Nobody Done No Wrong

"Have fun together."

"I guess the answer to that question has to be that we won't know unless we try."

"Well for a start we can try dancing. The band is quite good. You can dance can't you?"

"I can."

"I wondered. You haven't danced since you got here."

My ears perked up at that. She had been watching me? Why? She must have read the expression on my face because she said, "I saw you when you arrived and I noticed that you were alone. I had to ask myself why such an attractive man was alone at a party like this. I asked Samantha about you and then asked her to introduce us."

The band had just come back from a break and so I said, "Sammi did tell us to have fun so let's try" and I led her out onto the dance floor. We moved like we were made as a pair and we danced damned near every dance until the reception was over. I asked Annie if she would like to meet somewhere for coffee and she suggested the Waffle House on Fourth. We sat and talked for an hour and I learned that she was an only child and that her parents were dead. She was a CPA for Apollo Industries, was allergic to animal hair, was a big fan of Dixieland and bluegrass music, could not stand rap or hip-hop and preferred action movies over chic flicks. Her idea of a quiet night at home was to curl up on the couch with a good book.

What she learned about me was that I was an animal lover – dogs and cats – and was in fact looking for a Siberian Husky since my last dog had passed due to old age. She learned that I didn't care at all for bluegrass because all of the singers seemed to have whiney voices and half the words didn't make sense. I liked classical music and golden oldies and my idea of a quiet evening at home was to not be there. I'd rather be out bowling, shooting eight ball at Bud's Bar or tossing darts in the dart league at Shorty's Bar and Grill.

As we talked I realized that Sam had it pegged. We were really not a fit. Despite all the differences she did say yes when I asked her for a date. The first date went well and so did the second, third, fourth and fifth. I behaved myself because I didn't want to do anything that might scare her away. I knew that she had to know that I was interested in her – very interested – because of the hardness she'd felt every time we danced. We had kissed and necked, but I had always kept my hands from where they wanted to go. I kept wanting to make a move, but I was scared to.

I don't know how much longer things would have gone on like that if Annie hadn't taken the bull by the horns. We were necking in the parking lot at her apartment when Annie broke the kiss and said:

"Do you ever plan on doing any more than what we are already doing?"

I knew what she was asking, but still afraid of doing something wrong I said:

"What do you mean?"

"You know damned well what I mean Jake. I want more out of this relationship than I'm getting and if you don't feel the same way I need to know and I need to know it now."

There are times when you have to stop being afraid and man up and this was one of those times. I laid it all out for her. How I felt and what my fears were. She looked at me like she thought I was brain dead and then said:

"You stupid, stupid man. Do you realize how much time we have wasted because of that?"

She opened the door to get out of the car and I just sat there and watched while I thought, "Way to go Jake. You just had to go and fuck things up didn't you." Once she was out of the car she leaned back in and said;

"Are you coming or not?"

Miss Annabelle Sims was a tiger in the sack. She did it all and she let me know that she expected a hundred and ten percent from me. She got a hundred and five and seemed to settle for it. When I was completely drained and she couldn't get me up again I got up and started to get dressed and she asked:

"What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed to go home."

"Get your butt back on this bed. I'm not done with you yet. We'll get a good night's rest and then see what you can do in the morning,"

I wisely let my trousers hit the floor and then climbed in next to her.

For the next three months we dated several times a week and the dates usually ended up in her bed or mine. I'd been thinking on it for a while so one evening I put it out there.

"Why are we wasting money on two apartments when we could be paying for just one?"

"Is that a proposal of some kind?"

"Well the thought was to move in and live together long enough to see if you could stand to have me around 24/7, but I willing to go straight to the ring and knee thing if you would rather."

"I would rather."

We decided on a simple civil ceremony and then a big party for family and friends. Sam and Sammi went with us to act as witnesses although Sammi did bitch at having to miss a day at work to do it. I told her to hush up.

"It is your punishment for putting us together in the first place."

"And for that you owe me big time and don't you ever forget it."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Annie and I gave up our apartments, leased a condo and started saving for a house. We talked about kids and decided to wait a while. We wanted some time to see and do things before settling down and we wanted to be a little more financially secure before taking that step.

