TITLE    : Twenty Three Years Later
STORYID  : twenty-three-years-later
SUMMARY  : A wife thinks she has justification for a date.
AUTHOR   : AnAverageGuy61@lit
DATE     : 2022-10-22
CATEGORY : loving-wives
FLAGS    : 
TAGS     : |cheating wife|husband|daughter|


Don Gillan sat and stared at his wife Jean, unable to believe what she had just said.

"Well say something Don."

"I cannot believe you are dragging this up after twenty-three years. One night, one stupid night where nothing happened and you drag it all up again." Don replied.

"You got to sleep with a woman for one night, now it's my turn!" Jean stated defiantly.

"I told you years ago, nothing happened. Several others have told you the same thing and you still don't believe me, or them. Who is this prick you are going to be fucking away your marriage with?"

"Jack Willenhall. Not that it makes any difference as you don't know him."

The night Don was referring to happened twenty-three years ago when he and several employees were staying overnight in a hotel, they were all attending a training seminar. One of the women got Don into her bed, the downside was Don was blind drunk and unable to perform. Even the woman said she would have gotten a better response from a corpse. The following morning when Don woke from his booze induced slumber he realised he wasn't in his own room. Before his female colleague woke he quietly dressed and returned to his own room, inside Don took a shower and got dressed in clean clothes.

Before any of the others stirred Don skipped breakfast and checked out. He drove home feeling guilty and full of remorse, despite the fact nothing had happened between him and the woman. Jean sensed something was wrong and quizzed Don for several hours, eventually he broke down and confessed everything. Jean wasn't sure if her husband was telling her the full story or not, it was at a company get together that the woman told Jean that nothing happened.

Things had been a bit frosty at home, eventually normality resumed. With the news that Jean was pregnant they settled into family life, Rachel was a blessing as she completed the family unit. Jean had a difficult pregnancy and complications meant she would bear no more children.

"Jean, you and I both know that nothing happened that night. The fact that I ended up in her bed was due to me being blind drunk, Christ the devil could have led me to bed that night and I wouldn't have known any different! What you are planning is wrong, you are going to cheat and expect me to put up with it. I can tell you now that is not going to happen."

The argument continued until both parents realised Rachel was standing in the doorway, they were both under the impression that Rachel had gone out. Rachel stood and looked at both of them.

"Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt your discussion."

"Sorry, we thought you had gone out," Don answered apologetically.

"I'm waiting for Danny to pick me up. Yes, I have heard everything, I cannot believe what I'm hearing. Mum you know that nothing happened that night, using it as justification for cheating is low, very low."

"This is none of your business Rachel. This is between your father and I."

"Of course it's my business Mum, if it affects our family then it affects me. For what it's worth I am in agreement with Dad. You both know nothing happened on that night, I know it as well. Christ Dad's friends still tease him about it even now, the night Don dipped out. All I will say is if you go ahead with this ridiculous idea and fuck another man then you get all you deserve."

"Watch your mouth young lady. Talk to me like that again and I will slap you around the face," Jean stood with her hands on her hips.

"No you won't Mum. You are forgetting I am twenty-one, I'm not a kid anymore. You slap me and I might slap you back."

Don stood in silence as the two women waged a war of words, Rachel only stopped when she heard a car horn outside.

"You go ahead Mum. Do what you want, but know this before you go and screw someone else. If Dad does divorce you then I will choose to live with him. When the time comes for me to get married you will not be welcome, as for any grandchildren you can forget seeing them as well. I want both grandparents in the same house, if you split this family you will suffer!" Rachel turned and walked out of the house, Jean stood there with her lips moving but making no sound.

Don went into the lounge and sat down to watch television, he had a wry grin on his face knowing Rachel was on his side. Jean was obviously pissed off, she clattered and banged about in the kitchen as she tidied up.

As Danny drove away from the house he knew something was bothering Rachel, he asked and Rachel told him to drive somewhere quiet and she would explain. Danny drove to the car parking area at the local shopping centre, he switched off the engine and waited for Rachel to explain. To his credit Danny sat and listened as Rachel told him what had happened at home, by the time she had finished Rachel was in tears.

"I might have known it would be Willenhall," Danny sighed as he held Rachel's hand.

"You know him?" Rachel asked.

"I know of him. He used to work at the same company as I do. Rumour has it he got fired after a woman made a complaint against him. The bloke is a real shithead, married with three kids and chasing skirt wherever he goes. If your Mum gets involved with him it won't end well, god knows how his wife puts up with him."

Later that night when Rachel arrived home Jean was watching the television. Rachel walked straight to her room and locked the door without saying a word, she didn't see the concerned look on her mother's face. Don was already in bed, he'd had enough of Jean's bullshit for one night.

