As soon as I reached the shelter of my car I sat back, closed my eyes and let out a long slow sigh. The meeting with Dana had been emotionally draining.

After taking a moment to pull myself together I put my key in the ignition and started the engine. As I was pulling out of the parking lot I realized that I didn't know where I was going to go. It was Sunday. I didn't actually have any reason to go back to work. The problem with the bridge in Kansas City was a ruse to fool Katie. The three projects I was currently involved with were all well ahead of schedule.

I thought about going to a bar or maybe taking a walk in a park. Quickly realizing that I was being foolish, I rejected those ideas. They would just be attempts to kill time. There was only one place I wanted to be and that was at home. I'd told Katie I was going to be out all afternoon, that was the only reason I was considering going anywhere else. That was silly. Katie was at a motel fucking her boyfriend, concerns about being honest were irrelevant.

I decided to go back to the house. If Katie came home early I'd tell her we ran into some problems that couldn't be resolved until every one was back at work in the morning. It would be a lie, but so what. It wasn't going to be any worse than Katie's bullshit story about meeting her friends at the mall for lunch and a little shopping. At least I wasn't cheating on her.

Suddenly I was very happy that Dana and I had resisted the temptation to have sex. It felt good to know that I still had a valid claim to the moral high ground.

I turned towards home. I'd gone about two blocks when I remembered that I did have one side trip that I needed to make before I called it a day. At the next corner I took a left and headed to the King's Motor Inn. I wanted to see if Katie's car really was in the parking lot.

Realizing that she and Pete may not actually have had enough time to get there, I stopped at a Starbucks. After I bought a cup of coffee and a copy of the Sunday New York Times, I sat down in a booth and forced myself to read the entire first section.

When I was finished I checked the time on my cell phone. It had now been over an hour and a half since my telephone call from Katie and Dana's call to Pete. They'd had plenty of time to get to the motel.

Leaving my copy of The Times on the table I got up, hurried out of the restaurant and got into my car. I was excited and very nervous. This was going to be my first concrete evidence that my wife was actually involved in an illicit affair.

Yes I know, I had plenty of circumstantial evidence, Katie's recent attitude, her disheveled appearance when she came home at 3:00 AM after her Friday night outing with the girls and Pete's blowhard comments in the bar. While they were all damning, they each had an alternative explanation. Maybe Katie really was just depressed about her job. Yes, she was disheveled when she got home Friday night, but it was 3:00 AM. She'd been working all day and drinking all evening. Anyone would have been a little disheveled. And then of course there was Pete. He was a notorious braggart. He could have easily been blowing steam to impress his buddy.

I know, I was grasping at straws, especially when you add the eyewitness testimony of my friends Mike and Rhonda at Brady's. I was trying to hang on to one last vestige of hope that Katie might not really be cheating on me. I loved my wife. I really didn't want this to be true. Also, I'm an old fashioned pragmatist. I need to see rock solid evidence before I reach a final conclusion. To me the best evidence is always what I see with my own eyes.

Ahead of me on the right I saw the sign for the King's Motor Inn. Filled with nervous apprehension, I slowed and turned into the parking lot. I remembered Pete telling his buddy Mitch that he and Katie always parked behind the building. While I was mildly relieved when I didn't see Katie's car in the front parking lot, I knew that I had to drive around to the back before I would know for sure.

I slowly followed the driveway around the building. At the back corner I stopped. After taking a deep breath I crept forward and turned to the right. My heart sank, there were only two cars in the back lot. Both of them were parked next to the rear entrance to the motel. One or them was a black Lexus sedan with the license plate, "Law Dog". The other was Katie's red Honda Accord.

Near tears, I drove across the back lot, parked under a tree. and called Dana.

She picked up immediately. "Hi Frankie, what's going on?"

"I'm at King's Motor Inn."

There was a pause and then Dana said, "Frankie, don't do anything stupid. Let the lawyers take care of this." It was apparent that she'd heard the desperate gloom in my voice.

"Don't worry Dana, I'm not going to burst into the room and shoot them."

