The object in my hand is small and seems completely harmless it is less than 5 in Long a little more than 2 in wide and about a quar of an inch deep the item is made of plastic and has a glass surface inside it is a set of microchips to
Perform its assigned functions a seemingly innocent object but in fact the greatest threat to privacy the world has ever known we call them cell phones and voluntarily carry them around with us everywhere so that anyone who wants to cons spy on us George Orwell seems like a boring profit when you look at
The current reality 20 years ago they were a novelty now we see these little toys as a necessity the world is changing even as we sleep I know what you’re thinking there are rules and built-in protections but just think about what kind of device is in my hand right now
It belongs to my wife with whom I have lived for over 19 years she has never been anything but loving and supportive she is a dominant spouse but not a stoppy one for my part I believed in the sanctity of marriage a commitment made and not to be broken I was certain that
We would grow old together and that she would hold my hand on my deathbed years ago I made a bargain I traded my youth and freedom for her I traded my life for her love and devotion that commitment is stronger with me than any steel bars I’m
Not some romantic idiot I’m far from it marriage is something I take seriously I didn’t have love on my side but rational judgment Doris my wife is a romantic perhaps therein lies the problem of an ancient incompatibility that is finally making itself known here I am with my
Wife’s iPhone at 2 in the morning in the Small downstairs office we usually share I grabbed the phone from the table by her bedside in our marital quarters it was the only time it was available she never parted with it like most modern women she doesn’t go anywhere without
Her phone she spends more time on it than any other activity it is within her reach 24 hours a day it lies in her purse her bag when she’s not holding it it lies beside her bed when she sleeps I had to wait until I was sure she was
Asleep to pick it up why take her phone you ask I wonder myself am I going crazy how can I be suspicious of my loving wife what is wrong with me I blame it on my profession it has trained me to be suspicious I only see the dark side the
Evil that people do not the good to put it bluntly I’m a lawyer God willing so I suspect Ed her without good reason or justification it was a small thing I walked into the kitchen when my wife Doris actually Dolores but no one uses her full Christian name was on the phone
On all previous occasions she would have continued to ignore my presence but this time she hung up immediately and seemed nervous later that evening I asked to borrow her phone so I could call and order the pizza I talked her into eating for dinner we don’t have a home phone
Anymore and we saved a bit when the girls went off to University as part of a save money money any way we can strategy she is usually against takeaways as she is very watchful of her weight but today she gave in easily and handed over her phone without complaint
Why not after all she had cleared her call and text message logs she no doubt being a lay person thought it was a good idea but it wasn’t in fact it screams deception I suspect that clearing the log is an attempt to hide so what is she
Hiding that’s exactly what I need to find out I am fairly well informed and know that it is easier to tap a cell phone than a more traditional phone don’t believe me go online type in bug cell phone and see what comes up I even bought a little book on Amazon for 99
Cents that explains all the basics the big problem with the iPhone is jailbreak what is that well it’s the need to change Apple’s Bas operating code to allow the installation of non-apple programs my loving daughters broke the software lock on their mother’s phone when she first got it the girls were
Very proud of their ability to do this holding my wife’s phone in one hand and the little cable that connects to the iPad in the other I hesitate am I the right person now do I want to do this do I dare to do this the reality is that it
Could end 19 years of marriage a very good marriage why am I looking for a way out we are a happy couple I can’t ask her for anything she wouldn’t do for me on the other hand she rarely asks for anything in return I entered our marriage reluctantly but I’ve never
Regretted it I suppose I should explain that I’m David P Landon Jr I was at the Frat party now forget everything you know about fraternities the brothers of sigi are a fraternity that is out of the mainstream they were the biggest fraternity on a University campus
Because all it took to join was a good heart that’s right the brothers had no respect for money or position it was all about Brotherhood and doing the right thing the jocks mingled with the Nerds the academic stars with the guys who were constantly on probation it wasn’t
Uncommon to see a group drinking beer in the basement while upstairs there were long tutoring sessions for those brothers who needed help all Races and religions mixed together we were brothers all it took to become one of us was to be a good person sounds simple but it wasn’t when you
Failed to meet the standard you let everyone down the guilt is what’s the hardest part realizing that you failed your brothers being a sigma meant carrying all the responsibilities associated with being a good brother one of those responsib abilities was the annual freshman party the older brothers were chaperon we invited all the
Freshmen both men and women the women invited the men so we could get an early look at potential Brothers more women came than men because as everyone knew you were safe in the sigma house we were all gentlemen I was a second-year law student and was usually well insulated
From campus parties but now it was my turn along with nine other brothers to watch the pledges it was responsible if you’re a sigma you can’t Sher your responsibility Doris came to the party with her girlfriends I don’t know what they were doing but when they arrived
They were very happy I recognized her of course it was the oldest daughter of my mother’s best friend I had seen Doris many times since then but my recollection of her was tainted by earlier memories in my imagination she had remained a child that was not the
Case now she was a slender young woman though still very young but definitely more woman than girl I had no choice but to walk over and say hello Doris was 6 years younger than me as were the friends she was with I wanted to say hello and leave it at that Doris greeted
Me enthusiastically and kissed me she was always friendly and pleasant to be around but it was obvious that she liked to show me off as an older student she happened to know the fact that I was a member of the fraternity and one of the official hosts was a bonus for her I
Ended up watching them all evening and drove them home after the party taking advantage of the opportunity Doris set up a date with me for the following week we hit it off and dated for the rest of the semester nothing serious she was a freshman and I was a graduate student so
It wasn’t a serious relationship at least not on my part she broke up with him she wanted to date other people I was fine with it at the time but quickly became depressed I felt like I was missing her I didn’t know why as she wasn’t beautiful in the classic sense
She had such a young fresh and innocent look she was very pretty 5′ 4 in and maybe 110 lb there was nothing impressive about her looks but one look into her soft brown eyes and I was hooked it wasn’t love on my part more like a deep attraction Doris had a wonderful cheerful
Personality and when she was gone she left a big hole behind I am intelligent no perceptive but introverted and a bit shy I tend to withdraw into myself Doris is outgoing and if given the chance we’ll make friends with everyone in the room she’s the first person invited to a
Party and the last person they want to see leave but she broke up with me to go out with other guys I accepted it I was hurt and left with a battered ego but that’s what breaking up does to you fast forward to July after my second year of law school
I needed a summer internship a summer job during your sophomore year is practically a necessity if you want to graduate with job prospects I looked for jobs in New York Chicago Washington DC and other major cities but everyone else was looking I eventually found a job in
Our sleepy little college town at an ancient Law Firm that specialized in eminent domain I’ll explain what that is a little later the apartment I shared with two others was only rented through June I needed to find a place to live for the summer luckily the university
