This story involves a guy who after finding out his wife is
having an affair, leaves the suburbs for a quiet life in the
city with his teenage son. However, country life isn't
always quiet when your past comes looking for you. If
that's not your thing, take a look at some of my other
stuff at www.asstr.org/~Secret_DC_Guy. If you are still
with me I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear
feedback at secretdcguy@hotmail.com.
My House among the Hills
Chapter 5
It's All Coming Back to Me Now
(MF, B/D, anal, dream, preg)
Throughout the history of baseball, one of the most
controversial subjects was the curveball, which,
essentially, revolved around whether it actually existed or
not. Many scientists argued that the physics were
impossible. A baseball should not be able to curve from
only the velocity and spin that a pitcher gives to it.
However, those who knew baseball, especially the
pitchers and catchers who played at the highest level,
swore that it was not just an optical illusion. It was not
until the 21st century that scientists using motion sensors
and the most powerful computers were able to
scientifically prove that it existed.
Life and what you might refer to as fate are much
the same. Any reputable scholar will tell you that the
latter does not exist-that life is just a series of
coincidences and accidents. However, standing at the
front door and looking at my ex-wife Beth made me
realize that I was like those baseball players. Six years
ago she had left me for the husband of her best friend.
Then after one year of tranquility in my house among the
hills, that best friend, Denise, had shown up. Though we
had never made it legal, we lived as a married couple
combining our families of my son and her two daughters
into something two years before we had thought we had
with other people, though in reality it was only an
illusion. Over the subsequent three years, I had
essentially rescued three women who also lived with me
as wives. Altogether, we had eleven children and one on
the way. There had been challenges, but with love and
understanding, we had overcome them all. I had a
feeling, though, that this would be the biggest challenge.
"You really have nowhere else to go?" Denise coldly
muttered. "Well, you are the one person who is not
welcome here." What she said stunned me. Of all my
wives, Denise was the most understanding. In fact, she
was the one who had invited all the other women to
come live with us. However, considering that Beth and
Denise's ex-husband, Mario, had tried to kidnap Beth's
daughter, Taylor, and that my newest wife Lena had
been sent by Beth's drug lord boyfriend to kill our entire
family, any sympathy that Denise could have had must
have dried up years ago.
I could see overwhelming sadness descend over my
ex-wife's face. It seemed that she believed she had truly
burned every bridge at this point. Now she would have to
find somewhere-maybe a homeless shelter, a hospice
for the destitute, or even a sheltered place underneath
the bridge-to die alone of the AIDS she had contracted.
My heart melted. Six years ago, her life may not have
been very interesting, but at least she had what other
people dreamed of, a husband who provided for her, a
son who loved her, and the best friend always willing to
support her. Now, even her rich father seemed to have
abandoned her.
I was about to close the door, when I heard a sad
voice behind me. "Dad, she doesn't have anywhere else
to go." I turned around to see my son Jonathan. He was
the one who had sent everything in motion four years
ago, by inviting Denise and her daughters to stay as long
as they wanted. In fact, he had said much the same thing
to convince me to let them stay. Quietly, he pushed
between Denise and me, and took his mother's hand. In
guiding her through us, he said, "mother, you can stay
for as long as you want."
That night, we had a family meeting. Reluctantly, my
wives agreed that my ex-wife could stay. Unlike years
past, we had not gotten around building an addition Lena
and her daughter, but now we agreed we would build
one. Until it was done, Meiying and Kenya would officially
share, which they did on most nights, anyway. Lena then
would move into Meiying's bedroom, while her daughter,
Maria, would continue to share a bedroom with Kenya's
daughter, Christmas. My ex-wife, would then sleep in
what had been my office. Though nobody said it, we all
knew that she would stay there until she died.
In a few hours, everything had been rearranged and
people started to go to bed. Eventually, the only two
people left downstairs were Denise and I. Though I did
not drink much, I was nursing the beer while she stared
into a glass of wine. We made small talk for a little while,
but I could tell that there was tension in the room.
Finally, I asked her what was on her mind. Sadly, she
looked up at me and said, "You realize that tomorrow
everything changes."
I muttered some things about this family always
helping people, and Denise pretended to agree. But
without finishing her wine, she said good night and went
upstairs. I was left alone with my thoughts. She was
right, things were going to change. Not only was a
person that I erased from my heart back in my life, but
she was also dying. My senior three wives had each given
birth to my baby, and Lena was very pregnant with
another. Our house had been filled with life and joy. Now,
at least for a while, it would be filled with hate and then
death.
After finishing my beer, I went up to my third-floor
bedroom. When I opened the door, in the dim light I saw
a woman lying in the middle of my bed. Her legs were
spread and her arms were stretched out above her head.
As I walked closer I noticed it was Lena, who had
somehow managed to tie herself to the quarters of the
bed. She was my only wife who was into bondage, the
only one who liked to be controlled. Quietly, she told me
that she was nervous about Beth moving in, but if I could
control her and force her to be okay with it, she would be
fine.
