The Fools of April

The Fool of April

FAFO in spades

Just a quick April Fool's Day entry. The contests are too hard to win in this category.

My wife has been showing me these Insta or TikTok videos of women texting their husbands, usually right after they leave the house for work, "Come on over, he's gone."

Some you can see are staged by a couple trying for their minute of fame, but others, unfortunately, are real, and they don't end well. I can't understand a woman who would intentionally do that, think it's funny (the women are actually laughing in the videos as they watch hubby come screaming back in his car), and then get pissed at the husband when he rolls right back in to angrily confront her. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes, I suppose, just like the dim light bulb in this story.

Relax; it's just a story, people.

[copyright 2025, all rights reserved, including section 107 of US and international copyright law. Converting this work to audio file is strictly prohibited]

Janet sat flabbergasted at her own kitchen table. Deep concern hadn't set in quite yet and she was still very hopeful since it had only been about twelve hours. Still, there was a nagging itch of finality lingering... somewhere within her, something she couldn't shake.

"I don't understand," she spoke up suddenly, speaking to her sister across the table. Sandra Brooks just glared at her. "We had this all worked out! You said you could handle him and..."

"No!" Sandra interrupted, hollering back at her sister, Janet Laughlin, married to Barry Laughlin, the subject of the current argument. "I said I 'thought' I could but I also warned you against this stupid prank. Even if he was still here, do you really think Barry would be pleased to hear your good news?"

Sandra, Sandy as she was called by family, was one year and a few months older than Janet. She was married to a man known well by both sisters - Ethan Brooks. Janet and Ethan had just spent the night together as part of their elaborate April Fool's joke on Barry. They weren't technically 'together' together if you catch the drift. At least they'd never admit to it.

Both women remained silent, lost in their thoughts after Sandy's outburst, unsure of what to say or do.

"Well, I suppose we should start making phone calls," Janet said with a sigh. Both her prank and the supposed after-prank surprise had backfired spectacularly.

"How was he before you fell asleep, Sis?" Janet enquired for at least the fifth time. She couldn't believe her husband had taken clothes and things most important to him and just left in the middle of the night.

"I already told you," Sandy spat, tired of being interrogated again. "He was devastated. He actually cried while I tried to comfort him. I've never felt so horrible in my life. I almost told him about your stupid joke but he got so bad that I didn't think that was even wise right then. I told you, Barry said very little after he calmed down but he had this look about his face, you know, like when he gets serious, resolved about something."

"But he must have said something!" Janet's cry sounded pathetic.

"Like I said," Sandy answered, "he called you and Ethan a bunch of terrible names and then he turned his anger to me. I was in on it, after all. You two were doing it for me, he pointed out. I was just as guilty, if not more so. I sat there and took every bit of his hostility and for what? Because of your stupid idea? He's probably never going to treat me with respect ever again if he does come b..."

"Don't say it!" Janet screamed. "Don't you dare say it. He's coming back!"

After a few moments to collect themselves, Sandy said, "I need to call Ethan. You should call around and see where Barry stayed last night."

"No," something in the urgency of Janet's voice caught Sandy's attention. "I want to talk to Ethan, too. He might... he will know what to do. He always does."

Sandy put the call on speaker. Ethan started right away, without so much as a hello. "How's the little guy taking it?" Barry had always hated when Ethan called him that, but the women never seemed to notice or even care.

"Not good," Janet answered before Sandy could get the words out. "He's left with a bunch of his stuff and I don't know where."

The other end of the line was quiet for several long seconds. "What did you do?" Ethan asked his wife, although not calling her out by name.

"Listen here, asshole," Sandy growled angrily. "I'm about fed up with being the scapegoat in this tragic play. You went along with my sister, and now all the things I warned you both could go wrong have."

"Alright, alright," Ethan exclaimed. "Have you guys called around to find out where he went yet?"

"No," Janet said. "We're about to do that now. Can you two help me?"

"Fuck that," Sandy scowled at her sister. "I'm going home to my husband. You can fix your mess."

