Obtuse

Copyright© 2019 by Richard Gerald

This story is submitted for the writer's workshop story group sponsored by Eric. The topic was to write a story involving a strong woman. Those who have read my earlier stories will recognize I borrowed some of the minor characters from that earlier work. Feel free to criticize and comment. If you email me directly, I will try to answer, but I'm backed up trying to edit a novel.

Part I

Chapter One

Jason: Boy Gets Girl

I suppose you could blame it all on Daylight Saving's Time. Some people readily adjust to the change in time, but I cannot. Normally, I have no classes before 10 am. I'm a university math professor, and I wake around 8 a.m. at the earliest. That Friday morning, I was still suffering from the clocks being set forward an hour. I woke at 6 a.m. two hours early because my biological clock was going nuts. It was just in time to see my wife exit the bathroom and begin to get dressed.

Mary is an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She has the deepest green eyes that hold you spellbound. She is five-foot-ten and about a hundred and forty pounds. She is as they say built. She has a 38 D chest and a twenty-six-inch waist. I have no idea what her hips are, but they curve invitingly to her long legs.

I watched as she put on a garter belt and high-top lace stockings. The black lace bra was next followed by the matching French cut panties. She then did her makeup. It was light but carefully applied. Then the deep purple silk blouse buttoned to show a hint of the bra. Finally, she put on the dark pinstripe dress suit with a skirt that was two inches too far above the knees, and a jacket that hugged her body. She slipped into a pair of four-inch stiletto pumps, the kind that are all black but have red bottoms. As she brushed her hair, she became aware that I was awake.

"Morning love. Sorry if I woke you," she said with a broad smile lighting up her face.

"What's the occasion?" I asked.

She shrugged and said, "Nothing special another day at the office."

A fact that doesn't fit the pattern is always of interest to me. Something that suggests that the current theory is not a full explanation of the facts is irresistible, in this case, an overdressed lawyer lying about the reason.

Mary and I have been married for twenty-one years, or we will be next month. We met at the state university. The first time was in the Math 1 class. I had to be there, it was a prerequisite. Most of the math majors took the afternoon session with Professor Latham, the resident math star. The non-majors preferred Professor Hoffman allegedly one of the easiest graders on campus. As luck would have it, Professor Hoffman had a heart attack two days before classes began, and he was out for the semester. His replacement, Laura Parker, has always been a model for me as an instructor. I just think about what she would do, and do the opposite. One of the problems we university professor have is that no one thinks to give us any instruction on how to teach. Poor Laura needed some lessons badly.

There were about two dozen students in the class looking for an easy grade from the sick Professor Hoffman, which was not going to happen. Mary was one of those seeking an easy grade. I was there because I had a conflict. I had already formed a crush on a girl named Margaret, who was an artist. She was in a painting class in the afternoon, and I was taking painting when my fellow majors were taking Math 1, with the brilliant Dr. Latham. I'm a bit arrogant when it comes to math. I'm good, and I know it, but with women, I am awful, and I know it. I never stood a chance with Margaret, who was soon dating a disheveled senior-level art student. He did metal sculptures that resembled nothing but allegedly said something if you had an artist's soul. I clearly did not. I guess Margaret did. From what I heard, he treated her like shit, and she loved it.

It was hard not to notice Mary. She was the most beautiful girl in the school, and that is no exaggeration. A tall blond with movie star looks and an incredible body. The boys were just tripping over themselves to get even close to her. I had no trouble getting close. Laura Parker saw to that. She called on me the first day of class. Laura had an annoying need to prove herself the smartest person in the room. To that end, she put up a truly difficult polynomial equation on the board and started calling on people for a solution. If it had been two months into the class, the average student would have had a chance. On the first day, the students were baffled by this problem.

I was her third intended victim, and I marched right up to the board and solved it quick. I'm good at what I do and not ashamed to show it. It's my talent, and I am proud of it. I have trouble reading due to dyslexia, and I come from a blue-collar family. My father read meters for the electric company, and my mother was a nurse. Paying for my schooling was a struggle for them. I was not going to let some snob like Professor Parker put me down. Laura was not pleased with my correct answer. She followed up with questions designed to show her superior knowledge. I won that contest too and made an enemy of her for the next four years. The way I figured it, you can live in fear or live without it.

