I'll Follow the Sun

Jim listened to the message carefully. He didn't detect any anger, so he decided to call Helen back. She had some valid questions. He didn't want her and Emily to have any safety or health issues.

"Thanks for calling, Jim," answered Helen calmly. "I'm concerned about the things that you normally handle for the house now that the snow season is here. Could you tell me what I need to do?"

"I'll sit down, make out a detailed list, and email it to you," promised Jim. "I should have thought of those things."

"You will come home for Christmas, won't you?" asked Helen. "Mom and Dad have invited us to their place for Christmas dinner. Your parents want us on Christmas Eve. They keep asking if I've talked to you. It's pretty embarrassing when I tell them that I haven't. They say you aren't taking their calls either."

"I don't know what my schedule will be. I'll be home if I can. You can tell them that much. You can also explain that I'll start taking their calls when they start speaking to me in a civil manner. Every message I get, even from my own mother, is threatening and insulting. I don't need that shit," insisted Jim.

"Okay, I'll tell them, although I doubt it will do much good. They weren't too happy about the way you treated Frank, or the way you disappeared afterward," responded Helen carefully.

"Then there's no reason for me to stop in for Christmas, is there? I'm not going to have your folks, or even my folks, give me the third degree and treat me like public enemy number one. If they want me there because they enjoy my company, it's one thing. If they want me to show up so they can ream me a new asshole, I'm not interested," stated Jim.

"You can still come home!" sobbed Helen to Jim's surprise. "Emily and I will be glad to see you, and we won't make any stupid comments, if we can help it. Don't you miss making love to me?"

There it was. Jim had no desire to have sex with Helen. Hearing her and Frank together had pretty well ended those feelings. He thought about the best way to respond. He could fudge a little since he hadn't slept with Helen since he found out about Frank.

"I've always enjoy our lovemaking. Every time we've ever made love, it was special for me," responded Jim, although he did neglect to mention it was only because he didn't know he was getting Frank's sloppy seconds.

"Me, too!" sobbed Helen again. "You're the best lover ever and I really miss you in my bed. Please come home for Christmas. See if you can spend Christmas week with us."

"I'll have to see about that. They don't normally give people that week off on the spur of the moment because so many ask for it when they put in for their vacation schedule. I'll let you know," promised Jim. "I'll email you all of the people you need to contact to prepare for the snow season, too."

Helen was smiling as she put her phone down. "He's the best lover ever?" repeated Emily. "You'd better not let Frank hear that. He seems to think he's on the top of your list, his wife's list, and who knows who else's list."

"I've asked you to show some restraint when making comments about Frank. Your father actually is better than Frank, so it wasn't a lie. Frank's more exciting, but not better."

"I'm sure that Dad will cling to that bit of good news when you explain it to him that way. He'll be proud as a peacock. His wife says he's better than her other lovers. That's the kind of recommendation a husband can brag about," observed Emily as her mother left the room in tears.

Jim was enjoying his new life. He managed to spend time at the pool every day. He became tanned and more relaxed as the days went by. He had no trouble understanding the equipment at the plant and was confident he would be able to keep the place running smoothly.

The one thing that surprised him was the number of widows, divorcees, and otherwise unmarried women that populated his condo complex. Without exception, they seemed to enjoy his company. Once it became known that he was a handy with tools, he was constantly in demand. It didn't bother him since the ladies always baked something for him to take home, or gave him a home cooked meal, or left a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer by his door.

It was a few days before Christmas and Helen had been pressuring him to make the commitment to drive home for the holiday. Jim had just finished repairing Mrs. Struther's closet door when he turned around to find her standing naked by the bed!

"I'd like to repay you for your kindness, Jim," smiled the middle aged widow. "I don't have a lot of extra cash, but I do have a lot of pent up desire and needs. Will you make love to me?"

Jim was torn. He had never been unfaithful. In fact, he had only had sex with one woman in his life. Susan Struthers had large firm breasts and great legs that went all of the way up. She was a very desirable woman, and not just for her age.

