Our Cheating Hearts, An Allegorical Tale

[Pastor Reginald Levi Walker]

{This story contains adult content. Parental consent is advised.}

Searching For Family

In 1710, the artifacts that Roman Rochester, a noted archaeologist, found in the forest of Armenia brought the family a huge fortune and immense fame. Inside one of the dark and forgotten caves in the surrounding snow capped Armenia mountain range, the archaeologist discovered the lost treasure of Keamean. The lost treasure consisted of gold, diamonds and other precious gems and metals that were worth over 900 million dollars. The dethroned king hid the entire treasury of his vast kingdom inside the caves. Among the famed treasures of the Keameanian dynasty was the Statue of Grasbanotok. The legend said who ever owned the statue was given eternal life for a price. The person that found the treasure was cursed to live forever until a male heir is born. The price was if they wanted to continue to live they had to sacrifice every son born directly to them. If a male child was born and lived, the curse could be passed on to the heir through a simple ritual and the other person would rapidly grow old and die. Because Roman enjoyed the trappings of eternal life, the curse was passed down for only two generations through the male heirs of Roman Rochester.

In a futile attempt to enjoy the curse, Roman and his wife Elizabeth decided not to have anymore children other than the one daughter, Mary, they already conceived. Mary married Jonathan Barker, a hand picked suitor that worked for one of Romans many companies. Jon and Mary lived on the large estate until they died. Sadly, every time the couple conceived a child, Roman made sure it was a girl. Mary conceived two girls, Susan and Doris from her marriage. However, Doris died at a young age from a cholera infection. Roman lived to be one hundred and eighty-six years old. On his birthday, October 13, 1830, his great grand daughter, Eliza, gave birth to a 7 pound baby boy named Victor.

By this time Roman had grown weary of the trappings of the curse. Upon finding out of the birth of the male heir, Roman convinced the young couple to move onto the estate. For years, Roman groomed Victor to assume control of the family fortune. Once, young Victor reached twenty-one years of age, Roman took him into the large den. ‘Son, it is time for you to assume control of the family business. Just remember everything I have told you.' Moments later, Roman pricked the young man's finger and placed a drop of the child's blood on the statue. The next day Roman finally died.

Victor Rochester stood looking at his reflection in the mirror. He could not believe he was one - hundred and eighty years old. He leaned with one hand against the sink while searching the medicine cabinet with the other hand. Although he looked only forty, recently he felt more like one hundred. Over the years, he noticed that it became more difficult for him to walk but with a cane he managed. ‘Damn, you Great Granddad Roman, why did you have talk me into taking this curse.' He walked out of the bathroom into the hallway of the Rochester Mansion. ‘Martha, where is my damn razor. It is not in the bathroom.'

‘Now, Victor, you know that the doctors do not want you to shave yourself.' Martha Bates worked for Mr. Rochester for four years. She knew the old man's habits. To keep him from finding where she hid the straight razor, she quickly laid down the clothes and rushed to the hallway. Taking him gently by the arm, she led him to the dressing room. Yesterday she laid out a suit for Victor to wear. ‘Here is the suit that I picked for you to wear.' She liked Victor. To be over one hundred, he looked very good. Three years ago, she discovered that he did not make a bad jover either. Holding up two pairs of shoes, she inquired, ‘Which shoes do you want to wear, the slip on Bostonians or the lace up Stacy Adams?' He pointed to the Bostonians and sat down on the bed. After dressing in his normal Armani blue wool suit, Victor walked to the waiting car for the trip to his downtown office.

Victor could not believe his luck. He finally found another heir to the Rochester fortune and curse. The moment he opened the email his entire body started to hurt. He wondered to himself, ‘Is that what old age feels like?' He continued to read the email. ‘Okay, now I have to confirm that he is a Rochester. Once I do; I can get a drop of his blood on that statue and I can break this curse. Damn, I will be glad to finally die.' He called the law firm that handled all of the Rochester legal matters to get every thing in order.

Today was a busy day. He had court at ten thirty; then at two he was scheduled to attend a luncheon for some worthless causes that he cared nothing about. Later that day, he was scheduled to attend two dinner parties, a political fundraiser, and later that night he was going over to the Marriott Hotel to meet someone. Being the oldest man alive meant everyone wanted to see him. Being the only known living male Rochester meant he was one of the wealthiest people on earth. It also meant that he could never die.

