Cheated, Cheater, Cheating

A Greenville were 3 people who walk into a bar. 1st in a series of the Esquire Bar Tales

Preamble Ramble - I know I need an editor. Needing one and getting one are two totally different things. Editing is a very difficult thing to do. And a lot of people don't have the time to do it, especially for free. For this story I finished on a Friday. Reread it on Saturday morning, found lots of mistakes. Checked it again Saturday evening, still found mistakes. Read it and added needed lines that would explain or expand a scene or character better on Sunday morning, checked it again Sunday evening ad found more mistakes. I've checked it reading top to bottom, bottom up and middle up and down over the last two days. And still find mistakes. Will these ever be perfect? Nope, hopefully they will be entertaining.

Why not get an editor? I'm a new unknown writer, or a guy who puts words on a page. People gravitate to the well known. Another issue is I write all the time and quickly. I said I was going to write a story a week but I usually write 2 or 3. Yesterday I said I wasn't going to write a story and I wrote a story. This story alone has given me idea's for another stand alone story and possible series of stories. I have nothing else to do with my life except watch TV and write. So I would need 2 or 3 people editing my poorly written stories or publish one or two a month. And worse, I am inpatient. I felt I had to post all the time. Waiting for someone who would edit a story for free on their own time, which was appreciated, was hard to deal with. Maybe I have ADHD or something. They didn't test for that back in the 70's when I was in school.

Another important thing I learned is that you can't make everyone happy. Some want a happy ending and others want the wife murdered in a very violent manner. So I go with where the story takes me.

So with this story and going forward I will attempt to provide entertaining, fully finished stories.

I hope you like the story

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Bob was wiping the bar top with his white towel that seemed to be connected to his hand when he wasn't serving a drink. Cleaning more out of habit and anything else to do than for any other reason. The bar top was clean as it always was. Bob wouldn't have it any other way. The same 4 mooks have been in here for the last two hours.

Drinking their typical one beer an hour. This is the slow time of day. Between 2pm to around 5pm and it usually picks up when people start getting out of work. Husbands who don't want to be around their wives, Fathers taking a short break between work and kids and alcoholics who can't make it more than 8 hours between drinks. Until then its the same group of guys who come in during the day. Earl is holding court as usual. Espousing his wisdom that nobody wants to hear. He's one of the smartest guys Bob as ever met. Earl is fluent in many subjects and always speak with knowledge when he talks to someone without talking down to them. Some people underestimate him, being an elderly Black man. Earl never seems offended by that. He usually smiles and schools the unknowing offender. He doesn't know what Earl did for a living but whatever it is it gives him time and money to live a good life from what he sees.

About 3 pm a middle age white guy comes into the bar. He's definitely not the usual customer and doesn't seem to be from around here. The Esquire used to be a hopping spot back in the day. Now the area is full of old half abandoned industrial buildings and businesses. It makes enough money to pay the bills. He looks to be about 39 or early 40's. Wearing a very nice suit and shoes. He most definitely makes good money.

The stranger sits at the bar, "What ya have?" Bob ask.

"A Blanton's neat."

Bob looks at the guy, "We have Evan Williams, Jim Beam or Wild Turkey if you want Bourbon. Ain't got Blantons. We don't get much request for the fancy stuff." He had a feeling from the look of the guy he could have given him Jim Beam and he would have drank it without complaint or question. He had the look of a man with troubles in his life.

"Shit, figures the way my life is going, Give me whatever is closet and keep my glass filled." The stranger says in defeat.

Reaching back for the Wild Turkey Bob says, "You sound like you got troubles. This time of day its either the job or the wife." a question without being a question. Bob has been doing this for a long time.

Taking a big gulp of the offered glass of bourbon he looks at Bob, "I guess its not hard to figure out huh? My fucking wife, well at least she's fucking someone because it hasn't been me for a month!" He hands Bob the now empty glass for a refill.

"Do you know she's cheating or think she's cheating. Being a bitch doesn't make her a cheater. Maybe she's going through the change or something."

"Yeah she's changing alright. Changing into a bitch." They both laugh at his unintended humor.

This is something Bob is used to dealing with. You're not only a bartender but a priest people confess to, a therapist they get advice from. Sometimes someone who just listens. He's found people need to talk about things they can't talk to a friend, relative or coworker. But a bartender, they tell everything. Bob has heard everything in his 30 plus years of bartending. From murder to theft. Once how a guy was in love with his sister. Given enough emotional pain and alcohol people will talk.

"How has she changed that's made you think she's cheating?" It was slow so he had time to devote to the stranger.