"Susan, I've got to settle some things in my marriage. I'll have a better idea of where I stand after Christmas. I've never cheated on my wife, but she may not be my wife much longer. In any case, I'll either ask you if the offer still stands after the holiday, or reconcile with my wife. I have to admit that the chances of reconciling are slim at this point."

"I understand," nodded the widow as she pulled a robe over her shoulders. "The dumb bitch didn't appreciate what a gem she had and cheated on you, didn't she? I'll still be here and the offer will still stand after the holidays. You know that I'm not the only lady here that has needs that aren't being met, don't you?

"All of the girls like you. You're always a gentleman, always gracious and willing to help, and we all know we can trust you. If you decide your marriage is finished, you'll find a lot of ladies willing to console you," predicted Susan Struthers.

Jim called Helen and told her that he'd try to be home Christmas Eve. He was surprised at how happy that seemed to make her. He realized that he missed Helen and Emily and he owed it to them, as well as himself, to settle the issue one way or the other. With that in mind, he started driving north three days before Christmas.

He drove over half way the first day so he'd some time to shop on the second day and still get home the evening before Christmas Eve. He was even willing to visit his parents for dinner on Christmas Eve. If they were too miserable, he'd simply leave.

It was nine o'clock when he pulled onto his street to find numerous cars in his driveway and parked on the street. Jim recognized several of them. It appeared that Helen was having her usual informal holiday party for her friends at Home Depot.

As he approached his front door, he was able to see into the kitchen. There, big as life, was the fucking asshole, Frank. Not wanting to have anything to do with him and screw up the festive mood, Jim went around back and opened the Bilko door that led to the basement. It was mostly unfinished and he'd be able to hang out there until the party was over and Frank was gone.

He dozed on the old sofa he had dragged down a few years prior. He woke up almost two hours after he had fallen asleep. He listened but didn't hear much noise coming from upstairs. He went back outside and looked around. Only one strange car remained. Jim wondered to whom it belonged as he again made his way to the front door.

Once again, he looked into the kitchen, but this time Helen was with Frank. He was squeezing her left breast as he kissed her! Jim immediately felt all of the old rage come back. He stopped himself from barging in and attacking Frank. He had gotten away with it once, but it was unlikely he would again.

He decided to sneak upstairs and wait to catch the two lovers in the act. Then he'd take some pictures with his phone and tell the slut to go to hell and head back to Florida.

It seemed like a good plan, but it wasn't to be. Jim had no trouble getting into the house and moving up the stairs undetected. He slipped into the guest room and waited with the lights off and the door cracked open slightly. About twenty minutes later Helen came up the stairs and went into the master bedroom. Jim heard the shower turn on and that pissed him off. The bitch was going to take a shower and get all squeaky clean for her lover.

Frank was still moving around downstairs when Jim had an inspiration. He stepped into the hallway and unplugged the nightlight before returning to the guest room. As Frank was about a third of the way up the stairs, Jim reached out and turned off the hall light. He knew from experience that it would be extremely dark on the second story, but he would be able to see the silhouette of anyone climbing the stairs by the dim light from the street.

Frank mumbled something when the lights went off, but kept moving up the stairs. Jim stepped from the bedroom and stood at the top of the stairs watching Frank come toward him. When Frank had just three steps to go, Jim lashed out with his right foot. He felt his heel connect with Frank's jaw. The man went over backward so fast Jim was amazed.

With the dim light, he was able to see Frank skidding down the stairs like a bobsled on a straight away. He hit the bottom of the stairs and his momentum carried him out into the center of the living room. Once there, he remained completely still!

Jim could hear the shower running so he knew that Helen had not heard the various sounds a man makes when he bounces down the stairs head first. Jim was once again thinking as the rage he had been experiencing began to dissipate. If Frank died, he'd be in really deep shit!"

Frank moved quickly down the stairs, stepped over Frank's prone body, and left the house. Two hours later, he was over a hundred miles away and determined to add a lot more miles before he stopped.

It was almost dawn when he finally pulled into a cheap motel and paid cash for a room. He slept four hours and once again headed his truck south. As he drove, he considered his situation. He had assaulted a man. It could be a very serious situation, depending on whether Frank survived or not.

