THE UNRAVELING OF THE JONES

Judy and Stan had happily married five and a half years ago, but as each has passed Stan's infidelity has mounted and Judy's jealousy has grown like a raging forest fire! All the lies and deceit were so frustrating! Never had she been so angry.

In the beginning their bond was so strong. They wanted to spend any and every free moment together. Everyone, including Stan and Judy,were delighted on their wedding day. Who knew that over the course of five and a half years it would be ripped to shreds. Their relationship had become unrecognizable to both of them.

Before the first pregnancy, Stan and Judy still behaved like high school sweethearts. They called each other multiple times throughout the day and even met up for "nooners" whenever possible. Their sex life flourished. Everything was fun! All the time, everyday fun, fun, fun, with the only real responsibilities being work and bills.

Stan and Judy were enjoying long nights out partying with friends. Together they were living the good life. The shared opinion of everyone who knew them was, "You guys are so cute" and " You guys look like you were just meant to be together." Both Stan and Judy felt the same way.

Two years into their marriage, on a warm summer evening, Judy ran into the living room blocking the TV and the baseball game Stan was completely invested in. She waved a home pregnancy test stick back and forth. Squealing excitedly. "I'M PREGNANT! I'M PREGNANT!"

Stan swallowed his anger and he managed to pull off the outward response she desired. "Wow! Wow! Wow! Pregnant!", followed up by a smile, hug and a kiss. It literally took all the acting skills he had attained in his high school drama class.

Stan didn't understand. They agreed, before they got married, that they didn't want children. He was happy with the life they shared and had no desire to change a thing. Judy was supposed to be on birth control. She had sabotaged their happiness. How could she do this to us, he thought.

Walter, Stan's father, tried to guide his son. He tried to teach Stan to change his focal point. It would help his marriage and help him become a good father. Stan, reluctantly, took his father's advice. It did help but only two days at best. Honestly, he didn't ever want to go home again.

Somehow they made it through the nine months of pregnancy and the delivery. Stan had distanced himself further and further from Judy and Jenny, their now one year old daughter. Being home felt like suffocation, constant complaints and orders. Stan wondered who replaced his fun gorgeous wife with this angry hefty drill sargent, who had a screaming child glued to her hip. He wanted so badly to leave and never come back. These were the days he would go to his father's house for advice and to escape the fight.

Jenny, their daughter, wasn't even two years old when Judy happily shared that they were expecting again. She was giddy and overjoyed. Stan couldn't even handle what was already on his plate. No part of him was happy to hear this news and he didn't feel like pretending that he was. Stan said he needed to go see his father. He really just needed to get out of the house.

Orginally, Stan had planned on going to his father's house. Cruising down the main highway, he sawthe neon sign. The Hideaway, that was their favorite bar. Oh, the memories. It had been so long since they had a few beers, listened to the jukebox and played pool. He just couldn't drive pass it today.

Pulling into the parking lot, Stan declared to himself, he was tired of being a prisoner in his own home. He had became very resentful. Tonight he planned on having a good time. Stan wanted his old life back, and tonight he was going to take it back.

Six pints of IPA and four shots of Jack Daniels, Stan was very intoxicated. He started flirting and buying drinks for Lacey. This woman looked just like Judy did when they first got married. The bartender shouted out last call. Stan didn't want this to be the end of his evening and there was no way he was going home. So he invited Lacey to join him at the motel. This was the first of many affairs.

Once the tabu was broken, each affair after it just got easier and easier. Stan spent most nights out, he was averaging about two sexual engagements a week. As soon as the woman wanted more than drinks and sex, he would drop them like a hot potato.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, you have tainted the name Jones! Your father would be so disappointed if he saw the gluttonous sexually driven monster you have become!", Judy raged.

Stan countered, "You don't know the half of it. You hold my father on a pedestal, just because you never had a father of your own, present in your life. Walter is NOT perfect! He simply tells you whatever you want to hear!"

Lamenting over his reply, steaming in anger, she tried with all her mighttm to not let one tear fall. Stan did not deserve one more tear shed for him.

Judy was well into her second trimester. She was pulling her hair out, dealing with a two year old and her second pregnancy all alone. She cried all the time. She was lucky if she seen Stan two or three times a week.

Finally she broke down and called her father-in-law. She felt like a tattletale but she just couldn't get through to Stan. Judy really hoped Walter would be able to make some leeway. After she spent over thirty minutes crying and "over sharing", Walter agreed to talk to Stan.

Receiving that call from his father, made Stan irrate. He was done! He wanted a divorce! At this point, giving up half of everything he worked for, paying child support, and EVEN paying alimony was a small price to pay for his freedom.

Judy yelled at the top of her lungs, "You think I don't know where you've been! You come home smelling of HER! How dare you make a mockery of our marriage...our family, traipsing around as if I'm oblivious to your disgusting choices! I can't take this anymore! Jenny and our soon to be, Eddie, do not need to be contaminated by the sewage you have become!"

Stan shuffled off, tuning Judy out. This was a skill he had honed in over the years. Exiting the kitchen heading towards the living room, he thought he could just walk away. There was not a chance. Judy would be right in tow, bellowing out verbiage he would have preferred his daughter didn't hear.

"ENOUGH!", Stan barked back. "I WANT A DIVORCE! I've been miserable for too long. This is NOT the life we agreed to!"

Judy collapsed onto the couch sobbing uncontrollably. So had no words left. She couldn't fight for someone who didn't love her anymore, even if it was Stan. She just couldn't beg to be loved.

Stan filled a duffle bag with some of his belongings. He told Judy she could keep the house and her car, but aside from that, he planned on giving her nothing more. That was the last time Judy saw Stan. He walked out that door and never looked back.

It was like he disappeared....