"Look on the bright side," Ethan chided. "If he doesn't come back, Janet can move into the spare room. We can help her with birthing classes and the new baby when he comes."

This further alarmed Sandy. Her husband was going straight to her kid sister moving in with them, and he had the audacity to suggest being a pseudo-father to the child.

>>>>

Barry sat on the balcony of his rented room, watching the people. He thought back to the beginning because it was easier than thinking about the end.

It was Ethan and Sandy who introduced him to Sandy's little sister, Janet. They had been thick as thieves in the six years, five of which he'd been married to Janet since he became involved with the three. That had always been a thing in the back of Barry's mind. Even though he was the fourth wheel, so to speak, he often felt like the third. Like there was something there between the three that he wasn't supposed to be privy to.

He knew, or at least thought he could ascertain, that Ethan and Janet had actually dated briefly before Ethan became serious with Sandy, but he had never verified it. Maybe it was all too close to home for him. Ethan looked like a Greek god compared to him, compared to most men. He had an air of confidence that Barry lacked, at least to the level of Ethan. He didn't want to know if his lovely bride had been with Ethan. Internally, he knew that. Fundamentally, he'd tell himself, what difference did it make? He had her now.

Sandy and Ethan married first, a year ahead of Janet and Barry. That took some of the unease off of Barry's mind. It meant he really was in love with Janet's big sister. Then, shortly after Barry and Janet tied the knot, a stricken Sandy announced she was barren. She would never be able to carry a child to term. After lots of sad months, things got better for the couple, while Janet and Barry chose to leave it all in the past, never discussing it further.

When it came to Janet's family, her parents, especially, were enamored with Ethan. He always seemed to jump in whenever a helping hand was needed, almost as if he was waiting for it. If Barry offered help, Ethan always blew him off, saying don't worry about it, I can easily handle... whatever situation arose. At some point, Barry stopped trying.

Sitting on the balcony of his cheap hotel, with a room-service breakfast and a carafe of coffee, Barry took a break from making his extensive list of things to do and reflected on three nights before, when his life seemed to implode before his very eyes.

He'd had a particularly busy and stressful week in his accounting job and looked forward to watching one of the last pre-season baseball games on ESPN. He'd snuggle with his wife after dinner, and if she didn't fall asleep in his arms, then maybe they would start the weekend off right in the bedroom.

He was surprised to see his sister-in-law's car in the driveway, and even more so to see Janet's not parked in her spot. Sandy met him at the door, gave him the customary hug and asked him into the kitchen. He expected Janet to be off somewhere picking up some take-out. His radar peaked when he saw Sandy had apparently prepared a nice meal.

"What's going on, Sandy?" he wearily asked. "Where's your sister?"

Sandy seemed wound up tight, eyes darting nervously. Something was wrong. "Here," she said, pulling out a chair. "Sit and eat first. "Would you like a drink, a beer, or some wine?"

Barry wanted to get an immediate answer but was far too exhausted to push the issue. Wherever Janet was could wait a few minutes. Barry was famished. He pointed to the fridge and Sandy, knowing him well, went to grab an IPA.

She dished up the casserole and sliced the baguette. They ate in silence at first, Sandy seemingly wondering how to begin. Barry kept watching her, then he couldn't take it anymore.

"All right, Sandy." He barked. "Out with it."

"Okay," she set her fork on the table. "You know that Ethan and I can't have children, right?" Of course, he knew and just waved for her to continue. "And you know the problem lies with me. Well, Janet and I have been talking about it extensively for several months now, looking for a solution." Sandy purposefully paused.

"What kind of solution, Sandy?" Barry was moving from frustrated to completely furious.

"She's gonna give me a child!" Sandy exuberantly explained. "Such a selfless act. She's going to give me a baby."

Barry felt sick. He knew what Sandy was inferring, but it didn't matter if he knew; he had to hear the words.

"How is she going to do that?" He almost threw up as soon as the words left his lips.

