When You Least Expect It

by Sandra Leiper

  “Let me set it up with the El Paso courthouse, and then I’ll let you know. I’ll be in touch.” Mike hung up feeling more positive then at the start of the conversation.

  ~~~

  “She’s going to do what?” Ray was astounded. “How did she take it?

  “Well, not so well at first, but she calmed down and is willing to help. Her description of your relationship is credible; it can only help you, Ray. We need this for the hearing.”

  “There’s no other way? I really don’t want to involve her.”

  “It’s too late for that, she’s already involved. It’s either we bring her up, or they do; I say we beat them to it.”

  Ray reluctantly agreed. “When will you be going to El Paso?”

  “I have it scheduled for this Friday. I just have to let Amanda know. I’ll talk to you after that. Don’t worry Ray; this is a good thing for our side.”

  Ray hung up thinking it might be a great thing for his divorce, but a horrible thing for his future with Amanda. At this very moment, he doubted there’d ever be one.

  ~~~

  Amanda was waiting for Mike to call her back with the details. He had already called her and told her it would be Friday, she just needed to know what time and where. She was sitting in front of the phone, sipping on coffee, when it rang. Instead of screening it, she picked it up, assuming it was Mike.

  “So finally you answer. Hello Amanda, this is Carrie Knight.”

  Amanda could kick herself! Now what should she do?

  “I know you’re probably considering hanging up on me, but that would be the coward’s way out. But if you don’t have anything to hide, why not hear me out?”

  Amanda’s hair bristled. “What do you want, Carrie. I don’t have anything to say to you. I don’t have to defend any of my actions; frankly, it’s none of your business.”

  “I want to know why you had an affair with my husband. I want to know details. I want to know when, where, and how many times. You owe me; after all, you broke up my marriage. You’re the reason my children are suffering. You’re why they have to come home to an empty house every afternoon, because I now have to work full-time. We’re all miserable, and it’s because of you.”

  Amanda couldn’t contain her anger any longer. She forgot all the warnings about talking to this woman and let her have it. “No, YOU are the reason and the only reason. The only thing I’ll admit I have done, Carrie, is be a compassionate ear to a sad and lonely man. You didn’t even sleep in the same room with him, which is why he had to find solace in his computer. So what if I chatted with him online, we lived miles apart. So what if we were friends, you sure weren’t. So what if I told him he deserved to be happy, you certainly didn’t give a damn if he was or not!”

  Carrie was seething. “You wait one damned minute. You don’t know anything about our marriage!”

  “I KNOW EVERYTHING! Ray and I’d talk all night long. He would tell me how miserable he was because you had shut him out of your life years before. How he was nothing but a paycheck to you. You even tried shutting him out of your kid’s life…”

  “YOU LEAVE MY KIDS OUT OF THIS!”

  “THEN YOU LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS! Do you know that your kids encouraged Ray to leave you? They must be miserable too, Carrie. Ray was miserable way before he met me, so don’t blame me for your divorce. Look in the mirror. Take a good look at how you’ve treated him. Husbands want to feel loved, to feel appreciated. They want companionship, friendship and a lover. Can you smugly sit there and tell me you’ve been all of that to Ray, and I came along and ruined it all? CAN YOU CARRIE?” Amanda was outraged. How dare this woman? “The only thing I am guilty of is being Ray’s friend. Yes, we met last week. Yes, you’re married legally, but in the process of a divorce. You’re not living in the same house. You’re not having a life together any more, and quite frankly to hear Ray tell it, you haven’t in years. Marriage is more than a word, Carrie; it’s a commitment, one that you forgot about a long time ago.”

  Carrie was shocked into silence.

  Amanda calmed down, surprised by Carrie’s silence. In a quiet voice, she finished her argument. “You wanted to know, Carrie. That’s what I know.”

