Independence Day

Disclaimers

If you find any errors, please remember that I am striving to include something for everyone, and some people are always looking for mistakes.

This is a story. It is not a story about what you would do in this situation, or even what you think should be done. There would be no point in writing a story where everyone's reaction is the same. This overlooks the individuality of the characters and what they, as created by the author, would do. That may not align with what you would do. Please try to keep that in mind when reading.

Word Count: 13,306

Meant to publish this around the holiday. Forgot. Oops.

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INDEPENDENCE DAY

He made his own declaration.

[::::::::::]

A heavy rain had ended Ray's golf game not long after it started.

He and the rest of his foursome had hung around the clubhouse for a little while to see if it would let up but it became evident that it wasn't going to. He was disappointed because he really enjoyed playing, and because it was his best source of exercise for the week.

Of course, it wasn't just his heart condition that limited his activity. At 64 years of age, that sort of thing would have been limited anyway. He was still in good shape. He watched what he ate and still handled most of the yard work around the modest house he shared with his wife of 40 years, Josie.

And so, Ray found himself walking through his door at just after 9:00am instead of the 12:30pm or so he normally would have gotten home. He hadn't let his wife know he was coming home early, saw no need to do so, had never done so before when something like this happened. He would simply explain when he got home. But explaining why he was home early was quickly forgotten as he opened the front door.

It was forgotten because there in the entryway was his wife. She wore her pink silk robe but it was untied in the front, revealing her large, pendulous breasts with the dark pink areolas and her well-manicured blonde bush. In and of itself this wouldn't have been an issue, but she was escorting a man younger than their daughter to the front door in that condition.

At 59 years of age, Josie was still a very attractive woman. She wore her dark blonde hair about shoulder-length. Her breasts had always been large but grew even larger when their daughter, Kristine, was born 39 years ago, though they stayed about the same when Leo joined the family 3 years later. As you would expect with middle-aged women, her ass and her belly had retained some weight over the years, but that didn't matter to Ray, and apparently not to this guy either.

Ray noticed the disheveled state of the hair on Josie's head, and a quick survey of her body caused him to notice her lower lips protruding from her bush, clearly indicating recent use, not that there was any doubt anyway. He took in all of this in just a couple of seconds.

She looked up as he walked through the door, and rather than the guilty, sheepish look he would have expected, she smiled as she always did, expressing her happiness that he was home. Then, to his surprise, she came forward to greet him.

"Hey honey, you're home early."

Josie moved to give him a kiss but Ray managed to quickly move his head out of the way. His wife looked at him, confused.

"Are you out of your mind, Josie? Worse than not knowing where your mouth has been, I have a pretty good idea of where it HAS been!" Ray explained.

Josie glanced back at the young man, seeming to have forgotten he was there, and realizing what she had almost done.

"Oh, Ray, of course, I'm sorry. Honey, this is Luke. Luke, this is my husband, Ray."

Luke was perhaps an inch shorter than Ray's 6 feet, but he had the well-defined physique of an active young man in his late 20's or early 30's. He had probably been an athlete in college, and maybe still was. He had dark brown hair, cut short, and a plain face, neither handsome nor ugly. He stepped forward, his hand coming down on Ray's shoulder. Ray was tempted to respond physically but kept his temper for the moment.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you. Josie has told me a lot about you. And don't worry, I'm sure in 25 or 30 years I'll probably have the same issue you're having with the equipment, and I only hope that I'll be as cool about this as you are."

Of course, the one activity he missed the most was sex with Josie. Age had robbed him of his ability to maintain an erection, and his condition prevented him from using Viagra and the like, but he and Josie had maintained as much of a love life as they could, relying on Ray's fingers and tongue, and a liberal use of toys.

Ray had even gone so far as to wear a strap-on but it hadn't gone very well and Josie nixed any further attempts. Ray had always made sure Josie got off, even though it wasn't possible for him. He had taken to gaining satisfaction from giving Josie satisfaction, and had thought that was enough.

Apparently not.

