[Music] Janet and I celebrated 12 years of marriage having been sweethearts since the age of 10 opting out of college I landed an entry-level job as a draftsman at Desmond engineering right after high school a year later we tied the knot and the following year brought the joy of becoming parents to twin girls Bethany and Britney despite initial challenges d budgeting helped us through while still a draftsman I moved up a few grades improving our financial situation we managed to purchase a modest home and owned two decent cars although not brand new they were far
from outdated Janet fulfilled her dream of being a housewife and with our financial stability she didn't need to work both of us remained healthy and fit Janet had a bit more stature than our wedding day standing just over 5T tall with dark brown hair and bangs resembling little Marie Osmond personally my physique hadn't changed much since my high school football days as the right tackle Billy Martin moved to reading from Lancaster about a year ago and took a job with Desmond engineering as a surveyor Billy and I played football against each other and immediately became
friends he also married his high school sweetheart a redhead named Sarah Sarah and Janet became instant friends they didn't have children yet but they were ideal nannies when we weren't at Work bill and I enjoyed each other's company it was a pleasant Breakaway from Family Life Of course Janet and Sarah did the same they went shopping together attended parties and club meetings and Billy and I watched the girls on TV Sarah also took a job as a secretary at Gilbert engineering located just outside the city about 6 months ago I began noticing changes previously the
PTA meeting was held once a month but now it is once a week Sarah despite not having children always visited Janet the frequency of Tupperware and Magic Chef parties seemed to increase every month yet they never made purchases they joined a book club but never found time to read on weekends they spent hours shopping buying very little Janet's collection of fashionable lingerie grew but I never got to enjoy any of it it started bothering me I never mentioned anything to Billy because he didn't seem to care I didn't want to cause problems if something happened
about an hour after putting the girls to bed Janet came home from some kind of basket party she took a shower before Sarah picked her up and took another as soon as she got home this seemed strange to me while she was in the shower I quickly checked the basket and found a set of black lace lingerie Who would wear black lace linger to a basket party I'm not in the habit of checking my wife's underwear but I did this tonight and found that the underwear were wet and sticky I put them in my pocket
until tonight I had never once delved into my wife's purse or wallet the only thing I was really interested in was her cell phone apparently she was pretty sure I wouldn't spy because she hadn't deleted a single call in the last week the majority of calls were addressed to Sarah but a large number of incoming and outgoing calls were addressed to KC KH and KW of course I had no idea who they were but I quickly realized that the C stood for sale the H stood for home and the W probably stood for work I
check her address book and Sarah also had three numbers listed Sarah s Sarah H and Sarah W I was amazed at how well organized my wife's phone was looking at Sarah's work number I noticed that it had an extension checking kws number I found it was the same number as Sarah but with a different extension it wasn't hard to Guess that Janet was calling and receiving calls from someone who worked with Sarah it was also easy to Guess that Sarah must have been the one who introduced Janet and the Mysterious company K Gilbert engineering was
now closed I took Janet's phone and dialed kwk number upon approaching Ken Sanders desk I heard a recorded message stating that he wasn't available at the moment the message suggested leaving a name and phone number for a call back after the signal I ended the call finding it too easy Janet poked her head around the doorway and inquired if I was going to bed I responded that I was almost done with the book and would get up one finished acknowledging the possibility of falling asleep on the sofa it was my intention to sleep on the
couch it was a restless night I kept trying to figure out what I did wrong or what I could have done differently it was a terrible waste of time and mental effort every time I redirected my thoughts to what I should do they kept coming back to what I should do I kept looking at the clock and it didn't move all I knew for sure was that I was not going to take any blame for what happened or what was going to happen I I woke up to the sounds of my two little angels cooking
breakfast Janet encouraged them to take care of themselves rather than wait the idea was good and it appeared to be effective while stretching and scratching myself my wife entered the room and mentioned that I should hurry up or I'd be late for work I assured her it wasn't a problem as I wasn't going to work that day when she questioned why I explained it was due to too many personal problems with a yawn I headed towards the bathroom realizing I needed a shower upon my return Janet seemed a bit puzzled as the girls had already
