“A wife finds her husband’s secret diary and is shocked to find he’s led a double life.”
TROUBLE
© 2003 by Mae Ondracek
Beth was cleaning house before the
winter months came and she was getting very tired out. She was glad the bedroom was the last room to
clean.
Beth cleaned
her closet and thought, ‘Well, it does
look better with all those dust balls up off the floor.’
Then she proceeded to clean Bert’s
closet. She vacuumed real well in there
because it was a mess. She was almost
finished when she stood up too soon and bumped her head on the shelf. As she
stood, rubbing the bumped spot, Beth saw a small book that had slipped down
part ways at the back of the shelf. She
reached up but couldn’t get the book, so she got the computer chair and took
the book down. As Beth looked at the
book, she knew instantly it wasn’t hers and she never seen it before. Wondering why it was up on Bert’s closet
shelf, Beth opened it and read, “Memories of Bert Olif—Started 10/02/2003”
Beth looked at
the clock and saw it was
She turned to
the first page and read, “It is a beautiful day and I detest the job I have to
do. Beth would kill me if she found out
what my job really is. I hate to keep
her in the dark but I do not want to see her get hurt.”
Beth read most
of the diary and completely and forgot about the time. She suddenly heard the front door open and
she slammed the book shut, had it on the shelf, and Bert’s closet door shut
just as he called out, “Beth, where are you?
I’m home.”
Beth came out
of the bedroom, saying, “Oh, my gosh. I
didn’t think it was so late. I’ve been
house cleaning. I’ll start dinner right
away,” and she gave him a kiss on the cheek as she hurried into the kitchen.
Beth kept
thinking about the book and wondering, was it just a story Bert was writing or
did he actually do those things?
Beth jumped as
Bert touched her arm and said, “Hey! Why
so touchy this evening? That sure smells
good.”
Beth mumbled,
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired out
from cleaning house. I had just finished
my closet and was going to start on your side and then I’d be finished. It will be a relief to have it all finished.”
“How soon will
dinner be ready? I’ll take a shower and
change into something more comfortable.”
“Give me half
an hour and it will be on the table.”
“Half an
hour? I can really take a good long
shower this time. Be out at
He grabbed
Beth and swung her around, then gave her a big kiss as he stood her back on the
floor, saying, “Remember, on the table at
“Yes, yes,”
Beth cried, “It will be on the table at
She turned to
the stew and her eyes clouded as she thought that Bert was just writing a
story. She would see what he had written
for tonight, then she would have to ask him about the diary.
Beth quickly
set the table and had the stew in the center of the table just as Bert came
into the kitchen, “Oh, Boy! Does that
ever smell good. You are a real great
cook, Beth. I’m glad I married you.”
“Thanks, Bert,”
was all Beth could say.
They ate in
silence and then Beth got up to start cleaning away the dishes but Bert grabbed
her arm and said, “Please sit here for awhile.
We have something to talk about,” and he reached behind himself and
pulled out the diary.
“I see you
found my diary and have read some of it.
Hope you weren’t too disappointed in what you read.”
“I’m…I’m sorry
about finding the book, but when I was vacuuming in your closet, I hit my head
on your shelf and the book fell part way behind the shelf. I couldn’t help but wonder what you were
doing with such a book and of course I had to see what you had written.”
Tears were
running down her cheeks and she blew her nose, “I’m sorry, Bert. I am hoping you are writing a book and didn’t
want me to see it, yet? Are you?”
“No,
Beth. This is real stuff and I hate
doing it. I wish you hadn’t found it,
yet, because the job will be over in another week and then I can turn in my
book and forget all about this assignment.”
Beth was
overcome with crying and couldn’t answer.
She wiped her eyes and blew her nose, then said, “I’m…I’m sorry,
Bert. What happens to me now?”
“What happens
to you? What do you mean?”
“I mean, do
you have to get rid of me because I read part of this?” Beth asked.
“Get rid of
you because you’ve read part of this?”
Bert got up and knelt beside Beth, “I told you, I’m glad I married you
and I meant it. I don’t want anything
happening to you,” and he held her tight.
“Did…did you
find that bad guy?”
