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CHICKEN LITTLE IN GREENVILLE
He thought the sky was falling, as well as his marriage.
PREAMBLE RAMBLE; Chicken Little, as it's called in America, or Henny Penny around the world. It's the Fairy Tale story of Henny Penny, who goes around saying the sky is falling. Because he thinks the world is ending. This is the story of a man who believes his world and marriage are coming to an end.
I thought this might be a 750-word story. It didn't work out that way.
Thanks to Horst for editing. Still any mistakes are completely mine.
I hope you like the story.
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My name is Hank Penny. I got the nickname "Henny" in grade school, and it stuck. I don't particularly like it, but after almost 18 years, what can I do? That's not the worst thing I'm dealing with right now; I think my wife is cheating on me.
I've been married to Megan for seven years. We met at a church social, of all places. We connected and dated for 18 months before getting married. The last six and a half years have been great. The last six months haven't been so good. Why has it been bad for six months? Megan has changed, and not for the better.
First, it was a girls' night out with people from her job. Megan doesn't drink, at least she didn't before, now she drinks like a fish. This normally might not be a big deal to most people. She works at a non-profit that helps needy children. She had talked about a couple of new people who had started there. They were young and, in her words, adventurous. When I questioned her the first time she came home smelling of alcohol, she said the restaurant they went to had a bar and she only had one drink. I let it go until it happened the second time. It didn't happen all the time. She only had girls' night out about twice a month and had liquor on her breath only a couple of times. This went on for a couple of months until the next change happened.
She found a new job as a receptionist at a Subaru dealership that was full-time. She told me she wanted to be able to contribute more to the household before we started having kids. I had no problems with the new job. I hoped it stopped her from going on her girls' nights out, which it did for a while. I didn't have to worry about that until she started dressing differently. She was always a modest person. Now she dressed more flamboyantly, for lack of a better term. She's a beautiful woman, I know I'm biased, but I've been told how lucky I am to have such a lovely wife. She's five feet five and around 120 pounds. She has striking green eyes and long legs. Now she was showcasing her best features. Her dresses got shorter and her blouses tighter, and showed more cleavage. She was also wearing more makeup and perfume. Then the nylons and higher heels, which she had never worn before. When I questioned her about this, she said she needed to present a different look than she had at her old job. She was the face of the dealership and had to be more appealing. We had some words about it, but she continued to dress that way. I was not happy, and she knew it.
I started hearing about a certain salesman, Greg Abbott. "Greg this, Greg that, Greg is so funny, Greg is so smart." I was trying to be a Christian but I was starting to feel like "Fuck Greg Abbott!" This went on for several weeks until nothing. No more mentions of Greg at all. It was so sudden, you couldn't help but notice it. At dinner, we always talked about our day. I work at a company called Outkast Software. We make websites for restaurants. I'm not a computer geek. I'm in customer relations. Dealing with different people every day, there's always something to talk about. But Megan's not talking about the great Greg Abbott set off warning flares that needed attention.
I had always trusted Megan. What husband doesn't trust his wife? Until he doesn't have a reason to. We've always gotten along very well. We had an active social life. We still did date nights and went to church every Sunday. We still made love three or four times a week. Besides the times she was going out with her friends or when she started dressing differently, nothing else changed. She was still the loving Megan I've always known. So why did I have a feeling things had changed between us? Call it husband's intuition, a feeling, a bad feeling. I wondered if the sky was falling.
I talked to my friend, Darrell, at work. He had been through almost the same thing. He found out his wife was cheating on him. I took him to lunch and explained what I was dealing with. He was really disappointed. He had met Megan at company events, and he liked her. Like me, he felt we were in it for the long haul. His advice was to get some real information or evidence that she was or wasn't doing something. I couldn't afford a private investigator. He recommended I get some small recorders and talk to Melvin or Duncan about how to put an app on her phone that will copy and forward text to my phone or computer. And that's what I did. I put one in her car under the seat and another in the kitchen. She gets home before I do and cooks dinner. I figured if she was going to talk to someone, it would be there. We don't have passwords on our phones, so I was able to download the app a couple of days later. While I was doing that, I checked for any text she had. There wasn't anything suspicious. I even checked her trash file and didn't find anything. No texts or pictures.