Ray returned Luke's easy smile with a glare. Who the hell was this asshole to condescend to him like that? But he wasn't willing to go to jail, so he restrained his temper yet again.

"Luke, get out of my house. And if I ever catch you in it again, one of us will leave in a body bag. And I have guns."

The easy smile suddenly disappeared from Luke's face and he took a step back, then went around Ray toward the front door.

"Hey, it's cool man. I was under the impression you were okay with this."

Ray locked the door after it closed, made ever-so-brief eye contact with his wife, then headed into his bedroom. He was incredibly angry, and perplexed at his wife's seeming lack of remorse, or even concern, for what had just happened. She came into the room shortly after him. He noticed her robe was now secured.

"Well, that was rude."

Ray turned on her, incredulous that she was finding fault with his behavior after what she had just done. He hadn't intended to speak to her right now, but this was over the top.

"THAT was rude? I walk into my own house to see you walking some kid you obviously just had sex with to the door, and I was rude! You really are out of your mind!"

Josie's face took on a softer look. She walked over to him and tried to put her hand on her husband's shoulder but he pulled away as soon as he felt her touch.

"Honey, I'm sorry, but it's just been so long. What we've been doing has been nice and I've enjoyed it, but it just doesn't fulfill my needs."

"That might have been nice information to share with me. Where in the hell did you find this guy?"

"He's a friend of Marjorie's."

"A friend? He's less than half her age!"

"And she was a single woman at the time. When she met Oscar she gave him up, but she and I had talked about him and she gave me his information."

"You realize he's just using you guys for easy sex."

"Actually, he explained how he has a thing for older women," Josie responded. "When he was 18 his mom had him help the neighbor ladies with things around the house. Some of them couldn't afford to pay much so offered sex. He says he reached a point where women his age didn't do it for him. And even if he is just using me for sex, I'm doing the same thing so who cares."

"How long has this been going on?" Ray asked.

"A few months. When you leave for your golf game he comes over and takes care of me. He's always long gone and I have everything cleaned up before you get home. It won't affect you in any way. You're getting you're exercise and I'm getting mine, so to speak."

Ray suddenly realized why Saturday had become 'change the sheets day'.

"Well, I don't care if you think it doesn't affect me just because I'm not here. I won't accept it and I'll give up golf if I have to."

"Raymond, please. Be reasonable about this. You need your golf game. It's the only exercise you have. And I have needs that need to be met that can be taken care of in that time. It makes perfect sense."

"Maybe to you, Josephine, but not to me. This was the last time."

With that, Ray walked into his bedroom to take a shower and change into something more casual. Josie went into her closet to put some clothes on, then left the house and drove the few miles over to where Kristine lived with her husband and their two daughters, Josie's granddaughters.

By the time Ray had showered and dressed the house was empty. There was no note so he assumed his wife just wanted away from him. That was fine with him as he wanted the same thing.

The shower had calmed him down and he tried to examine this logically. He could understand that Josie still had needs, but this was simply too much. He would never do what she had done if their positions had been reversed, and he did not feel he was out of line. She would just have to accept it.

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The next day, Sunday, was the 4^th of July, and all the local family was coming over for a lunchtime cookout and then to gather again in the evening to go to the big community park for a fireworks display. It was a tradition that had been going since Kristine was a child and Ray looked forward to it every year.

Ray spent the morning getting the meat ready. He marinated some chicken and burgers, and set some hot dogs out for the younger kids that would be joining them for the cookout. By the time guests started to arrive everything was set and Ray was looking forward to spending the time with his family.

The barbecue went smoothly. There were a lot of friends there as well, and Josie looked radiant as she smiled and laughed. He certainly had been upset about finding her with another man, but she had been a great wife for 4 decades and it was something he could forgive...this time.

As the guests started to flow out of the house, Ray excused himself to take a nap. His heart condition limited his endurance, and he wanted to be ready to enjoy the fireworks tonight. He kissed his wife on the cheek, let her know he was going to lay down for a bit, and made his way to the bedroom.