Bert stroked
her hair and answered, “Yes, and he lives right here in town. We’ve looked all over the country for him and
he lives right here in our town. Right
here in
Bert stood up
and pulled Beth to her feet, “I’m sorry about finding the book, but it is a
relief not having to deceive you anymore,” and he held her close.
Beth’s sobs
subsided and Bert held her away from him, “Now, darling, let’s do these
dishes.”
Beth gave a
few small giggles and asked, “Bert, you want to help with the dishes?”
“I sure
do. Then we’ll talk some more about my
job.”
After dishes
were finished and everything was put away, Bert took Beth’s hand and said, “Now
we will go to the bedroom. I want to
show you something,” and he led the way.
After sitting
Beth on the bed, he walked to his closet and it seemed like he was trying to
pick the wall apart with his nails. Beth
said, “My gosh, Bert. Wouldn’t it be
better to…” and she stopped just as a board came off
She gasped and
asked, “When did you do that?”
Bert took out
a small box and sat on the bed beside her.
“Remember the day you went shopping with Mary Ann? That is the day I did that. I had to keep this stuff hidden until
needed,” and he opened the box.
Beth couldn’t
believe her eyes, “Why would you need that kind of stuff? I don’t get it.”
Bert walked
over and pulled down the window shade, then switched on the light, “You see,
Beth, this is a terrible job and the police don’t want me to be seen in real
life. Here, I’ll put it on and see what
you think. Now close your eyes.”
Beth closed
her eyes and wondered what Bert would look like. Then she heard, “O.K. Beth. What do you think?”
Beth jumped
off the bed and backed away crying, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
Who are you? Where’s Bert?” and
she started crying again.
Bert whipped
off the wig, mustache, and spectacles.
He grabbed Beth’s arms and said, “Beth!
Beth! It is me, I’m Bert, can’t
you see, it’s me?”
Beth wiped her
eyes and looked at Bert. She flung her
arms around his neck and cried a long time while he held her and stroked her
hair, saying, “Don’t cry, honey. It will
be over soon and then we’ll burn all this stuff. I promise.
I love you, Beth. Please don’t
cry anymore.”
After Beth
stopped crying, she said, “I’m sorry, Bert.
This has been a bad day for me.
You didn’t look anything like yourself and it scared me to think someone
else had come in and made you go away.
I’ll be glad when this is over.
“Oh, Bert, I love you so much,” and she wrapped her arms around his
neck.
They stood
like that for a long time, rocking back and forth, as Beth’s voice quieted
down. When she stopped crying, Beth
slipped her arms down to Bert’s chest, looked into his eyes and asked, “Will
you have to wear that…that stuff when you all go for him?”
“Yes, dear, I
will. You didn’t recognize me and I’m
sure no one else will, either. Now I
better put this away. Then we’ll go to
bed. I’m really sorry I scared you.”
“I understand,
Bert,” Beth said. “But can’t they get
someone else to point him out? Why
you? Why my Bert?’
“I am sorry
but I was the only one that saw who it was that knocked that poor woman out and
stole her purse. I couldn’t take care of
both of them, so I had to take care of the old woman. She cried and cried when I told her the guy
had gotten away with her purse. Then she
started to laugh, and said, “Boy, will he be mad. I put the money in my bra, so if anyone stole
my purse, I’d still, I’d still have my money for my house payment. Please take me to the police station so I can
have an order put out on that guy.” So I
asked her what she meant by “an order” and she said, “I want him arrested.” So, now I’ve been working with the police all
this time trying to find this guy and finally we found him. Within a week, everything will be over with
and yes, I’ll be glad, too,” and he gave Beth a big kiss.
Then he handed
her the book and said, “Do you want to read the rest of the story while I get
ready for bed?”
Beth pushed
the book away and said, “No! Oh,
no! I’ve had all I want of that
story. Just hurry to bed and hold me
tight.”
Bert hurried
to bed and they lay talking about anything they could think of, besides the
book. Suddenly Bert sat up in bed,
saying, “Oh, my gosh! What time is it?”
Beth looked at
the bedside clock and said, “It’s only
Bert gave a
whistle and said, “Wow! Only ten minutes
late. I was supposed to call the leader
at nine. Excuse me for awhile, Beth, but
I must check in with Bob.”
“That’s all
right, Bert. I’m O.K. now.”