A small part of me felt reluctant. Even though I had
played along with her bondage games, I had never forced
Lena to do anything. Now, not only was she asking me to
force her to have sex with her anyway I wanted it, but
she was also telling me to force her to do something with
her life she did not want to do. However when I looked in
her eyes, it seemed as if it was all something she really
wanted.
I sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her
face. Softly, I asked her how hard she wanted it. She
responded that she wanted it harder than I had ever
given it to her before. I did not know where to start, so I
leaned in and gave her a deep kiss, while I did she
muttered for me to bite her left. It sounded strange, but
as I did it. I heard her pant like she did when she was
excited. Letting go, I looked into her eyes, waiting for
response. With the savage smile, she said, "hurt me."
I do not know what came over me, but I pivoted and
straddled her face. Knowing what I was going to do, she
opened her mouth and swallowed my cock. She did not
move her head at all. Instead, she let me fuck her
mouth. I started slowly at first, warming her up with
shallow thrusts. However, eventually I did not hold back.
I fucked her mouth like I would her pussy, making her
gag every time I pushed in. Finally, as she was gasping
for breath, I thrust one more time and came in her
throat. When I pulled out, she wheezed and thanked me.
As much as we had enjoyed it, we both knew that I
was not finished. So moving to the other side of the bed,
I got between her legs. Rubbing her belly that was big
with my baby, I asked her how bad she wanted to be
hurt. She told me to make her scream. There was no
need to get her warmed up because she was already
soaking wet. So with one massive thrust I pushed inside
of her. Gasping with pleasure, she told me that she
belonged to me and would stay with me forever. As I
fucked her hard, I pinched her nipples and even slapped
her in the face when she asked me to do so. Eventually,
she let out a scream of orgasm and fell back on the bed.
It was everything that she had wanted.
Often when one of my wives had an evening of sex
like this, they would cuddle up and spend the night next
to me. However when I untied Lena, she got up and
walked across the room to the closet which had the
secret passage down to the bedroom she was using.
When I asked her why she was leaving, she said that she
had a big day the next day and needed to take care of
some things. Though it was a little strange, I was not
able to give it much thought, because I almost
immediately fell asleep.
The next morning, I came downstairs to see crying
and hugging. Lena stood by the door with her daughter
Maria on one side and a suitcase with her few
possessions on the other. There was a sense of finality as
everyone sobbed that that they would never forget her.
Apparently, my junior most wife was leaving just hours
after she told me that you belong to me forever.
When I asked her what was going on, she told me
that it was time for her to move on with her life. With her
father dead, it was time for her to go and take over the
family business. When I asked her if she really wanted to
take over his drug empire, she looked strangely at me
and said that she had business and medicine in college,
so she might as well take over the pharmaceuticals
company.
I was stunned. Since I had first heard about Beth
moving in with her father, I had thought he was in El
Salvador in drug lord. Now if I understood her correctly,
she was implying he was a pharmaceuticals executive.
When I asked her for clarification, she laughed and said
that she could not think of a better nickname for the
owner of the drug company.
As strange as it had been, I really enjoyed my life
with all my wives, so I pleaded for her to stay. However,
it seems that nothing I said gave her even an inkling of a
second thought. Finally, I asked if she could stay at least
until the baby was born. With a strange look on her face,
though, she asked me, "What baby?"
Shocked at what she had said, I looked down at her
belly. It was completely flat. She could tell I was
confused, and had explained that ever since she had
gotten pregnant with Maria when she was 14 years old,
she had been on the pill. There was no baby, and
apparently there had never been a baby.
"Be well, David?" Lina said as she gently kissed me
on the cheek. Then after letting Maria give me one last
hug, she took her daughter by the hand and led her out
the door. After the briefest second of things stunned, I
shot out the door after her. However, I saw nothing in
the driveway. I strained my hearing to try to hear a car
on the road, but I only heard the gentle rustling of the
leaves in the early summer breeze. It was as if she had
never been there.
When I walked back inside, everyone seemed calm.
It was as if there were no longer phased by their sister
wife leaving. When I asked why their moods had
changed, everyone stared at me. After what seemed an
eternity of silence, Denise told me that she had said
everything was going to change. Meiying then said that it
was my decision. Kenya finished by saying, "David, the
die is cast. You must live with the consequences." With
that my two junior wives excused themselves to go care
for Beth and the children went off to do their own things.
Again, it was only Denise and me in the room. We
stood in a painful silence, me with so many questions,
but not sure which was the correct one to ask. My senior
wife was apparently waiting for me to say something.
She stood like an oracle before me holding all knowledge,
none of which she would impart on me until asked the
questions correctly. Somehow I could not form them.
Finally, she said that everything would be better
tomorrow.
The rest of the day passed slowly. Though they
seemed reluctant to do it, my wives took turns taking
care of my ex-wife. The children, for their parts, were
scarce. It was as if they knew something was wrong, but
wanted to avoid dealing with it. Finally, as the evening
light was fading over the hills, I walked into my old
office. There I saw my ex-wife, Beth, lying on the bed
that had once been Lena's. She already appeared much
worse than she had the day before, but she appeared
somewhat tranquil. When I sat on a chair by my desk,
she even managed to weakly smile at me.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I had been years
since we had had a real conversation-since before the
afternoon that Denise and I had caught her with Denise's
late husband, Mario. After a few minutes, Beth turned her
head and looked out the window. Quietly she said,
"David, this place is beautiful, just like you. After
everything, I don't deserve your help, but you are giving
it anyway."
