Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road Rivalry

Just a quick story about two people in love about to be married until... Sorry for any grammar issues. Thanks for your kind and sincere feedback.

*****

February and March were very tense times around the house. It was a week away from the second Duke versus UNC game. Duke had won the first one this season in Cameron so this was a must win for UNC. Also, the two teams were tied at the top of the ACC standings.

Duke grad Mark was planning on watching the game in the basement because his fiancée Millie, a UNC alumnus, was going to watch it on the wide screen tv in the family room. There was no way they could watch the game in the same room. He was sitting in the lounge chair in the family room when she came running into the room holding up two tickets.

"I did it. The guy who services our office supplies gave me two tickets to the game this weekend! He's a big Carolina fan but he is going on a cruise with his wife that week."

"Damn that's great. I promise not to cheer too much for my Blue Devils."

"Oops sorry honey. He knows you are a Duke fan and I had to promise him that you wouldn't go with me."

Mark had forgotten all about it and was sitting in his office a few days later when his ex-Blue Devil roommate Joe called. "Hi shithead," Mark laughed. "I was going to call you to see if you wanted to stop by and watch the game with me."

"That's why I called. I got two tickets to the game sitting in the Duke section about ten rows behind the bench. "Wanta go with me? My wife will watch the kids."

"Does a bear shit in the woods?" Mark cracked back. "Actually, Millie is going also and had another ticket but didn't offer it to me. I won't tell her that I'll be there as well. How much do I owe you?"

"Notta, my father-in-law received two tickets and they are my birthday gift."

"Cool...call me before Saturday and we can set up the details. Later shithead."

Wednesday through Friday was teasing days for Mark and Millie. Both bragged about how their teams were going to demolish the other team. Finally, on Friday night he asked her who she was going with."

She hesitated. "It's actually with a guy who was in my literature class at Carolina. He was also in my study group."

"Yeah right. If I was going to the game with another woman you would scratch my eyes out."

"He's....he's uh...gay Mark. So, there is no worry."

"It's been five years since college. Do you still see him sometimes?" All this sounded kind of fishy."

"He uh... uh... works for another company in my building so we see each other time to time."

"How come I've never heard about him? What's his name?"

"Dammit to hell. Are you accusing me of something? His name is none of your business." She went storming out of the room and didn't come back. It was pretty frigid for the rest of the night and the next day.

While she was in the shower the next morning he looked into her purse and found the tickets. They were paper clipped with a note that read:

'Just like the old days. Pick me up at my place at 6PM.'

He wrote down the seat location of the tickets and noticed later they were across the court to the seats that Joe has. He kept quiet and went outside to cut the grass and clean the pool. "Just like old days? And how does she know where he lives?"

It was gameday when she yelled from the kitchen, "Honey are you coming in for lunch? I got some sandwiches from Subway."

Mark was hungry and curious about the sudden nice attitude. "Be right in."

"Wow, you look great," he said seeing her in a tight UNC shirt and skin-tight jeans. "Are those new?"

"Yes do you like them?" She smoothed down the shirt and pushed out her small but well-shaped boobs and hard tips.

"Damn they might just make your boyfriend go straight tonight," he joked. But she didn't laugh.

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend and second he likes guys," she said defensively with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey, I was just joking." He grabbed a beer and sat down looking into her eyes. She did her best not to look back.

"I have to pick him up today at 6PM and we are going to get something to eat. The game doesn't start until 9PM and...."

"The game won't be over until after 11PM and then you have to drop him off. It's a 30-minute drive from the stadium to here. You won't be back until after midnight."

"Well, you're right... so I was thinking that maybe I'll just stay over at his condo. He has a spare bedroom."

"What is his name?"

"Jack."

"I'm not comfortable with you spending a night in Jack's place. Gay or no Gay. Plus, you wait until game day to drop this on me."

"Too late to change things babe. I'm doing it."

No one spoke for the rest of the lunch. Mark thought about their wedding date in three months. Her mother had taken the bull by its horns and put money down to hold the hall, the food and the DJ. They both had family coming in from all over. She was wearing an expensive engagement ring that he made from his Grandmother's wedding ring. Now he had some doubts if all of this was going to happen. Her shitty attitude was the first and worst he had seen from her after five years. He was watching another ACC game when she walked downstairs carrying an overnight bag.