Bert called
Bob and they talked for half an hour while Beth rubbed Bert’s back. Then the two settled down in bed again and Beth told Bert she was really tired and
he said he was, too, and they both finally went to sleep.
The alarm woke
them at
“I understand,
babe,” Bert said as he held her tight.
“I just wish I could have said something to you at the beginning of all
this but Bob advised against it. It will
be over soon, thank God.”
He kissed her
and said, “Well, off to work after a good breakfast. I’m hungry, how about you, Beth?”
“Yes, I’m
hungry, too. I’ll get it ready while you
get all set for work,” and she laughed as she hurried to the kitchen.
They ate their
breakfast, then Bert patted his stomach and said, “Now I’d like to lie back
down, but Bob will be waiting. See you
tonight, honey,” and he have her a big kiss.
Beth sat back
down for another cup of coffee before getting dressed and finish cleaning the
bedroom. She was thankful Bert had told her
everything and she now felt more at ease.
She put the dishes in the sink and went to the bedroom to get
dressed. She thought, ‘Just a peek at the book, then I’ll finish
cleaning this room.’
She reached
for the book but to her astonishment, it
wasn’t there. She looked everywhere she
could think of, but no book showed up.
Then she thought about the loose board, ‘Maybe he put it with the other stuff.’
It took Beth
fifteen minutes to get the board loose and she stood there dumbfounded. Nothing was in there. ‘What
had Bert done with it all? He said it
wasn’t supposed to be until next weekend.
Oh, God! I hope he wasn’t lying,’
she thought.
The ringing of
the phone startled her and she shook as she picked up the receiver,
“Hello. Beth Olif here.”
“Hello,
Beth. This is Bob. Can you please get to
“Oh, my
God! How bad is he?” Beth asked.
“I’d rather
not say anything more right now. I’ll
meet you at the hospital. Good bye.”
Beth hurried
and got her things ready and as she reached for the phone to call a taxi, she
noticed that it was
Bob met her at
the entryway of the hospital and took her arm as he led her to the lounge
area. “I’m sorry to be the one to have
to tell you this, but maybe Bert won’t make it.
He was climbing up a ladder and he fell.
I’m so sorry. He is still in
surgery. The doctor will be here when he
is finished.”
Beth was still
crying when the doctor came in. “Is this
Mrs. Olif, Bert’s wife?” he asked.
Bob jumped up
and said, “Yes, Dr. Smith. This is Mrs.
Olif. How is Bert?”
“Too early to
tell, but he is resting comfortably. He
might loose a leg but we are hoping for the best. Come with me, Mrs. Olif and you can see Bert
for just a little while.”
“Oh, Dr.
Smith. Can’t you tell me what
happened? Bob said Bert might not make
it. Please save him, I really need him.”
“We are doing
our best, Mrs. Olif. Now please, do not
cry in front of Bert. It might get
through to him. We do not know,” the
doctor said as he opened the door to Bert’s room.
Beth gasped
when she seen Bert and the doctor looked at her as she whispered, “I’m sorry.”
The doctor said,
“Are you going to be able to sit with him for awhile?”
“Yes, oh yes,”
Beth said as calmly as possible.
“Then we’ll
let you sit here by him for awhile.
Please be very quiet,” Dr. Smith said.
Beth shook her
head, yes, and walked to Bert’s bedside. She wanted to cry again because it wasn’t to
long ago that he was happy and excited about getting that bad guy. Now this.
‘Oh, please dear God! Make Bert get well. I really need him,’ she prayed over and
over again as she held his hand.
Bert looked at
Beth with unseeing eyes as she prayed to God to give Bert back to her. The door opened and Bob stood there saying,
“Time is up, Mrs. Olif. The doctor sent
me to get you.”
As Beth stood
to leave, Bert grabbed her hand, saying, “Not Bob! Not Bob!” and his hand fell to the bed.
The doctor and
two nurses came running in when they heard the racket and Dr. Smith asked,
“What is going on here? I told you to be
quiet,” and he looked at Beth.
“I was quiet
but when he came in, Bert grabbed my hand and yelled, ‘Not Bob.’ I want to know what is going on.”
“Let’s all go
out into the corridor, please. Nurse
Johnson, give Bert a shot of the nerve relaxor, please.”
