After Dad Left Chapter 9, part 1 of 2

After Dad Left
Chapter 9, part 1 of 2

From that point on, Robin and I spent most of our free time together at my house. Over the next few months, with Robin's help, we were able to finish the house. I had bought another bedroom set so I had a spare guest room, and in the third bedroom, I made an office for working from home.

I quickly told Belinda that Robin and I were spending a lot of time together. While she said she was slightly disappointed, she told me she was happy for me. On August the tenth, after Robin and I went to bed, she rolled over and kissed my neck.

"Tim, how do you feel about me?" Robin asked softly.

I rolled over to face her, pulling her close to me. She looked ready to cry, but I had no idea why. Things had been so good between us lately.

"I love you, Robin," I answered.

"You love me?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Of course, I love you. I have for quite a while now," I replied.

"I love you too," she answered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

For the next two months, Robin and I were inseparable. Even though Stan and Beverly Woods probably already knew about us, we broke the news to them together at dinner one night. They both seemed overjoyed and promised help with anything we may need going forward.

We were wrapping up another year at Butler, Land, and Reyes, approaching the end-of-year vacation period. I was already shopping for an engagement ring for Robin to give her for Christmas. My thought was to propose at her family's annual Christmas Eve party.

I forwarded the last of the financial statements for the year to Richard, Carlos, and Jeremy. They were highly pleased with the numbers, indicating a thirty-one percent financial gain from the previous year. The three knew about Robin and I dating but had no idea I would propose. I told them of my intentions but swore them to silence until after the first of the year. They were all glad to hear the news, especially Richard Butler.

About a week before Christmas, I notice a slight change in Robin's demeanor. I could not precisely put my finger on it, but she was a bit different. I picked up the engagement ring and hid it in the trunk of my car. She mentioned early in the week before Christmas that she had a lot of shopping. She also had to help her mom with the Christmas Eve party. She asked me if staying at her condo that week was OK, making it easier for her to run around town. Of course, I agreed. I knew how stressful the holidays could be sometimes. I also suspected someone mentioned to Robin that I would propose, although I wasn't sure.

We had the annual office Christmas party on the Wednesday before Christmas this year. Christmas was on a Saturday, and Robin's family party was on Friday night. Everyone was on the top floor of the building, and it was time for Richard Butler to make his annual speech.

In short, he congratulated everyone in the building on the best year Butler, Land, and Reyes had to date. He attributed this to the hard work my department had done and the effort all the other departments put forth. He announced that everyone's bonus would reflect the extra money the company made, which drew a loud round of applause. He promised that Carla Davenport would hand out the checks after one more announcement.

"Jeremy, Carlos, and I had a long meeting last week about how far we have come in the last few years. I took a chance on a young man still in school and put a tremendous workload on his shoulders. I put him in a position no man his age should ever be in. But every time, he came through. Tim, you're a great asset to this company, and the three of us can't tell you how grateful we are. But as Carlos said, we can show you. Effective the first day of the new year, Tim Williams is now an associate at Butler Land and Reyes," he announced.

There was a large round of applause, especially from the people on my floor. We had a great team, and we worked so well together. If one of us had a problem, we all pitched in and helped one another. I also received several stares from Nora Davis, Mark Berger, and a few other employees who had been there much longer than me and had never been named an associate.

Carla Davenport entered the room and handed out the yearly bonus checks. I was with most of my crew and Robin when Carla made our way over to us. She handed everyone a check and then walked up to me.

"Since it's Christmas, I need you to kiss me, you good-looking stud," Carla laughed.

"Uh, OK, I guess," I said, leaning forward.

I bent over and softly touched Carla's, kissing her gently. Carla put her left hand on my neck, pulling me into her mouth. The kiss lasted too long, and Carla's tongue brushed my lips several times. She finally let me go, causing the room to explode in laughter and applause.

"I'll expect that every year from now on when you get your check," she stated, walking away.

Before I left, I asked Robin if she could spend the night tonight or tomorrow. She said she would try to make it tomorrow night, but she still had a lot of things to do before Christmas.

The nights were lonely without Robin; she had become the center of my life. That Thursday night, as I lay in bed, I wondered if Robin was not ready to get married. We briefly skirted around the issue, but we never really talked about it seriously. Perhaps Robin was highly nervous about a massive change in life. Before proposing, I decided to take the ring with me to see how Robin reacted during the party. Robin had promised to meet me at the party, giving her more time to prepare.

I arrived about seven o'clock and went straight to the front door. I rang the doorbell, and Robin's sister Michelle opened the door. I could see from the look on her face that something wasn't right, but she invited me in. I followed her to the backyard, where I saw Stan and Beverly talking to another couple. As soon as Beverly Woods saw me, she started walking in my direction. She came right up to me, hugged me gently, and then stepped back.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Beverly stated, squeezing my hand.

