February Sucks - the Mulberrry Tree

This is another amateurish effort. I was pleased that some readers enjoyed my first story posted here recently. I thought I'd give February Sucks a try, everybody else has. I did my own editing with the help of Word; any and all mistakes are mine. If I keep this up I'll have to look for an editor.

Like many, I highly enjoyed GeorgeAnderson's original tale, "February Sucks." I haven't repeated too much of his original story, this picks up as Linda gets home the next day. I couldn't find the other version written by someone else where I also took inspiration. If you recognize some of the below, please let me know.

I have another FS almost ready to go, from a completely different perspective...

Saturday - home, Linda

"Jim, Jim, I'm home", it was just after noon.

"I'm in the kitchen, dear", that was my mother's voice. Oh no, where was Jim. Why wasn't my husband here to greet me?

I walked into the kitchen to see my mother taking scones out of the oven. The kitchen showed clearly that she had been baking and hadn't cleaned up yet. Not for the first time Linda wondered how her mother managed to be so capable missing the little finger on her left hand. It didn't slow her down, and in fact Linda had never known her mother to let it affect her in any way. She never talked about how she lost the finger; she had been that way all of Linda's life.

She turned to me and said, "Go get a shower and change out of those clothes. The scones and the coffee should be ready when you come down. We can have a snack and a nice chat." I started to protest, and she said "Nope, no talking until you've had a chance to clean up."

Now I was really nervous, I was expecting to have to deal with my husband, finding my mother in my house puttering around in the kitchen as if nothing was wrong was beyond strange.

Scrubbing myself in the shower from this morning's activities made me doubt what had happened. Had I really left Jim in the club and left with Marc? What was I thinking? Had it been worth it? In the cold light of day, knowing I would be facing my mother I wasn't so sure any more. It had been the opportunity of a lifetime, I hadn't really been thinking beyond my own need for a fantasy night.

I came downstairs dressed in yoga pants and a comfy sweatshirt.

"In the living room dear", I heard my mother calling to me. She had brought out the scones with a pot of coffee and two cups on a nice tray that was now sitting on the coffee table.

"Here, have a cup and a scone. I even got out that jam you like."

This was all too surreal; I couldn't quite understand what was happening.

"While you have your first cup, there's something you need to see. I've already seen it once." And with that she hit play and the large screen TV lit up to a scene from last night.

"Hey cuck", Marc's voice said. And then he mimicked "Hi Jim I am having a wonderful time see you tomorrow!" The first scene was showing Linda naked on her knees sucking LaValliere's cock with cum running down her chin. The next scene showed Linda bent over the bed with his cock in her cunt and a close up showing cum running down her legs then he pulled out of her cunt and shoved it up her ass; something she had never allowed Jim to do. At the end LaValliere's face came on the screen and he said.

''How do you like that you useless little cuck? Tomorrow after she showers, I am going to fuck her again and send her home so you can have sloppy seconds or perhaps just lick her out and taste the cum of a real man. I must say she is trying very hard to please me but quite frankly she's not much of a fuck and her body really starting to sag with age. Still any cunt is better than no cunt at all and I did so enjoy taking her away from you and proving that I am the alpha-male and you are just a poor beta cuck. Good luck with sloppy seconds, TTFN.''

Then a third scene from this morning Linda fully dressed being taken from behind. When Lavalliere finished he held up Brooks Panties wiped his cock on them and said

''I'm going to keep these as a souvenir''

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" a scream escaped Linda as her whole world collapsed, her mother knew! How had she gotten this video? Where was Jim? What was she going to do now? How, when had Marc recorded these without her knowing?

She must have swooned because the next thing she knew her mother was dabbing her forehead with a damp cloth. The coldness revived her and she sat up.

"Well you certainly have made real mess of things Linda. You left your husband on a very special night to go off and be Lavalliere's whore for a night. And from his comments you weren't even very good. I wonder if it was all worth it."

Linda's whole world was collapsing and her mother was as calm as if she was talking about the weather.

