Epiphany Pt. 02

Investigation

Sam was up a little before six and made sure his alarm didn't go off. He belted on his gown and went downstairs and met with one of the investigators. Soon Linda's phone had the appropriate apps installed and working. The investigators could listen and even visually record anytime it was felt to be necessary. One of the apps also was useful as a locator GPS so Sam decided to not to bug Linda's car or her purse. She never went anywhere, even to the bathroom, without her phone unless it was on the charger.

You might ask why Sam wasn't going to be the one to keep check on Linda's whereabouts. Sam felt he was too busy with his day to day business dealings to try and track Linda all day. The investigators could and would do that and give him a summary report. Sam was treating this as he would any other assignment. Hire the right people and delegate and you will get the job done without getting mired in the small details.

Sam then showered and shaved and dressed to hit the gym. He packed his suit in a carry-on case and left for the day. He didn't bother to give Linda a good-bye kiss. He completed a thirty minute workout and then showered again and spent the day making more money for himself and his company.

Actually he only spent part of the day working. Some of the day was spent working more directly with Harold about the change in leadership. Sam knew Harold would not need much in the way of education as he had always been the one in charge when Sam was off site for meetings, conferences, or vacations. Most of the orientation was to policies that dealt with long term contracts that had not been under Harold's direct purview.

Sam also started to address his granddaughter's lack of affection toward him. He called his daughter, Cindy, and arranged a time to take Cinda out for an ice cream and maybe a visit to the park. Cindy seemed surprised at her father's request but did agree that Sam could come and get Cinda for an outing on Wednesday afternoon. Sam planned for weekly outings from now on. He knew he should not try to buy Cinda's love, even though he could afford to inundate the child with stuff, but instead just start to be more available for her.

Sam then spent the afternoon with Temperance. She had compiled a list of employees who, according to office gossip, might be stepping outside the boundaries of committed relationships. Sam decided he didn't really need to know for sure if anyone was cheating on a significant other. No, he would just meet with each person and let them know his feelings on infidelity and remind the employee of the policies in place to deal with poor behavior.

Since his company had grown so much in the past few years Sam also had lost track of how many he was employing. As an exit strategy he wanted to get to know each and every employee a little, something he now regretted not doing sooner. He sighed at the thought that his small business, when he had known each and every person there, had now gotten large enough that he had lost touch with some of the staff not in management.

Sam then knocked off early and went for a walk in the downtown area near the office. During the day the foot traffic was all business people intent on getting from one place to another. Sadly their city business district had a different clientele after dark and it became a more dangerous place to walk.

That night Linda was home a little later so they ordered out and soon had a tasty meal on the table. Sam made sure that he didn't eat his entire serving. Most restaurants now provided a very large portion to justify their expense and Sam had gotten used to cleaning his plate, something his parents had insisted on as a small child, and it was a very hard habit to break. Linda just gave her husband a quizzical look when he got up and put the leftover food into a container. Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I think I will start to take any leftover to work for my lunch when I don't have noon meetings scheduled. I can then get back to work sooner."

Linda didn't voice her concern about eating leftovers at his desk but she was starting to wonder why Sam was suddenly doing things that would save money.

Sam then announced he was going for a walk and his plan to do some swimming when he returned. Linda was quick to respond. "Please wait and I will change into some comfortable shoes and go with you."

Sam nodded and went to change into his own more comfortable clothes. Soon they were briskly walking down the sidewalk. Due to the fact Sam was out of shape he was unable to talk while striding along. Linda was in better shape but didn't seem to have much to say so their walk was silent for the most part.

When they returned both quickly changed and went down to the pool. Sam made the comment that they really hadn't needed to put on swimsuits as the pool was in a protected area that was not easily seen by others. "You know, if we do this very often, we could just come back from our walk, strip down and just dive right in."

Linda looked at her husband with a surprised look. It had been many years since Sam had suggested anything so risqué. She certainly wasn't opposed to swimming nude, she just hadn't really thought about it. Their standing in the community demanded that they conform to certain behaviors in public and that usually included any time they were outside their house.