"If you decide to do that, please call me first so I can join you. I'd like to help and I call dibs on the first shot at Pete."

That broke the tension, we both laughed. After a moment Dana quietly said, "Now you know for sure, don't you."

"Yes."

"Are you sad?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to come back over to the office. We could hang out together for the rest of the afternoon."

"Thanks Dana. but you have work to do. I'll be okay. Deep inside, I've known the truth since I saw Katie when she came home Friday night. That's given me a little time to get used to the idea."

"Time does make it easier. I suppose that's why this isn't as difficult for me. I've assumed for several years now that Pete was cheating on me."

"Dana, does Pete drive a black Lexus?"

"Does the license plate say, Law Dog?

"Yes."

"That's my no good husband".

"I guess that pretty much settles it."

"Frankie, follow the plan. Don't confront Katie tonight. We need hard evidence."

"Don't worry Dana, I'll follow the plan."

"Frankie, do you have a camera with you?"

"Yes, I have the digital camera I use on the construction sites."

"Take a couple pictures of their cars parked together. After we catch them in your house on Wednesday the pictures will help us establish that it wasn't a one time fling."

"That's a good idea Dana. I'll do it."

"Frankie, are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Don't worry Dana, I'm a big boy. I can handle this."

"If you start to feel bad, give me a call on my cell phone."

"You can do the same with me."

"I will."

"I'll call you in the morning Dana."

"All right, bye Frankie."

We both ended the call. Talking to Dana made me feel better. A personal crisis is always easier when you have some support.

After taking several pictures of the two cars parked outside the rear door of the motel I got back in my car and quickly left the parking lot. As I drove home I thought about Pete and Katie. I imagined Pete on top of my wife. Katie was screaming in ecstasy as he pumped his big cock in and out of her sopping wet cunt.

While the image hurt, it also excited me. That was troubling. I immediately squashed those feelings.

By the time I finally got home it was after 3:00. I sat down in our den, turned on the television and tried to watch a golf tournament. That didn't work. How was I supposed to focus on a group of guys playing golf when I knew my wife was shacked up in a motel room with some asshole lawyer and he was fucking her? To make matters worse, I couldn't even do anything about it. I just had to bide my time until Wednesday evening. I found the crossword puzzle in the local Sunday newspaper and tried filling in some blanks while I watched the golf tournament. That didn't work either. My concentration was so poor that after going through the entire list of across clues I'd only been able to fill in two words. It didn't matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep the images of Pete and Katie out of my head.

Desperate, I set the crossword puzzle aside, turned off the television, went out to the garage and started up the power lawn mower. At least I could be proactive about cutting the grass. I worked hard and fast. I mowed that mother fucking lawn with a vengeance. It helped. The images were still there, but at least I had a target for my frustration and anger.

Once I was done mowing the lawn I raked up the grass clippings and swept the sidewalks and patio. After I finished I went back into the house and took a hot shower. The work had been a good outlet for the emotional cauldron boiling inside me and the shower actually relaxed me.

By the time I was done showering and getting dressed it was 5:30. Calmer, I went back into the den and turned the television on again. The golf tournament wasn't over. I picked up the newspaper and took another crack at the crossword. This time I was actually able to fill in some words.

At 6:10 I heard the back door open. A moment later Katie walked into the den. She appeared to be a little agitated. I assumed that she was disconcerted by my presence.

"You're home?"

"Yes, I live here."

"You mowed the lawn. I thought you had to work this afternoon."

"It turned out that I didn't. We ran into a problem. We need Rick Carlisle to help us solve it. He's at a resort with his family. He won't be back until late tonight."

"You should have called me. I would have come home earlier."

"I didn't want to interrupt your afternoon with the girls from work."

Katie looked away. At the same time she bit her lower lip. It was just a flash, a momentary chink in her mask of deception, but it spoke volumes to me. It told me that she felt guilty about what she had been doing and maybe, just maybe it also told me that she still cared for me.

Quickly recovering, she smiled and said, "Thank you, that was nice of you. I had a good time this afternoon."