left for school I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the table opposite my wife who looked at me hesitantly as if anticipating something but uncertain about what I straightforwardly requested her to share details about her novel sensing she might not readily open up and share her thoughts in response she asked if my downcast mood was due to suspicions of her being unfaithful I confirmed my concerns and pressed her to discuss the novel despite being married for 12 years she questioned why I would entertain such thoughts I insisted on discussing her novel citing my
work commitments for the day and a refusal to engage in games my wife with affection let out an exasperated sigh and leaned in reassuring me that there was no romance in her novel I sarcastically acknowledged her honesty but expressed my inability to appreciate it at the moment she leaned back sipping her coffee as if she had taken control of the situation I then asked if she could answer a few simple questions to which she agreed I inquired about her frequent attendance at PTA meetings every week despite the PTA secretary stating they only held monthly meetings
and she hadn't attended one in 6 months in response she expressed confusion and a bit less sassiness claiming she didn't understand what I was implying I pointed out that she and Sarah attended non-existent PTA meetings every Tuesday and questioned why she would lie about such a matter Janet took some time to reflect on the question and eventually found an answer she apologized explaining that on Tuesday nights she and Sarah went to Rosie's Cantina for ladies night to enjoy two for one Margaritas they hadn't informed me to avoid any misunderstandings considering Billy and me she admitted
it was a mistake and promised to inform us from now on I remained skeptical stating that I would verify her explanation I suggested Sarah might support her but I questioned what the people at Rosy might say in response she emphasized that I was making a big deal out of it she then shifted the focus asking about my behavior at little Tupperware parties questioning why I took a shower before leaving and another Upon returning home I explained that it was to eliminate the smell of smoke from my hair as many women smoked at those Gatherings she
continued probing asking why I wore fancy underwear to those parties but not for her unless it was a special occasion I admitted not having a good answer stating that I just wanted to feel dressed up when going out Janet's lies began to irritate me and I struggled to control my anger realizing it was time to address the situation I confronted her with the soiled underwear I found the previous night accusing her of deception I expressed my awareness that the substance on the underwear was not mine and warned her against claiming it was due to a
yeast infection my anger escalated and I demanded an explanation Janet fidgeted in her chair avoiding eye contact seemingly unable to provide a quick response frustrated I pressed her further questioning why she had come home with soiled underwear and insisting on an explanation she urged me to stop and expressed her inability to endure the situation any longer claiming we had been married for 12 years she questioned how I could treat her in such a manner The Continuous stream of lies and constant denial overwhelmed me with all the strength I could muster I hurled my partially filled
coffee cup across the room shattering the front of the microwave this time there was no doubt I had Janet's attention the expression on her face was new as she had never witnessed my anger before leaning over the table I confronted her loudly demanding information about Ken Sanders she Rose from the chair and moved towards the sink trying to evade the conversation repeatedly stating that he was just friend I persisted asking if she had a close relationship with him in a terrified tone she admitted to it I pressed further questioning if she had slept with him
the previous night with remorse in her voice she confirmed it urging me to stop and expressing sincere apologies she stood at the sink sobbing uncontrollably after pouring myself fresh coffee I heard Janet's cell phone ringing her eyes shifted nervously between me and the phone as she suggested suggested answering it identifying the caller as Ken I pressed the speaker phone buttton and greeted Ken who sounded distressed mentioning a call attempt on his work number the previous Night Janet seemed Frozen with fear and I nodded in acknowledgement she hesitated in responding to Ken's inquiries about her presence
and whether something was wrong eventually admitting that I was present and aware of their situation I intervened addressing Ken and informing him that I had some matters to attend to in the morning but promised to visit him in the afternoon I suggested having emergency on speed dial Ken didn't hang up but remained silent ending the call I returned the phone to my pocket Janet now in her robe stood at the sink trembling expressing my intention to leave I posed one final question about the name of the guy Sarah was dating she reacted by pleading with
me not to ask in her distress she threw the second cup across the room causing it to crash against the tiled wall behind the sink in A hurried manner she provided the name as Kelvin specifically mentioning Calin Bostic she informed me of her return later in the afternoon and instructed me to clear out my belongings before then she mentioned her mother staying with the girls temporarily and assured assistance in retrieving any items I couldn't fit in my car she emphasized not to contact her and requested informing her mother of my whereabouts she remained still offering