I didn't get a chance to check the recorders for a couple of days. There were no texts of consequence. Most were from girlfriends or her mother. The recorder in her car was more interesting. I could only hear one side of a conversation, of course. It sounded like the second day the recorder was in the car.
"Hey, what's going on to make you call me so early. I'm on my way in now."
Whoever it was, she sounded happy to hear from them.
"You want me to pick up what?"
"Why doesn't your wife make you breakfast. That's not my job."
"Work wife? Is that what we're calling it now? I don't think Henny would be happy to hear that, Greg."
Of course, it's Greg Abbott, and now I know he's married as well. And no, I'm not happy about her being someone's work wife.
"No, he hasn't mentioned you lately, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten about you. I stopped talking about you at home. I could tell he was irritated with me talking about you all the time."
"No, don't get a big head, I just thought you were funny and entertaining. My last job was pretty boring."
"He's not a stupid man. He still questions me about the way I dress."
"I know it helps with sales to attract customers, but still, I've never dressed like this before. I think he thinks I'm dressing for you. He hasn't said anything, but I know how he thinks."
"No, no, he's not giving me a hard time. Nothing has changed between us. I love him and he loves me. He has no reason to be suspicious. Besides the way I dress, he has no reason to question anything. I'll pick it up this time, but don't expect it every day."
She was talking to Greg. He had her cell phone number and was comfortable enough to call her. I don't know what she was doing for him, but I didn't appreciate it.
I felt like our marriage was on DefCon 2. She had a work husband! People don't realize that in an emotional relationship a woman has at work, seven times out of ten, it becomes a physical one. It made me wonder, when she's having sex with me, is she thinking about Greg? I had to nip this in the bud.
The next morning, I sent flowers to her job with no card. I would know how deep she was in with her work husband. I wondered if she would call me about the flowers or even mention them when she got home. I talked to Darrell again about the phone call I heard. He said it didn't exactly sound like she was cheating, but maybe headed that way. I told him about sending the flowers, and he thought it might have been a good idea.
All day I waited for a phone call that never came. The longer I waited, the more depressed I got. Darrell stopped by my desk and saw the look on my face. "Don't worry, Henny, maybe she will say something when you get home. You have to think positively."
"Thanks, D, I'm trying, I'll see what happens tonight." Even though I was saying it, I wasn't very positive. I felt like the sky was falling.
When I got home, Megan greeted me as she usually did, with a kiss on the cheek. That was it. No mention of the flowers. I went to change into sweats and a t-shirt. She cooked a regular dinner. I had expected something kinda special. The conversation was very stilted. She didn't act guilty, which hurt even more. Like her boyfriend had sent her flowers, and she was trying to hide it. She asked several times if I was okay. I wasn't saying much and only responding to her in one-word answers. She had to repeat herself several times to get my attention. I told her I had some issues at work that I was dealing with. After dinner, I cleaned the kitchen and went to watch some TV. Megan came in and gave me the 'I want sex' signals. That was the last thing on my mind. "I think I might be coming down with something, Meg's. Give me a couple of days, okay? I don't want to pass it on to you."
She touched my forehead, "You don't have a fever. Do you want me to get you anything?" she said, sounding genuinely concerned.
"No, you did enough already. I'm sure it will pass." She gave me a look when I said she had done enough. I couldn't tell if it was a nervous or curious look. She let it go and went up to the bedroom. I was waiting to see if she sent anyone a text. She didn't. She might have called for all I know. If I was depressed before, I felt even worse now.
I slept in the second bedroom for the first time ever. I told her again I didn't want to pass anything to her. The next morning at the office, as I was walking by Darrell's desk, I stopped and just shook my head no and walked on. Five minutes later, he was at my desk. "What the hell happened, Henny?"
"No flowers or acknowledgment that she even received them. I guess her work husband took credit for them." I didn't realize how close I was to breaking down. Megan was the love of my life. I couldn't even begin to think about life without her in it. Darrell could see the emotions playing across my face.