The words had been tender juxtaposed to the
taunting the day I caught her cheating or the venomous
ranting when she and Mario tried to kidnap Taylor. What
she said did not seem forced or shallow. Rather, she
seemed to speak with complete sincerity. The only time
that I heard such gratitude in someone's voice was when
I had agreed Denise and her daughters could stay.
Six years of anger abated just a little bit. Though, for
that I felt guilty. When somebody tries to destroy your
life or kill your family, you are not supposed to be able to
forgive them. But that is exactly what I felt myself doing,
even if it was just a little bit.
Realizing that I could not let myself soften too much,
I muttered that I was doing this for our son. My ex-wife
smile became so big I could have sworn she was healthy.
After saying that Jonathan would grow up to be as great
a man as I already was, she told me she needed to sleep.
As her eyes closed, I left the room.
The hallway was dark. Not pitch-dark as one would
experience on a country night. Instead, it seemed as if
shadows danced around me. They were neither
malevolent nor benevolent-just present. They simply
ignored me as they held a silent masquerade.
And silence, there was silence. I heard neither the
children, nor my wives, nor the babies. I did not even
hear insects or frogs in the grass outside. Only the gentle
shuffling of my footsteps assured me that I still had my
hearing. Figuring that everyone else must be asleep
already, I went to my bedroom and ended the day.
The next morning, I felt confused but remarkably
well rested. Rather than go downstairs and have my
morning coffee, I decided to take a shower. As the water
fell over me, it was as if something indescribable was
being washed away. I was indeed sorry that Lena had
left, as we all enjoyed the year she was with us.
However, it was possible that things would become a
little less crazy around the house.
I almost hit a spring in my step as I came into the
kitchen. Scattered in various places were 10 children,
while my three wives sat around the kitchen table.
Remarkably, everybody seemed calm. I decided that
rather than bring up Lena, I would enjoy their company
for a little while. We chitchatted as a drink my first 3
cups of coffee. We divvied up responsibilities around the
house and for looking after Beth. That part my wives
seemed reluctant to do, but they realized it had to be
done.
Finally, the children started to drift away, leaving
only me and my wives in the room. The conversation had
died down, and I realized I would have to find something
to fill my day. The best I could think of at the moment
was to relax with another cup of coffee. However, as I
got to pour myself a 4th cup Denise asked me what I was
doing because I never drank more than 3 cups of coffee.
When I corrected her and said I had drunk for cups every
day since Lena moved in, the room fell silent. After a few
minutes, Denise asked, "Who's Lena?"
* * *
If any of my wives or children had noticed my
confusion over the next week, they did not let on that
they did. Instead, our lives fell into a vague routine of the
women taking care of Beth while the children did the
things you to do during the summers. For the most part,
I fiddle about the house working with some projects I had
been ignoring over the past years. It was as if to
everyone else, Lena had never existed. Eventually, I
decided that was just their way of dealing with the grief.
The mild weather over early summer turned into a
hot and humid July. Between the steamy sunshine and
more mosquitoes than I could ever remember, it was
painful to be outside. Matters got worse when our air-
conditioning gave out. Bob, our contractor among other
things, said that he would not be able to get a new unit
capable of cooling our gigantic house for several days. So
unfortunately we would have to open the windows and
make the best of it.
That evening after my wives and all the children had
retired for the night, I decided that Beth might be more
comfortable with an extra fan. Over the past few weeks,
her condition seemed to have gotten much worse. I only
really saw her about once a day, as my wives appeared
to want to keep me away from her, but I had definitely
noticed.
As I sat in the chair across the room from the bed,
she seemed groggy but at the same time seemed to be
alert. It was a contradiction. I did not think possible. As
we talked, though, she seemed to get more alert.
Eventually she again started telling me how thankful she
was and how everyone in the family was treating her so
well, though she did not deserve it. When I agreed that
everybody in the house was remarkable, she smiled and
said she knew that was only because I was. Again, I was
struck by her sincerity. She knew how much she had hurt
everybody in the family, and was truly grateful that they
were willing to forgive her even just a little bit.
Her praise made me uncomfortable, though.
Perhaps, in a small way she made me feel like I was a
dupe. She had done so much to hurt me and everyone
that I now loved, and then I had allowed her back into
my life. But I also realized that I was forgiving her a little
bit more each day. When I looked at her, it was no longer
with anger. Instead, I only felt sympathy.
I had not been in the room for very long, when Beth
fell asleep. Quietly, I made my way back to my bedroom
in what now seemed to be the regular silence of the
house. I knew that Beth's appearance and continued
presence was stressful for everybody. They did not
deserve it, or much less to be woken up from what must
be an exhausted sleep.
When I open the door to my room, I was surprised
to see a light on. When I looked more closely I saw
Meiying and Kenya standing by the closet with the secret
door that led down to the bedroom they now shared.
