Jeffrey's Divorce and Recovery

Amy knew she only had another year or maybe a little more in her position before her boss found another Administrative Assistant. Janet, the woman she had replaced made it clear that the clients tired of the same entertainment over time and she needed to put her all into it for as long as she could. Normally Howard kept an Administrative Assistant about two years.

If she had been successful in her job as Howard's Assistant she could obtain another highly paid position within the company or he would help her find another job of comparable or better salary with another company. Normally after she left her job as his Administrative Assistant if she stayed with the company she would only be called upon a few times a year to help his current assistant with projects. Of course from time to time one of the salesmen or customers might request time with her. Janet had told her as the years progressed that possibility became less and less. Personnel changed and they didn't know of the past assistants or they preferred the new younger ones.

Amy thought about her job and the money she and Jeffery were making. She wished he would take a better job. She just had to convince one of her contacts to offer him a better job and him to take it. If he made more money she probably wouldn't have taken the job as Janet's Secretary. Well, at least she wouldn't have kept it after she found out about the 'social' part of it. She was scared Jeff would find out what she was doing but she wanted to make big dollars and live the good life so badly she was willing to take the chance.

Amy giggled to herself and thought, let's be honest here too; Most of the time the sex with the various executives and salesmen was out of this world good. She got a huge thrill just from sleeping around on Jeff and occasionally she got a really great cocksman to boot. Of course she did hope she could parlay her 'friendship' with some of the movers and shakers into better paying jobs for herself and Jeffery also.

She sighed. Jeffery was a business analyst for gosh sakes. He had a MBA degree from Wharton School of Business and was only making $64000 per year working for that sappy company in his hometown. Sometimes she wondered what the heck a feed and farm supply store needed with analysis of companies they did business with. She had tried repeatedly to get him to leave and take a better job and every time he refused.

When Amy got home she found a note from Jeff. He told her he had to go to Steelville and consult with the management of the Feed and Farm Supply store. He knew since it was in the middle of the week she wouldn't take off from her job so he just packed and left. His note continued, "Since I'll be home for the meeting I think I will spend a few days visiting the folks. I'll probably be home sometime early next week. If you need me, call my cell or Dad and Mom. I'll probably stay with them or in one of the cabins at the resort."

Amy felt her jaws clench in anger. She didn't know what the hell he saw in that damn hick town. The population of the whole damn town was just a little over 1000. The next larger town was 25 miles away and it only had 10500 or so population. That is why she had insisted they work here in Springville. At least the town was large enough they had some nightlife-not that they managed to get out much. Even before she took her new job Jeff had refused to go out much. She had to force him to join the country club and then he almost never went out there. Imagine a grown businessman that only played golf when he had to! Why in the world he would rather fish and hunt was beyond her understanding. She wished they had managed to live in a town with more than 150000 population but this was as far as Jeff was willing to move from his precious home-70 freaking miles!

Jeff hadn't told anyone he was coming home so when he pulled into his parent's driveway he wasn't surprised to see they were gone. He figured they were either in town having supper or over at one of the families homes. Since it was only a short way down the road he went to his grandfather Fielding's home first and hit pay dirt. The whole family was out on the patio having a party!

When he walked around the corner his sister saw him first and screamed, "Jeff! My god what drug you away from the big city?" She ran up to him and gave him a big hug. The rest of the family wasn't too far behind. All were glad to see him. After the greetings had died down, Jeff asked what the party was in honor of. They told him and he was embarrassed. He had forgotten it was his sister's baby's second birthday and they were celebrating.

Jeff sank into a chair with a sigh and gratefully drank down the shot of Glenlivet his Grandfather handed him. He held his glass out for a refill as he felt his muscles start to relax. Even over the children's screams and laughter he could hear the trickling of the nearby stream flowing over the rocks in the ripple on its way to the swimming hole.

From time to time Jeffery caught his Grandmother Ann watching him. Once he saw her whispering to his mother, father and Grandfather Jim.