They swam for about an hour before getting out and heading for the shower. Again they shared the large master shower and soaped each other's back but that was again the extent of their touching for the evening. Sam again went to sleep with an erection and the reoccurring sad thought that his wife felt no attraction toward him.

In the morning Sam stayed home and met with the architect and the interior designer. They went over the thoughts that Sam had and came up with a rough draft of what was needed. The architect proposed an outside staircase so that a resident didn't need to go through the main entrance or from the inside door to the garage all the time. Sam immediately agreed.

The designer proposed very masculine tones to the space. She also suggested that the space be just a single bedroom with a large game room/office for part of the extra space. Sam envisioned a billiard table, something he could play by himself whenever he wanted to. He already had a similar table in the basement of the main house but, if his personal life went as he anticipated, he would not be using the main house much longer.

They parted company about noon. Linda had left much earlier for meetings with the various groups she was associated with so Sam made due with the leftover pizza from the other night as a lunch. He didn't want to eat too much as he anticipated sharing ice cream and other snacks with his granddaughter later.

About two he stopped at his daughter's house to pick up Cinda. Initially Cinda seemed reluctant to go with Sam but became more animated when they got to the park. There was always many other children to play with and a large assortment of equipment to play on. Sam spent an enjoyable time with Cinda. It was only marred by her comments about how much she enjoyed going places with her "Grandpa Charlie" and the toys he bought her.

Sam bit his tongue to keep from correcting Cinda that Charlie was not her "Grandpa" as it would not do any good. Cinda had been coached by someone to call Charlie that. It was very obvious that her mother and father had not ever tried to correct her impression of Charlie.

It was about five when Sam delivered a drooping Cinda, full of ice cream and cotton candy, to her parents. Doug seemed surprised that Sam had taken the afternoon off to be with Cinda. Sam just smiled at his son-in-law and told them he was planning to be a bigger part of Cinda's life as he started to take life a little easier from now on.

Sam didn't hang around very long after making that comment. He could see Cindy and Doug looking at each other thoughtfully as he turned and headed back to his car. He had not broadcast his upcoming retirement so the news that he was "going to take it a little easier from now on" must have been a surprise to them both.

Sam went on to the gym and got in a good workout before going home. He was already starting to develop a little stamina but knew he was a long ways from getting back into some kind of physical shape. He also resisted the temptation to weigh himself as he probably had not even dropped a pound yet. The trainer had told him that he should expect to only lose two to three pounds a week.

That night nothing changed as Linda again accompanied Sam on his walk. Since she was in better shape she occasionally tried to start a conversation but Sam would just shake his head and keep striving to walk briskly. When they returned home from a full four mile walk, Sam just stripped down and jumped into the pool and started swimming. Linda went inside and changed into her swimsuit and then joined him. Sam interspersed his swimming with walking in the shallow end to keep the resistance against his body going. When he was completely wiped out he slowly made his way to the steps and dragged his worn out body to a lounger where he sat and downed a bottle of water quickly to replace the fluids lost.

Linda kept swimming for another fifteen or twenty minutes before joining Sam in the lounger next to his. She downed her bottle of water and turned to her husband. "Tell me, Sam, why the sudden interest in getting into shape?"

Sam considered giving her a snide response somewhere along the lines of, "Because you are fucking Charlie since I am such a blob." But he didn't give into temptation. Instead he gave her the next best answer, "Linda, I looked at myself and saw a couch potato. I have let myself be so involved with the firm that I haven't been eating right or getting any exercise. I could just see myself having a heart attack in a couple of years. Thankfully my cholesterol and blood pressure haven't gone up so I decided to start now to get into better shape so that I will live a longer and healthier life."

Linda nodded. Sam couldn't resist a little zinger. "Besides I don't believe you find me in the least bit attractive in the shape I am now in. We haven't made love in months and when I took a hard look at myself I could see why you haven't wanted to get hinky with me. I imagine that I might have even made you a little sick to think about my sweaty fat body laying on you."