Had opened a dorm for summer school students and they needed an assistant a responsible older student who could act as a surrogate parent the rent was free in exchange for me coming in as needed I was fine with that which meant the meager salary of a law clerk could be
Put to better use Doris was in summer school and lived in the dormatory I supervised I did my best to avoid her until one day I was walking up the stairs and she was a full flight ahead of me when I reached my floor Doris was
Coming down the other side quite odd I thought but she had come to block my way upstairs I want to talk she said about what I asked trying to get past her about us and what a stupid thing I did as it turned out she regretted the breakup and was completely remorseful
She asked for a second breakup I wasn’t sure but I saw no reason not to start casual dating and keep my emotions in reserve Doris didn’t play a prank on me this time her birthday is the 15th of August she turned 18 that summer and
When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said I want you to make love to me I’m a virgin and I want you to be my first I was amazed that we had already done everything but oral and intercourse but I wasn’t ready to go any
Further and told her so she didn’t take no for an answer and as has become the rule over the many years we’ve been together what Doris wants she gets the day after she turned 18 was a Saturday Doris was volunteering at a women’s shelter run by the local now chapter
Early Saturday morning Doris went to help out at the shelter I had no idea what she was doing there and the location of the shelter was Kept Secret she didn’t have a car so I had to pick her up at the Student Union on campus around 4 in the afternoon it wasn’t far
From the dorm we shared for a few more days the new fall semester was going to start in 10 days but we still had a few days left in our current dorm rooms the union was a large coffee shop cafeteria in the center of Campus it wasn’t
Crowded at 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon but it was never empty when Doris showed up she was dressed in jeans and a now t-shirt and she was holding an overnight bag no doubt we were going to spend the night together but why walk around with
A bag if we lived in the same building at least temporarily we walked into my dorm room as an RA I had no roommates it was just us I lit candles and drank a bottle of good white star champagne she was nervous as hell and I was no better
I’m no Donan I’ve had exactly two girlfriends and I’ve never spent more than two nights with either of them Doris put a lot of pressure on me we had a few drinks and then you know how it goes in the end Doris was just great Doris decided it was time to tell her
Family which consisted of Margaret and Lawrence Boswell her parents her younger sister Maryann and her younger brother Larry Jr about our relationship it was quite a prosperous family Larry Senior was a senior vice president at the shamont national bank and Margaret taught at shamont Community College it was an attractive and impressive family
They treated me like royalty they were impressed by my status as a third-year law student moreover her mother Margaret was originally from shimone she had attended high school with my mother at Sacred Heart Academy for girls she became a teacher and my mother became a nurse Margaret Boswell was a very
Attractive woman she was taller than maoris and not as voluptuously built but there was a patrician Grace about her she possessed that statuesque beauty that ages well her husband was a tall silver-haired businessman who looked fine in a suit but was already a bit plump in middle-age he looked older than
His 45 years unlike his wife who didn’t look 35 in her 40s MaryAnn’s youngest daughter and her 16th year was just beginning to get fat but appeared to have already taken after her mother in height and appearance little Larry was only 11 but he was tall and showed
Promise that in time he would have a strong physique he and I were to become great friends and now he is my best friend my folks had fallen in love with Doris long before we started dating so she quickly became a de facto member of my family even my younger sister Paula
Was a Dora supporter my brother was too young to have an opinion my family was not as well off as Doris’s family my father David senior ran the family equipment rental business with my Uncle John my uncle is the older brother by 10 years and a bit of a tightwad under his
Strict management things are going well but it was my father’s outgoing personality and his ability to make friends and work with all kinds of people including those he hates that really strengthened the business my mom needed to work because the business makes a modest amount of money and my
Uncle is very conservative about profits I am very close to my mother Agnes a tall pretty woman who at 41 was 8 years younger than my father she like me Towers over my father in height at 5′ 4 in my mom’s most spectacular attribute is her blonde hair these days it’s not
Just the hairdresser who helps them she is a registered nurse who regularly works nights when I was a kid she had a work schedule of 4 days a week it wasn’t the same days every week they alternated that’s how it was while I was growing up
But over the years she earned a master’s degree in nursing and is now the head nurse at the hospital where she works she has always needed to work and brings in as much or more income than my father my relationship with my father is more complicated than with my mother my
Father has always tried to get me and my shy introverted personality to open up he is a friendly outgoing guy who seems to know everyone and believes in finding common ground with everyone dad believes in turning the other cheek and will never start a fight if it can be avoided
He and I see things differently most of the time but he definitely approved of Doris she’s as smart and beautiful as her mother when I was a kid my favorite thing to do was to wait for my mom if she worked from 4 to midnight dad would
Let me stay overnight on Friday and Saturday nights and then I would babysit my siblings while he went to pick mom up from work they would bring home hamburgers and Shakes and I would eat them with my parents sometimes my Mom would come home alone really late and
She would kiss me good night as I lay in bed before she went to shower and get into her bed when she leaned into me I would catch the scent of her perfume Chanel Number Five which she wore when she got dressed sometimes I would wake
Up to hear the shower running and then the whispering of my parents followed by my mother’s distinctive laughter before their bed began to Creak it was a loving home even when things were slow money was getting tight and my mom was taking more hours my mom and Doris’s mom were
Practically Inseparable friends families generally mixed well and were looking forward to combining houses my mom summed up the family’s feelings about DOR that’s a fine girl Davey don’t spoil her we’re all looking forward to the wedding mom for all her love for me as the oldest child sometimes saw me as a
Perpetually 12-year-old for my part I guess I can be pretty stubborn and immature at times when it came to Doris some of that may have been going on I liked the whole girl thing but I wanted her to remain just that free and at ease Doris had other thoughts on the matter
She moved in with me in September I was trying to finish my third and final year of law school without too much trouble but she insisted we move in together this strained our finances as I tried not to be too much of a burden on my
Parents Doris only took a hint from my mom who increased her allowance but that seemed to give reason to expect our relationship to get serious by early May things went beyond expectations and turned into what are you waiting for Doris made it clear that I had taken
Her virginity and that I owed her a debt of gratitude oddly it was her idea not to make such a demand but I could understand it from her point of view I was going to graduate from law school I would be 25 unmarried and the proud owner of a ticket to a professional
Career I was highly desirable pray for many single women living in the real world outside of University she on the other hand had just finished her sophomore year having accumulated enough credits to skip a semester but was still over a year away from graduation moreover she was an English literature
Major and needed a master’s degree to teach High School from her perspective I was leaving her behind with all that she had done for me this whole situation should have been a warning of sorts Doris looked at things from the perspective of what’s good for Doris is
Good for us as selfish as it seemed she was right we were good together what she wanted almost always exceeded my goals with her I was somehow incomprehensibly complete as a person so if she wanted a ring on my finger before I went out into the wide world why did I hesitate