When his alarm sounded a couple of hours later, he felt energized. The rest had done him good and now he could enjoy the fireworks without worry. He changed into some clean clothes and went into the living room.

Surrounding the dining room table was his immediate family: his wife sat at the far end; his granddaughters (19-year-old Julia and 17-year-old Allison) were on the back side; Kristine's husband, Eric, sat off to the side and Kristine herself stood in front of the table, the closest to Ray. Ray's son Leo and his wife, Rebecca, sat on the other side of the table, opposite Julia and Allison. They were all looking at him.

Ray knew an intervention when he saw one.

"What's this?"

His daughter, Kristine, was apparently the spokesperson for the group.

"We wanted to talk to you about mom?"

Ray looked at his wife, but her expression was flat. He hoped against hope that this wasn't about what he thought it was about. He looked back at his daughter.

"What about mom?"

"Mom told us about Luke."

"She did, did she?" Ray asked, the incredulousness evident in his voice.

"Yes. And about...your issues."

Ray just stared at his wife, shocked that she would share information so personal with anyone, let alone their children and grandchildren.

"My issues, and really this whole thing, are none of your business."

"But mom's happiness is our business."

"So, you're not happy?" Ray asked directly to his wife.

"Yes, Ray, I'm happy. Please don't think I'm not," Josie answered.

"But she has needs, dad," my daughter interjected, "and, well, it's not something you're able to take care of. I mean, that's right, isn't it?"

"So, you think I'm being unreasonable...selfish in not agreeing to this?"

"We're not trying to put a label on it, dad. We just...look, all we're saying is that since you can't do it, we feel you should be more...supportive of mom discreetly taking care of it herself."

Ray looked around at the eyes of his family. Every single one of them was, or at least seemed to be, standing in support of his wife being allowed to cheat on him. He may not have changed physically, but in just those few seconds, Ray felt himself mentally, emotionally aging what felt like 20 years. He had never felt more like a useless old man than he had right now.

"And," he struggled to say, "you all feel this way?"

He looked them all in the eyes and they nodded their agreement. But Ray thought it was too easy for someone to just go along. He wanted to make sure, as best he could.

"Leo, you agree with this?" Ray asked, looking his son in the eye.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not like you'd be here," his son answered. "And it'll help mom."

"Eric?" Ray asked, turning to his son-in-law, Kristine's husband. Ray had never known him to go against his wife and certainly didn't expect him to start now.

"I don't think it would be a big deal, Ray."

"Rebecca?" Ray said as he caught the eyes of his daughter-in-law, who seemed to be almost hiding behind Leo.

"Oh, dad, I'm not really..." she said, trying to evade having to answer.

Ray had always found it interesting that, even after 20 years, Eric stuck with calling him by his first name, while Rebecca had easily slipped into calling him dad almost immediately.

"Nonsense, Rebecca. You've been part of this family for 3 years. Plus, you're a grown woman, and I'd be interested in your opinion."

"Well, it seems like it would be okay. I mean, as long as she's careful and discreet."

And finally, it came down to his granddaughters. They were from a completely different generation so he suspected they had a different attitude about it altogether. Infidelity in marriage seemed to be common, almost expected these days, but he still wondered if they'd choose against him. They had spent so many wonderful hours together. He'd attended recitals galore and spoiled them at the mall all the time. Would they really be okay with this?

"What about you girls?"

"Oh, grandpa, we shouldn't really be a part of this."

"C'mon. You're both adults...well, almost...and I'm sure you have some thoughts."

Julia and Allison looked at each other, then at their mom and dad, who seemed to be urging them to speak their mind. At that moment, Ray knew what they were going to say. Whether they believed it or not, their mother had obviously convinced them to speak up in favor of their grandmother.

"Well, I mean," Julia, the eldest said, "lots of our friends are cool with their boyfriends and girlfriends being with other people. It's just sex."

Ah, the rallying cry for the unfaithful: It's Just Sex. Ray had assumed it would come out at some point, and there it was, though he was surprised it took so long. His wife was willing to go this far to get her way, to get to fuck her boy toy once a week. Ray suddenly realized there was no point in arguing the point. She would likely find a way to do it regardless of his opinion or feelings. Whatever he had once was gone, and it was never coming back. He looked at Josie, who was looking at him with anticipation.