  Carrie hung up without saying another word.

  ~~~

  Carrie dialed Ray’s number, not quite sure what to say to him, but knowing she had to know.

  “Ray…”

  “Is it true?”

  Ray sighed. This is the last voice he wanted to hear. Without hiding the irritation in his voice, he asked, “Is what true?”

  “You talked to Mandy about me?”

  This was the last question he expected, and wasn’t sure how to answer. “What are you talking about?”

  “I just got off the phone with her, and she says she knows everything about our marriage. Is that true, Ray?”

  “You talked to Amanda?” Ray was defeated enough not to even be surprised. When would this stop?

  “Yes. We had quite an interesting conversation in which she told me what I did wrong in my marriage. She even knew we didn’t sleep together. Why would you do that to me, Ray? Isn’t that in itself a form of cheating, when you break my confidence and talk to another woman about me?”

  “No, Carrie, it isn’t. I was very unhappy and you didn’t care. You all but hated me, my own wife. Can you even imagine how I felt? When I would run into Amanda on the net, she was so easy to talk to, and well, she just listened. I would vent to her, in the darkness of our living room, because lying there on the couch all alone was just too painful. I tried to talk to you about it, but you never wanted to hear me, or accept that our marriage was in trouble.”

  Carrie silently cried. “You never complained, Ray. I know we didn’t have the best of relationships, but that didn’t mean I wanted a divorce. I don’t want to be alone, and I don’t want to raise the girls on my own either.”

  Ray shook his head, not wanting to believe Carrie could mean what she was saying. “I’ll always help you with the girls, but as for us, it’s too late. I’ve spent many years trying to save our marriage; it’s not fixable. I’m sorry Carrie. I want this divorce.”

  “Is it because of Amanda? Do you plan on getting together with her?”

  “No, the end of our marriage has nothing to do with anybody else but us. I don’t know what the future holds for me, or if it will ever include Amanda. I just have to hope that somewhere out there, I can find happiness. It’s all I want. I want it for you too, Carrie, and I hope you find it.” Ray was sincere. Even with everything they had been through, everything she had done to him, he held no bad will towards his wife. She was the mother of his children, and that was a position no one could take from her, and one that would always hold his respect.

  “Thank you, Ray. I wish I could wish the same for you, but I guess I’m not there yet. I hope that I am someday, and that we can at least be friends. What I do know now is that, you never cheated on me. I’ll drop the adultery motion, and I’ll be at the divorce hearing. No more postponements. I just hope you never let me down, and that I can always count on the financial end of our agreement.”

  “I’ll always be there for my kids.”

  Carrie accepted that, knowing it would have to do. “I’ll see you next week.”

  “Goodbye Carrie.” Ray hung up the phone with very mixed emotions. He felt saddened but what sounded like the true end of his relationship with Carrie. She was finally accepting it. The fight was over. He was relieved and surprisingly enough, he had Amanda to thank for this. He didn’t know what exactly had gone on between them, but it must have been earth shattering. He could hardly wait to find out.

  ~~~

  Amanda hadn’t spoken to Ray since the confrontation with his wife. She felt as if she had nothing to say to him. She was mortified that it had all come down to this, and she had nobody to blame but herself. She shouldn’t have gone to see him. It had only complicated an already complicated matter, even more.

  She regretted her conver
sation with Carrie. She’d lost her temper. Maybe it was a rude awakening for Carrie, and maybe even she needed to hear it, but it shouldn’t have been from her. She was ashamed of herself. She wondered how Carrie had felt after she hung up with her; she wondered if she’d told Ray about their conversation, but most of all, she wondered how Ray felt.

  As if on cue, the phone rang. Alex had picked it up and called for his mom. “It’s Ray, Mom!”

  As much as Amanda wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice and to find out what was going on, she just couldn’t bring herself to go to the phone.

  Alex peeked his head into the kitchen. “Mom?”

  “Al, can you just tell him I’m sleeping?” She sheepishly looked at her son.

  “What’s the matter Mom, trouble in paradise?

  “Please, Alex, just tell him.”

  She heard him telling Ray that she was sleeping, and then assuring him that she was fine. She went into the bathroom before Alex could come and ask her questions she didn’t have the answers to.

