Mustang

The conversation was very generic. For some stupid reason we were discussing things like the weather and traffic. After the meals came, there was very little talk at all. It was obvious that both of us were avoiding the subject at hand. We ordered coffee after the meal, and then Marsha cleared her throat.

"My husband's infidelities are an extreme embarrassment to me, Mister Woods. Normally, I am very adept at overlooking his follies, but since the divorce, I can see that this was a mistake on my part. There is nothing I can do to undo what has happened, however, I can prepare you for what might happen in the future. Frank is a very violent and vengeful man. If he feels that you were the cause of his problem, he will do everything in his power to get revenge. I realize that the whole thing is his fault, but he will not look at it that way. There is a possibility that he might be able to manipulate your wife to do things that you could not imagine. Even though she loves you, she might be more than willing to help Frank get even. I suggest that you do not trust her in any fashion, until you are sure of her. Do you understand so far?"

I simply nodded.

"I can guarantee that Frank will attempt to hurt you in some fashion in the very near future. My purpose here today, is just to warn you to be careful. I will do what I can to help, but that is little, I am afraid. The reason Mario is with me, is because of Frank. Mario is my brother-in-law, and is here until the family can straighten out my problem with Frank. Do you have any questions?"

I had a hundred questions, but shook my head "No."

We finished our coffee in silence. Marsha insisted on picking up the tab, and we went our separate ways. I was pissed off about everything before, but now I was scared.

Things were quiet at work. Joyce was dying to know what went on at the luncheon, but I didn't feel like talking about it. Brian's lawyer was busy setting up his bail. I felt like I should be doing something for Candice, but decided against it.

I took the afternoon off and went by Sharon's school. It only took a few minutes with the school administrators, to get permission for Sharon to graduate early. She was able to turn in her books and close out her locker in less than an hour. She would miss the graduation ceremony with her friends, but she didn't seem to care.

On the way home, I called work, and had Joyce sign me out on two weeks vacation. I didn't expect to be gone that long, but it made sense to have a small buffer. Sharon already had most of her things set aside that she was taking with her, so it was fairly easy to load the car. Under the circumstances, I would feel a lot better knowing that Sharon was a thousand miles away, safe in school. There was no problem getting her in the dorm early.

Old man McElhaney, across the street from the house, was more than happy to take in the mail and newspaper, while I was gone. It was a long days drive to get to Iowa, but with both of us driving, it went pretty fast. The drive home alone was a lot longer, or so it seemed.

Home, as I knew it, was no longer there. All that was left of the house, was a pile of burnt lumber, and a whole lot of yellow tape. I guess I should have given old McElhaney my cell phone number, before I left. It was late, so I grabbed a motel room for the night. There would be plenty of time in the morning to talk to the authorities. It seems that Marsha Toliver knew her husband pretty well.

After a hardy breakfast, I gave Joyce a call. Everything in the office was fine but Frank Toliver had been arrested. She didn't know much more than that. She said I owed her a supper. I called the Mapes house and Brian answered.

"Hey good buddy. Glad to see you are out of jail. I was hoping you could bring me up to snuff on what is going on. How come you are in the house? I thought Candice would have kicked you out."

"John, were you home yet? Your house is gone."

"Yeah, I know. I had to stay in a motel last night."

"Well, you are welcome to come over here. Candice and Julie moved in with their parents. Only problem is, Julie is in jail right now, along with her boyfriend."

"I'll tell you what, Brian. I'll come over later this afternoon, and you can bring me up to date on everything."

It was going to be a busy day. First stop was at the bank to see if I had any money left. Luckily, Julie hadn't got into that pot. I closed out all the accounts and credit cards. At least I would have some walking around cash. I canceled Julie's cell phone and paid the penalty. I didn't see any reason to change my cell phone number. After the trip, I figured nobody knew it anyhow.

I stopped by the police department to see if there were any papers I needed to sign or information to give. A guy in a suit and tie talked to me for about twenty minutes and I was gone. Old McElhaney did a good job for me. He watched Julie and Frank go into the house. He even wrote down Frank's license plate number. Julie carried out a couple of loads of clothing, and then they set the place on fire. They did it late at night, but McElhaney never misses anything. For once, I was glad to have a nosey neighbor. Julie admitted to the police, that they did it, but it was for revenge, since I had burned down Frank's house.

I called Brian and told him to meet me at Dreamland Bar-B-Q. I felt like treating. He brought me up to date in no time. Candice wanted a divorce. He agreed to it if she would drop the assault charges. Now they just had to wait for the proper time to pass. At this point, I didn't know if Julie wanted a divorce or not. I know that I did. Candice and Julie were living with their parents, but it was not a bed of roses. When their father found out what was going on, he blew his stack. Right now, Candice is at the house, recuperating, and Julie is sitting in jail, waiting for her father to post bail. I was enjoying the way things were working out. I called Sharon and told her about the house.

Joyce was glad to see me the next morning. I was able to catch up with all my work in no time. The company decided to let Frank go. I didn't know what reason they used. His break room cronies were avoiding me like the plague. I loved it.

Julie's dad called me to see if I could help out with her bail. I told him that the only way I could raise the money was with a second mortgage, which I was sure the bank would not approve. He didn't appreciate the sarcasm, but I think he understood. He must have been desperate to call me.

After lunch I stopped at my lawyers and had the divorce papers started. I called Julie's dad and told him that I would post the bail money, if she would sign the divorce papers. He seemed to appreciate that I had come up with a compromise that could help the situation. I told him that if he could convince her to go along with it, that I would have everything ready the next afternoon. An hour later, he called back with the OK.

The insurance company was up in the air about the claim. I insisted that Frank burnt down the house, and Julie was not actively involved, but they didn't buy it. I ended up backing off, so they could settle it in-house. I was a little numb at this point, and just wanted everything to be over.

Out of the blue, the company asked me if I was interested in a transfer to Huntsville. That was unexpected, but I was glad for the vote of confidence, since it was a nice promotion. Joyce wanted to come along.

Over the next month, things normalized. Candice recovered from her deserved beating, with a new respect for her soon to be ex-husband. Clayton Simmons was found beaten badly behind a local strip joint. He couldn't, or wouldn't, identify the person that did it. Brian and I joined the local health club that the girls used to go to. Two days later, two of the regular members decided to quit. We let our membership lapse after that.

For some strange reason, my automobile insurance company decided to compensate me for the loss of the Mustang. Although I bought it for Julie, it was still in my name. The homeowners insurance is still up in the air.

Julie turned state's evidence against Frank, and ended up with two years probation. Frank ended up with seven to ten years.

Next week, Joyce and I leave for Huntsville. I would love to tell you all about our whirlwind romance, but I will save that for another time. She wants me to buy her a 1969 Camaro. I am thinking about it.