A Surprise Visitor

A look of confusion, frustration maybe, crossed her face. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she considered what she was going to say to me. Finally I saw the resolve in both her expression and body posture, and I was surprised I was still standing after what she said next.

"Aaron's not moving out, Henry."

Her words hit me like a metaphorical slap in the face. The meaning was obvious to me. She was choosing him over me. After 24 years together she was dumping me for another man that she had fallen in love with while I had been in a hostile country trying to set our future. All of the life end energy had been been suddenly drained from me. I just couldn't talk about this anymore.

"Oh, I see. I didn't...understand..didn't realize...what...I understand now, okay. I need...to go lie down now."

"Henry..."

I turned and walked back toward the bedrooms. Out of habit I first turned toward the master bedroom before I remembered that room wasn't mine anymore. It was theirs, and it was probably still dirty from the last night they had sex, which was probably last night. I suddenly felt woozy and ill, and I just managed to get into the spare room and collapse on the fresh, unused bed, locking the door in the process. I lay there in complete shock.

There was a knock on the door.

"Henry, honey, are you all right? Can I get you anything? Henry."

I didn't answer and she continued for a few minutes, even trying the knob, before finally giving up. I slept fitfully off and on all night, even at one point hearing voices down the hall. I assumed my replacement was back and they were talking about things, though I couldn't actually understand any of the words.

At one point the door was unlocked (it was just one of those interior door locks that can be opened with a small screwdriver) and Fran came in. I didn't move, pretending to sleep, but expecting her to climb into bed with me or something. But she went into the closet and pulled out some clothes, though she did stop and give me a kiss on the cheek before leaving. At that point it seemed clear I had been replaced. She had come in to get her new man clothes for work tomorrow, while I had rated just a peck on the cheek.

It was nearly 9:00am when I realized I wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore, though I wouldn't say I was well-rested. I hit the restroom and then walked into the kitchen. I had expected to be alone but Fran was at the kitchen table. That caused me to look around for my replacement, and she knew what I was doing.

"He's at work. I hope I didn't disturb you last night when I came to get his clothes. We expected you to sleep in the master bedroom when you came back. Coffee's ready."

I poured a cup of coffee and tried to process what she had just told me. I was tired so what she had said didn't entirely make sense, so I asked.

"That wouldn't make sense. The master bedroom has a queen sized bed and the spare room is just a twin. Why would the two of you try to squeeze on to a twin?"

"We expected you to sleep in the master with me, Henry. Aaron was going to sleep in the spare. That's why his clothes were there."

Okay, I realize that I probably should have already picked up on what she was trying to tell me, but I was physically and emotionally exhausted, not to mention emotionally traumatized from the events of yesterday. I kept putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5.

"I don't understand, Fran. This doesn't make any sense."

She got out of her chair and walked over to me, sitting on my lap. Her robe fell open a bit, on purpose I think, and her right breast was exposed. It had been a long time for me and I sprung to life down below, despite all the turmoil I felt.

"You're still my husband, Henry, with everything that goes along with that. I had hoped that we would make love last night, though I understand why we didn't. I'm sorry I never told you about Aaron, honey. I just couldn't ever seem to."

"I still don't understand. You expected to make love to me last night? But what about..."

"Aaron? I told you, baby, he's known all along that I was married and we've known eventually you'd come back and take your rightful place as my husband, including in my bed."

"But you said he's not moving out. Did you mean not until he finds a place?"

"Henry, please try to understand. I didn't mean to fall in love with him, okay, but I did. I love him and I love you. I can't say I love one more than the other but I love you both, but you are my husband and that gives you first claim on me. That's why you'll stay in the master bedroom with me, and when I go to be with Aaron I'll go to the spare room. But you're right: we will probably need to get a bigger bed in there."

I was stunned. I had thought she was replacing me, but this was much, much worse. She actually thought we were somehow going to all live together here and that she was going to move from bed to bed, from husband to boyfriend and back again. And she was talking like she expected me to be okay with this. Suddenly the erection her partial nakedness had inspired was gone. I stood up, nearly dumping her on the floor.