"Janet is spending the weekend with Ethan," she told Barry as if it were only natural. "She's at her most fertile these next few days."

Barry threw his plate across the kitchen, barely missing the window. The plate shattered and the sauce went everywhere. Sandy recoiled at the outburst. By the time she recovered, never having seen Barry lose his temper before, he was pacing around the kitchen and then he walked out of the room.

Sandy thought she knew him well after all these years but this outburst told her maybe she didn't. She'd known Barry before her sister did. Now, she wasn't so sure. Sandy considered letting him cool down for a few minutes. However, her nurturing personality forced her out of her chair with no concrete plan.

"Barry, please!" she pleaded, finding him in the living room, still pacing. She grabbed his upper arms in an effort to wrap him in a hug.

Barry shrugged her off him. "Please, what?" he half-growled, half-groaned loudly. "You've got to be kidding me. You sit here and tell me my wife is fucking your husband for the entire weekend so she can what? Get pregnant with his bastard and give the kid to you! She's such a coward she never told me, never included me, never asked me about any of it. The three of you planned this. Fucking traitors!"

Sandy, for once, had no idea what to do or say. She'd expected Barry to be forlorn, sad, upset, something way south of where he was in that moment. He appeared ready to explode. Sandy considered coming clean right then but there was a lot at stake. She knew she only had to get him to calm down and eventually go to sleep. All would become clear in the morning.

"Please don't be so angry!" she tried to match his intensity but failed. "I can see why you might be hurt, but Janet is doing a brave, selfless thing. She even worried about how you'd react, which is why she insisted I be here for you."

"What?" he spat, "you think a trade would make it all better. I'm supposed to fuck you, and then everything is even, everything's okay? Well, fuck that. I'm not touching your skank ass."

Sandy was surprised that that was what he expected. Somehow, she wasn't getting how completely fried his brain was just then. She made another mistake.

"No. NO!" she shouted. "That wasn't the plan. How could you think that? Janet is making the ultimate sacrifice, and she's doing it for Ethan and me. We never discussed any kind of... swap. I'm here to keep you company, to console you. To help you forget any hurt feelings or at least minimize them. To take your mind off things until she returns."

"Are you all fucking crazy?" Barry was getting worse, and Sandy was starting to feel real fear. "You're going to console me? That's even worse! And what happens when she comes home pregnant with that prick's kid? I'm supposed to congratulate her? How could any of you think I'd tolerate this?"

Then, a new, determined look crossed Barry's face as if he thought of something.

"Where are they, Sandy?" he asked urgently. "Are they at your house?"

"I... I can't... say." She meant she wouldn't.

Barry cut her off, grabbing her arms and almost shaking her. "Tell me!" he yelled. "Maybe it's not too late. Maybe I can stop this madness."

"They... They wouldn't tell me," she said quietly. "So I wouldn't have to lie. She... she knew you might... would ask."

Barry roughly pushed her away, pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial for his wife. Her phone buzzed on the counter, where Janet had left it sitting on the charger.

Barry turned toward Sandy with murder in his eyes. "You've ruined my marriage, you fucking maniac!" Barry's expression was that of a wild man. "What am I supposed to say when she starts showing? I'm supposed to tell everyone I'm proud of her. What did your parents have to say about this?"

That shocked Sandy. Neither she nor Janet had considered that in their careful planning. "They don't know!" Sandy cried out. "They shouldn't know. Not until way later."

"Bullshit," Barry replied in a determined voice. He started swiping on his phone again. Sandy was pleading with him not to. He pushed a button even as Sandy tried desperately to grab his phone away.

"Yes, hello, Marge?" Barry said into the phone. "did you know about this abomination with your daughters and Ethan?" Sandy was still trying to stop him from telling her parents, but Barry used his size and strength to get away from her.

"Janet is with Ethan right now," he continued. "They're trying to get her pregnant so she can give the baby to Sandy. Did you know about this?"

Sandy couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but the volume was elevated. This entire thing was turning to shit in a hurry.