"Mother, you don't understand. I was shocked when Marc asked me to dance. I didn't try to attract his attention; I had been sure he would ask someone else. I'd never have another chance to say I danced with Marc Lavalliere, so I gave him my hand. I was too nervous to say anything. I didn't even tell him my name until we were out on the floor and he asked. I knew I'd said I would only dance with Jim, but I thought I would dance a couple of dances with Marc and that would be it. I'd come back to Jim, and he would understand. It sounds like a cliché, or a stupid star-struck teenager, but from that moment I forgot about everything but him. He didn't say anything, but I knew then that he wanted much more than a dance from me. At almost the same instant, I knew I would give it to him. I didn't really decide, I didn't think about it, I just knew. During the second slow dance, he asked me if I was ready. He didn't have to explain what he meant. I nodded; I couldn't talk. He said there's a back door by the restrooms. He told me to tell everybody that I had to go and he'd meet me there."

"And so what we saw on the video was the end result of your sneaking out with Marc. You left your husband behind, fooling him into thinking you'd just gone to the bathroom, but instead you sneaked out the back door and fucked this guy you just met - all night long. And now you're back home thinking that everything will be OK and Jim will just agree to move forward. Agree to overlook your little adventure. Do I have that about right Linda?"

"You make it sound so tawdry, it wasn't like that. Marc was a total gentleman the whole night."

"No Linda, he wasn't a gentleman. Marc sent these videos from your phone to Jim to taunt him, to belittle and cuckold him. And from the looks on your face as you enjoyed Marc's attentions, you played your part to the hilt."

"I never meant to hurt Jim; this was a chance of a lifetime. To spend the night with a superstar athlete, to be treated really special."

"Linda, the video clearly shows you being nothing but a whore, even Marc said you were nothing special. Clearly he gets off on humiliating the husbands of wives he corrupts."

"Mom, how did you get these videos?"

"Jim forwarded them to your father with a text telling him that he was going to divorce you and take the kids away from you now that he had evidence of you being an unfit mother."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" another wail escaped Linda. "He can't divorce me; he can't take Emma and Tommy from me! It was just one night after ten years; if he really loved me he would let me have that one special night!" Linda was starting to hyperventilate again.

"Well you just might get your wish. There probably won't be a divorce. Jim will not be taking the kids away from you. But there will be price to pay. I don't think you have fully realized the damage you've caused by your selfish actions."

Linda was sobbing now, "I just wanted to feel special, and I wanted something just for me."

"And for that you abandoned your marriage vows, cuckolded your husband, and humiliated him in the most public way possible. I wonder how fast the story is spreading about what you did to Jim in front of 10 of your friends. Everybody in town must know by now."

"Mother Jim means the world to me!"

"Bullshit, Linda. Actions speak louder than words, and from the moment Marc spoke to you, up to and including right now, your actions say Jim means nothing to you. You still don't get it do you? You're not sorry for what you did; you're just sorry you got caught. Sorry that your parents saw you the video of you being a whore for Marc. Sorry that you marriage might be broken. But you're not sorry you did it. Why I bet you'll be bragging about this for years with your friends. You got Marc Lavalliere for a whole night!"

"But enough about that right now. Go put some jeans and shoes on; we're going to the ranch. That's where your family is; Jim and the kids are with your father."

"What's going on? Why are Jim and the kids with dad at the ranch?"

"We can talk on the drive up. Come on, let's get going."

Friday - evening, Jim

I had walked back to the hotel by myself. Alone, I rode the elevator, trying not to remember what Linda and I had gotten up to in other hotel elevators. Alone, I entered what was supposed to have been our room. Alone, I faced the wreckage of our special night.

I looked around the room. Thinking about what we had planned for this room, I knew I couldn't sleep there. Home, in our bed? No, that was even worse. Another hotel? That was stupid; I had already bought a hotel room. Maybe one of the kids' rooms. That might work. I repacked Linda's suitcase and my own.

Then my phone pinged with Linda's tone, but what I saw made me run into the bathroom to throw up. Marc had sent me a video from Linda's phone. I got myself cleaned up and headed out; I really needed to get out of there.