"She used to be so nice and sweet. We would talk all the time about anything. Spend time together. Now, she comes home late. Doesn't talk to me except to complain about something. We haven't been out together in weeks. She always has some lame excuse. She's even missed family events and my birthday. Not even a fucking card! Even the kids have noticed"

"Maybe she's dealing with something at work." Trying to give the guy some hope.

"That's when this shit started. She got a new job three months ago running the office for a roofing company. How hard can that be. They put roofs on houses for Christ sake. It's her and two other girls there. Everything was good for the first month or so. I heard about this guy or that guy. Funny things that would happen in the office. Problems they had with customers. Then she stopped talking about the job and two weeks later she started to change. She started working late. Then the attitude changed. She started complaining about everything. The house was to small, I didn't respect her. I didn't clean up or do my share with the kids. Hell, I was the one running them to soccer and baseball during the week and attending games. Cutting the grass and taking care of the yard on the weekends."

"How old are the kids?" Bob asks trying to get him to calm down a little.

"11 and 12 years old. Boy and Girl. Gerald Jr 11 and Lizzie 12. He plays soccer and she plays baseball of all things. They are both good kids. They get good grades in school. Have lots of friends which keeps them active. Lizzie is the first girl to play Little League in the city."

"I think I read something about that in the paper, that was her?"

"Yep,' the man now known as Gerald says with pride. 'She didn't want to pay softball. She plays third base, the hot corner. Even has a 280 batting average." Gerald says with well earned pride. "Only bad thing is they have started to notice that their mother hasn't been as present as she used to be. She stopped going to games 3 weeks ago. Always has something else to do."

"So far it sounds like she's just become a bitch, that doesn't mean she's cheating. You need some kind of proof."

"Who do I look like Inspector Clouseau? I work 50 hours a week to put a roof over my families head. Jesus, do you know how much a private detective cost? I'll tell you, a lot of fucking money."

"There are cheaper ways to find out.' Before Bob can expound on ways to help Gerald a lady comes in, 'be right back"

He moves over to take her order. "What ya have Ms?"

"Jack and coke."

"Coming up" and he moves to make the drink. You don't get many if any women in the bar at this time of day. Unless they are meeting someone or taking a break from the stroll. He notices the lady appears to be about 25 years old around 5'5" tall, medium weight, auburn hair, wearing a nice business like pant suit and wedding ring. She wasn't on the stroll and didn't look like this was the kind of place she would be meeting someone. Unless it was for all the wrong reasons. She looked like someone who had something serious on her mind also. Bob guess it was going to be that kind of day.

Everyone in the bar noticed the new patron. She was hard to miss being very pretty. Earl looked over to her, "How you doing young lady?" in the way only Earl can introduce himself. He makes people at ease even in the most uncomfortable situations.

"I'm in a bar at 15 minutes to 4 on a Wednesday. How can I be doing any better?"

"So what brings you in here, if I may be so forward?" Earl says with a smile.

"You're awful nosy for a stranger." The lady says with some heat and turning away.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I just know someone of your caliber coming into a bar at this time of day is doing so to get away from something. And sometimes its good to talk to someone to get it out. A stranger might be that person." He says with sincerity

"There's nothing I need to talk about it and if I did its none of your business!"

"You're right miss, I apologize, Bob her next drink is on me okay. Again I sincerely apologize, you just looked a little troubled is all" Earl says respectfully and also turns away.

She turned back to Earl. "I'm sorry for being rude when you were only showing concern. Its just another mistake of many I've been making lately."

"No need to apologize Ms?" Earl says with a smile.

"Juliet, I'm Juliet." Holding out her hand to Earl

Earl moves over a couple of stools, Taking her hand, "I'm Earl, Nice to meet you Juliet. You said you've been making mistakes. It can't be that bad.

"I cheated on my husband" Taking the last chug of the Jack and Coke. Earl motions to Bob for a refill of her drink and replace his Miller High Life.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm not going to judge you. That's not my place. You don't sound like it was an ongoing thing. If it was you wouldn't be in here and so upset about it."

Gerald overheard her confession of cheating on her husband and made a disgusted noise. She and Earl looked over at him.

She said sadly, "I guess someone is judging me." looking at Gerald with sadness.

"I don't know you to judge you Miss. I'm judging the fact that you would cheat on your husband." As he was shaking his head in distaste.

"You can't judge me worse then I already have judged myself. Saying I love my husband and it was all a mistake sounds so cliché right now. But I do and it was. If I could go back in time I would." Earl was afraid Juliet would start crying at the way Gerald was treating her.

"I don't mean to be nasty. I'm taking what is happening to me out on you. I think my wife is cheating on me."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. What makes you think she's cheating?"