"Just remember there are consequences to everything you do," he said firmly.

"Since I'm not going to do anything except watch the Heels beat the fucking Dookies there won't be any consequences. Gotta go...see you tomorrow. I love you." She waited for him to say the same, but when he was silent, she sighed and walked out.

Joe called. "Hey man, I'll pick you up around 7:30PM.

"Great," Mark said back. "Hey is your wife around? I need to ask her a question."

"Sure, hold on."

"Hi Mark, what's up?" Josey asked.

"Hey, you were in the same sorority as Millie right?"

"Yes why?"

"Did you know one of her friends named Jack who is gay?"

Josey laughed. "Oh yeah, Mills went out with him for two years and he definitely isn't gay. The girls all called him Jack Hammer. She caught him with another girl, and they broke up. Why?"

"Why Jack Hammer?"

"Don't tell Millie I told you, but the noise coming out of her bedroom sounded like she was getting pounded."

"Are you going to be home tonight?"

"Yes, I'm babysitting while my husband goes to the game with you. What do you need?"

"I have your phone number and will text you a picture of someone who I think may be this Jack guy. Let me know if you recognize him."

"What's going on Mark?"

"I hope its nothing. Wait...do you remember Jack's last name?"

"Randall with two Ls."

"Thanks."

Mark was devastated because he knew from her words and actions the pass few days that she was hiding something. If she was just going to the game, he could forgive but, if she was planning on spending the night with him, he knew their engagement was pretty much over.

"Josie told me about this guy Jack. Do you think it's the same guy that she is going to the game tonight?" Joe asked after Mark moved into his car.

"Yeah dammit. She lied to me about the guy being gay and lied about how she knew him. She's planning on spending the night at his place. I have her 'find my phone' APP on my phone, so if you don't mind, I want to follow them and see what happens."

"Fuck Mark. Don't tell me you are going to whip his ass. It will just get you in jail."

"Not planning on it. Once I confirm his identity with Josie it's all over and her shit will be on the doorstep tomorrow morning."

"I don't blame you. I never would have figured that Millie would cheat on you."

"I guess I'm lucky that she did it before we were married. It would be worse afterwards and if we had kids. The sad thing is that I love the bitch."

"Let's go to the game maybe she will see the light and not go through with it," Joe said hopefully.

"Yeah, but a lot of lying has already been done."

The game started with a silence of a previous coach's death and when everyone stood Mark remembered her seat, section and row numbers. She stood up smiling while a tall well-built man stood next to her. Mark could see their arms and legs were touching. He took close up photo and sent it to Josie. She replied.

"Yep, that is JACK RANDALL HAMMER. Sorry Mark."

Millie and Jack cheered on the UNC team when they were introduced, and Mark and Joe did the same for the Duke team. Mark kept looking at Millie and Jack and noticed they were into each other more than the game. He noticed the man's hand around her waist and took out his smart phone, zoomed in and snapped a photo.

The game was as even as it always was. The lead changed hands back and forth. Just before the half-time buzzer the Heels point guard hit a three pointer from half court. The Tarheel fans went nuts. Mark looked over at Millie and saw her in Jack's arms. Their lips were opened, locked together and bodies rubbing side to side. "He's not fucking gay," Mark growled as he took another snapshot.

The second half was about the same. Mark watched as Jack's hands roamed all over Millie's body and when the fan in front of them moved to the concessions, he saw Millie's hand moving on the man's lap under his jacket. He took a photo and put his phone away. Joe also saw it. "I guess that's it huh?"

"Yep, it's really going to piss off her mom. It's too bad because I've gotten really close to her and her husband."

About that time Duke hit three baskets in a row and took a ten-point lead. With four minutes to go they went on another run and soon had a twenty-point lead. UNC fans started a mass evacuation with 5 minutes to go. Mark looked for his fiancée and asshole, but they were gone. "I wonder where they went," he chuckled but a few seconds later started crying.

"Come on," Joe said putting his arm around his shoulders and leading him out.

"Do you still want to follow them to his place?" Joe asked.

"Yeah I want to slow her down getting home tomorrow morning or whenever she stops fucking him."

They followed the GPS and stopped in front of some very new and nice condos. He saw her car parked at the back of the lot and with Joe's help let out the air in all of the tires. "That should slow her down," Joe laughed.

