Real Life Monopoly

              

Real Life Monopoly

happyhugo

Romantic, Cheating

21,114 words

Copyright (c) 04/08/10 

Readers score  7.63

John has money and property left to him when
his parents die in an accident. He has always
been intrigued with the game of Monopoly. Can
it work as well in life as on the board. What
are the pitfalls? Are there any rewards?

Chapter One

My forty-sixth birthday party was just about over.  The last guests were just getting into their cars that were parked at the curb.  Elaine was bustling around picking up as only she could. Brian was helping her, and Kitty, their daughter, was taking a last dip in the pool with Randy, her cousin. I looked fondly on my daughter.  She was a younger version of my wife, Olivia.  Tim, my son, was out in the pool area picking up beer bottles and Betty, his wife, was urging Randy to hurry up as they had to go home. No, Daddy wasn’t leaving yet.  Grampa wanted to talk business.

Believe it or not, I was cold sober. I hadn’t been earlier, but I had seen Olivia with one of our guests when I went upstairs to the guest bathroom. She and Jim Pike were just going through the door on the left.  They must have heard someone coming up the stairs, for they had hurriedly shut the door as I came around the corner.  I had recognized Olivia by the little flash of the distinctive dress she was wearing for my party today. 

I continued down past the room and into the bathroom.  As I passed the door that had just closed, I bent over and picked up a pair of my wife’s panties.  They were damp and I knew they had just been removed.  I went into the bathroom, did my business, and went back down where I could watch the stairs.  What was Olivia thinking?  It was as if she was flaunting her lover in my face. They couldn’t have had time to do anything, for almost immediately Pike came down and went by me to the outside and the patio.  Fifteen minutes later, Olivia came down. I’m sure she wasn’t pleased to see me sitting there.

She put on a good face. I think she suspected who they heard in the hall might have been me, but couldn’t know for sure. “Having a good time on your birthday, dear?  The kids and I worked so hard to surprise you.”

“It has been great.  The surprises keep coming. Are there anymore in store for me?”

“No, the party is it.  Go out and join the last of your well-wishers. You shouldn’t be sitting in here by yourself.”

“Whatever you say dear.”  Pike kept as far away from me as he could the rest of the evening and was the first guest to leave.  I saw Olivia on her cell phone about ten minutes later.  The rest of the evening she stayed by my side. Tim and Elaine were taking down the banner that wished John Ryan a happy 46th birthday.

“I think I’ll have a drink now. Anything for you dear?  Tim, you and Elaine join me if you would. Brian and Betty have left with the grandkids.” Olivia was across the table from me and shook her head no. I addressed the kids. (Kids? Tim was twenty-six and Elaine was twenty-five.)  “It is time for me to conduct a little business. You know I started the company when I was barely twenty. At that time your mother was right in there helping every bit of the way.  But that changed. For twenty-six years I have been at the helm.  I think it is time I started taking it easy.  As you know, your mother has thirty percent of the shares. I have thirty-five percent and you kids each have fifteen percent.

“The other five shares can’t be voted.  Two and a half shares to the company attorney and two and a half to the accountant. My plan, as of right now, is to step down totally. This is what I’m going to do, immediately, as of now. 

“I’m signing my shares over to you, Tim. There are a couple of restrictions.  One, you must split what those shares earn every year equally with your sister.  You vote them, and they in essence belong to both of you. The other restriction is that you are never to sell, give, or let your mother profit in any way from the thirty-five shares I am talking about.”

I had retrieved the shares from the lock box that was in the safe just before I sat down.  I opened the envelope that held ten certificates.  All were in denomination of 15,000.  I started signing and transferred the ownership to Tim before anyone could say anything.  All three present started clamoring, and asking why.

I held up my hand, “Wait, let me finish this.”  When the chore was done, I reached into my pocket and pulled out Olivia’s still damp panties.  I tossed them to my wife.  I knew this was gross, but I did it for the shock effect. “I believe you dropped these in the hall when you were hurrying into the bedroom with Jim Pike. Did you remove them or did he?”

Sex was rarely discussed in this house and even off-color remarks were never indulged in. Elaine and Tim couldn’t imagine their father accusing their mother of an indiscretion much less handle her used underwear.

“Mom, what’s with Dad?  He is acting crazy.” 

I didn’t let Olivia speak. “I know the answer and I was only making a point.  Now, as to my future and what it holds; yesterday, I took half of all of the money from your mother’s and my joint accounts.  I did not touch the corporation in any way.  We three own it irrespective of the five shares.  I also had my name taken off the deed to the house and your mother’s car is paid for.  She has title to that anyway.  What I’m saying is, I’m making a clean break and leaving your mother.  As to the why, your mother can answer that question.”

I finally turned my attention to my wife.  “Olivia, I thought we would grow old together. I admit I don’t have enough evidence of adultery to divorce you in court on that charge.  I have observed you in at least one compromising situation when you weren’t aware I was anywhere near.  My eyes don’t lie to me. I’m being more than fair in leaving you well fixed financially.  I just won’t be here.”

“You’re leaving me?”

“That’s correct.  I’ll let you sue for the divorce, unless you want to publicize your adultery. Contact Pete Gamble, my personal attorney, and start proceedings anytime.  I will be in touch with him occasionally.”  Olivia sat looking at me.  I think I wanted her to beg or plead, if only a little, to have me stay.  She didn’t.  I guess that hurt more than what she had been doing to me. In a way, though, this set me free so I could get on with my life without regrets.

“Dad, you can’t do this.  You just can’t walk out.  Mom wouldn’t cheat on you.”

“Elaine, go get your Mom’s cell phone. If the last call she made isn’t to Jim Pike then I’ve been sadly misinformed.  Olivia?”

My wife didn’t say anything until Elaine came back with her phone.  “Don’t bother looking Elaine.  I did make the call.  Your father evidently has been sneaking around spying on me.  Everyone detests a spy.  Twenty-seven years we have been married.  It was good for the first few years, but it has sure sucked the last few. We should have split ten years ago. I guess I should thank you for finally getting wise and doing something about it.” 

Olivia got up and went up the stairs to the bedroom.   “Dad, tell us about you and Mom.”

“To be honest, most of what I know are just rumors and some gossip I have overheard. When Jim Pike showed up tonight and I saw your mother go upstairs with him, I knew then it was time to finalize my plans. Six weeks ago I heard that Jim was involved with a married woman and had been for several years.  The day I heard this, I headed home to ask your mother if she knew who Jim was involved with. 

“I had no idea it was her until I came down the street and she was getting into a strange car.  I followed it to a motel and watched her and Jim, whom I identified at that time, go into a room.  They were there in the motel almost two hours. Tonight she couldn’t be faithful right here in our home with the family in attendance. She was in such a rush she must have taken off her panties before she went into the bedroom upstairs.” 

I shrugged off thoughts of my unfaithful wife, and turned to Tim about the corporation.  “You take title as president.  Move Elaine into the office as vice-president. You both are smart and know the business inside out. Elaine handles the finances for all of my holdings and endeavors. That is what she is good at. It is time I stepped aside anyway.  With you knowing all of these new and modern systems I can’t keep up with, it will be a piece of cake for you.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet, coast for awhile, probably.  I’ll keep in touch.  I’ve got fifteen and a half million dollars in the bank that I have removed from your mom’s and my joint accounts. The properties that are held in the holding company I still own. Technically she could sue for a share of that and might win a judgment.   I just split the liquid accounts as evenly as I could. I might start a little business or buy one.  Something I can do and not work too hard at while catching up on some of the good life like your mother has been living. I would ask that you not discuss my doings with her.  She lost the right to be kept in the loop as far as I’m concerned.”

I sat still without saying anything for a few minutes.  “You know, most men in my position would really land on their wife if they found out what she did.  I just want away from her.  I have come to the conclusion that she is not worth troubling myself over.  I have contained my hate and kept the thoughts of revenge to a minimum the best that I can. 

“Being as generous as I have, your mother will think she at first has won what she wanted without having to fight for it.  I have the feeling though, her guilt will grow.  It may take a long while if the way she has acted toward me tonight is any indication. Oh well, I guess I will go to bed. I’m sleeping in the guest room.  I suppose I don’t even have that right as your mother owns the house now.”  I grinned.

I knew there were a million questions my son and daughter wanted to ask, and over time they would be answered. “Elaine, I told Brian and Kitty that I was going to be talking to you and Tim.  That is why they went home earlier.  Tim, the same with Betty and Randy. They probably are wondering what this talk was all about.  You can tell them when the little ones aren’t around. Kitty and Randy just don’t need to know.”

Tim spoke, “Sure Pop. You go to bed.  I want a few words with Mother before I leave.”

Apparently Elaine did too, because I heard them go upstairs together and into the bedroom where Olivia was sleeping.  I went up behind them and past them down the hall and made ready for bed in the spare room. I went to sleep with crying and screaming going on between Elaine and Olivia, with the occasional rumble of Tim’s voice.  Then there would be raised voices again.  I put the pillow over my head and went to sleep. 

I awoke, knowing it was much later.  The house was quiet and I wondered how long the kids had berated their mother.  I heard the door to Olivia’s room open.  She came down the hall to my room. I pretended to be asleep. She turned the light on, leaned over and shook me.

“John, wake up. I have some things to say.  Don’t think this is an apology, because it isn’t.  First I will divorce you as soon as possible.  I’ll get the papers ready and you can sign them. I don’t love you.  Maybe I never have. Who’s to know? You have turned Tim and Elaine against me.  I could hate you for that.  That is the meanest thing you could have done to get even. Now I just want you out of my life.

“The corporation and the property in the holding company, I don’t need them.  Those damned things are what has come between us. I’m signing my shares over to you. I am my father’s only heir.  He’ll take care of me, so with what accounts you didn’t take, I’ll be fine. You could have taken everything and it wouldn’t bother me at all.

“I do want to know how you found out I was cheating on you.  I’ve been so damned careful.”

“Look to one of your friends.  I think one of them wanted this Pike guy you have been sleeping with for herself.  She gave me just enough information for me to start looking into our marriage. I was shocked at what I found.”

“Yes, well it had to come sometime.  Jim is just the last one of many men over the years.  It probably is Maryanne who wants him. She cheats on her husband and she can have him.  There is always someone better and he isn’t that great, just exciting.  So, what are you going to do with your life now that you don’t have a business and don’t have a woman?”

“I have no idea.  I’m going to take a tour of the country.  I’ll keep in touch with Elaine, Tim and the grandchildren , but I can settle down anywhere.”

“Sounds like fun.  You wouldn’t want to take me with you, would you?”

“No.”

“I was joking.  You’re too serious and I can’t imagine you having any fun anyway. Look, stick around for a week until I can get the paperwork done for the divorce and anything else that comes up.  You can even stay here if you want.  Keep your door closed at night, though, because I may have a guest in.  It would be disrespectful if you heard me.  Take care, John. I’m sure you would be right for some woman, somewhere, but it certainly isn’t going to be me you are going to grow old with.”

I sat up.  “Did you ever have any love for me?”

“I’m positive I did when we were first married and the kids were small.  But then you wanted to build an empire with those patents you developed.  When I suggested that you find something for me to do with you, you said I wasn’t needed.  You said you were working to give me a good life so I didn’t have to work.

