Just Once

We talked a little more, and then I went home. For the first time since I learned what Marcie intended to do, I slept well.

Friday afternoon was another practice, and I had pretty much worked out who could play where. We had six fairly good players, three that were so-so, and three that needed a lot of work. At practice that afternoon, I met Guy for the first time. He was a tall, thin man with bright red hair and an infectious laugh. He also had three boys in three different age groups. He gave me the uniforms for the kids and told me that the league mandated that each kid had to play in at least three innings of each six-inning game. The kids went wild when I passed out their uniforms. I was really enjoying the hell out of coaching.

My happy mood as I drove home suddenly soured as I remembered something from the past. The one year that I was station close to home, I had mentioned to Marcie that I thought I would coach Kyle's team. She had pitched a fit because she had a long list of things she wanted us to do. Most of them were just things that she was uneasy doing by herself. I gave in to her demands because I felt guilty about all the time I spent away from home. Now, I resented Marcie for denying me the opportunity to spend some quality time with my son.

Saturday's game was pretty much a blowout. We got stomped 11 -- 3. I kept up a running commentary of encouragement throughout the game, and I was pleased that most of the parents did the same. At the same time, I kept notes of areas where I thought we could improve. Jacob had a great game hitting a double and a triple. His hits accounted for two of our three runs. He also played great at shortstop and in centerfield.

The kids were a little down at the end of the game, but when I told them that we were going for ice cream, all thoughts of the loss evaporated. Some of the parents tried to give me money, but I just laughed, telling them I should be paying them for all the fun I was having.

The cookout at my house was a real team bonding experience. Some of the parents brought salad or beans or fruit while others had brought desserts. I cooked up a bunch of hamburgers and hotdogs while the kids swam and played games. I had plenty of beer, soda, and water on hand also. Kimberly came wearing a two-piece swimsuit, and she looked really good. Near the end, I gathered the kids together and told them we would do a cheer before each game and after each game. It was simply going to be Falcons! Falcons! Falcons! When I asked the kids to do it, they roared it out to their parent's laughter and cheers.

That night, I learned that Marie's face and hands had broken out in hives. Apparently, it had something to do with her allergy to peanuts. As I was informed, the face cream that Marcie used that night had peanut oil in its formula. Marcie claimed that she had used that face cream for years with no ill effects. However, when they looked at the ingredients on the newly opened jar, it definitely said peanut oil. Since this was a new jar that Marcie had bought for this trip, it appeared that she had simply picked up the wrong one at the store. Marcie hadn't made a mistake; the jar of cream had been switched.

Since Kimberly had learned of my wife's betrayal, she issued an open invitation to join them for dinner whenever I wanted. I was not much of a cook, so I took her up on her offer as long as she let me pay for some of the groceries. She agreed with a laugh, and after that, we would go grocery shopping once a week. I was really beginning to enjoy my time with Kimberly and Jacob.

I had not contacted Marcie since that one phone call, and I didn't intend to do so. Also, Marcie had made no attempt to contact me. I was now ninety percent sure that I was going to divorce her. The ten percent evaporated two days later when I received a video of Doctor Trey and my wife fucking. Her hives had finally begun to fade. Marcie wasn't completely well, but she was bent over the bed while the good doctor was pounding her from behind. He seemed to be enjoying himself, but it seemed that Marcie was still in some pain.

After I had made my decision to divorce Marcie, I discussed it with Kimberly. I had come to rely on her advice quite a bit. Kimberly suggested that I should be sure to protect myself financially. As I had always trusted Marcie implicitly, that never occurred to me. I began to realize that I was really going to miss both Kimberly and Jacob when the season was over, but I pushed that thought out of my mind. There were still seven games left, and I intended to enjoy each one. I wasn't sure how it would play out when Marie came back, but I no longer cared what she thought.

Four things happened that Friday. First, I got word that Marcie had some sort of a vaginal infection. What she didn't know was that an irritant and a bacterium had been introduced via Marcie's douche liquid. It would take about two weeks for the effects to wear off. The second thing was a message to me that Doctor Trey would be coming down with a severe case of dysentery once Marcie was well. Again, the medical team would be surprised because they thought everyone was protected by their medication. Besides, Dr. Cardosa should have had natural immunity, having been to Columbia several times before. However, he was not immune to the special bacteria I had acquired from India. He would be going from both ends for the better part of three or four days.