I didn’t love Doris so I said it I was sure I liked her and I was comfortable in our relationship she brightened my days but to marry her and be responsible for the rest of my life I tried every excuse I could think of to leave Doris
And avoid marriage the main excuse was that she was too young she was only 18 whereas I turned 25 in July it was an excellent reason though not an entirely genuine one but my mother of all people rejected it Doris is very PR mature for her age and you are the exact opposite
Besides I was studying to be a nurse and I was only 17 when I married your father it’s not about age it’s about maturity she has it and your hesitancy after living together as a virtual husband and wife shows that you still don’t have it mom wanted me to be a man
But I was hesitant and in retrospect it was prophetic I don’t know she’s 18 what will happen when she wakes up one day and decides she missed out on her youth by marrying too young I said I think we’re talking about what you missed out on you’re going to get a
Professional degree and ride off into the sunset leaving the poor girl behind mom said seeing Right Through Me In the End Doris had too much influence over me and too many allies for me to hold back so I swallowed my doubts and tied the knot the week after the bar exam there
Was no bachelor party though I heard there was a wild bachelorette party I didn’t have enough friends for a party nor the necessary time I was studying 20 hours a day to pass the New York Bar the toughest in the country only 41% of Harvard graduates passed the exam and
With the exception of Brooklyn and Albany which are nothing more than three-year bar courses the average pass rate is 40% by the time I found out I had passed the exam Doris was 3 months pregnant the pregnancy was theoretically an accident but if you believe that you’re obviously
Not too smart Doris was consolidating her position we found out it was twins 3 days before the exam results came out I was very worried about those results by then I already had a position as an attorney at the firm I had worked at the summer dorison I had met but I would
Only get it if I passed the exam that meant a big pay raise but money was still tight I had to work 60 hours a week and bust my ass to make sure we had diapers by the time the kids were born Doris never let our precarious financial
Situation or pregnancy affect her she took her last exam as a junior just an hour before her water broke 5 hours later she gave birth to two girls weighing 6 lb and 2 O each without a single moan they were beautiful perfect and absolutely identical for me it was
Love at first sight 18 years later I still loved those girls but not in the same way Doris and I had a hard time at first money was tight and we lived in a small apartment she never complained or made me feel guilty that I couldn’t provide for her better being a father
Was very hard on one hand it is scary and on the other hand your chest aches from the love you feel I will never forget the joy of reading to my girls before bedtime the way of the ducklings The Cat in the Hat Charlotte’s Web then
Little House in the Big Woods an of Greenwood and finally the collected sketches of Washington Irving and tales of the alhamra my two loves who seemed to Adore Me and believed I could do anything solve any problem fix any broken doll and make the sunshine on
Every rainy day it wasn’t an easy life for me but it brought great rewards in the form of hugs and kisses but it was wasn’t all hearts and flowers there were dark days too Doris and I went through all the crises together I fell apart when the little ones got pneumonia and
Were hospitalized only Doris stayed strong and told me that God would not take the girls away from us David look at me they will get better believe that and that no matter what happens I will always love and support you in those early years Doris was the rock on which
Our marriage was built she was the pillar that sustained me I could not have done it without her I was eternally grateful to her and I wanted to provide for her and our girls I needed to succeed for them more than I needed to succeed for myself I’m a rather lazy and
Unambitious man marrying Doris her love and our children changed everything I was determined to succeed for my family and I made some compromises to achieve that goal the first few years were tough my job required constant effort but the rewards were meager I had to compromise
My principles and use my wits to rise above the pack of legal wolves stalking the same prey on the home front Doris and little Patricia and Elizabeth Pat and Beth made each victim worthwhile Doris went to school in the evenings and I stayed home doing office work and babysitting I couldn’t have
Been happier eventually around the time they started kindergarten she earned her pH D Doris Boswell began teaching at a community college but within 3 years she became a full professor of Shakespeare and studies at the University her income was God but by then it was too late for me I had
Already made partner in a not entirely honest way my income was as high as my morals were low but I had a family to take care of and I was a lawyer which meant I could rationalize selling my soul I promised to discuss the topic of
Eminent domain and now is the time most Americans have an unwavering belief in the sanctity of private property they view homeownership as a purpose and a right the idea that the government could come in and arbitrarily take their home away from them is unbelievable and that is where the right to dispose of
Property comes in when the government needs property for a public purpose such as building a highway bridge school or hospital it goes through a process commonly referred to as forfeiture this is simply the government taking the property it needs for a public purpose and paying the owner the value of the
Property taken simply put in theory it is unfortunate but necessary we lawyers call this process eminent domain from the Latin Supreme lordship which is a fancy way of saying the government has the right to take your land theoretically they should pay you the value of what it is worth but if you
Are stupid enough to rely on the government to treat you fairly then you deserve to have it taken away from you this is where lawyers come to the rescue foreclosure is a complex system with a set of predetermined steps a good experienced lawyer is able to play these
Steps to maximize your money no one has ever regretted hiring a good lawyer to represent them in the eminent domain process the trouble is that most people don’t have that representation or they get an inexperienced attorney so the key to success as a land litigation lawyer is getting your name and your position
Namely a lot more money out to potential clients I owe my success to a lucky last name because when I entered law school Landon was right before Landrew the alphabet placed me for 3 years next to James call me Jimmy Landrew a young Republican a member of the Republican state committee
And when he graduated he became a legal intern in the New York State Senate he eventually became assistant counsel and then counsil to the legislative committee on corporations and associations that was a big breakthrough for me Jimmy and I were close so who better to come to if he was in trouble
Than his friend now you’re confused as to what Jimmy had to do with my success well it was that corporations committee which is important because it deals with all matters relating to real estate ownership why would that be useful the answer is simple no matter how foreclosures started they have become a
Great way for the powerful to steal from the weak The Taking of property for public use is now only a small part of the government’s taking of property in most cases the government is acting on behalf of some private interest the terms used vary but most often it is
Called some form of Redevelopment don’t believe me the next time you’re in New York City take a look at the New York Times headquarters it’s a beautiful stately skyscraper near Times Square the land on which it stands was taken by eminent domain one of the most expensive
Properties in the world in a lucrative deal that allegedly saved the times nearly $80 million needless to say the newspaper did not point this out to its readers my job is to seek justice as best I can I use every trick I can think of outside appraisers who will say anything I ask
And appraisers from the state who sometimes work for me I pay my appraisers well thereby ensuring my clients are treated exceptionally fairly the strategy is to get to the one about to get ripped off before anyone else and that’s where my friend Jimmy comes in it starts innocently enough with a vague