Linda, of course, denied any such feeling or attitude. Sam called her on it. "If you don't find me attractive then when did we last make love?" Linda couldn't answer. "I believe I have made my point. I am an out of shape grotesque man who would have to pay for sex."

Sam immediately threw himself out of the low to the ground lounger and went inside to shower and then he went to bed in a guest bedroom. He was pissed at Linda and had almost thrown her affair with Charlie into the light of day.

Later he heard Linda come upstairs and then assumed she showered in the master shower. After a bit there was a timid knock on the guest bedroom door. "Sam, please talk to me. You are my husband and I love you."

Sam bit back his retort and just played possum. Linda tried the knob and found that he had locked the door.

The next morning Sam was up at his usual time. He expected Linda to sleep until her normal time and he wasn't disappointed. He had to go into the master bedroom to get clothes but he took them back to his new room to dress. Linda was awake and watched him without speaking. Sam didn't attempt to give her a goodbye kiss again this morning. He wondered if she even noticed.

Thursday and Friday were basic repeats of the previous days. Sam spent time meeting with employees. Some he had been informed were having affairs so he counseled each and every one on what the expected behavior was. Most were receptive to his stand on their sin and some even broke down and cried as they pledged to change. A few were stupid enough to challenge him and found that Sam could continue to prosper without their help.

Temperance and Delight came into their boss's office unannounced and confessed to their own indiscretion. Temperance took the lead. "Sam, I believe, and I believe Delight agrees with me, that we would be hypocrites if we didn't confess that we are in a relationship with one of the secretaries. This wouldn't be a problem except she is married. Our relationship started when she was still engaged and came to us and told us that she was curious about lesbian sex. We kind of took her under our wings and showed her and taught her all about girl loving. She still comes over for an evening of sex weekly. She tells her husband she is out with co-workers, which is true."

Sam was disappointed in the two people he trusted above all others. He could understand why they would be tempted to show a co-worker exactly what lesbian sex was all about. Both were staunch supporters of gay and lesbian rights and had gotten married the minute it was legal to do so. Sam just thought they were in a committed monogamous relationship but who was he to tell them how to live their lives. He was more concerned about the marriage they might be undermining. He gave them the same talk he was using with others who were cheating. He then immediately met with the secretary and discussed what she was doing to her marriage. He didn't know if it made any difference but, like the others, all three understood his position and the consequences if they continued down the path they were trodding.

Sam left early on Friday to take Cinda out again. This time they went to the trampoline place and Cinda laughed and jumped and had a great time. Sam even joined her for a time. At the end of the afternoon they got an ice cream cone and Sam ended up wearing part of Cinda's as she fell asleep on the way home. She was still clutching the cone when he attempted to get her out of her car seat and, boom, he was suddenly wearing the ice cream. Sam refused to let it bother him which consternated Cindy as Sam was always known as a fastidious dresser.

Sam laughed it off as Cindy took the sleeping child from him. Sam just waved as he turned and went to his car. Later he got a text from Cindy asking him to stop and have a cup of coffee the next time he took Cinda out.

Friday night Linda had a "meeting" that she couldn't miss. Sam just shrugged his shoulders and went to his new bedroom and changed clothes for his walk. He put in another four miles and took a full minute off the time from Wednesday night. He then came back, stripped down and dove into the pool and swam as hard as he could for thirty minutes. He didn't walk in the water to cool down. He was beat and dragged himself out of the pool to the lounger.

It was a mild evening and Sam drank a beer from the outdoor refrigerator and then fell asleep on the lounger. He didn't wake until very late. Since he didn't have his watch on he didn't know the exact time. He made his way into the house and grabbed a shower and cleaned up. He then ate a sandwich. It was about one a.m. and Linda wasn't home yet. Sam wondered if she was staying over at Charlie's house but didn't attempt to call or text. He wouldn't want to interrupt their lovemaking, would he?

