quarter to twelve.”
After hanging up, I smiled. This was going to be my chance to get even with Marilyn.
I worked on the government document, but really was watching my clock.
At a quarter to twelve, I was standing outside waiting on Sharon. She was right on time, and I climbed in the passenger seat of her BMW. She took me to a small diner and we ordered steak and potatoes.
She asked, “Okay, what happened?”
I told her the whole story, even the part about me going to the strip club and getting drunk. She asked another question: “Why didn’t you call me instead of going to that filthy place?”
I made a face and shrugged. “Geez, Sharon, I didn’t think you were interested in me.”
She made her own face. “No one said that I was interested in you. I just wanted to talk and find out what happened.”
I smiled. “Next time that I have a meltdown, I promise to call you first.”
She smiled. “Brandon, don’t get any ideas; I won’t help you get even with Marilyn.”
I lost my smile. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that, but I would like to talk to you every now and then.”
It was her turn to shrug. “I guess that would be okay, just don’t use me.”
My smile returned. “You got a deal, Sharon, but you have to promise to call me when you need to talk, and this has to stay private.”
She made a face. “I won’t even tell my sisters!” Sharon had four sisters. She was clearly the best-looking of the group.
After lunch, she took me back to my work. Before I got out, I asked her, “You like to bowl?”
“I’ve never bowled before. Is it fun?”
I said, “Yeah, it is a lot of fun. Some afternoon, let’s take off and go bowling.”
She smiled, said, “Okay,” and drove off, leaving me admiring her and her car. She must make really good money, I thought. Sharon had looks, money and brains; so what if she was twenty-four? Why wasn’t she married? If she had a problem that turned guys off, I wasn’t aware of it.
I wasn’t sure why I was doing what I was doing. Okay, I knew why: it was that age-old reason that guys just look at girls. We are made that way; we are always looking at ways to spread our gene pool. It sounded good and made me happy; that was all that I cared about. I was clearly attracted to Sharon, but why, why would I risk my own marriage for another woman? I didn’t have an answer. Normally I would only have looked at a woman like Sharon, but now she was within my grasp.
That afternoon, Marilyn picked me up after work and had something that she couldn’t wait to tell me. “Baby, I told you that he would do it; he has me set up for an overnight trip to Chicago. He is going too.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She really looked afraid. “Honey, is it just you two?”
She shook her head. “No, there is a group of us going, but he will try and seduce me again.”
I said, “You have to promise me, no drinking on the trip, and you will just say ‘no’ to him.” I put my hand on her thigh. Marilyn was trembling. She reached down and patted my hand.
We picked up the kids and went to a pizza place and let them run wild for a while. Rachael did help to watch her younger brother.
I was sitting by Marilyn when I reached over and patted her belly. She got a huge smile on her face and mouthed, “I love you!”
I tried, but I couldn’t say it. I just winked at her.
Marilyn sat back and seemed hurt. “Baby, how can I make this up to you?”
I didn’t smile. “You can’t. You have to give me time. You hurt me bad and I can’t just act like it didn’t happen. Just be patient with me; I will be fine. You just take care of yourself.”
She didn’t seem to understand. “Baby, can’t you just say it to me? I need to hear it.”
I tried, but it just wouldn’t come out of my mouth. I felt like I was cheating her, but there was nothing that I could do about it. Some things are just not possible.
We went home with no one happy: the kids wanted to stay and play. Marilyn wanted something from me that I couldn’t give her, and I wanted things the way they used to be but I wasn’t willing to do what was necessary to get it.
At home, things didn’t get any better. We put the kids to bed and set up and stared at each other, both unhappy. It was that night that I realized that the pain went too deep and I couldn’t do anything about it. I needed professional help, but I wasn’t willing to get it.
The rest of that week was stagnant just like that night had been. I slept in my recliner, often refusing Marilyn’s invitations to sleep with her. The next week was supposed to be Marilyn’s three-day trip to Chicago. Neither one of us could talk about it.