For months, Gloria worked hard to collect all of the information she needed. Often she worked in secrecy as she searched for the only relative that Alex had. She and Amanda located Victor Rochester in Cambridge after an Internet search of Alex mother's maiden name. Later, Gloria contacted him. After Alex parents, older brother and older sister died in a car accident in Texas, the only child that survived was put into the foster care system. Baby Alex was quickly taken in by a very loving couple and became lost in the foster care system. For years no one in the wealthy Rochester family knew that a male heir to the huge family fortune existed. Upon arranging the accident, Victor thought that it claimed all three of the children.

After Gloria researched the archives of the foster care system, she was able to locate an old picture of the dead couple and a family name. Later she went to the library and did a genealogical search for his ancestors. She was surprised when Victor replied to her emails. Later after secretly sending in some DNA samples, she received a registered letter from the Wilson, Brandon, and Miller law firm. They wanted to set up a meeting with her to discuss meeting Alex.

The American Airline plane landed at the airport on time. The two friends walked off the plane, retrieved their luggage and walked to the rental counter. However, because it was now after ten o'clock in the evening, the counter was closed. Instead, they took a taxi to the Marriott and checked in. After bringing the luggage up to the room, Gloria headed for the shower. ‘Amanda, I am going to take a quick shower before Victor comes. Why not order something to eat from room service.' She took off her sweater, skirt, and blouse and neatly laid them on the back of the chair. 'I think I saw a bar down stairs. If you want to we can go there after Victor leaves.' By this time she finished undressing and walked into the bathroom and started the shower.

Amanda continued to hang up the clothes they brought with them in the closet. All she could think about was turning on the television and settling in for the night. ‘I am alright, sweetie; unless you are hungry, I do not want anything to eat. I will like to go out later and get a drink though.' She threw the empty suit bags on the floor inside the closet, sat in the chair by the window and opened the curtains. Although it was night, the tenth floor room gave them a break taking view of downtown Cambridge. She sat and took in the scenery.

Around eleven o'clock in the evening, Victor arrived at the hotel. The phone rung and Gloria answered, ‘Hello?' The call informed her that Victor was downstairs in the restaurant. She and Amanda hurriedly finished dressing and rushed down to the restaurant to meet with him. Victor was charming. Gloria thought that he looked younger than his picture. After forty minutes of going over details of the family and the results of the DNA test, Victor decided he wanted to visit his relative to talk to him about his inheritance. He would have to be taught like he was. However, since Alex held a degree in Business from Texas State University, it should not take long. ‘I will be so glad to finally die and get this curse off my back,' Victor silently said to himself. He kissed each of the women on the cheek and left

Proof Of An Affair

Alex pulled the Master Card statement from his shirt pocket. He reread the highlighted charges. They were for two plane tickets and a hotel room reservation at the Marriott in Cambridge. Leaving the den, he strolled down the long hallway. Opening the closed wooden door to the extra bedroom, he slowly walked inside the room. The moment he entered, it seem like all conversation stopped. He wondered to himself, ‘What are they talking about?' It seemed like every time he came around, the conversation stopped and the giggling would start. He knew they were up to something but what? ‘Uh, there is a strange charge on this month's credit card statement. It is for two airplane tickets and a hotel room at the Marriott. Do you know anything about it?' He walked over to the love seat and handed her the statement.

Gloria's best friend loudly protested, ‘Well, can't you speak, Alex, or am I invisible or something?' Sitting at the desk, she stood up and moved to the love seat. ‘I mean how rude.' She sat down, folded her legs up on the couch, and returned to reading the book she had with her.

Alex teased her, ‘Well, I did not know shadows talked. Hi, Gloria's shadow, how are you doing to day?' He liked Amanda but she was always in the middle of their conversation every time he wanted to talk to Gloria. ‘So, do you know anything about this, Gloria?' he questioned and handed her the paper again.

Taking the paper she looked at the charges briefly and handed it back to him. ‘Yes, that was the trip Amanda and I took last month,' Gloria replied. She did not like lying to her husband but she did not want him to know the truth, not right now. ‘Since you had National Guard duty, we decided to fly to Cambridge to run down some leads about your family. We did not find out much but I think we did find a relative of your mother. At least, I hope so. I tried to see him but he was not in town, so Amanda and I just toured the town and enjoyed ourselves shopping.' They looked at each other, held hands, and giggled.

