The Womanless Beauty Pageant - Part 12 of 11
The only thing worse than being pressured into participating in a
womanless beauty pageant, is to finish in last place. The ramifications
of that experience turned out to be life changing, for Miss Bobby.
As Co-authors, Monica and I have a couple of very special ladies to
thank, both are icons in the TG community.
The first is Vickie Tern. Without her encouragement and inspiration this
story would never have been written.
The second is our muse, Kelly Ann Rogers; we failed to follow her advice
on several occasions - always to our peril I'm afraid; but her midcourse
corrections were vital to the story's completion.
As the authors we hope you enjoy reading this bit of fun.
If anyone wishes to build off our FFL cub theme; you have our permission
and encouragement.
We also want to extend our apologies to our readers. The ending of
chapter 11 left many readers unhappy, so this chapter is intended to
resolve the character situations we left as ambiguous in chapter 11.
Marina Joy and Monica Rose
The weeks after the pageant had not been kind to Sue. She knew she
needed to stay away from Candy, but because Candy had taken up so much of
her time over the past year, she had few friends. People who knew her
from the club were cordial, but not welcoming. She ate many dinners
alone and crawled under her covers at night with nothing to hold onto but
a pillow and memories of lost love.
At work, she had been shunted aside. Despite the big contract from the
Sanchez brothers, leadership had decided that she didn't have the people
skills to continue to rise in the company. She had a choice to make;
leave and try again somewhere else, or stay and just earn her salary in
the face of the knowledge that she had failed. The only fast track she
was on now was the one to nowhere. In a performance review session, her
boss had suggested that she explore some therapy. It could very well
help her with her personal skills.
Finally, Sue couldn't take the loneliness any longer: she had to see
Bob. Not knowing how to contact him now, she had resorted to calling
Erika and Alex. She was able to reach Alex who was leaving for the club.
Alex told her that Bob had two shows that night and that she was on her
way to the club. She explained to Sue that she had a table reserved near
the stage that she and Erika used as a base of operations.
* * * * *
The club was noisy with countless conversations going on, each trying to
top the other. The recorded music contributed to the racket, intended to
at least garble what people were saying. The result was a deafening
drone that was punctuated with the occasional loud laugh or a shouted
snippet of speech.
It was good that she had elected to come a bit early to talk to Bob; the
place looked like it was going to be packed. She hadn't really believed
Candy when she had described Bob's popularity, but she hadn't
exaggerated. It looked like they might have to actually stop letting
customers into the place if this kept up. She stood on her tippy toes at
the top steps of the entry into the club proper, looking out over the
lower area where the tables and bar were set up.
She was glad that the local ordinances prohibited smoking now as she
would not have been able to see much in the lower lighting. She had
never been here before and she could imagine that it could be quite dim
when they lowered the house lights for the performers. Knowing that Alex
and Erika had a table down front, she scanned the area until she saw the
two women sitting at a small table off to one side.
She worked her way over to where they were seated and came up between
them. Politely touching them each on the shoulder, she stood back while
they turned to look at her. The smiles that greeted her were not cold,
but they were less than the welcoming expression she had anticipated.
"Hello, Susan. How are you?" Erika asked her. Neither woman made any
move to invite her to sit down, just as she had expected, Sue stood there
disconcerted by their reception.
"I'm okay," she answered. Considering how they were behaving, she didn't
think that they were really too interested in the dullness her life
seemed to have taken.
"Actually that's a lie. I'm miserable. I didn't know how to contact Bob
because he had moved out of his apartment. Candy told me that he was
dancing here and that you saw him quite a bit." This was the only way
she could say it as she didn't want to admit that she knew that Bob was
essentially living with them both.
Erika nodded as Alex spoke up and said, "Yes, the Bubbles show is due to
start in about half an hour."
"I came to see Bob. I wanted to talk to him about things." Sue shuffled
her feet a bit becoming a bit uncomfortable with the almost stony look
that Erika was giving her.
Erika spoke up, "I just left him in the dressing room. He's getting
ready to go on."
"Do you think that I could talk to him? Please it's a matter of life and
death." she asked hopefully.
Erika sneered disbelievingly, "If it's that important I'll go back and
check." She left the table to go backstage.
By now, Sue was definitely uncomfortable. Alex and Erika had been Bob's
staunchest supporters over the last year, even in the face of the
homosexual video that had appeared on-line. The video itself had been
deleted soon after it had appeared, but the damage had been done.
Obviously, these ladies didn't care about what Bob was shown to be doing
and Sue wondered about that. The fact that Alex had not invited her to
join them communicated to her that there was a definite division between
how she had seen Bob's actions and how they felt about them.
It was only a few minutes later that Erika came back to the table.
"He said that he was expecting the divorce papers to be delivered by a
messenger or your lawyers, but he wasn't too surprised that you would
want to hand them to him personally." Erika was a bit stiff, but her
delivery wasn't snide or sarcastic.
"I don't have any papers. I wanted to tell him that I've forgiven him
and that he can come home now."
Both Alex and Erika blinked at her, a non-plussed expression on their
faces. In their surprised state, either of the women could probably have
been pushed over with a finger. Alex stifled a laugh. Finally, Erika
broke the spell and said, "You've forgiven him. That's nice. The bigger
question is has he forgiven you?"
The conversation was not going the way Sue had anticipated, and she was
confused. She had expected that they would be happy that she was
welcoming Bob back. She would still have to work out with him in what
capacity he would be returning to her, but she knew that she needed him
to come back.
Sue was confused; in her mind she hadn't done anything that needed
forgiving. "What's wrong? I would have thought that you would be happy
that I was letting Bob come home."
Erika took her seat again, more than a bit annoyed at Sue's continued
cluelessness and self-centered attitude.
"Sue," she started, but she had to stop to gather her thoughts.
"You threw Bob out of your life months ago and haven't tried to contact
him once in all that time. You took out a restraining order so that he
couldn't talk to you. What makes you think that he wants to go back to
you? You shouldn't even be here right now because of that order."
Now it was Sue's turn to look surprised. It had never even crossed her
mind that Bob would do anything other than come back to her. The very
thought of his refusal was foreign to her and she stood there as the
concept sank in. Her daughter had been violently taken from her, and
then the possibility that her husband might reject her scared her to her
core. Her hands began to shake as her eyes filled with tears at thought
of being completely alone in life and that the final fault would be hers.
Both Erika and Alex could see that Sue was finally coming to understand
what she had wrought. They really did want both of their friends to be
happy, even though Sue's actions over the past months year or so made it
very difficult to like her. Both of them had been through nasty breakups
and they had seen the signs of a relationship that was doomed to failure.
