Transcription
When his wife paused and looked at him, Robert replied, "I understand." Rob thought that he had said, "I understand a lot in the past few days, and he was really tired of repeating those words." He wondered how he and Jennifer, his wife, had even gotten to this point.
They had been married for 17 years and had two wonderful children, both in middle school. They lived in a beautiful old house that Jennifer inherited from her grandmother. Together they had updated the house, adding a pool and a detached garage. The old house now had an open concept floor plan and a beautifully updated kitchen. He was proud of the house and thought it rivaled anything they had seen on HDTV.
They also owned a great beach house in Ounquit, Maine. Robert resisted making any changes to the traditional beach house he inherited, preferring to leave it as he remembered it from his childhood. It was the site of so many wonderful family memories.
Robert William Parker was now the senior vice president of operations at MedTech Innovations and was enjoying the fruits of many years of hard work. Jennifer Elizabeth Parker had also done well in her career. She was a senior sales director at the real estate firm Horizon Realy where she had worked for the past 12 years. He thought they had a perfect home, almost perfect children, wonderful careers, and a happy marriage until he often said, "I understand." But he knew that he didn't really understand what was happening to his life.
Jennifer fell silent and looked at him. "You understand what I am trying to say." "I understand," he replied, hoping she didn't notice the mark he made on the piece of paper in front of him. He looked at the paper. 32 marks in the past two days, he had said. I understand to his wife 32 times.
"It is time to end this debate." Jennifer said finally. "So we finally agree," Jennifer said. "I am going to step outside of our marriage once to experience this." She stopped when she saw Rob shaking his head. Rob looked Jennifer in the eye and replied, "I will never cheat on you, and I will not agree for you to cheat on me."
"I never cheated on you," Jennifer exclaimed. Robert continued, "I am ready to forgive you for the deception you have committed up to this point. But now that is all. I've never cheated on you, Jennifer," answered defiantly. "Yes, you cheated, at least in my opinion, and if you are honest in your thoughts, then you know it. You had lunch with him alone several times. He met you after your girl's nights a few times and turned those nights into actual dates. You corresponded with him extensively via text messages, especially on weekends."
Robert paused and looked deep into her eyes, causing Jennifer to lower her head. "He now has an upscale room booked at the Boston Harbor Hotel, and two seats for their Sunday brunch. His intentions are obvious. You have a bold new dress hidden in the back of your closet, a Victoria's Secret bag filled with new underwear. I guess it was only for his eyes since you hid it from me. Your intentions are also obvious." Rob stopped and waited for an answer which never came.
"I'm going to make it very simple. I am going to make sure we both understand what is going to happen. I offer two options. This Saturday morning, I'm going to the beach house. I'll stop at the main coastal diner for breakfast and then head to the beach. I'd like you to come with me. We may spend the weekend discussing our problems and wondering if we can save our marriage. It would be nice if you returned the underwear you bought for him and picked out something for us to have fun with." Robert paused, trying to gauge Jennifer's reaction. Once again, he couldn't read her mind, something he'd never had a problem with until recently.
"Your other option is to continue with your plans for Saturday. Meet Mark Anderson at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Have a nice romantic dinner at Ocean Prime. Dance at the Grand. And return to Boston Harbor to complete your romance." He paused. "Look at me." She slowly raised her head. "You can continue with your plans. You won't need my permission because the moment I leave without you on Saturday morning, our marriage will end."
Jennifer looked at Rob in shock. How did he know about their plans for the weekend? She slowly began to speak, but before she could say a word, Rob said, "In case you were wondering, I have friends where you work. You have friends at work who worry about you." And finally, Mark Anderson has no real friends at all.
Jennifer paused as what Robert told her dawned on her. Then she tried to go on the offensive. "I've been your faithful wife and partner for 17 years." "No, you were a faithful wife for 16 years and 10 months. You've been cheating on me since your first lunch with Mark Anderson."
"I never cheated on you," Jennifer pleaded. "You already had intentions with him," Robert began to say. Jennifer jumped up and interrupted him. "I never cheated on you," she said. Her voice filled with a sadness that surprised her.
Rob continued. "I saw the betrayal in your eyes. Eyes that were always locked on mine when we made love. Eyes that now close. A face that turns away from my gaze in bed. How many times were you with him when we made love?" Robert laughed sadly. "We've had a crowded bed for the past few months. Now I won't talk about it anymore. You understand?"