The third thing that happened was my visit to a divorce lawyer. It would be a straightforward divorce with one possible problem -- the house. I knew that Marcie would want it as she had picked it out and decorated it. I wanted it so that I could stay close to Kimberly and Jacob. That was just one of the things that Marcie and I would have to discuss. My attorney warned me that Marcie might try to make a claim on part of my army retirement.

The fourth thing that happened that day was the beginning of my separation from Marcie. I began by splitting our finances. I took half of everything out of our accounts and opened new ones in my name only. Marcie and I each had our own credit cards, so I left them alone. I then moved all of Marcie's things out of the master bedroom and into the guest room. As far as I was concerned, I was not moving because it was Marcie who fucked up. Lastly, I took away anything in the rest of the house that was Marcie's. I even took down any pictures with Marcie in them.

That Saturday, the Falcons beat the Bears 5 -- 4. Jacob hit a home run and struck out the last two batters with the bases loaded. My team roared out their cheer after they had shaken hands with the other team. Kimberly even gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It felt wonderful. And the excitement carried over to the ice cream shop.

By predesign, my dirty tricks were on hold. With the medical problems Doctor Trey and my wife were experiencing, if they were having sex, it couldn't be much fun. However, the dinners with Kimberly and Jacob were proving to be the highlight of my day. Jacob and I were really bonding. He wanted and needed a father figure, and I was more than happy to provide one. My only concern was what was going to happen when the season ended.

The next three weeks moved along very quickly. We won two games and lost one. Regardless of the score, a trip to the ice cream store followed. Kimberly would always slide into the booth next to me. In fact, she would slide right up until we were touching. At first, the parents were uneasy about this. So, I faced the problem head-on. I told several mothers what was going on with my marriage and that I was in the process of getting a divorce. Soon, the story had passed to all the parents, and their reaction surprised me. They not only understood, but they became rather protective of me and went out of their way to be kind to Kimberly.

By the sixth week of my wife's departure, she had suffered a few more indignities. One day she and her lover decided to go on a picnic. Somehow, they were attacked by Killer Bees. The authorities told them that they were lucky it was such a small hive. Still, they each received at least a dozen very painful stings that raised enormous welts. This necessitated yet another overnight stay in the hospital. Then there was a night when they discovered scorpions and spiders in their room. Marcie insisted they go to her room, where they discovered a snake. The third room smelled like vomit, and the fourth room seemed fine until the police burst in looking for drugs. Needless to say, they got very little sleep that night.

With ten days left, my wife mysteriously contracted a yeast infection. Four days before they were due to return, the good doctor was hit by a car. He sustained a broken ankle and a fractured right hand and wrist. He also sustained a concussion and a severe abrasion down the left side of his face. My wife's fling had ended with a bang, but not the bang she had envisioned. Oh yeah, my wife was now suffering from another case of the runs.

Marcie was due back that Sunday afternoon, and I had decided that I would pick her up at the airport. Fuck her and her room at the Ambassador Hotel. But before the nastiness that was coming, we still had a game to play that Saturday. We were playing the Otters. I still hadn't figured out that name, but I did know that they were undefeated.

The Otters were up 6 -1 by the third inning, but we kept chipping away at their lead until the bottom of the sixth, when we tied it up 6 -6. We played two scoreless extra innings, but then the Otters scored a run at the top of the ninth. We had two men on with two outs when Jacob came up to hit. He already had had three hits that day, with one of them being a home run. Then with the count three and two, Jacob swung and missed. We had lost. I could see Jacob's lips begin to quiver and tears begin to slide down his face. So, I raced out to him and picked him up.

"Hey, buddy," I said as I swung him around. "I am so proud of you."

"But I struck out," he almost sobbed.

"So, what," I said with a laugh. By then the rest of the team had gathered around me, and I told my players to line up. We shook hands with the other team, and the other coach pulled me aside to tell me that we were the toughest team they had faced. I thanked him and gathered my demoralized team in front of the dugout.

