Requital

"First off, theonlything I will tolerate here is the truth. I hope that is clear. That is because if there is to be any chance of getting your marriage back on track, total…complete honesty has to be the basic component of any and all communication between the two of you.Is that understood?" he asked, looking from Barbara to Steve and back again twice.

"Fine with me," Steve said. Barbara nodded her assent.

"Good," Houston said firmly. "Then let's get started." He rubbed his hands together as if relishing the journey upon which they were about to embark.

"Now, Mrs. Curtis…what is the single most disruptive problem with your marriage to Steve…what has brought you two to this point?" Barbara had not been expecting the question. She looked at the counselor blankly for a long moment.

"I…he…that is…I made a big mistake in seeing this guy. My husband caught us and assumed the worst possible thing was happening and he attacked me and that guy," Barbara said. Her voice got stronger the longer she talked.

Steve was about to make a heated remark but stopped. Mr. Houston was holding up his hand, palm out, to Steve.

"Please, Mr. Curtis," he said. "Let your wife define the problem as she sees it, then we will hear your point of view. You'll have all the time you need to tell your wife how you feel about things, all right?"

Steve took a deep breath to calm himself and closed his eyes. Biting his lip, he nodded.

"Fine…fine," Mr. Houston said approvingly. "If everyone plays by the rules, everything goes much smoother. Barbara, please continue."

"Uh…well, that's basically it," she said. She was silent for a bit while she turned something over in her mind. "I admit I did something wrong," she said finally. "I shouldn't have gone out there with Rafe…with that man…but my husband stopped things before I could have even possibly done anything really bad." She paused before continuing.

"And I…he won't believe me when I say I'm very glad…thankful that hedidstop things from happening even though I don't think I would have…like Steve thinks…I wouldn't have had any actual sex with him…Rafe." She was quiet.

"Is that all, Mrs. Curtis?" the counselor asked. Barbara nodded.

"Except that I love my husband. He's the only man I love, even though he won't believe me…and I just want to put this behind us so we can get back together and get on with our lives," she said. "The big problem is he can't understand that I won't ever do anything like this again," she added.

"And when you look at it, nothing really happened. I didn't have any sex with the man I was with. My husband can't see that. He can't see that…from everyone else's point of view…he's making too much of something that didn't happen. If he would just understand that, we could be so happy together." She gestured to indicate she was finished. Mr. Houston turned to Steve.

"Steve, what is the biggest problem in your marriage with Barbara?"

"My wife forms…uh…inappropriate…relationships with other men. She gives them the respect, time, affection, and sex that she should be sharing with me and then lies to me and everyone else about what she's doing," Steve said quietly. He'd had time to think while Barbara went through her monologue.

"This is my wife's third strike," he said after a bit. "It's the third time she's let another man come between us…well…the third that I can put a name and a face to. I'm pretty sure there is a fourth, but I can't figure out who it was.

"All the signs were there when I got back from a long trip in March and April. My dear wife couldn't stand to be around me, wouldn't talk to me, and certainly wouldn't agree to make love to me…but I didn't actually catch her cheating on me so I'm only counting three times. On the other hand, three times is more than enough. I'm finished with this marriage. Barbara can find some other man to screw around on," he said in a neutral tone.

Barbara's mouth had opened wider as her husband went through his accusations. She began shaking her head the longer Steve talked.

"No," she said firmly, "that's not true," she protested. Mr. Houston started to ask her to be quiet while Steve spoke but Steve turned to his wife too quickly.

"Thad Brown…while we were dating," he said firmly. He held up the forefinger on his right hand.

"I caught you kissing and hugging him oneweekafter we agreed to be exclusive," Steve told her. "I didn't see any actual sex, but what Ididsee on a Friday night when you broke a date with me to meet an old boyfriend from high school was plenty."

"We broke up for something like six months after that," Steve said in an aside to the counselor.

"Number two…Jimmie…what's 'is name…last year just before Christmas," Steve said, turning back to Barbara. The middle finger on his right hand joined the extended forefinger.

"Again, I didn't see any actual sex, but you and he were giving each other affectionate looks, touches, and laughing at jokes at my expense right in front of me!" Steve said harshly.