Strangely, they were both wearing nurses' outfits. When
I asked them what they were doing, my Asian wife
replied, "How about a little role-playing, Doctor?"
Figuring that the two women were probably having
trouble sleeping, I decided that a little bit of physical
adventure might be a good way to work off any leftover
energy from the day. When I consented, they both came
to me. While Meiying started to kiss me while working my
T-shirt over my head, Kenya knelt before me and worked
my pants down. Then on her knees, she took me into her
mouth. Neither of these wives had ever given me a
standing blowjob before, so it was not something to
which I was accustomed. However, the way Kenya used
her mouth to work my cock, it felt like nothing I had ever
experienced. She alternated between gently working her
tongue around the tip and deep throating me in a way
nobody had ever done before. As I was about to explode
inside her mouth, she pulled back and told me that is not
where she wanted.
I should not have been surprised, when she bent
over the bed and presented her ass to me. The ebony
beauty was the only which whom I had ever had anal
sex, which she said made her different than my other
wives. As I entered her, I remembered the first time we
did it in my bathroom. It was one of the few times that it
was only the two of us having sex without Meiying-after
all, they were still having a lesbian affair. That morning,
she told me that the difference between black women on
all of the women was the black women would give every
part of their body to their man. Tonight, Kenya was doing
that once again.
Meiying knelt on the bed in front of Kenya started to
kiss her, while I rubed my cock against my black wife's
dripping pussy for some lubrication. Then gently, as my
junior wives were caught up in their own passion, I slid
myself inside of the former runaway whom Denise had
insisted come to live with us. At first I tried to be slow
and loving, but when I felt no reaction, I started to thrust
harder. Eventually, I grabbed her hips and started to go
as hard as I could. As my cock began to throb inside of
her, Kenya finally acknowledged what I was doing by
telling me to shoot deep inside of her. With one last
grunt, I did.
I never really been understood how a woman could
find anal sex to be stimulating, so I was not at all
surprised when Meiying lay back on the bed and Kenya
straddled her face. For a few minutes I sat and watched
them 69, as my cum dripped out of the black women ass
and onto the Asian woman's face. Finally, Kenya ground
her hips into Meiying's face and came with a grunt.
Almost immediately, she got up, grabbed her nurse's
outfit and said she needed to go clean up.
As Kenya disappeared into the secret door inside the
closet, Meiying huffed. When I asked her what was
wrong, she said that she had not been satisfied yet. I
was worn out, but being a good husband I offered to help
anyway I could. Luckily, she did not ask me to fuck her.
Instead, she just asked if I could use my tongue. So she
lay back with her head on the pillow with her knees in the
air and legs spread, I started to lick her pussy.
Though I would never complain about satisfying one
of my wives, today it was hard. The sweat of the day and
the results of getting turned on by Kenya, came together
to create a smell so strong it was hard for me to keep my
face at her pussy. She also tasted like I had never tasted
before, a combination of sweat and possibly urine. I
cannot say it was something I particularly liked.
However, I had a responsibility which I lived up to the
best I could. Mercifully, Meiying came quickly, and
immediately left to join Kenya.
Normally, I would just fall asleep after sex with any
of my wives. However, between the anal sex and the bad
taste from the oral, I felt dirty. So in the silence of the
night, I showered scrubbing myself until it hurt and
brushing my teeth till my gums bled. Then with an
ominous feeling in my stomach, I drifted into a restless
sleep.
I was not surprised the next morning when I looked
out the window and saw Kenya putting suitcases in a
shell on top of the minivan. With no particular sense of
urgency, I walked downstairs to see Denise, Maggie,
Taylor, and Jonathan saying goodbye to two Asian boys,
a black girl, and a super confident black boy. Rather than
looking sad or regretful, Meiying looked to be impatiently
waiting. Seeing me, she waved and gave her friendly but
perfunctory greeting. When I gave her a hug, she
seemed to stiffen. Obviously, it was not welcome.
In just a few minutes, Kai, Quon, Christmas, and
Dante had been loaded into the car. With the final wave
their mothers got in as well and drove off. I stood on the
porch and watch as they traveled down the driveway.
Though it was already warm, the humidity did not seem
to be as high so it was definitely not as stifling as it had
been the day before. It was almost as if the weight of
July had been lifted, leaving me with feelings of both
emptiness and relief.
When I reentered the house, I felt cool air coming
out of the conditioning vent. When I asked Denise if Bob
had already come by with the new unit, she told me that
it had actually started working again in the middle of the
night. Bob would still come by and replace the unit, but
now it was not quite so urgent. I chuckled to myself and
thought that it was fitting. Could it have happened any
other way? Two more wives disappear and take a
problem along with them.
The day passed slowly. Taylor spent the entire day
back in the woods doing something she did not feel that
she needed to mention to us. Jonathan and Maggie were
trying to spend every moment they could together, as
Jonathan would soon be starting college. While the school
was only about 20 minutes away, he would be living on
campus and they would not get to see each other as
much as they did right now. Denise for her part spent
almost every minute taking care of Beth. I on the other
hand, spent most of my time sitting at the kitchen table
reading and rereading the newspaper. I drank my first
cup of coffee as normal. However, the second made me
feel queasy, and the third actually made me throw up.