no further words as I walked out the door of course I had no idea what to do next I decided to go into the office and see Billy I considered him a friend and believed he should know what was happening it was easy to deduce that Sarah met Calvin at work and became friends with him Ken was likely Calvin's friend in need of a date I might have simplified this a bit but I thought it was close enough Billy was absent from the office probably engaged in some form of bding or similar activities I called
him on his cell phone and shared the distressing news about Janet and Sarah having boyfriends revealing that the supposed meetings and Tupperware parties were actually social Gatherings he questioned The credibility of the information and found it hard to believe I suggested asking Sarah about a guy named Calvin bosk who worked with her and Gilbert as I suspected she might have introduced Janet to someone from their workplace Billy expressed disbelief upon learning about Cal and bosk as they had graduated together I also mentioned a guy named Ken Sanders describing him as a tall skinny individual I
shared my belief that Janet would likely warn Sarah soon as she had given me various excuses before finally confessing after our conversation I went to HR to request a short leave finding it impossible to focus on work it took only 10 minutes to transfer my tasks to another draftsman meanwhile Janet's cell phone rang displaying Sarah's name on the call ID I answered the call pretending to be Janet and inquired about the situation Sarah apologized thinking she was calling Janet and mentioned that Billy had received information at the office expressing my anger and disgust I asked
Sarah to clarify what someone had said to Billy she revealed that she intended to take Janet home and suggested that bothering Janet at that moment was not ideal as she was busy packing her belongings surprised by this Revelation I questioned the reason for packing and learned that Janet planned to return to live with her parents temporarily enjoying the pause on the other end of the line I smiled Imagining the scenarios running through Sarah's mind in response I advised her to inform Calvin about Billy's impending arrival implying that he might appreciate a head start Sarah reacted
with shock and disbelief exclaiming no God no before hanging up This Woman's nerves we only had one credit card so cancelling it was no problem we also had an ATM or a debit card it took me 5 minutes to change the pin number I had no idea what to do with the checking account so I just ignored it for now in any case I needed it to pay utilities and other bills I just hoped Janet didn't take any receipts with her the cell phone rang again but this time it was my phone Billy chased Calvin
Bostic out of the Gilbert building and caught him in the parking lot he was in jail and wanted me to tell his brother from Lancaster to come and post bail for him I called his brother there was nothing more I could do for Billy so after lunch I went to Taco Bell I visited my mom and dad explaining everything to them mom was more than willing to watch the girls for a while she stayed with me during the week and the twins stayed with them on the weekends now it's time to visit Ken Sanders the
guys in Gilbert's drafting Department were eager to tell me about Billy's visit that morning the drafting Department overlooks the parking lot and they saw everything that happened Billy caught Calvin before he could get to his BMW he threw him over the hood of one of the cars and started smashing his face the guards followed them and tried unsuccessfully to get Billy out finally one of them punched Billy in the neck with a stun weapon he wasn't home yet when they put him in the police car they had to take Calvin in an ambulance one of
the guys showed me the office where Ken Sanders worked it was empty looks like old Ken quit suddenly this morning we walked past Sarah's desk she wasn't there either but it looked like she was still working there 10 minutes later I found out Ken's home address and headed to the parking lot it was a small ranch with no garage there was a white Lexus in the driveway with the trunk and back doors open as I approached the door Ken Sanders came out with an armful of clothes he dropped everything and rushed back into the house
as soon as he saw me I tripped over the things he dropped and managed to see him exit out the back as I entered I had to laugh at his reaction damn I wasn't like Billy I was a good guy it looked like the kind of place that would be rented fully furnished that's why he didn't have a truck in another 10 minutes he would have finished and left town I was looking forward to talking to Ken but I didn't want to chase him I looked around the room for anything interesting and got a few
pleasant surprises the first thing I picked up was his cell phone it lay on the table in the living room next to a folder containing his passport and some personal documents there was a cute little laptop computer on the dining table I couldn't find anything else so I packed up the few goodies I had and left I didn't want to do anything that could be considered criminal so I resisted the urge to crash his car this was beautiful I believe it might be considered a crime to take items from the house but he left the