I was awakened around 1am by another ping from Linda's phone. Lavalliere had sent another video. Such a deep sadness overcame me. I sat on the bed and planned what I needed to do. I had no idea when my cheating wife would come home; she was obviously far too busy to text or call. I figured she wouldn't show up before noon, which would give me plenty of time to pack what I would need for a week or so and be gone before she arrived. On Monday, I would find a lawyer and get the divorce started.

Even though it was late I decided to let Linda's parents know what was happening. Best they hear it from me before the news got back to them. Linda had abandoned me in a public place in front of all their friends, so the story was sure to spread like wildfire. Linda had spent the night with Marc Lavalliere!

To make sure they knew just how serious he was about the divorce, Jim sent the text to just his father in law, including the two vids. Jim didn't want somehow to be made out to be the bad guy. That decision made, he lay back down and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Only to be awakened again an hour later to someone banging on the front door. Who could that be at this hour; glancing at the clock Jim saw that it was a little after 2am. Maybe it was Linda! She had decided to come home sooner after realizing what she'd done. Racing downstairs Jim flung open the door to see both his in-laws standing on the porch.

His mother in law grabbed him into a bear hug "Oh my god Jim, we're so sorry this is happening to you."

Behind her dad was standing ramrod straight and had a grim look on his face. "Son we're here to support you and help you get through this to the other side."

"Jim, where are the kids?"

"Mom, they're at Mrs. Parsons, the neighbor. We had arranged for them to stay overnight so Linda and I could have our special time away." At that I broke down and sobbed into Helen's shoulder. Dad patted my back and said something comforting.

"Helen, go get the kids, I'll get Jim ready to go."

"Go, go where dad?"

"We're going to the ranch, and right now. You and the kids, and Linda when she gets back need to be there for us to work on this problem she's created."

"Dad, I really don't think there's any fixing this. She cheated on me in the most despicable way I could imagine. You saw the videos, she's Marc's whore now, and I don't want her back."

Charles' expression hardened even more. "There will be enough time to make long term decisions later. Right now I need you to get dressed. Pack a bag with your work clothes; I'll need your help today and tomorrow with some heavy work."

With that Helen left to pick up the kids and I went to my bedroom to get dressed and packed as Charles had instructed. I was on auto pilot, somehow relieved to not having to think or make decisions.

When I came back downstairs Helen was just coming in with Emma and Tommy, kinda sleepy but excited that their grandparents were here and they were going on an adventure to the ranch. She took them to their rooms to get them dressed and pack their own overnight bags.

Charles said, "Son there's going to be some heavy lifting today. The work we need to do will take everything you've got to give. But there will be food, and family, and neighbors and friends to help. You're not alone in this. Let's get these little ones into the back seat and stow the bags in the bed of the truck. I'll drive; you can nap while we travel."

"Helen, make sure your phone is charged while you wait for Linda to get home. Hopefully she won't get back to late in the day so you can drive her car to the ranch and meet us."

As soon as they got under way in Charles big truck, the kids fell asleep and Jim did too. He never felt any of the two hour ride to the ranch and only woke up when they were driving up the access road up to the house. He only got a glimpse of the lone mulberry tree at the right side of the gate as the headlights swept past.

The lights were on in the big house and Uncle Ted was standing on the porch with a mug of coffee. He and his wife lived on a cottage at the ranch since he'd retired; they acted as sort of caretakers. Plus they thoroughly enjoyed the rolling hills, the trees, and the hunting and fishing were great. They had retired to the family ranch and never looked back.

"I called Ted as soon as I knew we would be coming here. He's got the house all lit up and warm for our arrival. You grab Emma and I'll get Tommy. We can dump them into the kid's room; they probably won't even wake up."

As Jim walked past with the sleeping child, Ted said "Jim, we're here for you. We'll get through this." He gave Jim a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. Jim wondered how much Ted knew, it didn't help his mood to know that yet another person knew of his humiliation.

Once the kids were tucked in Jim came out to the kitchen where Ted and his father-in-law were.

"Jim, you need to get some rest. Hell, we all do. This is some serious shit we're dealing with and we're going to need all our strength and wits about us."

