An adult stories – The Ambo Drivers Wife by Cagivagurl,Cagivagurl A big thank you to my friend Randi, for her fabulous editing and support.
It’s always great to have the best in your corner.
*****
“Stop it Harly, you’re starting to piss me off. I said I don’t want to go. If you don’t want to tell her, I will.”
“Ahh, C’mon doll. Don’t be like that. She just thought you might like a night out, a few drinks with the girls. I can look after the kids. You know you like to get on the piss with all your friends.”
Wow, he really was starting to get under my skin. “For one thing, Harly, they’re her friends, not mine. Secondly, lately she’s been giving me these weird vibes; there’s something going on with her I don’t like. I used to love hanging with her, but lately, I don’t know.”
“Whoa, steady on, Nola. She’s my partner, and she’s your mate; you’ve known her since we were assigned together. She’s gone out of her way to make friends with you.”
“Yeah, I appreciate that, Harly, but lately she has been pushing real hard. Plus, she’s been spending a lot of time here, and that means I never get a break from her. Everywhere I turn there she is. I mean, how come she never dates? She’s never mentioned any guys, and she’s attractive. Even with her odd working hours, there must be plenty of guys chasing after her.”
“I think it’s because she had a bad break up from the last jerk she dated.”
“Yeah, whatever. I know she talked about him, but it seemed weird to me that we never met him. None of her other friends met him either. It doesn’t make sense. If she loved him so much, how come we never met him?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is she really loves you and likes spending time with you. She has said many times lately that she feels you’re pushing her away, cutting her off. Would it hurt to go out and have some fun? Maybe there’s something she wants to talk about with you. She has mentioned that she likes you and feels comfortable talking to you.”
His comment annoyed me. I was trying to explain she’s been upsetting me, and he took her side… Again, and that happened a lot recently. “She’s got enough friends of her own; she doesn’t need me to hold her hand. I’m looking forward to a quiet night at home with the kids.”
He gave me a confused frustrated glare. “Why are you giving me that look?”
“We were trying to do something nice for you. It was actually my idea. I sensed a little tension between you two and thought it might be a chance to reconnect with her. You used to be such good mates.” Again he pushed her side rather than listening to my concerns.
“Like I say, Harly, there’s something odd going on with Rita. I can do without a drama filled night. I’m looking forward to an early dinner, and then spending the evening with the kids. She’s become way too clingy and touchy feely.”
He shrugged as he walked away. “Wow, you never would have turned down a night with the girls twelve months ago.”
“Just for your info, Harly, if they were my friends, I wouldn’t now. Those are Rita’s friends, they’re all ten years younger than me, and mostly single. I’m not into what they’re into. I already have a husband.”
After dinner, the kids and I watched a movie, as Harly filed out some reports and looked at his roster. That was the only thing I hated about his job… The roster. Him working night shifts regularly meant lots of time with a cold bed. Plus, I did worry about him. Being an ambulance driver and emergency first responder was not only stressful, but dangerous.
With the level of drugs in circulation these days, attending an emergency at a home address meant it was possible at least one, if not both parties were high on something. Methamphetamines was such a common thing these days.
At least being paired with another ambo made it safer. That was one good thing about Rita; she was good at her job, and she was good fun. At least she used to be. Lately, she had become really pushy as a friend, more like a stalker, sycophantic almost.
I used to love going shopping with her because she had such a great eye for fashion and details. She was able to mix and match items, and I always loved the combinations she picked for me…
When she started coming into the changing rooms unannounced, that really upset me, and I had to physically push her out. She laughed it off, but I saw something in her eyes, like a hunger, and it made me uneasy.
So, I did what most people would do in that situation. I pulled back, stopped inviting her for evening meals with us. Went shopping without her. Didn’t invite her when my friends and I went out.
It worked. She noticed, and at first it was all good; she gave me space. Then Harly started pushing us together. The harder I pushed her away, the harder he worked at pushing us back together. He excused it by saying. “Come on love, she’s my partner, we’re a team and she’s always had my back.”
I was trying to untangle myself from her, and he was inviting her over for meals, movie nights. Any excuse and he invited her over.
I guess that created a little tension between Harly and I. For the first time, I was uncomfortable with him, and I started to question why.