“I started partying when I was lonely. One night when you called and said you couldn’t make it to the country club dance, and for me to go alone, I said what-the-hell and let myself be talked into someone’s bed.  It was exciting and I liked it.  I just promised myself I wouldn’t go overboard and would be as discreet as possible. It has taken you ten years to discover I was unfaithful. 

“You know something?  Every time I was with another man, I would think my poor dumb bastard of a husband was working his ass off for something that would never be.  How’s that for respect?”

That hurt. “So you are saying this is all my fault and I’m just a poor dumb bastard for believing in you.  Is that it?”

“That’s about it.  Even now when you found out I was cheating, you planned on being generous.  It hasn’t worked, and that is why I’m giving you back my shares to the corporation. I almost think if I offered myself to you right this minute, you would take me up on it.  How about it?”

“No.  I may be a poor dumb bastard as you say, but on that I’ll pass. Olivia, you’ve turned yourself into a slut so get out of this room. This will be the last time I sleep in the same house with you.  Somehow I think you are going to regret how you have treated me.

“I will take the shares to the corporation though, and I will sign the divorce papers.  Just get them ready as soon as possible.”  My wife turned and left, leaving me with the feeling that one of us was crazy.  I just hoped it wasn’t me.

When I got up, I made myself breakfast and packed two suitcases.  I called Elaine and said I’d have lunch with her and would stay the night if it was okay. I made a list of things that needed doing.  This was the way I had always worked out a problem and as of yet, I couldn’t change.

Tim came over to Elaine’s in the afternoon and I sat down with the new corporate president and vice-president.  Both had been fully involved for years, so the transition would be a short one, only needing a couple of days. 

I called my lawyer late Monday morning, and made him aware of what was going on.  Olivia’s attorney had got in touch with him, informing him that her shares were signed already, and in hand to turn over. He thought he would have everything concerning the divorce ready for my signature by Friday. I called Olivia and left her a message that Tim and Elaine’s husband would be coming after all of my things and putting them in storage for me.

In a way I was being chicken, but who wants to be called a dumb bastard as many times as she had called me that. I didn’t doubt that I had been referred to in the same way other times out of my hearing. The way Olivia was thinking, she would call me the same every time she saw me. 

There was a surprise waiting for me when I went into the attorney’s office to sign the papers.  My father-in-law, who was also my godfather, was there.  We had never bonded that much, but he shook my hand. “John, we have never been close.  Olivia has told me all about why she is divorcing you.  I think you are wise to get a divorce as soon as you found out about her being unfaithful.

“She is my daughter and I have to love her, but God she has treated you rotten.  Understand, I think you have been very successful in your life with everything except Olivia.  Would you always consider me as your father-in-law even though I won’t be much longer?”

“Thanks Perry. I appreciate your saying that. I will and you can count on it.” Olivia was standing beside her father and this didn’t set well at all with her.  It was a short meeting and it soon broke up.  I had no words for my wife.  It would be six months before the divorce was final, but that didn’t bother me at all.

Saturday morning, I took delivery of a three-year-old Buick four door sedan.  This car was low mileage and the maintenance records showed it had been well maintained.  It was a nice roomy vehicle and it just floated along the highway. I didn’t want to be driving a car that was apt to be stolen. I gave Elaine the keys to my Mercedes, saying the car was hers as a going away present. Tim and Elaine had a small gathering at her house to say good-bye. I looked fondly on Kitty and Randy, with regret.  They would miss me and I knew their love would be with me always.

Sunday morning I pulled out of my daughter’s driveway and headed out to Lord only knows where. I had never had time to travel anywhere except on business. I hit Route 6 and drove west. The plan was to hit 66 and follow that until it met Interstate 80.  The whole west was open to me now. These routes were dubbed scenic and I wanted to see if they lived up to their billing.  I drove leisurely, taking my time. In the middle of the afternoon I pulled off and went toward a small town.  I might even hole up in a motel if I found one, even though it was early.

I guess I had been on a lonely stretch of road for about three miles when I approached a car pulled to the side of the road.  A woman was waving her arms frantically for me to stop.  I slowed and pulled in front of her car. She came up to me before I was able to get out.  She was quite agitated.

“Thanks for stopping. Would you give me and my daughter a ride somewhere?  The car broke down.  It belongs to my abusive boyfriend.  I was running away and I expect he is looking for me.  Please help me.”

I looked the woman over.  She was pleasant to look at.  Momentarily she reminded me of my wife.  She did have a bruise on the left side of her face. “I could give you a ride to the next town, I guess.  I don’t usually give strangers a lift.”

“Oh thank you.  I’ll get my daughter.”  I watched as she trundled a little girl of about six out of her car and pushed her toward mine.  She ran back and got a battered suitcase and a cardboard box. She opened my rear door and pushed the child in, tossing the suitcase and box in after her.  She ran around and got into the passenger seat. 

“Go. Tell me if you see a maroon pickup come up behind us so we can duck.”

I looked over and could see how anxious the woman was.  She was wearing a flannel shirt and dungarees. Flannel in June?  The woman wasn’t more than five feet, five inches tall, and had thick dark brown hair. She was attractive and this was something I had never paid attention to noticing before.  I mean I was married until now, and other women and how they looked weren’t ever on my mind.  She was pleasant and even though worried, she smiled when I looked at her. “My name is Shari and my daughter’s name is Cindy.”

She looked at me, waiting for me to tell my name.  She paused.  “Cindy, say hi to Mr.____?”

I grinned.  “It’s Ryan, John Ryan.  I’m forty-six and I signed my divorce papers last week.”  I interjected this bit of personal information, not thinking and added more.  “I won’t be free to marry you or anyone else for six months.  No one ever calls me Johnny, but you can.”

She giggled and grinned back at me. “Got caught cheating, did you Johnny?  Well I have come to expect it of most men.”

“With that attitude you probably won’t believe me, but it was my wife who was cheating.  I found out six weeks ago, and I confronted her with it, treated her fair, and bugged out.  She called me a dumb bastard for not getting onto the affairs that have been going on for ten years. I figured she wasn’t worth fighting for--or with.  So here I am.  Now all I’m waiting for is your story.”

“Shari Metzger, married once, widowed by Uncle Sam.  Had several boyfriends, but can’t seem to catch a good one.  I’m thirty-six and Cindy is five, almost six.  She never knew her father.  She was just a baby when my husband went overseas for the last time. That was supposed to be his last tour.  It was.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks. Shit happens. It is hell when it happens to you, though.”

“Do you have any money?”

“Not much. Why, were you planning on robbing me?”

“No. Just a little concerned, you with the child and all.” 

Shari was silent for half a mile.  “I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do.  Find a church and see if they will spring for a meal and a place to sleep.”  She did look worried again.

“So where were you headed when your car broke down?”

“Anywhere away. I only got fifteen miles from where I was living when the piece of junk quit on me.  That sure isn’t far enough. He’ll find me for sure.  He beats on me and the sheriff ignores my complaints.  So I just cut out and ran when it happened this last time.”

“I’m kind of running myself.”

“Umm, what would you need to take me with you?”

I glanced in the rearview mirror.  Cindy was sitting there on the back seat straight up and very tense. The unknown was fearful for a young child.  I had raised two of my own and now I had two grandchildren, so I recognized how she must be feeling.

“Shari, I’m a pretty decent guy and I didn’t ever think I would meet a damsel in distress. You seem to be that.  Why don’t we travel down the road together for just a little while as friends and companions?  I want your little girl to get that worried look off her face.  When you have gone as far as you want to with me, just tell me and we’ll say so long.  If you think your ex-boyfriend will find you on this road, we’ll change direction so he won’t.”

“Okay, fair enough.  There is a right turn a mile up ahead, leading into a small town ten miles from the turnoff.  He would never think of me stopping there, especially after he finds his piece of junk by the road. I think there is a motel there as well.  Maybe when you sign the register, you could be traveling with your wife and child.”

“You got it.”  It sounded as if she would be staying in the same room as me.  Some people are just so trusting.  If she was willing to take a chance on me, I could do no more than take a chance on her. I thought, only gone from home less than a day, and I had a lot more baggage already than when I started.

There was a small diner next to the motel and my (family) traveling companions were starved.  The motel did have cable and Cindy went to sleep watching a kids channel.  We had a double bed, and a single.  Most of the clothes that Shari had in her suitcase were clothes for Cindy.

I lent Shari an extra pair of pajamas.  She swam in them and thought the whole situation hilarious.  When Cindy saw her mother happy again, she laughed and giggled occasionally as well. When Shari was ready to take her shower, I went over to the diner and hung out.  She was in bed facing the wall when I came back.  I took my shower and slid in next to her.  Olivia and I had twin beds at home and this was an experience for me to be sleeping in bed with a woman.

I awoke once during the night and I had an arm hung over me.  It was nice. I went back to sleep.  The sun was up when we came awake.  Cindy was all ready awake and sitting up just waiting for us.  Shari got up and she and Cindy went into the bathroom together.  They came out dressed. “I want to shave. Would you go over and order me eggs and bacon at the diner?  Make it a cheese and spinach omelet.  I love those things. You should try them.  I won’t be long.”

When the waitress came to our table to refill our coffee cups, I asked,  “Where is the nearest Walmart or discount store?  I forgot and left one of my suitcases in the motel three hundred miles from here.  My wife’s clothes were in it and she thinks flannel isn’t appropriate.”  I was given directions.

We spent time in the discount store.  I urged Shari to purchase whatever she thought she needed for both her and Cindy.  I went down into the auto section and bought a set of reflective flares in case we had a flat and also laid in a few tools.  I didn’t anticipate any problems, but a screwdriver might come in handy. Shari was ready to check out.  There was precious little in the cart.

I pulled her from the line.  “Follow me. Remember you are my wife and I want you to have things to replace what you lost when I left your suitcase behind.”  Shari giggled, because there had been no suitcase. The cart was overflowing and I purchased two suitcases to put the clothes in.  The doll for Cindy wasn’t packed, and she soon cuddled up crooning to it. We traveled on down the road.

I called home and talked to Elaine and Tim at least once a week.  I just said I was wandering all over the country seeing the sights.  I hadn’t told my kids that I was traveling with a woman and child.  They found out.  It was a month later when Tim rang my cell about something he thought I should know.  I was in the bathroom.  Shari was out. “Cindy, answer the phone.  Tell whoever it is I’ll be with them in a few minutes.”

“This is Johnny Ryan’s cell phone.  May I take a message?”  It must have blown Tim’s mind to have a child answer my phone.  I listened to a one-sided conversation and the obvious answers to questions she was being asked. “No, he is busy right now. I’m supposed to talk to you until he gets out of the bathroom.--My name is Cindy Ryan and I’m six years old.--My Mom’s name is Shari.  Here comes Dad now. Bye.”

“What in hell is going on?  Elaine said there have been charges on your credit card bill for purchases of women and children’s clothes.  She has been fighting with the credit card company about the charges.  And then a little girl who calls you Daddy answers when I call. Come on Pop, tell me about it.”

“I’m not married, Tim.  You know I can’t for awhile. I picked up a woman and a child in Pennsylvania the first day I left home.  Their car broke down and I gave them a ride.  They are nice people and so we are traveling together making a vacation of everything. Remember I have always been too busy to take one.  In another month Cindy is going to have to go to school somewhere, so I’m thinking of finding a place to rent and settle down.”

“Pop you’re crazy.  How close are you to them?”