Warning to be on the lookout for a major property takings along the Hudson River that clears the way for a luxury development but it soon becomes pay to play Jimmy has a problem with horses as well as slot machines and Indian casinos he often needs money not gifts just
Loans that are never paid back the partners in my firm were amazed at my ability to spot new potential businesses my Keen perception was well rewarded and for years it stayed that way nothing fancy just a little prior knowledge and a little work on my part to knock doors
Down to people who would have been much better off if I had been their lawyer it was actually community service but once you crossed the line it was easy to jump over more on that later but now back to my wife’s phone I downloaded my vicious program into Doris’s phone it was
Supposed to record all of my wife’s phone conversations and install them on my iPad it would send all text messages she sent or received to my phone but it also gave me the ability to listen in on her conversations I could do this in real
Time or set the bug that her phone had become to record for up to 2 hours and send it to my iPad in theory there was nothing Doris could say or hear that I couldn’t share the practice turned out to be somewhat different on the first
Day my wife spent almost 5 hours on the phone going through all of her phone conversations would have been an insurmountable labor she spent 45 minutes with a friend doing nothing but discussing a dress she saw at the mall but didn’t buy for 3 weeks I trudged
Through this nonsense and I thought I was getting pretty good at it I became convinced that I was suffering from paranoia I was just about ready to call it quits when the damn text came in I was in a meeting with a new client when my phone made a distinctive ringing
Sound to notify me that I had a new message I ignored it but a few minutes later another ringing sounded and then a third I rarely send or receive texts and Doris was the same way a matter of age I’d say texting is not part of my generation’s DNA finished with the
Conference call with the client I checked my phone three new messages had been relayed from the Spy program on Doris’s phone remember we’re having lunch today Mark can’t miss you that much when and where Ur D Cooper at half 12 p.m. love you it took me a while to realize that
Doris had a lunch date with someone named Mark whom she missed and who said he loved her Cooper’s restaurant was a small intimate establishment just north of the traffic circle and therefore quite out of the way exactly the kind of place one chose for intimate dates it was after 12
I didn’t have a way to get there that fast but I had a trump card up my sleeve I could Eaves drop I set the bug on her phone to active used my iPad to listen in and nonchalantly got into the car at first only the noise of cars reached me
Doris was in her car as she pulled up I heard the faint sounds of a restaurant and a greeting from the hostess good afternoon what can I do for you said a pleasant female voice I’m meeting someone oh there he is then came the sound of them hugging
Or maybe kissing Doris sat down and they exchanged greetings they talked a little about work apparently they had worked together at the University he spoke young strong and very confident soon he turned the conversation to her compliments were sprinkled about her hair her dress and her overall stunning
Beauty and youthfulness I listened to being seduced it would have been interesting if it hadn’t been about my wife when the food arrived the conversation turned to me how old and fat I am how gray and boring a cold fish that doesn’t deserve a beautiful vibrant young woman and finally his needs how
Much he wants her and how happy they could be but I can’t I Mar married I intend to grow old with David please understand can’t you see he’s already old you’re still young live while you can if you can’t leave him then we’ll be separated no I will not cheat I have
Never been with anyone but my David I love my husband but I want you and need you to be complete I need David to understand that there has to be a way just give me time for everyone’s sake please I’ve waited so long already I know but I need
Time okay but please no longer than that as I pulled into Cooper’s parking lot the conversation turned to mundane things again I took a spot far in the back of the parking lot out of sight of what I recognized as my wife’s car but still able to see the door at some point
They went back to talking about how they needed to be together and that Doris would try to find a way that wouldn’t jeopardize her marriage for after all I still love Dave we’ve been together for so long I owe it to him to try to keep
It together that’s why I love you so much you have such deep feelings I just have to show you that pity is not love he said the bloated as they were walking out they came into my field of vision Doris I noticed was Dressed to Kill I could have sworn that wasn’t how
She’d left the house that morning he was tall maybe 5′ 3 or 4 Slender and athletic he had black skin not really SW worthy more like dark coffee colored but black was he handsome I guess it’s a matter of preference but he was young no more than 30 when they parted they
Kissed he hugged her tight and deep until she was finally able to pull away I wasn’t as jealous as I might have imagined sure I wanted to kill him beat him to a pulp but to do that I’d need some leverage say a baseball bat and a little surprise not fair but then
There’s nothing fair about seducing another man’s wife I wasn’t tricked he just wanted to get in her pants nothing more all that love nonsense was for nothing he was a slick operator he used her until he got bored of her and moved on somehow I suspected it wouldn’t come
As a surprise to Doris she’s a smart woman my wife was playing a dangerous game not with her lover but with me could she have believed I would tolerate it Doris and I have a typical American marriage maybe 5% of American men are Lords of their domain they rule their
Homes the other 95% have to do with what they have in my case I had to settle for a lot I never W an argument with Doris even when I thought I had won around and she seemed contrite and apologetic she actually got her way in the end she knew
That from the beginning of course but I had to internalize it but Mark was different I was aware of his attraction he was new and different and forbidden he was irresistible to a woman like Doris he offered an alternative to an empty nest and a tired old husband Mark
Was only the first man outside our marriage but not the last there were few alternatives on my side stay with Doris or leave her the ladder was difficult we’d been through it all together I was and I hated to admit it very dependent on Doris after so many years together I
Couldn’t imagine life without her but then what if I asked myself coming home that evening I tried my best to be if not cheerful at least neutral Doris knew my moods and saw me pretending to be calm what’s wrong Dave she asked nothing I guess I’m just tired from work I
Replied you work too much you should slow down and take better care of yourself maybe join a gym she said then I looked at her closely and very critically you see I joined a gym last year I know I left every morning long before she woke up but could she
Not see the results I’d lost 30 of the 40 lbs I’d gained since we’d been married and I had plenty of muscle since I’d working out with a personal trainer 3 days a week her new boyfriend wasn’t about me being out of shape or boring it
Was all about her perception of me I’m a comfortable old pair of slippers she wants to try on new ones but she mostly wears the old ones even though she no longer appreciates them I paid no attention to her indecision because Doris needed to work on herself
Eventually she bought the dress she had been looking at and talking about she was a woman who needed time to make a decision she was still debating with herself whether to try on a new man the next day another surprise awaited me a phone bug picked up a conversation that
I had almost missed listening to in fact I only listened because I was curious to see if my wife would even hint to her mother about some things hey Mom I wanted to check in with you about Thanksgiving you’re bringing the sweet potatoes baked in Bourbon and the broccoli
Salad of course dear but tell me how was dinner with Mark oh Mom he’s just great but he wants to go further and I can’t why not I have no idea why you didn’t harass your husband years ago now you’ve lost your Edge the kids are grown you
Can’t use them as leverage Mom I would never do that I may be a bad wife but I can’t be a bad mother nonsense you’re a great wife has David ever complained my answer is no you keep a perfect home cook perfectly raise two wonderful girls and provide