I looked at her. "Did you? That's good. Who was there?"

Realizing that she was going to have to elaborate on her deception, Katie shrugged and said, "The usual Friday night group. Like I said, it was a fun afternoon." Then turning she said, "I'm going to go into the bedroom and freshen up."

As she walked out of the den, Katie glanced back at me and asked, "Got any thoughts about dinner?"

"Not really, why don't we order a pizza."

Still walking, Katie said, "That would be nice. We can sit in front of the television and eat. Why don't you call and order it while I'm cleaning up."

"I'll do that."

I not only ordered a pizza, I also opened a bottle of wine. We sat together on the couch in the den and watched a movie while we ate and drank our wine. It turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant evening. For a little while I almost forgot about our problems.

The movie ended at 9:30. We sat together for a few more minutes and then Katie stretched and stood up. Yawning, she said, "Frankie, I'm tired. If you don't mind I think I'll go to bed."

"Why don't I join you. I'm remembering a certain promise you made to me this morning." I really wasn't in the mood for sex, but I wanted to see how Katie would react. She'd spent the entire afternoon fucking Pete Munson. She had to be worn out.

Her smile vanished. It was obvious that she'd forgotten the promise. For a moment she looked at me with alarm, but then she once again quickly recovered. Her smile returned and in an apologetic voice said, "Frankie, I'm sorry. That shopping trip this afternoon took a lot of me. I really am absolutely exhausted. Would you mind taking a rain check? I promise that you can redeem it tomorrow night."

I wanted to say, I've got a bucket of rain checks that have never been redeemed, but I didn't. At that moment, the last thing I wanted to do was initiate a confrontation. Instead, I just shrugged and said, "That's okay, I'm kind of tired too."

Leaning over, Katie kissed my forehead. "Tomorrow night then, it's a date. I'm sure we'll both feel more energetic and we'll have a lot more fun."

"I'm sure we will."

Katie asked, "Are you coming to bed?"

"No, I think I'll stay up and watch the news."

"Don't stay up too late. I want you to have lots of energy tomorrow night." And then Katie leaned over and kissed me again. "Goodnight Frankie, I love you."

"I love you too Katie."

Despite everything, at that moment, I believed that both of us were telling the truth.

At 8:15 the next morning, I walked into the office of Jupiter Construction. Myra Grant, the office receptionist was seated behind her desk drinking a cup of coffee. As I passed her she said; "Mr. Robbins would like to see you as soon as possible."

Irv Robbins was the owner and chief executive officer of Jupiter Construction. Irv was a nice guy, a good friend and an extremely considerate boss. He was particularly considerate about my time schedule. Because of that, whenever I got a message from Irv that contained the phrase, as soon as possible, I knew that he meant just that.

"Is he in his office?"

Myra nodded.

After stopping by my office so that I could drop my brief case on my desk, I went directly to Irv's office. His door was open, he was seated at his desk. After giving the door frame a quick rap I walked in. "Myra told me that you wanted to see me asap."

Irv looked up from the document he'd been reading. "Morning Frankie, have a seat." He gestured towards the chair in front of his desk.

I sat down.

As soon as I was settled, he said, "That bridge reinforcement project we did last year in western Pennsylvania has garnered quite a bit of attention. It appears that you've established a national reputation for being adept at quickly evaluating the condition of a bridge and then creating and implementing an efficient repair plan that will make it structurally sound again."

I shrugged. "It's one of my jobs."

"Yes, and you happen to do it very well."

"Irv, I don't believe that you called me into your office this morning just so that you could compliment me. What's up?"

He laughed. "Yeah, you're right about that. Saturday afternoon I got a call from Wrightman Construction, they work out of San Francisco."

I nodded. "I know who they are."

"They just accepted a contract to evaluate and repair most of the freeway bridges in the bay area."

"That's a big job."

"Yes it is and they're looking for some assistance."

"They want me?"

"Yes, for three months. They're offering to pay both Jupiter and you a considerable sum for your services."

