The Annual Outing

Many stories have been written about cheating wives and the revenge of their husbands. This tale follows the usual format and utilizes many of the related plot features of other writers. For those looking for a totally dehumanized ending for the wife; this story is not for you. I've tried to recognize the necessity for love where a marriage and children are concerned. There's not much sex here either. Now on with the story where all the characters and situations described are totally fictional.

It all came to light accidently, as such things do. I'd come home from work feeling sick and was laying on the couch in family room with my eyes closed. I had just gotten home after parking my car in the garage. It was a cool day so I'd shut the garage door behind me after I'd pulled inside. My wife didn't know I was home when she pulled into the drive, since she left her car outside the garage. She and her sister, Karla, came in through the front door and went into the kitchen. The sofa I was on faced away from the entry to the family room; they couldn't see me laying there. I was about to get up and announce my presence but when I lifted my head I got so nauseous I fell back down on the sofa again until the feeling past.

In the meantime I was barely aware of their talk in the kitchen. I gathered that my wife stopped at our house on the way to drop off Karla to show her a new dress she'd bought for their annual outing to Chicago. Once a year for the last four years the two of them took a weekend trip together from our home in Indianapolis to the windy city to take in a show and and art exhibits. Karla's husband, Bob, and I would stay home and watch the kids while they were gone. We felt that they worked hard looking after our preschool kids during the year and we could afford to give them a weekend away from their responsibilities.

By the way, my wife's name is Janis and mine is Jim. We have two kids, Ryan 5 and Sean 2. Janis and I had been married seven years and I was a middle manager in a large logistic company. We managed to live reasonably comfortable on my salary. My wife is a very attractive woman and has worked to maintain her figure after two kids. We have sex frequently and really enjoy each other. I thought we were the perfect couple and had the perfect marriage.

Karla and Bob live a few blocks away and we did most things together as families and as good friends. Karla was a slightly younger replica of my wife and the two were almost inseparable. They have a daughter, Melissa, 3.

As I quietly continued to lay there waiting for my episode of nausea to pass I could hear Karla exclaiming over the dress my wife was showing her.

"My gosh, that's a sexy dress. Has Jim seen it and does he know you're taking it on the trip?"

"No, if he saw it he might get suspicious, so don't say anything."

"OK, Randy is really going to get a charge out of it.."

Who the hell is Randy? I thought. My nausea had passed but I continued to lay there waiting to hear more.

"Are you going to take a little something for Mark?" my wife asked.

Who the hell is Mark?

"I have some special lingerie I've kept hidden from Bob, that will really turn him on." Karla responded.

"I have some special lingerie too Jim hasn't seen either that's sure to fire Randy up."

Good god, I thought. They must be having affairs and it sounds like they know these guys pretty well. I was stunned and shocked by the implications of what I was hearing. Who were these guys and how long and how often had they been meeting? My mind was already spinning from what I'd heard so far as they continued to talk.

"Are you going to continue on your birth control pills again this year.?"

"Yes, I only wanted one child from Randy. Its lucky that he and Jim look so much alike. Jim's mother even thinks Sean is the spitting image of Jim."

My god! My god! I suddenly felt like I'd been kicked in the gut and now my nausea was hitting me like a sledge hammer. I struggled to hold on to my heaving stomach. I wanted to puke so bad that the bile was forcing its way up my throat. Thankfully, at that moment, they decided to leave so Jan could take Karla home. I got up off the sofa quickly heading for the downstairs john as they were closing the front door. I barely made it to the toilet. The puke was entering my mouth as I stuck my head in the toilet and let fly. Thank heaven the lid was up. I must have puked up everything except my ass hole and I still had the dry heaves when I finished. It took me a second to realize that I needed proof of any infidelity and I needed to get out of the house before Janis got back. Hurriedly, I sprayed some air freshener in the bathroom and grabbed my jacket and ran into the garage, got in my car, opened the garage door and took off down the street; shutting the door behind me.