It did not occur to me until partway through the day
that I had not seen either Ning or Harrison, my children
with Meiying and Kenya, respectively. I was about to go
up and check on them, when Taylor finally came walking
in. It was almost as if I was testing reality, when I asked
her if she could help out more with the babies now that
might junior wives had left. I was not even surprised
when a strange look came over her face and she asked
what babies I was talking about. I just accepted that they
never existed.
That night after everyone had fallen asleep and I had
received the effusive gratitude from Beth, I said in the
darkness of my room, unable to sleep. Something was
terribly wrong. Obviously, several things in the past three
years had been nothing more than illusions. Lena and her
daughter Maria, and the two babies who apparently never
existed had seemed so real. Apparently, though, they
were not.
Thoughts of what might be going on started racing in
my mind. Suddenly I was on my feet running across the
room to the closet with the secret passage down to their
wings. I threw open the door and went to the place on
the wall where it should be. I felt and though I pushed
nothing would open. I ran to the window and looked
down. Where Meiying and Kenya's wings should have
been, I saw only grass.
I ran to the other side of the room and looked out
from where Denise's wing should be. Happily, I saw it
was there. I flew into my closet and down the secret
passage into her bedroom. I must have made a terrible
noise because she was already sitting up when I came
out of her closet. Almost in panic, I asked her about
Meiying and Kenya. Her only response was, "Who?"
* * *
As opposed to the humidity of July, August was bone
dry. For three weeks, it did not rain, and the sun beat
down as heavily as I could ever remember. As the grass
outside began to wither and turned brown, Beth got
sicker and sicker. Finally, the week before Jonathan was
going to leave for college, I could tell the end was near.
Though he offered to stay, I halfheartedly told him that
there was no reason. But then, in the silence of a country
night, his mother fell into a coma. There was no use for
him staying; we both knew she would not wake up.
Through Bob, who in addition to being our contractor
was also our main contact with Beth's father, I let old
Simeon Hall know that he was needed. I had not seen
the man since a few years before the divorce, and my
picture of him was a stern businessman. However, when
his limousine pulled up in our driveway, it was a gentle
looking old man who stepped out. He looked the kind of
man you would find in a Rotary Club meeting as opposed
to a corporate boardroom.
After greetings and hugs, everyone sat down and
worked out a vague plan for the day. My ex-father-in-law
said that he wanted to take all of the children out and do
something special that evening, but with almost a wink
towards Denise said he understood that Jonathan was
leaving in a few days. The young couple looked into each
other's eyes and smiled, but said nothing. The woman
who had been living as my wife for four years now smiled
as well. She suggested that Simeon take just Taylor out
to do something fun. The rest of us could manage on our
own.
That night, while my ex-father-in-law and Taylor
were out of the movie, I said looking at Beth withered in
the bed in my office. The doctor and a hospice nurse had
come by earlier that day and it hooked up some basic life
support. It was unusual to have it in the house, but
before Beth had entered the coma she had said she
wanted to live long enough for Jonathan to start college.
Simeon Hall had enough money that he could buy almost
anything he wanted, so earlier that day the doctor had
come with two hospice nurses an aide to hook everything
up. I could not bear watching, so I had gone out to walk
the property while they did their job
Any anger or hatred I have my ex-wife had long
passed. She was a shell of a human being now. In fact, I
was not even sure if she was a human being anymore.
For all I knew, her spirit could have left her body when
she fell into the coma. I know it had been broken years
before.
When I finally exited the office, Denise was standing
in the hallway. I did not know what to say to her, so it
was lucky that she put her finger over her mouth,
instructing me not to say anything. Taking me by the
hand, she led me down the stairs. Then outside of
Jonathan's room, she stopped me. Was almost
imperceptible, but through the closed door. I could hear
the unmistakable sounds of sex. Jonathan let out quiet
grunts while Maggie mewed. I could not tell if it was their
first time, but what I heard seemed tender and loving.
They had made a promise to us that they would not do
anything until Maggie was 18 and were breaking that
agreement, but for some reason I did not care.
I would not say that Denise was turned on, but I
could definitely tell she wanted sex. Silently, I let her
lead me up the stairs and into my bedroom. Without a
word, we undressed and got into bed together. I cannot
say that the sex was passionate, but it was honest and
desperate. Moreover, it was filled with sadness. It was as
if we both knew that this would be the last time. After
this something would be lost-we would be lost. It was
obvious that Denise had been right. Once my ex-wife had
moved into our house among the hills, everything had
changed. Or perhaps it never had; perhaps everything
had just returned to normal.
Finally, after kissing and gently making love, we
each climaxed. It happened at the same time, but we did
not do it together. Instead, it was something very
personal for each of us. As much as we might have
wanted to, it was nothing either of us could share.
Finally, after lying in bed for a few minutes, Denise got
up and kissed me gently on the forehead. Then silently
she gathered her clothing and crossed the room to the
closet with the secret door down to her room.