The first four years were great. We went places and did things. We took vacations in Mexico, England and Spain. Annie and I were both doing well in the corporate world and we were financially stable and I brought up having children again. Annie said she wanted to hold off a little longer. She was busting her butt to become the next vice president of finance and she didn't need the distraction that pregnancy would bring. I guessed that I could understand that some. I was climbing the ladder at XYZ and it was taking more and more of my time. I'd moved up from account rep to team leader and then to supervisor. From supervisor I'd moved to manager and as a manager I'd done well enough that I was being considered for the director's slot when Phil Gibbons retired. "What the hell" I thought, "We are still young enough we can wait a while longer.

A couple of more years went by and both of us worked hard at becoming successes, but it came at a cost. Annie and I were spending more time away from each other than we were spending with each other. We didn't go places and do things with each other anymore. We hadn't been on a vacation in three years. Work seemed to interfere with everything.

Annie's job was requiring more and more travel as she went from one corporate office to another performing audits. Our eighth anniversary found her in Chicago and she was in Detroit on our ninth. She was in Memphis on her birthday and in Tampa on mine. Even when she was at home and we had plans to do something half the time I would get a call saying that a problem had come up and she would be late.

Out tenth anniversary was the last straw for me. We both had to work that day, but we were going to meet at Maxim's for dinner and then go to the Grotto for drinks and dancing. Our reservation was for seven and I got there early and arranged for the diamond bracelet I'd purchased for an anniversary gift to be delivered with the dessert. Seven came and went with no Annie. At seven-thirty I called her cell and got her voicemail. At eight still no Annie so I got up and went home. At ten-thirty I went to bed – alone!

Something woke me up and I glance at the clock. It read two-thirty. The something that woke me up was Annie getting undressed to come to bed. She smiled at me and I scowled at her, turned my back to her and tried to go back to sleep. Annie got into bed and moved to snuggle up to me and her hand reached for my cock, but I moved away from her and snarled at her.

"Leave me the fuck alone!"

I eventually fell asleep, but I didn't sleep all that well. When the alarm woke me up I went down into the kitchen and put on the coffee. I was pouring my first cup when Annie came into the room. What she said set the tone for what followed. Not Good morning honey but:

"What was with the Grumpy Gus attitude last night?"

"Where were you last night?"

"I went out with some of the girls from work to celebrate."

"You went out with people from work to celebrate our anniversary?"

"No silly. To celebrate my promotion. You are looking at the new VP of Finance."

I stared at her for a few seconds and then shook my head as I said out loud to myself, "Unfucking real."

"What does that mean?"

"You completely forgot that yesterday was our anniversary and you were supposed to meet me at Maxim's at seven? And then to compound things you couldn't even be bothered to call me and tell me why you weren't going to show. You couldn't even call me and ask me to come and celebrate with you?"

As I said that I saw the expression that came over her face and I read it all too well. "Why is the asshole trying to ruin my moment of achievement?" At that very instant I knew what the future had in store. Now that she was VP of Finance she would work just as hard to become Chief Financial Officer or maybe even CEO of the fucking company. Bottom line, if the previous day was an indication, I was going to be an after-thought if she thought of me at all. I had to ask myself if I was willing to go on the way we had been going and the answer I got was no.

Our life wasn't bad. We got along. There was affection there, but there didn't seem to be an abiding love, at least not on Annie's part. We had sex a couple of times a week, but all it was – at least all it seemed to be to me – was fucking. There didn't seem to be any love in it on Annie's part. So even though our life wasn't bad it wasn't anywhere near what I wanted for myself. I made up my mind to seek an attorney's advice.

I found out that things would be fairly easy if Annie didn't fight things, but then why would she? She would be freed up to concentrate on her quest. We had never gotten a home and were still leasing the condo. We each had retirement plans and 401ks. True, she was making more than I was with her new promotion, but all that meant is that I wouldn't be paying any alimony. All we had to do was split what we had fifty/fifty and walk away. She would keep her car and I'd keep mine. She would keep her retirement and 401k and I'd keep mine. She would keep her personal things and I'd keep mine. We would split what we had in the bank and it would be over.

I do admit that I was somewhat disappointed when I brought the subject up to Annie and all I got from her was "That would probably be for the best."

I paid the lawyer and court costs, things were split and it was over. As I left the court room I remembered the words of a George Straight song:

"No fault no blame, nobody done no wrong.

That's just the way it sometimes goes.

Sometimes two people just don't get along.

It's time to hit the road

Farewell, so long, via condios, goodbye

Wish you well, take it slow

Easy come girl, easy go."