  Chapter 35

  .

  “Amanda?” Ray had jumped on the phone after reading his caller ID.

  “Hi Ray. How are you?” She felt like bursting into tears.

  “I’m okay, how are you? Why haven’t you returned any of my million messages? I’ve been so worried, Mandy.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just needed time to regroup. I guess you’ve heard I talked to Carrie.”

  “Yes, Carrie called me right after hanging up with you. I don’t know how you did it, but you persuaded her to drop the adultery motion, and she promised no more postponements. It’s over, Mandy, thanks to you. What exactly did you say to her?”

  Amanda was flabbergasted. She’d changed the course of Ray’s divorce! How could that be? “I don’t know. I lost my temper and said some things I shouldn’t have; things you told me in confidence. I told her the only one to blame for the divorce was her, and I told her she didn’t know what commitment meant. Ray, I was awful! She hung up on me without saying a word!”

  “What? You’ve got to be kidding me? Carrie was speechless?” He let out a whoop. “You really are my hero, Mandy. I can’t believe you. You’re awesome.”

  She was surprised at his reaction. Obviously, he wasn’t mad, in fact, quite the opposite. “This was a good thing then?”

  “It was a great thing. Thank you.”

  She smiled. “You’re welcome, anytime.”

  Amanda felt stupid for avoiding Ray for no reason, but she was happy that things were turning out the way they were.

  ~~~

  Ray sat in Mike Mahoney’s office, nervously awaiting his arrival. They were having a meeting before his hearing today. So far, there’d been no postponements, nor any change in Carrie’s demands. He couldn’t help but worry that at the last minute, something would go wrong.

  Mike arrived in a positive mood. “Today’s finally the day, Ray. I feel it in my bones. I’ve heard nothing from the opposing attorney, and I don’t think I will. We meet in the courtroom in a half hour; any last thoughts?”

  Ray was amazed. This was finally going to happen, finally going to end. Carrie was sticking to her word. “No, I think if everything stay as we had it at the last hearing, it should be fine. But, if she has more demands, this time the answer is no. I’m being more than generous here.”

  “I agree. We’ll see when we get there, but I don’t foresee any surprises. I’d have heard from her attorney by now. Let’s head over.”

  ~~~

  Carrie was already at the courthouse. They’d asked her to wait in the conference room. She was the first one there. As she waited for her attorney, she could feel the anxiety rising. She wanted to stop this. She didn’t want to be divorced; she didn’t want to be on her own.

  Her attorney entered the room. “Are we all set, Carrie, or do you have new demands this time.” He knew his client all too well; she wasn’t going to be happy until she owned Ray himself.

  She shot him a dirty look. “No I don’t. In fact, I want to drop the most recent ones. I want to go back to the ones we had established before, the ones that Ray had agreed on.”

  Sam stifled the urge to put his hand on her forehead, to make sure she wasn’t delirious with fever. “Are you sure, Carrie? I think with the adultery motion, we can get everything.”

  “There has been no adultery. I spoke with the woman in question. I want to drop it.” Carrie couldn’t look at him. She knew how unreasonable she’d been.

  Sam could only stare her. How did this come about? “Why this change of heart, Carrie; I guess I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t have to understand, you just have to do what I pay you to do. Now, either, you can change everything back to how it was, or you can get the hell out of here and I’ll do it myself. Which is it going to be?”