door open and anyone could have taken them unable to restrain myself entirely I let the air out of just one of his tires he'd need to empty the truck to access the spare be tire and I'm sure he'd do it with one eye on the street searching for me I'll retrieve it later he got the message I went to the prison to see Billy his brother and he were occupied with legal matters so I just waved and smiled at him it seemed he had everything under control mom was already at home and dinner had started
we chatted briefly and then I brought the things I bought from Ken into the office where my computer and belongings were kept before I could examine them closely Beth and Britt returned from school I decided it would be best to inform them about what was happening before they inquired I didn't get a chance Bethany eagerly greeted me questioning why grandma was present and inquiring about Mom's whereabouts I explained that Mom and I decided to take a break from each other and she would be staying with her parents for a while Britney seemed pleased with the
news claiming victory in a bet with Bethany she gloated about winning and explained that their argument revolved around mom cheating on me Bethany however denied ever mentioning anything about mom cheating asserting that they were not naive and knew what was happening she admitted that Britney was right and that Mom was indeed cheating on me expressing surprise at how I found out she criticized me for being slow and too trusting Britney in an unusual gesture placed her hand on my shoulder attempting to console me the situation was surreal a 12-year-old girl trying to comfort her father
in the midst of a family crisis one Saturday when Mom and Sarah said they were going shopping at King of Prussia mom wouldn't let britne me go with her she said it was an adult shopping day and she would compensate us for it later when we got to school on Monday two kids said they saw her with a guy in Noble's Grove we called them liers but one of the girls had a photo on her cell phone it seemed pretty trivial I thought there must be an explanation but Brit said she was cheating why didn't
you tell me anything they both just Shrugged a couple of weeks later Tracy Mercer parents saw Sarah mom and two guys at TGI Fridays in Allentown they told Tracy about it when they got home I sat dumbfounded thank God Grandma invited us to dinner we didn't discuss the issue during dinner and I apologized before the dessert arrived luckily the twins decided to leave the topic for the rest of the night I felt relieved I had just started examining Ken's laptop when his cell phone received a text message the message read dax4 sinf YJ Dear Ken
sorry for the love Janet while I'm not the best at texting I easily deciphered this message it was sent from Sarah's cell phone indicating that Sarah and Janet were together Temptation got the better of me and I couldn't resist letting Janet know that I had Ken's cell phone by spelling out T AJ I spent the next couple of hours examining files and folders on Ken's computer although I found no emails between Janet and Ken there were intriguing emails between Ken and some old friends in Lancaster what I read shocked Ed me and I certainly didn't
appreciate it Janet and I had been together for almost our entire lives and now I discovered that I never really knew her in less than a year she seemed to have become closer to Ken than she had with me in almost 20 years as I replaced the cartridge in the printer I noticed tears streaming down my face this wasn't my usual reaction her deception had hurt me and now I felt the salt in the wounds perhaps because of my tears I printed out several emails and a dozen photographs I would have taken more photos but
I ran out of expensive paper there were no explicit or suggestive images all of them were suitable for mixed company Beth poked her nose in the door and asked if she could call her mother I didn't feel like I could refuse my mother was with the twins while they talked to Janet and she overheard everything she didn't Eaves drop but it seemed like the girls weren't trying to hide anything mom later told me that they didn't cut Janet any slack and blamed her for the whole problem the conversation lasted less than 5 minutes the emails
were extremely interesting Ken applied and got hired as an engineer for an alternative energy project in Spain his start date was in 6 weeks apparently he didn't inform Gilbert about his departure I'm sure Sarah knew but no one else mentioned it he had all the documents ready for the trip except for my passport I'm sure he could find a replacement but he better hurry if he wants to set a start date I guess he could always go to the police and report that I stole it but I didn't think he would do that he hasn't
booked his plane tickets yet one of the letters to a close friend explained a lot Janet planned to get a divorce after joining Ken in Spain she realized that I would never allow her to take the girls out of the country so she was going to declare me an unfit father the letter didn't go into detail about how she was going to achieve this but it did indicate that it would be severe enough to revoke my visitation rights for the twins or custody it was completely despicable Ken wrote this letter so it was all hearsay