I woke at some point in the night after hearing the
front door open. I rushed down the stairs, just in time to
see the back of Maggie's head as she walked outside. As
I burst onto the porch, I saw Denise holding Taylor's
hand as they walked down the driveway with exactly
what they had shown up with-that is nothing.
As Maggie got closer, Denise turned around to say
something to her, but saw me standing on the porch.
When I yelled and asked why they were leaving, Denise
motioned for the girls to stay and walked back to me. In
the moonlight she gave me a gentle and unconditionally
loving kiss. Sadly, she told me that I should have known
this was coming all along. When we took Beth then
everything was going to change. She continued that it
was apparent after everything, in some way I still love
my ex-wife. Then stepping away towards the stairs to the
driveway, she said, "Be with her now, but when it is all
over, come find me."
I stood stunned not knowing whether I should run
after her or not. It seemed only seconds till she caught
up with the girls and taking each by the hand started to
walk into the night. Then as the wind started to pick up
and dust began to swirl from the dried out yard, Denise
turned around and looked at me again. As dust began to
surround her and the girls, she yelled, "Remember! When
it is all over..."
With perfect timing, a gust of wind blew thick dust
over the driveway. Suddenly, the three most important
women in my life were obscured from my view. When the
wind died down and the dust settled, they were gone. I
ran out to the spot where I had last seen them, but was
no trace. I looked around for footprints or any sign that
they had been there, but for the first time in almost a
month it started to rain. Water washes away all sins, but
it does so with blessings as well.
I did not even make it up to my bedroom at night.
Instead, I crashed on the couch. My sleep was deep and
dreamless.
I was awoken the next morning to Jonathan shaking
me. With everything that had gone on, I had apparently
forgotten that today was the day he was going to college.
His bags were already downstairs, and he was telling me
that it was time to go. My ex-father-in-law had a cup of
coffee waiting in a travel mug, and was shooing us out of
the house, saying that it was a short drive but we were
still close to being late. Without even showering or
brushing my teeth, I helped Jonathan load his bags into
the SUV and drove off.
A few hours later, we were standing in the parking
lot by my car. My son was moved in, he had met his
roommates, and we had shared pizza with their families.
Now it was time for me to go home-to go home to his
near dead mother and her father. With a hug, he told me
that he was going to come home that weekend. I sighed
told him that while he was always welcome he did not
need to come back to see his mother. He responded by
sadly say that we kept her alive long enough for him to
get college, and that he thought would be time to let her
go. Then the bit of a smile, he said, "And of course I
want to see Maggie too."
I did not have the heart to tell him what it happened
the night before, so I drove home in silence. When I
turned in my driveway I saw an old farmhouse among
the hills. There were no additions.
* * *
In the morning, I woke to the sound of two cars
honking their horns and people yelling. As I sat up in
bed, I noticed my room looked very different. Not only
was the room smaller, but everything from the furniture
to the curios sitting on shelves looked strange, but also
like something that had been pulled from an ancient
dream. Though everything was laid out differently than I
remembered, I had no trouble navigating my way across
the room window.
When I looked out the window, it struck me as to
where I was. The houses across the street were familiar
even cars parallel parked each side of the street were
easily recognizable as those of various neighbors.
Somehow, I was in my old bedroom, the one that I
shared for so many years with Beth. It was not an old
farmhouse nestled among rolling green hills. Instead, it
was a well-kept but nondescript house hidden
somewhere in the suburbs.
Though I have not remember being in the house for
over six years, the room looked as if it had been lived in.
Curious, I walked to what had used to be my dresser. I
looked inside thinking that I would see somebody else's
clothing, but although I did not know where I had gotten
any of it, I knew the clothing was mine. Though my mind
told me that it could not be possible, it appeared as if I
had been the person living here.
Next, I walked over to a dressing table that looked
unused. Sitting on top was a photo album with the title
My Second Life. When I looked inside, I saw pictures of
Beth, Jonathan, and me smiling and doing all kinds of
family things. There were pictures from a beach I
recognized as Virginia, from Disney World, and from
cities all over the country. On each page Jonathan looked
a little bit older, but Beth looked a little bit sicker. Finally,
on the last page was a picture of our son's high school
graduation. Though her body looked so gaunt that it was
almost zombie-like, Beth's smile was radiant with pride.
It was obvious that I had not been sharing the past six
years with four wives and eleven children; I had been
sharing it with a wife I had never divorced and the child
that we shared.
Though the pictures looked foreign, I knew that they
represented my real life. There had never been a house
among hills or multiple wives who had each given me a
child. Six years had indeed passed, but they had been
passed in a much more mundane way. Though what had
been a dream seemed so real, it had only been a fantasy.
My actual life, though, I could not really remember.
I had to figure out what was going on, and for some
reason the photo albums seemed as if it was a
distraction. However, as I went to shut it, I looked again
the picture from Jonathan's graduation. There, standing
timidly in the back, was Maggie Schultz. It was obvious
that though she was supposed to be there, she was
keeping her distance. It seemed as if she was at least
partly unwanted.