"Why would you be surprised?" I asked, completely lost.

Just about that time, Stan Woods came walking up to me with a stoic look on his face. He extended his hand, shook mine, and then stepped back.

"I'm sorry about everything, Tim. It's not what I expected," he said, shaking his head.

"I think somebody needs to tell me exactly what is going on. I have no clue what either of you are talking about," I demanded.

Stan and Beverly both looked at each other like I was the stupidest mother fucker on the planet. Michelle's head was down, and her hands were folded together.

Beverly insisted, "Robin explained everything to us, Tim. She said that the two of you talked it out, and you both thought this was for the best."

"What exactly did we talk out? I'm still completely lost," I uttered.

"Jeff came back into town and told her he still loved her. You know they were together for almost five years. She admitted to you she still loved him, and you agreed to let her go," Beverly stated.

"Something is off here. I have no clue who Jeff is and never agreed to let Robin go anywhere. I hope you guys are not playing a sick joke here," I asked, filled with fear.

I could tell immediately they were not kidding, and there was a lot I didn't know about Robin. I was stunned; I did not know what to say.

"I have no clue what you're trying to tell me because this is the first time I have heard about any of this. I love Robin wholeheartedly and would never consider giving her up. I was going to ask Robin to marry me tonight," I insisted, pulling the ring box from my pocket and opening it.

At that point, Stan, Beverly, and Michelle Woods realized Robin had misled them in many ways. I am not sure how a broken heart was supposed to feel, but I am sure it was something like I thought at that moment. I felt empty and hollow inside, with my stomach tied in knots. I wanted to run to my car, but my feet would not move. I closed the box and placed it back in my pocket.

As I turned to walk away, Robin was walking around the side of the house and froze solid when she saw me. She put one hand over her mouth, then turned around and returned where she had come from.

I immediately knew I was going to be sick to my stomach. I turned and walked away quickly, almost running to my car. Before I could unlock the vehicle, I began throwing up in the grass. I heard Beverly running toward me, crying.

"Tim, please come back; it's all a mistake," she cried.

I got in the car and drove off quickly, going straight home. I undressed and got right into bed, trying hard to go to sleep. I could not get Robin's image out of my mind. We were to be married in one instance; a second later, she loved someone else. That did not seem possible.

But then, I remembered the subtle change in Robin right before Christmas. Then, it dawned on me that she was sleeping with him when I was alone. I refuse to believe that Robin would do that. I was sure there was an explanation for this.

I woke up Christmas morning around eight o'clock in the morning. I looked at my phone, but I had missed no calls. I started to call Robin but then put the phone down. Around ten that morning, Beverly Woods called and asked if I would speak to her for a minute. I agreed, and she began to try to tell me exactly what had happened. Several weeks before Christmas, Jeff Martin, Robin's high school sweetheart, moved back to town. They had dated all through high school and the first year of college. Then, Jeff took a job in Ohio, and they lost touch. He married, divorced within a few years, and recently moved back.

He contacted Robin, and she agreed to meet him. After spending several hours together, the embers turned into a fire, and they confessed their love. In Jeff's defense, Robin didn't tell him about me. He didn't know about me until last night, moments after I left. Beverly Woods asked me to be patient with Robin, and she felt shocked to see Jeff after so long, which confused her. Beverly admitted that she couldn't begin to understand how I felt but felt that Robin would come to her senses after a bit of time.

I told Beverly I appreciated her calling me, but I had a lot of thinking to do for now. I admitted that I was unsure if I wanted to be back in the relationship with Robin. She said she understood, and we wished each other a Merry Christmas.

While having some time, I once again did a financial audit on myself. With my ninety thousand dollars bonus this year, my savings were back up to one hundred forty-two thousand dollars. That was after using one hundred fifty thousand dollars as a down payment on the house. My checking account stood at eighteen thousand five hundred dollars. I had another six thousand in a shoe box at the top of my closet. My 401K stood at about sixty-six thousand. Mr. Butler also advised me that my salary would increase since being named an associate.

Since I would have a lot of free time on my hands during the next two weeks, I decided to hit the gym hard again. The day after Christmas, I loaded up several gifts I had bought for Robin, and on the way to the gym, I stopped by her parents' home and dropped them off. Stan Woods answered the door; thankfully, Robin's car was not there.

"Tim, I guess asking how you are would be silly, huh?" he admitted.

"It's OK, Stan. Would you please see if Robin gets these?" I replied, handing him the packages.

"Tim, I don't know what to say; I'm so angry at her right now," he advised me.

"Well, I honestly don't know what to feel. I wish she had told me a few weeks before. It would still hurt, but at least she would have been honest with me. I felt like a complete fool at your party," I replied.