"Listen, Hen, maybe he took advantage of the situation. You know how some guys can be. It might be all him and not her. If he told her he sent the flowers, she's not going to tell you because of what she thinks you will do and how you feel about him."
"Then she should say something about it. Maybe she likes the attention. Heck, she's stopping to get him breakfast now. She doesn't even make me breakfast!" I said a little louder than I wanted to.
"Calm down, Henny, I'm sure she loves you. Send another bouquet. This time, have the card say, 'You deserve flowers every day. Your husband.' If she doesn't respond to that, then you need to confront her. Have you listened to the recordings lately?"
"No, I was too upset to even think about it. She didn't text him or anyone about the flowers. It was like she was trying to hide it."
"Send the flowers and check the recordings tonight before you say anything to her. Once you're one hundred percent sure, make your move. Have you given thought to your endgame?"
"Oh God, I haven't even thought about that. I mean, if she's cheating, I have to get a divorce. How would I be able to trust her anymore? Now I have even more to think about."
"One thing at a time, Henny, get the info first. Go ahead and order the flowers and see what happens." He went back to his desk. I ordered the flowers. I decided to make an early day of it. I drove by the dealership to see if I could get to her car without being seen, but I couldn't. Too many people were standing outside. So I went home. I listened to the recording in the kitchen. There were several calls to her mother.
One was interesting:
"Hey, Mom!"
"No, we haven't talked about having kids lately."
Kids are a subject that both sets of parents bring up all the time. We've talked about it, but nothing has been set. The way things are going, we will never have children.
"I don't know, Henny has been acting funny lately."
"No, why would you think he's cheating. That's not in his nature."
"Oh God, how can you even think I would cheat? I love Henny!"
"I know what I said, and I told Greg not to send me flowers anymore. It was inappropriate."
So her mother knows about the flowers, interesting.
"Yes, Mom, I stopped having lunch with him. Samantha told me people were starting to talk. The last thing I need is this getting back to Henny. He wouldn't understand."
"What do you mean, an emotional relationship? I'm not in an emotional relationship with Greg!"
"No, Mom, I'm not attracted to Greg. Sure, he's fun to be around, but that's it."
"Really? Is that what you think Henny is worried about? He seemed so sad yesterday. He said he was sick, and when I asked him if I could do anything, he said I had done enough. Oh God, do you think he thinks I'm cheating?"
"I know he was upset about the way I'm dressing now, Mom. We talked about it. I just never thought about dressing like this for him."
"I don't know, Mom, I never thought about it."
"Yes, I know Greg recommended I change the way I dress, but I didn't do it for him, I did it for the job."
"No, my boss never said anything about the way I dressed."
"I don't know, Mom, I have to finish dinner. I'll talk to you later."
Sounded like her mother was putting the screws to her. Good!
That was interesting. She's been having lunch with her work husband, and he's the one who recommended she
change the way she dresses. Even her mother said she's having an emotional affair. She might not have had a physical affair, but she was getting close, even if she didn't know it. That was the only call of any significance. When I knew she would be getting home, I would order delivery from Lotus Chophouse through DoorDash. I really wasn't in the mood to eat, considering everything I just heard. I was pretty sure the recorder in the car would have all the information I needed.
I heard her car pull into the garage. She came rushing in and stopped short when she saw me sitting in the kitchen. "What's wrong, Hen? Why are you home so early? Are you okay? Are you still sick?" She sounded very concerned. She came to me and felt my head again like a mother would do for a child. "You still don't have a fever. Do you need to see a doctor?"
"No, Meg, I don't need a doctor. I just had a bad day and decided to come home early. I ordered dinner so you don't have to cook."
"Even when you don't feel good, you still think of me. I'm so lucky to have you." She responded with a kiss and a hug. "I'm going to go change."
I sadly watched her leave. She never mentioned the flowers for the second time. I knew then my marriage was over. While she was upstairs, I grabbed my keys and left. I noticed the delivery lady bringing dinner. Megan would soon learn I had left.