Bob and Sue's relationship had none of the tell-tale signs until the
first beauty pageant. Yes, Sue had been apathetic much of the time
towards Bob and had given him every reason to walk away from his
marriage. More than one conversation at the club had centered on why Bob
continued with the treatment that Sue's anti-male advisors had
orchestrated for him. He was either a complete idiot to not see the
truth of things or he loved Sue too much for his own good. None of the
women knew their history, but it sure seemed like he could have left
early on in the whole trial and survived without a problem. It was
obvious now, after Sue had refused to accept him back that he was already
successful in the work he had done for Dave.
If he wanted, Bob could probably set himself up as a free-lance IT guru
and be successful at that too. Just his reputation at the club would
bring him more work than he could easily handle. Almost every woman at
the club would throw work his way. He had become a real favorite around
the club sort of a FFL club mascot. Now, that Bob had found that he
enjoyed his feminine side. It was obvious he loved his brief respites as
an erotic dancer. He had told them both on multiple occasions that
swinging himself around the stripper pole in front of hundreds of people
was an incredible thrill.
Erika finally got up and ushered Sue into a seat at the table. Sue moved
without any resistance as she dropped into the chair and then held her
head in her hands as she cried. Alex and Erika were on either side of
her, but made no move to console her. They both understood that what was
Sue needed now was to get through this and to finally decide what was
important in her life. Was she going to resolve to cut Bob out of her
life once and for all, or was she going to realize that things were not
always Bob's fault?
When Sue's sobs had subsided to sniffles and she had used up all of the
napkins they had on the table, Erika decided that it was time to start in
on her.
"What are you really crying about?" she asked.
"I just thought that he would want to come back to me. I never
considered that he doesn't love me anymore." She started to cloud up
again as Alex pulled Sue's hand away from her face and looked her in the
eyes.
Using the voice normally reserved for children or very dull people, she
spoke as if she was addressing a headstrong, intractable teenager.
"Sue, you might be brilliant at dealing with money and managing finances,
but you are a complete and utter idiot when it comes to people. How can
you expect Bob to love you after the way you treated him over the last
year?"
She sat back and watched the realization set in on Sue's face. She was
finally coming to understand that she had driven him away, and that there
was no reason for him to come back. She flashed on memories of her
haughty treatment of him, her dismissiveness, and her lack of support
when he needed it. And being total honest with herself she was so caught
up in her needs and wants, she totally disregard his feelings.
As she was wallowing in these memories, Alex's voice broke through to her
awareness. "And, after all of that, I know that he still has strong
feelings for you. The problem is that he finally wised up and buried his
feelings for you. You are going to have to work very hard if you want to
have any chance to win your own husband back."
Erika saw the look on Sue's face and added, "He might even still love
you. I don't know, he's never said."
Alex's few words fell like a lash across Sue's raw psyche. In her desire
to do well at work and to be accepted by the ladies of the FFL, she had
blindly followed their hateful advice. At first, she had had her doubts,
but it had gotten easier as time went on to just listen to what they had
to say. It was no wonder that she had driven her husband away and been
demoted at her job. Even though she liked what Bob had become, she had
to be honest and admit that she had been instrumental in driving him
away.
She looked at both Erika and Alex. "What can I do? Bob doesn't even
want to see me now. I listened to Candy too much..." The realization that
she might have destroyed her marriage made her want to cry again.
Alex smiled and it was not a very friendly smile. "Sue, do you actually
know what Candy did to your husband?"
"Did to him? What do you mean?"
Alex shook her head, but Erika cut in. "She set him up. She set him so
that Roberto could force him into that blowjob. Not only that, the video
you saw was cropped. The real one shows Roberto holding a knife as he
forced Bob down onto his dick. I have a disk with the raw video."
Sue gasped. She didn't want to believe it, but she had to. What had she
done? Was it possible she was responsible for her husband being sexually
assaulted? No, that couldn't be true! How could she live with the
thought she was the one who set up her own husband to be raped! All the
life went out of her face and her heart ached at how she had treated him.
It was all her fault. And for what? A contract that would benefit her
career, but meant nothing to Bob.
Erika gently lifted Sue's chin and looked into her eyes. "We just told
you that Bob still harbors a kernel of love for you. He just doesn't
believe that you love him anymore. Think about it. You threw him out of
the house without listening to why he acted the way he did at the first
pageant, you forced him into a female persona, although he has come to
embrace it, you left him alone for weeks and months, you slept around on
him, and you openly flirted with another man in front of him. What the
hell is he supposed to think!
"If you want him back, you might be able to get him. But it won't be a
slam dunk! Do you recall how hard he had to work to win you over before
you even went on your first date?" At Sue's nod, she continued, "Think
about that and start to multiply. You are going to have to work hard to
woo your own husband back!"
As Erika finished speaking, the house lights flashed to indicate that the
show would be starting soon. The sound level began to drop as everyone
started looking at the stage in anticipation. Before the lights dropped
for the final time, Erika and Alex left the table to position themselves
at the ends of the stage. Their tour of duty as backup bouncers was
beginning. Because Bubbles had become such a hit, she and Erika had
decided to act as informal bouncers to keep some of the more enthusiastic
guests from joining Bubbles on the stage.
Sue sat the table by herself, numb, but no longer crying. In almost no
time, she found herself alternating between squirming in her seat or
jumping up and down at the antics Bubbles displayed on stage. Sue found
herself becoming very turned on as she watched an apparently well-endowed
woman slowly strip down to nothing but her brief thong.
It was obvious that Bob was comfortable on stage as he made love to the
pole and to the audience. If there were an Olympic event for pole
dancing, Bubbles would have medaled. 'She' spun around the pole one-
handed, two-handed, and with one knee. As his clothes slowly came off,
his act played upon the exposed skin. At one point, he made love to the
pole with his breasts. Sue could see that they were beautiful globes
even if they weren't all natural. She had no doubt that more than a few
men in the audience wished that they were the pole.
For the finale, Bubbles executed a move that had become a trademark. He
climbed to the top of the pole and slid down, holding on with just his
knees as his body was stretched perpendicular to the stage and his
breasts dangled down below him. He had sprinkled them with sparkly
makeup and they flashed in the spotlights.
Sue was on her feet cheering herself hoarse. If Sue didn't already know
it, she would not have guessed that Bubbles Turner, the stripper, was
really Bob Turner, her husband.