The party slowly wound down and everybody left except for Jeffery, his grandparents whose house this was and his parents. They all drug up chairs and faced him. His grandmother spoke for the group when she said, "OK son. Out with it. You come in here in the middle of the week without your wife and look like somebody stole your favorite toy. Now cut the crap and tell us what's wrong in Springville."

Jeff sat and stared at the old woman in shock. Was he that obvious? He opened his mouth then closed it. He took a deep breath and sighed. Finally he said, "I don't know if anything's wrong but sometimes I just feel like Amy's..."

"Out with it boy. Amy's what?" his grandmother asked. "Amy's cheating on you or leaving you or what? Come on now, I recognize that look. God help me I've seen it before." All the other adults looked at each other and his grandmother blushed a little. He remembered she and his grandfather had been divorced a little over 4 years then remarried when their second mates had died in a traffic accident. Could the divorce have been because Grandma Ann cheated on Grandpa Jim?

Jeff sighed and shook his head. "I just don't know," he said. I can't find any evidence but I have strong suspicions. She was Secretary to the Administrative Assistant at Harriman for several months. She had to dress nicer but her dress and makeup were more like she was on the prowl than working in a business. She had to work late several nights a month and took an overnight trip several times. After any of those nights she wouldn't have anything to do with me sexually. She did everything she could to avoid me those nights up to and including starting arguments."

"You know when the Admin Assistant took another job she got to be Admin Assistant. She is away from home at least one night a week until after midnight and once or twice a month she has to take a two to four day business trip with Mr. Harriman. Almost all the trips begin or end with one full day of the weekend in them."

"Amy refuses to talk about her job and refuses to quit doing it. She keeps saying she only has to hang in there for a year or two and she can apply for a less demanding job and almost be assured of getting it. It's like there is no competition when the time comes."

"I have done some research and almost all Mr. Harriman's Administrative Assistants have held the job for two years after holding the assistant's job for anywhere from 1 to two years. All his assistants are young-in their early to late 20's and married. He seems to have something for married assistants. I couldn't find one of his past assistants that had been single. I am positive some would have applied for the job and been well suited for It; Perhaps better suited than a married woman because they were freer to travel."

"Apparently some Administrative Assistant's Secretaries don't work out because many of them leave at the end of their 6 month probation period. Every one that lasted past 6 months has gone on to be Mr. Harriman's Admin Assistant. All the Admin Assistants got a job that paid the same or more if they stayed with the company or a job that had similar compensation if they left."

"Additionally I found three of the Assistants marriages ended in divorce because they were caught cheating during some of the business meetings and or trips. Amy was only Administrative Assistant's Secretary about one year because her boss got pregnant and left the position. About 6 months after she left she had a child and her husband filed for divorce. The child was black and Janet and her husband were both white. As often as they had business meetings and took business trips Janet almost had to become pregnant on company business. By my estimation, taking into consideration Amy's schedule, she only had about three nights a week when she would be home with her husband and if she was like Amy she crashed and burned those nights."

"When Amy told me about her ex boss I am afraid I let my mouth outrun my brain. I said the first thing that popped into my mind. I have been getting more and more upset and angry with Amy and her damn schedule and I popped off. As best as I remember, I said, "What happened? You know what I mean, how did it happen. Was she a cheater or what? The few times I met her and when we went out with her and Danny I thought she was so in love with Danny."

Then, when I watched Amy's face I had a thought and blurted out, "Those Damn business trips and late nights! She was cheating on Danny then wasn't she? Damn it you were with her a lot of the time. Why did you put up with that?"

"I remember looking at Amy in shock as the idea first hit my brain. I saw her blanch then she turned red as she stared at me. She looked scared and started to cry when I said that." Then I asked her, "Have you been cheating on me at those meetings? Amy said she hadn't but she had been hit on a lot."