"Irv, I..."

Irv held up his hand. "Frankie, don't worry. I explained to them that you have a beautiful young wife. I told them that there isn't any way you'd be willing to leave her for three months. When they heard that they asked if you might be willing to give them one intense week of evaluation and planning."

"Actually Irv, if you're willing, I'd like to take the three month contract."

Irv stared at me for a second and then he said, “Frankie, how can you possibly even consider the idea. You can't leave Katie for three months."

"Irv I'm going to tell you something in the strictest confidence. You have to promise me that you won't say anything to anyone until Thursday."

"Of course."

"Katie and I are going to get a divorce."

"Frankie, you're kidding me."

"No."

"Why?"

"I just found out that she's cheating on me."

"Katie? I don't believe it. She worships you. You can see it in her eyes when she looks at you."

"Apparently she worships Pete Munson even more."

"Pete Munson? Dana Munson's husband?"

"That's right?"

"Does she know?"

"Yes, I met with both Dana and her dad yesterday."

"Damn! You're absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes."

"Frankie, I'm so very sorry. You must be devastated."

I nodded. "Several months in California looks pretty attractive to me right now."

"Okay, I'll call Wrightman this morning. I'm sure they'll be delighted to find out they can have you. How soon can you be in California."

"The mess with my marriage is going to blow up on Wednesday evening. I'll need all day Wednesday to prepare for that. I'll also need Tuesday afternoon to clean up my financial affairs."

Irv nodded. "What about your projects here?"

"They're all ahead of schedule and running smoothly. If I stay late tonight and get in early in the morning I should have plenty of time to clean up any loose ends by noon tomorrow. I'll get a flight to San Francisco Thursday afternoon. You can tell Wrightman that I'll report for work on Friday morning. I assume you'll work out all the financial details with them."

"I will. I'll set it up so they pay us and we'll continue to pay you. We'll also bill them for all of your expenses, so we'll continue to cover those as well."

"Good, that will make it easier for me." I stood up.

"Unless there's something else, I'd better get busy. For the next few days my life is going to be extremely hectic."

Irv stood up and walked around his desk. Extending his hand, he said, "Frankie, I'm very sorry about you and Katie. If there's anything I can do, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Actually there is something you could help me with."

"What is it?"

"I'm going to have to make some changes to my 401 K and I'm going to have to open a new bank account. That will change how my pay checks are deposited."

"If I put Myra on those she's going to start asking questions."

"If you wait until Thursday you can tell her everything."

"Okay Frankie, first thing Thursday morning I'll fill Myra in on what's happening and put her to work on your financial issues.

I shook Irv's hand. "Thank you."

He smiled at me. "Frankie, if you need anything else just holler."

As soon as my meeting with Irv Robbins was finished I went back to my office and called Dana Munson.

"Hi Frankie, how are you this morning? Did you get slippery seconds last night?"

Even though I recognized it as a joke, the frankness of Dana's question caught me off guard. I paused.

Realizing that her blunt attempt at humor had unsettled me, Dana quickly said, "Frankie, I'm sorry. That was incredibly insensitive of me. I have to remember that I've had a little more time to get used to the infidelity of my spouse."

"It's okay Dana. Actually I think joking about it may help me get through this." And then laughing, I added, "No I didn't get slippery seconds, although I did remind Katie that she'd made me a promise before I left the house yesterday morning."

"What did she say to that?"

"The usual, she was tired from shopping and asked me to take a rain check. How about Pete? Was he Mr. Amorous when he got home?"

"Mr. Amorous? That's a laugh. When I went to bed at 11:00 Pete still wasn't home. I don't have any idea when my sweet husband returned to our lovely abode last night and to be perfectly honest Frankie, I don't give a damn."

"I hear ya Dana. Did your dad get a chance to talk to his lawyers yesterday?"

"Yes, and by the way, they love Wheeler Home Security. They said that Jeff Wheeler is the best in the city. All the big law firms use him when they need discreet surveillance."

"I guess I did something right on Saturday."