As of the second class, I found Mary sitting next to me, and she stayed right there by me until the semester ended. Mary was a grade hound. It was how she chose her classes, and she was determined to get the highest grade in everything. I, at the time, had no idea why she was so intense about grades; however, she was pretty and great to be around; accordingly, I played along. She got the second highest grade in the class. I had the first much to Laura's displeasure, but by then Latimore had heard of me. The great Professor Latimore was as full of himself as Laura; only he had cause. I was known as some kind of protégé. Latimore pushed me hard because it made his department look better. However, he was right; I needed it. I had no ambition. I needed pushing.

After the Math 1 final, when I saw Mary around campus, we would talk. We even sometimes shared a coffee or lunch. We were friends, I thought. As I said, she was great just to be around. If anything, I found her looks to be a distraction from her as a person. I liked her, and she seemed to like me. With most girl's, I was so shy that I could barely speak, but with Mary, I could relax. We were friends, and that was it. I did not see her as someone to date.

Mary and I didn't date, and I thought it would stay that way; but when I was nineteen and a Junior, things changed. Mary was then twenty-one and a senior. Back then, and even today, I like to box as recreation, no competition just fun. Well, this guy Max came up to me in the gym and asked whether I was doing anything Saturday night. I said no. So, he said his girl had a friend, and they wanted to go to some concert by "Ginger." I had never heard of her, but as it turned out, it was a them, a rather good rock band. Max said he was providing the tickets, and all I had to do is show up and be presentable. Well, this was a set up in every way possible, but as usual, where Mary was concerned, I was slow to see what was going on.

I met Max at a local college bar beforehand. There we waited for the girls to show. When they did, my blind date was Mary. I learned later that she had made all the arrangements. She had wanted a date and was sure that I would never ask her out. Mary being Mary, she found a way to overcome my shyness. Max and his date, a very nice girl, ditched us early, and I was left with Mary, who monopolized the conversation and basically ran our date. Mary came at me like a steamroller. She wasn't overbearing just firmly in control. By the time the evening ended, I was hooked by that overwhelming personality of hers. She just seemed to fit all the places where I was missing a piece. I guess she had never turned her full force on me before. The way she looked at me as if I was something special that she had got her hands on made me feel so good about myself.

We ended the date with a big wet kiss and a promise on my part to call her early the following week. She didn't wait for my call. On Monday, she called to say she would be over to study with me. After that, she and I spent a lot of time together. Frankly, I never understood why the hot sorority girl was interested in the math nerd. After the Math 1 class, she never took another math class. So as a tutor, I was useless to her. I wasn't bad looking, and I was very fit. I'm six feet tall and a hundred-eighty-pounds. Girls liked my blond hair, but I was way too shy to make much out of it.

I was certainly not in the league of the girl who was at the very top of the A-list. I could not figure it out, nor could any of my nerd friends, but the general opinion was that if a beautiful and wealthy girl wants you, then why fight it. I should have mentioned that Mary came from a wealthy family. She was slumming at the State U. Racking up great grades while she studied for her law admission's exam. She wanted to go to Harvard Law. Mary was a very ambitious girl. I can recall the day that she got her early admission notice. After we had celebrated, she invited me home to meet the parents. It was not something that I was keen on. But in the moment of her triumph, I agreed figuring that they would see me as a momentary diversion. Since Mary would soon be off to Harvard, and I had another year to finish at the University. I assume that her going to Harvard would be the end of us.

The house outside Stanford Connecticut was more a mansion than a home. It had seven bedrooms and two dozen rooms in total. I was more intimidated than impressed. Mary's mother, Katharine DeVoe Singleton, was four inches shorter than her daughter, but she had the same incredible pear shape. Hers was filled out with the effects of bearing three children. She had the same honey-blonde hair and specular deep green eyes as her daughter. In her early forties, she was exceeding beautiful like her daughter is today. Katharine gave me a warm welcome, and we became instant friends, which we are to this day.

