It was early morning on April 6th.
Our boat had just arrived back in port two weeks early from our standard, one hundred twenty-day silent underwater deployment, cruising the Pacific shelf, on the ready, to silently defend any aggressive movement toward the USA or our Pacific allies.
This was a rare occurrence, and Nuke subs never surfaced before the end of a full tour. But we had an unfortunate illness, so a member of our crew had to be evacuated. Additionally, we have developed several mechanical issues that must be addressed immediately and need outside assistance. So, the command allowed us to return to port early.
It is tough being on a Nuke crew. We had no communication with the outside world for anything, including family emergencies, for the full one hundred and twenty days. It is complete radio silence, and nothing interrupts the mission.
In our case, we could not alert our families that we arrived early to keep up with the standard. We would quietly filter back into the community. There will be a lot of surprises today when we walk into our houses or call families. Some surprises will be welcomed, and some won't be.
We could finally disembark at eleven hundred hours, and my good friend Roman called his wife to pick us up. We live close to each other, so they gave me a ride home.
My wife Trina was working, so I would sneak into the house and plan a surprise for her when she came home tonight. Anna, Roman's wife, arrived, and it was so sweet seeing them embrace and kiss. There would be some serious getting-reacquainted sex at their house tonight, and I hoped that would also happen at home with Trina and me.
They dropped me off, and I entered through the side garage door. My truck was in the garage, and I couldn't wait to drive it. There is nothing like being on dry land in the United States of America. I was so happy to be home. I knew the next six months would fly by, and we would be underwater again for one hundred twenty days.
As I walked into the house, it smelled a little musty, like the windows had not been opened. I was impressed the kitchen was spotless, like it had not been used. I walked through the house and saw the same thing in every room. When I got to our bedroom, it was the same. Immaculate was the word.
I went into the bathroom, and nothing was out of place. The toothbrushes were on the rack, and a new bar of soap was on the tray. I looked in the shower and felt the washcloth hanging on the rack, and it was dry. No standing water was on the floor, and the bar soap was not wet. No one had taken a shower here today, and from what I was sensing, the shower had not been used in a long time. I stepped back out and felt the bath towel hanging on the rack; it was dry and folded perfectly!
A certain feeling crawled up my back, making me shiver, and my breathing picked up.
I walked back into the bedroom, over to Trina's closet. I turned on the light and opened the door. I stood there, shocked. Her closet was almost empty. I moved to her dresser, and most of the drawers were bare.
That certain feeling was no longer crawling up my neck. I could hardly breathe; it was strangling me.
I quickly walked down to our home office and logged onto our computer. It opened and looked like it had the day before I left almost three months ago. I quickly logged onto my bank website and into my accounts. I felt relieved. All the money was still there. My direct deposits were still being made, but Trina's had stopped. I thought that was odd. The mortgage, phone, cell phone, cars, and other payments were being deducted as they should be.
I sat back, feeling somewhat relieved, but what was going on with Trina? At this moment, she had no idea I was home, and that would not last long, a few hours or maybe a day at best.
It was almost 1:30 now, so she would be at work. I decided to shock her and see what would happen. That may tell the tale.
I went to the bathroom and showered. I dressed in Jeans and a polo wearing my docksiders. I got in my truck and went to stir up Trina's world. I pulled into the parking lot a little after 2:20 pm. I drove around looking for her car; it was not there. That was odd. I parked.
I walked into her office, and Evelyn, the receptionist, almost fainted. "Oh my God, Anson, what are you doing here? You are out under the ocean, protecting the world."
"Well, hi to you, Evelyn. And no, as you can see, I am standing on dry land and would like to talk with my wife. Could you tell her I am here, please?"
Evelyn stood and walked quickly back into the maze of offices in quite a huff. I waited a few minutes when Jon Welch walked out, followed by Evelyn. Jon is the co-owner of the business. He stuck out his hand, "How are you, Anson? You are back early; I thought you had a few more weeks."
I looked at Jon and Evelyn, who had slipped back to her seat.
I was getting concerned and a little irritated. I knew they were hiding something and did not know how to explain it. I was tired of waiting.
"All right, where is my wife? I demanded, setting my feet in a defensive position.