I remember telling her, "You damn well better not have been cheating. I've been worried for months that something was wrong with all this. Now I think I know. If I ever find out you screwed around on me it's over. You'll be out that damn door with nothing just like the pre nuptial agreement says. Then I left her standing and I walked into the den while she cried."

"This morning before she left Amy yelled down the hallway at me that she had another late night meeting to service an account. I know it's supposedly her job but I just don't see why Howard needs two women with him at every meeting to help him take care of his customers and suppliers unless there is something fishy going on. I guess I came home partly to see if you would authorize the investigation company to check up on Howard and Amy. Of course I wanted to see all of you too. I'll pay for the investigation out of my funds but I need your permission to authorize the change in work for Homer."

All the older Fieldings leaned back in their chairs after Jeff finished. Finally his father Paul said, "Son there seems to be something wrong with the picture you painted but for the life of me I can't say what at this point. From what you have told us about Amy in the past this could be something she would do. You know how she feels about the excitement of larger cities and her need for the nightlife. We worried when she refused to move to a city smaller than Springville but it was your and her decision so we didn't say anything."

Paul turned to his father and said, "Dad I think we should support Jeff on this. Let's get Homer and Jeff together tomorrow and see what they can come up with."

Paul then said, "It's getting late. Jen are you ready to go home?" He looked at Jeff and said, "Jeff you coming out to the house or staying here?"

Jeff sat a short while and said, "If there's a cabin open I think I want to go to the lodge. I might get some fishing in while I think about this mess. Call me on my cell when you have the time set up with Homer please."

Jim went into the house and got the key for the Resort office. He handed it to Jeff and told him, "This is the key to the Resort front door and my office key is the other one. Cabin keys are in the center desk drawer. Use the 'Honeymoon' cabin son. I know it's no honeymoon for you but the Honeymoon cabin is the best and most secluded cabin. Plus, of course, it's closer to the best swimming and fishing holes. We don't have it scheduled for the next few days so you can use it as long as you want. Do you want to have breakfast with us here or in town or do you want to eat at the resort?"

Jeff thought for a moment then he replied, "I really don't know. Right now I don't feel much like breakfast. I guess I'll find something out there if that's ok."

By the time Jeff drove the three miles to the Resort, got the key and unloaded his bags it was almost 3 a.m. He just stripped and crawled into bed without unpacking or showering. The next thing he knew was when he heard a female voice yell, "Mr. Fielding are you still in here? This is Abigail. Your Father tried to call you and when you didn't answer your cell he called the office. He says your meeting is set up for lunch. You need to be in the café at 1230 if that's OK."

Jeff heard footsteps coming toward his bedroom and hurriedly reached for the bed sheet to pull over himself. He stared at the very lovely woman that walked through the door. He saw her blush and decided she saw him before he got completely covered. He said, "I'm sorry Abigail. I wasn't expecting visitors and, well, you caught me..."

Abigail let loose with the most enticing giggle and said, "That's OK Sir. I'm sorry I barged in here on you like that but I knocked and you didn't answer. When I came in I didn't hear you say anything so I was coming back here to see if you were here or out fishing. Your father said you might be on the river." She looked at him shyly and said softly, "Besides, before my family left me I had two brothers. I didn't see anything I haven't seen a lot of times before."

Abby smiled and said, "It's 10:30 now. Do you want me to find some breakfast for you or do you just want to wait for lunch?"

Jeff smiled and said, "No breakfast but if you have some coffee up there I would be forever grateful if you would share it with me."

Abby looked at him and smiled then she responded, "We sure do and I just made it fresh. Want me to bring some down or will you have it with me in the dining room?"

"I'll come up. See you in a few. And Abigail...thanks."

Jeff arrived at the café about ten minutes early and found his father, grandfather and a man that was introduced as Homer Scroggins already there. They shook hands and made small talk while they ordered then Jeff's father Paul said, "Son I've filled Homer in on what you told us last night. Why don't you give it to him again and then tell us all you know about Harriman's business. If you want we can go back to the Resort before you get into the personal items with Homer."