The weekend was quiet and I played with the kids, often taking them on a walk without Marilyn. I knew she was hurting, but there was nothing that I was willing to do about it. Without realizing it, I was setting her up for failure.
On Sunday, we went to church and I was able to get Sharon alone before the church service and set up for Tuesday night to go bowling. I would have to remember to get a babysitter.
Sunday morning at church, I did my best to not look at Sharon, but it was hard.
When church was over I shook hands with the minister. He said, “Good morning, Brandon. How are you?”
I smiled back at him. “I am doing just fine, how are you?”
He nodded. “I am doing fine. I just wanted you to know that the Holy Spirit brought your name to me and I have been praying for you.”
I lost my smile. “Thank you, Pastor. I appreciate it.” But what I wanted to say was, “Please mind your own business.”
Sunday night, the kids were in bed and Marilyn approached me. “We need to talk!”
I smiled at her. “Okay, what do you want to talk about?”
She looked at me like I was stupid. “Bert has been playing up to me.”
I shook my head. “What do you want me to do about it?”
She threw her arms down in anger. “You said that you would take care of him. Do something.”
I said, “Marilyn, you brought this on yourself. Just remember, no drinking and stay away from Bert. You are not to go to his room, and he is not to come into your room. And just say no to him.”
She folded her hands just below her breasts. “That’s the best help that you have for me?”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “Honey, what do you want me to do?”
She grabbed me by both arms. “I want you to talk to him, remind him that I am your wife and you will fight for me.”
I smiled at her. “I am willing to fight for you, but you have to be willing to fight for me too.”
She turned and went into the bathroom. I could hear the water running in the bath tub. She went to bed without saying another word to me.
When I took my shower she was asleep.
I slept in the recliner again. I was getting tired of the chair, but I didn’t want to sleep with Marilyn.
Monday morning we rode to work together. As usual, it was a quiet ride. When I was getting out of the car at work, Marilyn grabbed me by the shirt, “Baby, I love you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
I said it without thinking: “I love you too, honey.” Part of me was angry for saying it. She had tricked me into it.
She drove off with a smile on her face.
I went into the building and immediately got involved with a new document. It was proofing a test procedure written by Erline. She was a sharp cookie, just was a little, no a lot, on the fat side.
She was smart as she could be and offered to take me to lunch. We went to a sandwich shop and all that she could talk about was the procedure that she had written and what did I think about it. She really turned me off. I was happy to get back to the office.
I worked hard at staying busy that day. In my heart I knew what was going to happen and I truly wanted to do something about it. But as with most good intentions, I did nothi
ng about it. I was leaving Marilyn out for the wolf to get. I shook my head at myself. I wasn’t very proud of what I was doing.
During my afternoon break, I was sitting back in my chair eating a candy bar and drinking a Coke when my phone rang. I looked at it, almost didn’t answer it, but did.
“Hello, honey. What’s up?”
Marilyn said, “Baby, he is being suggestive. I need you to do something.”
I closed my eyes. “Marilyn, just ignore him. There is no law against being suggestive. Slap him if you have to.”
She came back: “You want me to slip up again, don’t you? Why, baby, why?”
I took a drink of Coke. “I don’t want you to slip up, so far he hasn’t done anything wrong, you just stay that way and you will be fine. Don’t give in to him. I will take care of him when you get back; you just do your part.”
Marilyn hung up on me. I didn’t blame her. She was going to fail, and I wasn’t willing to do anything about it. What was wrong with me? Was my infatuation with Sharon making me act out the way that I was? Again, I didn’t know, but I knew that I was acting oddly. I should have been all over Bert, but I was letting him take advantage of my wife. I agreed with Marilyn: why?
I called and got a babysitter for tomorrow night. I only smiled when I thought of Sharon.
Marilyn picked me up at five and was angry as a wet hornet.
“Okay, Brandon Thompson, tell me why you won’t help me? I need your help, please!”
I looked at the roof of the car. “Honey, I will help you. When you get back, file a sexual harassment charge against him with the human resources department. Go to his boss. You let this go on for a year,