Jennifer thought that everything was not going as she had planned. She tried to gain the upper hand. "Robert, we have a wonderful marriage. I value our relationship and your love more than anything in the world. We've raised two wonderful children together. We have great careers, and if we stay the course, we can retire early and truly enjoy life and each other. I was faithful to you and ready to be by your side as a loving wife until the end of our days."
"I'll give you the rest of my days. I only need one day for me and one night for him," was Robert's quick response. Jennifer lowered her eyes and shook her head. She looked at Rob. "I could just go behind your back. I could have lied to you, but I wanted to be open and honest with you. I thought that after all these years, you would understand."
Rob quickly responded again. "I understand. And as for lying and going behind my back, that is exactly what you've been doing in recent months. You went on dates with him under the guise of a girl's night out. You had an intimate dinner with him, holding hands and letting his hands roam over your body, which only I should have access to. And worst of all, you brought him into our bedroom, replacing me with thoughts of him. You allowed him to interfere with our time with hundreds of messages, not to mention intimate."
Robert stopped. "Jennifer, I know everything, and how I found out doesn't matter. What is important is that you understand what I am talking about. You understand?" Jennifer simply looked at him with eyes that he no longer understood. He sighed quietly, realizing that she didn't realize what she was throwing away.
Rob stood up and left the room. He went to their bedroom, brushed his teeth, and tried to sleep, but he knew it would be difficult to sleep that night. Jennifer sat motionless for several minutes. Finally, she moved to the sofa, took the phone, and called her friend Sarah. When Sarah answered, Jennifer said, "Robert knows everything. He knows about Mark and our plans for this weekend."
Sarah replied, "Doesn't sound very good. Please tell me you're going to cancel this." Jennifer answered quietly. "I don't know how I can. I promised Mark and he spent so much money on this weekend." Sarah quickly replied, "You made promises to Robert before. If you don't remember, then I remember. I was your bridesmaid. Anderson can cancel everything, and it won't cost him a penny either way. That is no reason to cheat on Rob."
"I won't cheat on Robert," Jennifer repeated. Sarah answered, "When I talked about what Kevin and I did, I tried to make sure you understood that I would never have done it without his permission. But besides, I told you that we chose a man together and made sure it was someone we would never see again. I told you that we did everything right, but nevertheless, we still have problems that we are trying to solve. You decided to sleep with a client and are trying to justify it now." Sarah begged. "Please forget about this plan. Stop dating Mark, get on your knees, and apologize to Robert."
Jennifer answered softly. "But I need it. I really need to experience another man one more time in my life. Mark is a nice guy and women at the office say he is good in bed." "A good guy wouldn't sleep with a married woman," Sarah said. "Think about what you are risking just to become another notch on his bed post."
"I won't become another notch on his bed post. He is attentive to me," Jennifer said. Sarah wanted to scream into the phone. "Don't you understand that this is even worse? I met Mark when he was looking for a luxury condo. He is a nice man, but he is nowhere near what Rob is. You must understand this, right?" "I understand," Jennifer whispered. Sarah pleaded. "Please think long and carefully about your decision. This will affect all the people you love for the rest of your life."
Jennifer said quietly. "I thought you would understand. I thought that you more than anyone else would understand why I need to do this." Sarah tried to reach her friend again. "Jennifer, the problem is not that I don't understand. The problem isn't that Rob doesn't understand. The problem isn't that your kids or your parents or your friends won't understand. The problem is that you don't understand. I beg you not to do this."
Jennifer answered in a decisive voice. "Well, Rob knows what I've been doing up to this point, and he didn't stop me. He won't like it, but he'll let me do it. He will understand how important this is to me." Then, after a pause, "Now I need to get some sleep."
After finishing the call, Sarah turned to her husband, Kevin. "She didn't understand a word of what I told her. I am so sorry I told her about our experience." Kevin replied, "I thought we agreed that this would remain strictly between us." Sarah was a little confused. "I needed to talk to someone about the problems we were having. I never thought that this would give her any ideas."