I drove to a nearby mall parking lot and sat in my car thinking about what I was going to do. I thought about getting hold of my brother-in-law, Bob, and telling him what I'd heard but my mind was reeling in denial that Janis was unfaithful to me and Sean may not be my son. I felt sick but my anger was beginning to grow as I dwelled on her liaison with some guy named Randy. What the hell am I going to tell Bob about Karla and Mark? I needed some legal advice right away to determine what my options were in the event this turned into a divorce. The girls were leaving on their 'outing' in four days. I had a lot of ground to cover before then.

Chapter 2 Plans Are Made

Using my cell phone I called my friend, golfing partner, high school buddy and personal lawyer, Jerry Mathews, and asked his secretary Helen if I could get in to see him as soon as possible. Helen knew me and could tell from my voice that something was wrong and asked if I could be in his office in fifteen minutes/ I responded positively and drove the few blocks quickly.

When I entered Jerry's office helen took one look at me and exclaimed, "Jim, you look like hell."

"I've just received some bad news Helen and I think I'm coming down with something. Is he available now?"

"Yes, go right in." she told me wringing her hands in distress as she looked at me.

I rushed passed her and knocking once entered Jerry's inner sanctum.

Jerry stood up as I entered and waved me to a chair in front of his desk.

"Good god Jim! What's up? You look terrible."

"Jerry, I've just been hit with a double whammy. One I think I'll recover from and the other is doubtful at this time."

"Tell me about it." he said as he sat down.

"First, I should warn you I think I'm coming down with something and second I think I have a problem with Janis. I need some advice.'

"OK, the first shouldn't be a problem as I've had a flu shot and any problem concerning Janis is inconceivable. I've known you both since you were married and I never saw a more perfect couple. Tell me about it anyway."

I related to Jerry what I'd heard that afternoon and he said, "I can't believe that Janis or Karla would do something like that and if Janis deliberately conceived a child by another man its really mind blowing. What do you think you want to do. Do you want a divorce or do you think you can work your way around the child and her infidelity?"

"At the present time I don't know how I could forgive her."

"You know, I don't handle divorce cases but I can put you in touch with a good divorce lawyer that will walk you through the whole thing., if that's your desire. You're going to need proof other than what you heard of any infidelity and especially of Sean's paternity." Do you want me to call him and make an appointment?"

"Please do." I sobbed as the enormity of what I was about to do suddenly hit me.

Jerry looked at me sadly as he buzzed Helen. "Helen, will you get me Sam Ridley on the phone?"

"Oh god no!" I heard Helen exclaim but Jerry was quickly connected.

"Sam, hi, its Jerry. Do you have time to talk with a good friend of mine about a problem he's having?"

There was a pause as Jerry listened and then turned to me. How about tomorrow morning at nine in Sam's office? He's in this same building. Its getting a little late in the afternoon now."

"OK, I'll be there." I nodded.

I would suggest you go home now and try not to let Janis know there's a problem. This may not turn out to be what you think and you might do some irreparable damage to your marriage."

"You're right. I've got to control myself until I'm sure. Thanks for your help Jerry." We stood and he grasped my hand in both of his.

"I'm so sorry about this Jim. You and Janis have always been my dearest friends. We've known one another for a long time. Your grief is mine."

"Thanks again Jerry. I'll be in touch and let you know what happens."

Helen looked at me with tears in her eyes on my way out. "I'm so sorry Jim."

"Thanks Helen."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When I got home that evening it was about my normal work day arrival time so Janis didn't notice anything different in my arrival time but she immediately commented on my appearance.

"Jim, honey. You look terrible. Aren't you feeling well?"

I gritted my teeth. I so wanted to lash out at her; to hurt her in the way I was hurting at the thought of her possible unfaithfulness. However, I responded, "I think I'm coming down with something." Then I added maliciously but with a forced smile, "I hope I'm better in a few days so you can still go on your outing."

I could see that she was momentarily shaken by the thought but she recovered quickly.

"Oh, you probably just have a touch of the flu. You should be better by Friday."