Jon looked at me, "Anson, can you come with me so we can talk?"
"No, Jon, I can't. Obviously, everyone in this office knows what I don't know, so privacy is not necessary. I have been living with one hundred and thirty-four men for the last one hundred and sixteen days, so privacy is not an issue for me. So, Jon, tell me as I stand here this minute!"
I braced myself that what I knew could not be good news. I clamped my jaw closed and looked directly into Jon's eyes. I would have no outward reaction to whatever Jon said.
Jon moved to the other side of the lobby area and turned, looking away from Evelyn. I did follow him, giving him some satisfaction. Once I was set and was looking at Jon, he spoke.
"Anson, she is gone." He looked at me with sad eyes.
"Gone, what do you mean, 'gone?'" I asked in a calm, unwavering voice.
"Anson, Trina, and William Jamison have run off together. It happened the first week you were gone. They knew that you could not be contacted, so they had three months to disappear so you could not find them.
I was shocked, and I was not sure I understood what Jon had just told me. My wife, Trina, had run off with Jon's partner William Jamison the week after I left on the one hundred twenty-day cruise." I said to Jon, "Do I have that about right?"
I heard soft sobs. I looked past Jon and saw Evelyn and Janet Taylor, Trina's best friend. They both had Kleenex in their hands, dabbing their cheeks.
Janet said, "Anson, I am so sorry about this. I know they had been to lunch sometimes. Trina ended up being William's date at a New Year's Eve party over a year ago while you were deployed. But I knew nothing about them leaving together, and I had no idea what was happening. Trina was completely quiet about everything, so no one knew anything. I swear I didn't know."
I could see the pain on her face; her best friend also fooled, used, and betrayed her. She was telling the truth.
"So, what happened? Where did they go?" I asked, bewildered by what I had learned.
I saw Janet holding a FedEx envelope in her hand.
"Anson, none of us know what happened. On the Monday morning after your boat left, Trina did not come to work. We called Trina's cell phone and your home line, no response. We emailed all of her accounts with no response. I sent text after text, but no response. It was like she disappeared."
"I have a key to your house, so Evelyn and I went there. The house was pristine, so there was no foul play involved, and we knew something was seriously wrong. Then we saw all her clothes were gone. But where had she gone and with whom."
"We went back to the office and reported it to Jon. That was when he told me that William had not come in either and that all attempts to reach him had failed. William is single, so no one was looking for him but us."
"It was then that it dawned on us that Trina and William might be together. As we discussed that possibility, the FedEx driver came in with three envelopes: One for you, Anson and one for me, and one for Jon. Janet said.
"As you can see, they were sent from a small town in Idaho, overnight delivery."
Idaho, I thought that was odd. Then I thought, “They were very slick. I know what they did. They sent these envelopes to Idaho, and when the main envelope was opened, the agent thought they were sent to Idaho in error. The envelopes were reentered in the system, and they came here the next day. That way, we would not be able to trace them. They planned this well."
"Anson, I opened the envelope and read it. Here I will read the letter to you." Janet said.
"Janet,
My good friend, I hate to do this to you. You have always been loyal to me, and I have now deceived you to the highest level. I am sure you will hate me after I tell you what I have to say. Please listen to all of it before you judge me.
I cannot tell you everything; only Anson can tell you if he chooses to when he returns.
Janet, I love you like a sister, and doing this to you has been so hard. Now putting you in the middle of this is even harder.
Today I have left my old life. The life with Anson, you and all my other friends. I am even leaving my sister and mother behind. It is impossible to explain, but I will try with Anson, and he may share my story with you.
Anson is a wonderful man, so hopefully, you can all help each other through this mess I have created.
By now, you know William did not come to work because we are together and will be on this earth for the rest of our lives. That is all I can say before Anson reads his letter.
Janet, I am entrusting you with Anson's letter. It is the last thing I will ever ask you to do for me. Since I am gone, you will never have to cover for me again. I thank you for your support and hate that you will feel Anson's wrath for your part in this.
Well, that is it. Please tell everyone not to look for us; we are becoming invisible as I send this to you. There will be no trace of us. I hope that you can forgive me and move on without me.
I love you,
Trina"
I was shocked. Janet had played a part in this betrayal, and she had no idea how severe the damage would be.