I used to work the ER at the local hospital as a registered nurse. It’s how Harly, and I met. After we married and had our two beautiful children, I stopped work. I promised myself that the early years I wanted to spend as a stay at home mum. I wanted to form those tight bonds with my children.
Once they reached school age, I decided it was time to go back to work. I didn’t fancy the night shifts at the hospital, so when a local doctors surgery advertised for a receptionist/nurse, I applied.
It was perfect. I job shared with another woman, and it allowed me to work flexible hours for the days Harly couldn’t pick up the kids from school. The money wasn’t as good at first, but after twelve months, I got a real boost. I guess I had proven my worth.
Harly worked a four on, four off roster, which allowed him to spend time with the kids. It was an excellent arrangement, except I did miss him when he worked night shifts.
Life was great except for bloody Rita. At first we were great friends, but recently, phew. She had become hard work.
I guess in retrospect, there were signs, but somehow I never connected the dots. Harly started probing about sexual fantasies in bed. “Have you ever thought about a threesome?” he asked one night.
It shocked me that he came out with it the way he did. “Yeah, I used to have a really hot fantasy about a threesome. I just didn’t think you’d be into it.” I joked.
“Oh, doll, I’d be into it all right. Jesus, I’d be right into it. I love the idea.”
His enthusiasm shocked me. Was he seriously thinking about including other people in our love life? I decided to call his bluff. “Sweet, who should we invite around? Your mate Phil is a bit of a looker.”
“Phil…” he blustered. “What the fuck? I meant a woman. Jesus, Nola, I’m not fucking gay.”
“A woman… Oh god no. That sounds disgusting.” I rasped sarcastically.
He looked crestfallen. “What made you think I’d be interested in being with a woman?” I snapped back.
“I don’t know, it seems like it’s commonplace these days. I mean it’s on TV all the time, I thought it would be cool. I would love to see you with another woman. I thought it’d be as sexy as hell.”
“I’ve never considered being with a woman, What made you suggest it?”
He got a little defensive. “There was something on talkback radio about common fantasies for couples. That one always used to get me going when I was younger. Just thought it might be something you might be into as well.”
I knew Harly pretty well, his facial expression, even in the dim light looked uneasy. I decided to test the water. “Yeah, okay. I will if you will.”
“What do you mean by that?” he responded hesitantly, suspiciously.
“We could start by adding a guy, then after that we could try adding a woman.”
“What the fuck, Nola? I just said I’m not gay.”
“Yeah, well neither am I. If it’s good one way, then it’s got to work the other. So my response is. I will if you will.”
“That’s bullshit; lots of chicks like to play with other women. It’s not the same. It’s acceptable for women. In fact, it’s fucking hot. I’d love to watch you make out with another chick.”
“Would you now… Well, I’d love to watch you suck another guys cock. Get it all hard and firm. Maybe you could hold it, guide it into my pussy.”
“Fucking hell, Nola, cut it out. I’m no cock sucker.”
“And I’m no pussy licker. So lets call this conversation closed, aye?” I pulled the blankets up tightly around me and rolled to the edge of the bed.
I felt him do the same, and now there was this huge voided space between us. It was cruel/ Like most women, I had always wondered what it would be like to hold a woman, to feel her lips on mine. I sniggered quietly. One night when I had gone outwith Rita, we went to a gay bar, god knows why, but that’s where we ended up. It was an awesome night, and one of Rita’s friends who was totally spaced out started dirty dancing with me. She rubbed her body against mine, and as shocked as I was, I was also as aroused as hell.
What a night. I was drunk enough to let her put her hands all over me, and we might have even kissed if Rita hadn’t interrupted. She was so hammered she didn’t know what was going on. It killed the moment. That night I was so worked up when we got home I banged Harly’s brains out.
I was so horny I jumped his bones and he couldn’t wipe the smile of his face for weeks. Maybe that’s why he always encouraged me to go out with the girls. I never did confess why I was so aroused, though.
After that fight, things were awkward between us. He wasn’t happy and tried several times over the next couple of months to restart the conversation. It was always while we were making love. I guess he tried to make it sexy, but all it did was make me angry. If we talked about it, rather than him just pushing it down my throat, maybe it would be different. After his first confession, I thought about it a fair bit, and it did excite me.
Still, it was his attitude towards it that pissed me off, and that made me angry. “Am I not enough for you, Harly? Is that what all this talk of threesomes is all about?”