I would have liked to have received something original from Janet but I had to make do with what I had I printed out several copies of this letter mom fell asleep watching Leno so I sent her to our bedroom the girls have already gone to bed I fell asleep on the couch and there were four empty beer bottles on the coffee table I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon mom always prepared a good breakfast the girls were finishing their cereal when I approached the table I had to endure some good-natured teasing
before I could start cooking the eggs the conversation was casual until it was time for the bus I expressed my concerns to the girls informing them that their mother might try to separate us by labeling me an unfit parent to retain custody of them I emphasized my openness to shared custody for their happiness but clarified that I wouldn't give up my right to be with them I urged them not to choose sides but to be cautious and not believe any falsehoods Britney assured me that they were smarter than I thought and that they loved Mom
but wouldn't let her damage me she smiled and Beth gave me a thumbs up before they left after their departure mom refilled my cup and joined me at the table she encouraged me to relax assuring me that everyone was on my side following a shower and shave I dressed slightly nicer than usual leaving the house with three mobile phones felt peculiar and I made a mental note to purchase the cell phone charger that Ken had given me though I probably wouldn't need it I preferred to be prepared I checked in at the Family Services office
and awaited the case workers's call upon receiving it I was surprised to recognize the woman who assisted me jod Mitchell whom I hadn't seen in over 10 years greeted me with a remark about our shared past in high school she remembered me from those years when she was part of the goth group that stuck together facing ostracization particularly from athletes like me though she looked normal now I couldn't forget her pink hair black lipstick and dark eye makeup the sign on her desk read J Mitchell indicating she likely hadn't married 12 years ago I could
understand it but today she looked normal John what can I do for you her question interrupted my train of thought I stuttered a bit and acknowledged Jody's appearance to which she chuckled at my awkwardness I apologized if my words had been embarrassing and she reassured me to relax she shared that halfway through college she realized she could face the world authentically without a false facade jod mentioned she had been what I might call normal for almost a decade now feeling much more comfortable this way however she acknowledged sounding patronizing at times and apologized for her
difficulty in keeping her foot away from her mouth moving on I asked jod if there were any files or reports on me she confirmed there was nothing under my name or Janet's indicating that it seemed we were providing for our children rather than mistreating them I affirmed having 12-year-old twin girls Bethany and Britney Shifting the conversation to the main issue I explained that my wife planned to leave me and take the girls with her jod acknowledged the commonality of such situations and inquired if there was a specific reason for her actions I pointed out that
there were no supporting documents or accusations in their records expressing concerns about potential setups jod explained that their computer not showing anything didn't mean I was in the clear she suggested my wife might be gathering information like medical records or police reports before reporting to their office in response to my skepticism about being set up jod clarified that she wasn't saying I couldn't win she questioned why I thought my wife would take such actions despite my initial reluctance I felt compelled to share an email from Ken I handed a copy across Jody's desk and inquired
about its origin I explained that I had taken the email from a computer through illegal access recognizing its inadmissibility for legal purposes I mentioned the word conspiracy without understanding its legal definition and expressed my confusion and concern about how to protect myself and my daughters in this situation especially since I couldn't afford a lawyer jod Mitch relaxed in her chair and I maintained eye contact without blinking she rocked back and forth before leaning toward me and suggesting I come back the next morning I agreed and asked if I could keep the copy of the letter
after receiving confirmation I left and she Bid Farewell expressing that it was nice to see me I smiled and she returned the gesture revealing a new side of Jodie lacking connections to lawyers I resorted to picking one from the phone book despite knowing about about my wife's intention to divorce me I wanted to secure my position given the circumstances I wasn't certain about our financial situation in the coming days so I paid the lawyer upfront in cash for the entire package I urged him to proceed in the fastest and easiest way allowing her to have
the house as it was worth less than the mortgage I insisted on joint custody of the twins with the possibility of taking full custody of feasible and agreed to pay child support but not alimony Billy called me while I was on my way to lunch seeking housing and I offered to accommodate him we met at Taco Bell for lunch and when I approached Billy had a silly smile on his face curious I inquired about the reason for his happiness Billy shared that a friend at Community General Hospital had informed him about Calvin Sarah had visited