Your man with satisfaction in the bedroom I don’t even mention the fact that you contribute more financially to the family than your husband yes but now I’m considering infidelity no you’re not it’s only cheating if the man doesn’t consent to it David needs to be made aware that
Women are different from Men in material things as we age our libido increases and theirs decreases we need Variety in the bedroom while they only need sex we can please multiple men while our men are limited by their stamina the fact that you have another man has no effect
On Dave he is a wonderful man and he can prove it by giving you some space make sure he knows he’ll come first and be treated very well I don’t David is still a little boy in some ways do you really think he’ll share with you and if he
Doesn’t what can he do I don’t want to risk losing him look your father wouldn’t be called broad-minded but I’ve been seeing other men for almost three decades he hasn’t dumped me and he’s not complaining it took him a while to adjust but when he did we were doing
More than fine you should know that yeah but David isn’t Daddy I don’t see him believing that I have a secret lover well let me talk to Agnes after all she was involved with his father and knows her son if anyone does remember she’s the one who talked
Him into marrying you let’s see what she thinks my mother-in-law said and ended the conversation with a few more incoherent words that blew my mind what did she mean about my mother and father I had a horrible feeling that I knew in fact had always suspected but wouldn’t
Allow myself to go into it tapping Doris’s phone had been a mistake listening in made me feel inferior it was finding out what people thought of you and that wasn’t a good thing I spent the next few days waiting for developments but there were none and
Then my daughter Beth called hi Mom Pat and I will be home on Tuesday for the vacations but we need to be home on Saturday we have hot dates with two guys from the soccer team for Sunday after their game oh okay I’ll let your dad
Know but I thought Pat was dating that Rick guy who does swimming well she is dating but he has to take what she gives him Beth giggled I guess times have changed if guys are willing to let their girlfriends date other girls oh Mom you’re so ancient but tell
Me how things are going with Mark they’re not going I’m married to your dad what am I going to do about Mark oh please Mom don’t be so yesterday daddy is a fat old man he can’t expect you to give up a stud like Mark because of some outdated tradition you have to
Go for it Daddy will understand he loves you and he really has no choice who needs an old man like him said Beth in the background Patty could be heard adding that’s about right then obviously Patty grabbed the phone Mom you want us to talk to Dad we can explain this to
Him and remind him of all you’ve done for him I know he loves you like no one else he can’t expect you to be monopolized it’s not fair to you I don’t know your father never gave in to me and God knows when he was younger he had the
Opportunity perhaps he won’t see it our way men have egos and your father can be very sensitive but Mom we know dad loves you and I don’t see him denying you anything if you explain how much you want and need a relationship with Mark just make sure he understands that
You will always put him first that’s what I told Rick and HEK fine with it Pat said girls your grandmother said she would talk to Grandma Langdon I’m sure the two of them will work things out I just hope your father can realize that Mark is no
Danger to him and that what Mark and I have is just a shadow of what your dad and I have to say that I was shocked and hurt to hear what my daughters were saying about me would not convey the depth of the pain I felt perhaps I
Should have taken comfort in the fact that my wife and daughters still claimed that Dora still loved the fat old man but I did not I was shaken and it was several days before I could recover enough to appreciate my situation I let myself forget about how
I should look to others yes I played Sports and was in good physical shape but I did nothing about the gray in my hair or the unfashionable clothes I wore a lawyer should look conservative but I allowed myself to look ancient my first step was to go to one of the newly
Opened salons I had some of my gray hair removed and styled they say men don’t notice anything but Doris didn’t even comment on it my next step was a trip to New York to shop for clothes I pretty much replaced my closet and tried to
Show off my new slim body no I didn’t look 30 again but I didn’t look any older than my 45 years neither Doris nor my daughters noticed when the girls came home for Thanksgiving I expected comments in response I received the same kisses on the cheek that I realized I
Had been receiving for years my family took me for granted expecting me to just be there when needed and to stay out of the way when not needed they had other concerns unrelated to me frankly I had few common interests with with my wife and daughters We Were Strangers living
In the same house I now knew more about them than they could know about me I had always been withdrawn and never opened up consequently they had a misconception of me Thanksgiving came and with it came the families the boswells and the landons arrived the guests were various grandparents grandchildren grandchildren
Siblings and their spouses 21 people in all gathered around our dining room table set with all the leaves they had come early to watched the parade from New York on TV followed by the soccer game afterward the women mostly gathered in the kitchen and the men in the living
Room I took a bow I looked into the family room where my daughter-in-law Maryann and Larry junior’s wife an and my daughter Beth were watching the small children I headed for the room and locked myself in there I put in my headphones and got comfortable so I
Could listen to the conversation in the kitchen through my wife’s phone he’s gone into his room and closed the door I recognized my daughter Patty’s voice okay someone tell me what’s wrong with my son I heard my mother’s voice what do you mean mom my wife
Replied well he has new clothes a new haircut and if I’m not mistaken a little less gray hair to tell you the truth I noticed something but I couldn’t say what it was Doris said if I’m not mistaken he’s also thinner than he was last year my sister Paula
Said she and her husband and daughter lived in California and hadn’t seen me since last Christmas yeah it could be mom said I don’t he’s been really depressed the last two weeks I thought maybe he was having trouble at work again Doris said you don’t think he knows about Mark
Do you my mother-in-law suggested I can’t see how and there’s nothing for him to know I haven’t done anything with Mark my loving wife said perhaps he is having a midlife crisis he is is at that age and the girls have left home maybe that’s the point my mother said yes that
Would explain the hair the weight loss in the clothes Boswell’s mother suggested then we need to proceed with caution he needs to be groomed slowly if he’s having a midlife crisis my mother said maybe I should put mark on hold for later Doris suggested nonsense Davey needs a good
But gentle kick in the ass we need to get him out of this state and get him used to the program at the same time it won’t help if you’re depressed too my mom suggested so you think Mom should let him know she wants to take a grandmother lover Patty
Asked well not out of the blue dear I think we should talk more to men to soften him up have him talk to Dad and Larry they can relax and share their experiences they are both happy and have adjusted well to the situation there is
No reason why your dad can’t be the same but if he suddenly feels like he’s getting older and life is is passing him by it’s not the time to tell him right away that his wife has a young lover we’ll get him used to the idea first mom said being a cuckold giggled
Patty of course not your father is a proud man a good husband and father he needs to be carefully guided and his needs carefully provided for I never let my husband go without food he may have come second but in my heart he was always first Dave sior knows that he is
The love of my life it is up to us and I mean all of us to make my son feel loved Doris you’re first in line but we’ve got your back right Mom responded in general agreement and so it went on with the women dissecting me and planning how to
Get me cleaned up how and when Larry and my father should bring me up to speed on what married life was like with a hot wife they didn’t use that term in their minds they were satisfying Doris’s natural urges and legitimate needs that way the marriage would be strong and
Both parties would be satisfied after all Doris had married young and made many sacrifices now that there were no children she could explore the world around her while providing for her husband my mother was the driving force and obviously had the most experience they talked about me like I was a child