“No, sweetheart. You got the wrong idea. It was more about spicing things up. You know how sexy you are. I just thought it might be something you would enjoy.”
“Something you’d enjoy, more like,” I spat out cynically. “Well, when you feel like you want a man’s cock up your arse, you let me know. That should be a real spicy twist.”
Of course, that shut down that conversation pretty quick. It wasn’t just the conversation. There were magazines left lying around. I don’t even read Cosmopolitan, but there they were, and turned over to articles dealing with setting up threesomes. When I asked where they came from, Harly suggested, “I don’t know doll. Maybe it was something Rita was reading.”
Yeah, Rita… One Saturday morning, we were having a cup of coffee that she had invited herself for. The conversation had started slowly, hesitantly. That’s the way it had been with us lately, I always felt like there was something she wanted to say, but couldn’t.
That morning was no different, then from nowhere, she said, “Harly mentioned that you guys were talking about wanting to get into a threesome?”
“What did you say?” I snapped caustically. “When the hell did he say that?”
She recoiled a little, and there was a pause before she replied. “Shit, take it easy. He mentioned in passing that you wanted to include another woman in your lovemaking. I thought it sounded really fucking hot.”
“Like hell we do.” I snarled bitterly. “He has mentioned it, but the idea disgusts me. I hate the idea.”
She looked completely shocked by the depth of my vitriolic response. “Hate is a strong word, Nola. I mean, surely you must have thought about it?”
I was starting to get a feeling of entrapment; she was pushing Harly’s wheelbarrow for him. I laid it on really strongly. “Rita, the thought of sexual contact with another woman revolts me. I know some woman are into that stuff, and more power to them. I hate it. Sounds like I better have another word with Harly. I thought this shit had been dealt with. God knows why he talked to you about it.”
Back peddling as fast as she could, she spluttered nervously, “Slow down, Nola. We talk about all sorts of things on night shift. He just mentioned it in passing like. Please don’t say I mentioned it to you.”
“Rita, that’s personal between Harly and me. I don’t expect him to be having intimate conversations with you regarding our love life.”
“No, it was my fault,” she gushed. “I was reading an article in Cosmo, and he said you guys were talking about it. Please, it was my fault.”
“Yeah well, if that’s the sort of stuff you guys talk about, maybe it’s time for a change of teams. I’m not comfortable with you two talking about sex, or our relationship.”
She reached for my hand, which took me by surprise. “Nola, we used to be such good friends. I always felt comfortable talking to you about anything. Harly and I are friends, as well. The three of us used to be so close, babe. Lately you have been cutting me out of your life.”
“With good reason, it seems. I’m not comfortable with you talking to my husband about our sex life. So if you can’t work together and keep it professional, perhaps you shouldn’t work together.”
She sighed deeply as I snatched my hand from her grasp. “Please don’t say anything to him. You have nothing to worry about,” She said in what felt like a defeated sigh.
*****
I certainly wasn’t going to leave that conversation. When Harly got home from his mates place later, I tackled him.
“Guess who was here earlier?” I stated unhappily.
He knew, damn it; I saw it in his eyes. “I don’t know?”
“Bloody Rita, and do you know what she wanted to talk about?”
I saw him swallow nervously. “No, I have no Idea?”
“She told me that you said we were looking to get involved in a threesome.”
“Oh… Yeah, all right. We did talk about it, and I mentioned we would like to bring in another woman.”
“Why the hell did you say that? I told you I wasn’t interested.”
“I know what you said, Nola. I just thought that if you talked to another woman, it might change your mind.”
“Another woman… Change my mind aye. So you’re ready to get a cock up your bum are you?”
“Jesus, don’t be bloody disgusting. You know bloody well I’m not into that shit.”
“I told you the same thing, Harly. The thought of doing anything with a woman disgusts me.”
“Come on, Nola, it’s really common among women.”
“Like hell it is. Not one of my female friends have ever disclosed any desire for anything like that. Not one.”
Okay, I admit that was a lie. On a couple of drunken nights out, we had talked about it. A couple even admitted trying it, and that shocked me, but not in a disgusting way. More like. “Wow… Really?” I certainly wasn’t going to disclose that to him, not with this hanging over our head.
“Yeah, okay. I fucked up, okay? Lets drop it,” he grumbled.