Sue could see why Alex and Erika had appointed themselves as Bob's
guardians as a college co-ed tried to rush the stage only to be caught
and tossed back into the audience. Then, an obviously drunk young man
tried to reach Bob. This time, Erika slowed him down with a well-placed
knee to the groin, so that the official bouncers could grab/carry him and
take him back to a table to be watched. He wouldn't be allowed to leave
until a non-drinking companion claimed him or he was put into a cab.
Sue listened to the crowd around her and how they were all taken with her
husband's performance. They all wished that they could meet Bubbles and
take her home or go on a date with her. Sue smiled as she thought that
none of them would get to do that. Bob was still her husband; she just
had to prove to him that she was still his wife. Like the ladies had
told her, she was going to have to win him back and fight her way back
into his heart.
A woman had pushed her way next to Sue with a hand full of cash in her
mitts, she turned to Sue and commented, "They say Bubbles is really a
man, I would have to see it to believe it."
Sue indignantly replied, "Lady, trust me he is all man."
"Yeah, miss smarty pants how would you know that?"
"Because Bubbles is my husband."
"No way!"
"Yes, it's true; now excuse me I need to be next to the stage to
congratulate him on his performance."
But when Bubbles left the stage without ever catching her eye, Sue was
devastated. Then hope returned when he appeared a few minutes later,
barely dressed but surrounded by adoring fans, Sue's resolve began to
waver. She didn't know if she could win him back. She didn't know if
she had the strength to face him after what she had put him through. She
didn't even know if he would talk to her.
As she gazed at him forlornly, he finally glanced in her direction. As
their eyes met, she saw him smile at her slightly and he nodded to her.
He held her gaze for a long moment before someone stepped between them
and Sue lost sight of him. By the time she could see him again, he was
engaged in a conversation with one of his admirers.
'He smiled at me,' Sue thought to herself. 'He does still love me. I
could see it. Maybe there is hope. Maybe there is.'
Emboldened by Bob's brief acknowledgment of her, she worked her way
across the dance floor to him. Alex and Erika were working as a team to
keep the crowd from knocking Bubbles down, asking for autographs, so she
waited for the mob to thin out. Finally, the two women stepped away to
give Bob and Sue a semblance of privacy and she stepped confidently up to
her husband.
As the image of the woman he was trying to project, he was beautiful. He
had taken the time to fix his hair and makeup before coming back out on
the floor. His hair fell in waves and curls to just below his shoulders;
she hadn't noticed that it gave him any problems when he had been
dancing. His makeup was immaculate, but a bit overstated. Again, he had
looked great while he was dancing under the bright lights. She assumed
that Bob needed to over apply his makeup for performances.
He wasn't wearing much other than a thin cotton robe that did little to
hide the fact that he had not put a bra or blouse back on. All he had on
below was a sparkly silver thong and black heels that glinted in the
light. She reflected that he had come a long way from his first
performance over a year ago at the club. Where he had been intentionally
oafish and offensive, Bob now gave off the aura of feminine elegance and
refinement that one might associate with a celebrity.
As she was the only one in front of him, Bob could not just pretend that
she was not there. He looked at her for a moment, the slight smile
playing across his face again. It appeared that he might be nervous and
not know what to say to her.
When he did speak, it was to say, "Ms. Turner. It's nice to see you.
However, as this is my place of employment, it's a violation of your
restraining order for you to come here."
His voice was level, with no anger or animosity. There also was no real
warmth in it. He spoke to only acknowledge her presence and to convey
information. Where there used to be a tone of pleading and an eagerness
to please, Bob now conveyed a confidence in himself that said he knew
what he was doing and that he was in control of things. None of this was
lost on Sue. It almost felt like he was indifferent to her presence, but
she didn't believe that.
Sue tried to smile disarmingly as she said, "Oh...I had the order
lifted."
Bob just looked at her. He could not believe that she had requested a
court order to prevent him from approaching or communicating with her.
Now, she had it removed without letting him know that she was doing so.
"That's nice, Susan. When were you thinking of telling me about this
happy turn of events?" His sarcasm was a bit thick.
Bob's manner was totally different from before his performance at the
pageant. Then, he had been tentative and eager-to-please with Sue and
his attitude now said that he didn't give a damn about what she thought
or felt about him.
Sue's weekly sessions with her therapist had helped her understand Bob's
feelings though. She hadn't necessarily treated him as well as he might
hope for. It meant that she would have to try harder is all. She plowed
ahead with her mission and said, "I'm not sure what to call you right
now. Is it Bubbles, Bob, or Bobbi?"
She instantly knew that this was the wrong thing to say as Bob almost
physically recoiled and his expression became impassive. There was no
anger or joy displayed; just an emotionless mask seemed to appear.
"Bubbles is my stage name, you gave it to me. But I hardly look like a
Bob anymore, so I had my name officially changed to Roberta James Turner.
Bobbi for short. I may look like a woman and I really enjoy my time as
Bubbles, but I've very comfortable when I'm Bob, the man. Did you bring
the divorce papers or should I stop around at your lawyer's offices?"
Sue's smile faded as she said, "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be
sarcastic." She clenched her hands together nervously and said, "I came
to tell you that I missed you and that I forgave you for what you did."
She didn't have time to continue before Bob laughed sharply. "Forgive
me? You're going to forgive me for being raped? Next you'll be saying
that I was asking for it!"
Sue stepped forward to touch his arm and said, "Please Bob! I just
wanted to tell you that you could come home."
Bob just looked at her and thought that it was the same old Sue. She was
forgiving him for something that he wasn't responsible for but that she
still blamed him for. As much as he wanted to hold her again and to be
held, he couldn't let her have a chance to hurt him again.
"Why Susan? So that you can boss me around some more? Make me feel like
less of a man than I already am? Do you have the maid's quarters fixed
up for me and a closet full of uniforms all ready for me to wear? Or do
I just need to report in the morning and leave in the evening? You told
me that I couldn't come back as your husband!"
Bob was working hard to keep his voice from getting loud and out of
control. His expression conveyed the pain and outrage that he felt. Sue
wasn't saying that she knew that he wasn't at fault and she wasn't
apologizing for anything. It was a repeat of the same treatment. Like
always Sue said what she thought someone wanted to hear so that she could
get her way.
Bob's outburst took Sue by surprise. This was a side of her husband that
she had never seen before and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. He
had always put her happiness and desires first in their marriage and he
was telling her that wasn't the case now. She wasn't sure how she felt
about this new aspect of him.
"It's nothing like that Bob. We have to work out things yet, but you can
come home."
