22-05-2021, 12:13 PM
Chapter 11
Jen waited for Mike. He was getting home that evening. She looked in the mirror. Danny had argued against the jet black she wanted. He finally managed to convince her to go with a dark brown color. He said it would look as natural on her as blonde hair, and she had to admit he was right.
Mike couldn't wait to see Jen. He knew she went out with Ralph the night before. His doubts remained, but this was his payoff, hearing about how Ralph fucked her good and hard, and how she loved it.
He opened the door and saw a woman sitting on the sofa. He didn't recognize her, he thought he must have entered the wrong house. But then he realized it was Jen and his eyes grew wide, his heart stopped. She cut off all her hair! More than that, she dyed her hair dark brown, almost black!
"What have you done to yourself!" he yelled angrily.
"What were you planning to do to me!" she yelled back, throwing the package of morning after pills at him.
He looked at the package and realized what they were. "Jen –"
"What were you planning?" she angrily yelled. "Were you going to pimp me out? Get a bunch of black men to fuck me? Then get me to take more of those disgusting pills? Has that been your plan all along?"
"Jen, no!" Mike protested, her hair forgotten. "It wasn't like that. I was at the drug store, and I thought, just in case ..."
"Just in case?" she said mockingly, hurt written all over her face. "Just in case I had to take another one?" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Well I DID have to take another one you shit! Because YOU pushed me to have sex with Ralph again! What kind of man are you Mike? What kind of man wants his wife to have sex with other men?"
Sobbing, Jen ran into the bedroom and slammed the door, locking it. When Mike knocked she screamed "Go away!"
Mike didn't sleep all night. All he could think about was how he'd royally screwed up his marriage. The next morning Jen didn't come out. He finally had to go to work. When he got home, she was still locked in the bedroom. He couldn't tell if she'd come out at all, but he heard her moving in the bedroom. He'd thought about this all day, and he had some anger for Jen. He knew he was wrong about the pills, but he suspected there was more to it than that. He decided to wait until she came out.
Finally she did. She looked stunning. He had to admit the short brown hair looked fantastic on her. It looked full and lush and perfect. It gave her a sexy sassy sophisticated look. Her makeup was a little darker than she usually wore. The short hair showed off her elegant neck and slim shoulders, which were further emphasized because she wore a black strapless dress. She completed the outfit with black stockings and black high heels.
She stood there silently, letting him look at her. It was like she wanted to taunt him with her beauty. "I'm going out," she finally announced.
"Where are you going?" he asked, an edge in his voice. But she didn't answer. She didn't need to. They both knew where she was going.
Her face held no emotion. It was like he didn't exist, like he didn't matter anymore. If she was trying to hurt him, she was succeeding royally.
"I was wrong about the pills, you have every right to be angry," he said. "But that's not the real reason you did this, is it?" he added bitterly, motioning at her short brown hair. "Ralph likes girls with short dark hair, and that's what you are now. You did it for him."
Jen's expression didn't change. "Don't bother to wait up," she said simply, and left.
Mike couldn't sleep, even though he'd been up for almost 2 days straight. Daylight broke out, and still Jen hadn't come home. He didn't bother to go to work or even call in. It didn't seem to matter. Finally around 3pm he heard a key in the door. The door opened and Jen walked in. She didn't seem surprised to see him. She didn't say anything. She looked tired. Her hair was tussled, her makeup gone. She wore the strapless dress but it was wrinkled and creased. Her black stockings were laddered. She held her heels in her hand.
She stood in front of him, not saying anything, expressionless. It was like she was throwing it in his face she'd let Ralph fuck her all night long and most of the next day. And Mike knew Ralph had. She looked it. She looked freshly fucked. She probably let him fuck her right before coming home.
He looked at her neck. She wore hickeys there, and on her shoulders. Ralph had marked her, claimed his property. Her new short hair emphasized Ralph's brands on her, as did her strapless dress. He remembered at that moment she'd worn that dress that time Ralph had caught them playing at the club. She must have been thinking of Ralph all day long yesterday. Cutting her hair short for him, dying her hair almost black, picking out just the right outfit. All for him.
Mike looked into his wife's face, his eyes wet. "Are you done torturing me now?"
Finally emotion showed on her face. Hurt and regret, maybe even some love. "Don't ever do that to me again," she said. She took his hand and led him to their bedroom. She curled up and he spooned her, and they fell asleep.