Alex thought to himself, ‘Yeah, you enjoyed yourself with another man.' He continued to sit in the black leather office chair. He looked at the article from the old newspaper that Gloria framed in glass and hung on the wall in front of the computer desk. It was hard for him to remember the accident because he was only eighteen months old at the time. Nevertheless, for some reason seeing the paper brought back a flood of memories. He placed the wrinkled credit card statement back into the envelope. Turning around to face the black leather love seat where his wife and her best friend were sitting, he replied, ‘Gloria, I think it's nice that you want to find my relatives; but, honey, the paper said they all died in the accident. Since my father did not have any brothers or sisters and I never knew my mother's parents that mean I have no family. It is just us; Alex and Gloria Martin and some day a baby; that is enough for me.' He stood up and strolled out of the home office Gloria set up in the extra bedroom to do her accountant work and headed for the den.

Alex entered the large den and immediately closed the door so he could have some privacy. He did not want to believe it, but all the signs were there. The secrecy, the emails, the late night phone calls and now a trip that she forgot to mention she was taking; all the signs showed that Gloria was having an affair. But he needed to know for sure. Reluctantly, he dialed Anthony Green, a private detective that he considered hiring. Alex felt that something more was going on other than Gloria searching for his family. ‘Okay, so are you going to take my case,' Alex questioned. She been acting strange and yesterday I discovered a charge on the credit card statement for a trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts. I just asked her about it and she said Amanda and her took the trip to run down some leads about my family. I think they went to see their men.'

‘Well, Mr. Martin, like I said earlier, I really do not think you have anything to worry about. However, I can take the case. Just come by my office and pay my retainer. I will see what I can find out for you.' The detective hung up the phone.

Alex turned the cell phone off and placed it on the table and reclined the brown Lazy Boy chair. ‘Damn, I can not believe I am going through this. After everything I do for this woman, she decides to cheat on me. If I find out who he is I am going to kill him.' He turned on the flat screen television with the remote control and continued to watch the boxing match.

Meanwhile, Amanda and Gloria were still sitting on the love seat in the den. ‘Girl that was close. Why not just tell him. He is a man; he will love you for it,' she said as she slid closer to her secret lover. Their bodies pressed tightly together as they gently kissed. Amanda tongue danced around Gloria open mouth as they continued to caress each other lovingly. Gloria discovered that she was bi-sexual when she met Amanda Foster last year. She moved into the condo complex two years after Alex and Gloria married. She and Gloria met at the condo association meeting. They volunteered to work on the same committee and became fast friends. Last December, Amanda was in the apartment the day Gloria received the news of her mother's death. After crying on Amanda's shoulders, she somehow found herself wrapped in her arms. It felt good and she did not mind.

‘Well, Amanda, I am sorry, but I can not take that chance. You know how jealous he is. If I told Alex that I took a trip to see a good looking billionaire playboy, he would kill him and me.' Gloria ran her small hands gently across Amanda's face. She let her fingers linger momentarily behind her ear and gently massaged. She really loved her husband, but being with Amanda allowed her to feel somehow more like a woman. Amanda knew how to make her feel good and did things a lot better than her husband. However, no amount of plastic could ever replace the feel of having Alex inside of her.

‘I am not talking about that silly. I mean tell him about us. Just imagine you and I doing Alex. What man would not enjoy that? Do you remember my girlfriend Ebony? Well, she and I did my boyfriend together once, and he loved it.' She leaned over and kissed Gloria's lips again. ‘I got to go. Some of us have to actually leave the condo complex to go to work.' She stood up and shifted her dress. Bending over to retrieve her briefcase from the floor, Amanda dress slid up exposing her bare bottom and hairless vagina.

‘As sexy as you are, who would not love it. Anyway, like I said he would kill you and me,' Gloria said and smiled as she took in the wonderful site. Grabbing Amanda's hips, she quickly ran the tips of her fingers gently through the moist exposed pink lips.

‘Oh, girl, that feels good.' Amanda shivered with pleasure. Soon her bare skin became covered with goose bumps. She stayed bent over for a moment and enjoyed the feel of her fingers darting in and out of her and toying with her clit. ‘I wish you did not have to stop, but I am all ready late for court.' She stood up and adjusted her tight peach dress again. She continued, ‘You said he got fourteen inches. Girl, I can take that kind of killing anytime. Bye, precious. I will tell Alex bye on my way out.' She kissed her friend and walked down the hall toward the front door. Stopping by the den, Amanda poked her head inside. Alex was sleeping in the chair in front of the flat screen television. She checked down the hall to see where Gloria was, and then slowly went inside the room. She had to be quick. She did not want to be discovered, but she just wanted to touch it. Silently, she walked to the sleeping figure. She looked down at him. ‘Oh, you look good enough to eat,' Amanda said to herself. Quickly she reached down and gently rubbed his semi erect member. It immediately throbbed under her touch.