"Yeah, well, it is TRUE!" Barry screamed in response. "Here, you talk to her."

In disgust, he threw his phone at Sandy. She grabbed it and instinctively ran into the downstairs bathroom, locking the door. It took several minutes of trying to talk over her distraught mother to even get a word in.

"It's a joke, Mother," she rasp-whispered. "Just an April Fool's joke!"

Sandy could hear her father, Bill, in the background in an elevated tone. "Well, you better go tell Barry. Your stupid fucking joke backfired."

Marge piled on, pleading for her daughter to reveal the prank. Sandy didn't know what to do, so she disconnected the call. She went out of the bathroom and realized Barry was nowhere to be found. After searching downstairs, she did find him in his bedroom, throwing clothes into a suitcase.

"Barry, what are you doing?" It was a dumb question. "Don't leave. Please! This is your home!"

"I'm not staying here," Barry told her, "while she's getting her pussy pumped full of some other man's cum. Especially, your fucking husband."

"Listen, let me tell you something that might help." Sandy had no idea if it would help or not, but she had to do something. She came over to the bed, closed the suitcase, and sat on top of it.

"Before I met Ethan," she began, "He already knew Janet. She met him first. They dated, Barry. They were intimate before I ever had my first date with Ethan. In many ways, I stole him from her. We roomed at college, as you know. Ethan and I were juniors, and Janet was a freshman. She and I were at a hamburger joint on campus, and she was telling me about her time with Ethan when he walked up, and Janet introduced us. The rest you've already heard."

Yes, Barry had heard the story, minus his wife sleeping with Ethan. That fact only infuriated him more. The way he saw it, she was getting something she wanted while getting over on her sister at the same time.

Ten minutes later, Barry was walking out his front door with Sandy, who'd had to pick herself up off the bedroom floor after Barry threw her off the suitcase, begging him not to go.

A loud noise in the room below him shook Barry out of his sad memory. From his room there in San Diego, Barry returned to considering his options. He'd decided after pulling a bunch of money from their joint bank account to get as far away from their suburban Boston home as he could. San Diego sounded like a good option. His Grandmother had gifted him the house when she passed, as well as a decent trust fund. He hadn't touched that money except for a nice honeymoon in Belize.

Looking out at the sight before him, he smiled for the first time in three days. There were people jogging and skateboarding on the boardwalk and, further beyond, volleyball players on the beach and surfers in the ocean. He knew if he was going to shake this treachery and redeem himself, he was in the right place.

>>>>

Sandy arrived home in a fury. True, she had been part and privy to this abomination, but she was pissed all the same. Her husband and sister had abandoned her as she had tried holding things together with Barry and her folks.

"Why didn't you answer your phone, you bastard?" were her first words upon entering their modest home.

"We were bingeing Bad Sisters," Ethan said as though it answered her question. "We fell asleep on the couch, after too much wine."

Ethan walked smoothly over to his wife and gave her a conciliatory hug. He was smooth and always had been, especially with women.

"Has she found him yet?" Ethan wisely changed the subject.

"No," she responded, still upset. "My parents are so pissed at me, at us, for perpetuating this stupid prank. We are both going to have to suck up for a long time."

"Not me," he shocked Sandy with his quick, uncaring response. "I didn't have anything to do with it - not the planning, anyway. I just went along with it."

Sandy looked at her husband as if for the first time. She promptly stormed off into her bedroom and closed the door.

>>>>

Janet was daydreaming, as she often did these days. It was a very bad idea to do that while driving, but she had a lot on her mind. It was June 29th, exactly three months since her husband, Barry, had deserted her. Whether it was his ego or pride, he'd run away like a little baby.

Like a baby.

Janet instinctively touched her growing tummy. It brought on a new round of thoughts.

The pregnancy hadn't surprised her. She'd stopped taking her birth control pills the week between Christmas and New Year's. By March 15, she had missed her second period, and the test strip confirmed what she already felt within herself.

