When You Least Expect It

by Sandra Leiper

  The fact that she’d brought up Amanda was like a punch to his gut. How dare she keep throwing this in his face? It had nothing to do with her at all. It infuriated him. “Why do you keep bringing up that up, Carrie? There is no Miss Internet. That has nothing to do with our divorce. Our divorce is about the death of our relationship, if you can even call it that. Stop trying to find reasons that have nothing to do with you when it’s definitely all about you.”

  Carrie was ready with her comeback. “Really?” She smugly asked. “My boss said that he saw you about a week ago at Hooter’s.” She stopped to give this bit of information time to sink in. She smiled at his silence. “He described what sounded like Diego, and a woman that didn’t sound like Jane.” “Now I know that Diego didn’t have a date there, so who was she, Ray? Does she know you’re married?”

  Ray was stunned. He didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to yell at her and tell her, yes, that was Amanda, and I love her! But, that would be very bad for his divorce, very bad. He searched for the right words. He came up with nothing. “She’s a friend.” He hit his head with the palm of his hand. It was out. He’d opened a can of worms, a can of worms that he very well might have to eat. What was worse, Carrie knew it.

  “A friend, huh? Do I know her? Is she someone you work with? Are you dating?”

  “A friend, Carrie, don’t you know what friend means?” Ray didn’t know how to get out of this without flat-out lying. “Diego was in town and we went to Hooter’s, and she was there, so we invited her to join us.”

  “She was there alone?” Carrie started to laugh. “You always sucked at lies, my friend. I’m going to find out who she was, and then I’m going to destroy you. That’s why I’m postponing the hearing. I need more time.”

  Ray had heard enough. He was no longer going to be the doormat in Carrie's life. He had to do something. “Carrie, do you realize that I’m giving you money on my own free will? There are no court orders, no one’s making me. I’m doing it for the kids, and for you, to help you get on your feet. I’m struggling here to make ends meet, supporting two households. It’s been six months! How long do you think I’m going to continue to be your patsy?”

  Carrie snorted. “As if you’d make your children suffer. I know you better than that, Ray.”

  “Do you? Well, you’re wrong this time Carrie. You aren’t going to play me anymore. If you put off this hearing, I won’t give you one more red cent. Do you hear me? I won’t support your household anymore without a court order. I’ll let my children know that if you can’t support them, they can come live with me. In fact, I’ll make sure the court knows that. That’s it; it’s over, Carrie. Your manipulation of me stops today. I want the divorce plain and simple. It has nothing to do with Amanda, just with you.”

  Carrie was undaunted by Ray’s threats. “Who’s Amanda? Mandy40? What a coincidence. So was that who you were with?” She was furious. The same woman who emailed her was the woman he was with; she just knew it.

  “That’s neither here nor there. We aren’t together anymore; it doesn’t matter. This conversation is over.” Ray slammed the phone down, unwilling to hear anything else from her.