Alex slowly half opened his tired eyes and held the hand on his crotch for a moment. ‘Oh, hi, honey, you want to watch the television?' With his free hand, he rubbed her exposed leg. His hand moved up under her dress and stopped to play with her exposed vagina. ‘Oh, I like that; you do not have on underwear.' He smiled and fully opened his eyes and looked at her.

Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, Amanda quickly knelt and gently kissed the lump. Getting back to her feet, she spoke loudly, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know that you need to get your lazy ass up and lock the door.'

Errand for Gloria

Today was Saturday and Amanda was off work. Gloria had to work because it was the beginning of tax season. She had piles of returns to complete, so Alex decided to play video games all day. Suddenly, the phone rung and Gloria brought it into the den. ‘Honey Amanda need to go do some shopping, will you take her,' she asked.

‘All come on; do I look like I am a taxi cab driver. I am playing video games and Frank coming over later. When does she want to go?' He continued to play the game. Alex wanted to go to Amanda's condo bad, but he could not let Gloria know. ‘You, two women are going to drive me crazy.'

After asking Amanda, Gloria hung up the phone. Sitting on the couch beside her husband, she softly stroked her husband leg. ‘Honey, I really know that you do not like her, but I need you to be nice to Amanda. Do it for me, please. She wants to go now if you do not mind.' She handed him the keys to the car. ‘If you go now, you can get back quicker.' She smiled, kissed him on the cheek.

‘Honey, you know for yourself when Amanda shops, there is no such thing as quickly. She takes her sweet time. Why don't you take her? She is your best friend,' he complained. After some more complaining and some persuasion by Gloria, reluctantly, he got up and headed upstairs to Amanda's condo.

Moments later, she slowly lay in the bed and rubbed her soft hand up and down his nude body. She loved the way his muscles felt. ‘Why don't you just tell her; I know she will understand? I mean I am tried of sneaking around and lying to my best friend. I do not like to act like I hate you around her. It really hurts her feeling that we don't get along.' She slowly kissed her way down his abdomen until she reached his belly button. She stopped and stuck her tongue inside the dip.'

‘Stop that tickles; any way you know Gloria would kill you and divorce me if she found out I was screwing you. I really do not want to lose everything I worked so hard for, Amanda. I like being with you because you do stuff Gloria will not.' He moved and sat on the side of the bed. ‘But, I love my wife.'

Amanda came around the bed. ‘I am not talking about you leaving Gloria. I mean I am bi-sexual; why not let me turn your wife out. I know you enjoyed being with Ebony and I. Why not bring your wife in on this and then you will have all of us. ‘

Alex thought for a moment. The more he thought about it the harder his penis became. ‘Nah, Gloria would never go for it. It sounds good; it does sound really good. Anyway, I think she is already cheating on me with someone. I can see all the signs. I mean she is always gone. She is emailing him and then deletes them so I can not read them. I am telling you some thing is going on.'

‘Just relax, Alex.' Amanda pushed him back on the bed. She wanted to tell him that she was the other person in his wife's sex life, but Gloria swore her to secrecy. With her small hands she gently lifted his half erect member up. ‘The only cheating going on here is with me and you.' She took his penis into her mouth.

Amanda and Alex affair started quite simply. Last January, Gloria left for two weeks to attend her mother's funeral. Because Alex did not know how to cook, she asked Amanda to check in on him while she was out of town. First, Amanda would come over before Alex would wake up and cook everything. By the time he showered and shaved, she would be leaving out the front door. However, one day something caused Amanda to wake up late and get to the apartment late. After starting breakfast, she noticed that Alex was still asleep. Carefully, she walked in the room to wake him.

Alex nude body lay uncovered and motionless on the bed. Amanda did not realize that he was nude until she walked up to the bed and turned on the light. When she touched his shoulder, he rolled over and greeted her with the longest and thickest penis she ever seen. It was ten inches and it was half hard. She savored how the head of his penis mushroomed up from the thickly veined shaft. Amanda gasped, ‘Oh, my God.' Surprised and aroused by the sight, she quickly left the room.

