Chapter 26 - To The Fire

To The Fire

Once back upstairs in the guest room, I sat on the bed. Head in hands thinking over the events that Jess had endured because of Dot.

Fuck I was still struggling coming to terms with what she had done to me while I slept.
Questions kept jumping into my mind, wasn't what Dot done counter to rape? what should I do?, did I report Dot to the cops?, although would I want that to become public knowledge knowing the press they would find out by some source close to me, yada yada, no, I couldn't report this to the authorities, I had to deal with this myself, just as to how I had to think on.

Getting myself together, and off the bed I grabbed my knapsack and headed down the hallway to Jessie's room.
Knocking on his door I popped my head around the door to check he was ready,
"Yo Bud, you ready? "
"Sure pop, let me go get Steph and Jakey, meet ya downstairs in 5?"
"right"
Walking back along the hallway to go downstairs, my cell phone was ringing.
" Yo talk to me," yep ten minutes, bye."
Richie was ten minutes away with my SUV. I had rang Richie after speaking with my Mom and asked him to head over and collect the SUV and bring it to Dots so I could take the kids out for a couple of hours.
Walking through the lobby, Dot came out of the kitchen, "Jon?"
I blanked her and walked to my car. I wanted  nothing to do with my ex wife. In the pit of my stomach I was repulsed by her actions I felt physically sick.
"Jon, fuck will you listen to me?" catching up with me she grabbed my arm. I turned round to look at her.
"Dot, please leave me alone. Go back inside, there is nothing more that we can say to each other, ok.  I am taking the kids out. I will bring them back later."
"Jon, I need to make you understand."
"understand what? Dot you raped me."
"I didn't rape you?, stop exaggerating,Tuh"
"You played around with my dick while I slept, what would you call it?"
"I was trying to wake you in the most romantic way I could, I told you, I wanted you, I wanted to feel you again.... fuck we used to be married.... was it so wrong of me to fancy you and want you again?"
"If I had been awake and in control of my body maybe, but I wasn't and that amounts to rape."
"stop using that word its not rape."
"It was RAPE"
"You cannot rape a man, especially if they have an ardour, and my sweet you had an ardour, so whatever you want to say, you may not have been awake and functioning, but your dick was."
"Women you are fucking deranged, you need fucking help, serious help, you fucking well think because you succeeded in making my dick hard that I wanted you?, I was asleep,  you are fucking crazy; why the fuck did I play around on you when we were married eh? have you ever asked yourself that question?, well?"
"no I didn't ask why because I never deserved that Jon...I..."
"Its all about you aint it? eh, well let me tell ya this sweetheart, I played around on you after coming home one time and seeing you in the boat house fucking your karate instructor, yeah, you thought your affair was secret?, well it fucking wasn't, yeah I knew, you broke me, from that point on the gloves were off and yeah I played the field and I had a fucking good time."
my body was tense with the anger that had risen inside of me. Pushing Dot away I walked over to the kids coming out of the house, breathing deep to calm down, I prayed to god they had not heard any of the conversation, Dot just stood staring at a loss for words.

looking along the drive I could see Richie turn in with the SUV.
"So kids, what's up first?"
From behind me Dorothea spoke.
"Jon, we can't leave it like this, please can we go inside, five minutes that's all I am asking."
I wasn't about to upset the kids so, I agreed while they stood chatting to Richie I would give Dot her five minutes.
Walking back into the house, and across to the office. Inside I closed the door.
"What now?"
"I'm sorry about my affair, I never meant to hurt you, it kinda just happened..."
"Whoa, hang on, you brought me in here to talk about your affair and the hurt?"
"Well, I....."
"No, stop already, what happened in the past is over, I don't care anymore, it hurt at the time, not now, Dot what I am fucking concerned about is that my kids saw what you did to me, has that even fucking sunk in with you?"
"But that's life, its normal for parents to be intimate..."
"What?, ok, I've heard enough... I'm outta here..."
Dot moved across the office to block the doorway and stop me leaving. I grabbed her arm to move her, and the next thing I know I am on the floor and she is sitting on top of me.
"Get the fuck off me women, what are you doing."
leaning forward my ex wife moved forward to kiss me, trying to part my lips with her tongue.
every sense in my body revolted at her touch, I drained my body for every ounce of strength I had and threw her from me, getting up I left the office and headed back outside to my kids and Richie.
"Yo man, good to see ya, hey what's the cut on your neck your bleeding bro" putting my hand to my neck, I felt the warm trickle of blood, "It's nothing,"
"Really it don't look nothing, but I'll not dig. so you driving the kids in the SUV right and I am driving the vette back to your pad eh?"
"Yeah, you ok with that bro?"
"Sure, maybe then you can tell me what the fuck is going on eh?"
"Sure, lets get things rolling eh."
turning to look at Jessie I motioned for him, steph  and Jake to get into the SUV.
Giving Richie a hug I climbed into the drivers side and started the engine, pulling off down the drive I watched Richie get in the vette and follow behind.