"Frankie, between hiring Jeff Wheeler and making that tape in the bar, you were an ace on Saturday."

"Thanks Dana."

"Hey Frankie, my dad is going to pick up the tab for all of this. That includes the legal fees for your divorce if you're willing to let his attorneys handle it for you."

"Arthur doesn't have to do all of that."

"He wants to do it and besides, he's really not being totally altruistic."

"What do you mean?"

"Frankie, you're a rising star in the construction business in this city. My dad is very concerned that none of this damages the relationship that you have with Kendall Metal Fabricating."

"Dana you know that it won't. I don't blame either you or your dad for any of this. This is entirely the fault of Pete and Katie."

"I know that Frankie, but my dad is still worried. Please just humor him. He can afford it. It's also his way of getting a little revenge on Pete."

"All right Dana, tell him he can take care of everything and I appreciate it."

“Thanks Frankie, that will make him happy."

"Actually, right now not having to find my own attorney will make my life quite a bit easier."

"Why is that Frankie?"

"I'm being loaned to Wrightman Construction in San Francisco."

"Frankie that's a big company. This is a real feather in your cap. Why do they want you? I mean you're good and all that, but they're a giant in the construction industry."

"They have a contract to evaluate and repair a number of bridges in the bay area. Apparently they were impressed by some work I did about a year ago in western Pennsylvania."

"I heard about that. It was impressive work. Like I said, you're a rising star in the construction industry."

"Thanks Dana."

"How long are you going to be in California?"

"Three months."

"Three months! Frankie, I'm going to miss you."

"Don't worry Dana, I'm sure I'll be back with some regularity. Irv is still going to want me to keep abreast of the projects we're working on here."

"Will you promise to call me when you're in town."

"Yes Dana, of course I will."

"Frankie the lawyers need to meet with you and Jeff Wheeler needs a key to your house and a signed letter saying that he has your permission to set up surveillance equipment in the house."

"Can I meet with the lawyers tomorrow right after lunch?"

"I'll check with them, but I'm sure that will be fine."

"Is Jeff wheeler still planning to set up the surveillance equipment tomorrow morning?"

"If that's all right with you."

"Yes, of course it is, but if that's the case then he's going to need a house key and the letter today."

"Do you have a spare key with you?"

"I keep one in my car."

"He can stop by your office this afternoon. He'll bring a letter for you to sign."

"Okay."

There was a moment of silence and then I said, "Dana, right now I feel really sad."

"I know Frankie. Even though Pete's been a total shit for most of our marriage, I feel sad too. It's hard to give up on someone you love."

Sighing, I said, "Yes, it really is."

"Are you sure you don't want to try to work this out with Katie. Frankie, I think she still loves you."

"I don't know Dana, maybe but." I hesitated.

Dana pressed me. "But what Frankie?"

I took a deep breath and said, "Dana, I think she's doing things for Pete that she refuses to do for me."

"Like what?"

"This is kind of embarrassing."

"Frankie, after yesterday, I don't think we have to be concerned about being reserved with each other."

“Yeah, I guess you're right." Taking another deep breath, I said, “I think she's letting Pete fuck her rear."

"Knowing Pete, I think that's almost a certainty. That particular pleasure is a favorite of his."

"Does he do that with you?"

"Oh yes, he certainly does. Frankie, I happen to enjoy it. If we ever do decide to, you know, hook up, I would love it if you did it to me."

Suddenly Dana paused. After a moment she asked, "Frankie are you telling me that Katie won't let you fuck her butt?"

"That's right."

"And on that recording you made in the bar Pete bragged to Mitch that he was doing that to her, didn't he."

"Yes, but I'm hoping he was just blowing smoke."

"For your sake, I hope that's right, but I'd be surprised if it was. Like I said, Pete loves that particular pleasure. I'm sure he worked hard on Katie to get her to let him do it. When he wants something, my husband can be both persuasive and persistent."

There was a pause. After a moment I said, "It will be nice when this is over."

"Yes it will. It's all going to happen on Wednesday night, isn't it."

