Double Whammy

Chapter 2

The weather had turned warm again and I was sitting on my balcony, enjoying my usual coffee when the dulcet tones of Cindy Willows caught my attention.

"Hey handsome, where have you been?"

"Come on over girl, I'll tell you all about it," I said with what could only be described as a very self-satisfied tone. I was feeling pretty mellow right about now. My life was back on track.

Cindy came in through the back door as usual, poured herself a coffee, and came upstairs to our bedroom and out onto the balcony.

"I haven't seen much of you lately," she said with a look of curiosity.

"No ... I've been working hard on my new job. I want you to know that you are now talking to the President and only employee of Precise Word Services, Inc., Jacob R. Phaltz."

Cindy laughed, just as I thought she would with my pompous little announcement.

"Bullshit! Jake the President? I don't think so."

"I tell you the truth, madam. I am it. I am the one. I am the boss. I am king!" I guess that was a little over the top, but we were having fun with just how good I felt and Cindy picked up on that right away.

"God damn, Jake, it's good to see you happy. It's been a while, you know." She was serious.

"Yeah ... I guess it has. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can get going again. It's a good feeling."

"How does Judy feel about it?"

I turned and looked at her straight in the eye. "She doesn't really know yet."

"You mean she can't decide?"

"No ... I mean ... I haven't really told her just how good this business is."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Cindy ... do you remember asking me a certain question a while ago?"

"Uh ... if it's the one I'm thinking of ... yeah."

"You asked me if Judy and I were really happy. And I said I thought it was a good question, or something like that."

"Yeah."

"I'm not so sure any more. What's more, I'm not acting like I trust her. I haven't told her about how much money I'm making. I've haven't lied to her, but I haven't volunteered to tell her either."

"Why?"

"Damned if I know. Do you ever get that feeling in the back of your neck when something isn't quite right?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I've got that feeling. I've had it for a few weeks now. I can't put my finger on it, but something's different."

Cindy didn't respond. She sat there, sipping her coffee, thinking I suppose.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Cindy?"

"Sure."

"If you were in my place ... you know ... making a lot of money ... would you tell Al?"

"Fuck, Jake. What kind of a question is that?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Maybe I should have turned it around. If Al made a bunch of money, would he tell you?"

"That isn't any better! Besides, don't you think that doesn't go through my mind every month. We live on Al's commissions. We live month to month. Some months are good and some aren't. We get by, but shit, it's tough some times. I'd hate to think Al would hold out on me."

"I think that's what's bugging me. I'm holding out on Judy and I'm not sure why."

"That's easy. You don't trust her." She said it flatly without any hesitation.

"You think?"

"I know. I can tell. There's something wrong between you two and I'm pretty damn sure it isn't you."

"Why do you say that?"

"I know you, Jake. You are right up front. Straight ... no bullshit. I can tell down deep, you're hurting. I've seen how Judy treats you when she thinks no one is paying attention. Maybe you don't want to see it, but I do. She acts like she married someone beneath her. I don't know why or what would make her think that, but that's what I feel."

"Her parents," I said quietly.

"What?"

"Her parents. They don't think much of me. Maybe it's rubbing off on her."

"Shit, are they fucking royalty or something?"

"Nope. As far as I know her dad's a city employee, and her mother works part time at some market. Hardly royalty."

"Jesus, they ought to get down and kiss the ground you walk on. Nobody would treat her better than you do."

"I guess they had higher expectations for their daughter."

Cindy flopped her head back on the chair and sighed. "So what do you do now?" she asked.

"Damned if I know. I still love her, but lately ... I'm not so sure she loves me. We just aren't close like we used to be. It's like I disappointed her and she's given up on me. I hope I'm wrong."

"I do too, handsome. I do too."

I really didn't have any reason to be suspicious of Judy. There weren't any signs she might be having an affair. At least, none that I could detect. But a few weeks later, I got a reminder to pay attention to what was going on.

Judy announced that there was a reorganization at the lab and that she would be working a bit of overtime now and then until they got straightened out. To be honest, I'm not sure if I was unhappy or not. We seemed to be drifting apart, little by little, day by day. It made me sad. I was about to turn twenty-eight and we had not yet agreed to start a family, and I wondered if we ever would.