How had things come to this? Jim realized that he needed to stay away from Frank and Helen, or he's wind up in prison for murder. They just weren't worth it. He also admitted to himself that he felt lonely and lost without Helen. Up until recently, she and Emily had been the center of his universe. They had betrayed him and he needed to move on.

At noon his cell rang. It was his parents' number, so he let it go to voicemail. He had no stomach for explaining to his mother why he wouldn't be at dinner on Christmas Eve, or why he had assaulted Frank yet again.

Half an hour later he worked up the nerve to listen to the message. "Jim, this is your father. Call us when you get this. All hell has broken out at your house. Helen and Emily are fine, but things have happened that you need to know about."

"Hello, Dad. I just got your message. What's up," asked Jim when his father answered the phone.

"There's no easy way to tell you this, Son. That damn Frank guy was at your house again last night. It was kind of late and he fell down the stairs and got hurt pretty bad. He has a broken jaw, a broken arm, some cracked and broken ribs, plus another concussion.

"His wife went ballistic when she found out he was at your house. He had given her the impression that he was working late on year-end inventory at Home Depot. She got to your place before the medics had him loaded into the ambulance. I guess she slapped Helen and called her every name in the book. She even tried to dump her husband off the gurney, but the police stopped her. To say she was upset is an understatement.

"That all leads us back to Thanksgiving when you laid the prick out. We were upset with your apparent violent attack on a guy simply because he wore a Cowboy shirt. Now that we have a little clearer picture of what's going on, your mother and I want to apologize to you. We should have known you wouldn't do something like that without good reason. We're proud of you son. You showed more restraint that I would have."

"Thanks, Dad. How's Emily? Was she home for all of this?" asked Jim.

"That's another problem. Your mother and I had a pretty serious discussion with her this morning. She was staying with a friend last night, but she admitted today that she knew Helen was spreading her legs for that asshole. Your mother chewed her a new one. In Emily's defense, she said she knew you'd dump Helen's cheating ass and she wanted the family to stay together until she graduated. She was going to tell you then. Needless to say, we were pretty disappointed and I can't imagine how you feel. Your mother told her that she had betrayed you every bit as much as Helen had. There were a lot of tears, but we all hugged at the end."

"Thanks for the support and for setting Emily straight," replied Jim.

"Son, where are you really? I know you said you were transferred, but now that I know the problems you had, I wonder if you didn't just move into a motel or rent a room here in town. Even as angry as you were, moving to Michigan in December is pretty drastic."

"The company bought out a smaller one in Daytona Beach. I was promoted and relocated down here. They gave me a big raise and a small condo. I'm the maintenance supervisor," bragged Jim to his father.

"Florida? No shit! That's great. Would you mind if your mother and I visited you in February? We'll have enough of winter by then."

"Any time, Dad. You're always welcome. Please don't tell Helen where I am. I don't feel like putting up with her shit right now."

"I hear you, Jim. It's unlikely that we'll be speaking to her about anything. I would suggest that you talk to Emily. She's feeling pretty low about this whole mess. She thinks you must have known Helen was cheating because you've been so cold to both of them. Did you know that Emily knew about it?"

"I have to go, Dad. We'll discuss all of this later, when the dust settles. Thanks for understanding, and for helping Emily. I love you both," stated Jim as he ended the call.

He arrived back at his condo at dusk on Christmas Eve. It was going to be Jim's first Christmas alone and he was feeling depressed. He turned on the TV, opened a beer and sat down on the couch to vegetate. He was still brooding when his doorbell rang.

"I saw your lights on, so I came over to wish you a Merry Christmas," greeted Susan Struthers. "It isn't good to be alone on Christmas, for either of us. The fact that you're back tells me you didn't reconcile with your wife."

"That's a safe assumption," admitted Jim. "Her boyfriend was going to camp out in my bed. I hate crowds, unless it's a couple of women, of course."

"How about one woman? I might crowd you a little, but I don't think you'll mind it at all," added Susan suggestively.

Jim mulled her offer over for a split second before accepting. "I'd like that a lot. I have to warn you it's been a while for me and I must not be very good at it or my wife wouldn't have gone looking for strange cock."