him at the hospital unaware of Calvin's wife and children arriving the situation became chaotic leading to hospital security escorting Sarah Out Billy walked past Gilbert to talk to her but found that she was no longer there I asked about the details of Calvin's family situation and Billy admitted he didn't know why Calvin's wife didn't live with him or why he didn't go home to his family on weekends however he expressed a lack of interest in these details Billy decided to take a week off from work to sort out his Affairs and we planned to figure
out his accommodation since my mother also lived at home Billy intended to go to his house to gather some clothes and personal belongings in casee Sarah wasn't there he had no intention of talking to her anymore later on my way to see my insurance agent I received another call from Cameron Wilcox Janet's father he requested my presence to help figure things out mentioning Janet's Despair and her unhelpful mother the meeting would include Cameron Janet Janet's sister Carla and myself despite uncertainty about the goals of the meeting I agreed to be there in about 20 minutes
it was a somber Gathering I brought a folder of evidence and skipped the coffee who wants to start John Janet believes you're overreacting she insists you were angry and coerced her into saying untrue things to appease you according to her she did nothing wrong and you have no right to evict her I sensed that my wife was presenting a highly embellished version of the events to her parents while I understood her reluctance to admit infidelity I resented her Shifting the blame onto me Cameron expressed his desire for facts to better understand the situation and questioned
what I expected him to do prove she's a liar or admit I made a mistake I explained that Janet claimed not to have a boyfriend but just shared a few drinks with friends from Sarah's workplace interpreting it differently I pointed out that she had over 80 phone conversations with this friend in the last month and asked about the frequency of calls to Cameron and her mother they both turned to Janet who avoided eye contact I raised the issue of Ken's cell phone and when no one spoke I asked Carla to read a text message sent
to Ken right after I asked Janet to leave the message apologized for the trouble and expressed love Janet covered her face with her hands and Cameron shook his head slowly I shared photos from an outing Janet and Sarah claimed was at the King of Prussia Mall but was actually at Nebel grov Cameron questioned Janet about the handholding in the photos suggesting that Ken was more than just a friend tears flowed slow slowly as this unexpected outcome unfolded I presented more photos indicating that they were taken at Olive Garden and Red Lobster I mentioned the stains
on Janet's underwear but decided not to discuss them at that moment Cameron apologized for calling me in for such a situation expressed his upset at being tricked and shook my hand as I left Janet left the room sobbing like a child and there was no discussion about the stains on her underwear at that time Cameron assured me that the situation wouldn't be ignored Upon returning home mom and Billy had already set up a foldout bed in the living room it wasn't a hallway just a small extra room where I kept my computer Billy had a
pile of extra clothes in the corner that he had taken from home Sarah wasn't home when he arrived the most interesting thing awaiting me was the mail but in fact it wasn't waiting for me it was for Janet a beautiful official envelope from the passport department I knew I shouldn't open it but I couldn't help myself it was of course a passport more precisely a family passport the photo featured Janet and the two girls I remember the girls mentioning getting their picture taken but I never imagined it was for that purpose of course my passport
wasn't in the envelope I immediately called Cameron and asked him to inform Janet that the goods had arrived if she needed a passport all she had to do was send Ken home to pick it up I would only give it to Ken I was usually at work when the letter arrived I I would never have known she received it Cameron informed me they had asked Janet to find another place to live and they had no idea where she was going they seemed a little angry with their daughter he promised to inform her about the passport
the dinner conversation mainly revolved around the girls Bethany with a shy smile mentioned that a woman from Family Services named Jodie had visited their school and talked to both of them together they missed Jim and geography due to the lengthy conversation Beth and Brit expressed that jod seemed to like me though it was from a 1-hour talk Carla interrupted dinner with a phone call wanting to talk we met at McDonald's where she explained Janet's situation Carla expressed doubts about my ability to answer questions to which I agreed she began by blaming Sarah for everything describing
Sarah's affair with Billy as thrilling and romantic in Janet's eyes Janet claimed to have had a life with me that was only loving and reliable lacking excitement and romance Janet got involved with Ken Sanders when he joined Gilbert while Sarah and Calvin had love-making moments Janet and Ken were left alone leading to a full-blown affair she couldn't or wouldn't end it as Ken captivated her with Tales of his Endeavors and proposed a trip to Spain which she eagerly accepted the major dilemma for Janet wasn't leaving me but leaving the girls she was aware that I