Gerald went over his story and concerns. Again, now with a bigger audience. Juliet listened with rapt attention. The bar was quiet while he told he tale of woe. When he was done he motioned to Bob or another drink. This was his third so Bob added a little water to this one.

Gerald looked over to Juliet, "Is that the way you treated your husband?" He didn't say it in a mean way but its the only way it could be taken.

"No it wasn't. I didn't and don't have an ongoing affair. It was a one time thing that happened today. I said I regret it and I do.

"How did it happen than. Something like that doesn't just happen unless you were blackmailed." He looked at her suspiciously.

"We worked together. Have been for almost 3 years. We started with the company at the same time. On boarding and everything together. We work in the same department."

"Why now after three years?" Sid asked from the other end of the bar. The other patrons where invested by now.

"For the dumbest reason ever. We were hired out of college. He had been dating the same girl since high school. I had been with my husband the same way. He and I would have lunch together occasionally. We have even gotten together as couples with my husband and his wife for social events.

One day we were all out to lunch. A bunch of us from the same department. Susan was talking about dating this new guy. She's single and dates quite often. Someone asked her about it and she said how she loves the variety of having different lovers. Somehow they got to talking about past lovers. He and I were the only people who had been with one person our whole lives. Our coworkers were shocked and started to tease us about it. It went on for a while.

To my shame the more they teased us the more I wondered if I had missed out on something. Jason is a great lover. I was always satisfied. But that nagging in the back of my mind that I had nothing to compare it too. I never once thought about what if its so much better and I would be unsatisfied with Jason afterward. I talked to Ed and he was having the same thoughts, what if he had missed out.

We both knew we couldn't go out and find a stranger to do it with. What if they were crazy, or had an STD. And we didn't want to go out to the single bars looking for someone. How would we be able to explain that to your spouses?"

"Please don't tell me you and him got together? That sounds like one of those stories you read online." Gerald said with even more revulsion.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we did. We decided it would be safe with each other. We knew we wouldn't leave our spouses for each other. I never had any romantic thoughts about him. He said the same about me. No one else would know. So we made arrangements to meet today at the Rodeway Inn down the street after lunch taking a half day off. It was the worse mistake of my life.' Juliet did start crying then. 'I don't know what I expected but as soon as we where done we both knew we made a horrible mistake. I love my husband so much and I gave away something that should only be my husbands. I don't know how I can ever face him again." She was full out crying now.

None of the guys knew what to do. This was beyond Bob's expertise as a bartender. Gerald did feel bad about the way he treated her. She was showing real honest remorse for what she did. She made a mistake. He even prayed everything worked out for her. It still made him think of his failing marriage. We would need some type of proof. He knew he couldn't go on like this much longer.

Just then the doors burst open and this guy, dressed like a bad 80's car salesmen came busting in. "Hey everyone hows it going?"

Gerald heard someone at the other end of the bar say "Ah Shit, this asshole."

"What's up Norm, the usual?" Bob asked opening a PBR.

"Sure thing and let me get a shot a Crown Royal also. I'm celebrating knocking off that Milf again. Damn she can really f...' Spotting Juliet he stops his announcement of another successful sexual encounter. 'Excuse me miss. My apologies for my crudeness." He says in a slick manner that would creep out most women. "Can I buy you a drink to make up for my rudeness? He asked with a cheesy smile.

Juliet wonders what kind of woman would fall for this guys lines. He's wearing a plaid sports coat for Christ sake. She remembers her father having the same tie when she was 12. Everything about him said Sleazeball. "No thank you, I've had more then enough today." As Bob hands he another glass. This one filled with just coke.

"So is this the same married woman you been knocking off Norm?" Sid ask. Which brings a groan from several patrons.

"Hell yeah, why not. I get mine and she goes back to her husband and kids. Its the best. I don't even have to take her out anymore. I just left her at the Hideaway Inn about twenty minutes ago. Married women are so grateful to be wanted." saying with the cockiest smile this side of the Mississippi River.

"How can you do that to someones family?" Gerald yells at him

"Slow down partner, I'm not the one doing anything. She's the one who is married." Norm says with his hands up

"You knew she was married also right? So you're just as responsible as she is for ruining her marriage and destroying a family. You said she has kids, Jesus, Its pieces of shits like you that give good men a bad name!" Gerald says with more heat then he has since he walked in.

"Calm down, Jerry', say Earl trying to stop the potential fight that is brewing. 'Don't let him get under your skin."

"What's his problem? I don't even know this guy."

"His wife might be cheating on him you asshole. And here you come talking about screwing another mans wife. That's his problem." Alan the other bar patron announces.

"Well he should take better care of the little misses and he wouldn't have that problem. I'm not screwing his wife so don't be mad at me,"

"Jesus you are an asshole" Juliet says

"Listen honey, I'm not going to apologize for being a man, If Sherry didn't want to cheat on her husband all she had to do was say no. But she's been saying yes yes for almost a month now."