"I hope so. The way I feel now I just want to lay down so can I take a rain check on dinner until later?"

"Sure honey. Go get into your pajamas and go to bed. Why didn't you leave work earlier?"

"I tried but I had too many things going on at work." I lied.

"Take a couple of aspirin and I'll come up in awhile to check on you. The kids enjoyed their once a week day care today. Karla and I went shopping as usual and I saw the cutest pair of sandals but they didn't have my size so I didn't buy anything."

My mind was numb with sickness and grief as I stumbled upstairs to our bedroom. I didn't want to get near the kids so I left them alone playing in the family room I especially couldn't look at Sean yet. Oh god! What if he wasn't my son. What would I do? I remembered before Jan had gone on the outing three years prior she had not allowed sex between us the week before and the week after the event because she claimed she had a vaginal infection. She had deliberately fucked him to have his child. It was very hard to accept the magnitude of her betrayal.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I didn't wake up until the next morning and I felt some better and determined it was just the 24 hour flu, but the sudden recollection of what I'd heard the previous afternoon left me depressed. I looked at Janis sleeping next to me and she looked so peaceful and innocent that I had a hard time picturing her with another man but I knew I had to steel myself to that possibility. I went into the bathroom and took a shower and then dressed for another work day.

I had a cup of coffee and left the house before Janis came downstairs. I heard her upstairs with the kids. They always managed to get up early but I still couldn't face them yet.

I had breakfast at Dennys and then got into work early and tried to concentrate on the job for awhile. About 8:30 I went in and told my boss I would be taking off a couple of hours personal time that morning and he just acknowledged it with a nod of his head then asked,

"How are you feeling this morning? You didn't look too good when you left here early yesterday."

"I'll be fine Jack. It may take some time to get over it." He was talking about my sickness but my mind was on Janis.

At nine I was at Sam's door and his secretary escorted me into his office and closed the door as she left. Sam had an informal grouping of easy chairs around a low table and as we greeted one another he waved me over to one of the chairs and took one across from me.

In this business," he said, "I find this more conducive to relax my clients because divorce is a very emotional issue and requires a lot of personal involvement. I have some decaf coffee here if you're interested. So, why don't you tell me about it and we'll go from there."

I poured myself a cup of his coffee and started my story. When I finished he thought for a moment and asked, "Do you love your wife?"

"I thought I loved her more than life itself but when I think about what she might have done to me I get all cold and empty inside and angry. Its like she's someone I don't know anymore, a stranger. I keep hoping this is a bad dream and I'll wake up and everything will be OK. Also, I've got to consider the children in all this. They are my greatest concern."

"Well, I guess we need to find out for sure that she is committing adultry and then if what you heard is true you can decide whether to proceed with a divorce. We are going to need to hire an investigator to check what your wife is doing in Chicago this weekend. This could be a little expensive so I would suggest getting your brother-in-law involved to share expenses. It sounds like, if its true, we can kill two birds with one stone, pretty much. Then I think we need to make some DNA checks to verify the paternity of your children. I would suggest your brother-in-law does the same thing but you can talk with him about it when you see him. We need to set up another appointment with him in attendance."

"I don't want to get Bob involved before our wives go on their outing. Right now I'm having trouble relating to Janis as I would normally be doing. I can attribute my abnormal behavior to the flu, but if I tell Bob and he starts acting funny to ward Karla they may suspect something."

"OK, that makes sense. Now, can you get me your wife's itinerary so I can provide it to the investigator?" I'll need the name of the hotel and a room number would be helpful if she has a special one reserved."

"I think they do reserve the same room every year, so I'll get that for you with any itinerary they have."

"I assume they fly up or do they drive?"

"They fly and use taxi's or shuttle buses when they get there."

"OK, that makes it easier to keep track of them."

"Next you've got to secure your finances. Do you know what I mean by that?"

"I think I have an idea."

