The Neighborhood

The monthly neighborhood cook-out was in full swing. The keg of beer was half gone; and the women were doing what they always appear to be doing, sitting around in groups of 3, 4, etc., all talking at the same time.

Our neighborhood is actually a loop coming off of a main street; only one-way in. It's very quiet and everyone knows everyone.

The whole loop of 40 houses is invited each month to a cook-out held in the middle of the street on a cul-de-sac.

There isn't much turnover of residents in the neighborhood. About half the people are original owners. The development began 27 years ago, so we've had many years to get to know each other. The majority are professionals, now in their 50s and 60s.

Jan and I are original owners. We built our home 26 years ago.

My name is Tom. I'm 6'1", 190, and in decent shape due to going to the gym three times a week. Jan is a very attractive 5'6" blond. We are pretty much the average couple, both 52. We met and started dating shortly after college. I don't know if I believe in love at first sight, but the first time I saw Jan, I think I was in love. Jan and I have one son, Ken, a recent college grad, just beginning a career in engineering.

I was chatting with a group of about 6 men, drinking my share of the keg, when we got around to genealogy, and all the things that can now be done with DNA testing. I had become curious in the last few years to see what my family history would look like, and our son Ken had read some articles on the subject and was curious.

That night, sitting around with Jan; not doing much except trying to recoup from the neighborhood cook-out; I mentioned that, as a surprise to Ken, I might buy him a kit to do a DNA search. Maybe we're related to someone famous, or more likely, infamous.

When I mentioned this to Jan, she got a startled look on her face, but recovered immediately. I was surprised by her reaction, and I asked, "don't you think that would be a great idea? He's wondered about how far back they could track our family history." Jan just got up, and as she walked into the kitchen said, "I don't think he would like a DNA kit!"

I can't say I was shocked, but mildly surprised by Jan's reaction. She didn't seem to want to even discuss it.

Through the day I couldn't get Jan's reaction to DNA test out of my mind. She was always open to discuss ideas. She would never just dismiss an idea out of hand.

I was trying not to overthink this, but there is one obvious reason why a mother wouldn't want a son and his father to take a DNA test

All through the next day I kept thinking about it, and finally decided that I had to do it, just to put it to rest; but it had to be my secret; at least for now. I got on the internet and ordered a paternity DNA test, to be sent to my office. I ordered two-day delivery so it would arrive before Ken came over for dinner on Saturday. I got a DNA sample from Ken; and told him not to tell his mom. It would be a surprise for her.

Getting Jan's sample was easy. She often sleeps with her mouth open, so I just got up in the middle of the night and helped myself.

I sent the three samples in and waited. I had almost put it out of my mind, but several weeks later, there it was in the mail, and my whole life came to a screeching halt.

I obviously knew that Jan and Ken were biologically related, but what broke my heart is, Ken and I aren't. My son, whose diaper I had changed hundreds of times, coached through little league, and helped mature into a fine young man, was not mine!

Going through my mind at once were two thoughts. One was rage directed at my wife for what she had done. The second was a feeling of loss of my son.

I solved the second feeling quickly. My son was still my son. Just because some bastard had his cock in my whore wife doesn't make him a father. Lord help said bastard if he ever tries to replace me as my son's father.

I mustered just enough strength to get up and close the office door; then, for the first time since I was a child, I put my head down on my desk and started crying.

For the rest of the workday I was useless.

On the way home I stopped at a park; and sat for an hour. My despair finally started turning to anger. "How could she? Who the hell is the sperm donor? How many times has he donated? When did it start, when did it stop! Was it a onetime fling?" I had so many questions!

Since Jan hadn't heard any more about me getting a DNA test, she probably assumed it was just a passing thought, and her secret was once again safe; or better yet, that the test was taken, and showed that Ken was in fact mine. She probably didn't know who the biological father was, but had to know it could be me, or could be one of the other guys she was fucking, at that time.

I had to practice my acting skills around Jan. I needed time to think this through; and develop a course of action. Although I knew I still loved Jan, it was going to be hard not to grab her, shake the hell out of her, and demand to know what the hell is going on!