  He was seething. After everything he tried to do to be discreet, he’d been seen by someone he didn’t even know at the restaurant. It was unbelievable! Now, Carrie was going to try to stick him with adultery, even though it was far from the truth. How was he going to explain it? Amanda had been afraid of something like this happening, and now it was. He decided to call his attorney and bring him up to date.

  ~~~

  Carrie was beside herself. Amanda? Was Ray in love with her? Where did she come from, and why? She decided she’d call Diego, after all, they’d been friends for years too; surely, he’d help her this one time. She looked up the number and dialed.

  “Hello?

  “Hi, Diego, it’s Carrie. I know you probably don’t want to talk to me, but I need to know who the woman was that you and Ray had lunch with at Hooters.”

  Diego feigned ignorance. “Who’s this again?” He refused to get in the middle of this.

  “You know damned well who this is, Diego. Don’t play stupid with me. Who was she? I have a right to know!”

  “Maybe you do and maybe you don’t, but it’s not my call. Call Ray and talk to him, don’t call me looking for information; my loyalties lie with Ray, not you. We never did have the best relationship, Carrie, in fact, most of the time you acted as if you hated me, so don’t try to throw our supposed friendship in my face now. Goodbye.” Diego hung up, leaving Carrie at her end with nothing but a dial tone coming from her receiver.

  She slammed it down, outraged. How dare he? It was like a conspiracy against her, everyone protecting Ray. Who was protecting her, and her best interests? Who even cared?

  She put her head on the table trying to come up with a solution. There had to be a way for her to get the information she needed. She needed someone on her side. She called her mother, and together, the two came up with a plan. They were going to hire someone to find out who Amanda was. Carrie gave her mother all the information she had on her, and her mom would take care of the rest.

  `

  Chapter 34

  Diego didn’t hesitate to call Ray. He rarely called him at work, but this felt like an emergency.

  “Ray Knight.”

  “Hey, how’s it going, Ray?”

  “Diego, hey! What’s up?”

  “Well, funny you should ask. I just got a weird phone call from your soon to be ex-wife. She was pumping me for information about Mandy.”

  Ray was incredulous. Would she stop at nothing? “Man, I’m sorry about that.” He went on to tell his friend the sordid details. “It looks like she’s going to stop at nothing. I’m screwed.”

  Diego sympathized with his friend, but didn’t know how to help him. “Anything I can do for you, Ray?”

  “Nope, we’ll just have to see what happens at the court hearing. Hey, maybe when she strips me of everything, I can come live with you?” Ray laughed, trying to lift the mood.

  “Anytime, man, you know that. Jane and I love you, you’re family.”

  Ray was touched. “Thanks, Diego. I’ll keep you posted, and don’t worry, she’s not going to subpoena you or anything. Even she wouldn’t go that far!”

  “I dare her! Keep it real, man. I’ll talk to you soon.’

  Ray hung up feeling defeated. He didn’t have a good feeling about this. He knew Carrie, if she fixated on it, she wouldn’t stop until she found out what she wanted to know. He wondered just how much she would find out in the end.