Mary's father was cooler as you would expect. He was taller than I am and broader, but he was carrying an extra twenty pounds. His light-brown hair was receding, and he was at least ten years older than his wife. He looked at least twenty years older than her because his lady looked quite a bit younger than her age.

Roger Singleton was an insurance broker when he married Katharine DeVoe, the heiress to the DeVoe fortune. Katharine had a much older brother, but he barely lived long enough to see her married. With the DeVoe money, Roger Singleton seemed set for life. However, he could not keep himself from using it to make himself head of his own insurance company. DeVoe & Singleton is one of the world's largest reinsurers. They don't sell you the policy they cover the big risks for the people who do sell the policies. It is more like gambling. It is a hard game and requires a sharp mind and a strong set of nerves. Roger Singleton, as I learned, was perfect for his business.

Roger's life centered on his company and his family in that order. There was an exception to this order for his oldest child. She was the center of his universe and the pride of his life. Mary Singleton had come home to tell her father that she had made it to Harvard Law. What I didn't understand at first was that she also informed him that she had captured a suitable mate. Prior to that weekend, I had no idea that I was a prize.

Mary informed her parents of my virtues. It seemed I had been selected for my brains and my looks. Mary had chosen carefully seeking a mate who would provide the proper DNA but would not interfere with her long-term plans. When Dad took me out for a hike through his estate, I got a grilling about my plans and my prospects. In my view, I had few of either.

I was going to finish my undergraduate degree and get my Ph.D. in math. Maybe I would teach. I did not think it through. In answer to the question of where I would get my doctorate, I replied, "wherever I got the most financial assistance." I had no real worries on that score. I was far in a way, the top of my class, and that was something Mary was apparently well aware of, although we had never spoken of it. When we got back from our walk, Dad dropped me off with Mom and then called Mary into his study. They spent a good three hours alone together until it was time for dinner. I figured that whatever had been discussed, I would be ruled out as a suitable husband for the Princess Mary.

Mary emerged from her convocation with her father, all smiles and affection. I assumed this was her attempt to hide from me the nature of the discussion. Her father for his part was cordial but cool. Mom was effervescent over dinner, treating me as if I were part of the family. As the weekend came to an end, we drove back to school. I asked Mary what she thought her parents' opinion of me was.

"Well, mother just loved you on first sight and told me so. Dad was a little more cautious but after talking to you thinks you are just the right man for me, and that I should marry you as soon as possible," she said.

"Well I like your mother too, but I find your father's attitude strange. How can I be what he wants for a son-in-law?"

Mary only laughed.

"Jason, you are the most intelligent man I know, but possibly the dullest blade in the drawer. You are the brightest son-in-law that a man could hope for. This means the smartest grandchildren. You are entirely without ambition which, in this case, means that I can have that for both of us. In case you haven't noticed, I am like my father and very ambitious."

"I am not sure I get it," I said.

"Doesn't matter my love because I do. The thing is I love you and want you. We are perfectly matched. So how about it— you going to ask?

As she said this, she took my hand and squeezed it.

In fact, that was very much how we came to get married. It was Mary reaching a decision half about love and half practical considerations. On my side, it was all love as it had to be because she and her career always came first. We married in a simple but elegant ceremony over the summer and started life as newlyweds in Boston. I finished my degree by taking classes at MIT and transferring credits around. We had been living in a little apartment paid by her father with a small allowance. Just as I graduated, and Mary finished her first year at the top of her class, she announced that she was pregnant.

"How did this happen?" I asked.

"Well you put your penis into my vagina and then..." she replied, laughing hysterically at my expense.

"I thought, smart ass, that we were using birth control."

"That was a bad assumption," she said.

I worked twenty hours a week at a "gas and go" and tutored math to high-school students. Mary studied and got amazingly fat. She took off school one semester and had our daughter, Katherine, named after Mary's mother. Mary then went right back to school the next semester. She shed every ounce of the weight she gained and then some. Looking better for the experience.