“Close, but not that close, if you understand my meaning.  Shari was escaping from an abusive relationship and until we got out of Pennsylvania she used my name. We are traveling as a family so they still call themselves Ryan.  Kind of like nomads of old. Don’t worry about me.  We’ll probably swing back your way when school lets out in the spring.”

I paused and then asked, “How is your mother?” 

“Funny you should ask. Mom dumped Pike--or tried to.  She took up with someone different and Pike was jealous. Pike got the shit kicked out of him when he confronted the new guy.  Mom tried to interfere or stop the fight and she got knocked around some.  Someone took pictures of the whole thing and she made the papers.  Gramp is some disgusted and I think he misses you as much as we do.”

“You called. Did you need something?”

“Not really. That last patent you were working on was approved.  The government is interested. I’m setting up a production line to build a prototype to submit to the military.  This could be a real money maker for the corporation.”  He laughed. “With your new family, you may need some extra income.  Aren’t you glad Mom signed her shares over to you?”

“I’d sign them back if she needs them.”

“I figured you would. You dumb bastard.”  He paused.  “Those are Mom’s words for you. She said that in front of Elaine and got slapped for it. No one else in the family thinks you are.  Remember that Pop.  Say hi to your new family for me.”

I was saying good-bye when he asked one more question. “Is she pretty?”

“Very much like your mother and attractive. Sometimes I call her Olivia by mistake and I don’t know why. She is ten years younger than I am, so I don’t guess she will ever be your stepmom because of the age difference. Take care Tim. I’ll be in touch.”

It was afternoon when the phone rang again.  By this time we had packed the car and had been on the road for several hours. “Hello.”

“Dad, where are you?”

“Hi Elaine. Where am I?  I’m in the car looking for Colorado. We last came from South Dakota and Mount Rushmore.  I’m having a ball.  We stopped in Medina, Minnesota and went to a polka festival run by someone called Big Joe. We plan on seeing his broadcast on RFD-TV every Wednesday night too.  I want to see the Grand Canyon so that’s where we are headed.  I may get there today or tomorrow or maybe never. Why?”

“Tim tells me you are traveling with a woman and a kid and you have been ever since you left here.  What gives?”

“I did mention that to Tim.” I laughed out loud. “I suppose you want to know all about my traveling companions.  Shari is asleep next to me and Cindy is stretched out on the back seat. I’m glad I bought this bigger car.”

“What’s the woman’s name?” 

“Shari Metzger.  She is a war widow and has had a tough time of it for the last few years.  She was caught up in an abusive relationship. I came along  just as she was trying to escape.”

“Are you sleeping with her?  She should be that grateful.”

“Sometimes we have to sleep in the same bed because of the scarcity of the accommodations we find when we stop for the night.  As far as being intimate, we haven’t. She is just too vulnerable at this time. A couple of times all three of us have had to pile into the same bed.  Some different from your mother and me in twin beds.  All of us wear pajamas. It is like camping out every night, only in a motel instead of a tent.”

“So what are your plans?  When are you coming home?  Kitty and Randy want to know.”

“No plans.  Shari is looking for a place where Cindy can go to school.  She was a convenience store manager before she lost her husband and works in one wherever she lights.  After we see the Grand Canyon, she is going to be looking for a store to work in. 

“When am I coming home?  I can’t answer that. I’d have to face your mother and that I’m not ready for yet. I don’t know as I ever will be either. Different subject.  How’s the business?  Tim said things are looking up.”

“They are. I think we will being paying $1.01 for a dividend this quarter.  What do you want to do with yours?  Send it to you or bank it?”

“I don’t know.  How’s my bank account?  Any money left in it?”

“Hell, you aren’t even spending the interest.  I’ve moved most of it into some accounts that pay better than where you put them.”

“Good, maybe I’ll find a piece of property.  The wisest thing I ever did was name you as my banker. What did you think when some women’s clothes showed up on my credit card bill?”

“At first I couldn’t figure out what you were buying at Walmart. I fought paying it and made Walmart produce a copy of the slip. I thought someone had stolen your card, but you didn’t call so I guessed the charge was legitimate.”

“Hey, traffic is getting heavy.  I’m going to hang up now.  Say hi to Kitty. I miss her and I’m happy I have a grandchild like her.  I knew how to act around a little girl the same age when I found Cindy.  Babe, I love and miss you. Bye.” 

This conversation made me a little homesick and there were enough tears in my eyes to overflow and roll down my cheeks. I glanced at Shari and she was awake and staring straight ahead. I guess maybe she saw one of the tears, because there were a couple that had fallen from her eyes as well.

I drove another hour and then I said, “You know, my son called this morning and my daughter called this afternoon. They both are busy and yet they take time to worry about me.  They want to know what I’m going to do.  I realize I can’t just drive around the country the rest of my life.  It is okay for the summer, but I need some place more permanent.  Tell me where you want to settle when Cindy goes to school?”

“I think I would like to go back east.  I’ve always lived in Pennsylvania, but I don’t need to. I don’t like it at all out here in the west. It is too far between towns and not enough civilization. You don’t have to be concerned about me and Cindy, though. I can stop anywhere, even out here.  What I’m trying to say is that you have given me a nice break from the cares that were wearing me down.  I have a new outlook on life. You have been so good to both of us.  Not only that, you haven’t demanded anything in return. You are a good man Johnny.  I just haven’t got you figured out.”

I hadn’t demanded anything, but I was having trouble hiding the fact that I wanted to get closer to this woman. I changed the subject. “Okay, let’s plan on seeing the Grand Canyon and then we’ll turn around and go east.  When we get back to Iowa we’ll start looking for a place to stay for the winter.  You said you wanted to find a job.  It wouldn’t hurt me to be productive doing something again.”

“What did you do before you took off from your home?”

“I had a little business.  I built it up from scratch and invented a couple of things. I paid too much attention to doing that and that’s when my wife found other interests.  My son and daughter both worked with me in the business I started. When they got old enough I transferred much of the administration to them.  When I decided to leave, I gave them my shares to add to what they have already. I do have thirty percent of what was left.  Those were my wife’s.  She felt guilty and transferred them to me at the time I signed the divorce papers, so I’m still involved.

“I’m getting a dividend check about the first of October.  It should see us through the winter if we don’t get a job and have some money coming in.”

“Isn’t all of this traveling making you short?  Cindy and I have tripled what you would spend on yourself.”

“Elaine is keeping my bills paid and she isn’t complaining.  She did fight the Walmart charge, but that is all straightened out now.”

“How much are you getting for a dividend, if I’m not prying?”

“It will be $1.01 a share and I have enough shares to see us through.”

“Okay, but we have to find a job in two weeks. We need the money and I need to get Cindy into school.”

I wondered if I would be welcomed to stay with Shari and Cindy Metzger. I hoped so. Sometimes when we were early and had a motel room for the night, I would lay down until time to eat.  I would fall asleep and when I awoke Shari or Cindy would be lying there with me. Shari never did, but Cindy would lean over and kiss me.  Shari sometimes looked as if she wanted to.

Chapter Two

We still saw a lot of country in the next two weeks. There was no indecision about my staying when we found a job for both of us in Ohio.  We came as a package deal for a convenience store that stayed open all night.  Shari was night shift manager and I was the only other employee. We had living quarters in three rooms they let us use in the back.  This couldn’t have been better. 

Cindy even had her own room, but many evenings before work, she would make her way to lie down beside us. A habit left over from the summer. Shari and I went to work as husband and wife.  Shari just said she didn’t take my name and I hadn’t minded that our daughter kept her mother’s name.  Two weeks later, Shari was transferred to the morning shift while I was still pegged in on the night shift.

I wasn’t comfortable in the space we were living in. Across the highway, there was a small two-bedroom bungalow with a for sale sign on it. I wandered over there and signed the papers as soon as they could be generated.  “Shari, there is a little house across from the store.  It is for rent and is better than what we have now.  Let’s move.”

“Okay, but I pay the rent. You paid all summer long and gave Cindy and me the best time we ever had. Do you know who to see about it?”

“I’ll have the agent stop by. I’ll also get some furniture.  Nothing elegant, just something we can be comfortable with.  Do you want me to sign the lease for it?”

“No, I make a lot more money than you do as helper.”  I moved our few things the next day.  I had to go to work the night we moved in. This left Shari to arrange the furniture. The routine was that I was to get Cindy ready and take her to school in the morning, and then I would come back and sleep for a few hours.  Shari would be home in time to pick her up from school and get supper. We would all eat together and then I would lie down until time for me to go across to the store.

Shari and I shared the same bed, much as we had in the motel rooms through the summer. There were only two nights in the week when we were in it together at the same time. But, and this was the big thing I looked forward to, Shari’s scent was there when I crawled under the covers.  I’m sure mine kept her company as she drifted off herself at night. I was mystified as to why Shari and Cindy didn’t sleep in one room and me in the other. 

I was answered by Shari, “Does it bother you to have it this way?”

“No, but what about the two nights when we have to sleep together?”

“We did this summer, didn’t we?”

“Yes, but that was in a motel room.  This is much different.”

“Yes, it is.  Much, much different. I don’t know why you haven’t made a move on me, but it is time you did.  If you won’t make a move, I will.  If the outcome isn’t satisfactory, I’ll move Cindy in here and have her sleep with me. You get to sleep alone in the other room.”

I didn’t want that!  I was a virgin when I married Olivia and Shari was going to be the second woman I would be intimate with. Needless to say, I was extremely nervous.

It went well, except for the morning after our first coming together. “Johnny you know nothing about having sex. You’re about as inept as a lover could be and I’m going to change that. You need more experience and I’m going to provide it. Your wife couldn’t have taken time to teach you much either.  You even tense up when you slide into bed with me. 

“So, I’m going to teach you how to become the world’s best lover.  I’m paying the rent and that is the way we are going to make things even.  I pay the rent and you make me happy. I’ve waited all summer for this.  Now kiss me, your education is just beginning.”

And it was. I couldn’t believe the pleasure this woman was giving me. She taught me how to give her pleasure as well.  There wasn’t an area of the body that wasn’t explored.  She even showed me things that she said she didn’t particularly enjoy, but I should know about them and how to perform them correctly.

I guess I had repressed my sexual feelings for so long, it took awhile to bring them to the fore. But boy, once they were activated, did I ever enjoy this new awareness of the opposite sex. And it was all directed at my live-in partner. She laughed long and hard with me at each new revelation that came to me.  Lying at Shari’s side after a particularly exhausting session, she said to me, “You know you could go back to your wife now and she would never leave you. You’re good.  Hell, you’re great!”

“Shari, I will never go back to her. I think I am falling in love with you.  I would like to think you have some love for me as well.  I know I’m so much older than you so I won’t be asking for a life-time commitment.  I’m just so glad I stopped and gave you a hand last June.  I was running away from a person that was showing me disrespect of the worst kind.  I found you.  You don’t know what a joy it is to wake up with you next to me.

“That is not all.  I have two grand-kids and I love Cindy as much as I do them.  How long can this wonderful feeling last?  I don’t want it to ever end.” There were tears of joy in my eyes.

“Hey calm down Johnny. Nothing has to change.  I love you as much as I did my husband. You are the best I have had since he died.  Let’s go on just as we are for a time.  We are making out fine.  Thanksgiving is next week and I only have to work a half day.  You don’t have to work at all. We’ll lay around and be happy. It is going to be the best time for all of us.”