"You're saying that I wouldn't be your husband? I guess that would make
sense. You haven't treated me like your husband in the past year anyway.
I'm sorry Susan; I told you before that I can't trust you. You admitted
to my face that you were sleeping around while you had me thrown out of
your house. For all I know, you slept with Candy on your trip to
Tahiti!"
The expression on her face told him all he needed to know. His wife who
had claimed to love him for the last year had apparently spread her legs
for everyone except him. How could she say that she wanted him back?
She obviously did not need him as her spouse.
The frozen expression on Bob's face told Sue volumes. This was not going
the way she had expected. Bob was supposed to have said 'Yes, I'll come
back to you. Thank you.' Instead, he was telling her that he wasn't
coming back and, even worse, that there was no chance that he would ever
come back to her. What had happened? Was she really that much in the
wrong? She was just having fun. She decided to try doing some damage
control to smooth over Bob's ruffled feathers.
"Bob, I'm sorry. I know that I've been a bit insensitive and maybe even
cruel lately, but I didn't mean to be. I've been so worried about doing
well at work and trying to make the initiation committee at the club
happy that I might have let myself forget about you."
"Sue, I should have been the first one on your list, not the last."
Bob's tone was sad, but it changed as his resolve seemed to firm. "I
tried to tell you why things happened at the first pageant and that Candy
was trying to cause problems for us. But you wouldn't listen. When you
saw that video, you believed the worst right away. You never gave me the
benefit of the doubt and you never asked me to explain.
"Sue, I love you and I'll always be faithful to you as long as we are
married, but I can't be near you right now. I'm sorry." There were
tears in Bob's eyes as he turned away from her. Before he could leave,
she stepped forward to grab his arm.
"Please Bob...We need to talk.'
Bob turned back to her and jerked his arm away. As he did so, Helga
stepped in to take Sue by the elbow and guide her away from a
confrontation. Before they went far though, Sue pulled away and rushed
back to Bob and grabbed his hand.
Before she could say anything, he again pulled away from her. He looked
at her impassively and said, "Sue, you need to leave. If you come back
again, I'll have you arrested for harassment and trespassing." He turned
away and walked back to his sanctum sanctorum his dressing room the place
he was most comfortable in, his derriere swaying enticingly.
Sue stood alone on the dance floor, watching Bob walk away from her.
There was an empty feeling in her gut and her chest felt like her heart
actually hurt like it was breaking into pieces. It was a minute or so
before she realized that she was crying too.
"But Bob...I wanted another chance," she whispered to his back as he
disappeared behind the curtain.
Erika went looking for Bob after the club was closed. Sue had left in
tears soon after Bob's rejection of her, but Bob had not come out to sit
at their table later. When she opened the curtains to Bob's dressing
area, she found him on the floor, with his back against the wall. It
appeared that he had cried himself out some time ago and he just did not
have the energy to move off the floor. After calling to Alex, the two
women helped the unresisting man out to the car and took him home. A
good night's sleep would help Bob start over.
@ @ @ @
Sue pulled into the lot at the FFL club and managed to find a spot. The
lot was very nearly full for a Saturday afternoon. As she walked through
the lot, she saw Bob's old pickup truck parked off in the visitor's
parking area. She had been summoned to attend the meeting of the ethics
and membership committees regarding her activities over the past year and
Candy's involvement. She had heard that Bob had become Erika's guest at
the club on occasion, but she wasn't sure if he had been asked to attend
this meeting also.
It had been made clear to her that her actions were not in question but
her presence was necessary because the social reputation of the club and
its members had been damaged. This was the meeting that Candy had been
worried about and what it might mean to her and her realty business.
Candy was only willing to co-operate because she was so dependent upon
referrals from the club. If she had told the club that 'Hell no, she
wouldn't be there' she stood to lose all of that business.
There was someone in the lobby of the club waiting for her and escorted
her back to the meeting rooms. They were in a large area, but nowhere
near the size of the dining room area. There were about thirty women
seated at the ten or so round tables that were spotted around the floor,
about a dozen other ladies where scattered around perimeter of the room
observing the proceedings. The baby grand piano had been moved off to
one corner the window blinds had been closed, to make things comfortable
for everyone. Light-colored wood-grained paneling lined the walls and
ran up to an arched pale yellow ceiling. The whole room transmitted a
welcoming cozy feeling.
She looked around more closely and saw Bob seated in an armchair at the
very back of the room. It appeared that his presence was necessary at
this meeting, but the ladies preferred it if he did not make himself part
of the proceedings. When their eyes met, she could see that Bob was
surprised to see her. Apparently, no one had seen fit to inform either
of them that they would both be attending this meeting.
She started to head for Bob, planning to sit in the open seat next to
him. She was intercepted on the way over and led to a table near the
long banquet style table that dominated on side of the room. Candy was
already seated at the table and looked up at her as she was seated beside
her. It didn't appear that anyone else was supposed to join them. Candy
acknowledged her with a nod, but said nothing. It was rather out of
character for her to not make some kind of comment, so it was a sign of
how concerned she was about how this meeting might go. At the long
table, Veronica was talking quietly with some other members. She didn't
look very comfortable about whatever they were talking about.
It appeared that Sue was one of the last few members that they had been
waiting for. At one of the other tables were the rest of the members of
Sue's advisory group, who had been telling her how she should handle
Bob's 're-education'. Alex and Erika were among them and they nodded to
Sue with a reassuring smile, the rest of the ladies failed to acknowledge
Sue and averted their eyes to just stare down at the table.
Once Sue was seated, Veronica called the session back to order. The look
on Candy's face indicated that she was not happy with what had been
already been discussed. Veronica held up a folder before, but she was
obviously familiar with the contents as she did not read from it. She
looked at Candy and said, "Ms. Grant, it is my understanding that the
legal action against you was resolved with a large fine and probation, is
that correct?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Then...let me ask you has there been any civil, that is liability suits
filed against you?"
All eyes turned to Bob who simple shook his head negatively.
Candy did not rise to address everyone, but stayed seated as she said,
"Not that I'm aware of. I pleaded no contest to the legal charges
because I felt it was easier to settle the charges than argue them in
court." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "The little pansy wanted
everything that was done to him. He was just too afraid to admit it."
Her tone conveyed the message that she had been caught, but she didn't
really care.
Veronica just looked at Candy as if she were trying to figure out what
could possibly be going on in her head.
