Two Christmases

"My attorney wondered if I should be trying to renegotiate the whole settlement," I said. "I mean what I did was bad but you're doing it too. Maybe a judge would look at it like it was all a wash. I cheated on you. You moved a woman and her kids in with you before the divorce papers were even signed."

"That's only a temporary arrangement until she moves into her apartment," he said. "I'm looking for a house for myself."

"Alan, our divorce will be final in 90 days," I said. "After five years, surely you could have done me the courtesy of waiting 90 days before you moved your lover in with you."

"Not that it's any of your business he said, but I didn't meet her until Christmas day, actually I did meet her before that but you were with me."

"When was that?" I asked.

"Remember a few weeks ago when we had lunch in the restaurant in my building?" he said.

"Yes, I remember that," I said. "You didn't take my side against some waitress and I left."

"She was the waitress," he said. I knew that he was crazy then. And this was just a fling. I imagined her falling long and hard when I got him back. I also no longer saw her as a threat.

"Just wait until our divorce is final before you move your waitress in with you," I said. "If you don't, it'll probably cost you."

"Why do you have to be such an asshole?" he asked.

"Because, I love you Alan," I said. "I'm going to fight to get you back. I'm just being honest with you. No matter what happens, no matter how long it takes, there's one thing you can count on, I want you back. So when you're done with your little girlfriend, I'll be here waiting for you. I want us to try to be friends, but I want you back. I will not be dating anyone or sleeping with anyone. I made that mistake once and it cost me my marriage."

"However, I will not make it easy for you to find someone to replace me. I'm sorry and I know that you'll be angry at me for this but I can't help it. I love you and I always will. Tell Cassie that I'm not a bad person. I don't dislike her because I've never really met her. I just want what's mine. And that's you. I'm sorry again, Honey. But I'm being honest with you."

He was quiet. I could tell that me knowing Cassie's name had gotten to him. "Alan, I could have simply filed some kind of injunction with my lawyer behind your back. But that would have been sneaking around behind your back and I've already learned that you don't like that. So try not to judge me too harshly on this one. At least I did it in the open. I love you." As I hung up, I couldn't help but laugh. I'd actually floored him.

I had almost arrived back at my office a few minutes later when the call came in.

"You'll never guess what just happened," said Josh. "I'd arranged an apartment for Cassie a few days ago and Alan was dickering on when she'd actually move in. I didn't care, but I do get a finder's fee for finding tenants to that complex so that's cool. Anyway, Alan just called me back and told me he wants to move her in tomorrow."

I smiled. I had an idea now about why old men like to play chess so much. It was kind of fun moving the pieces around the board. My last move had helped a lot. With two small children, and living in separate places, it would really cut down on Alan's chances to fuck that waitress. So her chances of getting pregnant by my husband had decreased.

* * * * * *

Alan

"What a fucking bitch!" I yelled. Then I apologized to everyone around me. Cassie immediately came over to me and refilled the water glass that I hadn't taken a sip from.

"What's wrong Honey?" she asked. "I've never heard you yell like that."

I looked up at her and noticed again how beautiful she is. Half of the restaurant's regulars thought she was a new waitress and the rest were wondering why she'd changed. I think that question was answered when she came over and kissed me after explaining to the woman whose section I'd sat in that she could still have her tip.

As I'd eaten my lunch, she'd come over to chat as often as she could. We were both nervous about how things would go tonight. Besides being her first day back at work, this would also be her first night at school. She was very anxious about it. Becca who was in the first grade had tried to give her aunt the benefit of her knowledge.

"Sit up straight so you can see the board, Aunt Cassie," she'd said.

Timmy had told her to make sure she put the toys back in the box when she was done with them. Our day was going to be hectic. Cassie would leave work at four and pick the kids up. She'd swing back and pick me up by four thirty and drop us off at the house. I'd watch the kids then while she went to school. I'd be responsible for getting their dinner and getting them ready for bed. Cassie would be done at eight and hopefully home by eight thirty when the kids went to bed. She should be there just in time for good night kisses if everything worked out the way we'd planned it.