"I haveyetto get over the disrespect you showed me the night of that party and I'm not sure I ever will. Then…after his "Uncle" chased him off, you defended the twit when we talked about it. You took sides against your husband,dammit." Steve held up a hand when the counselor would have intervened.

"This is nothing she hasn't heard before," Steve told Mr. Houston. "I don't often curse, but Iwilldo it to emphasize a point," he said, "and I won't apologize for doing so.

"Third," he said, returning to the problem, "is this Rafe Porter." Steve let his ring finger link up with the other two to emphasize his words.

"This time…this time, I've got photographic evidence that you were involved with him. You were caught at least twice stroking, caressing, kissing him and generally being all lovey-dovey," Steve went on. His voice was hard, uncompromising.

"That's three times you've betrayed our…our relationship or our marriage…that Iknow of. Hell, Barbara, you're a serial cheater. You've made a habit of it. Huh-uh…no more! Three strikes…and you'reout!" he said emphatically. Steve turned back around to the counselor.

"You ask what the big problem is, sir? Well it's simply this. My wife promised to love, honor, and respect me when we took our wedding vows. She promised to forsakeallothers and she has broken every one of those vows. My wife has betrayed me and our marriage. She lies, she cheats, she has other men that she sets above me, and I will not put up with it any longer. Ishouldhave never gotten back together with her when she cheated on me in college.

"Stupid me," Steve said bitterly. "I loved her and I thought she loved me." He leaned over toward his wife, thrusting his face closer to hers.

"But don't worry, dear," he said mockingly, "I'm learning not to love you. It's a little better every day and pretty soon I won't love you even a little bit." His voice was vicious. Barbara recoiled at the passion in her husband's words and tone.

"I don't trust you," Steve added. "You are a lying bitch, in my humble opinion, and no one can believe a word you say. When you say you wouldn't have had sex with that jerk at the park, you lie. You damned sureweregoing to have sex with him. Everything I saw and everything on the videotape says you were, but you keep denying it in spite of it all.

"And I don't believe you when you say you had neverhadsex with him either," Steve continued. "I have a photograph of him openly stroking the inside of your thigh at that damned garden party or whatever it was. His hand was under your skirt. When I got to you at the park, his pants were down around his ankles and his dick was hanging out of his underwear.

"I don't know if you think I'm stupid, Barbara, or whether you reallyare. A man doesn't take his pants off and he doesn't fondle another man's wife the first few times he's with her. Good ol' Rafe had already had sex with you and I know it. It was a secret thing at first but the pictures and video show he was more confident he could get what he wanted by the time you went off in his car that day. He hadrealgood reason to believe you were going to give it up at the park…and that could only be based on previous sex. Donottry and tell me you never had sex with him. It's too obvious that youdid.

"I know every time you open your mouth that you're lying," Steve continued. "Don't tell me you want to "move on" with our lives. What you want is to cover this all up and pretend it never happened. That won't work this time." He frowned.

"What was it you said…uh…what was it? Oh! I'mmaking too muchof this…something like that? You, your father, your mother…and maybe your grandmother too...I don't remember…they've have all been telling me I'm overreacting. I'm sick of that word. I'mreacting to your lies, to your cheating, to your betrayal, your deceit…and your disrespect. That's notoverreacting…it's just dealing with who and what you are."

Steve breathed deep, let it out, and sat back in his chair. Strangely, he felt better than he had in weeks. Maybe there was something to this airing his personal problems in front of an impartial stranger. Here, Barbara didn't have her family backing her up and ready to jump to her defense all the time.

"That's all," Steve said mildly, looking at the counselor. There was a long silence.

"Okay, we know where we stand then," Mr. Houston said finally. "I think this is a good point to stop for tonight. We have the individual appointments next week and then another get together next Thursday…I would like both of you to think over the next week about the issues your spouse has raised and think of how the other's difficulties can be overcome."

"Wait," Barbara complained. "What about me?" she said indignantly. "Don't I get a chance for my say?"

"You already had it, Mrs. Curtis," the counselor said quietly. "You stated your opinions on the most glaring problem in the relationship and Steve gave his. The best thing we can do now is for each of you to try to find a way to fix the problem for the other person. Neither of you has to defend your point of view. It's enough that those critical problems exist in each other's minds. We have to work on making those go away before we can begin to resolve the other problems that are bothering each of you.