"I think so. Katie doesn't get off work until 5:00. By the time she gets home it's usually a quarter to 6:00. I assume they'll have to eat supper before they start. It's hard to believe that they'll be in bed before 7:30 or even 8:00."

"Walking in on them is going to be strange."

"Yes it is."

"Waiting is going to be hard too."

"Yes, Wednesday afternoon is going to be tough."

"Frankie, will you have dinner with me? We could go to the Kennsington Grill."

"I'd love to have dinner with you, but if you don't mind, I'd rather go someplace a little less formal. I think I'll be too nervous to enjoy a fancy restaurant."

Dana laughed. "Good point. Have you ever been to Murphy's Bar and Grill on Lawson Avenue?"

"It's an Irish place, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I know where it is, but I've never been there."

"They have wonderful hamburgers and great tap beer. My family has been going there for years. I'm sure it's the one place in this city where Pete would never take Katie."

"It sounds perfect."

"Shall we meet there at 5:30?"

"That will work very nicely for me."

"Good. Frankie, I'd better get back to work. I'll call you this afternoon to confirm the time for your meeting with the lawyers tomorrow afternoon. I'll also call Jeff Wheeler and tell him he can stop by your office this afternoon and pick up the key and get you to sign the letter giving him permission to set up his surveillance equipment. Do you want him to come at a particular time?"

"No, I'll be working in my office all afternoon. Any meetings I'll be involved in will be very casual. I can easily take a quick break to see him."

"Okay, bye Frankie."

"Bye Dana"

As soon as I was done talking to Dana I went to work. If I was going to have everything on my desk cleaned up by noon Tuesday I couldn't afford to waste time. Even if I worked very efficiently, I could see that I was still in for an extremely long day.

Dana called me just before 11:00. "Frankie the lawyers can meet with you at 1:00 tomorrow. They said that it should take about an hour."

"Do they want me to come to their office?"

"Can you do that?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. Where are they located?"

"Downtown in the Maddencourt Life Insurance Building."

"I know where it is."

"They said you can park in the ramp next door."

"What's the name of the law firm?"

"Bennett, Holloway and Finch. Herman Bennett handles my dads legal affairs. You'll be meeting with him."

"Tell them I'll be there at 1:00."

"All right. Oh and Frankie."

"Yes."

"Jeff Wheeler said he'd stop by your office around 2:00. Will that be all right?"

"That will be just fine."

There was a moment of silence and then Dana said, "Frankie this is really hard."

"I know it is Dana, we just have to hang in there and get through it."

"Being able to talk to you is helping."

"You're helping me too Dana."

There was another moment of silence and then Dana said, "We'd both better get back to work."

"Dana call me if you need to talk."

"Thanks Frankie, you can call me too if you want to."

"I will."

"Bye Frankie."

"Bye Dana."

I went back to work.

At 2:00 Jeff Wheeler arrived. I gave him my spare house key and signed a form letter giving him permission to set up and operate surveillance equipment inside my house.

At 6:00 I realized that I still had several hours of work ahead of me before I could go home. I called Katie's cellphone.

"Hi Frankie."

"Hi Katie. I have some bad news."

There was a pause and then she asked, "What is it?"

"The problems with the bridge in Kansas City are worse than we'd originally thought. I don't think I'll be able to get home until 9:30 or 10:00 tonight."

"Frankie, that's too bad. I was looking forward to a nice evening with you tonight." Katie sounded sincere. That made me happy.

"There's more."

"Okay, tell me."

"I have to go to Kansas City on Wednesday morning. I won't be home again until Thursday evening."

"So you'll be gone all of Wednesday night?"

"That's right."

There was another brief pause and then Katie said, "I'll miss you."

I wanted to say, No you won't. You'll be too busy banging Pete Munson in our bedroom, but I didn't. Instead I said, "I'll miss you too Katie." Even though I wasn't really leaving town it was still the truth. I already missed Katie.

"Frankie will you have time to get some dinner tonight? I can make something for you. I'll keep it in the refrigerator and we can warm it up in the microwave as soon as you get home."