“I wish I could cook.  I never learned how.  I haven’t had to spend too much of my wages.  I think I’ll have the dinner catered.”

“That’s pretty extravagant. I noticed you received a letter from the place you said paid you dividends.  Don’t you want to use some of that?  I’m not prying, but it must be enough to pay for a dinner.”

“I’m sure it is.  I’ll have to look sometime.  Hey, we have time to play a game.  I bought Monopoly yesterday. I bet I can beat you.”

“You’re on.  Remember though, I play a cutthroat game.”  This became our pastime when we were alone.  If Cindy was around we focused all of our attention on her.  If Shari wasn’t there I was teaching Cindy how to play.  It became to all of us a passion. I did cater the Thanksgiving dinner and went all out, hiring the caterers to cook it in our little kitchen where we could smell the aromas that wafted around us. 

I still hadn’t opened my dividend check. Shari asked about it again. I answered,  “I’ll use it to buy Christmas presents.  I’ll even split it with you.”  I dropped the subject.  I was afraid when she found out how much the check was, the happiness I found with her would disappear in a minute.

I came across from the store two days later at six-fifteen. Shari was sitting at the table. She had to be at work at seven. She hadn’t made coffee.  “Johnny, who are you?  First I have to apologize for opening your mail.  I was so curious as to how much you were going to let me have to buy Christmas presents.  I didn’t think you would mind.  We have been so close and have shared everything for so many months, I thought it would be okay. I’m sorry.”

Tears were rolling down her face and I went and pulled her into my arms. “I was going to tell you how much it was. I was just afraid it would spoil what we have together and that is the only reason I haven’t opened the letter.”

“Do you know how much the check is for?”

“Yes.  I told you how much the dividend was.  It was $1.01.  I own 150,000 shares, so it should be $151,500.  That’s correct isn’t it?”

Shari had her head down and nodded.  “Johnny, tell me the truth right now.  How much are you worth?”

“Exactly, I don’t know. It changes from day to day.”

“Ball park then?”

“A couple hundred million, maybe.  That would be pretty close. I have about $15,000,000 in liquid assets. The rest is in property I have in an industrial park I have developed.”

“The store pays you $6.75 an hour.  Do you count that in?”  This was said with a little bitterness.

I didn’t answer and went to the phone and called the store owner. “Shari is very sick today.  She will not be able to work.”  I turned back to this woman I had grown so fond of.  “I guess after Cindy goes to school, we had better talk.  Honest Shari, I don’t want to hurt you.  I just didn’t know how to tell you what my financial situation is.  I have never lied to you.”

“Johnny, I feel like I’m losing you and feel so helpless. I have come to depend on you to make me happy.   Cindy is going to miss you as much as I am.  I’m so poor and you are so rich.”

“I guess you are just going to have to get rich like I am then.  I was worth a hell of a lot less ten years ago than now.  This is the age you are at the present time.”

“Yeah, right.  You must have had something to start with.”

“I did, but you have something. This home, that’s a start.  Remember the game of Monopoly we have been playing.  The person that buys the first property and collects rent is on his or her way.”

“But I don’t own this property.”  I got up and went to my lock box and handed Shari the deed to the house.  With it I gave her the account book she had been paying the rent into. 

“You have been paying rent to yourself, so I would say you are on your way. I did provide the money for the house, but you own it now. You must know why I did this, if you would think about it.”

“Johnny, I see you as the same person you were last night, but you’re not.  Let me think this through.  I have a million questions.” 

At least this woman didn’t go ballistic on me. I worried she would reject me outright.  That was the fear I had and why I was so reticent about my financial situation. I had lived with her for five months.  She wasn’t a greedy person and my millions would mean little to her. More of a detriment for our life to continue together, rather than an asset.

When it was time, I went in and roused Cindy, telling her to get up for breakfast and school.  I don’t know when it started, but now Cindy was always raising her arms for a hug and a kiss on the cheek when she first got out of bed. Just another matter of warmth and closeness I feared I was going to lose.

“Mom, you’re still home.  Can I stay home today with you?”

“No, not today.  Johnny and I have some things to talk about.  We’ll see you this afternoon.”  When I returned from taking Cindy to school, Shari was still sitting at the table.  I made us breakfast and sat down.

“Johnny, this complicates our life a whole lot.  You being rich and everything. Tell me why you didn’t tell me more about yourself.”

“I didn’t tell you because I knew we would be having this conversation when you found out.  I don’t want to lose you or Cindy, and I’m enjoying  going to work at the same place, even if it is for low pay.  It is just like a low income, loving family that works together to get along, never expecting too much.  A family that uses their love to fill in the gaps where they don’t have the money to cover anything but the bare necessities.”

“So how did you get so damned rich?”

“I didn’t set out to be at first. I think that is why I’m more comfortable with your lifestyle than my own. Being as well off as I am sometimes is a burden.  That is why my daughter takes care of my finances. I did play Monopoly as a kid. That started it.  Also I’m one to think about things.  I thought about the Monopoly game and wondered if it could be a model for one’s life. 

“When I was fifteen, my father and mother were killed in a car accident.  I was left with $75,000 dollars and about a hundred acres of land on the outskirts of a good-sized town. My father and my present father-in-law had been close friends at one time and named each other godfather for their children, never supposing there would be a need.

“Perry, my godfather, made his mark in life by becoming well-to-do through his connection with his wife, Ellen, my mother-in-law.  He wasn’t happy about having a godson at the time, but had accepted the chore, never thinking he would have to do anything after being named. 

He did fulfill his duties, making sure I was fed, clothed and housed until I was eighteen.  I was pretty much left to my own devices.  We were never close at all and we still aren’t. When I was seventeen, I asked him to put the cash that came from my parents under my own control.

“He, of course, thought I would blow it on partying or for a fast car or some such foolishness. I kept things at a low key as far as he was concerned, but I had a mission. This is when my goals changed.  I wanted to play Monopoly in real life. I had this hundred acres and I wanted to turn it into money.  I watched the papers and when I saw that a company needed land for a new factory, I hired a man to lobby to get the company to build on my property.

“This took months and wasn’t finalized until after I turned eighteen and could speak for myself.  I proposed that the factory building be built on my property, but instead of selling, I would lease them the land and they would own the building. This gave me a steady cash flow for the next few years. The lease would be renewed every three years.

“Getting away from on how to get rich, I had to do more than sit back and live on the lease money.  I went to work in the same factory in the research and development lab. I wasn’t dumb and I had the agreement to work on projects of my own in my spare time as long as they were unrelated.  By the time I was twenty-one I applied for two patents that had military applications.”

“You must have married somewhere along about then?”

“I did.  I wasn’t interested in college, and I didn’t go out much.  Occasionally, I would be invited to my godparents home.  Olivia and I knew each other, of course being the same age, but we never dated or were friends.  I was tongue-tied around the opposite sex, whereas Olivia was just the opposite of me.  She was a party animal and probably lost her virginity about the time I became an orphan or before.  She targeted me for a conquest, which I fell for immediately.

“She did take time to listen to my plan for life and for some reason it grabbed her interest. We immediately became lovers and still quicker than you could blink, she was pregnant with Tim.  Perry and her mother were upset.  That put Olivia and me against her parents and this drew us very close.  Elaine came along a year after Tim. 

“Hey I thought I was a great lover because I had made two babies in the space of two years.  In fact, I held that thought until last year when my wife called me a poor dumb bastard.  You Shari, have shown me just how inept I was, and I’m so thankful you did.”  I slid my hand across the table and squeezed the hand lying there.  Shari squeezed mine back.

Smiling and remembering our conversation after our first time together, she said, “Go on.”

“Olivia was home with two young babies and a husband who was now on a mission to show his father-in-law he could succeed. He was a father that was terribly disappointed in his little girl and doubted the man she chose would amount to anything. As I said, we were two against the enemy.  I was bringing home these little projects I was working on, getting ready to apply for patent rights.  Olivia was a big help with these and I appreciated it immensely.

“Fast forward to the second time the lease agreement was negotiated. The corporation was doing well and agreed to my demands, excessive as they were. I was well on my way to supporting my family in the way she was accustomed to.  I knew that sometime something would come along to where all of this money I had coming in could be made to double again.  I kept it liquid. 

“My chance came about a year before the lease was due to be renewed the second time.  The corporation had lost several big contracts and they were looking to downsize. I still had seventy-five acres of the original that didn’t have any buildings on it.  I agreed to build them a smaller plant on five acres, financing it myself.  They did have to buy themselves out of the lease, so I had not only the lease money from the previous five years, but the last year as well.  I built them their building and leased it back to them. They sold the first larger building to a holding company. More on that later.

“Money was now rolling in.  Not only that, I owned two patents outright and had more on application.  I built a smaller building on a different section of the acreage to start production myself. I later was able to buy the holding company that owned the first building.  Olivia was a master at organization during this time.  I have to say that neither of us were taking any time for our personal lives.  That is certainly something I would address differently if I had it to do over. I can see now that you can’t do that to your wife and have the marriage survive.

“Perry was beginning to take note of my successes and we began to respect each other more.  That continues today.  Tim and Elaine are just as intelligent as Olivia. We played Monopoly for recreation. Both children have been steeped in our culture and it may be almost an obsession with us.

“I guess it was when Tim was about ten or twelve that in retrospect I made a big mistake.  Olivia had worked hard all of our time together.  I felt it was time for her to sit back and take it easy. She objected, but I insisted.  She joined the country club and participated in all of the doings there.  She was, and is, on several charity boards. The holding company now owns all of the developments in the park.  They will go to Tim and Elaine eventually.

“Olivia is still the face of the empire that I built, but she hasn’t been involved in its workings for more than ten years. She had time to go out to see how people live.  Sad to say, I waited until I met you to know happiness.

“Another mistake on my part.  I didn’t slack up when I could or should have.  This has left Olivia time to find other interests. I think I was generous in my dealings with her at our breakup and she knows it too.  I gave my shares of the corporation to the children and out of guilt, I believe, she turned around and signed hers over to me. The dividend check actually is the first one I have received and it comes from the shares Olivia gave me. If she had never called me a dumb bastard to my face, I might still be with her.”

“So what do you do with all of your money?  Do you just sit around and count it, or drive around looking for damsels in distress?”  This was said with a broad smile.

“I have a board that decides which charities deserve donations.  Oh, I forgot to tell you. That first larger complex--I own that totally now and that is where my corporation is headquartered. I still have twenty-five acres to develop when I find the right company.  Tim, Elaine and Olivia are not part of that as it is outside of the holding company.  Enough about me. What about us?”

“Johnny, I don’t see where there can be any us.  You’re rich and I’m poor.”

“That’s an inescapable fact. It wasn’t a problem until you became aware of it.  What we have to do now is figure out how to resolve the differences.  Do you honestly want to give me up?”

“No.”

“I don’t want to give you or Cindy up either.  If I was younger, I would ask you to marry me and then it wouldn’t matter. What about that?”

“The age isn’t a problem. I could get beyond that.  I see a bigger problem.  It is your rich kids and their families. They would all think I married you for your money.  That would only reinforce what your wife calls you--you poor dumb bastard.”  Shari had risen and came behind me, putting her arms around me and kissing my ear. “Let’s go make love. After all I don’t have to go to work today.”