It was Ethan who first proposed the prank on Barry. Initially, he wanted Janet to tell Barry that she had made a drunken mistake at the family New Year's Eve party and had not only let Ethan have sex with her in one of the upstairs bedrooms but that he hadn't worn a condom. She knew exactly why Ethan would find that type of prank a worthwhile endeavor. He'd always been jealous that Janet had fallen for Barry, even though it had been him and Sandy who provided the introductions. Over the years, Ethan had grown less and less fond of Barry.

But Janet had her own plans and paybacks to execute. Knowing her sister's reproductive dilemma, Janet came up with the plan to embarrass her husband by having Sandy divulge a weekend away to get impregnated by Ethan for Sandy's sake. She would spend the night with Ethan while Sandy comforted her husband.

Truth be told, Janet didn't really care if Sandy and Barry somehow ended up doing the nasty, in a drunken fit of comforting. She knew what she wanted to do with Ethan, even before her plan.

She knew Ethan would try to seduce her, and in the back of her mind, she knew full well she would let him. They'd promised each other they would be together sexually again one day, on the day that Ethan told her he was in a steady relationship with Sandra.

In Janet's mind, her sister had stolen her man, it was just that simple. Now pregnant with Barry's child, she planned on cashing in her 'one more time' chip with Ethan. She was already pregnant, and she could enjoy the man who had given her almost as many orgasms in just two different nights than Barry had throughout their entire time together. Ethan was far more confident in bed, more experienced, and larger than her husband by several inches. Over the years, she had thoughts of how well Ethan had satisfied her. Barry was good, but Ethan was a Hall of Famer! Janet made a hard right turn, her thoughts interrupted as she almost missed the off-ramp. There, just across from the traffic light, was the Best Western, where she was meeting Ethan.

"Hey babe," Ethan said answering the door, looking both ways before ushering her in.

"We need to get started," Janet said impatiently. "I only have an hour for lunch, and that dumb bitch of a new boss I have watches the time clock like a hawk."

Another thing that irritated Janet was that Sandy had done well in college and was a day shift nurse at the county's largest hospital. Janet, by contrast, pushed a big cart at Walmart, shopping other people's groceries all day.

"Cool your jets, baby," he placated. "Come over here and get me hard. Then I'll take good care of you." So it began and they both enjoyed each other's bodies until they were spent and sated.

Ethan spoke first as they lay in post-coital bliss. "Just think, baby, next week you'll be living with us, and we'll have so much more time together when Sandy is at work."

"We'll have to be extra careful," Janet murmured, lost in her reverie. "It will be easier to get caught."

"I already told you, Jan," he reassured, "if she catches us, we'll move to your place. I'll divorce her and we can live together forever. I'll make a much better father than that dipshit you married anyway. We can name the boy after me."

"Hey!" Janet sat up. "How many times do I have to tell you - no shit talking my husband! He's a good man, even if he did run away in a hissy fit without letting me explain."

She'd been analyzing her actions and had to admit, she'd totally underestimated Barry, in her rabid quest to fuck Ethan once more. She also had to admit that what happened turned out pretty well for her. She'd been fucking her sister's hubby at least once per week since Barry bailed on her. And while she wondered about the future, about what Barry would do, being filled with Ethan lessened those concerns.

The chill between Sandy and her had not thawed, not to mention her very strained relationship with her parents. They never called her and spoke only in generalities when she tried to speak with them. She knew she would eventually patch things up, but right then, she was having the time of her life screwing Ethan behind her sister's back.

It wasn't like she was a total whore. She'd tried to reason with Barry's parents and his older brother to tell her where he was. Between the vile name-calling and obscenities, she'd given up after the first month. They warned her not to hire someone to try and find their son because they would never tell and would drag Janet's name through the mud all over town.

Janet figured she'd have her 'fun' with Ethan for the time being. Barry might come back, tail between his legs; that's what she dreamed of anyway. If not, she decided to let Sandy catch them organically. If her sister then wanted a divorce, Ethan could move into Janet's home. They would get married and raise Barry's son as their own. That would be the ultimate revenge on Sandy for stealing her man.