"Honestly," Steve interjected, "or don't bother saying a word." Barbara's temper sparked. Her eyes lit with an inner fire.

"Of course, Mr. Curtis," the counselor said smoothly, "that's understood. There is no other way to find an answer to the things that trouble each of you, right?"

Steve nodded firmly.

Barbara didn't like the way Mr. Houston seemed to be taking her husband's part, but there was nothing she could object to without appearing to be foolish. She agreed reluctantly.

********

"What's that? What's this about a Christmas party?" Lydia asked sharply.

Barbara was sitting in an easy chair in her grandmother's living room while Lydia was perched on the big sofa nearby. Barbara had begun spending more time with her Nony lately. Her father's attitude was slowly hardening in favor of Steve. Barbara couldn't understand that. Daddy was supposed to be onherside, not someone else's.

Mom seemed to have misgivings too. She kept asking why Barbara had been at the fundraiser with this guy Porter and she was frankly aghast that Barbara had been with that man, almost undressed, at the city park. Barbara hoped her granny would be more receptive to Barbara's point of view.

There was no one else to go to this Friday afternoon. Her sister, Kim, was openly hostile and she'd told Barbara on the phone two nights ago that she hoped Steve would go ahead and divorce Barbara. She said Barbara didn't deserve a guy like Steve. It was all very unsettling for Barbara. She'd never had to deal with anything serious without her family's active support.

"What? Oh…the party," Barbara said dismissively.

"Ahhhhhh…well, Steve and I went to the Christmas party for the people where I work and he thought I was paying too much attention to Jimmie Roberts. I wasn't, but Steve thought so…and then he got mad at a joke Jimmie told me and Steve made a complete fool of himself. He as much as invited Jimmie to go outside with him like they were in high school or something," Barbara said disdainfully. "Can you imagine that? And Jimmie was Mr. Reynolds' nephew too…well, his wife's nephew anyway. He was an important man in the firm and Steve was nasty to him."

Lydia digested her granddaughter's explanation for a moment. She asked what the joke was and frowned when Barbara went over the high points of the joke and the "funny" teasing Jimmie had given Steve. Finally, Lydia got up and pushed the big ottoman close to Barbara's chair.

"So tell me…were you and this Jimmie sitting this close?" Lydia asked.

"Oh…yes," Barbara admitted. "But he was the boss's nephew, sorta." Lydia sniffed at the excuse but let it slide.

"Okay…were you and this Jimmie touching each other? How did he happen to be next to you anyway? Wasn't he there with someone?"

"Well…I don't think he had a date or anything," Barbara replied. "I don't know really," she said in a mildly surprised tone. "Uh…Jimmie sat down by me when he came into the big ballroom. There wasn't anything strange about that. Jimmie and I had lunch lots of times and he sat beside me then too. No one said anything aboutthat," Barbara remarked.

"Uh-huh…so were you two touching?"

"No," Barbara objected. "Well, sometimes…but just talking, you know?" Lydia sighed. She moved the ottoman closer.

"So he was like this…" She leaned in her granddaughter's direction, put her arm on the chair's arm close to Barbara's. "Right?"

"Well…yeah…but--"

"And he told you jokes that only you and he shared…only you two were laughing?"

"Oh…I guess," Barbara replied petulantly. "You're making it look like a big deal…and it wasn't."

"And every so often, Jimmie would talk kind of low…like he was talking only to you because you were special?"

As she asked the question, Lydia lowered her voice and leaned in to her granddaughter. Her fingers brushed her granddaughter's arm. Involuntarily, Barbara leaned closer so she could hear what her grandmother was saying. When she realized what she was doing, she blushed.

"Nony!" She pulled away from her grandmother. Lydia chuckled but there was little humor in the laugh.

"If you'd have jerked back like that when Jimmie was putting the moves on you, Steve wouldn't have gotten so pissed off," Lydia remarked.

"But he wasn't putting--" Barbara cut herself off. She was suddenly pensive. Lydia let the silence build for a while. "Oh, heck," Barbara said after a long wait. "He was, wasn't he?"