I had been working steadily on my translations, but I had curtailed my night work to give myself more time with Judy. Even if it was just to watch television together, I felt it was necessary for me to try and reconnect with her. On top of that, I was contributing between eight hundred and a thousand dollars each week to our joint account. I explained that the business was now established and that I could afford to start contributing more to the household.

I was billing an average of nine hours each day, five days a week. That produced a gross of twenty-seven hundred each week. My account was growing by leaps and bounds, even with my contribution to the joint account. Judy was more than pleased. We were back to where we were before I was terminated. I was hoping our personal relationship would also revert to when we were closer, but in spite of our improved financial situation, our love-life remained cool. We would make love once or sometimes twice a week, but that was all and no amount of coaxing was going to change it.

Mr. Louie was happy and let me know that on a regular basis. We had yet to receive a single complaint that the instructions were incorrect or indecipherable in either English or French. That was the only quality standard I believed in.

As I got better at understanding the fractured English that the manufacturers were using, it was taking me less and less time to do some of the simpler translations. I found I had some time I could save for myself. If I wanted to goof off and have lunch at a deli or a beer at the local, I could. I would make the time up in the evening or on the weekend if I had to.

I didn't see much of Cindy after our intense conversation a few weeks earlier. The weather was cool and rainy, typical of the fall. The days were shorter and I found it easier to concentrate on work. There were fewer distractions.

I started inviting Cindy to morning coffee, and after a while it became a daily event. It was our personal time, when we could talk and not worry about anyone else hearing us. We were such good friends that nothing was out of bounds.

"How's Judy?" Cindy asked.

"The same. Cool to the touch, as they say."

"Sorry. Do you think you guys will make it?"

"I'm almost tempted to say no, but I want to keep trying."

"Both of you have to try if it's going to work," she said.

"Yeah ... I know."

"Jake."

"Yeah?"

"She's cheating on you."

I froze in place. I couldn't move. Cindy would never, ever say something like that as a joke.

"You know this?"

"Yeah. I know. I know who."

"Oh, fuck!" What else was I going to say? I lowered my head into my hands and just remained silent.

"It's not your fault, Jake."

"What difference does it make?"

"None, I guess. But you didn't make this happen. She did."

"Who is it?"

"Her boss, Turnbull I think his name is."

"Yeah, that's him. Do you know how long?"

"Not very with him ... but ... he's not the first."

"What!"

"I found out Al nailed her a few months ago."

"Holy shit! Who else has she screwed?"

"Don't know. But one's enough, isn't it?"

"Yeah. More than enough."

"I'm going to kick Al out, Jake. I've had it with him. This isn't a first and if I let him get away with it, it wouldn't be the last. I'm looking for a job before I dump him. He'll never be reliable with alimony or child support, and I have no intention of seeing my kids live in poverty."

"Jesus, Cindy, can this get any worse?"

"I think I remember you asking me something like that when you were let go and Judy gave you shit about it."

"What a fucked up mess!" I groaned.

"Royally!" she agreed.

"Well, I guess that makes my financial planning a little different now. I'll be god-damned if I'm going to give her anything after this. Let her go live with Bobby-boy. He can support her."

"Can't blame you. Just don't do anything they'll throw you in jail for, handsome. I count on you for my morning coffee," she grinned.

"Well, let's see now. You kick Al out and I kick Judy out and we both move in together and live happily ever after," I said, only slightly sarcastically.

"You're forgetting something, Jake. The kids."

"The hell I'm forgetting them. If they don't come, the deal's off!"

Cindy laughed, but I could see tears in the corners of her eyes. This wasn't really funny, but we needed some relief. I laughed along with her. Damn, it was good to have someone I could talk to.

We parked the problem of our spouses until tomorrow. I had work to complete and I needed to find a way to get through living with Judy until I decided what to do. I found myself curiously detached from any emotional upheaval. I should have been furious with her, but at most, I was angry and disappointed. Not even surprised, I found. I wondered how many others there had been besides Al and her asshole boss.