"I understand, son. I'll make sure she gets these," he said, shaking my hand.

I laid around the house for the next two weeks and worked out like a madman. I dreaded returning to work because I would see Robin around the building sooner or later. But then again, if the building lived up to its hype' everyone would know the situation quickly anyway.

The time off passed rapidly, and I arrived at work early the first morning. I was behind my desk when Richard Butler appeared in my office's doorway.

"So, how does it feel to be engaged?" he laughed.

I motioned for him to come in and close the door. He did so and sat in one of the chairs facing the desk. I told him everything that happened at the Christmas Eve party at Robin's parent's house.

"Tim, I don't know what to say. I never pictured Robin as that kind of woman," he said, shaking his head.

"Maybe it's for the best, sir. Better find out now than later, right?" I asked.

"Yes, I guess so. Have you even talked to Robin since Christmas Eve?" he asked.

"No sir, I haven't. But trust me, I will avoid her here and promise you it will not become a problem inside the company," I assured him.

"Tim, I trust you completely. I know you would never do anything to harm this firm.", he said, getting up and walking out.

During the first week back at work, we were swamped finishing the prior year and opening the new year. I had corporate returns beginning to come in and would be extremely busy until the middle of April. By some of the looks I was getting on different floors, I was sure something had gotten out of Robin and me. No one on my floor seemed different, so maybe it was just my imagination.

I arrived before seven in the morning and stayed until after six o'clock in the evening. Somehow, in a month and a half, I could avoid Robin altogether. I had not heard a word from Stan or Beverly Woods; I assumed Robin was happy with Jeff.

Around the end of February, I was still in my office when Belinda came in to tell me she was leaving. She stuck her head inside the door, which was customary day after day.

"Hey, boss, I'm out of here," she waved.

"OK, Belinda, be careful," I replied.

"Tim, are you all right? You're working eleven- to twelve-hour days. There's not much time to spend with Robin," she asked.

"Between you and me, I'm not with Robin anymore," I replied, not looking up from my work.

"What the fuck? When did this happen?" she asked, coming over and sitting down.

"Christmas Eve night," I replied.

Knowing I would have to explain the entire story, I did just that. I told Belinda everything, including that I had the ring in my pocket. I told her I had not seen Robin since that night and had not communicated with her. I asked her to keep this information to herself for now. She agreed and left me to my work.

We worked hard until the middle of April when things finally started slowing down. I made an appointment with Jacque at Porter's to fit me with new shirts. My arms, shoulders, and chest have grown since pounding hard at the gym for three months. He took me immediately, measured me, and ordered twenty new shirts. Thankfully, my pants and jackets still fit well enough for now. I did have him alter two new suits for me, one black and one brown.

Right around the end of April, I did see Robin in the parking garage. She didn't see me as she was getting into her car. She looked beautiful as ever but had a look on her face I can't describe. Thankfully, she pulled out without seeing me.

My old apartment was extremely close to Robin's condo. But since I had bought the house, I was in North Dallas, very close to her parent's home. I used the gym about five miles from home, which was very convenient. I arrived at the gym around six thirty, a great time because the evening crowd had already been through. I was getting a lot of stares from the women, but I kept to myself and wore headphones to avoid talking to people. I had just laid down on the bench press station when I felt something slap my right shoe. I leaned slightly and was shocked to see Michelle Woods, Robin's younger sister. I took off my headphones and sat up in total surprise.

"Hey stranger, how are you?" Michelle asked, hugging me quickly.

"I'm fine, Michelle," I replied.

"You certainly are." Michelle giggled, looking me up and down.

"You work out here?" I asked.

"Just started about a week ago. This is all new to me, though; I have no direction," she admitted.

"What are you looking to do?', I asked.

"I want bigger thighs, bigger calves, bigger arms and tight boobs," she giggled.

"Do you have a set time to come here?" I asked.

"Anytime, really," she said.

"Well, I can arrive a bit earlier, say six o'clock. If you want to meet me, we can work out together, and I can show you the ropes.", I offered.

"That would be great. Have you started yet?" she asked.

"No, jump on in," I offered.

I explained to Michelle that I alternated body parts daily. I would work my legs and do cardio one day, then chest, shoulder, and arms another. Then, I would return with the back and cardio a third day. Then, I would take the next day off, rest, and repeat the cycle. She agreed, so we jumped right into chest exercises.

Michelle was perhaps five foot six inches tall and weighed maybe one hundred thirty-five pounds. She was considerably shorter than Robin but every bit as beautiful. Then again, I had never seen Michelle in expensive clothes or makeup. So, I had no idea of her true beauty.