They were trying to get me to behave I listened until I couldn’t take it anymore and then I picked myself up and walked out of the house I walked until I decided it was time for the Thanksgiving feast when I got back to the house Doris was concerned no one had noticed me
Leaving and my return made them Wonder late in the afternoon when we were alone in the house not counting the girls Doris inquired what was bothering me I can’t say except that I know things have to change and maybe I don’t feel like heading off into the
Unknown baby know that no matter what I will always love you and you are and will always be the most important person in the world to me she said snuggling up to me in bed I didn’t say anything back because what could I say to that her words made
Me feel guilty she always made me feel guilty the first Saturday in December I found myself at Giant stadium with my father and father-in-law Larry had bought tickets and very good seats my old man paid for a roundtrip limo and liquor for the trip Larry bought beer
And snacks at the stadium both men were very well prepared after an awkward start where they tried to get on the topic of how great it was to be a cockled they touched on all of my mother’s main points the main arguments were that women of a certain age need a
Young lover if you love your wife you give her the opportunity to explore herself and benefit greatly from it I let them go without saying anything until that enviable stretch of time that is the last two minutes of every professional soccer game once again I remember how much I enjoyed playing
Soccer as a youngster and how and why I hate watching it I don’t know everything of course but I do know for sure that if I ever catch Doris with another man the marriage will be over no ifs or butts I said it so that that it would be
My last words on the subject my elders spent the last 2 minutes of the game which lasted about 20 minutes trying unsuccessfully to dissuade me from my position I simply kept repeating that any infidelity to Doris would result in my leaving who needs a as a wife after all that’s
Exactly the kind of woman she is I said and the two older men called me immature and bigoted before heading for the men’s room they were gone a long time and the stadium had mostly cleared out before they came back to me and we headed home
In a quiet limo later that evening I discovered that it wasn’t just a line for the men’s room they had called home both my mother and mother-in-law called Doris before we even got home to discuss the situation further steps had to be taken not a week later Larry and Dad
Dragged me again to the gentleman’s club where there were dancers and bids Larry and Dad alternately ordered overpriced drinks and lap dances I was limited to soft drinks and my lap was free of foreign objects the wise words of the older hedonists boiled down to the benefits of a mature and open
Marriage I can’t imagine myself trading my wife’s Fidelity for a lap dance I said before leaving I caught a cab and left alone nothing was said to me afterward about leaving those two old fools as we drove up to Christmas the conversations I heard were more intense Mark was
Flirting with my wife and insisting on an appointment during the school vacation it was the perfect time for lovers they were free all day and I was theoretically working in fact if anyone looked closely at me they would have suspected that all was not right I think
It’s time for a confession you see I am what some would call Shady or crooked for many years I carefully stepped over the line until given to Temptation I left it far behind it started with Keyhole lots for the less knowledgeable a keyhole lot is a subdivision that has
Only a small portion of a road it can be difficult to build on such a lot because access to the main parcel of land is limited this is the situation in this part of the country because of our archaic zoning laws rural land can be sold in 5 acre Parcels with no
Subdivision requirements many farmers to raise money start selling off 5 acre lots along roads when the main Farm goes up for sale there may only be a small plot left in front of the road this way you get large tracks with what are called Keyhole Lots there were 10
Keyhole Lots near a New York State Highway all developed with mobile homes or prefabric at two-bedroom cabins they were in the middle of nowhere they were 20 M from a highway interchange they were very undesirable and therefore inexpensive properties a large National retailer had come to the area and needed
A warehouse with good access to the interstate all they needed was 10 TurnKey lots and a new entrance to the throughway no problem and my buddy Jimmy got that information long before it leaked out when I was knocking on doors to promote my services I saw this a
Small for sale sign sign on a dilapidated fence post it turned out to be 250 plus acres of substandard pasture the remains of an old dairy farm well outside the Redevelopment area but located on an Old County Road that road will soon have to be replaced by a good
State road that leads directly to the thway highway this was land that was worth at best 1,500 acre and would soon be 20 times that price you had to be a saint to resist and I was no saint buying the land emptied my 401 band and
All the savings I had I was left with no land my business became a funnel to pay taxes and develop the land I invested it in a Wyoming Corporation Called sent limited which a dubious type sold to me for $7,000 he had set it up 5 years earlier
For people like me who needed to hide what they were doing Wyoming didn’t require disclosure of officers directors and shareholders nothing connected me to stent it was left to me to explain to Doris that my business was in trouble and I was barely contributing to the household
Expenses I couldn’t tell her why my finances were strained so I lied I blamed the economy and stiff competition any other wife would have been angry or at least let me know what a loser I was Doris kissed me and said it’ll be all right Davey as long as
We’re all healthy and together who cares Doris worked extra classes and cut back on everything except what the girls needed she may do without everything I don’t think she bought herself a single new thing in the year and a half I I struggled I promised I would fix things
When the time came but somehow that never happened 2 years after I bought it I sold the last acre the average price I got was 22,000 an acre after that I started buying in front of the state just where they were buying questions arose the Insiders accustomed to doing
What I was doing regarded it with suspicion an investigation was required but the big shots didn’t want to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs I stayed small and stayed out of their way I didn’t touch the money I told myself it was for our old age mine and Doris’s
By then people would have forgotten and I could come up with some plausible explanation for my family about how I’d earned my dirty money honestly the last thing I wanted was for Doris and our families to find out what kind of man I really was at all costs I had to protect
My secret I never imagined I would listen to my family’s dirty secrets we spent Christmas Eve at a relative’s house as has become customary but but Christmas day was spent in a big way at my family’s house we arrived early as my mom and Doris had made arrangements
Between them as usual Doris cooked a huge roast turkey with stuffing Mama Boswell was making a crown roast of lamb and my mom had a ham in the oven it was about 1:00 in the afternoon when I lifted the stuffed turkey and a heavy iron skillet from the trunk of Doris’s
New Mercedes the car for which a sizable down payment had been made had been a birthday present from her parents David when you’re done bringing the turkey into the house I’d like to talk to you in the den my mother announced it wasn’t a request but there
Was no hostility in her tone on the contrary it sounded sympathetic the den was a small room at the front of the house somewhat isolated mom was sitting on a short couch or chair when I entered there were several chairs in the room but she indicated
That I should sit next to her I sat down next to her as she turned toward me our knees almost touching she took both of my hands in hers and I felt the coolness of those hands so familiar to me in my youth David what’s going on you don’t seem to be
Yourself if you’re in trouble I and the rest of this family are here to help you she said this leaning in looking me straight in the eye waiting for a response perhaps a request for help or guidance a mother talking to her troubled son hoping to comfort him what