Mike and Jen made up, but she didn't change her hair. Every month like clockwork she went to see Danny and told him to cut it short again, just below her ears, and to re-colored it dark brown. Once Mike asked her what Ralph thought. She didn't answer. But Mike knew Ralph loved it. Jen did her hair for him now, not Mike. Why wouldn't Ralph love it?
Jen saw Mike's hurt. One night she tried to make him feel better. "Maybe someday I'll grow my hair long again and let it go blonde," she offered like a lifeline. Then she smiled playfully and took his hand and moved it to her small trimmed bush above her clit. "Until then you have this to remember I'm a blonde." She said it to make him feel better, and it led to sex. But in fact her words made him feel worse, because they just reminded him Ralph saw and used her pussy whenever he wanted.
Her hair was just a symptom of what was wrong with their marriage. Their relationship had changed and would never be the same again, and Mike knew it was his fault.
**********
Mike packed for another business trip. He'd come to hate being away from home, but he had no choice, not if he wanted to keep this job. Before he left he sat down with Jen and took her hands. "I know I started all of this," he said earnestly. "But I want to go back to the way we were. No more games, no more fantasies. I want us to have a baby and start a family. Will you think about it?"
She hesitated, and then said, "Alright. We can talk about it when you get back."
Mike smiled weakly, figuring that was the best he could hope for right now. He added, "While I'm away ... I'd like it if you didn't see Ralph."
She hesitated again for a moment, and then agreed. "Okay, I won't."
Mike planned to be back Saturday morning but a colleague got sick so he had to go to a trade show in Vegas. He wouldn't be home until Monday night. Friends from church were having a Super Bowl party, and Mike was disappointed to miss it. Jen asked if it would be okay if she went without him. He said yes even though he knew Ralph would be there, but he couldn't ask Jen to spend Super Bowl Sunday all alone.
Jen felt relieved Mike's trip had been extended. She needed the extra time to think about what he said. She still loved him. He was so different from all the other men she'd ever dated. Unlike other men, he looked beyond her looks right down to her soul. She still remembered one of their first dates, when they sat in an all-night diner and talked forever. They talked about everything, not just superficial things like sports and movies like most men did, but religion, politics, science, everything.
But Mike's fantasies had distorted everything. She loved him, but ... as a husband? And then there was Ralph. If he hadn't been in the picture, maybe things would be different. Ralph was such an amazing man, and Mike, well ... he wasn't Ralph.
She looked forward to see Ralph at the party, but true to her promise to Mike, she resolved not to go home with him. On impulse she put on Ralph's Penn State jersey. No one would think it usual, everyone knew she loved Penn State, and no one would recognize it as Ralph's old jersey. She knew Ralph would be flattered if she wore it, and Mike would never know.
The party was crowded, with people clustered around the food and the TVs (the hosts had rented 4 big screen TVs). A big smile came to Ralph's face when he saw Jen wearing his jersey. Ralph moved up close to Jen and gently squeezed her hand, making sure no one was around to see. Jen beamed inside.
Ralph was smoking a cigarette. He only smoked at parties like this, a social smoker like Jen. "Want one?" he asked smiling, offering her the pack.
"Okay," she said, then playfully took the cigarette from his mouth and put it to her lips.
"Brat," he said smiling. She smiled back at him. The people around them noticed the exchange and it touched off some whispering. People had noticed Jen and Ralph together a lot lately, and many speculated they were having an affair, especially with Ralph separated and Jen home alone so much with Mike traveling. Everyone agreed, thought, they made a very attractive couple.
It took every IOU he had, but Mike managed to get out of the trade show. As the plane touched down at LaGuardia he checked his iPhone – out of power. In the terminal he ran through the airport and managed to snag a cab right away. He paid the driver extra to high tail it. When he arrived at the party he rang the doorbell but no one answered. Then he remembered the hosts had rented a big tent that would cover practically the entire backyard, with a lot of space heaters. Everyone must be there. He went around the house and literally ran into the tent. He entered through a flap/door and almost ran into a huge bush.
He stood behind the bush. The tent was crowded, but he saw Jen immediately. His heart leaped at the sight of her. She looked beautiful with her sassy new haircut, dressed casually in jeans and her Penn State jersey. Mike saw Ralph approach his wife and he got angry. Can't leave her alone, can you Ralph, even at a church party. Jen was in a circle of people, all talking and laughing, and Ralph walked right up and stood next to her.