Hell yes. He called. Unsurprisingly there was no answer. There was no answer when he sent a text message either. Oh well, if she was with Charlie she was at least physically safe. Sam went to bed.

Saturday morning when Sam woke he discovered his wife in bed with him. She was naked and her hand was on his morning erection. She was spooned up against his back and snoring lightly. Sam had no idea when Linda must have returned home. It did feel good to have the love of his wife so close to him but he did need to get up and empty his bladder. As he tried to extricate himself from her he was met with resistance. Linda refused to let him go. In her sleep she kept stroking his cock, all seven inches of it.

Finally he pried her hand off his cock and slid out of bed. Linda opened her eyes. "Come back to bed, Honey. I want to snuggle some more."

"Sorry but I have to go to the bathroom." Sam went out of the bedroom to the bath just down the hall and emptied his bladder. He debated going back to bed for a while longer but it was now nine and he needed to get dressed to meet with the investigator. He wondered about what he would find out.

Since Linda was sleeping in the guest bed, well actually now Sam's bed, Sam went ahead and dressed in the master bedroom, now known in his mind as Linda's bedroom. He left a note on the table as he went out.

The meeting with the investigator left a lot to be desired for Sam's peace of mind. "We started our surveillance on your wife on Tuesday morning. She called one Charlie Wink at 0730 hours and talked for about ten minutes. They made plans to meet later that morning at Mary Morse's house." He stopped and looked at Sam for a moment.

"I understand this is your mother's home. Is that correct?" Sam nodded. The investigator nodded back and continued. "Linda made the comment that they were expected at Mrs. Morse's for lunch. Then she told Mr. Wink 'I will fuck your brains out at the house this afternoon.' She told him how much she had missed him since Sunday. They then ended the call."

He pulled up a map that showed a track. "By her cell phone I could track her to your mother's house. There was no deviation. She met Mr. Wink at the house and they seemed to be welcome visitors." There were a couple of photos of cars that were also at Sam's mother's abode. He recognized his daughter's car and also the truck his brother drove. His sister, Darla Green's, car was not there.

The investigator, Wilfred Gomes, was an oriental looking gentleman who looked very innocuous, kind of like the sinsei from the original Karate Kid movie. Sam supposed that Wilfred would be a surprise if he was cornered. But even with his oriental look he would blend into a crowd.

Wilfred played a recording taken from Linda's phone. It staggered Sam and shook his very core beliefs. Charlie was apparently welcomed as though he was Mary's son and not Sam. As a matter of fact Mary made many cutting and caustic comments about Sam during the lunch. Quotes such as "stupid wimp", "should never have allowed the bastard to see the light of day", "clueless fool", and other comments led Sam to believe his mother didn't hold a smidgen of loving feeling for her youngest child.

It started to make sense when he heard Charlie ask why she didn't seem to like Sam. "I got pregnant while having an affair with the gardener. Bill, my late husband, found out and refused to have any more sex with me from that point on. It didn't matter if Sam was Bill's or the gardener's. He refused to stay in the same room with me unless it was necessary. He gave all his love to that fucking bastard son I delivered. If it wasn't for him Bill and I would have still had a good marriage."

She gave off a laugh. "Now I get the idiot to pay for all the repairs around here even though I can easily afford it. I get him to run errands so you two can fuck to your hearts' content. He is so clueless that I almost laugh in his face."

James made similar comments about how gullible and naïve his little brother was. Cindy added how sorry she was that Charlie wasn't her real father and that she felt Sam had never been there for her as she grew up. Sam knew better but how do you convince someone they are wrong?

Sam realized that he never once heard any comment supporting him or taking the others to task for the way he was being talked about and treated. Just like a week ago when he had his epiphany, he realized that he was the one on the outside looking in. Now he had verbal proof of that. Was his father his biological father? Sam supposed that in the whole scheme of things that it probably didn't matter since it was obvious to him that his father had considered him his son. It was just a shame that his biological mother hated him.