Kevin hugged Sarah and said, "I know, and I am not angry. I must admit, I also talked to Rob about our problems." Sarah lowered her head in obvious embarrassment. "You told Rob. I can imagine how he reacted. Did he suggest throwing me to the curb or branding me on my forehead?"
"I thought you knew Rob better. He asked me a series of questions. My answers to these questions got me thinking about us. After I finished answering his questions, he told me, 'You two got into this together. You made this decision together. It turned out to be a big mistake, but you two did it together and only you two can correct this mistake. As long as we continue to be together, work on our relationship together, everything will be fine.' He made me realize that we were in this together and we were both trying to solve our problems. This may be the reason why we are still married," Kevin explained.
Sarah began to cry. She said quietly, "This may be the reason we are married, and we may be the reason he gets divorced." Kevin shook his head, hugging his wife. "Don't blame yourself. If they break up, Rob's right. If they don't get through this together, they don't stand a chance."
Jennifer slipped into bed and realized that Rob was awake. He turned his back to her, and they both moved to opposite ends of the bed. They were separated by two feet, but the distance seemed to be measured in miles. They got up with their alarm clock and went about their morning routine without saying a single word to each other.
After Jennifer left for work, Robert relaxed for a moment and checked the list in his hands. Today is Monday. He took time off from work. Robert walked through every room in the house, photographing each room and its contents. He cataloged the contents of each room and noted the items he wanted to keep. He copied all their wedding and family photos from the cloud onto a flash drive. He left their wedding album on the coffee table, not daring to open it.
The apartments he looked at were nice, but he knew he would miss this house. He would keep all the wonderful memories, but he would miss being here. He would miss the woman he couldn't stop loving and the life they built here together.
Robert went to meet Laura Stevens, who came highly recommended to him. The settlement she offered was very simple and straightforward. Jennifer would get the house and her retirement plan. Robert would keep the beach house and his pension plan. He would pay off her car and all her credit cards. A portion of their investment accounts would be set aside for college tuition and $10,000 for each child as an endowment fund. Then they would split the remaining funds 50 to 50. Robert looked up at the settlement offer and simply nodded his head. Laura said, "We can submit the papers on Wednesday morning." Robert nodded again, stood up, shook her hand, and left the office. Laura Stevens realized that her client had said very few words to her since he hired her for his divorce. All their communication was carried out via email. She sensed sadness and resignation in him. She sometimes wondered why she chose family law as her specialty.
Rob headed to the bank. He opened a separate account, transferring half of the old account to his new one. He emailed the direct deposit change form to his company's HR department. Later at home, he would change his payments to his new bank account. He then went to their investment banker. He confirmed that both of their signatures would be required for all invoices and transfers. Robert informed him that his lawyer, Laura Stevens, would seize the accounts the day after Jennifer was served. Robert was disgusted by the expression of pity and concern on the faces of his longtime advisers. He realized that they were just the first of many of their acquaintances who would have the same expression on their faces when the news came out. The thought of having to tell his children about the divorce almost made him sick.
Jennifer tried to avoid Mark Anderson at work as much as possible. At lunchtime, they met at Antonio's a small restaurant that he liked to call their place. She was quiet and refused to hold his hand. Robert knew about their every move. She could not shake the feeling she had all day that they were being watched. Mark Anderson paid no attention to Jennifer's mood. "I'm excited about this weekend. Hotel check-in is at 3 p.m. Do you think we could meet a little earlier than planned? Maybe we could have a little fun in the room before we go out to dinner," he said. "I don't think so," was Jennifer's restrained answer.
Back in the office, Jennifer tried to do some work, but kept looking around the office. She realized that at least one and possibly more of her colleagues were acting as spies for Robert. After a couple of fruitless hours, she closed up for the day and left the office. Walking down the hallway, Jennifer greeted two new interns in her department. She stopped and looked back at the interns. She couldn't help but noticed the distinctive Medtech Innovations logo on the hoodie. One of them was wearing.
Robert completed all the tasks on his list. It was 2 p.m. and he realized he hadn't eaten all day, so he decided to grab a snack. When he sat down at a table in Antonio's, the hostess came out and greeted him with a hug. Robert hugged her tightly and asked, "How is he doing?" Maria smiled. "He is doing great. He made the baseball team as a rookie. He is so excited. You know, Emma has been a great training partner this winter. Your daughter changed everything." "Well," Emma is thrilled that her friend will be on her team, Rob replied.