I was the recipient of the love Shari mentioned.  Me, I felt I gave back as good as I got. I couldn’t help it, I expressed something I had never verbalized before.  “Shari, I love you!”

“Johnny, I love you too. Hold me and show me how much you love me again.”

It was sometime later and I was tired when Shari spoke, “Johnny, go to sleep. You worked all night and you have to work tonight. I’m going to think about our problem today and tonight.  I’ll work tomorrow and then we have two days and two nights free. I don’t see how I can give you up and you don’t see how I can marry you. You think about it and I will too. There must be an answer to our problem.”

I was happy when I woke up.  First, I had hope and also I had begun to get a glimmering of an idea of how to keep these two individuals in my life. I would definitely have to get Shari to agree to any suggestion I would make.  Neither one of us mentioned what we were thinking about to each other.  I knew Shari was working on it, because I caught her with furrowed brow several times before I laid down for an hour.

I usually laid down as Cindy went to bed and sometimes I laid on the bed with her until she went to sleep.  Tonight she said, “Mommy said to give you a big kiss.  She said you told her you loved her.  I love you too.  One kiss from Mommy and one from me too.”  The little one squirmed around getting as close to me as she could.  Then she went right off to slumberland.  I did too.

Two hours more and I was up for my light repast before going across to the store.  The owner was in and asked how Shari was.  I replied that she was much better and would be in to work in the morning for her usual shift.  “Good, I depend on her more than I should. She is just so good at running the store for me.” I wondered what he would say if he knew I was going to try to get Shari to leave here sometime soon.

I wasn’t much of a cook, but I had supper ready when Shari finished her shift.  Two days we had together. I should say, nights, for our days off were devoted to Cindy.  Shari showered and giggled when she was toweling off that evening. “No sex until we get this settled.”  This was serious and I was in agreement. We would work all the harder for the promised reward. 

I couldn’t believe I had become such a sexual person.  Last year at this time, a month might go by without sex. Hell to think about.  Now I was getting more sex in one weekend than I would get in a single year before. 

“Who talks first?” I asked.

“I will.  Johnny, before we get down to how we are going to live together, there are some other things we, or you, should consider. You have a family and you haven’t seen any of them for five months.  You should go home and visit them.  Get away from the woman you found beside the road.  Get a different perspective on your situation.”

“Okay, I thought maybe I would do that.  I would want to gauge their feelings when I eventually brought you home.  I can do that if you aren’t with me the first time. I’ll tell them that it is going to happen.”

“Oh don’t be so definite.  Leave yourself an out.”

“The only out would be for me not to come home at all if you aren’t with me.”

“There again you are too definite. Beyond that, I think you should take your wife out and talk more about why she left you. Give her a chance to make amends. You have time before the divorce is final.  I wouldn’t mind if you took her to bed and showed her what a great lover you turned out to be.”

“Shari, don’t you love me?  Don’t you want a life with me?  I thought this meeting is all about how we can have a life together. You’re throwing up roadblocks for yourself.”

“I do love you Johnny, but I want all of you. I wish you didn’t have so damned much money and this would be so much easier.”

“Okay, we’ve gone over that part before. What else have you got?”

“I think if you come back for me, and I trust you will, I should buy a business that I can run and show your family I can stand on my own and am not after your money.”

“Good, I’ll buy you a store.”

“No, I don’t want that.  That would defeat what I’m trying to do.  I will accept that you bought me this house and I’ll sell it and use the money from the sale to buy a store.  I’ll do that if you won’t tell anyone you traded knowledge about how to make love for a place to live.  That was the deal wasn’t it?”  Shari was laughing at me.

I was laughing with her. It was comical if you looked at it in that light.  “Okay, I’m with you so far. Let me tell you what some of my ideas are.  I’m going to need some place to live. I’ll also need someone to keep house for me. You’ve been able to keep this place spotless and work at the same time. It could work the same way nearer to home.”

“Wow, I thought of the same way to live with you.  I’d be with you and so wouldn’t Cindy.  You love each other, and I don’t see how I can split the two of you up. So when is this all going to happen?  We need a timeline.”

“It is two weeks until Christmas. Help at my level often quit without notice. You should give a two-week notice. Say you are all done two days before the holiday. Not having to pay you for that, might go a long way in letting you go. Do you want to pick out the house that you will be cleaning, or would you trust me to find something suitable?”

“You find something.  Something not too big.  Three bedrooms and a bath and a half. A small kitchen and a good sized living room.  You should have an office so you can manage all of your millions.  Buy a big table for the center of the living room.  We are going to teach Cindy all about how to play Monopoly.”

“How come three bedrooms?  I’m going to be sleeping with my housekeeper.”

“What if something happens and you get your housekeeper knocked up?”  Shari’s face was serious.

I looked at her. This possibility had never crossed my mind. “Is that what you would like?”

Tears suddenly gushed forth. “I want that more than anything in the world. Johnny hold me.  This is the only thing I think about every day and how to  tell you.  I don’t care about your damned old money.  All I want is you.

“I thought I shouldn’t say anything, but you aren’t too old to have a second family.  You don’t have to marry me if you don’t want to.  Just don’t leave me and don’t even consider sleeping with your wife either. I said that, but I don’t want you to. I know I’ll love your family and I’ll work so hard to make them like me.”

Shari was beginning to babble. Marriage, it is what I wanted with this woman who was making me so happy in so many different ways.

Chapter Three

“Hi Dad. It has been a long time.”  I walked into my daughter’s home just after she arrived from the factory.  Kitty ran and jumped into my arms, telling me she hated me for leaving her alone for so long.  Her kisses belied her words.  Brian came in a few minutes later.  I agreed that I had been too long away.  Elaine immediately called Tim and Betty to bring Randy so they could get reacquainted with their father and grandfather.

The discussion was general around the table until the kids went into the play room.  “When are you coming home Pop?”  This was Tim asking.

“I’ll be here for the Christmas holiday. Actually I’m here to look for a place to live.”  I described what I would be looking for in a dwelling. 

Elaine’s eyes went up when I specified a three bedroom. I calmly answered that there would be a woman and her child living with me. “Shari is working out a two-week notice.  I am also looking for a business, most likely a convenience store to purchase.  That is what she knows and that is what she wants to do.”

“Are you buying it for her?”

“I’d like to, but no.  She owns the house where we have been living.  She’s going to sell it and use the money from the sale.  She will be my housekeeper and draw wages from me.”  I thought I might as well give the whole plan to Tim and Elaine. “I will be sleeping in her bed, but that isn’t really any of your business.  I want you to know all the facts.  If there is any other questions you want answered, ask them of me or her, now or anytime in the future.”

“This is the damsel in distress you picked up the day you left last June, I take it?”

“That’s right.  I don’t know if you will like her.  That will be between the two of you. I think you will.  I think you will come to love the little girl, Cindy.  She reminds me of Kitty.”

“You may be so taken with this child because you haven’t had Kitty around.”

“That may be a possibility. We’ll have to see.  You’ll meet her at Christmas anyway. I would like to be invited here, and if you do, I’ll ask you to invite them to join me.”  Both Tim and Elaine expressed a desire to have us all celebrate with them.

“Will you be marrying her?”  I smiled as this was the most obvious question.  Results that would unbalance the status quo.

“I’ve asked her, but she is bothered by the fact that I have money. She would rather have me poor than rich.” I heard someone enter the room behind me, but I was concentrating on explaining Shari to my family.

Brian snickered, “I’ll bet.”

“Brian I understand the feeling of doubt in your mind.  I’m sure you all feel that way.  I think you are wrong. It doesn’t matter, you will change, because I know Shari. I married Olivia and I was too busy making money to tend to her needs the way I should have.  I admit I was ignorant, but she is more at fault than I was.  She never took the time or trouble to teach me how to satisfy her.

“This I’m going to share with you.  The first time I made love to Shari, she looked me in the face and said, ‘That was awful! No wonder your wife left you.’ I was mortified. This is the measure of this woman.  She said she would teach me not only to make love, but to have sex as well.  There is a difference, I found out.  There are some kinky things she likes that I don’t care for and there are some that I prefer that she dislikes.  We do them all on special occasions and are both happy and satisfied.

“She warned me that if I ever had my wife again for only one night, I never would get rid of her. There is no chance of that ever happening.  The bitch has called me ‘that poor dumb bastard’ for the last time. I’ll tell you true, I get more sex in one weekend than I ever got from your mother in a whole year. That part of my life with her is over, thank God.”

“You don’t speak very well of me, John.”  I didn’t turn around although I was surprised to find it was Olivia who had come in behind me.

“No, I don’t.  How have you been Olivia?”

“Fine, John.  I do miss you, though.  The kids and grand-kids do too.”

“I know and I miss them.  They have been letting me know how much. I’ve just told them, I’m coming back.  I’ll be here in a couple of weeks and I’m spending Christmas with the family.”

“I’ll be here too.  We’ll have to get together and talk over old times.”  There was silence.  I mean it seemed to go on forever. “What?”

“Mom, Dad is bringing a friend and her daughter.  He wouldn’t come if I didn’t invite her to join us.  Dad, tell us all you can about this woman.  We are interested.”

I was talking to Olivia now. “Sure. First of all she is ten years younger than you and I.  Cindy, the child, is six and is as pretty as Kitty. She and I are especially close, as she has never had a father.  Shari has had boyfriends, but none ever took an interest in Cindy.  The day I met Shari she was running away from one of them. 

“All summer long we toured the United States seeing a point of interest or some other thing that caught our eye.  We visited Mount Rushmore and the Grand Canyon.  We even got out of the car and walked a mile up the old Chisholm Trail, where it crossed into Kansas. If we heard about a festival somewhere, we went and had fun.

“We lived out of motel rooms.  Sometimes there would be all three of us in the same bed.  It was like a fun game that we knew was going to end someday.  Cindy had to go to school so when we found a store that Shari could manage, we settled in Ohio.  I’ve been working as a night clerk and stock boy since then.  Shari is the day manager.”

I started grinning.  “I bought the house across the street from the store. I put her name on the deed and in return Shari promised to teach me all about sex. It has been a great deal for both of us.  I get Cindy’s breakfast and take her to school in the morning and then I sleep. I’m a new person, now.  I have no worries and my only chore is to make two people happy.

“Shari picks Cindy up from school and gets supper.  In the evening I lay down with Cindy when it is her bedtime.  Then Shari and I have time for ourselves.  On weekends, we cater to Cindy in the daytime and then we have the nights together.”

I paused to tell about our decision to come east and home.  “For five months, Shari had no idea but what I was running from a wicked wife who had divorced me and had taken most of my money.  I didn’t tell her otherwise, because I had so much wonderful going for me.  I didn’t want it to end, and I knew it would when she found out.

“She was aware that I was receiving a dividend check the first of October.  She thought it was for three hundred dollars.  I put it in with some papers when it came and was trying to figure out how to tell her how much it amounted to.  She asked what we were going to do for Christmas presents.  I said I would use my dividend check and I would split it with her.  Last week she got curious and opened the envelope.  That’s when she found out the truth about me.”

“So she is a little gold digger after all.  She must be, after finding out your net worth.  Why are you still with her?”

“Maybe she is what you say, but I trust she isn’t. She has refused to marry me. I think I’m going to give you back the thirty percent of the corporate shares you signed over to me.  That will help take that worry off your mind.”