All Veronica had to say though was, "I see." She looked over at Sue and
said, "Sue, thank you for coming, we have all read the statement you gave
our legal office regarding this matter, I don't think that we need to ask
you any questions. We have interviewed your husband and I believe that
we have gathered the information that we need."
As Veronica referred to Bob, Candy snorted and rolled her eyes at Sue.
Even at this stage of things, she could not show respect for him. Once
again, Sue wondered why she had ever allowed herself to be influenced by
Candy. She looked over at Bob, hoping to catch his eye again, but he
studiously kept his attention on the head table.
Wanting to be fair, Veronica waited for Candy to end her grade school
theatrics and asked, "Candy, you've been accused of causing bodily and
emotional harm to the family of a club member and exposing the club to
public embarrassment and damaging its reputation. We are willing to
listen to anything you have to say about this."
Candy nodded in acknowledgement and stood to face the group of ladies in
the room.
"Ladies, I know that we do not always agree about my attitudes and
opinions regarding men. I have tried to avoid letting my personal
feelings affect my interpersonal relationships and I think that this is
all a misunderstanding. I was actually helping my nephew come to terms
with his suppressed femininity. After all isn't that what the womanless
beauty pageant is all about? I had to force him past his limits for him
to realize who he really was. As far as the statements that Mr. Turner
made about me, I'm completely shocked that he would accuse me of all of
these things. In fact, it sounds like libel to me. I plan on talking to
my lawyers when I leave here."
Bob's eyes were wide with surprise and outrage, his jaw clenched with
anger. The women who looked over at him to see his reaction could see
that he was making a supreme effort to reign himself in. He had learned
that an emotional response could hurt him more than the statements and
barbs the others might make about him.
Sue found herself completely confused. She had shown up for this meeting
at the time they had specified and it appeared that they had been in
session for quite some time already. It appeared that Bob had already
spoken front of the group and either made a statement or accusations of
some form. It appeared that she was not supposed to have heard them.
When Candy paused, apparently to gather her thoughts, Sue raised her
hand. Veronica acknowledged her and she said, "I'm sorry, but I'm a bit
lost. I understood that Candy was charged with false imprisonment,
kidnapping, and physical abuse...all dealing with her nephew. I know
that Bob complained to me about things a couple of times, but I didn't
think anything of it. I'm not familiar with what is going on here."
Sue's statement didn't appear to surprise Veronica or her companions at
the table. Veronica just nodded her head in understanding.
"You're right Sue. While the philosophy of this group is that women are
not less than men, we don't have any issue if a wife wants to make a
woman out of her man. " Veronica smiled slyly as she added, "But men do
have their uses, and their rights as people. The club's guiding
principle insists the male's conversion be voluntary, either out of love
for his wife or an awakening to the realization that femininity is the
better path of true happiness."
She opened the folder in front of her. "While Candy influenced you to
push your husband deeper into a feminine role, she also interfered to a
very great extent in the viability of your marriage. That, taken with
her treatment of her nephew, paints a pattern of reprehensible behavior
that we cannot accept unchecked among our members."
Shocked, Sue looked at Candy who shrugged and gave her a look of
confusion. As if to say that what she was being accused of made no
sense.
"Candy, is this true? Were you really trying to break us up?"
Candy continued to look innocent as she said, "Sue, I wouldn't do that to
you. I told you those things about Phil because I didn't want to admit
that he had left me. When I saw how Bob was willingly changing himself
to compete with a non-existent Phil, I couldn't see him being worthy of
you."
Sue turned in her chair and glared directly at Candy, "Bob was trying to
live up to the rules of the ultimatum that you and the others wanted me
to give him. He had to win the beauty pageant in order to come home to
me again. You saw what he was doing and you said nothing about it."
"But Sue, you saw how he was giving blow jobs. Would a real man do
that?" Candy looked at Sue is surprise.
At the other table, Erika was watching Candy's performance with
amusement. Once Candy had finished speaking, she raised her hand and
stood up when Veronica motioned to her. In a properly formal manner, she
said, "Madame Chairwoman, I do have something that will speak to this
subject. Unless, Ms. Grant wishes to change her position."
Candy looked over at Erika and literally sneered at her. It was obvious
that there was no love lost between the two women and Sue was surprised
at the apparent intensity of the dislike. In the last months, Erika and
Alex had distanced themselves from the others on her re-education
guidance team and she remembered a few of the times that they had
expressed their objections to how she was treating Bob.
"What do you mean?" Candy's response was rude and the word 'bitch' seemed
to be implied in her statement. "I have no idea what you're talking
about!"
Erika said nothing to Candy. She stood and held up a plastic case, the
size and shape for a DVD. "I have some evidence here that will show that
I know exactly what I'm talking about." She strode over to the video
system in the corner and slid the disk into the tray as Alex stood and
dimmed the room lights. After a few moments, a movie began playing on
the projection screen behind the main table.
It began with a camera being placed on a flat surface in what appeared to
be a bedroom. After a moment, a hand crossed the frame and then a woman
came into view as she walked over to the bed. She gestured and a dark-
haired man stepped over to the bed and sat down. The movie had
everyone's attention so no one saw that Candy had gone white, but
everyone watched as the woman on the screen turned and revealed herself
to be Candy.
"Stop this!" Candy shouted and she walked toward the disk player. She
was stopped by Alex who had a vise-like grip on Candy's bicep, squeezing
hard enough to leave a bruise. Candy stopped dead in her tracks.
"I'm sorry Candy. You started this and we have to see it through now."
On the screen, Candy completed her blowjob and everyone watched as she
spoke to the man. It was also obvious that while she had gotten some
satisfaction from the act, she hadn't really enjoyed it. Then the scene
jumped to show the man walk back into the frame, holding a knife. A
woman dressed in black walked into the frame, who was revealed to be Bob
when he turned toward the camera. Erika stopped the playback before Bob
went down onto his knees before the man.
"There is much more on this disk," she said. "Do I need to play it?
There is audio too if we need it."
"How did you get that?" Candy shouted. She was pale and shaking. "Are
you the one who broke into my house?"
Erika shook her head. There was a look of pity on her face. She had
seen everything on this disk before and holding Candy up for public
display in this manner was not something that felt good.
"No Candy. I didn't take this from your computer; it was given to me by
someone else. All I can say is that you should be careful of the people
you hurt in your life. Those actions have an annoying tendency to come
back on you. As far as I know, this disk is the only copy."
Veronica spoke up and said, "Candy, I take it that the statements Mr.
Turner has made are true? You arranged to have him raped. I'm not a
lawyer but I believe that is a felony."