"You're not actually suggesting what I think you are, are you? That you're expecting me to share my house and my wife with her boyfriend!"

"He's a great guy, Henry. I think you guys will become good friends. And I don't think of him as a boyfriend, baby. To me he's just like, well, another husband."

"Another husband?"

I was completely flabbergasted. She couldn't possibly be serious. The next thing you know she'll suggest...

"Yeah. And I thought maybe sometimes we'd even all get together, you know, in bed. I've always wondered what a threesome would be like."

Oh dear God!

I couldn't think of another word to say at that point. I just walked back down to the spare room and locked myself inside. She actually expected me to not only share her with him, but wanted us to all have sex together. How in the hell did she ever get the idea that I'd go along with this?

I spent the next few hours contemplating what had happened since I had returned home. I couldn't believe the way things were going. I had been primed to be with Fran again after 18 months away and not only had that been stolen from me, but my entire life had basically had someone else plugged into it.

It was during this time that I began to consider my daughter, Karen. Certainly she knew about Aaron but she never said anything to me on the phone or in the letters. Did she think I would be okay with this, like her mother did? Did she think it was Fran's job to tell me? Was SHE okay with it?

Periodically there would be a knock on the door and Fran would ask if I was all right or if I was ready to talk some more. She professed her love for me and assured me that everything would be all right. I was pretty sure that nothing would be okay ever again.

By the time dinner rolled around I was getting really hungry, having had nothing but coffee thus far today. The smells coming from the kitchen didn't help. Franny had always been a good cook. But there was no way I was going to sit down to dinner with the two of them, so I decided I'd take myself out.

I took a quick shower and walked quietly into the master bedroom and changed my clothes. Nothing fancy, just some slacks and a clean button-up shirt. Fran caught me as I was leaving the master bedroom.

"There you are. Dinner's about ready."

"I'm going out. I'm not interested in dinner with you two."

"It's just us, baby. Aaron's gone for the weekend. We were expecting you back tomorrow so he planned to be gone so you and I could reconnect."

"Sorry to have messed up your schedule."

"Stop it, Henry. You didn't mess anything up. All I'm saying is that he's not here and it's just the two of us. I had actually planned this meal for tomorrow night, to make your return home special."

Curious, I followed her into the dining room and found a romantic table set. The fine china, candlelight, even fresh flowers in a vase on the table. The smells of her signature beef stroganoff filled the room.

"It looks and smells great, Fran, but it doesn't make me okay with what's happening."

"I know that, honey. This was planned to show you how much I loved you and to welcome you back. Nothing more."

What the hell, I thought. She went to a lot of trouble and it was my favorite meal, so we sat down and ate. The conversation, for the first time since I got back, wasn't about the proverbial elephant in the room. We talked about Karen and her pregnancy, how things had been at the library, and about my last month in Afghanistan. It was pleasant despite the situation hanging over our heads.

But it eventually ended and it didn't change things. We cleaned up the dishes and spent the evening watching a movie on TV. Fran kept trying to get close and intimate but I didn't (couldn't, wouldn't, whatever) respond. She clearly wanted to make love, probably seeing it as some sort of acquiescence to this arrangement, but I simply wasn't interested.

Aaron's absence was fortuitous, in that it would give me the opportunity to pack my things without him around. Not that I couldn't anyway, but it would make it less awkward.

When it was time for bed I headed for the spare room, followed shortly thereafter by my wife in a long, lacy nightgown.

"Come to bed with me, Henry. Please."

I looked her up and down. She was certainly beautiful and had always been sexy, but all I could think of was what had that nightgown been through before now. She read my mind.

"It's new, Henry. I've never worn it with Aaron. I promise you that things like that will never happen."

"Franny, you look great, you always look great, but I'm not comfortable with any of this. I really just need to be alone to think about everything."