Ralph was smoking, and he watched as his wife flirtingly took the cigarette from Ralph's lips and put it between hers. Mike's heart sank. Somehow, the gesture was as intimate as a kiss. Then he looked again at the Penn State jersey she wore. He recognized it. She was wearing Ralph's old jersey, as if they were going steady. He slumped, like someone had punched him in the stomach. He went back out the door, and walked aimlessly until he noticed a lone cab sitting at a light. He flagged it down and went home.
Jen got home around midnight. She was startled to see Mike. "When did you get home?" she said coming up to him and giving him a kiss. "Why didn't you go to the party?"
"I was there," he said emotionally drained. "I saw you and Ralph together."
Jen noticed the dried tears on her husband's cheeks. "Mike, I didn't do anything with him, I swear."
"I know you didn't," he said, and he believed her. "But ..." He touched the jersey she wore.
Jen's face dropped. She felt guilty and ashamed.
"I've completely messed us up, haven't I?" Mike said. "We'll never be the same."
She sat down, also feeling emotionally exhausted. She tried to look in his face, but she couldn't. "I don't know," she said softly.
He nodded, understanding. "It's all my fault, I know. I want you to know that. I don't blame you at all. But ..." Tears rolled down his face. "I can't share your heart, Jen. I just can't. It would kill me."
Now Jen was crying. "What are you saying?"
"I need to go," he said.
He got up, but Jen grabbed his hand. "Mike, don't!"
"I'm sorry," he said, taking her hand off his. "I'm sorry, but ... I'm so sorry."
Jen sobbed, putting her head in her hands. She sat on the couch like that for an hour. Then she got up and grabbed her car keys. She needed to talk to someone, and the only person she could think of was Ralph.
It had started snowing. She drove madly, almost getting in an accident as her car slid across the road. At his house, she ran up to the door and rang the bell repeatedly. Finally the door opened. But it wasn't Ralph.
It was Alicia.
Alicia studied Jen's crying face, and invited her in. "Come on, get out of the snow. I'll get you some coffee."
Jen felt numb. She sat, and took the coffee from Alicia. Alicia hadn't seen Jen since that time in church. "You did your hair," Alicia said bitterly. Jen's hair was just as short and dark brown as Alicia's.
"Where's Ralph?" Jen asked.
"Upstairs, sleeping with the kids," Alicia answered simply. Silence followed. Then Alicia looked at Jen. Now Alicia had tears in her eyes. "Ralph cheated on me," she said. "More than once. That's why I left him. But I love him so much. I know I'm a bitch. But I know deep down he loves me too. We've been married 20 years. We have 4 little kids. I want him back."
Alicia looked beseechingly into Jen's eyes, one woman pleading with another. "Jen, will you let me have my husband back?"
Alicia's words hit Jen like a physical blow. Suddenly she understood the ramifications of her actions. She put down the coffee, her hands shaking. "I'm sorry," she said tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she repeated as she raced out the door.
Epilogue
Jen stayed with her brother Bobby until she found a job. She couldn't stay with her parents. They'd barrage her with too many questions. They loved Mike like a son. She told them they broke up, but she couldn't deal with their questions right now.
Jen got lucky. A college girlfriend managed a dance studio in LA, and they had an opening for a ballet and modern dance instructor. Her girlfriend also had a spare bedroom, and offered to rent it on the cheap. Jen immediately accepted both the job and the room, and bought her ticket to LA.
Jen wrote Mike a note. She'd tried calling a few times, but he didn't answer. It was actually a relief not to talk to him. Not yet, it was too soon. There were too many emotions out there. She wrote: "Dear Mike: I'm going to LA. I'm going to try to be a dancer. It wasn't all your fault. I'm sorry. Jen." She put the note in an envelope and slipped it into the mail.
Bobby drove her to the airport. He hugged her. "You'll be okay, sis."
"Thanks," she said with a weak smile, not sure if she would. Then she remembered. "Can you put this in the mail for me?" she said pulling out a package and handing it to Bobby.
"Sure," he said taking the package. He gave her another hug and watched her walk away.
A week later Ralph went into his office in the gym. He'd just been to another marriage counseling session with Alicia. He'd been calling Jen constantly, but she wouldn't answer or return his calls. He tried calling her again, and got a "not in service" message. She'd changed her telephone number.
He sat in his chair, wondering what he should do. He understood his responsibilities to Alicia and his kids. But he'd give all that up if he could be with Jen. He wished he could talk to her.
Then he noticed a package on his desk. It must have arrived in the morning mail. His heart leaped when he saw the address. It was in Jen's handwriting. He eagerly ripped open the package. There was no note. When he saw what was inside he slumped back in his chair, knowing it was over.
It was his Penn State jersey.