Jim looked at the two older gentlemen, still hale and hearty. Both ex-Marines: Jim had heard his father in law tell stories, but as with his own stint in the Army, modern living and family life didn't really leave much time for digging up what they had done in the service.

"Jim, let's turn in. Get what sleep we can before daybreak. In fact, I think you should sleep until you wake, let your body and mind heal a bit from what you've been through. With some rest and the sun pouring in, we'll be in better shape to make our plans."

Jim trudged down the hall to the second bedroom, the one he and Linda always took when they visited. He didn't do much more than shed his shoes and pants, and crawling under the covers slept like the dead.

Saturday - morning, ranch

"Morning Uncle Ted, howz the coffee?"

"Black and hot, you should prolly put some sugar in it, you're going to need the extra energy."

Just then Aunt Sue came into the kitchen from the pantry with some ingredients. "Eggs and bacon, and some fresh biscuits coming right up. A man needs a full belly if he's going to be digging." She grinned hugely at her joke, but Jim didn't get it.

"Ted, dad said last night I was going to need all my strength today and tomorrow. What is this big job he, and now Aunt Sue, are referring to."

"Mulberry tree", said Charles from the kitchen doorway. "Ted, did you call Luis?" Ted just nodded over his cup.

Charles came and sat down at the table after grabbing his cup. "You've been through a horrible shock; your world has been turned upside down. You need some physical labor to help your body purge all the emotion and toxins built up in your system. And your mind needs to be occupied on a repetitive task, one that you only need half your brain to do. So the other half can come to terms with your new reality."

"Dad, you some like some kind of counselor. You can't imagine the pain I'm in right now. The humiliation alone is killing me."

Charles and Ted exchanged a quick glance and "Be that as it may, counselor or not, I've seen enough fallout from trauma to think I understand what you need right now. Like I said last night, you're not alone. I'm going to be there for you every step of the way. Now let's quit jawing and get to eating."

After breakfast Charles took Jim out to the barn to get the supplies they would need. As he had said, they loaded the back of Charles' truck with all kinds of digging tools. Then they drove the truck to just outside the gate and parked it off the road about 15 feet, as if they were going to keep going perpendicular to the access road.

"Dad, I still don't know what we're going to be doing. You said mulberry tree, but there's already one over there on the other side of the road."

"Yup, and we're going to plant another one this weekend. You and me. We might get a little help later on, but for now you and I need to dig the hole for the new tree." Charles got out a can of white marker paint and backing up to the fence paced off a short distance, glancing over to the existing mulberry tree to gauge its center. Jim thought that Charles would want the two trees to evenly flank the gate. Then Charles turned away from the road and walked ten paces or so and glanced back at the tree again. Once satisfied he put a spot of paint down, and then retrieved a hammer, stake, and string from the supplies. Tying off a loop over the stake, he made another loop to go over the business end of the spray can. Using this setup he was able to spray a six foot circle in the dirt next to the road.

"Now comes the easy part, I'll go get the tractor."

Throughout all this Jim was fascinated by the easy way that Charles was going about his business. But his thoughts were only on what he'd seen in the videos. How could he ever touch Linda again after seeing her like that with Marc? His heart literally hurt.

Soon enough Charles came back driving the farm tractor over to the circle, and flipping it around positioned the 10" auger over the hole and after engaging its drive, slowly lowered it into the ground inside the circle. And so it went, for the next hour or so, Charles screwed the auger into the ground and up again, moving around the circle until he'd completely perforated the dirt. Jim hadn't been idle; he had been giving Charles directions on where to place the auger next. And clearing roots that the auger dug up and inevitably got tangled.

Charles drove the tractor up to the side of the barn, and together they wrestled the auger attachment off. They then wrestled some more with the backhoe attachment. Back at the painted circle Charles began digging up the now loose soil and dropping it to the side of the road on the side away from the gate. This part of the job went relatively quickly and a large mound of dirt accumulated next to the road. After about an hour they had a six foot circle almost seven feet deep.

Just then a large truck was coming up the road and when it got even with the hole it stopped, Luis Salazar Gardening was painted on the door.