfortable in the fact that she was not sure enough to give me a yes or no right away. I had no choice but to give her the time she wanted. Why did she have to think about it? I was unhappy with it but had no choice except to hope for the best.
Two days later Jean accepted my proposal of marriage.
We were married for fourteen years and had a son, Terry, and a daughter, Sarah. My work was going well and we had a comfortable house and lifestyle. I thought everything was perfect. All the anxieties that I had had earlier in our marriage were gone. I no longer felt that I was a second choice. Although we did not have a romantic life as they show in the movies or cheap novels, I still thought everything was fine.
This was when Jean started to act a little differently. It was nothing definite that I could put my finger on, but something was not right. Nothing was being neglected at home but I knew that things were not as they should be. A few times in the afternoon, I would call home just to chat. The kids were in school. Most of the time when I called, Jean did not answer the phone. She did her shopping once a week and now it seemed that she was shopping every day. She did not like shopping that much, whether it be for food or clothes. After about a week of this shit, I decided to do something.
I took a week off of work. I would leave in the morning and park down the street, out of sight. Jean would get in her car and drive down to the Super Mall. I watched from the parking lot and it was hours later till she came out and drove home. I spent three days doing this. The fourth day I followed her into the mall. She walked in the front and walked right out the back. I tried to follow her but it was too late. The next day, when she parked out front, I drove around the back of the mall and waited in an out-of-the-way spot. In a few minutes, Jean came out and walked over to a large yellow Hummer. She jumped into the passenger side and they left. I was not in a good enough position to follow and lost them right away.
My suspicions were confirmed. The worst thing that I could imagine happening, had happened. I was crushed. I have a temper and it was going to take everything in my power to keep from losing it. I had to remain calm about this whole thing. It was going to be rough. The kids and I were home on the weekends, so I was sure she was not meeting him then. I arranged to take the next week off from work. I don't know if I just wasted five days, or if it was five days well spent.
I kept my temper over the weekend. Monday morning, I parked behind the Super Mall at a place where I could see, but not be seen. I had borrowed a Ranger pickup from a friend at work. The Hummer arrived and with my trusty pair of binoculars, I got the plate number. I remembered which exit they had used from the mall lot, so I positioned myself near there. I did better this time. As they left the mall, I followed and within ten minutes they pulled into an apartment complex. They went into one of the buildings together. I had no intention at this time of going to his apartment, but I did have a lot of new information to process and some plans to make.
Of course, we all have friends in some position that can run a license plate for us. My wife's yellow Hummer belonged to Ray Cotton. What a surprise. After fourteen years of marriage, this son of a bitch shows up in my life again. My rage was building.
I spent the next day at home trying to figure out what to do. I had two wonderful children that had no idea that their mother was a slut. I didn't want them to find out. No matter what I did, it had to be done so that the children would not be hurt. I could make fear and rage work for me if I controlled my self. I was large enough and could be menacing if I had to be. Somehow or another, I had to end the affair and make it appear to the children that nothing had happened. Divorcing Jean at this point would not accomplish what I wanted. Killing Jean or Ray would not accomplish anything. I had to force Jean to stay and carry on as a wife and mother until the children both left for college. I decided to do it with fear and intimidation. This was not my real nature, but I had to try and make it believable. First, I had to get their attention.
My original plan was to put four sticks of dynamite under his Hummer and blow it up, when they weren't in it, of course. However, there are federal laws against this sort of thing and my being in jail would not help the situation. I decided that a smoke flare would get the same point across without putting me in jail. The local marine shop had a large variety of emergency smoke flares. All I had to do was figure out how to ignite one remotely. After several nights in the basement, I finally got it worked out using some remote control toy car components that Terry had outgrown. I was able to test it out easily, and the thing worked at over two hundred feet. I was sort of proud of my self. The week was over. Another week was coming up and I had to take some more time off from work.
The weekend went pretty well because now, I felt that I had control of the situation. Everything would be straightened out by the same time next week. Very early Sunday morning, I went over to Ray Cotton's apartment complex and quietly mounted my electrically operated smoke flare under his yellow Hummer. All I needed now was an opportune time to set it off.
The next day I was waiting by the Super Mall exit when they left. Instead of going to his apartment, they headed north. It was easy to follow them without being seen. They seemed to be so occupied with each other, that they wouldn't have noticed it if I was in a fire truck. They went to Lake Wenona, drove around to the back of the lake, and parked in a remote spot. I had no trouble staying out of sight because of the heavy brush. My old binoculars came in handy again, as I watched the two of them strip off their clothes and start groping each other. I picked up my cell phone and called Jean.
"Hello."
"Jean, this is John."