~~ the end ~~
Jen waited for Mike. He was getting home that evening. She looked in the mirror. Danny had argued against the jet black she wanted. He finally managed to convince her to go with a dark brown color. He said it would look as natural on her as blonde hair, and she had to admit he was right.
Mike couldn't wait to see Jen. He knew she went out with Ralph the night before. His doubts remained, but this was his payoff, hearing about how Ralph fucked her good and hard, and how she loved it.
He opened the door and saw a woman sitting on the sofa. He didn't recognize her, he thought he must have entered the wrong house. But then he realized it was Jen and his eyes grew wide, his heart stopped. She cut off all her hair! More than that, she dyed her hair dark brown, almost black!
"What have you done to yourself!" he yelled angrily.
"What were you planning to do to me!" she yelled back, throwing the package of morning after pills at him.
He looked at the package and realized what they were. "Jen –"
"What were you planning?" she angrily yelled. "Were you going to pimp me out? Get a bunch of black men to fuck me? Then get me to take more of those disgusting pills? Has that been your plan all along?"
"Jen, no!" Mike protested, her hair forgotten. "It wasn't like that. I was at the drug store, and I thought, just in case ..."
"Just in case?" she said mockingly, hurt written all over her face. "Just in case I had to take another one?" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Well I DID have to take another one you shit! Because YOU pushed me to have sex with Ralph again! What kind of man are you Mike? What kind of man wants his wife to have sex with other men?"
Sobbing, Jen ran into the bedroom and slammed the door, locking it. When Mike knocked she screamed "Go away!"
Mike didn't sleep all night. All he could think about was how he'd royally screwed up his marriage. The next morning Jen didn't come out. He finally had to go to work. When he got home, she was still locked in the bedroom. He couldn't tell if she'd come out at all, but he heard her moving in the bedroom. He'd thought about this all day, and he had some anger for Jen. He knew he was wrong about the pills, but he suspected there was more to it than that. He decided to wait until she came out.
Finally she did. She looked stunning. He had to admit the short brown hair looked fantastic on her. It looked full and lush and perfect. It gave her a sexy sassy sophisticated look. Her makeup was a little darker than she usually wore. The short hair showed off her elegant neck and slim shoulders, which were further emphasized because she wore a black strapless dress. She completed the outfit with black stockings and black high heels.
She stood there silently, letting him look at her. It was like she wanted to taunt him with her beauty. "I'm going out," she finally announced.
"Where are you going?" he asked, an edge in his voice. But she didn't answer. She didn't need to. They both knew where she was going.
Her face held no emotion. It was like he didn't exist, like he didn't matter anymore. If she was trying to hurt him, she was succeeding royally.
"I was wrong about the pills, you have every right to be angry," he said. "But that's not the real reason you did this, is it?" he added bitterly, motioning at her short brown hair. "Ralph likes girls with short dark hair, and that's what you are now. You did it for him."
Jen's expression didn't change. "Don't bother to wait up," she said simply, and left.
Mike couldn't sleep, even though he'd been up for almost 2 days straight. Daylight broke out, and still Jen hadn't come home. He didn't bother to go to work or even call in. It didn't seem to matter. Finally around 3pm he heard a key in the door. The door opened and Jen walked in. She didn't seem surprised to see him. She didn't say anything. She looked tired. Her hair was tussled, her makeup gone. She wore the strapless dress but it was wrinkled and creased. Her black stockings were laddered. She held her heels in her hand.
She stood in front of him, not saying anything, expressionless. It was like she was throwing it in his face she'd let Ralph fuck her all night long and most of the next day. And Mike knew Ralph had. She looked it. She looked freshly fucked. She probably let him fuck her right before coming home.
He looked at her neck. She wore hickeys there, and on her shoulders. Ralph had marked her, claimed his property. Her new short hair emphasized Ralph's brands on her, as did her strapless dress. He remembered at that moment she'd worn that dress that time Ralph had caught them playing at the club. She must have been thinking of Ralph all day long yesterday. Cutting her hair short for him, dying her hair almost black, picking out just the right outfit. All for him.
Mike looked into his wife's face, his eyes wet. "Are you done torturing me now?"
Finally emotion showed on her face. Hurt and regret, maybe even some love. "Don't ever do that to me again," she said. She took his hand and led him to their bedroom. She curled up and he spooned her, and they fell asleep.