>>>>

Barry sat on the balcony of his new apartment. Since it was on the first floor, it was more like a patio, even though it was fenced-in. From the raised platform, he could still see the ocean and the passers-by.

It was almost the end of August then. Back in Boston, it would be getting quite cold in the late afternoon, but in San Diego, it was the dry, warm season with plenty of red flag warnings further inland. He'd kept tabs on his soon-to-be ex-wife, Janet with family members and friends. She had moved in with Ethan and Sandy several months before the baby was due. The child, a boy, was to be born sometime in the coming weeks.

Barry's life had gone well, only due to his meticulous planning and some decent luck. At first, he'd worked on the docks for cash. Some of the import companies in the San Diego harbor were, not so above board. His accounting background had come to the attention of the owner of the company he worked for and subsequently, he took a cash job cooking the books for them. It was risky, but Southern California was one of the most expensive places on the planet. He knew if he was to realize his plans, he couldn't work there long term.

Barry was about to sell his house out from under his lousy, unfaithful wife. She and the baby already had a place to stay and, although he'd much preferred to have his son with him, provided the DNA test proved that he was indeed Barry's son, it wasn't time for that quite yet.

Melissa, Mel to all the people she cared about, had been a godsend to Barry. She was a no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners, Southern California blonde bombshell of a woman and had literally helped put Barry back together like a proverbial Humpty Dumpty.

Beneath her rough, purposefully bitchy exterior, Barry had found her to have a warm personality and good heart. Likewise, Mel had seen through the damage early on and found Barry to be a warm, humble, good-natured person, the kind most girls would call "a keeper." She intended to put in the effort.

Barry pulled out the pre-paid phone. He hadn't exactly been hiding, which meant that, for starters, Janet had never loved him like he'd thought. His parents and brother had already been to visit him twice. The twisted threesome that had tried to destroy his life were about to get what they deserved.

The message to Sandra was simple: "They're fucking around on you, you know? Right under your nose, and in your own bed."

Barry felt that she already knew, even without his anonymous warning. He was about to make Ethan and Janet a homeless couple with a child. Mel had been stressing that only a certain amount of revenge would be healthy. Getting the cheaters out of his house was the first step in getting eventual custody of his son.

>>>>

It finally happened. Janet was eight months pregnant and beginning to wonder just how blind and stupid her sister, Sandy, was. It was quite a chore for Janet to have vaginal sex anymore. That damn baby was huge in there.

Janet worked four days per week at the store. Sandy worked a full schedule, and sometimes on Saturday, too. Ethan would come home for lunch on the days when Janet was home, and they'd fuck around for forty-five minutes or so.

Janet had Ethan lying on his bed, pants around his ankles, while Janet used her mouth to satisfy him. She must have been doing all right, since neither noticed Sandy in the bedroom doorway taking pictures with her phone.

Finally, Ethan opened his eyes to look down upon the younger sister and that's when he spotted his wife. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but Sandy's angry figure didn't go away.

"You have until I get home tonight to get the fuck out of this house," she savagely remarked; zero sadness in her tone. "That means "gone" when I get home, and make sure you take your pregnant slut with you. If you don't, I'm sending these lovely photos to both of our parents."

Janet smiled inwardly, not even turning to look at her sister. Her dream was coming together nicely. Now, she hoped Barry never returned.

>>>>

On September 21st, a sweet baby boy weighing seven pounds and two ounces was born. Janet named him Nathan, even over Ethan's objections. It was the first time Ethan could remember her not doing exactly what he told her.

No one from Janet's side of the family was at the hospital with her. Ethan's parents were there, but they gave Janet the stink eye whenever they thought she wasn't looking at them.

Four days later, Ethan came home from work after a phone call from a hysterical Janet. It seemed they were being evicted from Janet's home. Turns out she had no claim on it in the first place. Ethan took the paperwork to a lawyer but to no avail.