I got through the first evening without killing her, and she didn't seem to notice any difference. We usually make love a couple of times a week. I didn't know how well I could handle that, without her knowing something's wrong.

Lying in bed, I spent most of the first night trying to re-create our life 25 years ago. At that time, we had been married for just a couple of years. Jan had been laid off from work, so she probably spent a lot of time around the house. At that time most of our neighbors would have been young, like we would have been. We went to a lot of neighborhood parties back then. A lot of flirting, a lot of drinking, a lot of interaction with neighbors.

If the sperm donor was someone from outside the neighborhood, like the gym, old boyfriend, insurance salesman etc., I'm screwed as far as finding out on my own who he is. I'd have to accept whatever Jan says happened. It's a long shot, but if the donor is a neighbor, and hadn't moved away; there's a slight chance that I could find him. It's the only shot I've got!

I got out of bed about 2:00am and made a list of which neighbors were here at the time of Ken's conception; and of those, which are still here. From that list I deleted those that didn't seem to be even a possibility. I came up with four names. If I fail with those four, I'll have to assume it was someone from outside the neighborhood. I'll just have to make my future plans based on what Jan's version of the facts are.

I knew this was a long shot!

My plan was to get DNA samples from the four men I determined were suspects.

All four I would consider close friends. I've played golf with all four. Jan and I have been to their houses for parties and to play cards many times. We have gone to dinner with all four suspects and their spouses. All four men have attractive wives, that I would consider to be friends of mine; and even closer friends of Jan.

Even though it was tough, I was apparently doing a fairly good job of acting normal around Jan. She didn't seem to notice anything unusual about our relationship. Either that, or she did notice, but was a better actor than me.

Finally, it was time for the monthly neighborhood cook-out. We were all set up in the cul-de-sac, as people started coming out of their houses.

I appointed myself as custodian and bartender for the beer keg. I had an inventory of plastic cups, and I filled all beer requests.

Three of my four suspects were at the party.

Unfortunately, Jim, my prime suspect, was out of town, and Carl had brought his own glass mug, so I was down to two.

First Bill, and later Ray showed up at the keg. I greeted each, then filled their request using a cup from my inventory.

A half hour later Bill showed up for a refill. As I took his cup it slipped from my hand. I said sorry, and set the old cup aside, and got him a new one. Later the same thing happened with Ray's cup.

I now had the DNA for two of my four suspects.

While I manned the beer keg, I tried to keep an eye on Jan to see if there was any acknowledgement or interaction between her and any of my suspects. She didn't seem to try to interact with, or try to avoid any of them.

I wasn't very hopeful, but I sent my two DNA samples in to see if there was a paternity match. Then I waited.

In the weeks of waiting, when I saw any of my suspects, I found it harder and harder not to grab them and beat a confession out of them.

I also was pretty sure I was on a 'wild goose chase'. I only had the DNA of half my suspects, and the probability that it was any of the four was remote at best.

Another potential problem, was that even though I had found a lab that would take a beer cup for a sample, they couldn't guarantee that enough DNA could be found for a test.

Finally, I came into work one morning, and there among the rest of the mail was the package. I just walked around with it for several minutes, afraid that my answer wasn't in there. Finally, I had to know.

"I'll be damned," sample no 2, Bill Donelly, was the biological father of my son! "

Outgoing, egotistical, brash, Bill Donelly, was the last name I had added to my suspect list. He is the last of the four suspects I thought Jan would find attractive. "I'll be damned!"

Even with all my time and effort I still didn't know the whole truth. All I knew was that my wife Jan had been fucked at least one time 26 years ago by Bill Donelly. If I confronted Jan, or Bill, they've had 26 years to perfect their story. Probably both would say, even if not true, it was one time; drunk at party; can't remember a thing.

I finally decided that I had to get Bills wife, Karen, involved.

