Chapter Two

Travis attempts to deal with the devastating news that Andrea has cheated on him.

Neither Andrea nor the man involved with her notice they are being watched as they are very busy in their activities. Travis is stunned. However, after a painful moment, Travis puts his head down and leaves. He doesn’t know where to go While sitting in his car outside he starts thinking, “How can she do this to me?”, and “What in the hell is she thinking?.” Indeed Travis and Andrea have been living together for almost three years, and to his knowledge she has never been with anyone else. Nor has he. Travis starts to wonder, “How long has this thing been going on? Does Andrea love this guy?”And, finally and most importantly “What does this mean for little Taylor?” Taylor will be getting off the bus in about two hours right near their home. Travis worries about what he should do about her. “Are Andrea and this guy going to still be having sex when Taylor comes home?” Just then Travis sees the front door open slowly and both Andrea and her new man stand in the doorway in an embrace. Travis thinks that the man with her seems a little young. Andrea is twenty seven, and this guy looks to be at least five years younger. Travis then decides he needs to get going as Andrea is probably just dismissing her lover and he doesn’t want to be seen outside.   Travis finally pulls away without being noticed. He feels a pain in his heart and deep shame. He can't believe this is happening. “I was thinking of asking Andrea to marry me!”   Travis drives around aimlessly for about an hour before deciding to stop at JP Mulligan’s Bar and Restaurant on the other side of Dunlap. JP’s is a popular hangout located on Carpenter Street and caters to the young adult crowd and occasionally features live rock bands. Travis has been a fairly regular patron of JP's over the past many years. JP's is also a good place to go at Happy Hour for employees who want to let off a little steam after work. As he was sits in his truck in the parking lot of the bar, Travis thinks, “Where am I going to go to sleep tonight? I sure as hell don't want to go back home with Andrea there. I might kill her!” Travis starts thinking of different pals that he knows like Kevin who might have an extra room for the night, or for even a longer period of time. “And then, I have all my stuff back at the house. How do I get it?”   Travis really didn’t want to compound his problems tonight by going into the bar and spending a lot of money getting drunk. That will only make me feel worse. And then the accompanying headache afterward wouldn’t help either! Before driving out of the parking lot, Travis realizes something. Inside the bar toward the side wall there is a coin operated computer. For only four quarters you can get online. Travis decides he wants to do a search. He wants to search for Jolleen's address. He finds it right away. Jolleen Schnieder 103 Hoboken Way #2e, Deerside, Michigan.   He doesn't know if he has the courage to actually go to her door and talk to her this evening, but who knows? Maybe she will out walking the dog and I could casually and innocently strike up a conversation with her. Travis leaves the bar quickly. As Travis makes his way to his pickup truck he starts to forget the reason why he went to JP Mulligan’s in the first place. He is starting to feel a purpose, perhaps a little devilish, and he likes that feeling right now. He wants to forget his troubles for a while.   Travis doesn't realize this, but he left JP's without his wallet. He left it next to the computer.