The Small Package

They say that good things come in small packages, but a stick of dynamite is pretty small and one of them can ruin your day. Both of those things could describe my wife Betsy. At five foot even and a hundred and five pounds soaking wet she is definitely a small package. Great looking, a fantastic cook, superb in the bedroom and ninety percent of her time is spent in spoiling me rotten.

It is the other ten percent where the dynamite comes in. Betsy does have a short fuse and when something sets her off there is hell to pay and to be bluntly honest about it if I had known of that ten percent and how she could be when she was in that "zone" I'm not all that sure that I would have asked her to marry me. I suppose the red hair should have been a sign, but I didn't think of it at the time. I mean when she goes off, she goes OFF!

For example. I am a regional manager for my company and I travel a lot visiting the nine offices in my region. I travel a lot, but I'm usually not gone all that much. I have a schedule set up that has me home a good deal of the time. I'll fly out on a Sunday night, visit three or four offices and fly home on a Wednesday and be home for the rest of the week. I'll stay home the following week and then fly out Sunday and repeat the process.

Well, sometimes the schedule gets out of whack. I had flown out on Sunday, visited three of my four offices in the northern part of the state and was at the fourth one on Wednesday morning when the company's entire computer system went down. I didn't get to fly out that day or the next and it was Friday afternoon when I got home. I showered, put on a comfortable pair of sweats, grabbed a beer and sat myself down in front of the TV to relax and watch the Rockies play Arizona.

Betsy came home from her job as an office manager at five-thirty. She came over and kissed me and told me to change so I could take her out to dinner.

"Not tonight honey. I just want to relax, have a couple of beers and watch the game."

"That isn't going to work for me Rob. I've been home alone for a week and I need to get out."

"I'll take you tomorrow honey. I've been eating in restaurants all week and I'm tired of it. Just let me sit here and relax and we will do something tomorrow."

"So you pick the TV over me. Okay, if that's the way you want to be."

She left the room and came back a minute or so later with a cast iron frying pan and swung it into the middle of the TV screen. Shit flew everywhere as the tube exploded and Betsy turned to face me with a defiant look on her face and a "What the fuck are you going to do about it" stance. I did the only thing I could do. I took a pull on my beer and then said:

"Looks like you have a mess to clean up. I was looking for an excuse to buy a new wide screen anyway" and I got up and went down into the basement where I had a workshop set up. I puttered around until bedtime and as I headed for the bedroom I glanced into the living room and saw that Betsy hadn't cleaned up the mess. When I got to the bedroom I saw that Betsy, who normally slept nude, had on her PJs. That meant she as in her "withhold sex mode" until I was able to sweet talk her out of it.

Anyway, that is how Betsy could be when something set her off. Why did I put up with it? Because ninety percent of the time Betsy was more than any man could ask for.

But it was that ten percent that put me in the position I found myself in. I was sitting behind the desk in my home office with my 1911 A1 Colt .45 on the desk in front of me. There was a round in the chamber and I was watching the door to the office and waiting for it to open.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The events that led up to me sitting there watching that door took place almost a month before and I didn't even know it at the time. I had come home from one of my trips expecting to enjoy the rest of the week with Betsy, but Betsy was a little cool toward me when I got home. When I tried to take her in my arms and kiss her she twisted away and said she didn't feel good and she headed for the bedroom. It was that way for the rest of the week and through the weekend. She pushed me away every time I tried to get close and didn't respond whenever I asked her what I could do to help. That was not the Betsy I was used to.

There was no change by the time Sunday rolled around. It was one of the rare times when I would be gone two weeks in a row and I couldn't even get a kiss goodbye when I left for the airport Sunday night. I pushed Betsy to the back of my mind and buried myself in my job, but Betsy came back every night when I returned to my hotel room. I called home every night to check in, but even on the phone Betsy was non-communicative. I resolved that when I got home we would sit down and hash out the problem even if I had to sit on her to keep her from walking away.