Not knowing exactly what happened, a surprised Alex quickly jumped out of the bed and put on his robe. By the time he reached the kitchen, Amanda was opening the front door to leave. Alex touched her on the shoulder. ‘I am sorry, Amanda. I am off work today and was sleeping late. I did not know you were coming.' He motioned for her to stay.

Reluctantly, Amanda decided to stay and finish cooking. However, she could not get the sight of Alex's nude body out of her mind. Every time, Alex got up from the table, she tried to take a look. "Damn, that man is really packing. I would love to have all that inside of me,' she thought silently to herself as she prepared to do the laundry. It took her less than fifteen minutes to gather up every thing and put them in the washer. She knew that Alex could put them in the dryer after they finished so she prepared to leave. Calling to Alex, she said, ‘Hey can you come to the utility room for a minute.' She wanted to show him what to do after she left.

By this time, Alex returned to the den and was playing video games on the flat screen television. Stopping the game, Alex strolled into the room carrying his favorite mug full of beer. ‘Alright I am here what do you want me to do?' He placed the mug on the shelf over the deep freezer.

Because Amanda got up late, she decided not to wear her bra and just slipped on the tee-shirt and some jeans. The utility room was hot and Amanda grew tired in the heat. Since the dyer had run all day, before long her white tee-shirt became soaked in sweat. When Alex opened the door to the room, the cold air rushed inside across the soaked fabric of the wet tee-shirt. Instantly Amanda's large nipples poked against the restraining fabric. She replied, ‘This is the last load I am putting in the washer. I need you to put the rest of the clothes into the dryer.' She noticed that Alex just stood there staring at her like a deer stuck in the headlight of an oncoming vehicle. ‘Alex, do you hear me,' she questioned?

Not really listening to her he replied ‘Yeah, I hear you.' And continue to take in the sight of her erect nipple poking against the fabric. The pressure caused the wet tee-shirt to perfectly outline every curve on her upper torso. Alex thought to himself, ‘Damn, I did not know she was that fine.'

Amanda did not mind him looking at her that way. It actually made her horny. However, she really wished that he would do more than just look. ‘So, put these close in the dryer when the washer stopped.' She looked at Alex. She thought to herself, ‘He is not paying attention to anything I say. He is still looking at my breast.' She loudly shouted, ‘Alex, will you get your mind off my chest and on what I am trying to tell you.'

Regaining his composure, Alex replied, ‘I am listening to you. I was just thinking about something.' Alex really liked the size of Amanda's perky breast. They were not huge like Gloria's but they looked very firm. The feeling came back into Alex's legs. He could feel his penis push against the fabric of his shorts.

She joked, ‘Yeah, you are thinking about my breast. What you want to see them or something?' Not really thinking about what she was doing and not waiting for Alex to answer, Amanda quickly jerked the wet tee-shirt over her head and exposed her bare chest. Three hours later, she slowly left the apartment, limped to the elevator, and return home well satisfied.

The Chance Meeting

Around four in the evening the next day, Norman Robertson walked into the kitchen and rubbed his hands across his wife's behind. ‘What's for dinner honey? I am hungry enough to eat a horse.' Norman jokingly stated. He just woke up from a nap and was ready to go to his part time job at the Spot night club. Sitting at the table, he continued, ‘I hope we do not have a lot of drunks tonight. I do not want to miss seeing the concert because I have to throw someone out.' Nova, a popular Rap group, was scheduled to perform. The event was advertised for weeks and the tickets sold out in less than five days. Norman worked as a bouncer for three years at the club and knew tonight's crowd would be huge and trouble. He said to his wife, ‘Teenagers and young adults are always trouble.' However, tonight was the biggest concert of the year. He had to be at his best.

Barbara smiled and replied, ‘Well honey I am sorry to tell you but people do get drunk at clubs and you work at a club. Just get use to it and make sure you get Stevie to video the concert.' She placed the plates on the dinning room table, and then shouted down the hallway, ‘Stevie, if you are going to the concert, you need to come out of your room and eat.'

‘Yes, madam,' the voice replied from the hallway. Stevie turned twenty-one yesterday and was excited about tonight. His dad helped him get the job as a camera operator at the club. He would be filming tonight's concert from in front of the stage. It was the best seat in the house. Coming into the dinning room, he stopped and kissed his mother on the cheek. ‘Thanks for dinner.' He sat down and quickly inhaled the food on his plate without stopping to say much. This was his usual habit.