Jean was drinking her morning coffee when Rachel left for work the next morning, again she totally ignored her mother. Don had already left for work before either of the women were awake. Jean was upset but had convinced herself that she was owed this one night. That evening things were just as frosty in the Gillan household, Don and Jean were not speaking to each other at all, Rachel only spoke to her mother if she had to.

This went on for a few days, Rachel hadn't spoken to her father about the situation, she was almost sure he was thinking of divorcing her mother. Jean for her part could still see no wrong in what she had planned. On Thursday evening things took a strange turn, when Don arrived home Jean was sitting on the sofa staring at the wall, Rachel had yet to arrive home from work.

Don went upstairs to get changed, he had resigned himself to losing his wife of twenty-three years over another man.

In case Jean did change her mind Don had decided not to file for a divorce unless she went ahead with her scheme, he had told Rachel of his intentions a few nights ago when they got a chance to talk. Rachel said she was sorry it had gone this far but she understood all the same.

On Saturday evening Don was sitting talking to Danny, he was waiting for Rachel to get dressed for a night out. Don kept looking at the clock and expecting Jean to announce she was going out. Danny and Rachel left for their evening out, Don sat in silence watching the minutes tick by on the clock.

Jean eventually came downstairs dressed in jogging trousers and a t- shirt, Don didn't say anything to her. Jean sat down and started to read a book. After an hour Don couldn't stand the silence anymore, he had to say something.

"Not going out then?" He asked, waiting for Jean to explode with her answer.

"No." was all he got in return. They sat in silence until later that night when Rachel returned home.

"Hi Dad," Rachel called out seeing her father sitting in the chair. She then spotted her mother on the sofa. "Hi Mum, Sorry I wasn't expecting you to be here."

Jean looked up momentarily and glared at her daughter. Rachel looked at Don with a quizzical look, Don returned the look with a shrug of his shoulders. Rachel walked away to her bedroom. Don went to bed sometime later, he left Jean sitting in the lounge reading her book.

For the next few days things were quiet in the house, Don and Rachel talked but Jean only spoke when she was spoken to. The silence was broken on Wednesday night when Jean asked if the three of them could talk.

"I know things have been unusual lately, and yes it is all my fault. The reason I didn't go out on Saturday night was because I realised how selfish and stupid I was being. For what it's worth I broke the date last Wednesday." Jean stared at Don. "What I cannot get my head around is why you took it on yourself to hurt Jack. I am as much to blame as he is, does this mean I have to keep looking over my shoulder waiting for the inevitable?"

Don looked at Jean in shock. "I'm glad you decided to see sense and break off the date with Jack. As for hurting him I have no idea what the hell you are talking about Jean, if Jack got hurt I can assure you it was nothing to do with me. If what you have just said was your way of apologising then I accept the apology, but I will warn you that we have a lot to talk about. Some of it will involve Rachel, but mostly it will be between us."

"So what happened to Jack?" Rachel asked.

Jean sat and explained that she broke the date with him on Wednesday, on Thursday the staff were informed that Jack had an accident in his car. He was driving home when someone pushed a bicycle in front of his car, Jack swerved and his car hit a tree. Most of his injuries are minor except one. He had a woman in the car with him, she was performing oral sex at the time of the crash. Her teeth sunk into Jack's penis and nearly took the top clean off.

Don roared out laughing and Rachel soon joined in. They both stopped when they could see that Jean was not amused.

"That had nothing to do with me." Don added again. "Personally I think the bastard got what he deserved."

When Don and Rachel had calmed down the three of them began talking again, a few hours later Don and Rachel had forgiven Jean. Don reminded her that she was forgiven but it would not be forgotten so easily. They still had a lot to talk about, without Rachel.

<strong>EPILOGUE</strong>

Almost six months had passed and things were back to normal. Don and Jean spent many nights talking, one thing they both agreed was never to mention it again or what happened twenty-three years ago.

Days later Don was outside in the garden moving some heavy wooden sleepers, he planned to build a raised flower bed that Jean had always wanted. Danny had called around and offered to help. When they finished moving the heavy timbers Danny asked Don if he would give his consent to him and Rachel getting married.

Don was dumbstruck at first but quickly assured Danny he would be happy for his daughter to marry him.

"Great, thanks Don. I am going to ask her tomorrow night when I take her out for a meal," Danny beamed.

"Just remember son, we have been through a fair bit recently. If she says yes then please don't disappoint her in the future," Don said with a lot of concern.

"No worries Don. I will never cheat on Rachel. Besides, I don't want some bastard throwing a bicycle in front of my car one day!" Danny replied and winked at Don as he walked away.