Betsy wasn't home when I got there late Wednesday afternoon. She still wasn't home when I crawled into bed at ten-thirty. I woke up when she came in the house and slammed the front door and I looked at the bedside clock and saw that it was just after midnight. She wasn't all that quiet which told me that she wanted me awake and aware of the time. I was sitting up in bed with the bedside table lamp on when she came into the bedroom. She saw me sitting there and she gave me what I can only describe as a smirk. She didn't say a word as she undressed and put on her PJs. She got into bed, rolled over to put her back to me and said:

"Turn out the light."

Her attitude pushed a button and I said, "Turn it out yourself" and I got out of bed, took my pillow and went to the guest bedroom. In the morning I got up, showered, dressed and headed out of the house without a word to Betsy. I usually made coffee, read the morning paper and discussed what the day was going to be like with Betsy, but not that day. I stopped at the Village Inn for breakfast and then went into the office. I didn't get much done that day because my mind was trying to process what was going on with Betsy.

Betsy wasn't home when I got there and she still wasn't home by bedtime. I decided to wait up for her determined to get to the bottom of what was going on. She came home at one in the morning and was surprised to find me sitting on the couch fully dressed and waiting for her. Before she could say a word I pointed at the easy chair across from the couch and said:

"Sit!"

"I'm going to bed."

"No you aren't. You are going to sit down and tell me just what is behind this pissy attitude you have had toward me for the last two weeks. And you are going to do it right now."

She went over and sat down. "All right. You want to have it out now that's fine with me. I was going to let things go until I got over it or got even, but we can do it now. You aren't happy with the way I've been toward you? Gee Rob, that's just too bad. But how am I supposed to behave toward a cheating bastard."

"What? Cheating? Are you out of your mind?"

"Yeah Rob, right! Like I'm supposed to think you would admit it. Your denial doesn't mean shit Rob because I have two witnesses."

"You have witnesses who say I was cheating on you? You couldn't possibly have witnesses because I have never cheated on you. I have never been unfaithful to you."

"You are a good liar Rob and I would almost believe you if Connie Morris hadn't seen you and her husband backs her up."

"Well you are certainly going to have to tell me about it because I have no idea of what you are talking about."

"You deny that on the trip before the last one that you spent the night with some bimbo?"

"Of course I deny it. It never happened. I'll say it again Betsy. I have never been unfaithful to you."

"Come off it Rob. Connie and her husband Darrel were in town visiting relatives and they were in the hotel lobby when you came in with the woman. They saw you laughing and they saw you get on the elevator together and Connie heard the woman tell you that she was in room 316 and Connie heard you tell the bitch that you would be there in fifteen minutes. So deny it all you want Rob, but I know better."

"You don't know anything Betsy. The woman's name is Marsha Bollinger and she is the manager of the Harpersville office. All nine of my branch managers were in town that day for a joint meeting. Marsha was there with her husband Frank and yes she did give me her room number and I did tell her I would be there in fifteen minutes. I picked up some paperwork in my room and took it to her room and gave it to her and then she and her husband went to dinner while I went back to my room and made my nightly call to you."

"Oh yes, your nightly call. That's the call you make every night you are gone to make sure that I'm at home and not out screwing around like you do. Well Rob, did it ever occur to you that there just might be someone here with me when you call? Oh ho! I see by the look on your face that something like that never occurred to you. What's the matter Rob; you think you are the only one who can play outside the marriage?"

"You have been cheating on me?"

"Not yet Rob, but I'm working on it."

"That's where you have been these last two nights?"

"That's right hubby dear; I've been out shopping. I just haven't found what I'm looking for yet."

I stood up and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going Rob? You are the one who said he wanted to talk."

"I've already said all I have to say. I've never cheated on you, but you don't believe me when I say it. No sense in sitting there and beating a dead horse."