would never allow her to take them abroad so she planned to find a way to make me look bad Carla explained that after talking with the girls Janet realized they were closer to me than to her as a result she decided not to pursue custody if I agreed to a divorce without any conditions I agreed to proceed without contesting it Carla then mentioned that Janet would like to get her passport and asked if I had it with me this raised suspicions about Janet's intentions and I suspected she might still have hopes of taking the girls
with her the family passport played a crucial role role in the deal Carla my coffee is cold I'm going to go home and take a hot shower do not call me anymore John what the hell is wrong how did I make you angry you know damn well what you did do you two really think I'm that stupid go back to your sister and tell her there is no way she can have my daughters since you decided to do it help her I'll have to ask you never to talk to my girls again Carla was talking
on her cell phone as I left Mickey D's I can only guess who she called I arrived at the Family Services office before it opened you couldn't stay away from me could you jod walked into the office with a big smile on her face and a Starbucks cup in her hand she motioned for me to sit down and apologized for not having more coffee I think you know that I talked to your daughters yesterday I nodded and smiled for some reason I was a little Tongue Tied out of my element I remembered that the same
thing happened the last time I talked to her since I was with Janet my whole life I never had the opport Unity to develop any social skills with other women looks like I've paid for it now is something wrong John apart from that no I wasn't trying to be smart I just couldn't formulate the words I'm so sorry jod I think I'd better leave I'm not aware of all this this morning I'll call you later before you go I would like you to know that I am getting a restraining order against your wife I can't
stop her from seeing or being with the girls but I can stop her from taking them out of state or denying you access to them it will be delivered to her before noon this brought a big smile to my face but I left the office anyway I headed to the nearest Starbucks this coffee definitely smelled good until today everything was under control now I felt disheartened and bewildered I drove around aimlessly for a while before heading home Billy informed me that Sarah had relocated to her parents house near AFA so he was only returning to
his place until he could sell or rent it out he spent the morning at the bank the insurance company and the law office hoping to secure some money from Gilbert Unfortunately they had no company policy against fraternization making his efforts an uphill battle as his lawyer explained passing by the hospital he discovered Calvin was being discharged Calvin's wife in the process of completing her discharge paperwork intercepted Billy expressing her gratitude for his assistance and explaining her attempt to persuade Calvin to drop the charges surprisingly she had been trying to mend the situation with Calvin for
several years without success after Billy left I sat on the porch nursing a beer mom brought me a meatloaf sandwich and joined me in silence sharing the beer she mentioned that Dad would come for dinner and stay the night when jod Mitchell arrived mom retreated into the house jod sat beside me declining the cold beer I offered we sat in silence for a few moments before she spoke I served Janet's papers about an hour ago she was quite upset by the way staying with her sister I finished the long neck I was holding it may
seem good but why do I feel so bad in such situations there's nothing good John just less bad I pulled out another beer hesitated and returned it to the refrigerator could you come in and explain all this to the girls I get along with them but no matter how carefully I phrase it it might sound like I'm blaming their mother I fear it could push them away how about 7 tonight I nodded and she stood up walking to her car halfway there she looked back a positive sign and I smiled she smiled back jod visited
that evening and spent considerable time with Beth and Brit Billy and I busied ourselves searching his house removing anything that belonged to or reminded him of Sarah jod began frequenting our house several times a week spending as much time with my mom as with the girls I noticed she was avoiding me while this suited me I was curious one evening after the girls had gone to bed she sat beside me I felt the need to talk to her but she initiated the conversation she asked if I had any wine preferably with a cork I explained
that I had wine but they all had screw caps she found it amusing and requested something red so I poured a bottle into a container that resembled more of a jug as we drank I gathered the courage to discuss the girls well-being during her visits she mentioned that the twins were fine and didn't necessarily need to see her surprisingly she clarified that she visited to see me not the girls I was confused as she rarely engaged in conversation during her visits she admitted that she thought I might have a rule against fraternizing with clients which