I try not to think about what Maggie's behavior
meant, so I closed the album and opened a drawer
somehow I knew the album belonged in. As I prepared to
place the album inside, though, I saw a picture of us and
the Schultz family. Everyone looked about six years
younger, and smiled like life could not be better. For
some reason I turned it over and saw two words written
in what was unmistakably Beth's handwriting, "I'm
sorry".
Out of the blue it struck me, the affair had been real.
However, I remembered that instead of running off with
Mario, Beth had pleaded for me to give her another
chance. I had agreed, at first for Jonathan's sake, but
then out of rekindled love. She had worked harder than
she ever had at being a good wife, while I did everything
I could to be a good husband. My only stipulation was
that we never had anything to do with Mario or his family
again.
After about a year, it seemed like we had gotten past
everything, but then what Beth did came back to haunt
her. She had been feeling vaguely ill for a few months,
but nothing bad enough to go to the doctor. Then one
day, somebody from the county health department was
knocking at our door. Mario, it turned out, was HIV-
positive. After tests, we knew what was wrong. Just like
in my dream, Beth was one of the rare people for whom
medications had little effect. So over the last four years,
my wife slowly died. Luckily, she had not infected me.
Mario, for his part, had killed himself when he found out
he had infected Beth.
Before I could feel overwhelmed by the memories
rushing back, I heard a knock at my door. When I called
for the person to come in, Simeon Hall entered with a
cup of coffee extended towards me. His expression was
somber, yet resolved. I did not have to ask why. I knew
that today was the day that we would take Beth off of life
support.
The next few minutes felt like an alien conversation,
as the man who until just a few minutes earlier I had
thought was taking care of my large family was
explaining to me how much he had hated me. Until the
affair, he had never thought I was good enough for his
daughter. Then when I gave her a second chance, and
stood by when she got sick, he came to realize I was the
best person she could have chosen. He had come to
admire me and viewed me as a son more than a son-in-
law. I still would not see any of his money, most of that
was earmarked for charity when he died. However, all of
Beth's medical bills and any other debts we had would be
paid off. My father-in-law would pay for my son's college
education and graduate school, if he chose to pursue that
route. There would also be a reasonable sum for
Jonathan to "get started in the world".
It was a very generous offer, and I was truly
thankful. Unfortunately, I was still in a bit of a haze from
finding out that what I had thought was my life for the
past six years was really just a fantasy. So without
thinking about what I was saying, I asked what he
planned to do for Maggie and Taylor.
At first my father-in-law looked puzzled, but then a
wry smile came to his face. After chuckling for a few
minutes, he slapped me on the back saying that that was
what he liked about me, I was always thinking about
other people. His daughter had cheated on me, and I was
looking out for the guy's children. He said that he would
pay for their college too. Then laughing, he told me to
get showered. People were already starting to arrive.
Half an hour later, showered and shaved, I walked
into the living. All faces were familiar. First, I noticed
Catalina Garcia, graduate nursing intern, who had been
working as a home health aide for Beth. Next to her was
her mentor, Kenya Washington, a critical care nurse we
had met at the hospital who would also came by help
out. At the head of the bed, fiddling with the machinery
was Doctor Meiying Li. She was the one who had given
Beth her diagnosis and had overseen her care all the way
through.
Standing back a little bit was Bob Hill, my
neighborhood who had gotten to be my best friend over
the past few years. It occurred to me that his parents
lived on the other side of my house, and his twin brother
lived across the street. It might not be in the country,
but in a sense, my house was among the Hills.
My father-in-law stood at the other side of the bed.
Next to him was my son Jonathan, who though obviously
sad stood strong like the man he now was. Behind,
almost as if she was hiding, stood Maggie Schultz. When
I tried to smile at her, she winced.
One by one, I greeted everyone with a hug. In turn,
each extended their condolences, while still saying they
were happy to be there. Each of the women had their
own story about how Beth, Jonathan, and I had charmed
them so much that they wished they could be part of our
family. Each of them also sent sympathies from their
children, except for Catalina who expressed them from
her little sister Maria. And suddenly, another part of my
fantasy made sense. It was these three women who had
been in my dream. They were not family, but over the
past few years, apparently they had become almost that
close.
The final person to greet was Maggie. However, as I
approached her, she stepped back and her head dropped
to the floor. Almost crying, she whimpered that she knew
she was not welcome in the house, but that Jonathan
really wanted her there. I was confused. In whatever
fantasy I had had Jonathan and Maggie had been the
perfect teen couple. So I replied that I thought they great
togehter, and that she was always welcome at the house.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Jonathan calmly
explained that I was the person most against their
relationship. I did not understand how it could be true,
but by the look on my son's face, I could tell that it was.
So with the sincerest apology, I said, "I am sorry. I was
wrong."
Before anybody could react what I said, Doctor Li
told everyone that it was time. Catalina stood by one of
Beth's feet, with Kenya next to her with an arm over her
shoulder. My father-in-law stood next to them with his
hand on my wife's knee. Then next to him was Jonathan,
who held his mother's hand with one of his and Maggie's
hand with the other. When I took Beth's other hand in
mine, I felt Bob's on my shoulder, a man's sign of
sympathy.