I had never seen them so down with Jacob still on the verge of tears. So, I decided this was the time to give them one of life's lessons.

"Who thinks that we failed today?" I asked. Every hand shot up.

"You shouldn't," I said calmly. "In life, you're going to win sometimes, and you're going lose sometimes. Hopefully, you'll win many more times than you lose. But you have to learn to accept each loss with dignity and learn from it. Right now, I am so proud of each and every one of you. You all played better than your best."

"How can you play better than your best?" Timmy asked as he looked up at me.

"It's really very simple," I explained. "If you only play your best, how can you ever get better?"

I could see not only my players but their parents nodding their heads. "In my opinion, that team was just a little bit better than we were today. But if we play them again, we're going to kick their backsides. So, who wants to do our cheer?"

Together, the players, parents, and I screamed out, "FALCONS! FALCONS! FALCONS!"

As our cheer died out, I called out to them, "Who wants to go get ice cream?"

Whatever disappointment they had felt was quickly melting away. As I was gathering up our equipment, Kimberly stepped into the dugout with me. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"What's the matter?" I asked, deeply concerned.

"Nothing," she said as she moved up to me. "You are the most wonderful man I know." Then she kissed me on the lips. I'm a little slow on the uptake, but after a second, I was kissing her back.

Things changed for Kimberly and me after that dugout kiss. I quickly realized that our relationship had taken a giant step up. I suddenly realized that I was falling in love with her. At the ice cream shop, I couldn't stop wishing that Marcie would stay in Columbia forever.

However, Marcie's flight got in at 2:45 that the next afternoon. It was almost three-thirty before the passengers cleared customs. I saw Doctor Trey being pushed out in a wheelchair with Marcie walking by his side. She looked terrible. It was clear that she had lost at least ten pounds, and on her frame, it showed. Her skin had a pasty complexion, with some of the bee sting welts still not fully healed.

When Marcie saw me, I couldn't read her expression. She simply said something to the doctor and came over to where I was standing.

"I thought you were going to meet me at the Ambassador Hotel?" she asked.

"No, that was your plan, not mine," I said calmly.

"That's just as well because I don't feel well."

As Marcie and I waited for her two suitcases, we said nothing to each other. Once in the car, the ride home was also in silence. With one or two glances over at Marcie, I finally figured out the expression on her face. It was fear.

When I took Marcie's bags into the guest room, the war began.

"Why are you putting my bags in the guest room?" she snapped.

"Because we're not sleeping together anymore," I said without emotion. "Once you've had a chance to get settled, we need to talk."

"Damn straight, we need to talk," Marcie snapped again. "I'm not fucking sleeping in the guest room. If you don't want to sleep with me, then you sleep there."

As much as I wanted to stay calm, Marcie's last comment had angered me. I was sick of her attitude, so I wheeled on her. "Go to Hell, Marcie! I'm not the one who fucked up this relationship. If you don't like it, go sleep with your fucking Doctor Trey."

I had never been this angry with my wife in our entire marriage. Marcie saw the hatred in my eyes and fled into the guest room. She slammed the door and locked it. Then I felt bad about my behavior and went to apologize. But when I got to the door, I could hear her sobbing. I decided to let things cool down.

I sat in the kitchen sipping on a cup of coffee when Marcie finally came down about an hour later. She grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee before sitting down at the kitchen table across from me.

I pushed the envelope across the table to Marcie.

"What's that?" she asked with fear in her eyes.

"What you said you were prepared to accept, divorce papers."

"I don't want a divorce," Marcie said in a tiny voice.

"This is what you wrote," I said as I pulled out her letter. "The way I see it, if you and I still love one another, we will get past this when I see you on my return. If we don't, it will hurt, and I will mourn what you and I had and lost. But I can't see us being married and not doing this."

Tears were streaming down Marcie's face when I finished reading her words. "This is where you start mourning what you and I had and lost."

"What about you and Leslie?" Marcie demanded. "I'm sure that you screwed her brains out."

"I never touch that fucking whore," I snarled in true anger. "And who are you to try and pimp me out?"