I didn't know where I was headed. I jumped on 321 and headed north. Within ten minutes, my phone started ringing. Bluetooth showed me it was Megan, I didn't answer. It rang for the next ten minutes until I shut it off. An hour later, I was in the mountains in Boone. I had been here before for an Appalachian State game years ago.
I knew I would have to talk to Megan eventually, so I decided to get it over with. I pulled into a shopping center and made the call. She answered in two rings. "Henny, where are you? Why did you leave? What's wrong?" She asked rapid-fire.
"Slow down, Megan, I have a couple of questions I need you to answer, and answer honestly. I'll know if you're telling the truth, so don't think you can get away with lying."
"Please come home and we can talk, Hen."
"No, not until you answer my questions, if you can't, I'll never come home again," I said with finality.
"I'll answer any questions you have. I have nothing to hide."
"Okay, did Greg ask you to change the way you dressed, and not your boss?"
The silence on the phone was deafening. Finally, "Yes, he did, but....." I cut her off.
"I don't need an explanation. Most of these are 'yes' or 'no' questions. Second question, have you had lunch with Greg and only Greg, no other co-workers came along?"
"Please, Henny, let me explain," She pleaded.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Next question, did you pick up breakfast for Greg at any time?"
She was now crying, "It's not what you think, Henny, please come home and we can talk."
"I'll also take that as a 'yes'. Last question. Did your work husband buy you flowers?" When I used the term 'work husband', she really broke down. I think she dropped the phone. She knew it didn't look good, and I had more knowledge than she could imagine. I could hear her crying, but she never responded to my yells. I finally hung up. I wasn't going back home tonight.
I stopped at Target and picked up a shirt, sweat pants, and a toothbrush, and found a hotel. Once I got my room, I went to the Come Back Shack. I ordered the fried green tomato burger and Come Back Fries. It gave me time to think. First off, while she didn't lie, she hid her relationship with Greg. She started dressing differently because of him. Sexier and more appealing. A married woman doesn't have solo lunches with a male co-worker. She automatically assumed he sent the flowers, and he took credit for them. Even when the card said "from your husband". Again, she assumed it was him and not me. That made him her first choice.
Darrell was right, I had to start thinking about my endgame. Divorce, you can't have a marriage without trust and honesty. And we didn't have either. As I was eating and thinking my phone started ringing. I thought it was Megan, but it was her mother. We always got along, so I answered. I already knew what it was about.
"Hello, Mom, how are you doing today?"
"What is going on with you and Megan, Hank?' She and my mother are the only people who call me Hank.'Is this about her job?"
"You know what it's about. She doesn't know it, but I had a recorder in the kitchen and her car. I heard your conversation from the other day. I know all about her having lunches with her work husband, changing the way she dresses, and accepting flowers from him. Did you know I was the one who sent her those flowers? But he took credit for them, and she believed it."
"Hank, you know she loves you. She made some mistakes. She never cheated on you."
"Mom, did you know I also sent flowers to her today. And this time the card said, 'You deserve flowers every day, your husband,' and you know what. She thought they were from her 'Work Husband'. Not me, her real husband. That was her first choice, not me, him! I gave her every chance, and she failed each time. I'm done!" I was yelling, and the few people in the restaurant were giving me strange looks. "I'm sorry, Mom, I have to go," and hung up before she could say anything. I turned my phone off.
I nodded apologies to the people around me and left with my food half eaten. I went back to the hotel. I made a mental list of things I needed to do. The first was to find an attorney. I would never have thought I would need a divorce lawyer. I googled some in the city. There are no lists rating lawyers. I noticed some Reddit posts of people asking for and others recommending divorce lawyers. I figured this was the best option. I chose three about whom people had good things to say.
Next, I checked our bank accounts. I make pretty good money, and Megan had been contributing some once she was done buying new clothes for her boyfriend to admire. We had a little over $57,000 in savings and around $5,000 in checking. I had a retirement fund, but she didn't have one. Worst case scenario, we would split everything 50/50 unless I could prove 100% she was cheating. How can people be rewarded for ruining a marriage?