When everyone had taken their places, Meiying
asked me if I was ready. I paused for a moment to
compose my thoughts. At that moment, fantasy met
reality. In some ways the people were different, but in
some ways they were the same. And the ending was
truly the same-my wife would now die. When I nodded
my head, the she flipped a switch. Everything stopped
and it was over.
Because we knew when it would end, we had
scheduled the viewing for the next night and the funeral
for Monday. Jonathan was still a college freshman and it
was important that he missed as little school as possible.
I was impressed by how many people came, and even
more by how I remembered details about each one of
them. Maggie brought her little sister, Taylor, and I let
them sit with my son, my father-in-law, and me in the
first row. When I asked if Denise was coming, Maggie
said that she had thought about it but did not know if the
time was right. Taylor added that her mother did want
me to give her call when things settle down.
Fall came, then winter, and finally spring. For eight
months, I worked and mourned. I experienced the
holidays alone for the first time as an adult. With
Jonathan away at college, I almost felt like I was an
orphan again. Before I could fall to depression, though, I
had started seeing the psychologist. After telling her
about the fantasy that had seemed so real when I woke
up the morning Beth died, she explained that I must
have had a dissociative break because of the stress. I
would need to look after my mental health, but it should
not happen again. My work with her helped bring back a
positive attitude. By mid-June, I was ready to face the
world again.
And so it happened that on a strangely quiet Friday
night, I was sitting at a table for two in the restaurant at
my old country club. Though I had not been there since
the day I found out about the affair, I had never given up
the membership. Today felt like the right time to be back
though, as I was meeting somebody to whom the place
would also be familiar.
My palms were sweating when I saw her walk
through the door. Denise Schultz looked calm, yet
radiant. It had been more than half a decade since I had
last seen her, but she was more beautiful I remembered,
even from my dreams. With a wave and smile, she came
to greet me. It should have been a hug between two old
friends, a widow or widower, but from the second we
touched we both realized it was more. There was a spark
between us.
What was supposed to be a low-pressure getting
reacquainted dinner dragged on for hours. We talked
about the things that had happened to each of us in the
past seven years, about how the girls were doing in
school and Johnson was doing in college, and about how
we both secretly hoped Jonathan and Maggie would stay
together. Somehow, though, the subject would keep
coming back to the things each of us liked about the
other person.
The evening became a delicate ballet of subtle
flirtation. Finally, after dinner, dessert, and several
rounds of drinks, we held hands across the table and
talked directly into each other's eyes. I desperately
wanted to kiss Denise, and several times thought about
leaning across the table to do so. It must have been
apparent that there were mutual feelings, because
eventually the waiter came and explained that for
members who felt that they had had too much to drink,
the club provided guest rooms upstairs. Perhaps, he
suggested, it might be safer for us to spend the night.
Within minutes, the bill had been added to my tab and
we were headed upstairs.
In the room, it took almost no time clothing to come
off. As we kissed, our hands explored each other's
bodies. Though I had never touched her in real life, the
things I had learned in my dream flowed into reality. I
knew exactly where to kiss and touch her. I understood
each of her reactions. And when I was on top of her, I
knew the exact moment she was going to cum. I brought
her close, but backed off several times until I could get
myself to right place. And then, as I had done so many
times in that house among the hills, I brought us to
orgasm at the same time. With our bodies entwined, we
drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I awoke to kiss on the cheek.
Opening my eyes, I saw Denise staring lovingly at me.
Leaning over to kiss her back, I joked that this might be
the first morning of our lives together. The gentle smile
that had been on Denise's face disappeared and she
laughed nervously as if something was wrong.
It took a little prying, but finally Denise sighed that it
might have to be. She explained that some women could
feel when they got pregnant. With both Maggie and
Taylor, she could tell the next morning. She was still in
her early forties and had not gone through menopause
yet, but had not had sex in years. She was not on birth
control, and was positive she was fertile right now. She
finished by saying that she was almost sure she was
pregnant, and then waited for a response.
I could not help but laugh and roll my eyes. There
had been enough parallels between my dream and my
real life already, what was one more. So I grabbed her
and pulled her towards me. Then with as strong but
gentle of a hug that I could give, told her it was okay. I
suggested that if it were a boy, we name him Tristan.
-End-
Author's note: I want to start by apologizing to
everyone who enjoyed this story and wanted me to finish
it sooner. I had budgeted myself five months to finish the
series however. That stretched over a year. Though I
should not have, I started posting it before I had finished
the last chapter. Then, unfortunately, circumstances led
to the last two chapters not being edited until recently. I
would like to thank my first editor for the work he did on
the first three chapters, and the temporary editors who
worked on the last two.
For those who did not enjoy the way the series
ended, I do apologize. However, I believe that in life in
life we often have fantastic dreams. Someday, though,
we must wake up from them to face the harshness of the
real world, just as David Bauman did. But as dreams fade
into the sunset of reality, though, we can often find a
way to get closer to them than we thought might be
possible.
Finally, this story is dedicated to one of my faithful
readers who had a vaguely similar situation. Though the
time between his late wife's affair and marrying her ex-
lovers widow was decades longer, it inspired me to tell
this tale.
Check out my other work at
www.asstr.org/~Secret_DC_Guy.