"Merry fuckin' Christmas," I said to myself as I walked across the parking lot and entered the bar

The Cork and Bottle was a neighborhood joint that had a reputation for attracting a rough crowd. I wasn't worried as I could give better than I got if it came to that. It was Christmas Eve, and a lot of the places I frequent were closed, this was the only place I saw that was opened.

I took a seat at the far end of the bar and placed a twenty on the scarred oak bar top. I ordered a shot of bourbon which I quickly downed and then ordered a double on the rocks with a splash of water. The place wasn't real crowded, only about a half a dozen couples and the jukebox was not at an earsplitting volume so I could be alone with my thoughts.

Just two months ago I was a happy camper. I had one of the hottest girlfriends any male could ask for; her name was Leann. Now she had joint custody of a son from a previous marriage, but he was a good kid and was no trouble. I probably spent more time at her apartment than I did my own. We shared many of the same likes and dislikes.

Besides her stunning looks, she was an excellent cook with a keen wit and a healthy dose of street smarts. It was what she could do in the bedroom that was beyond description and kept me coming back. My obsession and desire for her was such that I practically gave away a mint Harley Davidson to have money for the down payment on a house.

She wanted a house more than anything. She wanted a backyard and a garden, and I was anxious to grant her request. Now she was a little upset that I didn't list her as co-owner on the mortgage, but since we were not married, I saw no point in it. So to compensate, I gave her a free hand with decorating, and I was pleased with the results.

We were moved in and set up housekeeping by Halloween and life was good. As November arrived, we began having long talks about marriage and what it would entail, and I had no problems with any of it, that was until she talked about wanting more kids.

That was the deal breaker as I had never wanted kids. Now we had talked about this when we first met so it should have been no surprise to her. At first, she accepted my stance without argument; it didn't last very long. At first, there were subtle hints on the subject, then came the not too subtle.

She would crawl into bed dressed in one of the most provocative nighties I had ever seen. She begged me to forgo the protection and get her pregnant, I, of course, refused. Soon she began to bring the topic up more and more, and the discussions became louder and longer.

It was right before Thanksgiving that we had one long argument one evening in which she called me all manner of names. She then informed me that she was moving out and had contacted some former male friends to help her. If I was at home when they arrived, things could get ugly. It never came to that; she moved out when I was at work.

So now I was alone in an empty house with no stove or fridge and no Harley in the garage. I spent what was left of my savings to purchase some used appliances from family friends as I had donated all my thing when we hooked up. The second-hand store yielded pots, pans and a variety of mixing bowls along with plates and silverware.

I worked extra shifts and overtime to refill depleted bank account. Now I was in no mood to talk to anyone about what I was feeling. The friends that tried to get me to open up were sorry they did. I was in no mood to hear that everyone goes through or you'll find someone better.

I soon began to avoid my regular watering holes when I heard rumors that Leann had already found someone new. He wanted marriage, kids and he had money.

As I sat there with my thoughts, I saw him enter the bar, and I knew him.  He was Zeke; my former lady loves ex-husband. He stopped long enough to say something to the bartender and then headed toward me. As usual, his face was void of all emotion as he approached.

My defenses went on high alert when he took the stool next to me as he had a reputation for being violent, but if he started, he would regret it. The bartender appeared and poured us both shots of Crown Royal, the Cadillac of all liquor and then left the bottle on the bar. A shot glass was slid toward me, and then he raised his.

"Welcome to the club," he stated before quickly downed his shot.

"What club?" I asked after downing mine.

"Those who have given their hearts to Leann only to have it pulled from their chests and stepped on," he replied.

"I didn't know there was a club," I replied sarcastically.

"There is a lot you don't know. But as I am the club president it's my duty to welcome you."

"Why are you the president?" I asked.

"Cause I married her."

"So what don't I know?" I asked as my curiosity was now awake,

"Did she ever tell you why we got divorced?"

"Yeah. She said you were a drunk and smacked her around," I replied waiting for him to lose his cool.

"I only smacked her once; it was during one of our arguments. Her face was in mine, and her voice reached that shrill tone, and she became hysterical, I did it to make her stop. She never tells anyone that she responded by throwing a lamp at me and then tried to cave in my skull with a heavy glass ashtray."

Another shot was poured and downed.