That night Joe helped him throw all her clothes, shoes, books, photo albums, IPad and cosmetics into her luggage, bags and boxes. He didn't get much sleep and was up early carrying her clothes and shit outside onto the small porch. He didn't expect her early and was correct because it was later, around 1PM, when he heard her car.

"Fuck Her," he said before turning over and dropping his head back to the pillow. After hearing her trying to get into the door (He had locked the keyless dead bolt) she rang the doorbell. After no response she started banging on the door and yelling his name, "Mark!! Mark!! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!!

Suddenly he remembered the rear patio door. By the time he ran down to put the metal bar down to block the door she had started the door to open. He stood with his arms crossed in a defensive position. "Your shit is on the front porch. Get it and leave."

"Why? I meet a old friend and you kicked me out!! Geez, I told you about it, so I wasn't cheating especially with a gay man. Grow up and put on your big boy pants."

He laughed, "Gay my ass. I know all about him being your lover in college. What was he called? Oh yeah, THE HAMMER! How many times did he nail you last night and this morning?"

Her confidence fell and she knew she was in trouble. She had to lie. "How? Who told you? Its not what you think happened. After the game we went to Franklin Street and met up with some old friends. We sat around the bar until it closed. I went to my old roommate's house and fell asleep. "I had a problem this morning with my car or would have been here earlier.

"Yeah right. The only thing you said truthfully was the problem with your car. Why Millie? I love you and you say you love me. We were to be wed in three months but that can't happen now. "Why?"

"Mark baby, I do only love you. Please let's forget about it and live the life we've both been dreaming about. I promise it will never happen again and I'll be the best wife ever."

"I guess you take me for an idiot. I went to the game last night and sat directly across from you. It hurt to watch the woman I was to marry kissing and touching her old boyfriend. But now I'm thinking that he's not really an old boyfriend but is an on-going fuck buddy. Also, as far as not being planned, I found this in your night table when I was packing your shit this morning." He held up her engagement ring. She reached for the ring, but he pulled his hand back.

"Mark I'm begging you please don't cancel the wedding. My parents have paid non-refundable money. My family and friends have paid for non-refundable airline tickets. Consider the costs of my wedding dress and the bride maid's. He meant nothing to me. I swear that this was the only time we've been together since we broke up in college.

"You get no consideration. Now get the hell out of my house. There is still some of your shit here, so I'll text you a day and time for you to come and pick them up. I also prepaid for the honeymoon week in Aruba, so I guess I have time to find someone else to spend it with. Why Millie? If he meant nothing, why did you do it? You never answered my question."

"The wedding was getting closer, and I ran into Jack one day at lunch. Duke had just beaten us bad at Cameron and we both talked about wanting to go to the Dean Dome to cheer the Heels on. You were teasing and giving me such a hard time, it pissed me off. I told Jack and he said we should get together like old times." Tears were falling in streams down her cheeks.

"No... don't even try to tell me you cheated because I messed with you after the first game. This didn't just happen. You planned on fucking him long before you left the house yesterday." He started to push her backwards towards the patio door.

"Wait no! We made a deal that if the Heels won, we would celebrate but not have sex."

He stopped pushing her backwards, "Are you for real?!! Why would you two fuck and risk our marriage if DUKE won?"

She looked down.

"Answer me dammit! Now!"

"Because we would both be so depressed that having sex would make us feel better. Plus... I shouldn't say..."

"Millie!"

"I was pissed from all your negative comments about the Tar Heels, and it was payback. If Duke won last night, I knew the razzing would be worse, but I'd know that if I fucked a fellow Tar Heel it wouldn't bother me as much. I'm stupid huh?"

Mark had to sit down. "No Millie I'm the stupid one. How in the hell could I have known you for 7-years and not discovered how fucked up you are?

"I'll... I'll get help... counseling anything, please."

"Definitely but I won't be around to see it. Please leave. Final whistle... game over... no overtime.""

Fin

Epilog

Millie's parents were upset with Mark until he showed them the photos. She tried and tried to get him to change his mind, but he held his ground. A year later Mark married a graduate student from Duke and had a ball in Aruba.

Ending note: this was a quick far-fetched story about what a rivalry can do to a couple. I could've easily pick Michigan and Michigan State. Thanks...SK742