She's a teacher, and usually gets home well before Bill; so, I waited until I thought she'd be home, and called. I told her that I had a strange request, but asked if she would meet me for lunch wherever she liked, whenever she was free, and to not mention it to Bill, or to Jan. I said that it was about Bill, and it was very important. Reluctantly she agreed to meet me for lunch the next day, at a restaurant close to her school.

We met during her lunch break.

Karen was absolutely shocked, when I showed her the results of the DNA paternity test. I explained why we had to keep it a secret until we had more information. If either Bill or Jan found out we knew, we would never be sure we knew the truth.

I told her my plan. I was going to get a camera with audio set up in our living room. Then I would ask Jan to invite her and Bill over for an evening of cards. After an hour or so, I would get a call saying that I needed to run into work for a few minutes. After I was gone, Karen would find an excuse to go to her house for a few minutes. A half hour alone for the onetime lovers should be enough.

Having been intimate at least once, and having created a son together, they'd probably have more to talk about than the weather.

I contacted a business acquaintance who worked in the security field. He agreed to loan me the equipment I needed, and even came over when Jan was at work and installed it.

Jan thought it was a great idea to have Bill and Karen over for an evening. We hadn't visited with them for a while.

Karen and I were now ready to try and get evidence on our cheating spouses.

The following Friday evening I greeted Karen and Bill at our front door. "Hey guys, good to see you. The bar is open; what would you like." Under other circumstances it would have been a fun evening, like so many in the past. On this night we were looking for information. After more greetings, and when everyone was situated around the table, we got into some serious card playing.

We'd been playing for about an hour when my phone rang. It was actually my secretary; whom I had asked to call me at this time, and to whom I owe an explanation on Monday.

I made some comments like, "oh, that's too bad", and "I'll be there in a few minutes." I told the other card players to have another drink, and since my office is just a few blocks away, I'll be back in half an hour at the most."

I actually parked a few houses down, and acted like I was on a phone call; in case other neighbors noticed me.

Sure enough, in a few minutes Karen came out of my house and headed to her's.

I then just drove around for half an hour, wondering what the rest of my life was going to look like, and what I was going to do about Jan's cheating.

Half an hour later I returned to my house. Karen was back, and the four of us finished out the evening; actually, having a pleasant time, considering I wanted to kill two of the people at the table.

When our guests went home, Jan decided to make herself a cup of tea, while I went to bed.

I slept very little that night. I kept wondering what was on our recording of the two former lovers. I actually thought of sneaking down for a preview after Jan went to sleep, but decided not to take a chance.

The next morning was a Saturday, and I got up early. I mowed the lawn, and tried to keep busy, although my stomach was in a knot, wondering what was on that recording.

Finally, around mid-morning my cheating wife left for grocery shopping, giving me a chance to review my handywork from the preceding evening.

I took the camera from its hiding place, and hooked it up to my computer, just as my friend had told me to do.

It was a good recording. It showed me leaving, announcing that I would be back in half an hour; then it showed Karen leaving.

The two former lovers sat at the card table quietly for a few seconds, then Bill said with a laugh, "usually we have to sneak around to be alone. Tonight, those two did it for us. I wish they were gone for a couple of hours; I'd have you upstairs, in bed, on your back, naked."

Jan giggled, then said "take it easy big boy, Tom will be out of town for three days in two weeks. You can come over on Thursday night, instead of going to your lodge meeting. At that time, it'll be almost two months since we've been together. That's the longest I've been without you in my bed in years.

"Jan, I'm glad that DNA thing that Tom talked about has died. That's kept both of us nervous for the past several weeks.

"I know you'd like to know whose son Ken really is, as would I, but not that way. It would be great if the test was done, and it showed Tom was the dad, but the shit would hit the fan if he wasn't. You'd have to go to plan "B", when all those years ago, you woke up the next morning, after a wild neighborhood party, and you could tell by the cum in your panties that you had sex the night before, but someone must have given you a "date rape drug. You can't remember a thing."

"Yea, Tom would be skeptical, but that many years ago, what could he say. I would hate lying to him like that, but I would have no choice."