Meanwhile, life for Alex was pretty good. He was thirty-four years old; however, he felt like he was only nineteen. He had more energy than ever and worked out every day at the gym inside the shop. He worked for one of the ambulance companies as a mechanic for the last ten years and lived with his high school sweetheart after being recently reunited. Gloria Essex left town after high school to go to college out of state. She recently returned home to open her accountant office. She and Alex started back dating almost immediately after she returned. Two years later they married and moved into the condo on Glover Drive. He even had a sexy lover, Amanda. For Alex life was good.

The brown blackberry phone vibrated on the side of Alex's muscular body. He slowly slid from under the ambulance he was working on. ‘Hello,' Alex replied. On the other end of the phone a private eye informed him that Gloria's suspected lover arrived at the apartment. Alex quickly disconnected the call. He suspected that she was cheating on him for a few months but never could find out the truth for himself. As a last resort, he decided to hire a private detective to watch Gloria. After telling the shop foreman that he was taking some personal time, he rushed out to his car. Getting into the 1990 280z, he started the engine and raced down Ester Ave. He headed home hoping to catch her in the act.

A quick twelve minutes later, the grey sports car slowed and turned into the alley behind the Water Tower Restaurant. The car slowly continued to the parking lot for the Westminster Condo. He parked in his usual spot, turned off the keys and ran for the front door of the six story building. ‘I am going to kill him,' he thought to himself as he rushed across the parking garage to the lobby of the building. Pushing the large silver button he, impatiently waited for the next elevator to arrive.

After dinner, Norman and Stevie left to go to the club. They walked out of the condo and took the elevator to the ground floor. By the time the elevator reached the bottom floor, Norman remembered that he had forgotten to kiss his wife goodbye and to get the camcorder. Handing the car keys to Stevie he said ‘Hey, just pull the car around to the back. I will come down the fire escape after I get the camera.' Seconds later, the elevator doors opened and Stevie stepped out and Alex quickly entered the elevator. ‘What floor?' Norman asked the tired looking man. He holds up five fingers and collapses against the wall.

The two men rode the elevator together until it reached the third floor. After the elevator stopped Norman stepped out and walked quickly to the condo to retrieve the camcorder. After fumbling with the keys for a short while, he opened the door and walked into the apartment. The camcorder was in the closet in the dinning room. He retrieved it and some extra batteries. Afterwards he kissed Barbara goodbye and walked toward the window to climb three floors down the fire escape to the waiting car.

For awhile, Alex was suspicious that Gloria was cheating on him, but this just takes the cake. He leaned against the back of the elevator and waited for it to reach his floor. He thought to himself. ‘How could she bring another person up to our home? This is where I sleep and eat. How can she do this in our home?'

Three weeks ago he decided to purchase a key logger and put it on the home computer. He installed it with not much problem. This is how he discovered what he thought was her affair. She chatted online with this guy a lot and they exchanged coded emails with each other. The emails talked about searching for his family, but he seen the newspaper his entire family died in a car accident. For a while Alex tried convincing himself that it was just that; she was just searching for his family. Then Gloria and Amanda mysteriously disappeared for two days. She never told him where they went. Amanda is known to be wild; she probably introduced her to this guy he thought. The elevator doors slid open and Alex stepped out to go towards his condo.

Millions Thrown Out Of The Window

Today was the day and Gloria set every thing up. Victor Rochester arrived a few minutes ago and Amanda, the next door neighbor and girlfriend came over to help celebrate. ‘I want this to be a surprise. So, Mr. Rochester, I want you to hide before Alex come in. The doorman will call when he comes through the front door. Mr. Rochester, you hide in the wooden coat cabinet.' Running her hands through Amanda's hair she continued, ‘Amanda, since you are always here anyway, you sit over there on the couch. I called his job a few minutes ago and they said he left already. That means he should be here soon. ‘

Moments later, the cordless phone rung and everyone took their places. Victor squeezed his small frame inside the coat cabinet and waited for the signal to come out. Suddenly, he heard the keys in the door lock. Alex forcefully opened the front door of the house and angrily entered the condo. The heavy footsteps quickly sounded through out the house and drifted into the cramped confinements of the cabinet.