Candy was still very pale and could only nod as she dropped into her
chair. She couldn't bring herself to look over at Sue, who was looking
at the person she had thought was her friend with a shocked expression.
Veronica looked at her fellow committee members before she turned back to
Candy. "Candy, considering the fact that everything you've been accused
of is apparently true; I believe that you owe the membership of this club
and the Turners an apology. We won't insist upon an answer from you now,
but I believe that you need to apologize before the full membership and
to Sue and Bob. We will give you two weeks to consider what you want to
do. I need to point out that your refusal will mean that your membership
with this organization will be terminated, until that time consider
yourself persona non grata here at the club."
Candy barely acknowledged Veronica's ultimatum as she sat at the table,
head bowed. One of Candy's friends who had been standing at the back of
the room came to her and led her off to a side room. Sue sat there, but
couldn't bring herself to look at Candy as she left. After a moment, she
stood and left the room as well.
In the lobby, Sue caught sight of Bob, Alex, and Erika chatting by the
main entrance. As they ended their conversation, Bob turned to leave the
building while the ladies started to walk to the dining room. She sped
up and managed to get through the door before Bob had gone very far.
"Bob!" she yelled.
It was a bit incongruous to be calling out a man's name at someone who
looked all woman, but that was how it was. Bob had gone all out to be
able to look as if he fit in with the rest of the ladies at the club
today. He wore a white cotton blouse with a very pretty dark blue skirt,
perched above sensible two or three inch heels. It looked like he had
let his hair continue to grow and it was brushed back in waves that fell
to just below his shoulders. His most prominent attribute were his
breasts which were very obvious. Sue was sure, but she thought that they
might have lessened in size somewhat, but they were still attractive.
She could see that Bob had been working on his makeup skills as well. It
made sense that he would become more proficient in that area. Being an
exotic dancer, too much makeup could make you appear to be a trollop.
Too little and you were not as alluring to the audience.
He stopped and turned to look at her. Once again, his expression gave
nothing away. He had told her only a few days ago that he still loved
her, so she had to believe that what she saw was fake. A mask intended
to hold in the display of emotion and any sign of weakness. She was sure
that this was the case, because he had said that he loved her and she was
holding tight to that.
He said nothing as she walked up to him. She smiled hopefully and asked,
"Would you like to get some dinner?"
"Thank you, but no. I need to get home. I promised to work on some
costumes for one of the girls at the club."
The fact that he said 'home' and did not mean where they used to live
together actually hurt to hear. She was finding that she really missed
her husband. Her therapist had warned her against seeking out someone
else for comfort as this would only blunt her feelings for Bob and negate
any value Sue hoped to get from her counseling sessions.
"I only want to talk Bob. I miss you." After what she had just heard
inside the club, Sue wanted to throw herself into Bob's arms and beg him
to forgive her. But his almost stony demeanor indicated that the results
of that action might end in tears.
"Sue, I'm not ready to talk yet. I've been through a year of hell and I
just heard one of Satan's architects confess to orchestrating my current
condition. I'm still coming to terms with my new life."
"That's what I want to talk about. I owe you so many apologies..." She
started to tear up at the memory of all of the times she had treated him
as worth less than she herself or had been overly demanding of him. Her
therapist was showing her just how much she had hurt Bob over the years.
Much of her behavior was in line with the philosophy of the FFL, but she
had allowed herself to mistreat Bob. She only knew that she needed Bob
in her life, she had lost so much already.
"Like I said, I need time to think. You've had me out of the house for
so long already Sue. A few more weeks or months shouldn't matter, should
they?" Even though he was sorry for his words as soon as they left his
mouth, he turned and headed over to his truck. Sue was still standing in
the middle of the parking lot, looking after him as he drove away.
* * * * *
Sue's therapist had made herself available on a round-the-clock basis,
knowing that Sue was in a stressed state. That meant that Sue was
consulting with her rather often. Her advice to Sue was the same after
each rejection that she endured from Bob: Don't give up. Until he began
threatening her with violence, she still had a chance to win Bob back.
Sue just had to remember that Bob had been through a year of neglect and
abuse, not all at her hands.
The day after the meeting at the club, Sue sent a dozen red roses to Bob
at the strip club, care of Bubbles. The card said, "Darling, I love
you." Bob never acknowledged any of the gifts Sue sent, but he didn't
discard them either. This set a pattern over the next few weeks. Almost
every day, a new gift of some sort would be delivered to the club or to
wherever Bob was staying. There were boxes of candy, gift cards,
watches, and other items of jewelry. A card accompanied each gift
telling Bob that she loved him and asked him to come back to her.
Bob found the thought behind the gestures Sue was making touching, but it
saddened him at the same time. All Sue was doing was giving him things
when he really just wanted her heart. He shared the candy with Alex or
Erika, depending upon whose house he was staying at and sometimes used
the gift cards to buy presents for them as well. Bob made more than one
comment about how he wished that Sue's gifts were more from her instead
of her pocketbook.
The ladies were thrilled to be enjoying Sue's gifts, but they sympathized
with Bob. They had seen Sue's reaction to Candy's statements and the
video Erika had shown the committee. It was obvious that Sue did not
mean to be the cold and unfeeling person she had appeared to be. At
worst, the lady had been a clueless lemming that had blindly followed
people who professed to be her friends.
The two women had come to love Bob as a brother. They had hinted that
they were available to him sexually, but he had never given them any
indication of interest in them in that area. They realized that Bob
would carry a torch for Sue until he died. Because of that, they came to
care for Sue just as deeply. They took it upon themselves to meet with
Sue without Bob's knowledge over lunch.
Sue had been embarrassed when they explained to her the mistakes she was
making in her campaign to win Bob over. Bob had always been more
sensitive than she. His gifts to her had always been more thoughtful,
focused on her heart and soul. On reflection, Sue could see that she had
a great deal to learn about love in general and herself in particular.
In one of her frequent counseling sessions, she shared her concerns and
desires about this. How could she show Bob how much he really did mean
to her and that she truly wanted and needed him in her life?
Things continued over the few weeks after the club meeting. Candy had
decided that it was in her best interests to over a heartfelt apology to
everyone, just as the FFL committee had stipulated. She had even agreed
with one of her friends that counseling, like what Sue had sought out,
might help her. While talk therapy was not an instant fix or a magic
bullet, a little bit of effort on Candy's part made a difference in how
people reacted to her
Veronica and her fellow committee had been very gracious when Candy had
come to them with her decision. They had actually been thrilled that
she had decided to issue an apology. Removing Candy as a member would
have been painful for Candy, the club itself, and all of the players that
would be directly involved. They arranged a date for which Candy would
make her apologies at a full meeting of the club, but it would be a
couple of weeks before the meeting could be set up.