I went to the bedroom and started moving my things to the other bedroom and Betsy came in and watched me. She never said a word and neither did I. For the next week Betsy and I pretty much stayed out of each others way.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I left on my next trip and I didn't bother to call home each night I was gone. I came home Wednesday and Betsy was home but she didn't bother acknowledging me so I ignored her. Thursday at work I started seriously considering divorce. Thursday when I got home from work I saw that Betsy's car was already in the driveway and I wondered about that. I almost always got home before she did. I walked into the house and found Betsy sitting in the living room with three men. The three men stood up when I walked into the room and I noticed that all three were bigger than I was. Taller and heavier. Betsy smiled at me and said:

"Rob, this is Ben, Andre and Jack."

All three offered me their hands so I shook with them and then Betsy said:

"Ben is here to fuck me and Jack and Andre are here to see that you behave." She stood up and said, "Okay guys, let's take this to the bedroom."

I gave Betsy a look of pure disgusted and turned to leave. Jack and Andre grabbed me and turned me around and walked me into the bedroom. They held me between them as Betsy undressed Ben and then Ben undressed Betsy. Betsy then went to her knees in front of Ben, took his cock in her hand and looked over at me and smiled.

"It's a nice one, isn't it honey."

Andre and Jack were watching Betsy and Ben and the docile way I'd let them walk me into the room and the meek way I'd just stood there and watched as Betsy and Ben had undressed each other made them relax their guard. They weren't expecting trouble and why should they? They were all bigger than me right?

My head butt under Jack's chin dazed him enough that he released his hold on me and I spun to my right and drove my knee into Andre's crotch. As he started to sink to his knees I spun back around and kicked Jack in his balls as hard as I could and then I used my feet to make sure that booth men stayed down. They were lying on the floor moaning when I faced Ben. He was set up to defend himself and behind him on her knees was Betsy with a horrified expression on her face. I just looked at Ben and said:

"If I fight you I will hurt you and then you won't be able to give the worthless cunt what she wants. When you are done with her take her with you when you leave."

I turned my back on them all and went downstairs to my home office and got my pistol, made sure that there was a round in the chamber and then set the gun on the desk in front of me and waited for the three men to come looking for me.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I heard them coming down the steps and then I heard the front door open and then close. A minute later the office door opened and Betsy came inside the office and stopped. Ben was standing right behind her.

"We need to talk Rob."

"Get out!"

"We didn't do anything Rob. We weren't going to do anything. It was all just a show to try and make you feel some of what I felt when Connie told me about your cheating on me."

"Get out Betsy."

"We didn't do anything Rob. Tell him Ben."

"Hey man, we didn't do nothing. Like she said, it was all just a show. When we got our clothes off you was supposed to say "please don't do this" and then she was going to have you make some promises."

"See Rob? We are even."

"No we are not Betsy. I told you that I never cheated on you. It isn't my fault that you chose not to believe me. A phone call to Marsha's husband is all that it would have taken, but you couldn't do anything simple like that could you. No, not you. Instead, you made my life miserable for almost a month. Well Betsy, I saw you naked on your knees with another man's cock in your hands so now it is my turn not to believe. After seeing how easy it was for you to strip in front of three guys and take another man's dick in your hands I'll never believe that you weren't going to go all the way. I'll never believe that you didn't do anything on the nights you stayed out late and I'll probably always believe that there might be some truth in your saying that there might have been somebody with you on the nights I called home. So just leave Betsy. Get out."

"No Rob, I'm not leaving. We nee..."

I picked up the .45 and fired a round into the door frame next to her and yelled, "Get the fuck out of here!"

She screamed and then she and Ben ran from the house. I sat there and stared at the splintered door frame for a couple of minutes and then I went to the fridge, got a beer and then took the Colt out to the garage where I broke it down and cleaned it. Then I went to bed.