Could possibly be wrong I have a loving and supportive family a believing wife and two devoted daughters I let the words I spoke sink into my Consciousness my mom isn’t stupid she heard what wasn’t being said David an honest man supports his wife in what she
Needs being a good husband is part of making sacrifices as your good wife has sacrificed so often for you over the last 20 years my mother was a very smart woman she immediately realized that I was not the ignorant fool I was taken for and came up with a response it was a
Clever appeal to the kindness and fairness she had instilled in me as a child the values we adopt from our parents and cultivate through our personal behavior from her perspective I understood that it was about a man’s commitment to his marriage and family it was a strange case of her completely misjudging her
Son and that mistake was entirely my fault I had misled everyone for so long that they didn’t know me anymore I wasn’t the good reliable person they thought I was I wore the costume of a hapless husband and father a man to be taken advantage of because of his own
Kind and loving nature her approach would never have worked on the man I was but she couldn’t have known that the sleeper had awakened in a new world where technology reveals all secrets and human corruption prevails the thing is I don’t think having a as a wife is
Honorable of course all things are for sale we sell ourselves for what we want and it’s not always money in fact it’s rarely money even if it changes hands nevertheless not all transactions are dishonest some we make before God we make a promise and ask for a blessing
True we don’t always keep our word but we must try otherwise the woman may end up kissing her son good night with lips still warm from her infidelity at the last sentence Mom jumped back as if I’d slapped her until that moment she’d been ready to continue
The argument I could see the emotions playing in her eyes surprise shame anger and finally pain David what did you say I said that your kisses when you came home from your adulteries were an abomination she released my hands and ran out of the room I didn’t need the phone to hear
Doris’s words of Anguish as my mom ran out of the room mommy what happened cried Doris she must have been waiting for my mom’s nod to Ambush me apparently this was a planned intervention perhaps all the family members were planning on hitting me during the day when I left
The room there was no one around mom had apparently run off to the kitchen bringing another available family member with her I decided I could use a strategic Retreat and walked out the front door as quietly as possible I still had the keys to Doris’s Mercedes
And drove to the state park to the Hendrick Hudson observation deck a lovers alley from my youth it took me until the end of my senior year of high school to pick up a girl here and that I didn’t get any further than first base I
Was not and am not a Casanova but when I turned 25 and had just graduated from law school women began to look at me very differently unfortunately by then I was hooked Doris had gotten a hold of me and wasn’t going to let go looking at my situation it was two sides
Of the same coin when Doris needed me I was expected to obey now that she was looking for someone else I was asked and expected to submit again allowing her the freedom I was denied Strangely I saw the logic in that Doris had sacrificed far more for the marriage than I had
She’d made it work she raised the Next Generation if I had stayed single we probably would never have had children we wouldn’t have bought a house planned for retirement or or done anything at all now Doris wanted a little of what she thought was harmless fun a little of
What she was sorely lacking she didn’t deny me the opportunity she just didn’t believe I could take advantage of the offer you see I’m old and fat my mom’s good intentions today were to make me see my limitations but to reassure me that they all still loved me and would
Make it as easy as possible for me they were kind they thought and I was selfish in a way I knew from the beginning that it would come to this I’m not blind or stupid but Mom and Doris are right about a lot of things I remained a child unfortunately I haven’t
Stayed a child I’m spoiled I’ve seen the game being played and I’ve sunk into the mud to play I fool myself that I did it for others or that it was necessary it wasn’t I cheated because I wanted to win and more for the sake of winning than
For the money to lose to Doris is to lose and I’ve been losing to Doris for 20 years parking in the lot I pulled out my iPad and opened the spyware he’s not anywhere in the house and mom’s car is gone I heard my daughter Beth
Say with any luck he won’t be back I heard Anne my brother-in-law Larry’s wife intervene I always knew Anne disliked me but now she had a reason an is a real hottie you can’t call her handsome but she radiates attractiveness and has what I call a bedroom voice I understood why
Larry Jr who isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed married her but it was a stupid move this woman was actually broadcasting her infidelities Larry ignores The Not So subtle gossip and his wife’s rather egregious behavior my brother-in-law worked as a vice president at his family’s Bank it was obvious nepotism
But perfectly acceptable in that industry his fat salary and social standing ensured that no matter how hard Anne played she always came home afterward to a comfortable lifestyle an and Larry had a 5-year-old son who had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as his supposed father father
They always seemed to get along with each other now as I listened the mother hatched a plan my son is more than stubborn he practically called me a to my face my mother informed me I don’t believe that my mother-in-law said Dave is too good a man for
That I find that hard to believe and I’ve heard it but I’ve heard it he seems to know it all somehow the old folks must have been careless with their words and he took it all out of context explained dear old mom what shall we do
I don’t want to lose my husband said Doris we must be cunning if he won’t come willingly we have to use some tricks said my mom I don’t know we shouldn’t underestimate my brother he’s always been shrewd not the smartest but the most cunning remember what he did to
Uncle Jack during the poker game he can be very clever I heard my sister say she was referring to the time when as a teenager I discovered that my uncle cheated quite often in our bi-weekly poker games everyone knew about it but did nothing about it since we were
Playing for pennies nevertheless I felt bad about being cheated so I figured out how he stacked the deck when he shuffled and cheated him back for several weeks he kept losing but he couldn’t expose me without exposing himself the game suddenly ended and my uncle stopped talking to me my sister remembered this
Because she asked me what Uncle John’s problem was and I laughed telling her yes but he has a weakness we can exploit mom said then she laid out her scheme the weakness she was referring to was my inability to tolerate alcohol I don’t drink but I’m a happy drunk until I fall
Asleep give me enough alcohol and I’ll pass out mom’s plan was simple get me drunk at a family party on New Year’s Eve while they were pouring me drinks Anne would be hitting on me when I woke up I would find myself in someone else’s bed and confronted by an Irate wife when
Presented with evidence of my infidelity I could hardly object to my wife’s suggestion that we open our marriage to others of course opening our marriage meant that Doris would be allowed to play while I stayed at home the big stumbling block was Anne’s reluctance to pursue this with what she called the old
Fat man the general consensus was that I didn’t possess enough attraction Anne was the best choice since Larry was a good friend of mine the guilt Factor would be magnified and after all she didn’t have to do anything just get some suggestive pictures to assist in this endeavor they chose my brother Samuel’s
Wife Elaine she was a little shy girl who was afraid of her own shadow She was drawn into the plan because of her desire to fit in she was also the perfect witness being the newest member of the family married to my brother for only 2 years and
Currently pregnant from the front seat of my wife’s expensive car I looked out over the Northern Catskills where Washington Irving had staged Rip Van Winkle it’s a strange view in the winter fog moving across the dark mountains the Hudson River Silvers in the East a nice
Setting for an Irving folk tale but no place to listen to your marriage die but then Doris spoke up we have to give Dave another chance more time she said what about Mark will he wait her mother asked Mark is very worried we both have this week off this week and it’s the