"Sherry!! did you say Sherry?"

"Yeah, that's the milf I been knocking off."

"Black hair, mole on her neck?"

"Oh Shit" Several people say at the same time.

Norm is looking a little unsure of himself now. "Uh, yeah, on the right side of her neck. Do you know her?"

"You damn right I know her' Gerald gets up off the stool. 'That's my fucking wife!" Juliet jumps out of the way and Earl backs up just as Gerald lets loose with a left hook that would make Joe Frazier proud. Juliet was screaming as Norm goes flying into the bar and finally lands between 2 stools.

Sid comes and stands over the supine Norm. "You got knocked the fuck out!" in his best Chris Tucker impression.

It was the most excitement the bar has seen that early in the day since that time Jacob caught his wife with Derrick and chased him around the bar and down the street with a crowbar. Norm finally came to with some help from a mug of water and was taken to the hospital for a possible broken jaw by Alan with strict instructions not to say how it happened.

Bob had told Gerald to go home. He and Earl assured him there wouldn't be any charges filed.

Juliet went home after the fight. She was really shaken up with what happened. She wasn't used to seeing violence up close like that. She didn't confess to her encounter but was the best wife Jason could ever want, just as she was before. It was a secret she would take to her grave. They ended up with two boys, Jason Jr. and Kendall. She and Ed drifted apart with him eventually taking a job in Charleston South Carolina six months later. He caught his wife cheating a year after they moved. They are trying to work things out.

Norm didn't press charges. It wouldn't have gone anywhere because he had no one who would be a witness or even say he was in the car when it happened. He stopped screwing married women, for 6 months. He got an even worse beating coming out of the Hideaway Inn by an unknown bad man a year later and ended up in the hospital. No charges were filed since he had didn't see who did it because he had on all black and a mask. The Bad Man told Norm to never do 'it' again. He moved to Cincinnati after he got out. Three years later he got beaten again. Some people just don't learn.

Gerald went home and confronted Sherry. It didn't go well for either of them. She denied it until he said he knew about Norm or the Hideaway Inn. For $400 the clerk told Gerald he knew of her going there several times over the last 3 weeks and had video of them going into different rooms. Also when she found out what happened to Norm she knew her goose was cooked. She still tried to fight the divorce. He went scorched earth and told both families, friends and people on her job about her cheating. While her family supported her they were still very disappointed in her. Friends chose sides. Most of the married friends sided with Gerald. The guys on her job tried to pick her up more often. They had stayed away before thinking she was happily married. Now they all thought she was easy pickings. She got a new job five months after everything blew up.

She tried to have the judge order counseling but the he denied it. She told Gerald she didn't want a divorce, Its was just a little fun. All the cheater excuses. He didn't budge and moved out 2 days later. She did get primary custody of the kids. She came to realize how easy life had been with a husband. Gerald was paying child support and half the mortgage. She had to pay the rest of the bills including having someone to cut the grass and fix things around the house that broke. Stuff she took for granted. She went to a therapist to find out why she ruined her marriage, until she couldn't afford it any longer.

Gerald suffered from depression for some time. The only time he wasn't in bed was when he was at work or with the kids. It took him 3 months to shake it off with help. His boss noticed he was a different man. He was melancholy, its the only description that fit. People on his job were starting to talk. No one knew about his martial problems. His boss considered Gerald not only an employee but a friend. They went out after work which he almost had to drag him to the bar. Not the Esquire. They talked for nearly two hours. He recommended someone who helped him through the death of his wife 6 years ago. Gerald made an appointment the next day. Dr. Nichols was a big help. He made him realize Sherry's cheating wasn't about him. It was on all her. She was either going to cheat or she wasn't.

He tried to stay as involved with the kids as much as he could. He still went to all their games and some practices. It was hard on them at first. They didn't understand what was going on, not having him living in the house. Junior acted up in rebellion for a while. That was until Gerald sat him down and had a man to man talk with him.

He was able to find a 2 bedroom condo near his former home and in the same school district for when the kids visited. His job and attitude improved after therapy. When word got out he was getting a divorce and soon to be single women came out of the woodwork to say they had a friend or relative that would be great for him. Some even asked him out themselves. He politely told each one he wasn't ready to date but would let them know when he was. He didn't date for almost a year, for the obvious reasons, trust or lack thereof. Besides not having a romantic relationship he still had a full and happy life.

The End

Earl was in This is a test and The mouse that roared (Romance)

The Esquire Bar has been mentioned in several stories.

The "Bad Man" was featured in The Bad Man in Loving Wives