I called work the next morning and told them I wouldn't be in and then I called a locksmith and started putting everything of Betsy's into garbage bags which I then piled up in the driveway. It was eleven o'clock and the locksmith had just finished up and gone when the phone rang. It was Betsy.

"Have you calmed down enough for us to sit down and talk?"

"The time for us to have talked was immediately after you talked with Connie and well before what you pulled last night."

"Please Rob, we need to iron this out."

"It is ironed out Betsy. I said my piece last night and I meant it. I'll never believe that you weren't going to go all the way with Ben and I'll never believe that you didn't do anything on the nights you stayed out late. Nothing you can say will ever change that. Your stuff is in trash bags in the driveway. Anything still there when trash pick up day comes around will go out on the curb with the rest of the garbage. Goodbye."

Monday I saw an attorney and filed for divorce using Irreconcilable Differences as grounds. Not knowing where Betsy was staying I had her served at work. That got me a "How could you embarrass me like that" phone call from Betsy along with an "I don't want a divorce Rob. We can work it out." That got a "No we can't" from me and I hung up on her. I got three or four calls a week from Betsy and I hung up on her as soon as I heard her voice and eventually the calls stopped.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Three months after the divorce was final I stopped at Murphy's Sports Bar for a drink after work and I saw Ben sitting in a booth by himself. Curiosity being what it is and since he was alone I had the waitress take him a drink. When the waitress gave it to him and then pointed me out and he didn't get up and run I got up and went over and slid onto the seat across from him. He eyed me for a minute and said:

"You setting me up for something?"

"Nope. I saw you sitting here and curiosity got the better of me. Since it is over and done with, what was really supposed to happen that night?"

He grinned and said, "What was supposed to happen or what was really going to happen?"

"Like I said, it is over and done with. Give me the scoop."

"She paid the three of us a hundred each to do just what she told you. She was going to take my cock in her hand and look over at you and ask if she should put it in her mouth or would you rather she didn't. Then she was going to say something like it was up to you whether she did it or not and then make you promise not to cheat on her again. You was supposed to be all shook up and promise her whatever and then she would say that you should take a good look because next time she would really do it. Then she would tell us all that she didn't need us after all, but that she would keep our phone numbers just in case. Then the three of us were supposed to dress and leave."

"You say that is what she thought was going to happen, but what was really going to happen?"

"What was really going to happen? You shitting me? I'm naked, she's naked and gorgeous and she has my cock in her hand. Just what did you think was going to happen?"

"All three of you? Whether she wanted to or not? What if she hollered rape and called the cops?"

"Too many witnesses at the bar who overheard her offer us a hundred each to come home with her and most never heard the story of what we was supposed to do for the money."

"It didn't bother you that it would have ruined the marriage she said she was trying to save?"

"Get serious! One of two things was going to happen and you know it as well as I do. If you were any kind of man at all you were gone as soon as her clothes hit the floor and she knelt down in front of me. Whether we fucked her or not you were history. The other thing would have been if you were a wimp and said, "Yes baby doll, whatever you want. If you were a wimp us fucking her wouldn't have mattered. You still would have said yes when it was over and she asked you if you had learned your lesson."

"How did she hook up with you in the first place?"

"She come in here three or four nights. Good looking woman like that gets hit on a lot, but she didn't fall for anyone's line that I know of. I guess she liked my looks or my manner when I took my shot. She turned me down, but then offered me a hundred if I would go along with her stunt. When I said I was game she asked me if I could get a couple of guys big enough to manage you. I guess I didn't do too well there."

"Thanks for the info" I said as I got up to leave.

"One more thing" he said as I was getting up. "I wouldn't come in here for drinks if I was you. Jack and Andre are usually in here and I think they would like to meet you again. They weren't expecting trouble last time and they will be ready next time."

"Thanks for the warning, but just for giggles and grins you can tell Jack ad Andre I'll be ready for them if I see them again. They got no bitch coming. They were in my house and were doing shit they had no business doing. See you around" and I left the bar and went home.