I'm a Bastard

It wasn't difficult. He wasn't really trying to hide, after all. I knew the town he lived in, and a search of property records gave me the answers I needed. It was about two hours away. Now, I just hoped that he was home when we got there. We didn't stop to change. I was on a mission, and I didn't want to waste time.

Tom:

It's not a very normal occurrence when you open your front door and see a woman in a wedding dress and a man in a tuxedo standing on your porch. I mean, if you happened to be a minister and actually lived at the church, I suppose it would happen occasionally. The problem here was that I was not a minister, and I sure as hell didn't live at a church. Even more surprising was that I actually knew who one of them was. I had no clue who the man was, but that was sure as shit my oldest daughter standing there. My oldest daughter who made it abundantly clear that she never wanted to see me again. I did seem to recall that today was her wedding day, but I couldn't figure out why she would be here. She should either be at the church, reception, or on her way to her honeymoon. Standing on my doorstep was the last place she should have been.

"Daddy? Can I talk to you for a minute, please?" She asked in a very small voice.

Still being stunned, I moved back and allowed them to enter. I gestured to the livingroom where Marie and Jenny were sitting. I noticed the shocked looks on their faces as well.

"Uuum, Karlie, this is my wife, Marie, and our daughter Jenny. Jenny, Marie, this is Karlie. I'm sorry, but I do not know who the guy with her is, though."

"Oh. Yes. Daddy, this is my fiancé, Bobby Jensen. Bobby, this is my daddy, Tom Williams, his wife, Marie, and my sister, Jenny." Karlie introduced.

"Fiancé? I thought that he would be your husband by now. Didn't you get married a couple hours ago?" I was confused.

"That's what I need to talk to you about. I couldn't go through with it today. I can't get married unless my daddy walks me down the aisle. Daddy, I finally understand. You are right. You were always right. I'm sorry for being caught up in mom's bullshit and blaming you. It was mom that threw everything away, not you abandoning us. I'm sorry for everything that I said and did. You didn't deserve any of that. I won't make any excuses for my behavior, because there really isn't an excuse except being young, foolish, and listening to the wrong people. I just hope that you can somehow find it in your heart to forgive me and to let me back into your life. I really, really want to marry Bobby. He is a really great guy, and I know you are going to like him. I just can't marry him unless you agree to walk me down the aisle and give me away."

Well, this was completely unexpected. I probably should have focused on other things, but there seemed to be an elephant or two in the room. Even though I was really happy that my daughter had decided that I was not the bastard who abandoned them and wanted me back into her life, my overriding curiosity at the scene before me demanded some attention.

"So, ummm, Karlie. Uuummmm, did something happen at the wedding? I mean, you are wearing your wedding dress, and Bobby is in his tux, so I'm assuming that you were actually at the wedding."

She looked down at herself, then over to her fiancé. "Oh. Yes. We were actually about halfway through the ceremony when I had an epiphany. Here." she said as she handed me a CD. "Maybe you should watch this as Bobby and I change into regular clothes."

Bobby ran out to the car and grabbed a suitcase while Marie showed Karlie to a bedroom for them to change in. As that was happening, I set up the video player hooked up to the big screen in the livingroom. As soon as Karlie and Bobby were set, Marie came back and sat beside me while I pushed 'PLAY' on the remote. It started off as a typical wedding ceremony. The groomsmen escorted the bridesmaids down the aisle, then split at the alter. Bobby came in with the minister. Ring bearer, then flower girl. Finally, Clarence was escorting Karlie to the alter. It was all pretty typical until Karlie began reciting her vows. Even that was normal to a point. Suddenly, she seemed to have some trouble talking. It seemed that she was stuck on one word.

"She did it. I can't believe that she actually did it, and that it actually hit her like that." Jenny whispered to herself.