‘Now, look woman, there is no need for you to continue to lie.' He yelled at the top of his voice. ‘I hired a PI to watch you last month. A few minutes ago, he called me at work and said there was a man up in my house. If there is I am going to kick his ass and toss him over the rail of the balcony. Now where in the hell is he.' He stormed into the bedroom and quickly looked under the bed and in the closet. Returning to the living room, Alex continued, ‘I know he is still up here because there is only one elevator. Gloria, where is he?' Alex was completely infuriated. The blood vessels began to show in the side of his neck and his muscles grew tighter as he searched the condo.

Victor remained frozen because of fright inside the small wooden box. ‘Oh my God what have I gotten myself into? I do not want to die like this,' he silently cried as small streams of water trailed down his cheeks. ‘Maybe if I get out and explain everything.' He reached for the inside handle, but suddenly the cabinet shook as Amanda leaned against it.

‘Alex, stop being stupid; there ain't any other man up here poking your wife but you.' Amanda demanded. ‘No one is cheating on you. You have lost your mind.' She continued to lean against the coat cabinet hoping that Alex would not try to go inside it.

‘Woman, you need to mind your business and take your fat ass home. Now, Gloria where is he?' Alex continued to scream at Gloria. Each time he asked the question, his voice grew louder and he became angrier.

Unexpectedly, the wind blew the curtains by the window to the fire escape as the sound of the metal ladder going down floated up through the window. Very upset and not thinking clearly, Alex quickly stepped to the window and looked out. The escape ladder from his condo was down and someone was just starting to go down the second floor ladder. ‘Oh I got your motherfucking ass. I can not catch you but I got you' he said to himself. Coming back from the window he looked at Gloria and Amanda and said, "So you thought you could send your lover out the window and I would not know. Well watch this.'

After opening the huge glass window, Alex pushed Amanda away from Victor's hiding spot and strained as he tilted the coat cabinet on its side. He lifted the heavy object onto his shoulders. Carefully he balanced the piece. ‘Huh, this is heavier than I remembered.' Then lining the object up with where he knew his unsuspecting target would be, he tossed it out the window and over to the edge of the rail. The wooden coat cabinet dropped five floors like a bomb. It only took a few seconds for the cabinet to reach the ground. It struck its intended target and exploded into pieces exposing its hidden cargo.

Norman did not see it coming. As soon as his feet hit the hard sidewalk, the loaded heavy wooden box crashed down on top of his head. The force of the blow instantly cracked his skull and forced a large piece of bone and wood into his brain. He died instantly. After talking to his shocked son, one of the officer's went up stairs to Alex and Gloria's condo. This was the strangest case he ever worked. Moments later, the perplexed officer asked, ‘Okay ladies, the only bodies we have are the one down stairs and the one up here. Now, that is where you lost me; where is this other man?'

‘It happened all too quickly,' Amanda said to the police officer. Gloria just set on the couch in shock as Alex lay in a body bag on the floor. Amanda continues to recount the events, ‘She arranged a surprise for him and told the skinny guy in the suit to hide in the coat cabinet. We were just going to surprise his stupid ass. He inherited millions of dollars. He came in shouting about she was cheating. Well, suddenly the cabinet gets thrown out the window on top of the other man. When he sees the man in the suit, Alex gets madder and continues to accuse Gloria. Then she finally tells him what is going on with him being rich and everything. He reads this letter and has a heart attack and dies. As far as the other man, he just got up and walked away.' Amanda walked over to the couch and gently kissed Gloria on the lips. ‘Don't worry baby; I will take care of you.'

Days later, the two women moved into Amanda's condo. Gloria could not put up with the memories in the apartment so Amanda asked her to move in. It had been six weeks and it still hurt. Alex was gone. The next day, Gloria received over six million dollars from the life insurance policy they took out on Alex. However, both women received the shock of their life. After visiting the doctor for a routine check up, they discovered that they had gotten pregnant by Alex.

Victor returned to the confinements of his life with a new outlook on things. He finished dressing and walked easily into the bedroom. The strength in his legs returned the moment Alex died so he no longer used the cane. He was his old youthful self again. Still, he was tired of the curse; but when faced with certain death, he discovered that he really did not want to die, not yet at least. Pulling the covers off the twenty-nine year old woman's nude body, he took a long look at the sight and climbed into the bed next to her. He questioned, ‘Hey, did you take your birth control pill today?'

‘Yes, Mr. Rochester.' Martha lied. She had not taken the pill in over two months.