The Consequences of Infidelity Ch. 03

I finished up and climbed in the shower. I could see she was crying softly, we once again became one, our coupling sensual and sexual; we made love to each other. Primal lust tempered with gentle touches, each of us striving to please one another rather than ourselves.

I took her into my arms and I kissed her passionately and then I washed her hair and her body head to toes and she reciprocated in kind. Another kiss and then we stepped out toweling each other with gentle pats.

We were both famished so I ordered some Chinese takeout. When it arrived we 'pigged out' and after we ate we went back to the bedroom. Mal looked at her clothes and with a hint of sadness in her voice, said, "I should dress and head on home."

I told her, "Stay, make my heart yours and only yours, forever."

She leaped into the bed, landing net to me and she began kissing me. She said, "This IS my heart and ONLY my heart forever."

I said, "This is your heart and only yours, love me babe, make me weep."

We spooned and I could feel her soft globes against my back. I drifted off contented into a restful sleep. In the morning I said, "Let's make our family whole again, let's find a house and make a home!"

She said, "Hank, you are the kindest, most generous and forgiving soul I've ever encountered and I'll spend the rest of my days earning your trust and loving the stuffing out of you!!"

I had Mal move in with us in my apartment, Bobby and Jena were ecstatic and Jena proclaimed when her mother and I told them the news, that, "Mommy's home!!" We put her furniture into storage and I was able to break the lease because her landlord is a friend of mine.

When I asked Andy McPherson, he said, "Consider it done Hank."

Sandy Allison is a friend and a realtor with Roger's Reality and she handled the transaction when we sold our house to the Thompsons. I gave her a call and asked her to start looking for prospective homes that met our criteria.

Sandy called and said, "Hank, I found a home you might be interested, it's just three houses down from your old house."

I thought about it and I remembered that our long time neighbor Mrs. Mueller has passed away and her home was just three doors down." I asked, "Is that the Mueller place?"

She replied, "Yes, her daughter is selling the house, she lives out of state and has no desire to be an absentee landlord."

I said, "Set us up with an evening appointment tomorrow if possible."

She replied, "I'll see you tomorrow at 5:15pm."

I had Mallory pick up Bobby and Jena from her parents so she could bring them along. I thought that since we were all going to be living there it should be a family decision.

We met Sandy and toured the house. It is a four bedroom two and a half bath split-level. The kitchen was large but outdated and had a walk in pantry which Mal loved. The living room was about the same size as the one in our old home.

The master bedroom was spacious and had a walk-in closet and its own bathroom with a shower and a spa tub which I liked. Bobby and Jena each picked out a room to call their own. They were already picking out furniture and colors for the walls.

I pulled them to the side and asked, "Well, what do you think? Just nod yes or no when I point to you." I got three enthusiastic nods in the affirmative. I gave them thumbs up and I told the kids to check out the backyard. Mrs. Mueller's daughter Marjorie was a successful attorney in Chicago and had priced the house for a quick sale. Ironically, her specialty is family law and divorce.

She didn't want to keep the house nor did she need to make a killing on the sale. Mal and I walked over to Sandy and I put in an offer that was ten thousand less than the asking price. Two days later Sandy called and said the offer was accepted and that the house was ours.

I still had three months on my lease and that will give us ample time to remodel the kitchen and bathrooms, repaint the living room, dining room, and the bedrooms. Fortunately, I knew a contractor. Thompson Construction did the full remodel, replaced the roof, and built a stunning patio deck in the backyard.

Jon sub-contracted the electrical, the repaving of the driveway and concrete for the sidewalk as well as the instillation of the new in-ground pool and a large hot tub. They finished everything in two and a half months. Jon is a hell of a contractor.

We had purchased all new furniture for a new beginning. Getting rid of the old furniture was cathartic and symbolized for me letting go of all of the pain and heartache of the past.

We hired a moving company to bring our belongings from the apartment and the storage unit to the house and we moved in. I had paid my last month's rent but I told the owners it was ready to move in. I had Jon's crew repaint and I had a professional cleaning crew come in and clean everything.

Kelly and Deveraux tried to pay me for helping them get their settlements but I politely declined. The reason I could afford everything that I do is because I have a great accountant and a savvy investment broker who got me in on the ground floor of a company called Apple.