“Like hell we will. If those are the sorts of conversations you’re having with Rita, then maybe it’s time for a change of teams. Get a swap.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, we’re mates. We talk about shit like that,” he said defensively. “She’s like one of the blokes; it’s just the sort of things friends can talk about. We trust each other.”
“I’ll tell you what, Harly. If I ever hear of you discussing our personal life with that bitch ever again. I will be laying a complaint with the ambulance service myself.”
“Fuck, settle down, doll. Jesus, it was just a bit of fun.”
“Like hell, that’s our personal life we’re talking about.”
Things were very cold between him and I for quite a few days following that conversation. It took a couple of days before I was prepared to accept his intimacy.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, and it was far deeper than him sharing details of his twisted fantasy with Rita.
I walked to work one morning, and as I left for work Harly was washing the ambulance. He gave me a lovely kiss as I walked past. Then tried to squirt me with the hose.
It was nice to have a little fun. Just that simple little interaction raised my spirits. Maybe I was being a bit overly sensitive… For the first time in what seemed like ages, I felt real joy.
Work was light, and seeing how it was Harly’s rostered day off, I asked the boss for an extended lunch break, stopped at the bakery on the way home and picked up one of Harly’s favourite steak and mushroom pies, as well as a couple of tasty treats for dessert. My earlier feelings of elation returned and I started to think, maybe a little mid afternoon sex, god that would be so naughty, but we needed it. It could be exactly what we needed.
As I turned up our driveway, I heard noises coming from the ambulance. Noises that should never be heard coming from an ambulance. My tummy did a flip, and my good mood evaporated in a flash. As I neared it, I leaned in close, and the noises were plainer than daylight. Somebody was having sex in there, and it was torrid.
Putting my ear to the side of the ambulance, I could hear the frantic puffing and panting, the gurney moving under the ferocious attack. Shit, the blasted van was rocking. “Oh fuck yes, oh fuck that feels good.”
No missing Rita’s voice, but was it really Harley… “Jesus, Rita if you don’t take your finger out of my arse, I’m going to come, babe.”
“Shut up and do it, I want to feel it squirting up inside me.”
There was no doubt. It was Harly. I tried the door, but it was locked; at least they were clever enough for that. A lot of thoughts rushed through my mind at that point. I’m sure if we owned a gun, I would have used it and shot the pair of them.
I wanted to scream, to shout, tell them what I thought of them. In the end, I settled for writing “cheating fuckers” all over the ambulance in my bright red lipstick. I covered the windscreen, the doors, everywhere until my lippy ran dry, I left his steak and mushroom pie on the ambulance step, with my empty lipstick tube.
I stormed back to the surgery. Sheree, the other nurse, saw me and drew me into a tight hug. “What’s going on, pet? You look terrible. Come out the back and I’ll make you a cuppa and you can tell me all about it.”
I didn’t tell her what I found, but she’s an insightful woman and knew I was struggling. After we had a cup of tea, my hands still wouldn’t stop shaking, and I felt like I was going to faint.
“Go home, sweetie. I can cover this for the day.”
“No, god no. Home is the last place I want to be.”
She did her bit to make my day easier, but I couldn’t clear the terrible sounds from my head. They had obviously been fooling around for months, if not longer. All that shit about threesomes, were they really trying to get me involved with that? It made my tummy churn, the thought revolted me.
Harly had been so adamant, so pushy… It was clearly what he wanted. Fuck him, if he wanted me involved, he was going to get it, but not in the way he wanted.
I downloaded the divorce documentation from the government website, printed them out, filled in the required fields and signed at the bottom. It really was that easy. The documents were right there on the government website, and it didn’t even require Harly. I could petition on my own, and he would have to respond..
I wanted to keep the house; we brought it only two years before, when mortgages could be organised with as little as ten percent. We had so little equity in it, I could afford to buy out his share. The house was perfect for me, close to work and most importantly, it was in a good school district. I wasn’t giving that up.
We had virtually no savings, so that was easy. Division of assets, yeah right…
After I was finished, I got our surgeon who was also a justice of the peace to notarise my signature, uploaded and emailed them to the Government site and registered the petition with the court. Then I sent everything to Harly’s email address.
“Sweetie, are you sure? Shit you’ve hardly given yourself a chance to think. Surely you have to talk to him, see what he has to say?” Sheree said comfortingly as she handed me another cup of tea.