"I really doubt you were the problem. When a man is as gracious, unselfish, and kind as you are in everyday life, it's a pretty good bet that he'll be wonderful in the bedroom," replied Susan. "Let's get the first one out of the way so we can really enjoy the next one. Do you have condoms?"

"No, I haven't used one in twenty years," answered Jim as he realized he had a lot to learn about dating again.

"Your partners will appreciate that you have them. It's the healthy, considerate thing. There's a lot of STD's and even AIDS being passed around by people our age and much older, thanks to that blue pill. Plus your wife has been playing around, so who knows what she may have given you. We'll use condoms that I brought but I won't be doing any oral on you until you get tested. Is that fair enough?" asked Susan.

It was, and Jim had a great Christmas Eve. After tossing the third spent condom into the trash, Jim considered how once again his life had taken a full 180 in a very short time. He could still perform, and from the way Susan raved, he could do it quite well! His anger at Helen and Emily began to fade as he replaced it with happy memories that improved his self esteem.

He still felt the hurt, as well as the void their actions had created in his life, but he was finally coming to grips with it. People did bad things, even good people and even to the ones they loved. Susan helped convince him that life was indeed worth living.

She slipped out his door while it was still dark on Christmas morning to avoid condo gossip, but agreed to meet at the heated swimming pool later Christmas Day. That evening, Jim enjoyed a home cooked meal and another round of love making with Susan. He returned to his unit by nine PM, again to avoid creating gossip. There was little doubt that more than a few eyes had seen him enter and leave Susan's condo.

Jim's phone rang a few minutes after he returned home. "Dad? You didn't make it home for Christmas, but I don't blame you. Mom's a mess and I feel like crap, too. I'm so sorry about what we did to you. I knew better but I was selfish. I wanted you guys to stay together until I graduated."

"It's all water under the bridge," responded Jim. "I won't lie. You both hurt me a lot. I never guessed that your mother was so unhappy with me. I never dreamed that you'd go along with it and even help her keep it from me. I'm trying to get past it, but it isn't easy."

"That's the weird part. Mom isn't unhappy with you. She told me that you were a good husband, father, and lover. She just wanted to try something different and she regrets the hell out of that idea now. Did you know about Frank and Mom on Thanksgiving when Mom invited him to the house?"

"Yes. I should apologize for losing control like I did, but the damn guy was rubbing my nose in it. He had a Cowboy jersey on, but it might as well have had 'I screwed your wife' on it rather than 'Romo'. I just snapped at the level of disrespect both he and your mother showed me."

"I understand totally. I was glad you decked him. I saw that stupid grin he gave you and I knew he was gloating. Mom insisted it was because of the Cowboy shirt, but that's never bothered you before. Did you skip my last two matches because you were upset with me?"

"Yeah, I guess I did. I'm sorry about that, but when Frank said he'd be there cheering for you, I knew I couldn't go. I'd be in jail right now if I had," predicted Jim.

"You heard Frank? You were there when I dropped off the spare tire? You were the one that cut the valve stem weren't you? You wanted to see if Mom would call you for help, so you could make her confess. Instead, I got in the middle of it! I'm so sorry, Dad. I really was selfish and stupid and I'm paying for it now."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. I should have just confronted your mother on the spot, but I'm finding that I have anger issues. I probably would have put them both in the hospital."

"I doubt that, Dad," responded Emily. "You just aren't the kind of guy to hurt a woman, especially your wife. Frank is a whole different story. Gramps told you that Frank fell down our stairs the other night. He's pretty screwed up, but he's expected to make a full recovery, although it'll take a while.

"Guess what I found in the basement. It was the new laptop you must have left for me over Thanksgiving. That was thinking ahead. Thanks so much. I'll use it a lot, especially when I go to college next year," promised Emily.

"Glad you liked it," responded Jim as he realized that he had forgotten the gifts he placed on the sofa in the basement. "Did you find the one for your mother, too?"

"She cried like a baby when she saw the pearls. That was a nice gift, and it really made her feel even lousier for the way she treated you. It's funny I didn't see those gifts a few days before Christmas when I was in the basement looking for more tree lights. Thanks for being such a good father for so many years. I'm just starting to appreciate you like I should," confessed Emily with a slight sob.