Two Wrongs

Now? Hell, way more than half the contract was paid for by his Mother's estate so fuck Kathy. He wasn't real sure that would help in court but thinking of 9 points of the law being possession made him feel better at the moment.

Then he turned on his computer, moved all of the bank accounts to an online bank. That was easy because earlier he had sold a few things on the auction sites to help with the bills and had the account already set up.

It wasn't a hell of a lot of money, just a few thousand dollars.

Then he canceled all of the credit cards, even the one Kathy had at a local store that sold clothing.

He knew that was going to piss her off.

At the moment, Carl wanted her pissed off. How she could do that, and with Jerry who was supposed to be their friend? He realized that Jerry was no friend at all, something he should have known but didn't.

He also didn't go to work, the very first time he had ever failed to show up and on time. When his cell phone went off, he expected it to be Kathy but it was his boss, worried about him.

Carl just explained that he had some family problems, his boss fell quiet.

"Is someone sick, hurt?" His boss asked.

"No. It's just that I caught Kathy..." Carl stopped at that.

His boss was silent for quite a long time.

"Take as long as you need, I understand. Come back when you are ready, you will always have a job with me."

Carl thanked him. The phone rang almost instantly, Carl saw that it was Kathy so he shut it off. He glanced at the voicemail, she had left 26 of them. He deleted them all.

He thought about calling a hooker and getting even but he didn't know any or even where to start looking for one. He also realized he wasn't interested anyway.

Kathy showed up and banged on the door, finally yelling at him through the crack again, that got worse until she was calling him names. Carl just sat there, smoking his cigarette and ignoring her.

Kathy left.

A hour later his phone went off again, he saw it was Jerry. He decided to talk to Jerry, explain that he was going to ruin his life, fuck him up, beat his ass bloody.

Well, that is if he could do it, worth a try considering his mood. Jerry was kind of big and Carl had only been in one fight in his life, back when he was 14 and he had lost that one.

"Hi, Carl. This is Patty." Now that was a surprise.

"Hello, Patty."

"Lots of shit going on right now, Carl." She said.

"Yep." It popped into his head that this was the first time he had ever heard her use any profanity.

"Jerry admitted it to me, he told me he was really sorry, that it just happened."

"Yes, sure. I just bet. Screwing around with his best friend's wife doesn't just happen. This isn't the first time, you know."

"Yes, I know, Carl."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing. Jerry is just that way, he has done it before...with others. He is good to me though and provides well so I put up with it, where would I go? I am really sorry about all of this, we need to make it up to you."

"I thought I was taking care of Kathy, I guess I came up short."

"It isn't that, Carl. It's just that...women get...you know, just before the change."

"Change?" Carl asked her, realizing just as he said it.

"You know, Kathy is beginning to feel like she isn't a woman any more."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Kathy is here, she is staying with us and we talked. She really is sorry, she has been crying."

Now that was also a surprise.

"You mean after what she did, you let her...?"

"Yes, I know she shouldn't have..done that. But she is still my friend."

"Swell."

"What are you going to do, Carl?"

"I think I am going to divorce her."

"Oh, God no! Please! Don't do that. Here, please talk to Kathy."

"Honey, I am so sorry. I will never do anything like that again. I love you." Kathy's voice sounded frightened.

"That didn't look much like you love me, not with Jerry standing there naked and you in your panties. How many times have you fucked him, anyway?"

"I don't know, a few times in the last year, it was just sex, it means nothing. It's US that matters!" Kathy broke down crying.

"Fuck it." Carl said, and hung up.

The damned phone rang seconds later, against his better judgment he picked it up.

"Can I come over and talk to you? Please?" Patty's voice asked.

"Oh, why not. I don't give a damn." He hung up again. Carl needed some time to think, wrap his mind around things. Instead he sat down, lit up another smoke, waited.

Patty knocked on the door in just minutes, she and Jerry lived only a few doors down. Carl looked out carefully, she was by herself. He half expected Kathy to try and slip inside, and if Jerry had shown up?