Maria sat down next to Robert and said, "They were here again for lunch today, but all is not well in paradise." Jennifer was very nervous, and of course, Anderson did not understand anything. "He may be clueless, but he is going to sleep with her this weekend," replied a dejected Rob. "Don't rush to give it up. She must be a special woman to have been married for so long. She realizes her mistake, and I just pray that it happens sooner rather than later," Maria replied. "So, Maryland crab cakes with broccoli." Robert smiled for the first time that day. "Sounds perfect. And maybe a beer for a change. Surprise me with one of your pale ales."
Jennifer returned home early and began to put her backup plan into action. She planned to cook Rob's favorite dinner and then try to talk to him again. It was important to her that he agreed to her one-time date. If he didn't agree to it, she needed him to at least accept her actions. When the crab cakes were baked, she went upstairs and changed. She wanted to look good for him and then planned to meet Sarah and her other friend Amanda for drinks to discuss the big day one last time on Saturday. She took the Victoria's Secret clothes and bags out of her closet and walked to her car, carefully placing them in the trunk. She didn't want to embarrass either Robert or herself by exposing them to him.
Rob arrived home at his usual time and was surprised to smell the aroma of dinner being prepared. "Jennifer entered the living room and handed him a bottle of light beer. "Please take off your jacket and tie and sit down. Dinner will be on the table in a couple of minutes," she said. Robert smiled at the Maryland crab cakes and steamed broccoli. She brought him. He was glad because this was his favorite dish, but for the first time, he realized that he would prefer to eat at Antonio's. At this moment, he would prefer to be anywhere. But at home, as they ate dinner in silence, Jennifer decided to try again to make him understand why she needed to do this. "Robert, I love you, and I hope you understand why," Rob interrupted her. "I understand. You look very good today." "Yes, I am going to meet Sarah and Amanda for a few drinks later in the evening, but I am trying to tell you that I love you and hope." "Yes, you hope that I understand," Rob said coldly. "I really understand." He stopped eating and moved away from the table, getting up. "I lost my appetite." As he left, he told her, "You look really good for him. I guess you couldn't wait until tomorrow. When you see Mark Anderson tonight, tell him to drop dead for me." Rob disappeared into the living room, and the sound of the television filled the dining room. Jennifer sat quietly at the table with her head in her hands. For the first time, she seriously reconsidered her actions. After a few minutes, she stood up and cleared the table. Now was not the time to hesitate. She needed to remain true to her feelings. She wrote to Sarah. "Can we meet earlier? I am leaving in 5 minutes."
Robert heard the front door open and close. He drank his beer and looked at the television. He realized that he had been sitting there for 20 minutes and had no idea what channel he was watching. He felt sadness pressing on his chest like a huge weight that made it almost impossible for him to breathe. Rob pulled the box out of his coat pocket, popped two pills into his mouth, and washed them down with the rest of his beer. For the first time in his life, he took sleeping pills. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without help. He also knew that he would need all his strength for Saturday morning.
Jennifer was the first to arrive at the bar and order a table for three. While waiting, she turned her attention to the scene in the bar. Men and women danced a dance of seduction. But to Jennifer, it seemed like a dance of despair and loneliness. Is this really her destiny? The appearance of friends saved her from these thoughts. Jennifer watched as her two friends approached the table. She noticed that they seemed tense and prepared for their attack. Amanda sat down and looked at Jennifer. "What the hell do you think you are doing? Are you crazy? Are you going to cheat on your husband with some piece of crap from work? Are you going through menopause? Or have you started taking pills? Or have you fallen and hit your head? This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard from anyone. And I used to think you were one of the smartest people I know. If you go through with it, you must be the dumbest I've ever met."
Jennifer simply answered her friend. "Good evening to you too, Amanda. Yes, I am fine, but what about you?" Amanda just looked at her. Jennifer saw the anger and pain in her eyes. Jennifer turned to Sarah. "Your turn." Sarah shook her head. "You know how I feel about this adventure of yours. I would say more, but I am afraid I won't be able to be as polite as Amanda." Jennifer smiled sadly. "You think you could swear better than Amanda?" Sarah answered without smiling. "Well, no one can swear better than Amanda, but she left out the words fallen woman, cheater, adulterer, idiot, and perhaps the worst disappointment of all. But there is one thing I really need to tell you. I think you are planning to make the biggest mistake of your life. But I love you and will be here to help you no matter what you do."