Mike and Jen made up, but she didn't change her hair. Every month like clockwork she went to see Danny and told him to cut it short again, just below her ears, and to re-colored it dark brown. Once Mike asked her what Ralph thought. She didn't answer. But Mike knew Ralph loved it. Jen did her hair for him now, not Mike. Why wouldn't Ralph love it?
Jen saw Mike's hurt. One night she tried to make him feel better. "Maybe someday I'll grow my hair long again and let it go blonde," she offered like a lifeline. Then she smiled playfully and took his hand and moved it to her small trimmed bush above her clit. "Until then you have this to remember I'm a blonde." She said it to make him feel better, and it led to sex. But in fact her words made him feel worse, because they just reminded him Ralph saw and used her pussy whenever he wanted.
Her hair was just a symptom of what was wrong with their marriage. Their relationship had changed and would never be the same again, and Mike knew it was his fault.
**********
Mike packed for another business trip. He'd come to hate being away from home, but he had no choice, not if he wanted to keep this job. Before he left he sat down with Jen and took her hands. "I know I started all of this," he said earnestly. "But I want to go back to the way we were. No more games, no more fantasies. I want us to have a baby and start a family. Will you think about it?"
She hesitated, and then said, "Alright. We can talk about it when you get back."
Mike smiled weakly, figuring that was the best he could hope for right now. He added, "While I'm away ... I'd like it if you didn't see Ralph."
She hesitated again for a moment, and then agreed. "Okay, I won't."
Mike planned to be back Saturday morning but a colleague got sick so he had to go to a trade show in Vegas. He wouldn't be home until Monday night. Friends from church were having a Super Bowl party, and Mike was disappointed to miss it. Jen asked if it would be okay if she went without him. He said yes even though he knew Ralph would be there, but he couldn't ask Jen to spend Super Bowl Sunday all alone.
Jen felt relieved Mike's trip had been extended. She needed the extra time to think about what he said. She still loved him. He was so different from all the other men she'd ever dated. Unlike other men, he looked beyond her looks right down to her soul. She still remembered one of their first dates, when they sat in an all-night diner and talked forever. They talked about everything, not just superficial things like sports and movies like most men did, but religion, politics, science, everything.
But Mike's fantasies had distorted everything. She loved him, but ... as a husband? And then there was Ralph. If he hadn't been in the picture, maybe things would be different. Ralph was such an amazing man, and Mike, well ... he wasn't Ralph.
She looked forward to see Ralph at the party, but true to her promise to Mike, she resolved not to go home with him. On impulse she put on Ralph's Penn State jersey. No one would think it usual, everyone knew she loved Penn State, and no one would recognize it as Ralph's old jersey. She knew Ralph would be flattered if she wore it, and Mike would never know.
The party was crowded, with people clustered around the food and the TVs (the hosts had rented 4 big screen TVs). A big smile came to Ralph's face when he saw Jen wearing his jersey. Ralph moved up close to Jen and gently squeezed her hand, making sure no one was around to see. Jen beamed inside.
Ralph was smoking a cigarette. He only smoked at parties like this, a social smoker like Jen. "Want one?" he asked smiling, offering her the pack.
"Okay," she said, then playfully took the cigarette from his mouth and put it to her lips.
"Brat," he said smiling. She smiled back at him. The people around them noticed the exchange and it touched off some whispering. People had noticed Jen and Ralph together a lot lately, and many speculated they were having an affair, especially with Ralph separated and Jen home alone so much with Mike traveling. Everyone agreed, thought, they made a very attractive couple.
It took every IOU he had, but Mike managed to get out of the trade show. As the plane touched down at LaGuardia he checked his iPhone – out of power. In the terminal he ran through the airport and managed to snag a cab right away. He paid the driver extra to high tail it. When he arrived at the party he rang the doorbell but no one answered. Then he remembered the hosts had rented a big tent that would cover practically the entire backyard, with a lot of space heaters. Everyone must be there. He went around the house and literally ran into the tent. He entered through a flap/door and almost ran into a huge bush.
He stood behind the bush. The tent was crowded, but he saw Jen immediately. His heart leaped at the sight of her. She looked beautiful with her sassy new haircut, dressed casually in jeans and her Penn State jersey. Mike saw Ralph approach his wife and he got angry. Can't leave her alone, can you Ralph, even at a church party. Jen was in a circle of people, all talking and laughing, and Ralph walked right up and stood next to her.
Ralph was smoking, and he watched as his wife flirtingly took the cigarette from Ralph's lips and put it between hers. Mike's heart sank. Somehow, the gesture was as intimate as a kiss. Then he looked again at the Penn State jersey she wore. He recognized it. She was wearing Ralph's old jersey, as if they were going steady. He slumped, like someone had punched him in the stomach. He went back out the door, and walked aimlessly until he noticed a lone cab sitting at a light. He flagged it down and went home.
