The Intervention

My best friend since we were in diapers called me. He was crying and I hadn't heard Jack cry since he was seven when some bully sucker punched him. Jack was the nicest guy on the planet and didn't deserve that. Me, I'm not so nice. That was the last time the bully sucker punched anybody. The rest of us beat the shit out of the bully. One of the guys had a welding clamp and started applying it to the bully's balls.

As I was trying to get something coherent out of Jack, I was motioning to my wife that we needed to leave now. Finally, Jack was able to say his wife Jesse went out on a date with another man. I told him we'll be there in 10.

Jesse and my wife Diane were sisters. That's how close we were. Diane asked what was going on as we backed out of the driveway.

"Jack called and he was crying, he said Jesse went on a date with another man."

"I'm going to rip my sister's tits off. Poor Jack, he never cries. Do you know where my sister is going."

"Jack said Alphonso's."

Diane immediately called her parents and gave them the story and then she called her brother David and his wife. Twice more I heard her say "Jack never cries."

The seven of us met in front of Alphonso's and my mother-in-law led the march into the bar. The guys held back. I didn't want to get between any of those women and trouble.

We found Jesse on the dance floor with some dude. He had one hand playing with Jesse's tits through her see through blouse. Jesse forgot her bra. His other hand was under Jesse's skirt. I'm not sure if she had panties on either because she was showing a lot of butt cheek.

Jesse's mom told the guy to get his hands off her daughter and pushed him away. The guy looked like he was going to challenge her but the four guys in our little party put ourselves between him and Jesse.

My mother-in-law grabbed Jesse by the ear and dragged her off the dance floor yelling "I can't believe I raised such a cheating slut."

Jesse finally broke free and we were standing by the bar. The women were yelling at each other, mostly calling Jesse names. No one could make any sense of it, but the bouncer didn't care and asked us all to leave. We went out front and the arguing continued. At one point Jesse said she just wanted a little fun. Her mother gave her a backhand so hard her saliva went flying.

"Want to have fun, what are you fucking 12. You're married or did you forget that."

Then Jack spoke for the first time since the phone call, "This arguing is pointless. Jesse broke our vows and my heart the moment she left the house dressed like that to be with another man. Her intentions are clear, and it can't be undone. The only option is divorce. I'll find a lawyer on Monday. Do not come home Jesse."

My father-in-law said, "I'll call my lawyer first thing in the morning and have him call you."

"You're going to help him divorce your daughter?" yelled Jesse.

Her father grabbed the breast pocket of his shirt and ripped the shirt in two.

"You are not my daughter," he said.

I'm not overly familiar with Jewish tradition but Diane explained that rending your clothing like that was a sign of rejection, almost like a death.

The torn shirt got Jesse's attention, and she started begging his forgiveness, but he walked away from her. The rest of us followed suit leaving Jesse on her knees crying and repeating that she only wanted to have some fun.

Diane pulled my arm, "She's my sister, I can't just leave her there."

"What about lover boy," I asked?

"He left," said Jack. "Here's his plate number." Jack knew what I was going to do with it.

Diane made plans that I would take Jack home and stay with him. Her brother would drive Jesse and Diane to our house.

"I'll give her a week and then I want the whore out of my house," she said.

Judging by the look on her face there was no way I was going to disagree with her.

Jack and I got back to his house, and I poured us a couple glasses of scotch.

"When the storm hits, it's good to know you have friends," he said.

"I have a name and address for lover boy Jack, do you want to know it or will you let me take care of it."

Jack smiled and said, "go for it, but send me a picture when you're done. Leave some of his face recognizable so that Jesse gets a better idea how much she fucked up."

We tipped our glasses and sat back. A few minutes later I was taking Jack's half-filled glass out of his sleeping hand.

Jesse didn't last the week. She was telling Diane since Jack was divorcing her, she could go have all the fun she wanted. Diane grabbed her hair and dragged her out of the house tossing her on the front lawn followed by Jesse's clothes. She ended up with one of her work friends, probably the poisonous bitch that told her she was entitled to have some fun.

Jesse was holding up the divorce. All of a sudden, Jack was more important than having fun. You have to know Jack, he was a kind man, the best friend you could want. But if you crossed him you were fucked, and Jesse was fucked. All Jesse managed to do was run up her legal bills. Our father-in-law refused to allow Jack to incur any legal expenses, and he finally told Jesse to knock it off before her legal bills put her into bankruptcy.

Diane did try and reach out to her occasionally. They were very close, and I knew the separation hurt Diane probably as much as it hurt Jesse. Diane found out that lover boy worked with Jesse and when they found his decomposing body, she had a nervous breakdown. Jesse had to leave her job and according to Diane she was now working at a local soup kitchen.

We rarely saw her. She was never invited to any family events. I did see her a couple years later when David and his wife were christening their first birth. She wasn't invited but you can't keep people out of a church. I didn't get a good look at her.

Diane and David's wife let Jack heal for six months, sulking might be a better word, but I would have done the same. After six months they started introducing him to single women. One of the things I loved about Jack was the smile on his face when you were talking to him. It always made you feel important. But he had a deeper smile, you weren't just important when you saw that smile, you were all there is. I used to see Jesse get that smile all the time. It was almost a year after that night at Alphonso's, that Jack had that smile for one of Diane's friends.

I had my arm around Diane as we watched Jack smile at the woman. David and my in-laws joined us. We wondered if the woman had any idea what was happening. Jack saw us staring and gave us a wink.