"Liz is at it again," I told her. I explained the whole thing to her almost word for word.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Is that your only reaction?" I asked. She put her hand on my shoulder to calm me down.

"It had to happen sooner or later," she said. "At least this way we get everything taken care of while you still like me."

I looked at her like she had fallen down the stairs and landed on her head and was just spouting absolute gibberish.

"What are YOU talking about now?" I asked. She sat down at the table near me.

"Alan, we met on Christmas day, it's January third," she said. "We've been together for ten days. There are so many things about you that I don't know. There are a lot of things about me that you don't know. We are very different. We come from different backgrounds. You make long range plans. You told me about the whole plan that you and Liz had for your lives. My God, you guys sat down at my age and figured out what you wanted to do with the rest of your lives. For me, long range planning is deciding what to make for dinner that night before we get home and see what we actually have in the cabinet." I smiled.

"Nine days ago, after knowing you for only one day, I offered you a no strings relationship and you've given me so much more than that. You gave me more than a place to sleep for a couple of nights. You've given me an entire life. You got me and my kids a place to stay, me a job as soon as I'm done with school and you even paid for school. Are you a saint or something?"

"This isn't the nicest restaurant in the city," she smirked. "And most of the people around here know that you don't really fit in here. You're just too uptown for this neck of the woods. I knew that sooner or later the bubble would burst and you'd need to go. I just thought it would be when you got tired of fucking me. But to be realistic, if I was your wife, I wouldn't let you go without a fight either." I could see tears forming in her eyes.

"Cassie, have I ever slapped you?" I asked.

"Of course not," she said. "You're not the type. Trust me, I know the type."

"Now would be a good time for me to start then," I said. "Lean your face over here."

"Why would you want to hit me?" she asked.

"Because you're talking shit, so maybe I should slap the shit OUT of you," I said.

"We're going to move you into your apartment, but only to get this fucking divorce handled. In the meantime, I'm going to start looking for a house. The kids don't need to grow up in an apartment. We need a house with a yard, where they can play and have a dog. Don't you want a dog Cassie? We could have one of those little scruffy frou-frou ankle biting mutts that are totally useless."

"No, we'd have to have a big, loyal but fierce German shepherd," she said smiling. Then she looked at me.

"Alan, why are you saying all of this?" she asked.

"Because, dummy, you just lied to me," I said and I needed the truth.

"I don't lie," she said. "I might not always tell the whole truth but I don't lie. What lie did I tell?"

"You said that if you were my wife, you'd never let me go without a fight, but you're ready to just roll over and let her win," I said. "So, we have to wait for my divorce to end; big deal. Instead of us sleeping in the same room or the same house, we live in separate places. Let's look at it like not seeing the bride before the wedding. And it will only be for ninety days. It was supposed to be sixty but Liz and her fucking lawyer messed with the mix."

"Besides, it will take us a lot of that time just to find and close on our house anyway," I threw in.

"I guess it won't be that bad," she said. "You'll visit us every day right?"

"The only thing I won't do is sleep there," I said.

"But you will spend at least some time in my bed, right?" she said. "After all, you've not only seen the bride, you've fucked her and got her addicted to you."

"No I haven't," I said. She just tilted her head like I was trying to get out of something.

"I've made love to the bride," I said. Then it started. She lowered her head and started crying. Before I could even say anything, the big guy behind the counter jumped over the counter and took a swing at me. I jumped backwards but only by reflex and got my guard up in time to block a second swing. I punched him in the solar plexus as hard as I could. That took the wind out of him.

"You rich guys are all the same," he said. "Get out of here and leave her alone. If you ever come back in here, I'll beat your ass with a club. Now get!"

"Are you high?" asked Cassie. "Steve, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Cassie, he had you crying," said Steve. He looked at me in confusion.

I shrugged my shoulders, because I didn't know either.

"He just told me he loves me," said Cassie.

"No I didn't," I said.

"Yes you did," she said.

"Well do ya?" asked Steve.

"Yes," I said.

"I'm going back to work," said Steve, rubbing his chest.