"Oh, God!" Janet cried out. "Anson, I had no idea they were planning what they did. I agonized over the times I covered for her when they were seeing each other, and Trina was cheating on you."
"I thought they were just having a little fun when you were away, and it would not hurt anyone. Everything seemed normal when you were home, but I know they saw each other a few times, even then. I thought Trina was my friend, and she begged me to keep her secret, and it was never more than that. I never lied to you about them; you had no idea, and that is how Trina wanted it to be. I had no idea they planned this; God, I am so sorry; please forgive me, Anson?"
I took the envelope from Janet, turned, and walked toward the door. I looked back and, with a snide voice, said, "Yeah, and I thought she was my loving wife too. I guess we both got it all wrong, didn't we?"
Then Jon piped up, holding a document. This is Williams' resignation letter and the signed partnership dissolution papers. William says he only wants $200,000 for his half of the business. I am to wire the amount to an account number in Belize.
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I arrived home and laid the envelope on the table. I noticed on the kitchen counter, above where we kept the liquor, a bottle of expensive McCallan twenty-five-year-old single malt scotch, along with a single glass.
I thought humorously, just how considerate my cheating wife was. She broke my heart, destroyed my life, and gave me my favorite Scotch to wash down the sorrow. Boy, what a complete cunt, Trina turned out to be.
I went through the house and opened all the windows. I aired out everything. I walked through the house again with garbage bags and tossed anything that might remind me of Trina: every picture, everything in the bedroom, bathroom, and the main part of the house. I threw away her coats, caps, scarves, and clothes in her closet and dresser.
I piled it all in the backyard, poured gas on it, lit a fire, and held a hose to ensure none of the embers could ignite the house. I kept piling bags on the fire, burning it all. Then I went to our bedroom, pushed the king mattress over the balcony, dragged it onto the fire, and burned it all. It took over three hours.
Once the fire was out, I poured a full tumbler of expensive Scotch. I stood thinking what a fucking mess this was, then downed the whole glass. I went back out, looked at the smoldering ashes, and crumbled to the ground, sobbing. In a flash, my entire life had just evaporated.
I lay sobbing for an hour as the day began to turn to night. The sun went down, and darkness came. I stood and watered down the ashes pile, ensuring the fire was out.
The last thing smoldering was the remnants of our king mattress, and I could never sleep where they had surely fucked on numerous occasions.
As I stood there, I realized that Trina Edwards Samuel's name would soon be erased from my memory. I had to read her letter, then, as Siti said in the Ten Commandments, "Strike her name from every building, obelisk, statue, book, and memory. The name Trina shall never be spoken again!"
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I was tired and hungry, so I jumped in my truck and went to Johnny's Roadhouse to get one of his famous Steak Burgers and a gallon of beer. I may see a friend or two that could brighten my day, and I would tell them the truth. Trina was not expecting me and was out of town. Not a lie, just not the whole truth.
The rest of the night became a blur. After eating a delicious Steak Burger, I drank myself into oblivion. I felt no pain when my friends Ted and Ramon put me to bed, asking what had happened to the mattress in the master. I remember mumbling, "the slut fucked William on it, so I burned it in the backyard,' as I passed out on the guest room bed.
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I woke with the pounding of a drum line playing in my head. The noise and pain were almost unbearable. Then I remembered what had caused my pain, and this hangover pain was nothing; it didn't hold a candle to Trina's betrayal and abandonment.
The clock read 11:51 am.
I rolled on my back and realized I was still in my clothes, and I smelled terrible, like beer and smoke. I got out of bed and barefooted I walked carefully down the hall into the master bathroom. The shower was bigger, so I could lie down. I turned on the water and stepped in, still dressed. The chilly water felt good, and I was so numb that it helped to sober me up.
Finally, I was getting my senses back, so I stripped off my clothes, leaving them in a pile in the corner. I washed and soaked under the hot water. My brain slowly started to work again, and unfortunately, yesterday's events came back to me, vigorously.
I turned off the water before I became a shriveled prune. I dried and slipped on my jogging gear and went out for a run. As messed up as my life was now, a good long run would help clear my head.