Michelle was also considerably more robust than she looked. She exceeded every weight that I started her at. She was also a hard worker to strive to meet every goal I set for her. We called it quits after an hour and a half of pushing her to the limit. We both went down and showered and then I met her at the juice bar. I bought two large protein vanilla shakes, and we sat at one of the tables and made plans for our future workouts. After about fifteen minutes, the inevitable came up.

"Tim, I'm sorry for what Robin did to you. That fucking bitch is pure evil," Michelle stated.

"Tell me how you feel about your sister." I laughed.

"Oh, Tim, you have no idea," she replied.

Michelle began to tell me her experiences with Robin as they grew up together. Robin was Beverly Woods's firstborn and the apple of her eye. Michelle was close to my age, with only four months separating us. I was about to be twenty-six, and Michelle had just turned twenty-six a month ago.

Michelle told me about Robin and Jeff's courtship while they were in high. Michelle couldn't count the times they broke up. Jeff would see another girl, or Robin would know another guy. After a few months, they would get back together as if nothing had ever happened. When Michelle was a high school senior, Robin slept with a guy Michelle was dating. Michelle admitted it was simply because Robin could. Supposedly, she and Jeff were together at the time.

"Robin will use her looks to intentionally fuck with you," Michelle admitted.

Michelle went on to tell me about how many fights the two of them had growing up. Just about every time, Beverly Woods would take Robin's side in the argument. Robin lied about everything, making Michelle look like the bad guy. Eventually, Michelle got extremely close to her father, Stan Woods. At that point, she confided in her father only and isolated Robin and her mother. I had to admit to Michelle that I had never seen this side of Robin.

"Yes, you did. The night you were going to ask her to marry you. She showed up to the party with Jeff. How the fuck was she going to explain that to you? You're a great guy, and she's an evil bitch," Michelle stated.

For the next six months, Michelle and I worked out religiously. I wanted to maintain what I had and help Michelle achieve her goals. In just six months, Michelle had first lost almost all her body fat and replaced it with pure muscle. The diameter of her thighs had increased nearly four inches, and her calves practically two and a half. She had put two inches on her arms and took three inches off her waist. But her favorite accomplishment was her boobs, as she joked. She loved that they stood straight out.

We were wrapping up one Friday night when Michelle invited me out to dinner for all the help I had given her. Since I had been alone for so long, I quickly agreed. We both showered and met in the lobby. I was blown away when Michelle came out of the women's dressing room. She wore tight jeans, black boots, and a woman's under-armor shirt that hugged her body like a glove. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail and even put on some makeup. She was beautiful beyond belief.

We met at a local steak house, where we parked in the parking lot. As the hostess walked us through the restaurant to our table, every man's eyes were on Michelle. We both sat down, and the hostess left our menus for us to order.

Michelle and I had become excellent friends over the last few months. She was straightforward and never took anything personally. She was also beyond funny, making me laugh the entire time I was around her. And not once did anything sexual arise between us.

"Does anyone in your family know we are working out together?" I asked.

"Nope, none of their business," Michelle replied, taking a bite of her salad.

"I was just wondering," I replied.

"You want me to tell Robin I stole her, man?" Michelle giggled.

"Uh, No," I replied, causing Michelle to laugh uncontrollably.

"Trust me, nothing would give me more pleasure," Michelle giggled.

We finished dinner and said goodbye in the parking lot. Michelle gave me her customary hug, which lasted longer than usual. She broke free and waved goodbye to me. I had a birthday and turned twenty-six with no fanfare. Michelle and I were still killing it nightly in the gym. Michelle had been working hard on her mid-section. The results showed up in a tiny waist and firm stomach. Michelle commented that even Robin had complimented her new look.

We were approaching another year's end at Butler, Land, and Reyes. I had done well financially this year, and my salary was boosted to forty-four hundred dollars a week. I now had over two hundred twenty thousand dollars in my savings account and almost one hundred thousand dollars in my checking account. I had fifteen thousand dollars in my closet in the shoebox. My 401K had grown to nearly one hundred thousand dollars. I was debt-free except for my mortgage and utilities. I was expecting another extensive bonus check in several weeks.

I dreaded the Christmas party this year because I would be in Robin's room for several hours. I decided to be the bigger person and do my best to be cordial with her. Thankfully, the party went well, and I talked to Robin for about fifteen minutes. I put my best foot forward, and we discussed how well the firm was doing. She even invited me to the Christmas Eve party at her parent's home. She told me both her mother and father would ask about me from time to time. I told her I would consider it but knew I wouldn't attend.

Michelle and I scheduled our last workout after Christmas on December the twenty-third. We finished and would meet at the juice bar, which had become our tradition. We were finishing our protein shakes when Michelle looked at me curiously.

Michelle asked, "Hey, why don't you be my date at the party tomorrow night?"


To be continued