THE CRUISE
Ronald Palmer and his wife Dee attended a charity ball given by the owner of the company she worked at -- one Harmon Voder. The company was CGI, Inc. an 'investment' firm. They were basically an arbitrage firm, that bought distressed businesses and savaged them for profit. Dee had worked there since she quit her job as local prosecutor -- trying to make some money on her own. She had been there for four years, and now worked directly for Voder. Ronald had money, due to his law practice, started when he got his law degree and passed the bar.
Now, they were both forty-four, with all three offspring in college, or beyond. They'd been married twenty-four years. They had just celebrated that anniversary a week before the ball. There wouldn't be a twenty-fifth anniversary celebration.
Ron had not really wanted to attend this gala. Dee had convinced him that it was important for her work. The tickets were five thousand each. The venue was a ritzy downtown hotel, in the ballroom.
The main reason that Ron had not wanted to attend was the current state of his marriage. Ron worked at his law practice from home. He met his business clients at a Starbucks. No overhead, except the rising price of a latte. Dee was almost never home these days, and that bothered Ron. When she was at home, she seemed indifferent to him. That had been going on for some months. Ron's inclination was not to help out his spouse, whom he suspected of some sort of infidelity. However, Ron agreed to go in order to assess the situation -- to see if he could better identify the reason for Dee's increasing distance from him.
As they entered the venue, Dee waltzed up to Voder and gave him a big hug. Voder turned to Ron, held out his hand, and they shook.
Voder said, "I'm glad you could attend, Ron. Dee here has been a great boon to our company, and she made many of the arrangements for this ball."
Ron said, "Good to see you Harmon." Then he shut up. Harmon was a tall, fit guy, forty-five, dark hair with a widow's peak. He had a hawkish nose, and his smile had always seemed predatory to Ron.
Harmon hesitated when Ron stopped talking. Then he put his arm around Dee and said, "Why don't you get a drink while Dee and I greet some of our other guests."
Ron nodded, said nothing. He had noted the use of the word 'our.' Harmon looked a little non-plussed. But he swept Dee away. Ron watched them with some detachment. He found that he intensely disliked Harmon, and also that he didn't give a shit about Dee, and whatever she had going with Voder.
When he realized that, Ron was surprised. He and Dee had one basic agreement when they married. That was simple. Each would be 100% faithful. Any deviation would result in divorce. They had made a written agreement to that effect, with certain conditions attached about property division. Dee's family insisted upon that. But Ron had readily agreed, since he was adamant about the agreement not to stray.
Dee went with Harmon, but felt uncomfortable, because of Ron's obvious displeasure when Harmon greeted them. She had been having sex with Harmon for about two months. She didn't intend to stop -- yet. But she loved Ron. Harmon was good for her self-esteem, and good in bed. But she'd spent many years with Ron. She knew he was a good guy. They had raised a family together, and prospered together. And, although Ron was a low-key fellow, he was also attractive, and a good lover, exciting her even now after many years.
But as she walked next to Harmon to greet people, Dee realized that she had given Ron short shrift since she had started screwing the boss. She hadn't given him the best of her love. She was sad -- a little sad -- about this. Because things were about to get worse between them, as she knew.
Ron leaned against the bar, drinking a red wine. He carefully watched Dee and Harmon socializing. He realized that people were treating them as a couple. He decided to leave. He had all the information he needed. Ron knew that there was a dinner planned. He assumed that he and Dee would be seated next to each other. As he walked out past the head table, he saw that Harmon and Dee were both seated there, and that he was not. So much for his assumptions.
Ron took the car home. Dee could no doubt make her way, if in fact she intended to come home.
Dee was having a great time, accompanying Harmon as they greeted and spoke to the fancy people who had been able to afford the price of admission. When the dinner was announced, Dee looked for Ron, to tell him where she would be sitting and where he would sit. But she didn't see him. And when she and Harmon took their seats, she did not see Ron at the table where she had put him, off to the left rear with some younger employees. After some time, she concluded that Ron was gone. She was mightily pissed off about that. It never occurred to her that Ron might have been equally pissed off at her -- or more so.
She mentioned his absence to Harmon as they ate.
"Just as well, Dee. He's a spare part, now. Maybe he realized it and left."
Dee said, "Harmon, he's my husband, and despite what we're doing, and going to do, I do love him. He'll be hurt. But I plan to reunite with him, after the cruise."
"What about me? The cruise will....cement our relationship."
"I didn't say I was abandoning you. I'm abandoning him for you. But, I expect to be back with him, at least part time, after the cruise."
"We'll see about that, Dee." Harmon smiled his predatory smile.
Harmon was infatuated with Dee. She was a beautiful woman, with a full figure. Just as he liked. He wasn't married -- now. And he had spent a good deal of time seducing her. She was a firecracker in bed, fully the equal of any woman he had fucked. He intended to keep her after the cruise. No part time for him -- or for her little-man husband. None for him.
Ron sat in his chair at home and considered his options. He decided to prepare to split from Dee. He analyzed his feelings for her, and found that he had very little regard left for her. She was aware about his feeling on fidelity. Yet it was obvious that she had screwed Vidor. So, a deal's a deal. He was taken aback somewhat by how calm he was about it. One thing, though, Vidor had to suffer. And he would.
Dee came home that night at about one am. Ron was asleep. He found that he could go to sleep at his usual ten pm, and not toss and turn. He did wake up when Dee came in the front door. He looked out and saw Vidor's car -- a sporty SUV -- driving off.
He waited until Dee came into the bedroom, then sat up.
She started in on him right away.
"You embarrassed me by leaving like that. What were you thinking?"
"That you had shunted me aside in favor of your boyfriend. And that you didn't care who knew it. So, I left. I wasn't about to stick around to be humiliated more. Fuck you."
His outburst seemed to daunt Dee. She took a step back.
"I'm sorry you feel like that. I.....it was just that I had to sit at the head table. It was my function. I see you must have felt....slighted."
"Sure did."