Amanda just shook her head. "Damn, damn. What you want to do is so wrong and so stupid, but I will be here for you, too. Just so you know, I'll be saying, 'I told you so' over and over again." Jennifer hugged her friends. "Thank you for your love. I know you can't support what I do, but it is great to know that I can count on you both after this. You both know that I don't do anything halfway. I have made a commitment, and it is time for me to bring this matter to its natural conclusion." Amanda softly pleaded. "Jennifer, there is nothing natural about betrayal, and commitment to betrayal is the opposite of the true meaning of the word commitment."
Jennifer sat quietly for several minutes and then stood up and said, "I need to finish my business for tomorrow. I'll bring a bottle of wine. Please stay and drink for me." Jennifer completed her errands and drove up to the dark house. She collected her thoughts and then sent Sarah a long text message. She knew that Sarah was angry with her, but she also knew that her friend would help her. She opened the trunk of her car. She realized she couldn't leave her shopping in the car overnight. Tomorrow it would be too cold to wear. She hid them in the closet in the downstairs hallway. After that, she slid into bed next to Rob and tried to sleep.
That night, sleep did not come to Jennifer. Finally, at 3:00 a.m., she got out of bed and went downstairs. She saw the wedding album on the coffee table and thought that if Rob could look at their wedding album, so could she. After looking at two pages, she closed the album and began to cry. She had to make him understand. At 5:00 a.m., she gave up on the idea of sleep and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After her shower, she put on some Victoria's Secret lingerie and then opened her clothes bag and put on the pretty item that was in it. She pulled out the suitcase she had packed earlier and carried it to the car. She then placed the Victoria's Secret bag next to her suitcase. She walked into the kitchen and wrote a short note to Robert. She chuckled to herself. She was leaving him a letter from dear Rob. She placed the note on the coffee maker, turned off the light, and walked to the car, determined to finish what she started.
Rob woke up and looked at the alarm clock. It was 6:15. And when he turned around, he realized that he was sleeping alone. The thought occurred to him that she had not waited for this evening. He pushed her towards Mark Anderson. He imagined that she was lying in Mark Anderson's bed, and this picture struck him to the core. For the first time, he overestimated himself. Should he have just let her have one night to test another man? She promised to belong only to him after that one night. Did he really lose his life's happiness because of his ego and pride? Reflecting on his plight, Rob realized that he would never be able to love her again if she went to Mark Anderson. He could live with her putting their children first because that is what a mother should do. But he could never live with her putting another man before her husband. Over the course of 17 years, they both earned each other's respect and loyalty. She expected nothing less. He wouldn't accept anything less. He hoped she was home. Maybe she was sleeping in one of the other bedrooms. Robert checked all the bedrooms and found no sign of her returning home that night. He opened the letter and read the short note. "Please understand," was all she wrote. Rob fell back into one of the kitchen chairs and began to cry. He was afraid of this. But deep down in his soul, he still expected that she would stay. Forget this crazy idea and remain his wife.
Having prepared the coffee. He went upstairs. He quickly showered and dressed, then filled a duffel bag with some clothes and went downstairs. Rob filled his thermos with coffee and headed to the front door. Taking one last long look at the house that was his home, he turned off the light and closed the door. The cold morning air hit his face as he walked down the steps. He had forgotten to start the car, but he thought the cold would help him wake up and perhaps snap him out of whatever days he was feeling. As he walked to his car, he realized that the engine was running. He opened the back door, and as he was putting his bag inside, he saw a suitcase and a Victoria Secret bag in the back seat. In the passenger seat, he saw Jennifer sleeping in the car. He quietly closed the back door and paused, reaching for the door handle. He cried tears of joy at the sight of his wife, his love. Now he knew they had a chance.
Rob took a deep breath and opened the car door. As he got into the car, Jennifer stirred and looked at Rob. "Good morning," she whispered quietly, rubbing her eyes. "Morning," Robert replied. After a short pause, he asked, "How long have you been here?" Jennifer looked at her watch and replied, "About 2 hours. I couldn't sleep, and then I was worried that you would leave without me, so I decided to wait in the car. I gassed up the car and bought us a dozen crispy cream donuts for the road."