“No, we both talked about this. When I was at nurses’ college, a boyfriend cheated on me and I explained that to Harly. He knows how I feel. He said the guy was a jerk and he’d never do anything like it.”
“So what happened, sweetie? You seem mighty fired up.
I had to tell somebody, so it just rolled out. “Oh my god. No, not Rita, she’s such a lovely young girl. She would never do something like that.”
“Sheree, there’s no doubt in my mind who was in that damned ambulance, and what they were doing. Their language was graphic, do you understand? There was no room for misinterpretation.”
“Holy mother of Christ. I have known Rita for several years, and I don’t believe I have ever seen her with a boy. She just doesn’t seem the type to me.”
“You know the old saying, you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.”
“What about you, sweetie? How’s things been for you at home?”
“Harly’s been a bit of a shit, actually. I can’t tell you about it, but he’s been hard to deal with.”
My phone started ringing, I recognised Harly’s ID. After calming myself down, I picked up his call and snarled. “Don’t call me here. I’m at work. Check your email.” I disconnected the call.
It was Harly’s day off, so he picked up the kids from school. Although when I got home, he was still furiously trying to clean down the ambulance.
When he saw me walk up the driveway, he looked angry. “Why the hell did you do that, Nola?”
“I didn’t have a gun.”
He shook his head sadly. “We better talk, aye?”
“Where are the kids?”
“In their rooms doing homework and eating sandwiches.”
“All right, you want to talk. Let’s start with did you fill out the divorce paperwork?”
“Of course not. I know you’re mad, Nola, but that is a total over reaction. I did the wrong thing, but let’s talk about it like grown ups. I don’t mean you having another one of your fucking tantrums like a little girl.”
“Yeah, so you aren’t going to deny it. You and Rita have been having an affair?”
“No, it’s not an affair. Jesus, girl. We only did it a few times.”
“More than once makes it an affair, and I assume if I hadn’t found out you’d still be doing it tomorrow, as well.”
“Nola, we tried to get you involved. That’s what we really wanted. All of us together. Rita really likes you, she’s so into you, doll. Honestly, if you’d just open your mind, think about the possibilities.”
“Oh my god, listen to yourself. How many flaming times do I have to say I’m not flaming interested? Especially with that fucking bitch. Banging my hubby is hardly going to win my affection.”
“She really wanted to be with you, Nola, not me. She really likes you. I was just keeping your place warm.”
“Fuck off, Harly. All I want from you at the moment is the paperwork signed and sent in. And I want you moved out tonight. I don’t give a fuck where you go, but I want you gone.”
“Nola, this is my house as well.”
“Not for much longer. Tomorrow I’m going to the bank to see about buying out your share.”
“Fucking hell, Nola. Give me a chance here. I won’t accept it, and I’m not leaving. We need to talk.”
I pulled out my mobile phone and waved it under his nose. “You are leaving tonight, or the video of you fucking Rita in the Ambulance is being sent straight to your supervisor. Christ, the video’s not that clear but the audio will sink you alone.”
His face hardened into a determined glare. “You’re bluffing. If you did that we’d lose our jobs. You know we can’t afford that.”
“I’m way past caring. Get your shit together and fuck off, or this little video goes viral.” I sniggered. “I’m sure the whole ambo service is dying to hear….’Oh fuck yes, oh fuck that feels good, Harly…. Jesus, Rita, if you don’t take your finger out of my arse, I’m going to come, babe.’
‘Shut up and do it, I want to feel it squirting up inside me.'”
He glared at me with a mixture of confusion and guilt.
“Yeah, that’s right arsehole. I was there and I recorded it on my phone. So unless you want your employers to see the recording. I want you out of here. Right now.”
“What about the kids, what do I tell them?” he said, defeat clear in his features.
“Tell them whatever the fuck you want, just get out.”
“Please, Nola, can’t we talk about this?” He reached for my hand but I snatched it away.
“Maybe later, a week, give me a week.”
“Jesus, I’m sorry, Nola, this isn’t the outcome we wanted. We both wanted to have you involved. We wanted a proper threesome, but you’ve been so anti, we got sick of waiting. I never meant to hurt you.”
“Bullshit, Harly. What did you think I was going to say once I found out? Yay… My husbands a cheating bastard, but it looks like fun?”