He drove back to his temporary home, stewing in anger. Why couldn't that fucker, Barry, just leave them alone? Why had he left and fucked everything up in the first place? He only wanted to fuck Janet on the sly, not raise someone else's kid. Had he stayed and played the good husband, he wouldn't even have known that Ethan and Janet had cuckolded him the night of the prank. Now, Ethan was stuck taking up his slack. Sure, he was with the woman he wanted, but that didn't change their shitty circumstances. He was going to have to find a cheap apartment.

>>>>

Barry was finally settling into his new life, and the plans he'd been working with his attorney and family were all falling into place. Mel was indeed a special lady. She was always there to pick him up, and conversely, he was there for her, too. He was falling for her - hard.

In the meantime, Janet and that bastard, Ethan, had moved out of the house. Barry's parents had helped to put it on the market, and even though he wouldn't get rich, there was about forty grand in equity after paying the realtor and other costs.

There was just one thing that didn't sit right, something he couldn't shake himself free of. If he could hold out until April first, he could file for divorce in California, not for abandonment, but for not having lived together for a year. Massachusetts would probably have something to say about that since Barry was the one to leave. He did not relish the idea of spending all his money on attorneys and other fees.

He also yearned to meet his son. Barry's attorney had legally forced the hospital to do a DNA test when little Nathan was born, and it was confirmed that Barry was his father. He found it slightly odd, but it still made him happy that Mel seemed just as excited.

>>>>

Janet stood outside the store where she worked, watching as the rain turned to snow--not just any snow, but those big, giant flakes that quickly engulfed everything. She gazed at the cars in the parking lot, and they were already being blanketed. Another thought came.

Where was Ethan? It wasn't like him to be late, and tonight was important. His office was just across the street from Walmart, in the business complex.

Much had changed for Janet since the beginning of April. Her frantic need to fuck Ethan Brooks had given way to her agreeing to a prank on her husband. By the morning after, she realized that Barry would always be a distant second to Ethan when it came to her heart and if she was honest with herself, when it came to her pussy. She remembered driving home from that first night and secretly thanking a god she didn't really believe in when Barry's car wasn't there. Her body had just undergone an epiphany of epic proportions.

But since just after the birth of little Nathan, things hadn't gone the way of her dreams. First, Barry had taken possession of their home, forcing her and Ethan into a small apartment, and now money was tight. She didn't even get anything from the sale.

Ethan hadn't been his loving, cheerful self either. He had become withdrawn and constantly seemed distracted. Then there was the sulkiness, which led to a quick, sharp retort every time she tried asking him about it.

Tonight was supposed to be a happy first step toward making up with her family. Even though Sandy remained cold, her parents had invited them over tonight for Christmas Eve dinner. It would be the first time they met their grandson.

Janet's thoughts came back to the present as Ethan's car pulled up to the curb. "Where have you been?" Janet said sharply, getting into the car. We have to pick up Nathan from your cousin's house and we still need to get ready. I'll have to feed him, too."

The look on Ethan's face told Janet she should shut her mouth. "Fucking flat tire in the parking lot." He grumbled. "Had to change it in this fucking weather, and that tiny fucking spare is a little low on air."

"Is it alright to drive?" Janet asked with concern.

"Yeah," Ethan barked at her. "You're in a hurry to get to your fucking parent's house, aren't you?"

As they pulled out of the Walmart parking lot, Janet noticed a man standing under a streetlamp. He was turned sideways to her view, but something made her try for a better look. The collar of his long coat was turned up, and his head was covered with a beanie. Then he turned, his face illuminated by the light, staring dead at her.

She gasped. Could it be? The man looked similar to Barry. She dared not say a word to Ethan, who was clearly in distress already. She stared as the car passed the man and she craned her neck to watch him. It couldn't be. The snow must be playing tricks on her.

Two blocks further down, as Janet was still deep in thought, having seen a ghost of sorts, Ethan made a right-hand turn, but the car didn't respond. It just kept going straight right into the intersection.