Perfect time as he put it to get a room however I need my David he is my first and true love I’m going to deal with him he has never denied me anything and I don’t see him denying me anything completely he and I have to come to an
Understanding she said look my plan will work HEK harsh but your husband has earned it with his attitude I suggest you talk some more but be careful not to keep your lover waiting because of my stupid son my mother said I’ll give Dave one more chance to step forward Doris said ending the
Conversation I had no choice but to go back and sit through Christmas dinner with my family everyone received me very cooly except an who apparently resigned her to having to flirt with an old fat man Doris grabbed me and pulled me out the door to her Mercedes what about the Christmas Diner I
Asked we not going there we need to talk she said there’s something to talk about I asked yes but not in the car she said with a slightly Sly smile she drove to the Hilton she’d called ahead and booked a room and when he got there the white star champagne
Was already waiting for him what’s there to talk about what’s wrong love she said what could possibly be wrong oh please stop it’s not us I love you I will always love you I want to be with you always until death do us part just like we promised give up on
Everyone else you know I could never love another use yes love no she said is there any difference said I of course there is I’m trying to assure you that we will be together and Inseparable forever she said you can keep the bird in the cage but don’t leave the door
Open what does that mean I offer each of us freedom because we love each other that’s what binds us together I won’t fly away she said please don’t believe me I do but you’re wrong no believe me I can only love you she said I didn’t have an answer she
Missed it by failing to understand the other side please don’t let male pride hurt us we’re only talking about bodily functions it doesn’t mean anything D please believe me this is an argument you can’t afford to win be happy with what you have and I’ll stand by my
Opinion just don’t open the door don’t be stubborn you know I’ll always take care of you just like I did before you need me don’t be stupid she said I hugged her realizing that there might not be a future for us she couldn’t realize that it was all a lie yes the
Lie was a lapse on my part an inability or inability to tell the unattractive truth I had avoided the central issue of our marriage for 19 plus years until Doris believed the original lie she had told herself and which I had never challenged oh I love you everything will
Be fine believe me she would say not realizing that she wasn’t the problem no believe me I will never accept what you are offering I kept my end of the bargain I said and ended the conversation on Wednesday of the the following week Mark invited my wife over
To his house for lunch I listened long enough to make sure they were done with my marriage apparently by mutual agreement the loving couple did not mention the horny husband it was as if I didn’t exist Friday was New Year’s Eve I started with a drink at my favorite
Establishment Irish Mist it’s a restaurant bar I invited all of my older friends over for drinks but no family members I limited myself to non-alcoholic drinks I didn’t get to Larry Junior’s house until 8:00 p.m. and that was by cab my old Honda was parked some distance from Larry’s house that
Day and hopefully went unnoticed when I arrived I smelled like the bar I had spent most of that day in and I was acting a little worse for wear than usual it wasn’t long before they brought me a very strong drink they started slowly but quickly increase the level of
Intoxication I had a heck of a time getting rid of them but fortunately an and Larry believe in house plants they and a few trips to the restroom allowed me to stay sober while I acted like a drunk Anne asked me to dance I let her
Do her best and after a while I responded as best I could apparently this happened about a half hour after the balloon dropped in Time Square and by then I was pretending to be completely intoxicated it must have been convincing because an and Elaine took my hands and started helping me up the
Stairs upon reaching the room I assumed to be the guest bedroom they threw me on the bed I don’t think I want you to do that I said Elaine jumped back with a look of surprise on her face Anne swore my sister warned you but who listens in this family I
Said now both of you go downstairs and send that traitorous fool who calls herself my wife down here with these words they ran out of the room a long time seemed to pass as I sat listening to the commotion below a few raised voices were heard but I
Didn’t even try to EES drop as eavesdropping in this little drama was already over eventually Doris appeared appeared in the bedroom doorway you wanted to see me she asked yes come in and sit down I said in as soft and friendly a voice as was possible under the
Circumstances Doris sat down and the tears flowed by themselves when her nose streamed the tears ended she was sorry that she had made a terrible mistake in listening to the others what are you sorry about that Doris wanted another man or that you had fun with him last Wednesday at his
Apartment she shrieked and I saw fear for the first time no maybe it’s just that Mom’s scheme didn’t work and now you’re caught up in it please David I love you it doesn’t mean anything you have to believe it I know you love me and will forgive me she
Said perhaps a little taken aback at how calm I was no Doris I won’t forgive you oh please David forgive me and let us forget about it oh I forgive you Doris there’s really nothing to forgive except a little deception the problem is the rest of it you see I
Don’t love you never have and probably never will you don’t mean that David that’s your anger talking I couldn’t help but laugh do I seem angry let me assure you that you are not I’ve spent the last 19 plus years in this marriage it wasn’t all bad
It’s been a sort of gilded cage but now the door is open and I walk in thanking you for finally setting me free David please that’s not what you meant I’m not going to let you divorce me over such a small thing after all the years of loving devotion I’ve given you do
What you want I’m leaving I had it all worked out you held me to Pure guilt and now I have none you wanted an open marriage and I’m giving you the most open marriage there can be namely a marriage without a husband with those words I stood up and started to walk
Away what will you tell our daughters she asked starting to get angry goodbye is all I will say I wish to God I could believe they weren’t mine but considering what they are and what my mother is like I don’t doubt it so goodbye is all I have for them and
Nothing more then I stopped and thought to myself that’s not true my girls are the little ones that will always be with me they are locked in my heart they never grew up they still wonder if the ducklings will cross the road I said with those words I left my crying wife
And walked down the stairs of course my mother supported by my father tried to stop me leaving where are you going mom demanded a good question that I don’t have an answer to but I guess to a lot of places I haven’t been able to visit in 20 years I
Said so you’re just going to run away because life didn’t work out the way you wanted it to she said no I’m leaving to find my life the one I’ve missed so much oh please David be reasonable everything you have is here everyone who loves you is here everything we’ve ever
Ever done has been for you don’t let stupid male pride ruin your life you don’t have a life without us how will you live who will take care of you if you leave there may be no going back son think about what that means Doris has
Been good to you we all know how addicted you are dad said I’m sorry but I was already gone you just didn’t notice the key was in the lock you just had to turn it I said with those words I kissed my mom gently on the cheek and
Left waving broadly at the others and saying a firm goodbye I left my wife daughters brothers sisters and parents behind I was free I was alone but really inside I had always been alone and I wasn’t going to be alone for long an older but not fat man possessed the
Greatest aphrodesiac in existence cash Millions for physical attractiveness I was cashing in and traveling to the most remote and decadent places I could find I traded one old for as many young ones as I could handle I got out of prison after 20 years of incarceration and a new and
Different world awaited me this is where I end the story I know I will get all sorts of comments telling me it is not finished but you have to use your imagination whatever you do with your freedom and lots of money whatever it is it will be better than what I write
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