“Nola,” he said pleadingly, seeing a hopeful chink in my attack. “Doll, think about it… it could be fun, so much fun. Rita is so attracted to you, and she has lots of experience with women. Jesus, I remember when you met her. You said she was hot as hell.”
“Physically, she’s all that. No doubt, Harly. The problem is what’s inside. She’s just a bitch, a skanky nasty piece of shit. She’s clearly got no morals. Banging her friend’s husband. How many times have you done it in our bed, in our house?”
He stood staring at the ground, guilt and shame washing over him.
“Get out, Harly, and take enough clothes so you don’t have to come back for a week.”
He wandered off to pack and talk to the kids. I heard him say he had to be gone for a few days for work.
After he was gone, Elise and Jona came out to the kitchen. “Why did Daddy leave, Mummy?”
“He is busy, sweetheart. He will be gone for a little while. It means we have to pitch in and help, okay?”
They looked despondent, but when I said, “Jona, you’re the man of the house now. You have to be strong,” he puffed out his chest and said, “I got this, Mummy.”
I swear that boy watches too much television. It was lonely in bed that night. Sleeping in an empty bed wasn’t unusual, but this was different. Harly worked shifts, so I was used to sleeping by myself. Somehow, this felt final. I had been so angry during the day the tears never came, but there, alone in my bed, surrounded by the darkness, the tears flooded out and I couldn’t stop them.
I recognised a lot of what I said was the anger speaking. The guy was an idiot. Our marriage had been pretty good. Like most marriages, I guess. We started off in a whirlwind of passion and lust. Then the kids came along and sex dried up for a spell. Shift work, long hours, moving into our new home, night feedings, dirty nappies.
I suppose if we had talked about it rather than him pressuring me, it might have happened. I, just like most people had considered it. His attitude was what killed it for me…I think, knowing what I now knew, that was what upset me with Rita. She had been trying to groom me. It wasn’t seduction, it was an attempt to make it seem acceptable, normal, something I should want.
All of that took the gloss off what had been a wonderful marriage.
Okay, the sex could have been better. After the kids, Harly lost the desire for foreplay and for a while it was just five minute quickies. He might have got his rocks off, but I didn’t.
It was bad enough before the kids. It took me ages to train him. I got sick of faking orgasms to boost his moral. When I stopped faking, he asked, “What happened, you didn’t come?”
“Harly, I can’t orgasm from just penetration. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but for me to orgasm, it takes foreplay, it takes stimulation. I need to warm up. Three minutes of you finger blasting me, doesn’t do it.”
He was pretty good about it. I expected him to sulk, but he went the other way and asked me what I needed. It was nice, and I guided him, taught him the fine art of cunnilingus, how to use his fingers to arouse me. Showed him all of my erogenous zones. Showed him that he didn’t have to dive right for my tits every time. He could take his time, and he could get my motor running other ways.
He was a good student and learned well. Right up until the kids came along, and suddenly we were back to wham-bam thank you ma’am.
Aside from the sex, he had been a great husband. Yeah, he could be lazy around the house. After I stopped work to stay home and look after the kids, he fell right off the house work radar. Suddenly, it was all my job.
That pissed me off, because we had always shared. Now it was like he was king dick making royal proclamations. He worked, so the housework was all down to me.
When I went back to work, it took a full on war before he decided that the hours I worked were as long as his, and I made more money.
I did love him, but this whole thing pissed me off. The way he almost tried to herd me into the threesome thing with Rita. Then to actually fuck her. Fucking prick…
I had to ask Mum to pick up the kids and look after them for me until I could get home.
Mum being Mum, she didn’t ask any questions, just did as I asked. When I got home, the kids were bathed, and Mum had cooked us all dinner. All through dinner, she talked normally, but her eyes kept asking the questions.
With the kids in bed, she sat me down. “All right, honey. What the heck is going on?”
“I caught Harly having sex with Rita yesterday. I kicked him out.”
She drew me into her motherly arms, as mums do and she held me tight. “Oh sweetheart. I’m so sorry. What did he say?”
“He apologised of course.”
“Was it a one off, or an affair?”
“It was an affair, Mum. Been going on for months.”
“Good heavens, and she is such a lovely girl. I would never have suspected.”
“Yeah, me too, Mum. Took me completely by surprise.”
“”Where is Harly staying?”