"Oh, yeah," Lydia responded briskly. "And he thought he could get away with it right in front of your husband too. Now where do you think he might have gotten that idea huh?"

Barbara didn't reply.

"Here's a thought," Lydia said brightly.

"Maybe it was because you had lunch with him all the time…maybe because you laughed all the time at the jokes he told…maybe because you and he liked to talk real low so only you and he could hear…because it wasn't anyone else's business?

"Maybe you said a couple of things about Steve…maybe when he upset you or didn't do something you wanted? Maybe Jimmie got the idea Steve was some kind of joke as a man…a pushover…someone who wasn't quite as smart as the crowd Jimmie liked to think he was a part of? And you too? Did you thinkyouwere part of that crowd but your husband wasn't?"

Barbara looked unhappily at her grandmother.

"Nony," she said in a low voice, "I swear to you I would never have done anything with Jimmie Roberts that wasn't right. I wouldn't ever…"

"But you alreadydiddo something that wasn't right," Lydia interrupted. "The first time you told Jimmie-boy…is that what Steve called him? Uh-huh…sounds like Steve. Anyway, the first time you told Jimmie-boyanythingdisparaging about Steve, you "dissed" your husband. You did it again when you started to meet Jimmie for lunch, or happy hour…or dinner?" Barbara shook her head violently at the suggestion she'd had dinner with him.

"Thank heaven for small miracles. Okay…but then the first time you laughed when Jimmie implied Steve was too dumb to get a joke, you dissed him again, realbad, honey."

"But it was just ajoke," Barbara said, almost crying. "It just got all blown up…"

"It wasn't a joke, Barbara," Lydia said firmly. "Jimmie-boy was trying to build a little fence around you, separate you from everyone else, and most importantly from your husband.Youlet him think he had a real good chance of success of even more."

Barbara looked at her grandmother, appalled at what she was hearing.

"But Nony, it wasn't like that…it wasn't anything serious at all. Steve just took things the wrong way, and…and he didn't have to go ballistic like he did." Lydia snorted derisively.

"Barbara," she said quietly, "when Jimmie-boy said he didn't think Steve was smart enough to understand that joke, why didn't you tell him that your husband was only a few hours away from an architectural engineering degree? How come that wasn't the first thing that popped into your mind, sweetie?" Lydia's voice was softer, but accusatory at the same time. "Why didn't youdefendyour husband when he was attacked…instead of siding with this Jimmie-boy huh?"

Barbara looked away helplessly. A frown creased her forehead as she tried to think…tried to find a way to show her grandmother how wrong she was in what she was saying. No words came to her.

"Honey, you need to get your head on straight and you better do it pretty darned quick," Lydia told Barbara in a brisk tone." She got up from the ottoman and pushed it back into place.

"You don't think that was serious? Young lady, in my day, if I'd done anything like that, my husband would have pulled out his gun and shot Jimmie-boy dead where he stood."

That brought back memories of her husband and Lydia's expression turned sad. Hank had left on a fishing trip seven years ago and never come home. They'd found him a week later, on the riverbank still clutching an old photo of her. The massive stroke had barely left him enough time to retrieve it from an inside pocket. She missed him terribly.

Lydia stood and looked down at her granddaughter.

"What's more, every man at the table would have shaken his hand and congratulated him on solving the problem he had with another man sniffing around his wife," Lydia added.

"Mark my words, Barbara. I love you dearly, but you had better get yourself together or you're going to lose your man. I know Steve's type. He's not going to put up with what you're doing to him."

Barbara stared up at her grandmother. She'd never heard words, or condemnation like this from her Nony before. It hurt. She had nothing to say in return.

Chapter 5 - Early September

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Steve complained. "We've been doing this counseling thing for five weeks now and we're just going round and round in circles." He was looking at Mr. Houston and ignoring Barbara as much as he could.

"But I told you. I understand now that I should never have agreed to meet with Chad…even if it was just to say good-bye," Barbara protested. "I admit it! It was wrong, but I can't go back and change itnow.

"And I was wrong to let Jimmie get so close to me," she added. "I didn't see what he was trying to do. All I thought he was doing was being nice to me whenyouweren't," she said.

Steve didn't say anything. He watched her. He understood her words, but they clearly meant nothing to him. He shook his head wearily.