I found it relatively easy to act normal around Judy that evening. I didn't change anything in my behaviour or habits. I acted just as I would on any other night and I didn't find it difficult. When we went to bed, it took me quite a while to fall asleep. That wasn't normal. I was thinking what I should do about Judy. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted proof. It wasn't that I didn't trust Cindy's word, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes if I could.

Judy made it easy for me. She announced the next morning that she had to work overtime again and wouldn't be home until late. That usually meant ten o'clock or so by past experience. I made the assumption that there was no overtime and that she was using it as an excuse to be with Bobby-boy. I phoned Cindy and told her what I had in mind. Al wouldn't be home until shortly after nine, so I arranged to borrow her car to follow my wife and her pal.

I parked in the public lot with a view of the clinic's parking lot. I got there about five o'clock, assuming they would still be there. Judy's car was there, so I figured I'd guessed right. About ten minutes later, she came out of the lower entrance arm-in-arm with a tall guy. He was dressed in a nice suit and they headed for the other end of the parking area from Judy's car. They got into a late model Mercedes, so I started the car, preparing to follow them. I had taken a couple of pictures of them with my digital camera.

I'm no private detective and a couple of times I thought I had lost them, but luck was with me and I saw them turn into a hotel parking lot. I hung back until they were in the lobby and then pulled up to the front entrance. I watch lover-boy register, put away his credit card, and then head for the elevators. Each of them had a small overnight bag. They weren't going to bother with dinner. It was straight up to the room for sex.

I pulled away and headed for home. I'd seen all I needed to see. I had taken a number of pictures of them at the front desk and entering the elevator. I returned Cindy's car and told her what I'd witnessed. She gave me a hug and told me to cool down and we'd talk tomorrow about what each of us was going to do. I agreed. I was in no mood to confront Judy tonight, and I didn't really know what I wanted to do next.

Al usually didn't go to work until nine in the morning. Depending on what shift he had, he would be home anytime from five in the afternoon to nine at night. That gave Cindy and I most of the day to talk about our plans before the kids got home. I was still in a state of confusion mixed with anger at Judy's betrayal. I wasn't seeing red, but I was definitely not going to let this go. The marriage would be terminated, of that there was no doubt.

"Tell me about how you found out," I asked Cindy the next morning.

"The jungle telegraph. One of the women that works with Judy figured out that she and Turnbull were fooling around, and said something to one of her friends, who said something to one of my friends, who knew Judy was our next-door neighbour. You know what it's like with gossip. It's no fun if you can't spread it around. I don't know if Judy realizes how many people are aware of her little adventure."

"Well, as far as she's concerned, the one that counts knows." I was still curious. "How did you find out about Al and Judy?"

"Same way. Except it was one of our nosy neighbors. Mrs. Bryson was noticing how often I was over here visiting you. I was about to get pissed-off at her when she said something about how close we were as neighbours ... meaning the Willows and the Phaltz's. I guess Al had been dropping by your place when you were out on business. Now you have to admit, that takes balls with me being right here.

"Anyway, the upshot was that Al was here when he said he was working. Why the hell Judy would want to get involved with him, I do not know. Maybe she believed his line of bullshit about what a big deal he was at work. That's the only thing I can think of."

I just shook my head, not understanding it any better than Cindy did.

"Do you know if Turnbull is married?" she asked.

"I think he is ... in fact ... I'm sure he is. I don't know much else about him."

Cindy looked at me for a moment and picked up my phone book. She looked up the Turnbull number and gave me a snarky smile as she punched in the numbers.

"Hello, is this Mrs. Richard Turnbull?"

Silence

"Oh ... I'm sorry ... I must have the wrong number. You don't have a daughter named Felicity, do you?"

Silence

"I see. Well, I'm very sorry to have bothered you. Goodbye." Cindy hung up the phone.

"He's married and they have no children."

I shook my head. This woman was clever. No wonder Al couldn't get away with trying to fool her.

We sat quietly for a few moments.

"I think we should make a visit to city hall, Jake. I'd like to see the title on the clinic property."

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"I'm just wondering what leverage you might have. You'd be surprised what a title search can turn up."

"Let's go ... I mean ... if you've got the time."

"All the time in the world, handsome," she grinned.