Marcie shrank back in uncertainty. I think she was in total denial about what she had done and what the consequences would be. I was convinced that Marcie believed everything would be okay if I fucked Leslie while she fucked Trey. Since it was almost six, and I needed to get away from Marcie, I got up to head for the door.

"Where are you going?" Marcie challenged immediately.

"I have an invitation to have dinner at Kimberly's house."

"Oh, you wouldn't fuck Leslie, but you'll fuck that cow across the street," Marcie spit out at me. "I knew that bitch had the hots for you."

I had to take a deep breath and count to ten because I wanted to smack the shit out of my wife. But once I got control of myself, I decided to be brutally honest.

"Just for your information, you are the cow, not Kimberly," I said through gritted teeth. "You're the one who couldn't keep your legs together, not Kimberly. And even though it is none of your fucking business, I haven't slept with Kimberly. However, I can't think of anything that would make me happier than making love to her."

I was breathing hard after that outburst, but I wasn't finished. "You know, Marcie, for a short time after you left, I thought if I let you fuck Trey that first night and then if I messed up your fuck fest, you'd come to your senses. We should have been even by your reckoning at that point. If you had called it off with Trey then, I was prepared to move on and patch up our marriage. But you never once considered that. And when I saw a video with the good doctor pounding you from behind, I lost all respect and love for you. At that moment, I considered you nothing more than a cheating slut."

"You were spying on me?" Marcie yelled.

"Not only was I spying on you, but I made sure that you and doctor dipshit had a miserable time. As near as I can figure, you got maybe two or three days of fucking in. And outside of the first night, I doubt that those sexual encounters were all that enjoyable. The rest of the time, one or the other or both of you were miserable. And I enjoyed each and every misery you guys suffered."

"You fucking bastard!" Marcie screamed. "I'm going to have you prosecuted, and then I'm going to sue you.'

I laughed, and Marcie got madder. "I'm going to make you pay!" she screamed louder.

"Marcie, for a smart woman, you can truly be stupid when you put your mind to it," I said when I stopped laughing. "To begin with, everything happened in a foreign country. So, you or doctor dipshit would have to have me arrested in Columbia. I don't plan to go there anytime soon. But even if I did, you have absolutely no proof of anything. So, live with it, I ruined your little sex fantasy, and I'm very happy about it."

My laugh had turned harsh as I stormed out the front door, and I was still quite steamed when I got to Kimberly's. As soon as she opened the door, Kimberly knew that I was upset. But after a beer, I had calmed down and explained what had happened. Apparently, I wasn't as calm as I thought I was. I told Kimberly exactly what I had said.

When I finished, Kimberly's eyes were dancing with excitement, and she giggled. "Did you really tell her that there wasn't anything that would make you happier than making love to me?"

I turned bright red when I realized what I had just admitted to. Then I started to chuckle. "That is perhaps the only thing that I am one hundred percent sure of right now."

"Well, that is the same thought that I've had since the first week you started coaching Jacob's team." Kimberly's cheeks were flaming red, but her eyes were sparkling. "And after Jacob goes to bed tonight, I want you to come to bed with me, so we can make each other very happy."

I sighed and shook my head. "I'm sorry, Kimberly," I lamented, "I can't do it while I'm still married. And regardless that my wife has violated our marriage vows, I just can't do it. Can you forgive me if I take a raincheck at least until Marcie signs the divorce papers?"

"To have you in my life," Kimberly said with pure love in her eyes, "I'd wait until hell freezes over."

Marcie seemed determined to keep me as her husband. She battled the divorce tooth and nail. She even instructed her attorney to attack my army pension. My lawyer then advised me to offer her the house in exchange for leaving my pension alone. However, Marcie refused the offer. She still harbored this belief that we could put our marriage back together once I got over my hurt feelings. I needed something to convince my wife that there was no way we would ever get back together. Marcie and I had not had sex since her return, so I wondered if she and Dr. Cardosa were still getting it on. I wired the phones and put cameras in the house when Marcie was out. If I found out that Marcie was fucking that creep in our house, I would definitely put a real hurting on doctor Trey.