I was about to ask her what she was talking about when Karlie stopped trying to say her vows and changed everything. We watched the video as she stopped the wedding and then confronted her mom. I was shocked at her revelations. Apparently, her cheating had escalated after she married Clarence. Karlie and Bobby had changed and returned to the livingroom by the time that the video ended.

"I just couldn't go through with it. I was looking into Bobby's eyes and realized how hurt he would be if I did to him what mom had done to you. I finally understood what 'Forsaking all others' really meant and that mom broke that vow. That's when I realized how badly she had dishonored you, and that I was dishonoring you by getting married without you being in the place of honor you deserve. I mean, how can I make those solemn vows in a ceremony where the two most dishonorable people I know are in a place of honor? How can those vows have any real meaning when the most honorable person I know is not involved? I realized that if I was to really mean those vows that I am taking, it needs to be my daddy, the person who actually taught me values and integrity, that walks me down the aisle and gives me away. I decided that when I marry Bobby, it needs to be you there, not mom and Clarence."

Karlie paused for a minute, then smiled and looked over at Jenny. "Besides, I need my little sister to be one of my bridesmaids. It was your kick in my ass that woke me up. I remembered what you said to me when I looked into Bobby's eyes as I was trying to recite my vows. How can I possibly get married if you are not standing up there for me?"

This was a lot to take in. We talked for several more hours. I hadn't known that Jenny had gotten Karlie's phone number from my phone just after I went out to my workshop after Karlie had called me that day. She went into her room and called Karlie on her own phone a few minutes later. It got late, so I had them stay in the guest bedroom for the night.

Karlie had a couple of phone calls throughout the evening. She ignored the calls from Clarence and Kayla, but a couple of her friends called also. It seemed that several of the guests took her up on the offer to party away on Clarence's dime. He tried to cancel it, but it was too late for him to get his money back. By the time he got to the reception venue, there were already a few dozen people taking advantage of the open bar. The food was already being prepared as well, and all the servers, bartenders, and DJ were already there and working. Clarence finally gave up, got a drink, and moved to a table in the corner to drown his sorrows.

Josh sent her a video he had taken on his phone when his mom went over to try and talk to Clarence. It didn't look like it went very well. There was a lot of yelling from Clarence. The words 'Cheating Slut' took a big part of the conversation. It looked like that relationship was about to end as well. Josh said that he did manage to cancel the flight and resort reservations, but he was stuck with a 20% cancelation fee for late cancelation.

Since Karlie and Bobby had already taken the time off work for their honeymoon, they stayed with us for the entire week. I got to reconnect with the daughter that I thought I lost. I also got to know Bobby. He's a great guy with strong moral values. It was a bit strained at first, since the only things he had heard about me were lies told to him by my ex-wife, son, and daughter. Well, not entirely lies, but more embellishments of the truth that painted me as the bad guy for abandoning my family. There were also a few relevant facts that were left out of those conversations as well. After the truth began to come out, he warmed up to me more. It helped when I showed him my shop and my latest projects. Even though he was more into the classic Dodges, we both appreciated each other's vehicles. Hey, we are both gearheads. At least he wasn't one of those wimpy guys that drove an automatic. His Challenger had a manual transmission.

About half-way through the week, a new wedding date was made. It was going to be at the same venue on the same weekend a year later. This time, I would be paying for it and walking her down the aisle. Also, Marie was drafted to help with the wedding. Yes, Jenny was going to be a bridesmaid as well. Karlie and Bobby called everyone in the wedding party and gave them the updates, well, everyone except Kayla and Clarence.

Over the next several months, Karlie and I worked hard on rebuilding our relationship. Bobby and I also got to know each other better. We went to several car shows, entering Marie's GTO, my 72 truck, Bobby's Challenger, and even had Jenny enter a 1974 Firebird that I got for her. Karlie and Bobby came over and spent a couple days with us a couple of times a month. Josh even showed up a few times. It was harder with him, because he was always closer to his mother than me, but we rebuilt some of our relationship. I think he did it more for Karlie than me, but I will take it. Besides, he always had a bit of news from home.