“Don’t know and don’t care. I have already filed divorce papers at the court.”
Mums arms dropped and she gasped open mouthed. “No… Oh Nola, that is silly. You need to talk to him. You have children, and they adore him.”
“I know, Mum, but how the hell do I live with him after that?”
“Are they in love, is that’s what’s happening?”
“I don’t know, Mum. All I know is. I’m not being disrespected like that. She was my bloody friend as well.”
“I know dear, it is unbelievable she would do something like that. What a bloody hussy.”
“Hah, hussy be damned. She’s a skanky bitch, but he’s no better. It takes two to tango, Mum.”
“Yes, I know dear, but he’s your husband. The father of your children. I think you really should think twice before you start talking divorce. Talk to him, see if there is some way to make it work. What if you could get him to promise he’d never do it again? Then maybe counselling. Father Jefferies at the church might be able to help.”
The anger and frustration felt overwhelming. “What’s the point, Mum? We made those promises already. If he can break it this time, what makes a new one any better?”
My mum, what could I say? She held me in her arms and squeezed.”All I am suggesting is talk to him. Heavens, think about what you have to lose. Life isn’t easy for a solo mother.”
We were still talking when Dad walked in. “Oh no, what’s wrong? You two look like the worlds ending.”
Mum dived in before I could say anything. “Nola caught Harly cheating with Rita.”
Dad just about choked, as he gasped, “You mean, caught them caught them?”
I nodded. “Yes, Dad, caught them hard at it.”
“Well bugger me. The bloody rats. I would never have suspected Rita capable of that.”
Why were they so quick to defend her? It wasn’t helping my anger levels. “Take it from me, Dad, she was a very willing partner.”
“Oh bugger,” he huffed, his disgust very evident. “So what are you doing about it?”
Mum dived in before I could answer. “She’s talking divorce, Laurence.”
He glared at me in shock. “Whoa, bit early for that isn’t it? I mean, I agree, the behaviour is unacceptable, but divorce… That’s very final, pudding.”
“Sorry Dad, but I’m not putting up with it. If he does it once, he’ll do it again.”
“Has he said anything… I mean have there been any issues at home that might make you think he was up to no good?”
Swallowing my pride I admitted. “He’s been going on and on about wanting a threesome, and yeah, Rita’s name was mentioned. I told him no bloody way. I never thought he’d cheat though.”
Dad nodded, walked over and enveloped me in one of his fix-anything hugs.
“Nola, you have to talk to him. You can’t throw everything away because of this. The kids would be devastated.”
My father could be a very intimidating man. He was big and strong, hugely powerful. He had worked in the iron foundry in town his whole life. It surprised me that he thought I should forgive Harly. Over the years, I’d heard him talking to his mates about wives who had been caught out doing the dirty. He was always adamant, divorce was the only answer.
This irritated me, it smacked of all the old fashioned double standards. Men were judged by different standards. I thought dad would be on my side, not Harly’s.
It seemed everybody I talked to had the same opinion. Even my best friend Rachel agreed. Harly was a well liked and respected bloke. He played his whole life for the local Rugby club. He worked hard for charities, did plenty of fund raising for the ambulance association.
Yeah he was an all around good guy. It was the kids who made me swallow my pride and give him a call. He sounded a bit muffled, but happy enough when I invited him over for dinner.
When he walked in I gasped in horror. “What in blue blazers happened to you?” His face was battered and bruised, his nose broken, his lip slit. There were lacerations all over his face.
He gave me a sullen glare. “Your bloody father, that’s what.”
“You’re saying my dad did that too you?”
“Yeah, just walked up to me, no talking, nothing. He just laid into me. Afterwards, he said if I ever disrespected his daughter again, I could expect another dose, but next time I wouldn’t leave with my balls in tact. Apparently, he saved that this time in case we were going to have more kids.”
Just then the kids rushed out after hearing his voice. They clambered all over him, causing him to wince in agony. Apparently, he had a couple of broken ribs as well.
During dinner, conversation was light. We let the kids carry us through, talking about school and friends.
“How long will you be off work?”
“About a week. I have to go back to the doc to get the strapping off my ribs.”
With the kids tucked up in bed, we sat down to talk.
“Why did you do it, Harly?”
“I didn’t set out to do it Nola. Rita, and I have always got along great, and we talked a bit, especially during night shifts. You know we covered some weird shit at three in the morning. C’mon, Nola, Rita is a very sexy chick.”