* * * * *
There was only one topic on the agenda for the meeting and the club
dining room was literally buzzing with the various conversations going
on. Some of the ladies did not care for Candy and took pleasure from the
discomfort she must be experiencing from having to issue her apologies.
For her part, Candy may have agreed to issue her apologies but it still
felt like salt being rubbed into a raw wound. Candy saw that trying to
mend her bridges would be important to everyone and to her very
livelihood.
Sue looked around for Bob or his friends when she arrived. Because this
meeting also applied to herself and Bob, she had received a personal
invitation to attend. She assumed that the same applied to her husband
as well, but she did not see him. Sue hoped that an invitation had gone
out to Bob and that he would be here. While she had become a nightly
regular at the strip club when Bob performed, she had not been permitted
to approach him since her first time and she wanted to have a chance to
talk to him again. She had on several occasions tried to sneak backstage
so she could get to see Bob. She had been stopped on each occasion by
security. No one had pointed out to her that she was approaching the
point where she could be considered a stalker.
She was glad that Alex and Erika had started talking with her on a daily
basis. They kept her up-to-date with Bob's life, without sharing any
secrets or letting him know about their meetings. She had learned so
much about Bob that she had been too self-involved to care about before.
From what they had told her, it looked like Candy had set Bob up from the
very start and had used her as a pawn in the process. Candy had made it
abundantly clear to her that she wanted Sue as a lover, but Sue didn't
consider herself to be a lesbian despite the numerous erotic nights spent
with the ladies from the club. In Sue's mind, she was just
experimenting, it wasn't a life choice. If things had happened
differently, Sue would probably have enjoyed the occasional encounter
with Candy.
She was ushered to a table off to the side where she would not be the
center of attention. The intent was not to hold them up to embarrassment
today...that was something that was essentially reserved for Candy. From
where she was situated, Sue was able to see the entrance and most of the
dining room without being in the direct line of sight of most of the
attendees.
She was watching as she saw Bob entered the room, flanked by Alex and
Erika, and a third unknown woman. Sue recognized her as a performer from
the club. The two women had become his almost constant companions over
the past months, something that annoyed Sue. When she was honest with
herself, she admitted that she was actually envious of them rather than
annoyed. How could she have been so narrow-minded to have believed the
worst of her husband?
When Bob and his entourage appeared at the door, there was a noticeable
drop in the noise of conversation as many of the ladies in the room
turned to look. The sight was worth seeing too. Bob's companions were
well-dressed and were very attractive, but that is not what attracted the
attention. It was a well-known fact that Bob was performing part-time as
a stripper, but he looked nothing like the stereotype. Bob looked more
like Bobbi today with masses of blonde curls that framed a face that was
too cute to belong to a man. Bobbi had maintained a very feminine look
to her face with makeup that was never overstated.
Bob had never been big, but the weight that he had lost and exercise
regimen kept Bobbi's face and, really, 'her' whole body slender and wiry.
While his over-endowed bust could have been a source of embarrassment,
Bobbi had taken pains to downplay that particular attribute when outside
of the strip club. Bobbi had developed a preference for blues lately and
she wore a royal blue dress that managed to look glamorous at the same
time that it looked practical.
What really made Bobbi stand out is how comfortable she looked moving
among the ladies of the club. Everyone knew that this beautiful woman
was really a man, but Bobbi was able to put everyone at ease so that no
one cared that Bobbi was really Bob. She greeted everyone warmly and
smiled at those who were too far away to hug.
Sue caught herself with her mouth hanging open in surprise. This was
another side of her husband she had never seen before. While dancing at
the strip club might have helped her with any modesty issues, Bobbi
presented herself as a confident, outgoing lady. It was no wonder
everyone looked at her with fondness and friendship. If Bobbi announced
that she was running for mayor of the city, everyone present would have
voted for her in a heartbeat. Sue caught herself when she realized in
her head she had inadvertently started thinking of her husband in
feminine pronouns. She wondered what that meant and she decided that she
didn't care.
As Bobbi and her friends were led across the floor to the same table that
Sue already occupied, Sue immediately noticed Bob was not wearing her old
engagement ring. That finger looked vacant. Before Sue could make
mention of Bob's missing ring, she was distracted by a cocktail waitress
who glided up to them.
"May I take your drink orders before you have a seat?" the waitress asked
Bobbi.
Bobbi did a double-take when she looked at the server as she realized
that it was Pierre. He was decked out as the stereotypical Playboy bunny
cocktail waitress, sans the ears. Bobbi really could not believe her
eyes. Pierre's makeup was perfect and it was difficult to see the man
underneath, even though it had not been applied that heavily.
Pierre's thin frame was apparently augmented with a pair of generous
breast forms that pushed out of the silver top that narrowed down to a
pipe-stem waist. The bottom of the leotard-like uniform exposed Pierre's
legs to good effect; many women would have killed for the thighs and butt
that Pierre had on display. When Bobbi looked down at Pierre, all she
saw was a smooth flat front. That was a really good gaff Bobbi thought.
The crowning glory, even though they were on Pierre's feet, were the six-
inch heels that he was balanced upon.
Before Bobbi could say anything to Pierre, another well-wisher cycled
past, but stopped this time. Bobbi focused upon her face to see that it
was Julie, the manager of the beauty salon from hell and Pierre's sister.
Julie smiled warmly and said, "Miss Bobbi, ladies," as she acknowledged
Bobbi's escorts. "I know that you've seen my brother here in the past,
but I would like you to meet the club's newest waitress and scullery
maid. She demonstrated that her attitude at my salon was too mean for
you and some of my other customers. I thought that she might do well to
spend the next year here getting an attitude readjustment. In fact, I'm
thinking of making his picture the addition to the hall of fame." She
winked at Bobbi as if it were an in-joke.
All Bobbi could do was nod in shock as she realized that Julie was quite
probably forcing her brother through some of the same regimen that Bob
had willingly put himself through. While Pierre had shown himself to be
a rather unlikeable person, Bob, the man, felt some sympathy for Pierre
at the fact that he might very well be getting his own pair of tits. His
compassion had limits though as he leaned over to Pierre's ear to
whisper, "I guess I don't have to worry about kicking you in the balls
anymore. Where does your sister keep yours now?" He felt bad for Pierre
though when his comment hit home and Pierre just hung his head in shame
as he walked away after taking everyone's drink order.