Speaking of which, it was not going very well for Kayla and Clarence. Clarence had moved out and filed for divorce. The good news for Kayla was that Clarence filed under irreconcilable differences instead of adultery. That meant that the harsh penalties of the prenup wouldn't be enforced. He filed that way to get it over with faster and without a fight. The good news for Clarence was that he had a prenup. The prenup specified that all the assets he had before getting married were off the table. Kayla would get half of the assets built during the wedding, but there wasn't much of that once the assets from before the marriage were factored out. She would basically just get to keep the house and get about $50,000.

As far as the house went, Clarence did try to get a piece of it, but he didn't have any proof that he had a claim. Sure, it was his money that was used to buy my share out after my divorce, but there was no real proof of that. Apparently, he took out a business loan for his company to come up with the money, but never documented what exactly he used the money for. Also, they never added his name to the title of the house. Since it was Kayla's house before they got married, she refused to even discuss it. Clarence ended up paying off the loan with nothing to show for it. By the time he realized that he wouldn't be getting his money from the house back, it was too late to refile under adultery.

Word about Kayla's affairs spread, and her standing in the community suffered a big hit. Her friends began avoiding her, and the invitations to parties, charity events, and other events dried up. Even worse for her, since she didn't work and relied on Clarence's money, her financial situation suffered enormously.

Clarence learned an expensive lesson. He was out a couple hundred thousand dollars from buying out my half of the house. He was out another $28,000 for the wedding that fell apart. He also had to pay Kayla $50,000 in the divorce. Then, there was the humiliation. Kayla was angry that her affairs were publicly revealed, and that Clarence was divorcing her the way he did. She began telling her remaining friends that she cheated on him because he had such a little dick and didn't even know how to use it properly. She also told all her girlfriends that he refused to lick her, even though he demanded she suck him off. That kind of gossip spreads like wildfire. It didn't take long before every woman that he tried to pick up in a bar would simply laugh at him. He became something of a recluse, only going to work and straight home. His social life evaporated.

"Ready Daddy?" My oldest daughter asked.

"No father is ever really ready to let go of their daughters, but I am honored to do this for you." I replied.

The doors opened, the music began and filled the church. I stepped -- beginning with my left foot -- and proudly began walking my daughter down the aisle. I did a quick glance and my smile got bigger. My ex-wife was sitting in the fourth row. My wife, Marie, was at her place of honor in the first row. I would be joining her after I took care of my last important honor for my daughter.

"Who gives this woman to be wed?"

"As her father, I give her to be wed." I spoke loudly. "Love you munchkin." I whispered to her as I gave her a kiss on the cheek before handing her off to Bobby. Yes, I neglected to mention my wife. No, it was not all my idea. Karlie asked me to do it that way. I then turned, walked over, and sat next to my wife.

"To have and to hold. In sickness and in health. Through good times and bad. FORSAKING ALL OTHERS!" Karlie practically screamed the last part out. Then, with a brilliant smile, she finished her vows.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Cheers went up as they kissed at the end. I looked down from the head table. Marie was right beside me. I saw Kayla sitting at a table off to the side. She didn't really look happy. Every time she looked up and saw Marie sitting in her spot, she scowled. I did notice that she was taking advantage of the open bar. Clarence had not been invited. I really don't know if he would have come even if he had been.

My last great accomplishment for my daughter was complete. I had walked her down the aisle, given her away to be married, gave a beautiful toast to the newly married couple, danced with my daughter to the Father-Daughter dance, then danced with my wife while my daughter and her husband, and his parents danced to the second song. My obligations were complete. I was sitting at the table beside my wife. My younger daughter was out dancing with one of the posse of boys that were vying for her attention.

"Pardon me, Marie, is it? May I borrow your husband for this dance?" I heard a familiar voice behind me request from my wife.