It took ten minutes and ten dollars to find out that the title to the clinic property was in the name of Mrs. Dianne Turnbull. The address corresponded to the home of Robert Turnbull.

"Well, well, well. Guess who has who by the short and curlies?" Cindy murmured.

"Uhmmm ... let me try. Lover-boy's wife owns the building and maybe he's only the manager."

"Very good, Jake. You go to the head of the class. I'll bet Judy doesn't know that."

"Yeah. If he's playing her, she's in for a nasty shock when I dump her."

"Ain't that a shame," Cindy chortled.

We left City Hall and Cindy took me up on my offer to buy lunch. Every minute I spent with her was one that made me feel better. Better about myself and better about my circumstances. The restaurant was no place to discuss our private affairs, so we waited until we were back at the townhouse.

"So ... now ... what to do next?" I wondered.

"Did you take pictures like I suggested?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah. Why don't we have a look at them," I volunteered as I reached for my camera and plugged it into my computer. The pictures were downloaded and quickly appeared on my screen. I went through them one by one.

"Well, it's not like you caught them in the act, but these ones at the hotel desk and at the elevator don't leave a lot of doubt about what they are up to. You could hire a private detective to get more incriminating evidence, but I don't know if it's worth the expense. Whether you divorce her for infidelity or just irreconcilable differences, it won't make much difference. You might as well save your money and get ready for the worst."

"I never thought it would come to this," I said, shaking my head in denial.

"No one ever does. I couldn't believe Al would cheat on me either. But he did. More than once. I'm just upset I can't dump him now. I need to find a job first. I've got to look after the kids."

"Cindy ... I hope you don't think I'm interfering in your personal affairs ... but ... I've been turning an idea over and over in my head. I want you to listen to it with an open mind. Try to look at it without prejudice. Do you think you can do that for me?" I pleaded.

She looked at me, concentrating on what I'd just asked of her. "I guess so. I'll try. That's all I can promise."

"That's all I can ask," I nodded in relief. "The other day when I first discovered the truth about Judy, I made some wisecrack about us moving in together, kids and all. It was just a throw-away at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. Don't jump on me just yet," I said quickly as I saw her rise to say something.

"My income will be in excess of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, annualized. I have more work that I can handle and I already know there's more out there if I wanted or needed it. I like what I'm doing and it looks like I'm good at it, so I can sustain this lifestyle without burning myself out. I don't have to commute and so there's no stress ... no deadlines that can't be met.

"I'm proposing that I buy a four bedroom house I've had my eye on for a couple of weeks. It's still in the same school district as we are in now. You and the kids could move in as tenants until you find some work that you like. No strings attached."

"Jake, that's a lovely thought, but I couldn't do that to you. What about your personal life. What about your future. Surely you don't want to stay single for the rest of time, do you?"

"No, of course not. I'm not saying this arrangement has to be permanent. If you find a good job and want to move out, then you'd be free to do so. At least you'd know you were in a safe environment with the kids and they wouldn't have to change schools."

"Jake, you know I think the world of you ... but ... this isn't fair to you. If I did that and then moved out, what the hell would you do with a four bedroom house?"

I shrugged. "Maybe you'll decide not to move out," I said, almost cringing when it came out.

Cindy looked at me, her eyes getting wider. "Are you trying to tell me you have feelings for me?" she asked carefully.

I nodded. "Sorry ... but I'm afraid so."

"Oh, shit. Now I'm really ... oh, shit. Jake, don't do this to me."

"Do what?" I asked with a slight smile.

"Don't fuck with my head, Jake. This is too much. I haven't even kicked Al out and you're coming on to me. Jesus, that's not fair."

"Yeah ... I know. But then again, what they did to us isn't fair either. This isn't about fair. This is about what we both know. If the way I feel for you isn't how you feel for me, just say so." Another dare.

Cindy sat quietly and I could see the tears forming in her eyes. Had I pushed it too far ... too fast?

She stood and began wandering around the kitchen and then out into the living room. She was shaking her head and mumbling to herself as she did so. That was a good sign in my mind. She hadn't said no and she hadn't slapped me one, so she wasn't sure of her decision, and she wasn't offended.