Frank's POV (October 2012)
"Tina, you need to tell me right now. Is that baby you're carrying, my son?"
"Frank, I told you, he's yours."
"Then let me see the results of the paternity test. If he's mine, then you should have no problem letting me see it."
She tosses the paper at me, and I pick it up. I read it over four times. Not a biological match. He is not my son. I feel the anger coursing through my body. Who the hell did she fuck behind my back?
"What is the meaning of this? Whose child is that?" I ask her, yelling at her for the first time since I met her.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know? How many men have your spread your legs for?"
"Many, Frank. I'm a young woman, not an old hag; I can't sit home every weekend by myself. I went out with my girlfriends to bars and clubs, I hooked up with men in hotels as one night stands. I didn't mean to get pregnant. I also took my birth control religiously, I always insisted that any man but you wear a condom. I don't really understand when or how I became pregnant. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to deceive you."
"You little whore. I gave you a house, a car, paid for everything you needed, and you betray me by giving your body to any man walking? I told you when we started our arrangement fifteen years ago that you are MY property. Even though we weren't married, I expected you to respect and honor me as if I were your husband. You did not do that. You need to pack your bags and leave now. I will no longer support you or that bastard you're carrying."
Tina looked at me, then started to laugh. "Frank, you got that wrong. YOU need to back your bags and leave. I own this house since you put the house in my name, along with the car and the bank accounts. Remember, you were afraid that your daughters would come after your money, so you insisted that everything is placed in my name. You have nothing. I don't plan on giving you anything, either. Thanks to your generosity, I have more than enough money to raise this child and support myself. I don't need you, so I expect you to be out of here by six. That gives you two hours to pack. I'll be returning with the Sheriff, so make sure you aren't here unless you want to spend the night in jail."
With that, Tina walked out of the front door. I hear her pull out of the driveway in the brand new Cadillac SUV that I purchased for her. How did my life get so fucked up? I sit down on the couch, contemplating everything that happened since January.
It all started when Valerie started dating that thug, Victor. She was secretive, started talking about going back to school, about not getting married again. I know Ellen was upset. Then, my idiotic ex-wife had to read that disgusting book to Mary Alice's class. It made my life hell. When Richard Orr was arrested, though, everything started to collapse. Richard was always one of my closest friends, and I support him wholeheartedly. I know he didn't do anything wrong, and in time, everyone else will see that. But, until then, I'm a reject. I was kicked out of the lodge, and I lost my job at the cab company. When Tina told me two months ago that she was pregnant, I thought my life was turning around. I took that opportunity to leave Trenton for good, moving to South Carolina in September, where I always wanted to live.
I purchased a beautiful, new home in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. I didn't have to do the lawn or other garden work. I was able to live a life of leisure. Sex with Tina has gotten so much better, with her pregnancy making her insatiable. Thank God for the little blue pill. When that thug called to inform me that Ellen died and I wasn't welcome at the funeral, I was furious. How dare he keep me from adequately mourning Ellen, like a good husband was supposed to. I told him I would be there. Then he informed me that if I showed up, he would make sure that the Burg knew about Tina, how I started to fuck her when she was twenty. Then, he told me he knew about Patricia. That's when I decided it was time to high-tail it out of Jersey. Patricia was my first mistress. I met her two days after Ellen's miscarriage. I was walking along the boardwalk on Point Pleasant when I saw three thugs trying to hassle her. I got the boys to move along, then I made sure she was okay. We got along well, and I decided to stay there for the weekend. The next day, we spent the day together on the beach. That night, I took her out to dinner. After dinner, I brought her back to my room. That night, I fucked her. I found out she was a virgin, which was perfect since I knew she'd listen when I told her that having anal sex first made it hurt less. It was only after she fell asleep that night when I went through her purse to get her address that I saw her driver's license. She was only sixteen.
I gave her alcohol that night before, and she was still passed out. I carried her out of the room serendipitously and left her under the boardwalk. I checked out of the room at seven that morning and drove home. I initially felt guilty about cheating on Ellen. Still, after three months of her refusing me, I started to seek companionship elsewhere. Two days later, I saw a story on the news about a sixteen-year-old girl who was found dead at Point Pleasant. She died from asphyxiation, she vomited and choked on it. The girl was Patricia. They were looking for a man who she was seen with the night before. They never found me. Fortunately, it was in the days before DNA testing. After that, I was much more cautious about my liaisons. How that bastard Ranger found out is beyond me.
Before I left Trenton, I heard that Valerie had married that thug and that he planned on adopting Angie and Mary Alice if their father consented. Screw her. She's no daughter of mine. I glance at my watch, seeing that forty-five minutes have already elapsed. I don't doubt that Tina will be back with the Sheriff. I quickly make my way to our bedroom, packing my suitcases once again. At least I don't have much here with me.
While packing, I think back on the letter that arrived four weeks ago. It was postmarked from Boston. Inside were pictures of Tina with various men. A message typed on a generic white computer paper taunted me to determine if the baby was mine. That's what prompted the paternity test. If that kid were mine, I would let the cheating slide, for now, but I would address it after the baby arrived, with my name on his birth certificate. Since he isn't, I had to confront Tina about it now. I won't be made a fool.
Where do I go? I can't go back to Trenton, I'd be the laughing stock. I don't want to stay here. I check my secret account, seeing that I have a million dollars there. Maybe it's time I move back to Italy. I check my watch once again, noting that I have twenty minutes, which should be enough to secure a plane ticket. I log onto her computer, going into incognito mode. I purchase my one-way ticket, printing the confirmation. I close the browser, making sure that I clear the history. I call a cab to pick me up for an airport run. Before I leave, though, I check the camera in our bedroom to make sure it is still recording. That bitch destroyed my life, so I'll ruin hers. I have hours of video of our trysts recorded to hold me over until I get another puttana. Still, I think a leaked sex-tape could be enough to implode her life as she did mine. I'm standing outside with my suitcase when she arrives home.
"I thought I told you to be gone. I guess I'm going to have to call the Sheriff."
"Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm waiting for my cab. Once it gets here, I'm gone." About a minute later, the cab arrives. I get in without a backward glance. If only I didn't sign the house over to Val and Steph, I'd have more money. Fuck my life. Why me?