“Keep them. Your little whore may figure out how to get them from you yet.  I would hate to be the one to disappoint her.”

I questioned, “Whore?”  Tears came to Olivia’s eyes and she broke up sobbing right in front of all of the family. “Olivia, I’m sorry.  I want to get past name calling.”

“I do too. This is so hard for me.  You seem so happy with your new woman.  I’m jealous, I guess.”  I didn’t say anything as I watched her escape to the kitchen.  Tim, Betty, Elaine, and Brian had to work the next day so we closed down my welcome home early. I didn’t see Olivia leave.  I had driven most of the day so after a quick call to Shari, I went to the guest room and to bed. As I passed into sleep, I remembered I hadn’t got to the part about telling the family how attractive my Shari was.

I made the rounds of my attorney and my accountant.  Elaine was my banker and the one who paid the bills and kept my accounts updated, but with the weekly contact, there wasn’t much to go over. I wandered into the factory before lunch. I staked out the largest lunch table to hold court for those employees that were interested in knowing what I was up to. 

My former personal secretary even came and sat on my lap, kissing me in front of everyone.  “I have always wanted to kiss you.” I kissed her hard enough to shock her. “My God, if I knew you kissed like that, I would have said to hell with convention when you were still here.”  I knew she was kidding, because she was happily married. She and her husband were my good friends.

In the afternoon I visited a Realtor who dealt in commercial property to get  a listing of convenience stores.  I would take the listings with me when I went back to Ohio. Next I went across to the residential sales section and looked at several listings for single homes.  There were a wealth of these.  I couldn’t decide. A house was something that Shari and I would have to look at together and pick the one best suited to us.

Perry had been informed I was in town and he called me on my cell to invite me to dinner. My mother-in-law was sickly and had a nurse, so we would be dining at his club.  I joined my father-in-law in the lounge.  It was early so we had a chance to talk before dinner.  Perry was seventy-five. Life had been good to him and he kept himself well and was still active.

I caught him up on what I had been doing in the last five months.  As the evening wound down he posed a question.  “You wouldn’t consider taking Olivia back, would you?  She would drop the divorce complaint in a minute if you would.”

“Perry, if I was still floating around the country, as I supposed I might when I left here, I would.  I have found someone that has made me happy in my personal life.  More so than I could ever envision. So happy that I very seldom think about Olivia.”

“Well I had to ask.  Olivia was doing fine until you left.  She could go out, cheat, and then come home to you, her nice solid husband.”  I held up my hand to stop him.

“Yes, and she thought of me as that poor dumb bastard that lets his wife get away with everything.”

Perry continued his line of thought. “She went wild in the first couple of months and then she had the incident and scandal where she made the papers. I’m glad to say the family has closed around and supports her, but you weren’t there, of course.  Her circle of friends is so small now you can count them on one hand. Tough, but she brought it all on herself by treating you like shit.”

Then he said,  “Tell me about this woman you have hooked up with.”

“When I first picked Shari up, I didn’t think her looks were anything out of the ordinary. I want to take credit for making her cares go away.  After I had known her awhile, I looked at her again and she looks much like Olivia, only happier. But that may be because I’m in love with her.  We traveled around for two months.  We more often than not slept in the same bed. I never made a move, which puzzled her, giving her the impression I must be gay.

“Olivia had never taken much interest in sex with me after Tim and Elaine were born.  This left me thinking sex was no big deal.  My feelings about that have changed. Shari is five-five, nicely proportioned with all of the equipment a man could ask for.  She has a very attractive face and her personality just makes you want to hold and hug her.  What else do you need to know?”

“What is her background?”

“She is a child of an unwed mother. She grew up poor and struggled through school balancing working and studying.  Her mother died when she was twenty-two.  She met her husband when she was twenty-five and went with him on a couple of tours overseas that didn’t take him into any battle zones. They started a family when he headed out for the last one.  Two months later he was transferred to an active theater where he was killed just a few short weeks before he was due to rotate.

“Since then she has had several live-ins, most of whom treated her like shit.  That is until I came along. Now I’m happy, she is happy and Cindy, the daughter, is the happiest.  I’m going to see to it we all stay that way.”

“I can see that Olivia is out of your life now.  I’m sorry for her, but I’m happy that you have found this other woman. Elaine tells me you will be here at Christmas time. I would ask that you not flaunt this woman too much in front of Olivia, even though you have the right to.”

“No, and Shari will keep in the background as well.  Cindy is a child and what she will act like is an unknown.  I will not chastise her in any way.”

“As adults we will all love the child, I’m sure.  John, I know this may not be proper, but when you come back and until you get settled, I would like to extend the invitation for you to stay with Ellen and me. Olivia won’t like it, but I do know she is having a house full over the holidays.  All of her remaining friends are giving her support and they know within two weeks after the first, she will be fully divorced.”

“Thank you. I’ll relay this to Shari and call you before we arrive. I imagine we won’t stay with you very long.  We want to find our own place as soon as possible. I would like to stop by and see Ellen before I leave. When would be the best time?”

“Tomorrow morning would be the best. She begins to sink as the day progresses and might not even remember you when you see her again.”

I did visit.  Perry was there, but had to remind my mother-in-law who I was. 

“Oh yes, Olivia’s husband.”  We talked about Elaine and Tim.  When I mentioned Kitty and Randy, she offered that she guessed she liked them, but they were awful noisy.  Suddenly she asked, “Perry, is Olivia still living with that poor dumb bastard?  I dis-remember his name.   She says he is stupid, but I kind of liked him. At least he is faithful to her.” 

She glared at Perry.  I surmised there was a story behind that remark, but I didn’t pursue it.  I left shortly after. I gathered my two grand-kids when they got home from school. 

“What would you like to do?”

“Monopoly, let’s play Monopoly. You haven’t been home to play with us for so long.”  I went for it.  In a way this had brought the family millions. I wanted the tradition to continue.

I was on my way back to Ohio in the morning. It was a long journey and I had time to reflect on my family.  Olivia was still a beautiful woman, but I didn’t really miss her.  She had been replaced by a woman infinitely more desirable. 

Perry and Ellen--I had never heard a breath of scandal, but there must be one in Perry’s past.  I wondered about Perry, as I knew Ellen hadn’t been the easiest person to live with. Olivia was a lot like her mother in some respects.  I smiled, thinking that Perry most likely had his indiscretions hidden from the family until now. Ellen’s disease frequently made her forget some things.  Other times she might say something that was dredged up from the back of her mind that was embarrassing, either to herself or others near to her. With his wife having mental problems, the past might come out into the open. If Perry was guilty of any transgressions, it would be sad. Perry did care deeply for my mother-in-law.

It would be an extra day before I saw Shari and Cindy.  I didn’t take the scenic route west this time. I headed south until I hit Interstate 80.  By this time I was heading into the teeth of a winter storm. I got off the thruway in Du Bois and called Shari.  “Stay right there until things clear up.  I don’t want you in an accident.  Everyone has been coming into the store all day.  We are already out of milk because people are stocking up.  Honey, I have to go, I’ve got customers lined up around the counter.  Love you. Bye.”  I lay down tired from bucking the weather and figured I would sleep. 

There was something bothering me.  I thought about Tim and Elaine.  They and their families were fine.  I was proud of them--proud of myself too.  They had a fuller, happier life than I had.  That was possible because I had stayed on a more focused path.  Guiding them as I had, I knew that wouldn’t work, so I had made sure they had interests outside of the factory and business.

My thoughts swung to Olivia. Damn her! No, not for cheating on me.  More for hiding it so well from me and for so long.  I could’ve found a woman that much sooner in my life.  Of course, I knew it would not have been Shari, but it could have been someone like her.  Oh well, water under the bridge. What was bugging me was connected to Olivia.  I felt there was something.

I listened to the weather reports all night long and when I figured I could make it home by evening, I checked out of the motel.  I had trouble getting out of the parking lot. A couple of guys came along and rocked the car enough to get me going and I busted through the snow bank the plow had left. I slued half around when I hit the street, but soon straightened out.

Again my thoughts drifted back to my family. There was something just out of reach in the back of my mind that I should be able to latch onto, but God only knew what it was.

I pulled into my driveway about six that evening.  Cindy was all over me with kisses and hugs and I missed you’s.  I looked over her shoulder at Shari.  I could see from her expression she missed me too.  Supper was on the table. “You’re special, Johnny.  We have garlic bread because the bread truck made it to the store this afternoon.” 

I knew what she was talking about.  I wasn’t much of a cook and one time I had cooked some macaroni.  There wasn’t enough sharp cheddar cheese to put in it, just a little hunk of about two ounces. Knowing this wasn’t enough for the three of us, I dumped in a can of tomato soup and a half can of milk. Sometimes we had a small hamburger with it and sometimes not.  Tonight we did.  This meal became a favorite anyway.

I feasted my eyes on the two across the table from me as I told about my trip.  “We will be staying with my father-in-law when we get home.  Just until I can find a place to live while we look at property.  Ellen, my mother-in-law, is sick with Alzheimer’s disease.  She knew me early in the morning, but soon forgot who I was.  I have a bunch of property listings that I thought might be suitable, but I couldn’t make a decision without you.”

“You’re sweet.  I’d live anywhere with you.  Did you see your wife?”

“Yes she came in after supper one night.”  I stopped there.

“Well, are you going back to her?”

I got up and went around the table, pulling Shari to her feet.  I whispered in her ear as I hugged her. “Nope. I found someone better. My father-in-law asked me to take her back, but I declined.”

“Boy are you going to get some loving tonight!”  I backed away.  “So what did you do?”

“Played Monopoly with my grandchildren.  They are pretty sharp.  The world better watch out for them when they come of age.  I went over my finances with Elaine.  Went into the factory and kissed my secretary.  She misses me.  Looked at listings for stores, and residential properties.  The rest of the time I was away, I thought about my two girls back here in Ohio.” This bought kisses from both and a night of bliss from one.

The next day while Shari was across the street working, I contacted the agent who handled the house sale when I purchased it.  I wanted to sell complete with most of the furnishings.  There also was a message board outside of the store and I placed a listing on that.

The Realtor said it might take a month or six weeks.  Spring would be the best time to list it.  However, he might find someone that would go for a three or six month rental agreement, as it was basically furnished. That is if I didn’t need the property sold immediately.  I went to the store and talked with Shari.

“I’ll advance you the money to buy a store if this doesn’t sell before you have papers to sign.”

“Johnny, it is your house.  You’re just playing games with me.”

“No, I promised you ownership of the house if you would teach me how to make love. I guess it comes down to whether I’m satisfying you or not.”

“Okay, okay, I own the house.”  She grinned, burst out laughing and took me behind the stacked shelves to kiss me.

The owner was working, training a new manager, and he grinned at both of us. “Why don’t you two get a room?  I’m sure going to miss both of you. I never had a couple work for me who are as much in love as you two.”

The owner gave us a little party Thursday evening and many of the patrons were there to wish us well wherever we were going.  Christmas was on Sunday this year. I had our car all packed.  We hadn’t collected much in the short time we had lived in the house. 

Cindy had her doll, I had my lock box of personal papers.  Shari only had the cardboard box she kept her papers in.  When she was running away last summer, she didn’t have any time to pack much. We had clothes, but all would fit into the trunk.  I planned on leaving just after midnight Thursday night which would put us into my hometown very early Saturday morning.  We would arrive in time for breakfast.