"No, Henry, you need to be with me, in my bed and in my body. I understand this has been a shock, okay, I do. But I've thought about this and I know we can make it work. It will take some adjustment, of course, but it's nothing we can't overcome."

"And just why in the hell would I want to make it work, to adjust, to overcome?"

"Because we love each other. It may not seem like that right now but I love you as much or more than I ever have. But I love Aaron, too, and I know I can take care of both of you and you'll both know how I feel about you."

"Franny, when I left here I had a faithful, loving wife, and I relied on that thought through some pretty tough times over there. I didn't have it as bad as the soldiers but there was always the risk hanging over our heads. And then I come back and find...this. You're right in that I belong in your bed, but after dedicating my life to you I deserve to be the only one there. Good night."

I closed the door while she stood there contemplating what I had said.

The next morning I went out looking for a place to live. It seemed apparent that Fran was going to keep pushing her agenda on this, that my obvious unhappiness and unwillingness to accept this were simply obstacles to be overcome, not reasons to reconsider her choice. I needed to get out of there before things deteriorated any further. And the longer I stayed there the more hope I was giving her.

I didn't see any apartments that appealed to me so I ended up at one those extended stay hotels. I reserved the room for a couple of weeks and planned to get my things packed up today. I had no doubt Fran would do her best to stop me but my mind was made up.

This certainly wasn't the way I envisioned my life going. But I still had a good paying job and a daughter that I adored, and a grandchild on the way, so I had things to live for and people to give my love to. And I was still young, only 43. I doubted I'd find someone that I loved as much as I loved Franny, but I knew I could find someone that could make me happy and with whom I could return the favor.

I went back to the house. Aaron was still gone, as promised, and Fran was actually out of the house as well. I smiled at my good fortune and proceeded to start packing my things. Fran had already unpacked the things I came home from overseas with and washed them so I was starting from scratch.

I was focused mostly on clothes and mementos. I wouldn't have anywhere for tools right now and could replace those if needed. I packed up my laptop as well. I'm sorry to say that Fran made it home before I could finish, but that wouldn't change my course of action. I didn't even turn around when she spoke.

"Please don't do this, Henry. You won't be happy without me and you know it. You'll hardly even notice a difference. Aaron has a very rigid work schedule while yours is all over the place. My time with him will mostly be while you're working. Sure, there will be nights when you sleep alone. That can't be helped, but isn't some nights without me better than every night?"

"You think that lying in bed while my wife fucks another man down the hall is just something I need to get used to? You can't possibly believe this bullshit you're spouting."

"Please don't go, honey. Please. Just give this a chance, give me a chance to show you how I can make this work. You can always leave afterwards."

"Sorry, Fran. I really am. I do love you and I want you to be happy but this is simply not something I can go along with. Let's just try to end things while we can still be civil. We still have a daughter together and a grandchild on the way. Let's focus on getting along so we can move forward."

"But I don't want this. I don't want to lose you."

"I'm sorry, Fran, but you already have."

She left the room while I finished my packing. I took as much as I could and hoped that if I had missed anything important it wouldn't be an issue getting it at a later date. She was drinking wine at the kitchen table when I was taking my last load to the car.

"I'm at the extended stay over on Lincoln, room 214, in case something comes up that needs my attention. I'll talk to a lawyer next week. I'm sure we can sort out fair terms. Let's just move on, okay?"

I waited for a response that never came, and finally took my last load out to the truck and drove over to my room, stopping to grab a burger and fries from a drive-thru on the way. I got everything unloaded right away since it was all out in the open. This wasn't a bad neighborhood but I didn't want to take any chances.

I turned on the TV but couldn't find anything to catch my interest, and at some point I dozed off. I was awakened by a knock on my door and my first thought was that Fran had come over to renew her pleas or try to seduce me or something along those lines, but when I looked through the peephole I saw Karen's shining face. I smiled and my mood improved considerably. Finally I was looking forward to getting some support. I opened the door.

"Hey honey."

"Daddy!"