Carl wasn't sure what would happen if he saw Jerry right then, but very likely someone would end up hurt. It took him a few moments to get himself calm again, every instinct in his body wanted him to lash out, break something.

He finally opened the door, let her in. He shut the door and latched it behind her. Patty looked mildly nervous.

Then she hugged him tightly. That surprised Carl too, he just let her.

"I am so sorry about all of this, I don't know what Jerry was thinking." She finally let go.

"I know what the asshole was thinking!" Carl growled.

"I don't know how to say this, I think you should forgive Kathy. She knows it was a mistake, and she wants to make it up to you."

"There is just no way in hell I can...." Carl realized Patty was looking at the TV set, the damn porn movie was playing. Carl blushed, he had shut off the sound and forgot about it. He went over and turned the TV off.

"Sorry." He told her.

"It's OK, Jerry and I sometimes..." Then she blushed also.

"Look, I know you can deal with Jerry cheating but I don't think I can with Kathy sneaking around behind my back. All those nights she has pretended to work late, I never knew."

"She really was working most of those nights, this only started a few weeks ago."

"How do you know that?"

"She told us, I think she is being honest now, and she wants to make it up to you."

"How in the God damned hell is she going to do that?" Carl felt himself getting upset, the memory of Kathy naked in that seedy motel room, then she and Jerry hugging on that porch fresh in his mind. Kathy had let Jerry inside her, into that most private carnal place, lord knows what else? It was almost like the not knowing what all had happened exactly was the very worst part.

"Carl. Please? We all talked about it, I told her I would..I want to help, you can at least get even." Patty reached up and tripped the buttons on her blouse, pulled it off. He stood there in surprise at the sudden exposure of her bare breasts. She reached down and undid her slacks, took them off.

There was no underwear at all. It took him a moment to get his wits collected again.

"Jerry and Kathy sent you over here to do me, which means they are probably going at it again right now?"

"They won't, they told me they wouldn't, that is over." She walked over and put her arms around Carl's waist.

"This isn't a good idea." Carl pushed her back slightly.

"Please?" She dropped to her knees, began to fumble with his belt.

"I want everything back the way it was before, we were such good friends." She said.

"No!" Carl pushed her away more firmly. Patty stood up, she had tears in her eyes.

"Put your clothes back on." Carl went into the bedroom, grabbed a suitcase. He threw some underwear, a few changes of clothing in, closed it.

Patty was still naked when he walked back out. Carl looked her up and down, she really was a beautiful woman. In another time, another situation?

But not like this.

"Carl, what are you going to do?" She was almost wailing now.

"Just watch. Two things wrong fixes nothing, here is my answer."

He turned and walked out the door, leaving it standing wide open. He knew he didn't care about the damned house now. He got into the car, throwing his suitcase in the back. Looking up, he saw Patty was standing in the doorway, her hand to her mouth.

She was still completely naked, Carl took a moment to look at her.

Such a beautiful woman, willing to do anything, whatever it would take to maintain her way of life, her relationships. But she was another man's wife, something Carl did not have it within him to take, even with permission.

Two wrongs would make nothing right ever again, the lone wrong had already ended his life as it was. He thought he could stay, punish them. But he could not because punishing them forever would not work, instead the memories here would only punish him.

Jerry willingly sent his wife to see if that would correct things. Jerry only proved he was no friend, Kathy proved she was no wife, and Patty?

Only a pawn.

Carl started the engine, pulled out onto the road. He glanced Patty's way, waved, and put his foot to the floor.

At the main highway, he stopped. He looked both directions, thought about it. Realizing it didn't matter, that it made no real difference, he flipped a mental coin, it came up tails.

Suddenly he once again felt calm, at peace. The house, the dab of money, all the things were just things. Carl knew he did not care about any of that, not really. What he cared about had died back there, the woman that he loved had ripped out the trust.

Patty came to him, offered herself. That could not heal anything, the friendships were finished.

A car pulled up behind him. The driver blew the horn. Carl gave him a little wave.

He turned left, and drove away.