I planned to visit Elaine first as I wanted Kitty and Cindy to get to know each other as soon as possible.  The weather was clear and cold.  The highways were dry and we had a straight shot going east. We pulled into my daughter’s driveway just before midnight Friday.  Shari had driven the car to spell me instead of getting off the highway for a few hours.

I woke Brian up and offered to find a motel if there wasn’t room here.  There was.  Shari and I had the guest room and Cindy slid into Kitty’s bed, Kitty never even roused up.  Elaine got up to meet Shari. 

“I just had to meet the person who has captured my Dad’s heart.  You know I was so worried when he packed up and left so suddenly last June.  Then when we got onto the fact that he had a female traveling companion we worried more. Welcome.  Dad’s happy and that is all that counts with me.”

Then Elaine hugged Shari to make her feel even more welcome than with just the words. When we crawled into bed, Shari declared she loved my family already and couldn’t wait to meet Tim and his family. Then she questioned when she would be meeting Olivia.  “I’m not sure.  She is holding court at my former home with her remaining friends.  I don’t think she will skip Christmas with us entirely. She loves Tim and Elaine as much as I do.  She’ll show up bearing gifts for Kitty and Randy, for certain.”

I chuckled, I thought to myself, but Shari noticed.  “What is funny?”

“Olivia has to check out the woman that captured my heart, so you can be sure she will be over.  I’m anxious to have you meet my father-in-law too. I have never had much to do with him because I was always too busy.  Now though, he is pretty much on my side against Olivia.  You’ll like him.  Ellen, my mother-in-law, may or may not be here because of her condition.”

I snuggled closer. “Go to sleep. My family will love you just like I do.”

Kitty came out of her room with Cindy tagging along behind her.  “Mom, you got me the best Christmas present ever. I woke up this morning and found a new friend.  She said she would be forever.  She tells me Grampa is her Daddy.  How can that be?”

“Kitty and Cindy, come here.” I hugged both little girls to me.  “I found Cindy and she didn’t have a daddy.  So I said I would be.  She is going to be my little girl forever just like she is your friend forever.”

The talk was general around the breakfast table.  Elaine called Tim, telling him I had arrived late last night.  I was invited over for coffee after breakfast. The Christmas Eve festivities were to take place at Tim’s tonight.  I had to go over there anyway and leave some presents this morning.  Shari thought she would go with me.  Kitty and Cindy were inseparable already, so she elected to stay at Elaine’s.

We were having coffee in mid-morning, when Olivia drove in. She came in and was introduced to Shari, saying hi to everyone.  She guessed she would join us for a cup.  She sat across the table from Shari.  She was looking puzzled, staring intently. I thought it was because she was mad or jealous.  She certainly wasn’t uncomfortable with the situation.  Suddenly she asked,  “Shari, what was your mother’s first name?”

“It was Susan. Why do you ask?”

“No reason, really. And what was her last name?”  Shari didn’t want to answer and hesitated. My wife turned to me.  “Do you know what it was?”

“No.  I never heard what it was.  Besides it shouldn’t matter.  Shari told me she has been dead for fourteen years.  What’s with you, anyway?”

“Please, this is important.  Just two more questions.  How old are you and when were you born?”

“I don’t know why you are asking me all these questions.  I have nothing to hide.  I was born thirty-six years ago in January.  My mother’s last name was Folsom if that helps you and stops this questioning.”

Olivia got up and looked for her pocketbook, taking her cell phone out. She dialed, all the time keeping her eyes on Shari. “Dad, I know what happened to Susan Folsom and why she left so suddenly.  Her daughter is sitting right here with John. You better come over to Tim’s. Don’t bring Mom.  She doesn’t need this.  No, not later.  You get over here right now.” 

Olivia hung up and looked at me and started laughing.  Then her attention swung back to Shari with more questions.  “How in hell did you arrange to meet up with John?  Did you do it just to get even with me?  Or maybe because you hated my father?  John, you won’t believe this but you have been taken in royally. I gave John the benefit of the doubt when he said he found a new love and she wasn’t after his money.  That wasn’t the case was it Susan?  No not Susan, you’re Susan’s kid.  I’ll bet she planned this.”

I shouted,  “Olivia, what in hell are you talking about?  Did you know Shari’s mother?”

“I did.  Daddy did too, that is until Mom didn’t like her working for him. I was only ten and she was my friend.”  Tears started to fall.   “Mom sent her away and suddenly she was gone without saying goodbye. When Dad gets here I’m going to ask him if he was cheating and if she got knocked up.” She was now laughing and crying at the same time.

“Christ, you might even be my sister.”  She hiccuped.  “Hey Tim, if John marries this woman, you and Elaine will have a six-year-old stepsister. What is her name---oh, yeah, Cindy.” Olivia was fast becoming a basket case, not being able to control her sobs. “John, you’re getting kinky in your old age.  How does it feel to be screwing sisters?”

“Olivia, stop it. You don’t know this. Wait until Perry gets here.  Shari, let’s go back to Elaine’s.”

“No, she stays right here until Dad sees her. Betty, would you mind finding Randy and taking him over to Elaine’s?  Tell her what is going on. I’ll call after we get this settled.”

“I don’t see anything to settle. Shari, we don’t have to get in the middle of this.”

“I think we do Johnny. I want to know who my father was. Maybe this man Perry is.  We can’t leave yet. I promise we will make our own life together,  even it I find out I have a father.”  I could see I was outvoted for the minute. Shari got up and asked where the bathroom was.  Tim pointed. 

When she came back she paused next to Olivia.  There was some common resemblance, but some differences as well.  Olivia was at least two inches taller, and of course, ten years older.  I remembered back to my trip in the snowstorm and what I was trying to pull from the back of my mind.  This had to be it. There was the resemblance and I hadn’t connected it.

Perry came in hesitantly, looking around.  All of us here could see a more striking resemblance between Perry at seventy-five and Shari who was half his age. It still wasn’t enough to be sure Shari was Perry’s daughter. A major question and answer period took place.

“Young lady, you do look like your mother. Did she put a name to your father?”

“Mom never named the man who was my father.”

“You must have questioned her about the man who made her pregnant?”

“I did.  I know she said she was in love with him, but he was married and she didn’t want to break up the union. She said at one time she was even friendly with my father’s wife.”

Olivia broke into the conversation.  “Did she ever mention that she befriended their daughter?”

“I don’t ever remember her talking about an Olivia.  There was someone she called Olly O though.  Would that be you?  She didn’t say if it was a boy or girl.  I assumed it was a boy.”

“It was me. She made up a little ditty while she was teaching me to jump rope.”

I was looking from one woman to the other.  One I had been married to for twenty-seven years now.  The other I wanted for my wife just as soon as I was free.  I could see complications down the road. These two were undoubtedly half sisters.  I couldn’t believe they would ever be friends and there was the fact that I was always going to be between them.  I knew Olivia and her disposition.  Uh huh--no way!

I sat thinking that I had better plan on taking Shari back to Ohio. This was where I was the happiest I had been in the last few years, even if it was only for a few months. Shari--I had given her the best possible life she had since her husband was killed.  I wasn’t going to give up Cindy either. Hell, it might all be taken away from me if Olivia dropped the divorce action.  Why wasn’t I the one to have filed the papers?  That was a huge mistake on my part, I just didn’t know it at the time.

Time to find out--no not yet. It was Christmas.  I wasn’t going to start a fight today.  I’d wait.  “Perry, Ellen alluded to the fact that you cheated on her with another woman.  Was that woman Shari’s mother?”

“Yes.  Susan was a friend to us both and she worked for me.  We were always working closely together and things got out of hand.  I had an office both at home and where I worked.  Susan was here often and was almost part of the family, socializing with us and playing with Olivia sometimes.  I suppose I seduced her, but she welcomed my advances.

“We had no plans for the future and hadn’t been long into the affair when Ellen, which I wasn’t aware of at the time, caught on to the fact we were intimate.  One week I had to be out of town.  Susan was invited to stay at the house.  When I returned, I couldn’t find or contact her. It was a rough time for me.  I couldn’t understand why Susan would leave without telling me why. 

“At this particular time Ellen became more loving to me than she was before Susan disappeared.  That changed when she threw my cheating in my face.  That was months later when Ellen told me she knew of my affair with Susan.  I swear I wasn’t aware that Susan was pregnant.”

He looked at Olivia.  “I guess you get your cheating ways from me.  There is  never any long term happiness in cheating.  It took three years before Ellen said she loved me again.  I could ask her again what happened that day, but I don’t think with the condition she is in, I would get a straight answer.”

We all agreed the subject shouldn’t be mentioned to Ellen.  I said I was going to do some last minute Christmas shopping.  I looked to Shari to go with me.  “No Johnny, I want to stay and talk to this man who says he is my father. I’m sure he is interested in my mother’s life before she passed away.”

I shrugged and indicated it was fine with me.  Olivia spoke up,  “I’ll go with you.”  She was daring me to refuse.

“Sure,  I might even find a present for you.  I haven’t bought Shari anything yet.  You can help pick it out.”  I went over to Shari and collected a kiss.

“Have fun.”

When Olivia slid into the car beside me, she offered,  “She’s a trusting person. I wouldn’t be so trusting if I was in her position.”

I smiled. “Why wouldn’t she trust me? We love each other.  Also, I’m with you, and she is your sister, and family trusts family.  I did want to ask something of you, just to clarify things between us. Olivia, you are going to let the divorce advance to its natural ending, aren’t you?”

My wife was silent sitting on the far side of me.  “What if I don’t?  What would you do then?”

“File for a divorce on my own.”  I pulled to the curb and shut the engine down. “I will pull out all the stops and go after you for adultery if I have to. I think I could prove it too.  I would pull your father in and Tim and Elaine. I don’t want to do that.  It would fracture the family and would hurt the grandchildren.  We have kept this divorce at a fairly subdued level so far.”

“I can see how deeply you love Shari. By way of an apology for the way I treated you John, I’ll let the divorce proceed.  It isn’t what I want.  Oh, when I first filed, I didn’t think I could wait for the final papers. I’ve changed my mind.  You heard about two men getting into a fight over me, didn’t you?”

I nodded my head as she continued, “You know when I woke up? It was when one of my so-called friends told me I was acting like a slut and had no morals.”  Tears were right on the edge of falling.

“Olivia, listen to me a minute.  I’m not placing all of the blame on you. Look at me. I was a nerdy type and I focused on the dream of being rich and how I was going to make it happen.  You came into my life and helped me with my dream until I had a good measure of success. Then I pushed you away and pretty much left you to your own devices on how to keep yourself occupied.  This will be about the only apology you are getting from me.

“I’ve been batting around with a different class of people for the last six months.  Many I have worked with were neither intelligent nor had a dream.  They just plodded on day by day, putting food on the table and a roof over their heads.  Oh yes, and hoping to give their kids a little better life than they have had. Many of these people were as happy as you and me.  They certainly have kept their word and vows better than us.  I’m putting myself in that category, because I have been making love to a woman for the last three months when technically I didn’t have any right to.

“In a way my dream would be worthless except for the fact that I have provided jobs for that class of people I just referred to.  So I’m not feeling too bad.  I think though, I’m going to opt out of my so-called class and join the working people again. That will be with Shari and what she wants to do. I’ll tell you one thing, your new-found sister from now on is going to be the biggest part of my life.  I’ll consider acting friendly with you, if you will give me the same consideration.  I don’t want to hurt the rest of the family.”