"Me too," I said.

"Your lunch is on me tomorrow," he said turning away. "But don't order the steak."

"It's not really steak," whispered Cassie. Her smile lit up the entire restaurant. I handed her, the keys to the Jeep.

"Drive safely," I said.

"Do you want me to be safe because you love me?" she asked. "Or because you're worried about your Jeep?"

"Both," I said.

"Alan," she said as I started to leave. "I love you too. It feels good doesn't it?" I nodded. But at the same time, I was confused. And I had a lot to think about. Just under two weeks ago, I would have sworn that I was in love; but with a different woman. This time it felt weird. It was suffocating and all encompassing. I could feel it. The love I'd had for Elizabeth was portable. I could take it out of my pocket and look at it. I could examine it. It made sense. We were both nice normal people, we looked good together and we liked all of the same things. Our lives were already on somewhat parallel paths. It therefore made sense for the two of us to be together.

But Cassie? What I felt for her was completely and utterly different. We had very little in common and I had no idea where she'd intended for her life to go. But I could honestly say that at that moment, she and the kids were my life. My feelings for her wouldn't fit in my pocket. Shit, they probably wouldn't have fit in the building. It had just come out of nowhere, but it was here and it would not be denied.

When it came to Elizabeth, as I said, we were both heading in the same direction towards the same point in our lives. Again it made sense for the two of us to be together. With Cassie, I no longer knew where my life was headed any more than I knew where hers was but the journey and getting there together was far more important than the destination.

We moved Cassie and the kids into the apartment the next day. To save money, I continued to live at my parents' house. Cassie took to school like a duck takes to water. She finished the six week program in less than five weeks. The program taught computer skills, office procedures, file systems, record keeping and a few other essential skills.

Cassie became the receptionist for my best friend Josh. One of the reasons that I'd gotten her the job there was because I knew that Josh would look out for her. I also knew that Cassie had no experience in business and she had a few rough edges that might need to be smoothed out. Josh would give the feedback she needed and he'd be fair too.

Over the next few months, we all grew closer together and our little family simply blossomed. When April came around and brought spring with it, my parents came home. They loved Cassie on sight and the kids were instantly grandchildren. My parents began spoiling them from the first day and often volunteered to watch them over night or for the weekend so Cassie and I would have time together.

Cassie came out of her shell like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Before summer hit, she'd become just as fashionable and stylish as the other women in her office. The only thing that put a damper on our happiness was that the divorce seemed to be dragging on and on. At first, I'd been told that our divorce could be final in sixty days. Then, Elizabeth's lawyer did something and it was ninety days. It turned out that he'd thought he'd filed her portion of the paper work but hadn't, so by the end of May we were still not living together. I knew that it would only be a matter of time though, so I didn't worry. We had found the perfect house for us and were working on it to get it ready for us to occupy. If I'd known what was about to happen, I'd probably never have put the down payment on it.

* * * * * *

Elizabeth

My fucking plan had failed. There were no two ways to look at it. My strategy of letting nature take its course had been far too passive. Even I had to admit that the little bitch wasn't out to use Alan. She was crazy about him. I'd heard from some of the people who worked with her that she sat at her desk writing his name over and over like high school girls do. Over the course of a few months, she'd gone from low class to stylish, as well. And then there was the other problem. People liked her. My own God damned mother and sister had run into her and discovered who she was. She'd been wearing Alan's Leather Mustang jacket and they saw it.

Sarah told her that she knew a guy with a jacket just like it. He was her brother in law. His name was Alan Taylor. Cassie had smiled and Sarah had known right away that it was Alan's jacket. She'd introduced her to my mom and they ended up having lunch. I couldn't believe that my own family was interacting with the bitch that was trying to steal my husband right from under my nose.

And Alan was going equally nutty over her. He'd taken her to all of the social events that our friends attended. It was beginning to get on my nerves. The one good thing that I could really admit was the fact that she kept him away from any women in our circle who could be considered a serious threat. There was also the fact that I called Alan every week or so and he'd gotten to the point where the hatred in his voice had gone away. He had, I believed, gotten past what I'd done. The wound was probably still there but it wasn't as raw or as painful.