My ten thousand shares are worth millions. The reason Mallory didn't get part of my money in the divorce is because the shares were purchased by a LLC headquartered in the Cayman Islands. Any time I need some liquid capital, the money comes out of my account in Belize, where I had four million dollars at my disposal.

I used some of that money to buy the house, remodel, and buy new furniture and appliances. All in and done it cost me $300,000. I had 3.7 million left in my Belize account. My remaining investment portfolio continued to grow as Apple became the first trillion dollar company in the world.

The kids were able to play every day with the Thompson kids and now we took turns host cookouts and dinners. I had a long talk with Gunnar and Helga about the divorce and they understood how hurt I was.

When Mal and I reunited no one was happier than Mom and Dad Halstrom. It is weird how we as a family had come full circle. I never thought that I would be living with Mallory and my kids under one roof ever again. God has blessed us.

I became a bit of a philanthropist. I gave funds to build the Dr. John McAlister surgical wing and the Emma Kennedy McAlister day care at the hospital. I invested in McPherson Investigations and Thompson Construction so they could expand and grow their businesses.

I built a shelter for battered and abused women called Marley's Place after a young girl whose father murdered her and her mother in a drunken rage.

I also helped Marlene buy Trudy's Café. I loaned her the funds to update the décor, put in new tables and remodel the kitchen. It was a no interest loan with a bearer bond payable on demand. I never bothered to call it in.

Left to my own designs, I'm a terrible investor. Jon was hired to do the work by Marlene. The new Trudy's was spectacular and Marlene always dropped what she was doing and waited on us personally while giving the tips to her server for our section.

I was embarrassed when Marlene put a small gold placard on my favorite table that said, 'Reserved for Dr. Hank McAlister and family.' The only time she would allow other guests to sit there is when she knew we were out of town on vacation. We were frequent visitors to her weekend brunch buffet.

I would like to say it was all roses and sunshine but truthfully, I had trust issues for a long time after we got back together. It took five years before I proposed and we remarried surrounded by family and friends.

Perhaps the saying 'love conquers all' is true after all. We had ups and downs but Mallory did her best to earn my trust. She had always had my heart. She was true to her word and loved the stuffing out of me!

Bobby and Sarah Thompson went to Stanford and both went on to earn PhD's, Bobby's was in British History and Sarah in English Lit. They joined the faculty ABD (All But Dissertation) and remained there since they graduated.

Jena attended state college with Jodi Thompson and they roomed together. Jena went to medical school at Johns Hopkins and has become an exceptional surgeon. She did her internship at Walter Reed. After completing Navy ROTC; she became a Lieutenant in the Naval Reserves.

She completed her residency at Johns Hopkins hospital. After that she returned home and took over my practice and I retired as "physician emeritus" though I continued to consult and assist my daughter in the operating room.

Bobby and Sarah fell in love in high school and they married shortly after graduation from college. Eventually, Dr.'s McAlister and Thompson-McAlister received tenure and were respected scholars in their respective fields.

For now, Jena is still single and focusing on her career but she is dating a doctor from the hospital. Jodi Thompson is engaged to Andy's daughter Megan. Megan works as a foreman for Thompson Construction where Jodi is an architect. Megan will inherit the business when her father retires. Audrey became a stay at home mom once Jon's company was flourishing and they made themselves a nest egg.

Now that the kids are gone, Audrey went to work as a part time consultant at Mal's firm dealing primarily with pharmacy clients. Mal has put her long time assistant Dylan St. Clair in charge of the day to day and plans to give her the business soon as we want to travel and see the country. We fly frequently to California with Jon and Audrey to see Bobby and Sarah.

The pain is gone but scars remain to remind us of what we lost, were lucky to have regained, and to humbly realize the need to communicate our needs as so not to jeopardize our marriage ever again.

I love Mallory and she loves me, we are truly soul mates. If that wasn't true, I don't believe reconciliation would have ever been possible. It has made us stronger and more appreciative of what we have built together and our love is deeper than it was before.

We had a choice, to let go of the anger, hurt, and resentment or let it consume us. In the long run it was what was best for my kids, my family; and my family always comes first. Sometimes there really is a rainbow after the storm has passed and a pot of gold can be found at the end.

I am thankful knowing that faith, family, and friends make living worthwhile. While never perfect, our lives are as near perfect as anyone could hope for. They are filled with more happiness than I ever dreamed possible.