Marie and I turned around to face my ex-wife. Marie eyed her for a moment before responding. "Just make sure you return him to where you found him." She looked at me. "I trust you, it's her I don't trust to not try anything stupid."

I led Kayla out onto the floor. They started up a slow song. It wouldn't have surprised me if she had requested it just for this purpose. I was careful to keep a bit of distance and not pull her in tight. We danced for a bit before she started talking.

"You were supposed to give me that one night. We should have moved past that and gone on like normal. This was supposed to be the two of us together today."

"And you were not supposed to have gone out that night. You should have known me better than to think that I would have been OK with you cheating on me, no matter how many times you did it."

"I didn't cheat. I told you about it before I did it. I didn't sneak around behind your back."

"Whether you told me or not is immaterial. The fact that you had sex with someone else is cheating. Besides, I never gave you permission. I told you not to do it, but you did it anyway."

"I never wanted this. I just wanted that one night, then we could have been together forever. You know that you are the only man I have ever loved. There was never even the slightest amount of love for him. Besides that, the sex wasn't even that good. He was selfish, and he wasn't even as big as you are."

"Then why did you marry him?"

"Because you divorced me. Sure, I didn't love him, but I liked him OK. After you left, I didn't want to be alone. I thought that I might grow to love him, but I could never get over you. I did all that shit to you because I was pissed that you left me. I still loved you, but you wouldn't even talk to me. After that one night, I realized that you were everything I would ever need, and I would never go out with another man again."

"So, why did you cheat on him, then?"

"Because he was a dud in the sack. I thought that I could train him, but he refused to take any advice. He refused to go down on me, so I stopped giving him blowjobs. He would just stick it in, pump for a few minutes, spurt, then roll over and fall to sleep. When I couldn't take that anymore, I found a couple other guys that could actually give me an orgasm. I had no idea that Karlie knew anything about it. Even if I knew that she knew about any of it, I would never have figured that she would throw me under the buss like that."

"I'm sorry for you. We had a really great marriage, but you threw it away for one night of mediocre sex."

"I don't suppose there's any chance..."

I couldn't help laughing. "Not just no, but HELL NO. First off, even if I wasn't married now, what you did in poisoning my kids against me killed any possibility of us ever getting back together. Now, I am married again to a woman I love, and I have another daughter that I love as well. The best I can offer is civility when we are at the same place and at any events with our children and grandchildren." Thankfully, the song ended shortly thereafter. I didn't talk to her again that night.

She couldn't afford the mortgage payments on the house, so she ended up selling it and moving into a small apartment. She got enough money out of the house to be able to live on if she was careful. She did go out with her friends occasionally, but, as far as I know, she never had another relationship. Clarence ended up living alone as well. Karlie and Bobby had a long loving marriage. They had three kids: two boys and one girl. Josh eventually got married to a sweet girl as well. They had two daughters. As far as I know, neither one cheated on the other.

There are those who believe that I should have sought revenge on Kayla and Clarence. The reality is that there was really nothing I could do to hurt them without either going to jail or having it blow back on me. I decided to just move ahead and live my life as best as I could. There is a saying, the best revenge is a life well lived. I did that and let Karma handle the rest. Karma is a bitch and her stripper name is vengeance. Clarence and Kayla were not burnt, but they did not escape unscathed. No, I didn't have anything to do with it, but I still feel good about myself. I have my wife, my daughter, and my two other children back in my life. I am surrounded by people who love me. I have a good life.

"Ready Daddy?" My daughter asked.

"No father is ever really ready to let go of their daughters, but I am honored to do this for you." I replied.

The doors opened, the music began and filled the church. I stepped -- beginning with my left foot -- and proudly began walking my daughter down the aisle. My wife was at her place of honor in the first row, smiling broadly. I would be joining her after I took care of my last important honor for my daughter.

"Don't worry, Daddy. I'm going through with this today. I talked to Karlie, and I'm doing it right the first time." Jenny assured me.