I walked into the party with my wife Jenny. We were met by the host and hostess, Harold and Letty Jenkins. They were in their sixties, and well dressed, but otherwise not physically imposing. Harold was head of the City Corp., where my wife worked as an executive VP, in charge of hospitality and entertainment. I know that seems strange. CC was an investment firm in NYC. Jenny's office was here in D.C. She was basically a lobbyist. Well, she supervised the various lobbyists. She oversaw assignments, managed large conferences in the city, and approved various expenses connected with convincing a lawmaker, or lawmakers, to do the right thing. Jenny had attained the VP position three years prior to this particular party. She was well paid and highly respected. She was also, at thirty-eight, a beautiful blond, tall and well-proportioned.
The party was at the Hilton near the Hill. CC had rented a big room, and was having a dinner dance event for some of their targets in government. The event was to be lavish, and was designed to impress the targets with the power and prestige of CC.
I had always shied away from these events. So, when Jenny introduced me to Harold and Letty, Harold offered his hand and said, "Well, we all wondered if you were a myth, Jake. Made up to keep Jenny from being badgered at work."
I smiled at him. I said, "No myth, only a shy guy. You seem to have quite a spread here, and lots of important people."
Harold laughed, "That's kind of the point. Jenny is good at doing these things. She's a real asset to the company."
Jenny said, "Harold, thanks. But, I'm just a party girl who found a good job in her field."
Letty laughed. "I've heard different, Jenny. And I see you have a very handsome husband."
That was me, I guess. I'm Jake Braverman. I have been described as handsome maybe twice in my forty years. A better description would be nondescript. I'm 6' tall, average build, brown over brown.
But Jenny accepted the compliment for me, and clutched my arm. She said, "Now that he's actually here, I'm going to show him off a bit."
We wandered around, and I was introduced to various politicians, and some business associates of Jenny. About thirty minutes into the event, Jenny looked at the entrance, where there was a small commotion.
What caused the commotion was the arrival of Dick Morgan, a young Senator from a Midwest red state. He was a media sensation - at thirty-four, the youngest in the Senate, tall and rugged, with longish blond hair and startling blue eyes. He had been a football star at his state's university, but suffered a career ending knee injury in his first year with the pros. Since then, he was a commenter on TV, until he surprisingly won a Senate seat when the long-time incumbent retired.
Jenny saw him coming, and said. "C'mon Jake, let me introduce you." She seemed a tad off when she said that. But we walked over to him. He had no plus-one, it seemed, and I knew that he was single.
Jenny said, "Dick, hi. This is my husband, Jake. Jake, Senator Dick. Jake works for State."
Dick beamed at Jenny and turned to me, "A pleasure to meet you, finally." He had a smirk on his face for a second. Then he stuck out his big hand, and I took it.
He squeezed. He was looking right at me, and trying to break my hand. I squeezed back. I have various physical qualities, and one of them is very good upper body strength, all the way down to the grip.
I was quite surprised by his attempt to embarrass me, for that's what it was. And, to say the least, I was angry about it. So, I gave him all I had, gradually, staring right back at him. His hand was bigger, but mine was steel. The contest went on for what must have seemed like a long time to those around us. Finally, I saw a tear slide down his handsome face, and he let up. I squeezed a little more and let go.
There was a longish silence around us. Then I said, "Nice to meet you, too, Dick." I gave him a smile. Then I turned to look at Jenny. She had let go of my arm, and stepped back. She was white, and looking down at the floor.
I said, "Well, Jenny, I guess I'll let you get on with your job.....or whatever you're up to." I turned and walked off.
She and I had been married out of college, at twenty-one. So, seventeen years, and two kids, who were both in high school. John and Mary, seventeen and sixteen. Jenny had worked her way up the corporate ladder, and I had taken a government job, at the State Department. Although the job did require some travel, it allowed me to work from home quite a bit. So, I had the major role raising the children. My job also required the highest security clearance, which I had attained and kept for twelve years.
As I walked away from Senator Dick and my wife, I heard her excuse herself. She caught up to me, took my arm again. She said, "Let's take a break and go outside." She gestured to a door to a second-floor balcony.
When we got outside, I turned and simply looked at her. Maybe I raised an eyebrow.
She said, "Jake, what.....I mean...what did you do?"
"I returned what I got from him. That's all. The question I have is why he smirked at me, and then tried to embarrass me in front of you. Actually, I believe I know the answer. Well?"
"It's nothing, Jake. Really."
"Bullshit. You fucked that guy, right? And he was trying to show the world. You know, he's an asshole."
She couldn't look at me. She sobbed out, "It's nothing, Jake. Please, Jake."
I said, "It's not nothing to me. I'm leaving, and if you have any respect for me, you'll leave with me, and we can settle this privately."
"I can't just leave. This is a big deal. We can talk tomorrow. I love you so much, Jake."
"Not so much as I thought. Not much at all, Jen." I walked inside, and went straight for the exit. My walk attracted quite a bit of attention. Senator Dick moved to cut me off. He had two other men with him. Big men.
He stepped in front of me and said, "Don't be a jerk, Jake. Nothing...well, Jenny is a wonderful woman."
I snarled at him. "Get the fuck out of my way, asshole. If not, nothing can save you, not even these two guys."
He hesitated. I slapped his face. It was a very hard, short blow, that knocked him backward, but not off his feet. The two men moved on me. I darted to the rear of one and shoved him into the other. All three fell in a tangle, and I walked out the door. No one followed.
The harder they come.....
I called an Uber and went across the river to my house. It didn't take long, at that time on a Saturday evening.
Both the kids had visitors. They didn't expect me home so soon. The visitors were of the opposite sex. However, all four were in the living room, watching a movie, fully clothed.
Mary got up and said, "Hi, dad. Why are you home so fast?"
"The party didn't agree with me. So, I left."
John said, "Where's mom? Did you leave her there?"
"Yep. It's her....forte. Not mine."
Mary said, "Dad, we can both see you're upset."
I said, "I'll get over it. Why don't you introduce me to your friends."
They did. John has a nice girlfriend named Helen, whom I'd met before. Mary was with Jed, who looked a little older. I sat and spoke to all of them and then said, "I'll let you all finish the film. I missed dinner, so I'm gonna get something."
That was at eight-thirty. The kids' guests left at eleven, and Jenny came home thirty minutes later.
I was sitting in the kitchen. I didn't get up to greet her. She came back, still in her fancy dress.
She said, "I've been suspended, with pay. All due to your little drama."
"All due to your fucking some asshole, who then tried to humiliate me in front of you. Too bad for him. As for you. Leave."
"I'm not leaving. I have nowhere to go."
"I don't care, Jenny. You're behaving like your name implies. You need to go, and not to come back."
"I apologize, Jake. It just happened. I'm so sorry."
Mary came off the stair and said, "Mom, you fucked around on Dad. Jesus, Mom!"
Jenny slipped to the floor. Not a dead faint. John came into the room, then. No one moved to help her. She started sobbing, incoherently.
I got up, stepped by her and went upstairs. I pulled a duffle out and packed some of her clothes in it. Also, her toothbrush, and assorted face and body creams. A pair of trainers. I brought the bag down and put it by the front door. Jenny was sitting at the kitchen table. John and Mary were there as well. But there was no conversation.