Jen got home around midnight. She was startled to see Mike. "When did you get home?" she said coming up to him and giving him a kiss. "Why didn't you go to the party?"
"I was there," he said emotionally drained. "I saw you and Ralph together."
Jen noticed the dried tears on her husband's cheeks. "Mike, I didn't do anything with him, I swear."
"I know you didn't," he said, and he believed her. "But ..." He touched the jersey she wore.
Jen's face dropped. She felt guilty and ashamed.
"I've completely messed us up, haven't I?" Mike said. "We'll never be the same."
She sat down, also feeling emotionally exhausted. She tried to look in his face, but she couldn't. "I don't know," she said softly.
He nodded, understanding. "It's all my fault, I know. I want you to know that. I don't blame you at all. But ..." Tears rolled down his face. "I can't share your heart, Jen. I just can't. It would kill me."
Now Jen was crying. "What are you saying?"
"I need to go," he said.
He got up, but Jen grabbed his hand. "Mike, don't!"
"I'm sorry," he said, taking her hand off his. "I'm sorry, but ... I'm so sorry."
Jen sobbed, putting her head in her hands. She sat on the couch like that for an hour. Then she got up and grabbed her car keys. She needed to talk to someone, and the only person she could think of was Ralph.
It had started snowing. She drove madly, almost getting in an accident as her car slid across the road. At his house, she ran up to the door and rang the bell repeatedly. Finally the door opened. But it wasn't Ralph.
It was Alicia.
Alicia studied Jen's crying face, and invited her in. "Come on, get out of the snow. I'll get you some coffee."
Jen felt numb. She sat, and took the coffee from Alicia. Alicia hadn't seen Jen since that time in church. "You did your hair," Alicia said bitterly. Jen's hair was just as short and dark brown as Alicia's.
"Where's Ralph?" Jen asked.
"Upstairs, sleeping with the kids," Alicia answered simply. Silence followed. Then Alicia looked at Jen. Now Alicia had tears in her eyes. "Ralph cheated on me," she said. "More than once. That's why I left him. But I love him so much. I know I'm a bitch. But I know deep down he loves me too. We've been married 20 years. We have 4 little kids. I want him back."
Alicia looked beseechingly into Jen's eyes, one woman pleading with another. "Jen, will you let me have my husband back?"
Alicia's words hit Jen like a physical blow. Suddenly she understood the ramifications of her actions. She put down the coffee, her hands shaking. "I'm sorry," she said tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she repeated as she raced out the door.
Epilogue
Jen stayed with her brother Bobby until she found a job. She couldn't stay with her parents. They'd barrage her with too many questions. They loved Mike like a son. She told them they broke up, but she couldn't deal with their questions right now.
Jen got lucky. A college girlfriend managed a dance studio in LA, and they had an opening for a ballet and modern dance instructor. Her girlfriend also had a spare bedroom, and offered to rent it on the cheap. Jen immediately accepted both the job and the room, and bought her ticket to LA.
Jen wrote Mike a note. She'd tried calling a few times, but he didn't answer. It was actually a relief not to talk to him. Not yet, it was too soon. There were too many emotions out there. She wrote: "Dear Mike: I'm going to LA. I'm going to try to be a dancer. It wasn't all your fault. I'm sorry. Jen." She put the note in an envelope and slipped it into the mail.
Bobby drove her to the airport. He hugged her. "You'll be okay, sis."
"Thanks," she said with a weak smile, not sure if she would. Then she remembered. "Can you put this in the mail for me?" she said pulling out a package and handing it to Bobby.
"Sure," he said taking the package. He gave her another hug and watched her walk away.
A week later Ralph went into his office in the gym. He'd just been to another marriage counseling session with Alicia. He'd been calling Jen constantly, but she wouldn't answer or return his calls. He tried calling her again, and got a "not in service" message. She'd changed her telephone number.
He sat in his chair, wondering what he should do. He understood his responsibilities to Alicia and his kids. But he'd give all that up if he could be with Jen. He wished he could talk to her.
Then he noticed a package on his desk. It must have arrived in the morning mail. His heart leaped when he saw the address. It was in Jen's handwriting. He eagerly ripped open the package. There was no note. When he saw what was inside he slumped back in his chair, knowing it was over.
It was his Penn State jersey.
~~ the end ~~
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