friday

Man is happily (and newly) married. Man has 2 children from a previous marriage. Man is happy as clam and enjoying life. Man pulls into gas station and sees old girlfriend in bad situiation, and rescues the damsel in distress.

You see, Man was seeing damsel in distress around the same time he started dating previous wife. Damsel got pregnant, and Man and Damsel made some idiotic agreement that no one would know man-damsel child was his, no visitation, no child support, end of story. Damsel married a sheriff and was happy, and Man married previous wife and had 2 beautiful children to whom he is a wonderful father.

Man is going on camping trip with friends and without new wife on night of Damsel's rescue. Man brings Damsel along. You see, Man can't help but wonder what happened to long lost man-damsel child. Curiosity always kills the cat, but some times cannot be avoided. The evening is innocent, the Man behaves in a gentlemanly manner (is gentlemanly a word?) and his intentions are good. Damsel is (assumedly - I know I would be) freaking out about all of this coming about after so long. You see, she has recently divorced Mr. Sheriff, and man-damsel child is with him. (I wonder if Mr. Sheriff thinks man-damsel child is his?) Damsel has a drink by the campfire. and another. and another. Soon a Jack Daniels bottle is empty, she has pissed herself, and Man and his friends are stuck literally carrying her drunken stumbling body to the bed in the back of Man's truck to sleep (and pee some more) (in the truck). Man sleeps for a while, drives Damsel home at 2am, and spends the wee hours of the morning in a laundry-mat washing Damsels urine from his bed. Man returns to camp depressed, wondering about his child, with no more answers than he started with, and goes through the rest of the weekend pretending none of it ever happened.

His pain is not transparent.