"Things got so bad at home that I started hanging with my buddies after work. We shot pool and darts and downed a couple of beers. Soon I was ready to face whatever particular bug was up her butt that day, and I headed home. She would smell the alcohol on my breath and assume I was drunk."

Another shot was poured and downed.

"You never questioned your time in the bedroom? You never wondered how she knew all the things she knew about making love or her collection of erotic lingerie? Did you think that it was your skill as a lover that caused her to react the way she did?"

"I take it that it was not,"I replied.

"Nope. It's practice on her part. She has probably slept with more men than you want to know about. She was searching for the next sucker. I will guarantee she did it while you two were together and the arguments started," he replied.

"But you two had a kid together," I stated

"Because that's what she wanted and like you I was anxious to please," he answered.

"So why are you telling me all this?" I asked.

"Because of my son. He told me that you treated him well and played with him. The other men couldn't wait for his bedtime so they could be alone with his mom. It's also to prevent you from making the same mistake twice."

"Twice?"

"Yes, twice. Right now you are on the back of the burner status. She will call you out of the blue one day because she is lonely and thinking about you; she may even drop by just to say hello. If she sees the faintest flicker of interest, you're finished. She will know that if things go South, she has someone to fall back on. This time, she will beg you to marry her which of course you will. You will even go as far as to put her name on the title to the house, as soon as you do you're finished."

"Finished?"

"Yep. She will start her shit up again, and soon it will be more than you can handle and you will suggest a divorce. She will wind up with a house that you will pay for.."

"Did she take your house?" I questioned.

"Nope. I didn't have a house, I own a mobile home, and that's not what she wanted."

He glanced at his watch and pushed his shot glass away.

"OK, the meeting is over as I'm due to pick up my kid. I'm willing to bet that she told you I forget about my visitation days?"

"Yes she did,"

"I hate not seeing my son as I know how much he looks forward to our time together. However, between alimony and child support I am usually a little strapped for cash. So anytime I'm offered weekend shift I take it to earn some extra cash."

I sat there with my head reeling from all the information I had just received.

"Ok, one final piece of business. Do you have family?"

"Yes,"

"I'm willing to bet there is a party tonight at one of your relatives," he stated.

"Yes, there is," I answered.

"Then get out of here and join them. I've been where you are now, and it hurts, being with family and friends helps," he said before he exited the bar.

Less than a minute later, I also exited the bar and drove to my Uncle's house. The yearly Christmas party was just getting underway, and I was welcome and made to feel at home. I refused offers of alcohol and opted for ginger ale as I had enough drinking for one evening.

It was a little while later that one of my drunken cousins asked me where my pretty girlfriend was. This time I didn't get angry, and I told everyone there the whole sad story. I was amazed at the stories I heard in return; many had been through similar situations. I suddenly felt better and renewed and stayed until midnight and the arrival of Christmas day. As I hugged and kissed my relatives, I felt connected to the human race again.

I returned home and sadly noted that my house was the only one on the street without lights or sporting a Christmas tree in the front window.

"Next year," I said to myself.

I enjoyed Christmas dinner with my family, and I surprised everyone by refusing alcohol. I had done enough drinking over the past two months, and my liver needed a break. Christmas fell on a Sunday, and that meant we had Monday off and I looked forward to sleeping in and lounging around all day.

It was about 8:00 AM that a knocking at the door tore me away from the TV. I opened the door without peeking through the blinds and came face to face with Leann. She was in full makeup, and her hair was worn in a style I had always liked. She was clad in a short and tight mini skirt and knee high boots.

Her coat was unbuttoned, so I could see her ample chest straining against her blouse. She smiled when she saw where my eyes were affixed.

"So are you going to invite me in or just stand there staring at my tits?" she asked.

The info that Zeke had given me in the bar on Christmas Eve came rushing back.

"I can't."

"Why can't you? No one knows I'm her," she responded.

"I can't because my girl is sleeping. We were up late the last couple of nights, and she wanted to sleep in," I lied.

The smile left her face and was replaced by one of anger.

"Well pardon me for bothering you," she snapped and headed to her car.

Less than a second later the sound of a revving engine and peeling tires filled the morning air as she headed up the street.

"Maybe it's going to be a great year," I said to myself as I shut the door.
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