So the little bitch had done her job and it was time for me to reclaim what was mine. Of course, the best way to do that would be to get her away from him, which on the surface didn't seem feasible. For the past two weeks, I'd had a team of investigators looking up her ass. At first, they didn't find anything. She wasn't sneaking around on Alan and she really did seem to love him. She had no criminal record. She'd apparently never done drugs and according to Josh, she doesn't drink alcohol at all.

I was beginning to become frustrated. Besides the PI, I was pumping Josh for all of the information I could get. Josh was beginning to turn, I could feel it. He was actually saying nice things about the little bitch. He once told me that he thought that she might be the kind of woman that he could settle down with and not feel trapped. I reminded him then that if he truly wanted a shot with her, he'd have to continue to help me break her and Alan up.

When June rolled around, the worst day of my life happened. My divorce was finalized. My attorney had put it off for as long as was legally possible. I called Alan and congratulated him. He sounded really happy over the phone. We had a really nice conversation and I kept him on the phone for as long as I could. He was funny and nice and it just reminded me of all the reasons why I loved him and needed to hold onto him.

He even told me that my mom and sister were coming over for a barbecue and he'd love it if I'd come too. I told him that I'd love to and I could help him host it. He reminded me about Cassie being there, as if I'd forgotten. He told me he'd give me a call when they got back because they were taking a week off to take the kids to Disney World.

After I hung up the phone, I was angrier than I'd ever been in my life. Never in life had I been denied anything that I really wanted and this one was too important to be the first. My delaying tactics had pushed a divorce that should have been granted in two months back to over six months. I'd been successful in that. I had, as evidenced by the phone call, managed to stay in contact with Alan until his anger had abated. The major parts of my strategy, though they'd taken longer than expected, had been accomplished. The problem was that I had underestimated Cassie. I'd written her off as no threat because she wasn't from our circle or our background, but the little bitch was gaining ground on me with every second.

I now had to admit that in a straight up fight, she could probably beat me. Not that she was better than me, but because I had a huge disadvantage. I had cheated on Alan and gotten caught doing it. As I sat there, I thought about what I could do to even things up. I looked at the PI's report again for the hundredth time. I knew everything there was to know about her. I even had a copy of her medical records that had been obtained through Josh. She worked for Josh, so when she'd become eligible for insurance coverage, she'd had to take a physical. Josh also knew one of the nurses at the clinic she used.

I started to think that maybe I might lose and then it hit me. It had been staring me in the face all the time. Josh and I had several conversations about her. In one of them, he'd told me that we should probably out her for lying. Josh told me that he'd dated several women who denied having children, because a lot of guys wouldn't date women who had kids. Some of those women claimed that their kids were nieces or nephews and only revealed that the kids were theirs after a guy had gotten used to them.

Josh was sure that was the case with Cassie. She was paying the fees for a family plan that included the kids, so they probably were hers. I looked through her medical records and found out that we'd been wrong all along. Cassie had been telling the truth. She'd never given birth.

I sensed that I was on to something though, so I continued to dig. Then it hit me. The insurance forms included copies of the kids' birth certificates. The mother was listed as Sissy Martin, Cassie's sister apparently. The father was Jared Grubs. I sent both names to my PI for background checks. I had a feeling in the bottom of my soul that this was what I'd been looking for.

The report came back in two weeks, so it was nearly July when I found out. Sissy Martin, the kids' mother was indeed Cassie's sister. In fact, she was a twin sister. I just imagined two little black haired girls, Sissy and Cassie. It was disgustingly sweet.

Their father, Jared Grubs, was currently in prison and that was where it started to get interesting. Grubs was in prison for assault. It turned out that he had a history of beating his women. He'd never actually married Sissy even though they had two children together. He'd sent her to the hospital a few times during their time together. The last time he'd hit her, she'd just come back from the hospital after giving birth to their second child. Her family had been urging her to leave him. The speculation was that she'd brought the subject of moving out up and he'd flown into a fit of rage and started hitting her.