I want you to see, that I need,to be free -Madden Bros.(We are done.)

I distanced myself from Liz, I did not want to look at her let alone talk to her, any time she walked in the room I walked out, she sat at the breakfast bar or dining table when she sat down I got up and sat somewhere else, for the next three weeks an air of despondency hung over the house. I came home and she had made a big meal for her and I, after the third time she tried this act and had watched me each time throw the entire plate of food in the garbage she gave it up. She kept leaving her cellphone at home when she went to work, it sat on the kitchen bench for days but she kept it charged, I guess the thought was she would be completely visible if I needed reassurance that she wasn't getting up to her old tricks. I got a parcel in the mail inside was a CD marked 'Cam2 Dining' and the date we had witnessed the event, it was attached with a note: Mike – If you don't need to watch, don't, hope you don't need it at all, Joe.

Of course Leigh wasn't helping Liz's case at all, she had completely isolated Liz from any type of contact but the very basic. I did not expect thing's to change, I certainly wasn't about to help her. She had put up with the situation for six weeks when the dynamics changed, Ginia rang me, “Mike, You need to talk to her.”

“Why Gin, I don't recall her doing me the privilege.”

“Well, you need to end this or fix this, otherwise its just sheer lunacy.”

“Why shouldn't she suffer Gin, tell me why not, why should it be me and Leigh that need to put her miserable life back together, hmm, tell me what has she done in the last six months to improve our life Ginia, and I caught her twice, twice she deceived us, what the hell do I do Gin, tie her to a bungee cord, I'm sorry not happening.”

“Mike, you need to do this for you as much as her, believe me, this – what's going on it just isn't healthy for any of you. Leigh's wandering round in a daze, it's affecting her school work, oh and she's started crying when we talk, that's new and worrying. You and Liz are burning her up Mike. Its gotta stop. Now, it can't last.”

That night at home, I stood and looked at her face to face, God she looked haggard, “We need to talk, where do you want to do it?”

“Here will be fine Mike.”

We sat at the dining table. “You can start if you want Elizabeth. First thing though – I don't want to hear any apologies – Clear!?”

She nodded, stopped, thought and began, “I found out about You and Virginia. I should have come to you with what I found and asked you about it, I didn't, now I've ruined it all.”

“I talked to Dad the day after Virginia told me about Paul being her son and that he was seeing Leigh. When I told Dad that Paul was Virginia Poole's son, I saw a panic in his eye's, he denied it and I couldn't figure out why.”

I interrupted her, “Actually Leigh told me that Randolph never asked Paul his last name when they first met.”

God, I could see my Dad and Mum slowly shaking their heads in unison saying, “We told you so Son, didn't we?” I should of known this was gonna come back and bite us on the ass.

“I worked it out though, see Paul's last name is the same as his fathers, but Virginia changed her name back to her maiden name, she had said she had worked at Uni previously seventeen years previous and that she had met her husband to be during that time, she even said she had a previous love interest while she worked here but he wanted to stay single and they had split. I remembered before we married you talked about a similar story with your girlfriend and I always thought you'd called her Jenny and then I remember thinking was it Ginny. It actually wasn't to hard to find what I was looking for in the Uni historical website. Well they have pictures of classes, faculties, and various events where we all hang out, I even found one's of us two that I'd long ago forgotten. Anyway there was one of the opening of a updated library annex in the Lit. Department and there you both were, hand in hand with all the others, including Dad. She was titled 'Ginia' Poole, Assistant Administrator, English Literature Department.”

“Liz that was a different time, damn near twenty years ago, you were fourteen at the time.”

“Mike, that maybe but it didn't stop me from thinking about it all though, so I did the one thing I now regret doing, and will regret doing for the rest of my life, I asked my Mother.”

Yeah, didn't see that coming, shoulda', didn't. I looked at her exasperated, “Ok, ok, ok, I know where this is going Liz and I can understand how you could get the wrong end of the stick. I should be pissed at your Mother but I'm not, there is nothing going on with Ginia, Virginia, you know that now, don't you?”

“Yes, over the last week's we have reconnected and she's told me everything, she's trying to get in contact with..”

“Yeah Liz, she did, today, we talked, she pulled my head out of my ass, again and now here we are.”

“So anyway its no excuse, but that's why you found me in Nightmoves with the three Stooges. And before you ask, NO not ever, and we met on-line on a group sex site. Would I've, probably, with those three – never. Why did I do it – because I'm stupid, an over active imagination had me stir-crazy and I thought I needed **** for what I thought you and Virginia were up to. And I know you said not to but I'm gonna – Mike I apologise without reservation, again I am wrong, I know from every bit of evidence I can find, I am wrong.”

We stood and stared at each other, my head was starting to hurt, “Liz, so am I, I'm sorry too, we should not have carried on the ruse after we got back together the first time. Then would have been the time to have come clean. Ok I admit I was feeling hurt and deceived but I'd also got over it once I processed everything, Oh I knew a lot more than what I let on and with Ginia's help I got over it a lot quicker than what I thought I would....”

“But .....Liz it's not enough is it?”

“Mike, Honey, I've done it twice to the man I loved the most, the first time I was lucky, I should of got down on my knees and crawled behind you for the rest of my life, Mike – You know what I mean?”

I nodded, “Yes Liz I know what you mean.”

“The second time, well there shouldn't have been a second time, Life doesn't allow you to kick it in the crotch twice and not suffer the consequences...” So help me I tried not too think it, but I couldn't help myself I grinned at Liz mentally picturing my little wife kicking Cletus in the balls. “...I've realised my stupidity, I've done a lot of soul searching and I've come to the conclusion, Mike I will at some stage in our life together end up doing this again, to You, to Leigh, and to Me?”

“Okay so tell me your solution, although I'm guessing I already know. Are you promising it will happen or fearing that it will happen? Neither is acceptable, one just makes it a bit more bearable.”

“No Mike, fearing it, REALLY fearing it.”

“Okay I can accept that, I don't know that I haven't been there myself recently.”

“Oh really Mike? Oh you mean with Virginia, don't you?”

“Yeah, I do, it was a slip, it didn't go far, but it went far enough, Ginia stopped it.”

“Given the circumstances Mike, I wish it had gone further, it may have eased my guilt for what I've put you through.”

“Mike please I'm asking, not begging, and you don't need to tell me right now, just please consider it, if you say no honey, I will accept that and we'll deal with it as best we can, but please just think about it, would you please think about giving me a divorce?”