  ~~~

  Carrie had received a phone call from her investigator last night. She’d been able to get the information from the security desk. Unfortunately, she had no idea what to do with it. She had her last name, and that she had stayed with Ray, and when. It might be enough to prove adultery. She wasn’t too sure. What she was sure about, was that she was going to find Mandy’s number and call her.

  ~~~

  Amanda was still moping. She went through the motions of her day without incident. She would feign happiness when around others, not wanting to give herself away, especially to Hilary and her kids. She lived for the now nightly marathon phone calls from Ray.

  Fortunately, she had Alex’s graduation to keep her mind occupied. She wanted it to be a big deal, her family would come down, and it would be quite the celebration. She was planning to have a big party with a DJ, food, and all the fixings of a good time. It would take a lot of preparation, and money, so she had to start early.

  She had stayed home from work today. She had a migraine and just didn’t feel up to going. She was sitting in front of the television writing out Alex’s guest list when the phone rang. She was in no mood to talk to what was probably a telemarketer, so she let the answering machine pick up. She was surprised to hear someone leaving a message, as usually, it was a hang-up.

  “Amanda Herrez, this is Carrie Knight. Yes, Ray’s wife, and yes
, I have located you. I know you were here, and I want you to know I will ruin Ray because of it. It is not okay that you sleep with my husband before we were divorced, but I just want to know one thing. Are you the reason my husband left me? I need to know this before next week. You owe this to me! You’re a woman, and you should be on my side. I don’t want anything else from you except this information, and then you can have Ray, and good luck to you. Please call me back.”

  Amanda listened as she left her phone number and hung up. How did she get this phone number? How did she know she had been to Maine? Amanda held her hand over her mouth. Ray! He must be devastated. She ran to the phone and called him at work. She didn’t even let him answer before she started in.

  “She knows”

  Ray was stunned. How did Amanda know? “Who knows?”

  “Carrie called me, Ray. She knows I was there. She plans to ruin you. What are we going to do?” She started crying. This was what she’d been afraid of all along; being the other woman.

  “Carrie called you? How?” This was unbelievable. How would Carrie know where to find her?

  “She left me a message. I'll play it for you.” She turned on the machine.

  Ray paled. It was over.

  “Ray?”

  “I’m here. I’m just speechless. This’ll ruin me, Mandy.”

  “Ray, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. How did she know I was there?”

  “Her boss saw us at Hooters with Diego. I just wonder how she got your phone number. Nobody knows your name except for Diego and my mom. Diego called today and said Carrie had called him, but he didn’t tell her anything.”

  “Would your mother?”

  “No. I don’t think so.” Ray hoped this was true. If she hadn’t liked Amanda, this might not be so farfetched, but she had claimed to like her. He couldn’t’ figure it out.

  “Maybe she hired someone to find me.”

  Ray had an unsettling feeling that this was true. “I’m going to call my attorney, Mandy. I’ll call you tonight.”

  He dialed Mike’s number without even hanging up the receiver.

  “Ray, hi, I was just about to call you.” Mike had heard from Carrie’s attorney.

  “Really? Why, what’s up?” Ray had a sinking feeling he already knew why.

  “Carrie knows about Amanda. She knows she signed into your security desk, she knows she lives in Texas, and she has her phone number. She has tried to call her without success, and her deadbeat lawyer says that they might subpoena her. The good news is that they have no address on her, so that might be hard. I hope her number is unlisted, and please, tell her under no circumstances should she talk to them.”

  Ray was sickened. Amanda would be mortified if that happened. “What does this mean for my case, Mike? Is my life over?”

  “Remember Ray, this isn’t a trial, just a hearing. They have to prove you committed adultery before you left home. Is that true in any way?”

  “No, it’s not. I just met Amanda last week. Yes, we talked on the Internet, but I talked to lots of people. It isn’t a crime, is it?”

  “It’ll be fine. The hearing is in a few days, there has been no postponement as of yet, so hopefully this will all be over with soon, and you can carry on with your new life. Hang in there, okay?”

  He laughed, “Easy for you to say.”

  Ray fought off nausea and dialed Amanda’s number, forgetting to use the calling card. He was happy that she was screening her calls. “It’s me, Mandy, pick up.” She picked up right away.

  “What did he say?”

  “He said under no circumstances are you to talk to Carrie or her lawyer. Is your number unlisted?” He held his breath.

  “Yes, being a single woman and all.”

  Ray exhaled. “Good. Make sure Alex knows not to give out any information to people he doesn’t know. Mandy, I’m sorry, but if they find out where you live, they could subpoena you.”

  Amanda gasped. “Subpoena! Ray how did this happen? How did I get involved?” She suddenly became angry. “This is your fault, Ray. If you hadn’t lied and told me about not being divorced, this wouldn’t be happening. Then it wouldn’t have mattered if her boss saw us, or if I stayed with you, or anything. Now this just cheapens everything!” She slammed the phone down, not wanting to hear another word. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed.

  Ray slowly hung up the phone. His life really was over. Not only might he not be able to support himself, but he could also lose Amanda in the process. He hung his head, fighting off tears. There had to be a way to stop her. Carrie shouldn’t be able to do all this to him. She made the last ten years of his life a living hell, yet he stayed with her, trying to make it work, trying to be a good husband. She never tried. It’s her fault that this marriage failed; she never put any effort into it, or gave him any sort of consideration. Why should she be able to make the rest of his life miserable too? He didn’t know how, but he was going to stop her.

  ~~~

  Mike Mahoney had been on the phone with Carrie’s attorney. They now wanted everything; Ray’s car, both his pensions, an increase in the alimony, and for double the time. They wanted Ray to pay for everyone’s college tuitions, including Carrie's tuition, should she decide to go back to college. They wanted Ray to buy a car for each of the girls when they turned sixteen. They wanted to change the reason for divorce to adultery, which would more than likely mean that Carrie would probably get everything she asked for, and then some.