Bill got up to use the bathroom. When he came back, he bent down and gave Jan a very passionate kiss, saying, "I've missed you babe. Hopefully we can get back to being together every couple of weeks."

Tom just sat on the couch for a long time. His mind told him "this is just too much. First, I'm not the biological father of my son. Now to find that the last 26 years of my marriage has been a fraud.

He called Karen's cell!

Karen saw Tom's name pop up when her phone rang. She glanced through the window to be sure Bill was still outside, then answered. "What was on the recording?" I've been a nervous wreck waiting to hear from you."

"Karen, you won't believe it. The affair never stopped. Twenty-six years later, and it's still going on. They've been screwing each other every couple of weeks since you and your husband, and me and my wife moved into the neighborhood, 26 years ago."

"It's probably not a good idea for you to try to come over this weekend, but after you get out of school on Monday, come over. Jan won't be home yet, and I'll leave work early."

As agreed, Karen was at my house after school on Monday. She said she had stayed away from Bill as much as possible; had spent most of the weekend crying; and was all cried out. Apparently, she was wrong about being all cried out. When I started the video, she said "I can't believe this", as her tears started flowing.

Afterward, we both just sat and stared at the floor for several minutes.

"I can't believe it. I thought Bill and I would spend the rest of our lives together."

"Karen, you need to make up your own mind on this, but I've got an appointment with my divorce attorney tomorrow. If you decide divorce is what you want, you're welcome to come with me. She can either see you with me, or she may want you to get a separate appointment."

"I'll go with you! I feel so betrayed. 26 years of thinking he was all mine, now this."

"I need to move that camera from my living room to the master bedroom. I assume that's where they'll go when they think I'm out of town. They have so little respect for us. I'm sure they've used both our marriage beds hundreds of times."

"Karen, I've always considered you a friend, even more so now. But, if I get a chance for revenge on that bastard husband of yours, I hope you'll forgive me."

Karen started crying again, and I wasn't far from it.

The next day we met with Miss Sue Bishop, Esq. Since the cases were identical, she agreed to meet with us together. She explained the law, and listed what each of us should do immediately, concerning life insurance, bank accounts, credit cards, pensions etc. She said she would have the papers ready in a week, to be served any time after that. I said we'd get back to her on when to serve them.

I asked that she get both of us a restraining order, giving each of us at least temporary custody of our homes.

After leaving the lawyer Karen and I went to lunch.

"I've cancelled the trip that the lovers think I'm taking. I'll have my secretary clued in, in case Jan calls to make sure I caught the flight."

The next two weeks were a problem. I tried to stay away as much as possible, without raising Jan's suspicion. When I was around her it was all I could do not to strangle the cheating bitch.

The day finally came for my supposed trip. We should finally get the video evidence for a swift divorce. The video of sex in bed, plus the confession on our video at the card game should be enough for any judge.

I continued my play acting with Jan, including getting packed on Wednesday evening for my supposed 3-day trip on Thursday.

Karen and I got together to go over our plan. "let's give them time to go upstairs to the bedroom, then we can come in and wait in the living room."

We'll have the video for the lawyers; but I'm not interested in seeing it in person. I suggest we have the process server there with us, and when they come down after their little lovefest, we get it all done as quickly as possible. We can have a bag packed for each of them."

"I want Jan out of my house, and out of my life. I never want to see or hear from her again."

Usually, the night before I leave town, Jan wants to get frisky; I guess as a warm-up for her lover. This time she said she was tired, and told me to save it up for when I got home. I didn't argue, wanting no part of sex with my whore wife ever again.

Thursday morning, I kissed her goodbye, thinking this is probably the last time I'll ever show any affection to the cheating bitch.

Karen decided to take the day off, so we spent the day together, just killing time, eating breakfast, going to the zoo, lunch, a movie, and a walk in the park. I realized that I had become quite fond of Karen, as we went through all this bullshit together. Maybe when it's over we can cry in our beers together.

Karen went home at the time she would normally be there, and I went to a restaurant for a nice dinner, then to a bar. I couldn't afford to get drunk, but I didn't want to go through this evening cold sobber either.