As he peered inside, he could see a large party taking place. Balloons and streamers decorated the interior in festive colors. A large banner hung across that bar that proclaimed, “Happy Retirement!” There had to be forty or fifty people there, all laughing, joking and drinking heavily. It would seem that someone from Dana’s company was retiring.
Troy wondered why Dana hadn’t mentioned the party to him. It was a simple thing. He assumed she must have been busy planning and organizing it, and it slipped her mind to let him know. He felt relief, knowing she was safe and was about to head back home when the crowd inside began chanting “Speech! Speech! Speech!”. He was curious to see who the party was for, so he hesitated and watched.
That’s when he first saw his wife. She looked happy, blissfully so, and drunk. She was standing near the front of the bar, facing the crowd and waving at them. Everyone quieted down, and Dana began to speak.
“Thank you all so much for this party,” she said, appearing to fight back tears. “I will miss you all terribly.”
What the fuck is she talking about, Troy wondered.
“The last eight years working with you all have been wonderful,” Dana continued. “But, now it is time for me to enjoy my life for a change. I’ll send you postcards from Southern France once I get settled. You’re all welcome to join us there any time.”
Southern France? Us? Troy was dumbfounded. He felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach. He and Dana had always talked of one day retiring to the South of France, and here she was going there with someone else!
“One last thing,” Dana said, pausing to make sure everyone was paying close attention. She grabbed the hem of her sweater and jerked her arms up, pulling the cloth up to her neck, exposing her bare 36-D breasts to the room. Everyone cheered wildly. She covered them again, blushing beet red, then added, “Christ! I’ve wanted to do that for eight years. I’m no longer the HR manager, so I can do what I want!” She turned to the man standing beside her, grabbed him by the face and pulled in into a lingering, wet kiss that went on for more than a minute as her co-workers cheered.
The man was Dana’s boss, Mitchell Fields, CEO, President, and recently divorced millionaire.
It all came crystal clear to Troy at that moment. He turned and walked away, retrieved his car, and drove home. On the way, he called their twenty-year-old daughter, Michelle, who was a junior at SMU. She answered right away.
“Hi Daddy!” she said, “How are you?”
“Did you know?” he asked.
There was a pause. Michelle and Dana were closer than mother and daughter. They were best friends who spent much of their spare time together, shopping, going on spa retreats, and being each other’s closest confidante.
“Did I know what?” came Michelle’s nervous response.
“That your mother is a cheating slut, has been fucking her boss behind my back, and is leaving me for the asshole.”
There was another, longer pause. That was all the answer Troy needed.
“Daddy!” Michelle began, looking for the right words.
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