  He, of course, told her attorney that her requests were ridiculous, that she was making up the affair, and that his client vehemently denied it. The stupid guy just laughed and said he would deny it to if it meant losing everything. Mike didn’t know how to save Ray, except to talk to Amanda himself. He called Ray at work.

  “Ray Knight.”

  “Hey Ray, this is Mike.”

  “Please tell me you have some good news for me for a change.” Ray doubted it, but could only hope.

  “I want Amanda’s phone number.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I need to hear her side, Ray. I need to know if we should call her in to plead your case before they get a hold of her. Please, just trust me. I know it sounds like I’m grasping at straws here, but I have to be honest with you, Ray; I am. Now, please, give me the number.”

  He reluctantly agreed. “Mike, she’s already mad at me. Do me a favor and go easy on her. Please, don’t make her hate me.”

  Mike promised to be gentle. As he hung up, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ray. He must feel as if his world were tumbling down around him.

  He dialed Amanda, and listened to her answering machine pick up, but he knew she was screening her calls. “Amanda, this is Michael Mahoney, attorney for Ray Knight. If you’re there, can you pick up? I understand why you’re screening your calls, but it is imperative that I speak with you. We’re on the same side here.” He waited, hoping she was there and would pick up the phone.

  “Hello, this is Amanda.”

  Mike was relieved. “Hi Amanda. How are you?”

  “Just peachy, how are you?” She didn’t try to hide the irritation in her voice.

  Mike noticed it and changed his tone so as not to sound quiet as official. “I’m fine. I’m sorry to intrude in your life this way Amanda, but I’m sure Ray has updated you on the situation over here. I really need to hear your side of the story.”

  “Why, don’t you believe Ray? I’m sure he’s told you all the sordid details of this illicit affair that we’ve been having.” She was having a hard time controlling her temper.

  “I do believe him. He says you two barely met last week.”

  “Can you tell me how long ago you two met on the net?”

  She sighed. “We met a year ago. Yes, he was still at home, but we were two people talking on a computer. He needed someone to vent to, he was planning to leave his wife that very first time I talked to him. I’d been through it before, so I just told him my story. It was harmless. We were tw
o screen names on the computer, nothing more. Then when I’d run into him in a chat room, we’d talk some more. Have you ever been in a chat room, Mr. Mahoney?”

  Mike reddened. “Um, yes.”

  “Are you having illicit affairs with every one you chat with, no matter what the subject matter is?”

  “No. I’m not. I guess that’s the fun of a chat room. You can say and be anything you want, no one knows you.”

  “Exactly. This is why I didn’t see the harm in talking to Ray when he needed a friend. It’s not my fault that his marriage failed, I had nothing to do with his decision to leave his wife, nor did I coerce him in any way. I just told him he deserved to be happy. Maybe in the course of everything our feelings changed, but not while he was with his wife. Carrie should really take a deep look inside herself if she wants to find the person responsible and stop trying to pin it on someone else.”

  Mike silently admired this woman. He could see why Ray liked her. “Well, I’ve met Carrie, and she isn’t the kind of person to take blame easily. She wants Ray to take care of her for the rest of her life, I have a feeling she’ll stop at nothing to get her way. I’m sorry this has involved you, Ray has said many times it’s the last thing he wants. I just need to know if you’re willing to say all this in court, if it comes down to that.

  Amanda thought about this for a moment. “And if I say no?”

  “Ray will lose everything.”

  She sighed. “So it could come down to me having to sit in front of Carrie and say all this?”

  “Or we could have a written deposition. I could present it to the judge at the hearing, and then maybe he would throw out the motion for adultery. I’ll come to Texas, and we could do it out there. What do you say, Amanda?”

  Mike coming to Texas would be so much better than having to say it in front of Carrie. She could think of nothing worse than that, even if in her heart, she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of. “I’d be willing to do that. Has it really come down to that?”

  Mike tried to conceal his excitement. “I think it’s the only way to save Ray. Otherwise, he’ll be ruined.” “When will you come down?”