“I’ll think it over.  Make your plans any way you want. I’ll try not to disrupt them.  Let’s go shopping.  What are you buying and who for?”

“I’m buying Shari a ring.  I don’t guess you want to be involved in that. I’ve already got some of Cindy’s presents.  I want to buy something for Randy and Kitty.  You can help with those.  I also want to get something for your Mom and Perry.”

“Get Mom some strawberries.  She never has enough of those.  It isn’t much of a Christmas present, but the way Mom is, she’ll enjoy it.  Dad has changed his preference on liquor.  I don’t remember what it is, but I can pick it out when I see it.” 

I headed for the liquor store.  Olivia was looking out her window, not saying more.  When we pulled away from the package store, she turned and said, “John, you’ve noticed I don’t have my rings on. I am wearing them on a chain around my neck.  I took them off when you left, but I put them back on my person after that stupid fight over me.  At that time I was going to try anyway I could to get you back.  I was so foolish then and it would be so crazy to expect you to forgive me.”  There were tears in her eyes.

“I notice Shari calls you Johnny and I have always called you John.  Johnny is so much more loving.  No, I’m not trying to break you two up, but I would like to start calling you Johnny too.  That’s just to let you know I don’t think you are a poor dumb bastard anymore.  It is I who was the stupid one. 

“Now, pull up here so I can catch a cab to Elaine’s.  I’ll see you tonight at Tim’s for the festivities.  It is so much fun because the kids get so excited.  Johnny, I’ve had a rough few months. I’ve caused a lot of grief in the family, but I do love being with everyone, so I’ve cancelled the party with my friends tonight.”

I was left wondering as she stepped from my car to the waiting cab. Pulling into a parking space three doors down from the package store, I went two more doors down to look into the window of a jewelers.  It took me almost an hour to decide which was the right ring to purchase. I finally chose an emerald cut diamond that was of medium size and wasn’t too ostentatious.  I had it set in yellow gold and waited while it was mounted.  It was getting late and I had to pay a premium to have it done today.

I really had to rush now. I had to go to two electronic stores to get laptops for the three children.  There was no time to have them wrapped, but when I went into the grocery store, I spotted some lively stickers of cartoon characters to paste on the outside of the packaging.  They would have to do.  The strawberries came from a new case that was just being opened and they looked delicious. I remembered now that I had missed lunch and I was tempted to sample one berry.  Tim’s table would be set by the time I reached there for dinner.

Shari saw me drive up and came out. “You’re late.”

“I know.  I had a difficult time finding what I wanted to buy.  Is everyone here?”

“I think so.  Olivia came two hours ago and said she left you to shop alone.  What did you buy?”

“I got laptops for the kids.  For Tim and Perry, I bought liquor. I bought  pendants with sapphires for Elaine and Betty.  I couldn’t think of anything for Brian and I ran out of time, but I’ll promise him a box of cigars.  I’ll talk to him about it. I bought Olivia a friendship ring to replace her wedding band.  It will be a story she can tell her friends and remind her why the other ring isn’t on her finger.  It could be an up your nose gesture, but I don’t want to hurt her more because of the family.”

“That’s mean.”

“No. She and I are going to pretend to be friends for their sake.  Has Perry come to the conclusion that you are his daughter?”

“Yes, almost certain.  We are going to have his paternity checked to make sure.  I insisted on this after he started telling me about all the nice things he was going to do for me.  Ellen is going to be here tonight.  Perry is hoping she won’t remember my mother.  Olivia hasn’t said much to me, but she hasn’t trashed me either.  Elaine has again made me welcome.  Betty is very quiet and hasn’t said much.”

“That is Betty.  She doesn’t say much.  She rules Tim and Randy though.  You will like her when you get to know her. Tim couldn’t have picked a better wife.  Are the kids where I can bring in their presents without them seeing me?”

“Yes, they are in the back room playing.”

“Help me lug this stuff in, please.”

“Johnny, you haven’t said what you bought me.”

“I know, and you haven’t said what you bought me either.”

“Can we exchange gifts privately. Johnny, you have so much money, what I bought you may not be enough.”

“Just say you love me. That is all I want.”

“You have that.  Kiss me quick before we go in.  Johnny we have to get our own place soon--very soon.  You know why, don’t you?”

“I can guess and I feel the same way.”

It was the typical Christmas Eve family gathering.  Cindy was a little fearful with all of these older unknown people around.  She had always been shy around others.  Kitty and Randy weren’t and climbed all over me and begged to climb on Perry.  Ellen was as apt to hug a child one minute and then suddenly push them away, so the kids didn’t show as much affection for her.

Shari hadn’t been introduced to Ellen and stayed by me across the room from her and Perry.  Perry’s eyes drank in the image of this woman who most certainly was his daughter and who had suddenly appeared in his life.  Presents were being passed around by Randy.  Cindy had more gifts to open than she could imagine.  The family had gone overboard to make sure she had as many as Randy and Kitty. 

Elaine shouted at me when she heard me tell Brian that he was to have a box of the finest Cuban cigars, for she hated that he smoked them.  Suddenly Ellen spoke above the noise. “Susan, would you come tomorrow and sit with Olivia?”  She was looking right at Shari.  It was quiet with even the kids aware that Great-Grandma had gone back to an earlier time.

I was proud of my love.  “Of course I will.  I’d love to.”

“You’re such a sweet person.  I don’t know where Perry found you, but I’m glad he did. Olivia loves you almost as much as she loves me.  Ten o’clock then?”

“I’ll be there.” We could thankfully see Ellen slip back into the unknowing. It took a few minutes for the noise in the room to rise again to the level it had been.

When Cindy came to me, saying that she didn’t know how to use the laptop, I just said it was time she learned.  Kitty would teach her all about the machine. I knew my granddaughter had been playing on a computer since she was four years old. I wanted my new child to be equally adept and felt confident she would be soon.

Perry and Ellen didn’t stay late. When Elaine and Brian left, Cindy and Kitty went with them.  I was sitting in the living room with Tim, Betty and Olivia. Olivia spoke,  “So Johnny, what did you buy Shari for a Christmas present?”

“I bought her an engagement ring.  Sometime after our marriage runs out, I’ll get down on one knee and ask her to marry me. First though, I bought you a friendship ring, as I see your finger is bare. The stones represent your children and grandchildren. There is room in the center for your birthstone or you can put a husband’s stone in it if you should marry again.”

I turned to Shari. “I know this probably isn’t proper giving my ex-wife a ring, but in one way or another, and that includes you now, we are all family. I have let Olivia go and the ring just represents what I said it did. It is a friendship ring.”

Olivia looked at me and then at Shari. “Johnny, you have made your intentions clear. Ask her to marry you right now in front of all of us. I don’t mind.  Besides, I’d like to see what you chose for a ring.”

I knew I was going to give Shari a ring tonight.  My speaking the way I did, was to let Olivia know I was steadfast in my resolve to make Shari my wife without interference. I wasn’t really sure how Tim and Betty felt about my moving beyond their mother and making another woman my wife.  I knew it was okay when Tim said, “Geez, I just get a new aunt and you turn around and make her my stepmother.  That’s crazy, Pop.”  He got up and took Shari by the hand and kissed her cheek.  “Welcome to the family, both as Aunt and as Mom.”

He then went over to Olivia.  “Mom, this is happening with some sadness, but without the hate that could have developed. I think Pop truly wants to be your friend.”

“I know he does, and I appreciate how he is treating me.”  There were a few tears in her eyes. “So when are we going to see the ring?”

I had it in my pocket.  I pulled it out, opened it and got down on one knee in front of Shari.  Her face was about as red as it could be.  “I wonder who started this tradition.  I feel stupid.”  Then I remembered that Olivia had often called me that poor dumb bastard.  I ignored my thoughts and concentrated on Shari.  “Shari, will you marry me?”

Shari almost reverently took the ring box in her hand and looked at its contents. She removed the ring from its bed of satin and held it so I could slide it onto her finger. “John Ryan, I will marry you.  Oh it is so beautiful and I’m so thrilled.”

Betty and Olivia came and inspected it closely.  I was still on one knee. Tim rushed to give me a hand up.  This embarrassed Shari and she apologized for forgetting me. I passed it off, understanding that her hopes had been realized and she was distracted.  I knew she would make it up to me later. She did.

---

Christmas dinner was anticlimactic. The kids were playing with their toys and the adults sat back and watched them, sitting there stuffed with too much dinner.  Shari was the center of attention.  Perry was in attendance, but Ellen wasn’t.  She had a part-time nurse who cared for her when she was in one of her frequent spells of forgetfulness. This was one of them. Olivia wasn’t here either, which surprised me.

Perry was questioning Shari and I as to what our immediate plans were.  We said we were looking for a house to live in.  The suggestion was made that I move into the house that Olivia and I had occupied, but I shot that down.  Too many memories--good and bad. I didn’t want past memories of Olivia to mix with my life with Shari.  Nothing was made of my rejection, but it was somewhat awkward.

Then questions turned to what I was going to be doing. I could tell that Tim was concerned that I might want to relieve him of his position as president of the corporation.  “I’m going to help Shari find a store to buy.  I might even help her run it.  I’m pretty good at stocking shelves and I am experienced.”  This brought a laugh from everyone.  I was serious, though, until Elaine asked why I didn’t build one on the remaining property I owned.

Shari perked up. “We could build it just the way we would want it.  Is that possible, Johnny?”

“We will look at it. How many people are employed in the four factories, Elaine?”

“I don’t know exactly.  A couple of thousand anyway.  We have more than eight hundred employees in ours alone. There must be twice as many in the other three. If you positioned the store right at the main exit, it should do very well.  In fact a new store should be large.  Bigger than where you said you worked before.”

“Not on that small lot in the middle that I have kept clear?”

Tim spoke up.  “No, but I have an idea floating around in the back of my mind how that piece of land could be put to use.  Elaine and I have discussed it a little.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking about building a daycare center on that property.  Many of the women we hire, quit because they can’t find child care for their children.  All the factories would subsidize a center.”

“Who would run it?”

“How about Mom?”

“Olivia?  What in hell does she know about kids and caring for them?”

“What do you think she is doing right now?  She runs the daycare center at the local hospital.  She has been doing that since she woke up to the fact that cheating on her husband didn’t bring her happiness.  She is taking care of the kids that belong to the nurses and doctors who had to work today.  Pop, Elaine and I haven’t said anything because she asked us not to.  But I’m telling you right now, the family is damned proud of her.  I said this daycare thing was in the back of my mind, but it was Mom who put it there.”

Olivia and Shari did prove to be half sisters.  One I was married to before, and one I am married to now. Olivia still wears her friendship ring.  She filled up the space in the center with the birthstone of the doctor she married. I still own all of the land in the park except for a small five acres.  That five acres is owned by a nonprofit organization that has a daycare center on it. Little Johnny Ryan Jr. loves to stay there while his Mommy and Daddy are working in their store near the entrance to the industrial park.  He is the favorite nephew of his Aunt Olivia.

Most places of business tack their first dollar bill over their cash register.  Me, I’ve got a battered old Monopoly game that I treasure, prominently displayed. I’m probably the richest person that ever stocked shelves in a convenience store, but I’m happy.


The End