This was the first time I had seen her since I had been back. We spent time catching up. I asked about Brian and how her marriage was going and she had nothing but positive things to say about their love for each other. She showed off her just-now-starting-to-swell pregnancy belly and I expressed to her how excited I was to be a grandfather. As much pain as I had experienced over the last couple of days with Fran, the joy I felt now in reconnecting with my daughter made up for it.

Until...

"Daddy, we need to talk about mom."

"I know this is hard on you, honey, seeing your parents split up like this, but I'm sure you understand."

"Actually, daddy, I think what you're doing is wrong."

That surprised me.

"What do you mean 'wrong'? What part of it? I'm being very civil about it and have no intention of being anything but fair. What exactly am I doing wrong?"

"You're walking out on your wife."

"You get that she moved another man into the house, right? That she considers him another husband and expects us all to live together."

"You left her alone for a year and a half, dad."

"I was alone for that same amount of time, Karen, and I didn't so much as make out with another woman let alone have sex with one and fall in love, so I know it can be done."

"Mom's not as strong as you are, daddy. She needs a man in her life. I don't think she realized how much until after you were gone."

"And I've tried to understand and accept that. I was even willing to try and make it work even after what she did. All she had to do was send Aaron packing and not see him again. But she refused."

"She loves him, daddy. You can't really expect her to give him up. I mean, you're the one that left so they could find each other."

"So you think is my fault, too?"

"Not entirely, but a big part, yes. You're her husband and you should have known that something like this might happen, but you left anyway."

"I should have known she would fall in love with another man? Are you serious?"

"Come on, daddy. Mom has always been dependent on you for support. It can't be a surprise that she found someone to fill that role while you were gone, or that she can't bring herself to bring him up."

"And now she doesn't have to, does she. People have to make choices like this every day and they somehow manage. By refusing to give him up she essentially gave me up. I gave her every chance I could to choose just me and she kept on the trying to get me to accept this three-way marriage. She even suggested we have threesomes from time to time, for God's sake."

"Daddy, I think if you just opened your mind to the possibilities here..."

"No, Karen, just no. I'm sorry that we don't see eye to eye on this, and frankly that surprises me. But there is nothing you can say that will convince me to even try to make this work, let alone accept it."

She was quiet for awhile and I thought I had finally made my point. We could go back and forth on this all night, all week, all month, but I wasn't going to change my mind. As it turns out she was just building her strength for her final attack.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, daddy, I really am. I love you so much but I really think you're wrong here. I thought you were a man of honor, that stood up and took care of his responsibilities. You made a choice and it had an outcome that you weren't expecting, and because you don't like it you're running away from your duty. You always taught me growing up to take responsibility for my actions even if it doesn't go the way I thought it would, but now you're not practicing what you preached at me all those years. I'm shocked and disappointed in you."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing coming out of her mouth.

"Surely you see the difference here, Karen."

"No daddy, it's the same. Responsibility for your actions has been tossed at me almost every day of my life."

"But these aren't my actions. These are your mother's actions."

"No daddy, these are her reactions to your actions. You made the choice to leave. Everything else is a consequence of that choice and now you have to do the responsible thing."

"Again, honey, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to stay with your mother as long as she insists on being with Aaron as well. It's just not going to happen."

"Are you sure about that, daddy? I mean, really, really sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I'm really sorry to hear that. I was hoping not to have to take this step, I really was, but I can't accept that you're not willing to do what I feel you need to do."

"Step? What step?"

She took a deep breath.

"Daddy, until you do the right thing and take your proper place beside mom in her life and in her bed, you will no longer be welcome in my life or that of my unborn child."

That one sentence hit me harder than anything ever has before. My own daughter, the child I had slaved for all of these years, the one for whom I worked late 2-3 times per week so I could be free on weekends to coach her soccer team just because she wanted me to, was using her love and the life of my grandchild to blackmail (there's really no other word for it) me into allowing her mother to have a live-in boyfriend. All of the fight and anger had been drained out of me and replaced by hurt and despair.