Sleeping Lamborghini

"Gail. Why are you here?"

Mostly to explain what happened, but also to talk about the divorce."

"Let's do the divorce thing first. What do you want?"

"I don't want the house or the furniture, and you can keep all of the money that is left."

"That will leave you with nothing."

"I couldn't make the mortgage payments and I don't want to be bothered with having to sell it. I will probably be away for a few years and won't be able to use it anyhow."

"Okay. I'll have Seymour change it. Anything else?"

"No. Just make it as quick and painless as possible."

"Are you sure you don't want a beer?"

"No. Garry, I am sorry about Harrington. It was wrong and I have no excuse."

"There must have been a reason?"

"I know. I thought about that a lot. Harrington and I were always good together. We were friends and understood each other. The sex was always great, not just good, but great."

"And between us?"

"Garry we made love. Gibby and I didn't do that; we just had sex. I know that sounds like a tired old cliché, but it's true. Sometimes, when you and I made love, it was so good, that I would find myself saying his name. I knew when it happened and always felt bad about it. It was a reflex that I couldn't help."

"So what you are saying is that I was a better lover, but Harrington was a better sex partner?"

"It sounds so juvenile when you say it that way, but that is about it."

"Were you planning on going away with him?"

"Oh hell no! He was great in the sack, but there is no way in hell I would ever choose to live with him. You were a perfect husband, father, and provider. I would never give that up."

"But you threw it away."

Now she was crying. It was controlled, but it was crying.

"It was twenty years since Gibby and I were together. I wanted to experience the thrill of unabashed sex one more time before we settled into our golden age."

"We are still in our forties. What the hell are you talking about?"

"I wasn't sure if I would ever see him again."

"Now you are just talking bullshit. You can babble about all the silly little reasons why you did it, but it will not make any difference. You cheated. It is cut and dry. I really don't want to hear anymore. Are you done yet?"

"Yes. I am done. I won't bother you any more, but I do know that it was you."

"What does that mean?"

"You burned the garage down. You set the whole thing up. I can't blame you. You were fully justified in everything that you did, but you did do it. You weren't just a victim. I have been married to you for almost twenty-five years and I know you better than you think."

"Are you saying that I set you up?"

"You know that you did and so do I."

"What did you tell the police?"

"Nothing. Who would believe me? You made such a good victim that I wouldn't stand a chance."

I finished my beer and leaned back in my chair smiling at her. There is no way in hell that I was going to admit anything.

"Garry. How did you know that Harrington and I were having sex if you were unconscious in the bedroom?"

I sat there with the silly grin on my face.

"When the EMT people took you out of the house, you had your shoes on. When Gibby and I put you to bed, I took your shoes off. How did they get back on, Garry?"

That shrewd deduction got her a shrug to go along with the grin.

"You didn't drink the Gin and Tonic that I gave you. Somehow you knew that it had been tampered with. You tricked us into thinking that you had finished it off, but you never did. Did you?"

I got up and dropped my empty into the trash can.

"You knew that I was going to be having sex with Harrington and you did nothing to stop it. What does that make you, Garry. What kind of husband would let his wife have sex with another man if he had the power to stop it?"

Her weepy facade had been replaced with arrogance. It wasn't pretty.

"Okay. I understand now. This is all my fault because I didn't stop you. You set up this whole thing so that you could have an orgy with your old boyfriend and now it is all my fault because I didn't stop you."

The arrogance disappeared as fast as it came. "Oh God. I didn't say that? I didn't say that, did I? I am so sorry Garry. That is not what I meant. When I said that, I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean that. Honest."

I got up from the table and started to leave the room. I turned slightly to look at her. "I think you better leave now. I have had enough consoling for one night."

I heard her crying as I walked into the bedroom. A few moments later, I heard the front door close.

Three months later, I was a single man. I sold the house, but didn't make any money on the deal. Gail received a sentence of three years for conspiracy to do something, but it was suspended at my recommendation. She is now living with her parents and working for one of the local banks. Harrington was more than happy to settle the law suit for five hundred thousand dollars. Somehow or other, I ended up with less than four hundred thousand. Now I know why Seymour was smiling. Harrington disappeared to his estate in Cornwall where he raised polo ponies. I don't believe he ever contacted Gail again.

Once things got settled down, I was able to arrange a transfer within the company to Dallas. Grace and Garry Junior have remained close to their mother, but I haven't spoken to her since the trial.