"ETHAN!" Janet screamed. "WATCH OUT!"

>>>>

It was February 20th. The date had been marked on his calendar for some weeks. He was as nervous as he'd ever been, certainly more than on his wedding day. Mel was there to calm him every step of the way. A car pulled into the driveway, and Barry's heart almost stopped.

He'd gotten the call on December 25th. Sandy, crying and mumbling, told Barry about the accident that killed her husband - soon-to-be former husband - on impact. Janet had survived and made it to the hospital but passed from her extensive injuries in the wee hours of Christmas morning.

He remained in contact with Sandy and even offered his condolences to the sister's parents. In turn, they sent him pictures of the child--his child. Throughout most of January, arrangements were made to reunite father and son. Sandy kept Nathan with her after the tragic accident, and Barry was fine with that. She could never have a child of her own, and because of a depraved husband and sister, she'd be alone for some time, at least until she could find a man worthy of her love.

It was determined that Sandy would stay with Barry for two weeks to complete the transition. Nathan was too young to understand what had happened to his mother and Ethan, but that didn't mean he didn't miss her terribly. Now, he'd be losing Sandy, too.

Sandy was not aware of Mel. Regardless, she wasn't like her sister at all. There was a fleeting thought, more like a hope, that she may connect with Barry again during her two-week stay. She wasn't so delusional not to remember that Barry saw her in the same deceitful light as he did Ethan and Janet.

Barry walked out to the car, hugged his former sister-in-law when she got out, and then helped unbuckle the car seat. He stood, mesmerized for several seconds, assessing the beautiful sight before him. Like every parent, he counted fingers on both of the baby's hands even though he knew they were all there.

The common pleasantries exchanged, Barry led Sandy into his home. Sandy's eyes noticed Melissa immediately. Mel took her in as well.

"Sandy, this is my very good friend," he hesitated, "my girlfriend, Melissa."

Mel reached out to shake Sandy's hand while Sandy stood there, stunned. Melissa was incredibly beautiful and voluptuous. Long, dirty blonde hair, bleached out by the California sun and tanned olive skin. Her blue eyes were almost hypnotizing.

The awkward silence permeated the room for several seconds before Mel took over. She retracted her hand, but reached down for the car carrier, taking it from Barry.

"Well, hello, little man," she said jubilantly in baby talk. "My, aren't you handsome, just like your father."

Barry's chest puffed out slightly as a warm smile came upon his face. Sandy came back to Earth. There was no chance for her with Barry. He'd never forgive her anyway. What had she been thinking? She looked forlorn, and Barry picked up on it, knowing her for so many years.

"Can I help you with your bags?" Barry asked her.

"Ah... yeah," she stuttered. "Um, yes, please." She said the words, but she certainly didn't mean it. The hard truth hadn't just dawned on Sandy, it had slapped her hard across the face.

As they approached the rental car, Sandy stopped, touched Barry's arm, and looked deeply into his eyes.

"There's no reason for me to stay, is there?" she sadly stated. When Barry didn't initially answer, she went on. "At least none that I can think of. You already have everything you need."

Barry smiled but neither nodded nor shook his head. "Do you need help changing your flight?" he asked mostly out of politeness.

"No," she said. "I'll take care of it." With a deep breath and trying to maintain her dignity, Sandy began to climb back into the car, then she stopped.

"Please don't try to keep my nephew from his family." She wasn't pleading. It was as serious as any threat. "My sister's stupidity... and my own, shouldn't impact Nathan's ability to know his flesh and blood. It's not his fault."

"I would never," Barry finally spoke. "And for what it's worth, she didn't deserve what happened to her."

Sandy had been getting into the car when he said that and quickly turned back to him. He brought it up, and she had to ask.

"Did you," she tried to find the proper words. "Did you, have anything to do...?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Barry responded, cutting her off. They stared at each other for a long minute. Sandy was the first to blink. "Goodbye, Barry," Sandy said, getting in the vehicle, backing out of the driveway, and never looking back.