For the next thirty minutes Jeff told Homer about how Amy was acting and how much time she spent working late and on her business trips. He told him about the small amount of information he had uncovered about the past Administrative Assistants, their tenure and that of their Secretaries. Jeff was surprised he didn't know more about Harriman's business and vowed he would remedy that problem when he returned home. All he knew for certain was they printed all types of business forms. He was in the business of looking up companies and analyzing their various reports. It would be a little more difficult since Harriman wasn't a publicly traded company but he could get a lot of information on them. He promised to gather that information and get it back to Homer within a week.

When they got back to the resort Jeffery invited Homer into his cabin and offered him a drink before they got started. Homer said, "No thanks, not right now but if you want one feel free. As you know I recorded our talk in the cafe and I would like to record this one. Do you mind?"

Jeffery sighed and said, "No, go ahead."

Homer then said, "Ok Mr. Fielding. Please tell me everything you can about your wife Amy, her job and responsibilities. I also need to know about her friends and clubs as well as anything out of the ordinary you might have noticed over the last few months. Please don't leave out anything that may be even tangentially related to these topics."

Jeff sighed and began. He said, "Well Homer I met Amy in the fall semester of my last year in college. She was going to finish her Bachelors degree in May and I was going to finish my Master's degree the same month. I was the teaching assistant for a business class she was taking. She was beautiful, witty and always had a large group of friends-both male and female with her. I was mesmerized by her but at first I tried to keep my distance as I felt an instructor should."

To this day I am not sure if she truly had trouble with the subject course work or if she was feigning a problem but she kept coming to me for help and I would give it to her. At first we met in the library but after a few sessions we would adjourn to a local hang out after the session to continue with a conversation we had started or just to relax with a beer. Before long we started dating. I loved so much about her I fell deeper and deeper under her spell."

Amy was caring, kind and considerate. She and I seemed to like the same things. We both liked the same type of food and movies. We had similar outlooks politically and socially. We danced and partied with the best of them. As we became more and more attached to each other she cut back on her bar hopping with her friends until we discovered we spent almost every night with each other. By Valentines Day I was madly in love with her and after a romantic meal I asked her to marry me. She agreed and set the date for June 13 after we graduated."

"All went great. Her family liked me and I liked them. The only problem seemed to be with my family. For some reason none of my family was as enthralled with Amy as I was. They all told me she was witty, charming and brilliant but my Grandmother especially told me to watch her, that she didn't think she was right for me. When I told them I was going to marry her though they all pulled together and helped us out."

"I don't know if I didn't tell Amy about my plans after graduation or if she ignored me but when I let her know I was going to work for the family firm and planned to move back here to work she got upset. She told me there was no way she was going to maroon herself in this little berg and I had better rethink my career plans. She said she had busted her ass to get out of the little hick town she was raised in and she would be damned if she would let me maroon her in another one. This was our first serious fight and almost caused us to break up. Finally I agreed to compromise. I would work for the firm but we would work and live in Springville. She really wasn't happy with that because to her Springville was way too small a town but I thought she accepted it fine."

"After we relocated in Springville and she found her first job the old Amy seemed to return. She was happy and go lucky again and we had so much fun. She would go out with friends occasionally but usually insisted I take her to dances and social functions almost every weekend. She insisted we join the country club so we could meet the right people and network better. After a year went by she began hinting we needed more money and a better job. She said we had met enough people that surely I could find a higher paying more responsible job with some of the larger companies in Springville or even in another city."

"You know I have been living on the salary I earn from our company plus what Amy made. We are saving money as it is but she wanted more. Amy has always wanted to swim with the big fish and go to the expensive resorts and country clubs. World traveling impresses her. Large cities excite her. She thrives on the nightlife and rubbing shoulders with the people she perceives to be rich and powerful. I guess I messed up when I didn't make sure she knew I would rather spend my spare time here fishing and visiting with friends and family. I sometimes feel her need to party and for excitement is causing her to stray."