In the
corridor, the doctor said, “O.K. you, let’s see your I.D. badge,” as he pounded
his finger into Bob’s chest.
Bob said, “I…I
told you I lost it at the site where Bert fell.
I have to go look for it,” and he turned to leave.
Beth cried
out, “No, don’t let him go alone. Bert
knew something was wrong when he heard that voice. Call the police, please.”
Nurse Johnson
came out and Dr. Smith told her to call the police and have them come to the
hospital. Bob gave the doctor a shove
and the doctor and Beth both landed on the floor as Beth’s one foot shot out
between Bob’s legs. Bob cursed as he fell,
hitting his head on the nurses desk. The
doctor quickly jumped up and got some rope from the storage unit and tied Bob
up and Nurse Johnson called the police.
When the
police arrived and were introduced to Beth, one of them said, “Hello, Mrs. Olif. We wondered where you and Bert had gone
today. He didn’t show up at work. I’m Lt. Bob and this is Lt. Jim.”
Beth gasped
and pointed to Bob on the floor, “But…but he
said he was Bob and called to tell me Bert got hurt and was here.”
Lt. Bob said,
“Bert is hurt? How bad is he, Dr.?”
“We aren’t
sure how he’ll make out. He fell off a
ladder, supposedly, and is quite bed.
But he just let Mrs. Olif know that guy wasn’t Bob. We aren’t sure, but Bert might lose a leg
because of whatever happened to him.” He
pointed to Bob, on the floor, and said, “Maybe he can tell us what happened for
sure.”
“That’s Andy
Grimes. The guy we were looking
for. How did he ever get Bert to go with
him?” Lt. Bob asked.
“That old goat
was easy to get. I’ve been watching him
for some time now. Just cut him off and
told him Bob wanted to see him at a different place. My uniform fooled him,” Andy said, still
lying on the floor.
“You better
hold your tongue until we can get you down to the station,” Lt. Bob said as he
and Lt. Jim helped Andy upright. “Nice
tying job,” Lt Bob said with a laugh.
“Doctor, may I
go back in by Bert?” Beth asked. “I
promise to be very quiet.”
“All right,
Mrs. Olif. You may stay with him awhile
longer,” the doctor said.
The doctor
walked with Beth to Bert’s room and opened the door. He couldn’t believe his eyes, as Bert was
sitting up in bed trying to take the bandage off his leg. “What are you doing, man? Don’t take that off. Your leg is hurt real bad. Please lie down and talk with your wife.”
“But that guys
not Bob. I have to stop him,” Bert said.
“We know,
Bert. The police just took Andy Grimes
away,” Beth said as she patted Bert’s shoulder.
“Lt. Bob said for you to get a good nights sleep and he’ll be here
tomorrow to see you. Now relax and let
the doctor finish putting the bandage on your leg, again.”
“Boy, am I
tired,” Bert said. “What did that nurse
give me? Stay with me, Beth, I need you
more than ever,” he said as he drifted off to sleep.
The doctor
brought a chair for Beth to sit in beside the bed and he said, “Bert will sleep
most of the night. I wish you’d go home
and get some rest, too.”
“Sorry
doctor,” Beth said. “I told Bert I’d
stay and if it means better health for him, I’m going to stay. Please don’t make me leave him.”
“No,
Ma’am. You can stay with him, all night
if you want to,” the doctor said. “I’ll
be checking up on him regularly, though.”
“Thank you,
doctor,” Beth said as she sat down and took Bert’s hand in hers’ and caressed
it, saying, “Thank you, God, for making Bert all right. Now please, just make him get completely well
for me.”
In the
morning, Lt. Bob arrived with papers for Bert to sign and told him he had done
a wonderful job. Andy Grimes couldn’t
talk enough about that dumb old woman whose purse he had stolen and about
Bert. They all were praying that Bert’s
leg would heal and he now wouldn’t need that book and disguise anymore.
Bert told him
that he had them in his car and he tried to tell that to Andy, but he wanted to
take him home to get the stuff but Bert wouldn’t take him back there and scare
Beth anymore.
Beth cried,
“Oh, Bert! I looked all over for that
book and couldn’t find it. I had a
feeling something was wrong. But, God
willing, our prayers will be answered.
You just get better now so I can take you home, all in one piece.”