I did ten miles and felt superior when I was done. My head was clear, my hangover was almost gone, and it was time to tackle the last part of this disaster, Trina's letter.
I made coffee and a frozen egg and sausage sandwich. I settled in my chair in the den and looked at the envelope. I knew what the letter said, but not how Trina explained it. Not that it matters now, but I had to do myself a favor and read the letter so I would never wonder what she had said.
The envelope was thick. I opened it, and a second wider envelope fell out. I put it aside and picked up several pages of handwritten words. I took a drink of coffee. It should have been stronger, but I needed to be clear-headed the rest of the day. There was a lot to do.
I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, calming myself, and began to read about the end of my marriage.
"My Dear Anson,
I am not sure how to start this letter.
I can tell you how much I love you, and I do, but now just in an unusual way. I can tell you how sorry I am for what I have done to you, and I truly am. I never wanted this to happen, and I am so sorry I have hurt you as deeply as I know I have.
I want to be clear that I had loved you since that day seven years ago when we went out for the first time, making love on the banks of the city lake in the middle of the night. To this day, that moment will always stand out as the most pivotal moment of my life, and it was the moment I felt true love for the first time.
The years we have been together have been wonderful. I learned to live with the separations, and for the first five years, I dealt with them, missed you, and longed for the day you would walk back into my arms. We would spend the next two days making love and fucking, trying to make up for all those nights we were apart.
Sometime during the pandemic, things changed for me. I cannot tell you when it happened or what happened. It was when my dad became so sick with Covid, and I saw my mother so scared that my dad would die. Thank God he didn't, but those feelings and how my mother felt affected me.
I suddenly had the same fears for you as my mom had for my dad. From that day forward, every time you went underwater, several times a year for months at a time, with no communication, I became afraid that an accident like the Thrasher or Scorpion could happen again, and you would be lost. I know that this may sound wild, but my fear grew worse every time you had to go underwater again.
I know you could see the change in me if only a little. In the coming weeks of your next deployment, I will need to be closer to you, and we will make love more often. I suppose you might have seen that as normal, but it was all driven by my fear that this might be the last time you would touch, make love, and kiss me. It wasn't very pleasant, and I suffered.
A year ago, I was in a funk during the holiday deployment. I was hiding it from everyone, but Janet saw it. We talked about it, and she helped me keep my head straight. She suggested I come to their house for the holidays, so I moved in with them for about ten days. I was much better, and that seemed to help me a lot.
Things were good at work, and Jon arranged for the nine of us, with spouses and significant others, to go out for a New Years Dinner and the New Year's Eve celebration at the Ritz. The company was paying, and Janet convinced me to go. I was going to be alone, but we all knew each other, so that it would be OK.
When we all met, everyone had a date but me and William. He is single, and his girlfriend went to be with her elderly parents for the holidays. Naturally, we were seated together, and we talked during dinner. It was the first time I had spent time with William, so getting to know him better was nice. It was all very innocent and open.
Later when we went to the party in the ballroom, we danced, and we danced so much. We drank good champagne and had an enjoyable time. There was a great band, and everyone was dancing with each other. As the night wore on, I was getting drunk, and slow dances seemed more often. As William and I danced, I felt extremely comfortable in his arms. With each dance, I pressed against him, and I became increasingly turned on.
Anson, you had been gone for sixty-five days, just over half your deployment. Yes, I counted off every day waiting for you to come through the door back to me. It was agony, but at least we were on the downward side, and each day was closer to that special day when you would come home to me.
That New Year's Eve fifteen months ago, I had the best time in an awfully long time. I felt free, and the burden of your deployment had been lifted off of me, and my fears went away for that night. It was exhilarating, and I began to have so much fun.
James and I danced many dances, and each one helped me free myself. I suddenly felt extremely comfortable in his arms, and my emotions began functioning again. At the stroke of midnight, as the ball dropped on the big screen TV and Auld Lang Syne was played by the band, I looked into James' eyes, and we kissed. It was more than just a kiss. There were real feelings in the kiss. They were feelings I had only felt for you but had not felt in months. We kissed all through the dance that followed and the next two songs. Then I broke away as a pang of guilt washed over me. I ran to the ladies' room and cried in one of the stalls.