"You've got to protect your assets. We have to assume right now that what you heard is correct so where ever your wife has access to joint accounts, credit cards, etc. Think about changing the beneficiaries on your insurance policies to your children. Its been known to happen that when a spouse becomes aware of an impending breakup they run and clean out all accounts. You can always change back if there is no problem. You can be as generous as you want on your joint checking account so she can exist until she finds a job and/or a new dwelling place. I'll leave that up to you. When you talk to your brother-in-law you can give him a heads-up there too. When we sit down to negotiate a divorce settlement, we can go for a split of both your assets then."

"I'll get started on ours today."

That's it then. I hope all this turns out to be a false alarm for you, but if it turns out what you heard is true you should be able to gain custody of your older son without any problem."

"OK, thanks Sam. I'll get that itinerary for you by tomorrow."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After leaving Sam's office I went straight to the bank and closed all our joint savings and CD accounts and placed the funds in an account in my name only. I left a thousand dollars in our joint checking and moved the rest into my savings account. Then I contacted my stock broker and moved our funds into my own account. He was a little concerned about what it meant but I didn't enlighten him. I wanted to cancel our credit cards but was afraid if a charge was refused while they were in Chicago it might alert them, so I decided to wait until I had heard from the investigator.

Then I went back to the office and tried to concentrate on my work until it was time to go home. I couldn't seem to stomach my lunch. I didn't know whether it was due to remnants of the flu or the thoughts of my wife. Pictures of her fucking some other guy went through my mind and my anger and stress levels soared. I knew I had to keep myself under control.

When I got home that evening I feigned continued sickness. Janis appeared to be concerned. "Why didn't you stay home today? You shouldn't have gone to work at all."

"I didn't want to give it to you and the kids. If you got it then you may not be able to go on your outing with Karla this weekend." I waited for her reaction.

"You could be right. Maybe you should sleep in the spare room tonight or until you feel better."

The bitch was making sure her weekend of fucking her lover wouldn't be interrupted I thought. It was going to be very difficult to keep from letting her know I suspected something for the next few days. I managed to get some dinner down and instead of going in to watch TV afterward I went to the computer to check my email. While I was there I thought I'd check and see what emails she was receiving on her account and discovered she'd changed her pass word. I played around a little while and discovered her new password was Sean's name and birth date. When I opened it I discovered the mother lode. A series of emails from someone with a user name 'rndym' and I copied them over to a new file to print off later I read a few to confirm what I'd hoped I wouldn't find; proof of her infidelity. I thought they must have to communicate to arrange this weekend. They might be using the telephone while I'm at work too. Most of their plans have been made before this so I didn't expect to learn much more if I tapped the phone line now. The emails would provide an adequate written record of their plans.

Now I would just have to wait.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chapter 3 The Weekend

The next day I faxed a copy of the itinerary to Sam and tried to continue work as normal but it was very hard. My boss and my secretary knew something was wrong but didn't say much except to ask if I was still sick. I just told them it was hard to shake and kept on working.

I printed off Janis' emails from 'rndym' after reading them and mailed the copies to Sam. I was now aware that they had been meeting on this annual outing for four years and the Randy and Mark registered in one room and Janis and Karla in an adjoining room. That way the lovers could each share a room and be intimate. They reserved the same rooms every year so I passed the information on the room numbers to Sam as he requested. I also learned that Randy and Mark were married and lived in Milwaukee. They took in the annual Chicago boat show at the same time every year leaving their wives home to look after the kids.

Finally, it was Friday. Janis and Karla would be heading to the airport in Karla's car about noon and leave it there until they got back on Sunday. I got up and went down to the kitchen. Janis was there with the coffee made and cooking a bacon and egg breakfast. Normally, I just had cereal so I thought this must be something special this morning.

"I want to give you a good breakfast anyway before I go. I worry about you. You haven't been eating well all week. That flu must be really hanging on. I'm sorry we haven't been intimate this week and I thank you for trying to protect me and the kids. I really appreciate it. When I get back Sunday you should be feeling better and I'll show my appreciation then."

"Thanks Jan. I be looking forward to it." and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. She seemed pleased.