"That's it then, Josephine. Majority rule. I guess you get what you want."

His wife's face lit up as if she had been granted her fondest wish, and perhaps she had. Ray simply turned and walked toward the front door. He got only a few feet before he heard his wife's voice call his name. He hoped that maybe, just maybe, she had reconsidered after she saw how it had affected him, and he turned back to face her. But it wasn't to be.

"Can I tell Luke you were just kidding about the body bag thing?"

"Sure. Whatever. I'm taking a drive."

"But dad," Leo called out. "It's just about time to leave for the fireworks."

"Go without me," Ray responded. "I don't feel like going anymore."

It was still silent as Ray walked out the front door, but he heard the sounds of celebration as soon as the door closed. He looked back through the front window, the blinds open with sheer curtains dangling closed, and could see Josie getting hugs from all her supporters. It appeared they were all in this together...against him.

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No sooner had the mini-celebration ended than Josie was on the phone to her lover. She assured him that she and Ray had talked it over and he had removed his objections. She wanted to make sure that he hadn't moved on to another woman, that she could still expect a visit from him Saturday morning. He answered the phone on the third ring, and assured Josie he would be there and was looking forward to it.

With that, the family piled into the vehicle and headed off to see the city's always-impressive fireworks display. They were talking and laughing, glad to have the unpleasantness behind them and certain that Ray would be just fine, that he would realize this wouldn't affect anything.

At the exact moment that Eric was parking the car (it was ironic that Ray's absence from the festivities now allowed them to take a single 7-passenger vehicle rather than 2 separate cars, making them the 'family' and him the outsider, though no one made the connection), Ray sat alone in his car overlooking the city. He had found this road into the nearby hills many years ago, and came here when he needed to think.

He was stung by the support Josie got from every member of the family. He would have thought that at least one of them would have recognized that his inability to perform was not a reason for his wife to be unfaithful. But they had unified against him, and that hurt. He felt like an outsider, like he was old and had been dismissed.

It reminded him of the stories he'd heard when he was a child, that some communities would set their elderly off on their own to certain death when they were deemed too old or frail to contribute, and were thus simply a drain on resources. He was just in the way and he was being cast out. All he wanted to do now was sleep, but the nap he had taken was getting in the way

It was near midnight when he finally got back to the house. He noted that his daughter's car was still here along with Josie's, but all the others had left. He could only assume the horn sound that signaled the vehicle was being locked alerted the home's occupants, because the front door opened as he approached. It was Josie.

"Where have you been? I've been worried sick."

Ray simply walked past his wife without a word. He noticed his daughter was on the couch and looking at him with interest.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Mom was worried when you weren't here after the fireworks. Everyone else has somewhere to be tomorrow morning so I stayed with her. You could have at least answered your phone."

Ray glanced at his phone and remembered turning it off when he arrived on the mountain. He hadn't wanted to be disturbed.

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine. You can go home now."

Kristine was taken aback. Her father was the kindest, most polite man she knew and had never known him to speak to anyone like that, let alone her, his little girl. She watched his back as he walked into his bedroom until the door closed between them, then picked up her purse from the table and kissed her mother goodbye.

By the time Josie finished picking up the house and made it into the room, Ray was asleep.

[::::::::::]

Things were cool around the house for the next week. Josie knew that, despite his acquiescence, Ray was not happy with what she was doing with Luke. But she believed it would come to be something he could live with because he loved her, and she was certain that he'd eventually forget about it, or at least put it out of his mind.

For Ray, it was the complete destruction of his life. He had been a dedicated family man for 4 decades but that hadn't stopped his entire family from tossing him aside when his presence became inconvenient. The simple fact that Josie had even sought the support of her family for her adultery had ended his marriage as far as Ray was concerned. That they had all, every single one of them, sided against him was the death blow to his family, or at least to his being a part of it. He had put everyone else first for years. That was about to change.