The next child she planned better right at the end of her last year of law school. She had Patricia just in time to take her bar exams. Mary had two babies and her law degree. She graduated at the top of her class; she was still the biggest grade hound I knew.

The big law firms lined up for the Harvard Law grad whose father was a top of the heap insurance mogul. She picked out a firm in New York, and we prepared to move. It was then; I decided what I was going to do. It was obvious that whatever it was it was going to involve a lot of childcare. I looked around and decided that a graduate assistant job while I got my Ph.D. was the best course of action.

Mary didn't care much what I did so long as it did not interfere with her career. That would always come first. My principal job she made clear was the family. She was the breadwinner. Columbia was interested in me, but they had a limited number of openings. I would have to compete for a place which is something I'm not very good at. The interview process was the hard part for me. You had to sell yourself in the first five minutes to even have a shot.

Nancy Sloan was a full professor and a rising member of the math faculty. She was also an out of the closet lesbian. We were an unlikely match, the house husband, father of two, and the promiscuous dyke with a reputation for chasing anything in a skirt.

Nancy is short. She is less than five feet tall. She compensated for her height with six-inch heels. She wore male clothing and had a boyish haircut. The male dress, I came to believe, was an attempt to provoke a reaction. It didn't work with me. I made it clear I was there for the math job. She wanted to know what it was like to take care of two little girls. How, I could do it, and wouldn't childcare interfere with my work and studies? I explained the child-care arrangements that I had cobbled together, a part-time housekeeper, and a babysitter for backup. Plus, I was looking for daycare for Katherine part-time now, and for both girls in a year or so. I was not sure that she was convinced. I was on my way to calling it a miss when I noticed the Gail Grandchamp autographed picture on her wall.

"You like boxing," I said.

She looked at where I was staring.

"You know who she is."

"Yes, Gail Grandchamp. She sued to box in the Commonwealth. Very good too, but too old by the time they agreed she could.

"But she did box professionally," Nancy responded.

"Yes, but women professionals have a long way to go."

"You follow women's boxing?" she asked.

"Not really, just what I see at the gym," I replied, and from there, we went into a discussion of my boxing.

I told her of those who I had sparred against that had gained some notoriety. Nancy hired me and proceeded to tell everyone I was a former light heavyweight who was now a house husband. She claimed she was saving me from being objectified as just another dumb piece of beefcake. This appealed to her in your face attitude. Oddly enough, we worked well together, and I was eventually offered an adjunct professor's position. As predicted, she moved up in the faculty becoming head of the department and an assistant dean of Arts and Sciences. I ended up as a full professor.

Mary's career at Harris, Tweed, & Cardigan was more spectacular. She was a junior partner in two years, a senior partner in six, and currently; the firm's name is Harris, Tweed, Cardigan & Singleton, although most people simply call it Harris Tweed. As you see, she also kept her maiden name. She only stumbled once. The birth of our third daughter, Tina, was not planned.

Mary was always careful about taking her birth control after our first two, but she decided to switch methods in her second year at Harris Tweed from pills to an IUD. She was giving her body a break as she called it. The IUD slipped, and by the time she caught it, she was pregnant. I don't believe she regretted it, although she was very distraught at first. I told her it would not affect her career, and I would love and care for our third child.

Tina proved to be an amazing little girl. She was a grumpy infant, and she was truly the most terrible of two's, three's, four's, etc. However, after she turned eight, she became the most affectionate of daddy's girls, and the most helpful and caring of my three daughters. I find it hard to believe that she is fifteen, and so much time has passed.

Mary put in long hours at work those early years often ninety hours and more a week. She still works long hours leaving before I get up and coming home after me. She left the childcare to me, and all that went with it. I was often at a loss. It is not easy for a man to raise daughters, but there is nothing more rewarding. As each one reached the age where they begin to assert their independence, I experienced a deep sense of loss for each of my little girls.