Read parts 1 and 2 first. Part 3 doesn't have an ending, but part 4 will clarify things. Unlike parts one and two, the story from now will be in the third person voice.
The view from afar
Frank did not set an alarm or ask for a call, so he woke after nine in the morning. After a few nights on the road, his surroundings did not confuse him. Sleep had done him well. He had only had the two beers the night before and had gone to bed before midnight after the Knights had the Kings buried 4--0 by the end of the first period. Professional sports were supposed to be entertainments, but a lop-sided game of any type was boring unless you were a fanatic. The Knights gave Frank a good night's sleep.
Frank made a coffee with the high-end machine in the room and opened his laptop. A quick read of his writing from last night reminded him of the situation and told him he needed an editor.
"Oh well," he thought, "no one will ever read this but me."
He turned his cell on and saw only one message from Carol.
"I and the Lord forgive you."
"Horse shit," thought Frank, using his father's favourite expletive, usually hurled at some empty-headed news reader who spouted ignorance and propaganda on TV or the internet.
The curse reflected more bravado and anger than Frank actually had. He felt mostly sad and hopeless, at least for his marriage. Carol seemed to be too far gone down the rabbit hole. He wondered if those fine, upstanding Christian men at church ever fucked a rabbit's hole. They had fucked all of Carol's openings. He felt anger, and that helped.
Despite his anger and hurt, Frank thought he loved Carol, but he did not know if he could take her back or wanted to. He certainly did not want a woman who rejected him as unclean, nor did he want some sort of harlot hypocrite who seemed to be a bit player in that old Hebrew history book of sex and violence commonly called the Old Testament. He gulped the coffee before it turned into an ice-cap.
It was not the sex that bothered Frank. Sex was fun, but in a marriage, it expressed of commitment. A sexually open marriage reflected less commitment, and that might be okay if both partners agreed. If they had not been married or living together after declaring undying love, it would not matter. Carol's infidelity lay in her choosing some bullshit belief over commitment to him. That spiritual castration hurt the most. She would not cuckold him, even if it was to God. The willing cocks and cunts that Carol worshiped only symbolized that betrayal. As long as she did not have STDs, the sex would not stop reconciliation. Carol seeing him as a sinner would do that.
He wasted the hotel's hot water and showered and shaved. He had left everything in the SUV but an overnight bag, so heading out took five minutes. A leisurely breakfast in the hotel coffee shop followed, as he need not rush. The commuter traffic would ease by ten and he would hit the road after that. He planned to spend at least a week with his mom and dad, but after that, he had no plans. He called Trish in El Paso.
"Where are you?" She asked.
"You sound like my wife," Frank laughed. "Can I trust you?"
"Frank, I'm insulted." Trish faked anger. "Here I am, the loyal apprentice, and you question that?"
"Calm down, kid. I don't want you wringing some hacker's neck."
"I just kick them in the balls. There's more pain that way," Trish said.
"Ouch," Frank laughed, "okay now that we've sorted out our sex life how are things?"
"As if you care," Trish said. "You haven't called in three days."
"Now you do sound like my wife. Has she called you yet?"
"No, so where are you?"
"Canada, but don't tell anyone, and certainly not my wife or any other woman."
"So are you hiding from both your wife and your side-chick? Do you have a side-side-chick?"
"Yah, you, but we're only father and daughter."
"It had better stay that way, daddy."
"Don't worry, sweetie, I love you, but in how that old Greek word describes. If you are horny, check out that hot sales guy down at Computer Junction. The way he ogled you, I figure he already has seen you naked in his dreams."
"I want the guy who owns the store."
"Hey, Trish, and now I am serious, go for talent and love, not money. Money-people only think in short-term return. The good ones, man or woman, think in worth, not value."
Frank thought he had gone for talent and love in Carol, and that crashed, so maybe he should have married money, but it had worked for ten years. Carol was not a spoiled rich brat.
"Thank you, daddy, do you have an unmarried brother?"
"Nope, just an older sister who married a chicken farmer, and she keeps her eggs in one basket."
"Y'all got me there, daddy. So what do I tell people?"
"Nothing detailed for now, but tell everyone I'm away on a long-term job out of state. Is there anything I need to help with?"
Trish relayed messages and two contacts for possible new clients.
"I might be away for a few weeks or a couple of months. How's the AC working?"
"I'm cool, boss. Outside, it's over 100."
"I might be here until September then. I'll be back, so don't steal too much, but if you get a hot date, pay half on the company card."
"I love you, boss."
"Save it for that rich dude or a guy who will actually give you a life. Oh, and make sure they will love you more than God."
Frank could not hide his bitterness. He called the client contacts and set up a video conference with each for the next day. He would be at Mom and Dad's house, and they had a high-speed connection.
An hour on the road would get him to Hicksville. They had not actually named it that, but Grandview, now a small town for commuters to Guelph. Other than a few new houses, the village sat at a crossroads where an old mill had once created a busy pioneer community. It declined over the years and the village character had weakened. There remained only a gas bar and convenience store where the livery had once thrived. All the public buildings had fallen into disuse. The only active one was the old Congregational church, now operated by the United Church. It had a manse and a dwindling congregation, but was the home base of whatever pastor they had secured to fulfil their first charge or wait for retirement in peace. The manse needed work.
Most of the old houses held commuters from the city. All sat on enormous lots with mature trees and shade. Several young families had added the excitement of youth with a good dozen children about the same age. Frank's mom had become a neighbourhood grandmother to them. The senior Connor became the cornerstone of village life, and the parents adored them as much as the kids. Even Frank's dad stifled his farmer's vulgar word list.
"So why isn't Carol with you again this time?" Frank's dad asked.
They sat on the front porch of the timeworn brick house, his parent's retirement house, in the old part of Hicksville. Frank loved the peace whenever he returned.
"I have left Carol," Frank looked at his dad. "That's why I surprised you when I got here."
"Why..."
"Let me tell you the entire story. She got religion and cut me off sex, but here's what drove a stake into my heart."
Frank related what he heard outside the hotel room door and Carol's declaration that she would save Frank's sinful ass.