Robert opened the box of donuts and said, "There are only seven donuts here." Jennifer finally woke up and answered, "There were a dozen between us, and I've already eaten my share," smiling. Rob grabbed one of the donuts and let it melt in his mouth. "This will tide me over until we have breakfast at Main Coastal Diner. What do you think of their country ham and biscuits?" Jennifer shook her head. "I am not dressed to go to the main coastal diner." Robert was confused. "Jennifer, there is no dress code at the Main Coastal Diner. You can wear whatever you want there." Jennifer smiled. "I know that you can wear almost anything, but you can't not wear almost anything." After she finished speaking, she opened her coat to show Rob a purple lingery set. "Well, it is almost nothing," Rob agreed. "Is the coat new?" Robert asked. Jennifer replied. "Yes, I exchanged my dress for this magnificent coat in case you didn't check out the Victoria's Secret bag. I returned those other lingery items and bought these items especially for you." Jennifer put her hand on his chin and lifted his head so that he looked into her eyes. "This outfit and the body underneath are meant for your eyes and your eyes only. For all the days and nights of our lives." After a short pause, she continued, "I am sorry for the hell I've put you through these past months. You were right about almost everything. There were only two things you were wrong about. Last night, I got dressed for you and no one else. And I actually met Sarah and Amanda. The second thing you were wrong about was when we had nights together. I didn't have intentions with Mark. Mark never came into our bedroom. I didn't close my eyes to think about him, but I couldn't look you in the eyes because I was so ashamed of what I wanted to do. I am ashamed to admit that the shame I felt didn't stop me from planning to be with him." She looked at him and said quietly, "Now I really understand." He kissed her. They had a lot to talk about. They had a lot of work ahead of them to repair their marriage, but his heart leapt with joy when he realized that she finally understood.
As Robert drove past the main coastal diner, he looked at Jennifer. She fell asleep again soon after they reached the highway. He remembered everything he did on Friday. They had a lot to talk about, and he knew that any honest conversation had to include his confession.
Robert remembered that evening 5 years ago. He was in San Francisco for the quarterly corporate meeting. At that time, he was the head of the department and his venture brought huge results to the company. Foreign companies were buying up their American competitors. But Rob saw an interesting opportunity. He advocated the idea of buying an Italian company with excellent engineers, but serious financial problems. His mentor, the CEO, approved the purchase and it was a great success. The purchase brought them several teams of experienced engineers. The big plus was the access to the European market that this company provided to the rest of the corporation and the presence of the Italian company in the Chinese market. The deal ultimately brought in billions of dollars. This was the crowning achievement of the CEO's career and set Rob on the fast track to a corporate career. That evening, Jennifer was home in Boston with the kids at a school band concert. So Rob celebrated his success with his colleagues and especially with Debbie Harris, a wonderful marketing representative from another division. Debbie and he had a long-term business relationship of the friendly relationship type. He drank just enough to ease his inhibitions, but not enough to impair his judgment. They danced much closer than a married man should with someone other than his wife. They headed to a room for the first time in hours. He thought about his wife and the wonderful family he had at home. He looked at the beautiful Debbie Harris and could not think of a single reason to enter the room. He took two steps back and then ran, literally ran back to the elevator. He went into his room and took a shower, wanting to get rid of Debbie's perfume. It was 1:00 in the morning in their house in Boston, but he called Jennifer. He needed to hear her voice. After several rings, she sleepily picked up the phone. Robert assured Jennifer that he was fine and nothing bad had happened. Then he told her the good news. He told her about the success of his venture and his promotion with a huge increase in salary. He cried as she excitedly told him how proud she was of him and how she always knew he would succeed. Through his tears, he realized that he had almost shared one of the greatest moments of his life with the wrong woman. Jennifer's opinion and happiness were all that mattered to him.
When Rob drove to the beach, he knew he had to tell her. He had to make her understand why he truly understood her feelings. He was in her shoes once, and that is why he could listen to her and honestly say, "I understand."
That is the end of today's story. If this story resonated with you, don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. A new story drops every week right here on Blood Never Lies. See you in the next one.