Before he could apologize to Pierre for his cruelty, Veronica was calling
the meeting to order and all eyes turned toward the podium. She thanked
everyone who was able to attend the meeting and she diplomatically
discussed the sole topic of the evening's meeting. Those who could see
them at the guest table all looked at Sue and Bobbi where they were
seated. A year ago, Bob would have felt nervous with the number of
people looking at him, but Bobbi had found herself. She actually enjoyed
the attention because she knew that everyone saw a happy, pretty young
lady.
The first order of business was Candy's apology to the membership of the
club itself. She stepped to the podium, a cold feeling in the pit of her
stomach. She knew all of these women by name and some of them were good
friends. To admit to them that she had done the things she was accused
of by her nephew made her almost physically ill. There were some members
who might clap her on the back and congratulate her on a job well done,
most were not quite that bloodthirsty and would be repulsed at the fact
that she had caused her own nephew to be castrated and feminized. There
were still many times when she thought that the little monster deserved
it for what he had done to his girlfriend and she felt indignant anger
that she was being forced to be here.
Discretion won out however and Candy described the complaints lodged
against her and apologized for how they had reflected so badly back upon
the FFL club. The words still made her feel like she was chewing shards
of glass, she knew that it was necessary.
"I want to say however, that I am apologizing to you, my friends and some
of you not-so-much, for damaging the reputation of this group and the
work that we have done. What I did to my nephew was somewhat deserved
and was ultimately to his benefit."
She paused in her speech to look around the room. "However, I do not
expect you to believe me or to even accept my apology at face value.
With the permission of our president, I am willing to auction off my
services as a way of showing that I mean what I say." She spread her
hands and said, "I guess I'm offering you the opportunity to take part in
my punishment. And, it will benefit the club at the same time."
Candy turned toward Veronica and bowed slightly to indicate that she was
finished. Veronica came back to podium with a bit of a surprised
expression on her face. After a moment, everyone clapped in approval of
Candy's offer.
Candy moved away and headed to the back of the room. She had offered her
apology, such as it was, and she just wanted to fade into the background.
She still had to speak to the Turners, but she wanted to do that with a
lot less people around. That conversation would be like walking on hot
coals.
"Well! That really was not how this meeting was expected to go."
Veronica looked around the room to make sure that no one was trying to
get the attention of the chair and she continued. "We will be meeting
with Candy over the next couple of weeks to work out when and what we
will be offering for auction. I suspect that we might be able to gather
a good amount of money for the club."
A barb that got a round of chuckles from the crowd. Veronica was
obviously one of those that Candy would have to work on winning back as a
friend.
"There were some murmured conversations at the back tables already in
full swing, obviously discussing those very subjects.
Bob knew that Candy was not universally liked in the club and he
overheard a couple of comments about putting her to work scrubbing floors
with a toothbrush or spending an entire weekend cleaning toilets. He had
done that for a single day and his 'employer' hadn't had the negative
feelings about him that he was picking up from the ladies around him. He
actually felt sorry for Candy if some of the things he heard actually
happened to her.
Veronica adjourned the meeting, inviting everyone to stay and socialize,
but a number of the attendees left for home. Sue hadn't really paid
attention to Candy's speech, her mind was still focused upon Bob and
nothing really mattered. She hadn't had a chance to try engaging Bob in
conversation again, before Candy sought out Bobbi and Sue at the table.
Veronica and some of the general committee members accompanied her. Alex
and Erika had remained with Bob to act as a buffer to Sue, if it was
needed.
Where Candy had appeared contrite in her speech to the membership at
large, she was definitely not so when she looked at him. Bob could see
that she was practically grinding her teeth at the thought of even
speaking to him. He didn't know what her problem was...She had wanted to
drive him away from Sue and she had succeeded. It was still tearing him
up inside that he couldn't let himself open up to Sue, but he certainly
was not going to give Candy the satisfaction of knowing that.
To her credit, she tried to be polite. (After all, it wouldn't count as
an apology if she was rude as she delivered it).
"Bobbi. I apologize for my treatment of you and for manipulating you
into doing the things that you did to yourself." Her tone bordered on
being flat, keeping any emotion out of her voice. She couldn't resist a
final jab at him as she said, "But you did turn out to be a cute woman.
There might be hope for you after all."
Bob rose to the occasion however and said, "Thank you, Candy. While I
wouldn't have chosen this particular path in my life, I have to say that
I'm enjoying every minute of it. And I have you to thank for it." His
totally satisfied, happy smile served to rub her failure in face even
more.
Candy's response was just a sneer which evaporated when she turned to
Sue. Her expression was far more sincere. Everyone could see her
feelings of loss and wistfulness.
"Sue...I'm sorry that I put you through all of this. I really did not mean
to hurt you." She turned away and walked quickly toward the exit.
Sue looked at Bob and rest at the table and said, "Don't move I'll be
right back!" She launched herself from the table and hurried after
Candy. Bob sat watching Sue talking to Candy, who was wiping tears away
from her eyes. At one point, Sue hugged Candy and then led her back to
the table. Alex and Erika had been watching as well, as confused as Bob
was, but they kept any comments to themselves.
Sue pulled Candy back to in front of Bob. "Go on Candy, tell him. He
has a right to know."
Candy looked down for a moment and then looked at Bob sheepishly; there
was none of the condescending defiance from a few moments ago.
"Bob, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you both. It's all because I
love Sue, and would do anything to be with her. I wanted her and tried
to make you go away. I know you understand how we all do stupid things
in the name of love. This time I really would like you to forgive me?"
Everyone at the table waited to hear Bob's response. Some of the women
were even holding their breath.
Bob chewed on his lower lip for a few moments as he contemplated the
first nice words to ever come from Candy. He stood and walked around to
Candy. She flinched as if she expected to be hit, but Bob opened his
arms and grabbed her into a firm hug. "Anyone who loves Sue can't be all
bad. I'm willing to forgive you Candy." He moved his mouth close to her
ear and said so that only she could hear, "I really meant it that I am
enjoying myself. Thank you."
Candy pulled back to look at him and she grinned in response. She
happily returned his hug.
Sue cleared her throat and said, "I feel like I'm in church. Could I
confess my sins as well?"
She spent a good fifteen minutes going over a litany of her
transgressions toward Bob. She acknowledged that everything between them
had soured the day of the accident that killed their daughter. Sue
explained that she had sought out a therapist and now knew that she had
suppressed the memory of being the reason Bob had to go to the store the
day that Sally died.