  Sam picked up his briefcase, glad to be finished with this case. Dealing with this woman had been all but pleasurable. “Let’s go get it over with.” He walked out of the room, leaving her sitting there. She hurriedly got her things together and followed.

  ~~~

  Ray hadn’t seen Carrie in a while, and was shocked at how different she looked when she entered the courtroom. She’d lost weight, and her hair was different. She looked good. She didn’t look happy though, and didn’t look in Ray’s direction at all. Her attorney for some reason looked just as unhappy.

  The bailiff came into the room. “All rise. The honorable Judge Grijalva is now presiding.”

  Ray didn’t know if he was happy or sad to have the same judge. He seemed fair the last time, so he hoped that this was a good thing.

  “I hope everybody has their p’s and q’s together. I want this hearing to be fast, fair, and without drama. Mr. Richards, hopefully you have done some reading since our last visit. What do you have for this court today?”

  Sam tried to hide the disdain in his voice. “My client wishes to accept the offer that the defendant offered at the last hearing. She feels he’s being fair and reasonable.”

  Judge Grijalva raised an eyebrow at Carrie. “You finally came to your senses. I’m glad. Mr. Mahoney, how does Mr. Knight feel today?”

  Mike rose. “My client feels that the only thing unreasonable is the length of the alimony. Mrs. Knight is more than capable of working and providing for her household. In fact, she already has a full time job.”

  The judge looked at the documents. There was an affidavit of her earnings. “Is this amount correct, Mr. Richards?”

  “Yes, your Honor.”

  “Then, why is she asking for over ten years of alimony.”

  “My client has never had to work. She is unsure of how her working life is going to turn out. She might not fit in. Not to mention, that she has put in twenty years of her life for this marriage. She has tried her best to provide a warm, loving home for Mr. Knight and their children. She has given up her past hopes and dreams to be a good wife and mother.”

  Judge Grijalva turned to Ray. “Sir, did you ever ask her, or expect her to give up her hopes and dreams.”

  Ray paled. “No, your Honor. In fact, this is the first I’m hearing of her giving up anything. She did what she wanted to do.”

  “I have no problem believing that, thank you. Mr. Richards, do you have anything else?

  He turned towards Carrie and whispered. “This is it Carrie, anything else?”

  Carrie hesitated. She didn’t feel the judge was on her side. What would happen if he didn't give her the alimony? She wouldn’t be able to survive on her income alone; not in the manner that she and the kids were accustomed. She’d be struggling to survive, and that’s not what she wanted. She then turned to Sam. “Bring up the adultery.”

  “What? We didn't prepare for that!”

  “Just do it!” She hissed.

  “Mr. Richards?”

  “My client wishes me to provide the court with another tidbit of information, your Honor. Mr. Knight has been seeing another woman.”

  Mike rose. “
Objection, your Honor!”

  “Let me hear this out, Mr. Mahoney. You’ll get your chance for rebuttal. Now, what proof do you have?”

  Sam reddened. The judge was going to have a field day with this, at his expense. “Actually, your Honor, I might have to turn the floor over to my client. This is news she just told me.” He cleared his throat. “Carrie?”

  The judge looked at Sam as if he were the scum of the earth. “You and I are going to have a long talk after this, Mr. Richards. You seem to need a refresher course on how to handle a divorce hearing. If your client is doing the talking, what does she need you for?”

  Sam’s anger flared. “You try dealing with this woman and then tell me how it turns out. She told me she didn’t want to bring up the adultery. She hired an investigator to find out who Mr. Knight was seeing. She has a name; in fact, she has spoken to this woman. Prior to the hearing, she didn’t want to bring this up; I have no idea why she has changed her mind. If we could take a recess, then I could find out what has possessed her to put me in this predicament, then we could all know.” Sam’s face was beet red, his nostrils flaring. He wanted to walk out, but knew he would face a contempt charge.

  Judge Grijalva applauded. “That was quite a speech, Mr. Richards, but I thought I asked for no drama. Sit down, I’ll just ask your client myself.”

  Carrie rose. “My husband had an Internet affair, your Honor. They were speaking on the web while he was still home with me; she admitted this to me herself. They’ve been talking on the phone since he left me, and two weeks ago, she came to visit him. Since we’re sitting here today, you know that we’re still married; therefore, it is adultery.”

  “What did she say to you when you spoke to her?”

  “That they were friends.”

  He turned to Ray. “Were you having an affair, Mr. Knight?”

  “No. My leaving Carrie has nothing to do with her. I only just met her two weeks ago when she came to Maine.” Ray prayed the judge would believe him.