Our house didn't have a lot of equity in it. I read somewhere it's become a buyer's market, so that will hurt us. My mind was going in a hundred different directions.
I thought I would have problems sleeping, but I was mentally exhausted. I was out before I realized it. I woke up the next morning and called off from work. When I turned my phone blew up with texts and voicemails. Most were from Megan, some from our parents. A few from friends. Even one from Darrell. I left a message with my boss. I headed home after getting breakfast at the Sunrise Grill. I was hoping Megan had gone to work so I wouldn't have to face her.
Ninety minutes later, I pulled onto my street. My luck continued to be bad; she was home. I was going to drive by, but figured I needed to get it over with. I parked in the driveway like I usually do. I entered through the mudroom into the kitchen, and Megan was sitting at the table. She looked up at me with red eyes. I could see the bags under her eyes that had developed from a lack of sleep. Her hair was uncombed, and it looked like she still had the same clothes on from yesterday. We just looked at each other for a moment. I don't think either of us knew what to say.
I sat down across from her. "Megan, we need to talk about what's going to happen in the future for us." She looked up hopefully. "No, Megan, I'm talking about divorce." I could see her crumble inside. "The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me."
"But Hen, I didn't cheat on you. I never even kissed him or held his hand. You can't divorce me, I love you. You can't give up on us."
"Megan, I prayed about this for weeks. I prayed last night, and it's the only way I've seen this ending. I have felt something was off for months. Starting with the girls' nights out and you drinking. You never drank before, and now you do. I'm your husband, not your keeper. No matter what the bible says. I didn't like it, and you knew it. And you still went out. Then, when you got the new job. You changed the way you dressed." I held up my hand because she was going to say something. "I found out your boss didn't ask you - Greg, your work husband, did."
She interrupted me this time. "Greg is not my Work husband! He is a friend and co-worker, that's all he is. I swear!"
"Then why were you having lunch with him? Not one time but several times. It wasn't like a group of you were going out. It was just the two of you, kind of like a date. Did you ever have lunch with anyone else from your job?' She had no answer. "So I can assume: no. Only with your work husband."
"Please stop calling him that, you're the only husband I have." She said angrily.
"Well, if it quacks like a duck, you have to call it a duck, right. And the flowers, what about them?" She looked at me questioningly. "Oh yes, the flowers that I sent, and he took credit for. I purposely didn't include a card to see what you would do. Instead of coming home and telling me your work husband (another dirty look) gave you flowers, you hide the fact. They were probably sitting on your desk as we spoke, huh?" She just looked down without a word.
"And even worse, I sent more flowers. This time I sent them with a card. Address: 'from your husband'. AND AGAIN YOU THOUGHT THEY WERE FROM HIM!" I was yelling, I had never yelled at her, but I was furious. "Flowers that said 'husband', and you thought they were from him. And you have the nerve, the audacity to say he's not your work husband! And you wonder why I want a divorce. You may not have kissed him, or held hands but you were damn sure on your way Megan. You were having an emotional affair! I wonder how many times you thought of him when we were making love!"
She looked like I had slapped her. She had been crying, but now she broke out in racking sobs. "I don't want a divorce. I love you, Hen, you're the only man I've ever loved. I never once thought of him when I was with you. I'll do anything, please, I'll quit my job, do anything."
"You made a lot of promises seven years ago. Remember, both our families were there, and a minister was standing in front of us. We both made promises, till death do us part. I kept my end of that promise. Can you say the same?"
She continued to cry. I went upstairs to the bedroom and started packing. I had no idea where I would go. I knew I had to leave.
I ended up at a long-stay hotel. The barrage of phone calls was continuous. Megan was the only one who didn't call. Her parents, my parents, friends, and relatives all called. Even our Pastor called a couple of times. I explained to both sets of folks that this was between Megan and me. The Pastor tried to talk to me after the service a couple of times. I explained to him it was a private matter and not to interfere. Both families went to the same church, so it was awkward, and I went to another church.