we both found amusing to lighten the mood she brought up the topic of tattoos and expressed surprise that I hadn't asked to see hers I confessed that I had for tattoos from my high school days three of which were easily visible and one more discreet she playfully suggested a game of finding the tattoos maintaining quiet to avoid waking the girls the fourth tattoo was in a secluded place and I admired her for a while before she left apparently before the twins woke up however I sensed they might have been aware of what occurred I instructed
my lawyer from the phone book to finalize and deliver the divorce papers Janet still residing with Carla received the papers but there was no response several more weeks passed and my father's Health declined mom spent more time with him than with me luckily School concluded and the girls spent the summer with her by the end of summer dad moved to a nursing home Billy and I assisted mom in preparing the family home for sale and she moved back in with me jod visited the girls at their mother's all summer and spent three or four evenings
a week with me they went shopping and out to dinner together and I appreciated the attention Britney and Bethany were giving at least I didn't Envy them anymore I was pretty sure they knew what was going on between jod and me Janet called the girls about once a week but the conversations were always short and according to her mother seemed tense most of the time the twins didn't even tell me she called Billy's divorce from Sarah was finalized I had no idea what my status was he also decided he wanted to start his own surveying
business and and asked me to come with him I didn't have enough money to contribute until my mom came to the rescue when she and her father ran out of money Medicare picked up his expenses instead of watching it all disappear she thought I should use it for business I believe she also thought of it as an investment in her future 3 months later Billy and I had our own small surveying business fortunately my drawing skills developed into drawing stories about a week into the new semester the Twins were visited by their mother they thought
they would go to the guidance office to see Jodie and they were both disappointed to see Janet they tried their best to be polite and respectful to her but they still couldn't she told them she loved them both and was sorry things turned out the way they did she was going to Spain to see the windmills and would send them some postcards she promised to call them every year on their birthday and send them amazing Christmas gifts they said she cried when she left Janet never called me to tell me she was leaving but the
next week her parents showed up at the house they apologized again for what Janet did but made no attempt to defend her or Justify her actions Britney and Bethany were their sole grandchildren and they desired the opportunity to see them I had no quals about their request they conveyed that Carla felt too ashamed to approach me torn between her sister and her parents two months later my divorce was officially concluded jod and I opted to celebrate at Red Lobster it was a rare even evening without the girls who seemed content in fact I believe they
were somewhat elated we spent the night at a local Holiday Inn the twins welcomed me back with delight at 10:00 the following morning though they didn't voice it they smiled from ear to ear throughout the day A year later everything was going well but unfortunately my father passed away mom considered relocating to Florida with her sister but was reluctant to leave the girls the twins thought their grandmother should part but proposed that jod take her place even if she couldn't cook as well as my mother they also insisted they were old enough to have separate
rooms it was an evident and viable plan the girls received birthday cards from their mother but there was no phone call she also sent numerous postcards all depicting Spanish windmills I wasn't sure of the significance for Christmas she sent two stylish embroidered dresses unaware that the girls were entering their teens and might experience a grow grow spurt surprisingly they didn't mind that the dresses were too small Gilbert engineering became our major client Billy was pleased to discover that Calvin was now teaching electronics at Lebanon County vocational school a significant downgrade Calvin was no longer married
and Sarah remarried and relocated to California Ken Sanders didn't last 6 months in his new job now working in the States but his whereabouts remained unknown Billy sought information through is high school's Alumni Association my best friend always believed I got away with Ken too easily strangely the girls continued to receive postcards featuring windmills with no specific information just general sentiments Cameron informed me that Janet called them several times from her job at a travel agency in Barcelona she never mentioned Ken or disclosed details about their past jod and I quietly got married in Maryland
a year later she was expecting and Britney and Beth were as thrilled as we were they looked forward to having a goth sister sharing a private joke that they never let me in on the significance of Spanish windmills remained a mystery to [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] me