“I work with handsome men every day. You don’t see me jumping into bed with them.”
“This is different. We work in life and death situations every day, and that forces you to be more open with each other. There were times when we just held each other crying. It sucks going to car accidents where kids have died. It’s fucking painful. We learned to lean on each other, we had each others backs. She saved my arse more than a couple of times, saw things I missed. We got close.”
“Harly, I’m not a fool. I know how it works with ambulance drivers. I have heard all your work mates talking about it. It’s no excuse for jumping into bed.”
“That’s not how it started, Nola. One day I asked how come we never met any of her boyfriends. She confessed in tears that she was bisexual, that she mostly dated women, but in such a small town wanted to keep it on the down low. Then she mentioned how attracted to you she was.”
It made sense; I had always wondered why I never saw her with blokes. It also explained the trip to the gay bar. “I still don’t understand why you ended up in bed together.”
“We didn’t. Not right away, It just opened up our conversations and they got sexier and before long, we started having the threesome talk. Shit, Nola, she was so into you, so hot for you.”
It didn’t make sense, and it rang of him trying to save his arse. “Oh please, cut it out. You don’t expect me to believe that shit do you?”
“It’s true, Nola. Christ we both tried over the last year to get you interested. That’s what we both wanted. You just never took the bait. Recently we talked more, things got intimate and we ended up doing it.”
“Shit, you can talk some crap. How many times have you done it?”
“Only a couple. Rita’s not really into guys.”
“Sure sounded like it the other day.” I hissed in reply.
“Yeah, I guess we got used to each other. Nola, I don’t want divorce. I’ll do anything to put this behind us, anything.”
“I am doing this for the kids, Harly. You better understand this. If you and I didn’t have those gorgeous little creatures, your arse would be grass, buddy, and I’d gladly be the lawnmower. But, and only because of them. I’m prepared to see if we can work it out.”
“Thanks, Nola, you won’t regret it. I’d hug you now, but movement’s very difficult.”
“Yeah, I get it. There’s gonna be some changes, though. You need to ask for a swap. Rita has to go.”
He grimaced. “I can’t do that, Nola. Management would want to know why, and it would have to be more than we just don’t get along. Shit, babe, we’ve been partners for two years and everybody knows we get along great. I can’t just ask for a transfer.”
“Then this discussion is moot. If she stays, you go, it’s that simple.”
“Fuck,” he sighed in frustration. “I’ll try, Nola, but it’s not going to be that simple. You know what they’re like. I’d have to come up with a legitimate excuse.”
“Simple really, Harly. Tell them that I hate the bitch, and if I catch up with her, she’s going to look like you do now.”
“Nola, honey, please don’t make trouble. It’s going to be hard enough to keep this quiet as it is. Jesus, I’ve worked my whole life in that job. The ambulance service has been my whole life.”
“There’s other changes as well, Harly. You’re not sleeping in our bed; your injuries will be good cover for the kids. There’ll be no sex, not for a long time. You better get used to wanking.”
“How the hell is that going to help us repair anything?”
“I don’t know, Harly, all I know is, just looking at you makes me sick.”
“So can I stay tonight?”
“No, not tonight, give me another couple of days.”
I tried, I really did. He moved back home, Although we weren’t sharing a bed, he helped around the house, he really went the extra mile. We talked, but it was frosty and awkward. I accepted him back into our bed, and we had sex, but it simply wasn’t the same. I kept getting flashbacks of that day. They popped into my head when we were going at it; suddenly I heard Rita’s voice begging him to fuck her harder. We were having sex, but the intimacy never returned. It got to the stage even when he tried to kiss me, my stomach turned.
On top of that, his refusal to get a transfer really pissed me off. He said that nothing happened between them, and it was cool. That was easy for him to say, but it gutted me.
Day by day, my animosity grew. The doctor’s surgery where I worked was a great work atmosphere. It resembled a family. Roger, the owner of the franchise, was wonderful. He knew something was up, and one day I was feeling so low I burst into tears. He saw me and drew me into a hug. He walked me into the smoko room and held me in a fatherly hug.
Right at that moment, Harly walked in, saw us in an embrace and flew off the handle. He screamed and pushed Roger. “You fucking slut,” he yelled. “You hypocritical bitch.”