I retained an attorney. She informed me of what I already figured out. There would be a 50/50 split, and I would probably have to pay alimony for at least 7 years if I were lucky. She might even get the house while I paid half the mortgage.
A month after I left the house, my lawyer called to say Megan wanted to have a meeting to discuss the divorce. We had a court hearing already scheduled. My attorney thought it might be good to do it without going through the courts. A week later, I walked into the conference room with my attorney. Megan was already there. She was beautiful as usual. I noticed she was dressed the way she used to dress before joining the car dealership, or Greg. Her hair was a little different. But she looked the same as before all this happened. The Megan I had fallen in love with.
"Okay, you don't mind me starting, do you?' Her lawyer said, mine gestured for her to continue, "Great. Megan has agreed to a divorce. She requests a 60/40 split of all monies in favor of Mr. Penny. Mr. Penny can keep his pension. And the home is to be sold, also with a 60/40 split again in favor of Mr. Penny." I was shocked that she was agreeing to the divorce. And the terms blew me away. Before we could respond, her lawyer continued. "She agrees with one caveat, that you both attend no less than five counseling sessions but no more than ten unless you both agree more are needed. If, after five sessions, no consensus has been reached, we will file with the court the papers with the stated terms.
I was gobsmacked. She wanted counseling now? All I had to do was sit there and listen to her tell me how sorry she was. I could do that. So we agreed to the counseling. I should have asked questions. We ended up going to Pastor Edwards from our church. I didn't know he was a licensed therapist.
TWO YEARS LATER
"Push Megan, push, it's almost there!"
"ARRRGGG, I'm pushing dang it."
"You got this, honey."
"Okay, Mrs. Penny, I see the head. One more push should do it. Ready, one two three push!" The doctor said. "This is it, here it comes, Congratulations, it's a boy!" and the baby started screaming. The nurse took him over to a table once the cord was cut to weigh and clean him up. Another nurse was wiping the sweat off Megan's forehead, and I was just sitting there thanking Jesus for everything he's done for us.
Yes, we're still together. Those 5 weekly sessions went to 10, then turned into 15, and then monthly after that. For the first two sessions, I just sat there, not participating like I planned. At the third session, Pastor Edwards told Megan she could go home, and we had a one-on-one session. He lit into me. Called me weak and a coward. If I were a man of God, I would at least make an effort. He quoted some bible verses and even one or two rap lyrics, I think. He also said I owed it to myself to at least try. If we didn't make it as a couple, then I would be able to walk away with a clear conscience. He emphasized that we were there not because one person was more wrong than the other. It was about poor communication.
During the sessions, we found out Megan was susceptible to peer pressure. She was raised in a very religious household and didn't have much freedom growing up. Of course, she knew right from wrong but didn't realize or understand how her actions affected people in her life, namely me. It wasn't that she was attracted to Greg Abbott. He was someone she felt comfortable around, without noticing that he was attracted to her and was slowly trying to seduce her. When she received the flowers and he took credit for them, it was a wake-up call that came too late. Pastor Edwards explained to her that if she had only talked to me and better understood my feelings, none of this would have happened. She went through a lot of boxes of tissues during those early sessions. The biggest obstacle was regaining trust. That took a long time and lots of praying.
He gave many exercises to help us move forward. I didn't move back home for three months. We didn't make love for another two. There were times I thought about what happened and got mad. Pastor Edwards gave me techniques to deal with it when that happened. It was slow going. She quit her job and now works for a small cabinet company called Seeny Wood Products. She likes it. The old receptionist is retiring and is working with her before she leaves. It's a small company with only 8 employees.
Megan got pregnant a year after I moved back in. We named him Jackson Michael Penny. I refused to name him Hank. One Henny in this world is enough.
THE END
OutKast Software, along with Melvin and Duncan, were mentioned in Bully (Non Erotic)
Seeny Wood Products was mentioned in Captain Oblivious 1 & 2 (Loving Wives)
Many readers will be unhappy with the way the story ended. Sometimes things work out, and there are happy endings. The religious angle may turn people off. But some people believe in God and go to church. It's all part of the fabric of life.
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