"Thanks Katie, but don't worry about me. I'll have something delivered to the office."

"You're sure?'

"Yes."

"Okay, but promise me that you will order some food. You need to eat."

"Don't worry I will. And Katie, don't wait up for me. I may be home even later than 10:00. If we don't find a solution for this problem the company is going to fall behind on the schedule and we're going to end up having to pay some stiff penalties for the delay."

"It's okay Frankie. I understand."

"I'd better get back to work now or I'll be here all night. Goodbye Katie, I love you."

"I love you too Frankie."

As I hung up my telephone I desperately wanted to believe that Katie had meant that, but then I pictured Pete Munson on top of her pumping his big hard cock in and out of her cunt. Settling back in my chair I closed my eyes and silently cried, "Why Katie? Why?"

By the time I finally got home, it was almost 11:00. Katie was asleep. After I took a quick shower I crawled into bed next to her.

As I was falling asleep she whispered, "I'm glad you're home. I missed you tonight."

"I missed you too."

"Did you have some dinner?"

"Yes, we sent out for submarine sandwiches."

Katie rolled over and kissed me on the lips. "I love you Frankie."

"I love you too Katie."

"Hold me Frankie, please hold me."

I wrapped my arms around Katie and pulled her close to me. She sighed with contentment. That made me happy. This wonderful woman had taken my heart when I met her eighteen months ago and she'd owned it ever since. Yes, she was now choosing to rip it into shreds, but that didn't matter. My heart was still hers.

We lay in tranquil silence, our bodies pressed against each other. I could feel each breath that Katie took and I knew that she could feel each of mine as well. Neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke. It seemed that we both understood just how fragile this moment was and neither of us wanted to risk shattering it. Eventually we both drifted into a contented sleep.

When we awoke the next morning the moment had passed. The subtle barriers created by deceit, mistrust and guilt had returned.

Breakfast was reserved, guarded. The little conversation that we did have was distant and perfunctory. We talked about the weather and a few events in the news, but nothing of substance, nothing that mattered.

As I was leaving to go to work I said, "Today things should be easier. I should be able to get home by 6:00 at the latest. Maybe we could have that evening together tonight."

Katie looked at me with a pained expression. "Frankie, don't you remember, this is my night to have dinner with Andrea."

"Can't you switch it to tomorrow night? Tomorrow night I'm going to be in Kansas City. You and Andrea can spend the entire evening together."

I knew that Katie wasn't going to spend either night with Andrea. She was going to spend both of them fucking Pete Munson. I just wanted to hear what she was going to say. I also have to admit that I was still harboring a faint hope that she might actually cancel her evening with Munson so she could spend it with me.

I was disappointed.

"Frankie, Andrea is divorced. She lives alone. Our Tuesday evening dinners are important to her. I can't let her down."

I wanted to scream, "But you don't have any problem letting me down!" I didn't. I kept my cool. Instead I said, "This week why can't you change your dinner to Wednesday night? That shouldn't matter."

Katie thought for a moment and then she said, "Because Andrea and I have established a nice routine. It works. I don't want to do anything that might disrupt that routine."

"Even if it takes away from the time we have to spend together?"

Glaring at me, Katie said, "You were the one who didn't get home until 11:00 last night."

I glared right back at her. "I was working. I wasn't having dinner or shopping with friends."

"Oh I see what this is all about. You're jealous that I have a social life. Yes Frankie, I do have friends and I enjoy spending time with them. If you weren't such a stick in the mud engineer you might have a few friends too."

I shook my head. "I thought I had one friend, a best friend who cared about me. Apparently I was wrong." And then I turned. As I walked through the door into the garage, I said, "I have to go to work. I'll see you Thursday night."

I pushed the button that opened the garage door and got into my car. As I was backing into the street Katie burst into the garage and ran down the driveway. "Frankie stop! I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. You're not a stick in the mud."

I shifted my car into drive and accelerated down the street. I didn't look back. All of the frustration and hurt of the last few days was now boiling out as anger.