I drove listening to the kids play fighting and chatting in back.  somehow it made the day seem normal. I was able to put to the back of my mind what Dot had done and again tried to do to me in the office. unconsciously I kept putting my hand to my neck, the cut was deeper than I thought as it was still oozing.
"Dad, you ok?, what happened back at mom's?"
"nothing sweetheart, I must have caught myself on mom's ring as I said goodbye." I hated lying to my kids but what choice did I have.
I caught Jessie looking at me as I spoke to Steph. As we held eye contact, he shook his head and turned to look out of the window.
"it looks pretty deep dad" reaching into her purse, Steph brought out a linen handkerchief, she handed it too me to place on the cut to stem the blood flow.
"So dad, where are we going after we drop uncle Richie off?" "Anywhere you want, so what do you kids want to do?"
Excited cries called out....
"movie," "Shopping" and then "just spend time with you pop" then all three said, yeah just spend some time with you. We miss ya dad."
swallowing hard, I looked at my babies and decided today it would be us, just us,  my house and a trip on my  boat. I would get some food for us and maybe Richie would wanna join us too. yep! I think I had it planned and sorted.
"Ok, guys you got it. so how would ya feel about asking Uncle Richie to join us?"
"Yeah, all three voices chorused together."
"Ok, who wants to ask him?"
"We all will, he can't refuse then." Steph was looking at me through the rear view with a saucy look on her face."
"Stephanie Rose BonGiovi, have you got the hots for your ol uncle Richie?"
"Daaadddddddd," no more needed to be said as her colour told the story. I just chuckled quietly to myself. What it was to have an innocent crush.
The banter started again in the back, "Ewww Steph, you fancy someone old enough to be your dad, gross"
"Guys, ok, c'mon stop embarrassing your sister."
" but pop,"
"But nothing Jessie James, stop already."
"Sorry Pop."
indicating at the next junction and with Richie still behind, 100 yards along I pulled into my drive.
I would spend the next 4 hours with my kids and best friend before having to hit back to cold reality and see my beautiful Mara. I needed to make a couple of calls but I was sure it would all be good.

Once out of the car the kids stood fighting as Richie pulled up too, getting outta the car Steph rand over and asked him if he wanted to join us on the boat. Richie looked across at me.
"You ok with that Jon?"
"Sure, it was my idea, that is if ya aint got anything else planned."
"nah, I was just gonna run through some songs I am working on, but its nothing that cant wait. I'd love to join ya all."  
Moving us all inside the house I went into the bathroom and tended to the cut on my neck. from the look of it, when I pushed Dot off me she had dug her finger nails into my neck and ripped the skin.  the blood had stopped flowing and with iodine and a band aid I was good to go! and yeah it hurt like fuck!

I made my phone call to my mom and spoke to Mara, she sounded so much brighter. with the promise I would see her later, and thanking my mom, I  was good to go.

First stop would be to the grocery store for food, after years of not being able to see  my kids, finally I could. Looking at Richie; It sunk in he was my best friend, and right now I needed him more than I cared to admit.
Shutting the door to my house, all of us in the SUV I started the engine and we set off for the store and the harbour.