Life went on as usual in the Dobbins household for some time before Nick, as you may remember, began to flirt with the maid, reverting back to his old libidinous habits. No one but your humble narrator suspected anything, however, and the outwardly happy couple found themselves once again anticipating a child. Yes, here’s Joely clad in the Purple Pajamas of Pregnancy:

In order to accommodate the new addition to the family, the Dobbinses decided to build a new house only a few blocks away. They put their house up for sale and almost immediately found an interested buyer, a woman by the name of Tess Blakemore. When Nick met Tess, he was smitten instantly. Tess was new to Mt. Geneva and had very little money, but she was gregarious and romantic and of course, a redhead, a combination Nick could not resist.

Tess wanted to move in to the Dobbins house as soon as possible, so Nick and Joely rented a house down the street while their new one was being built. Nick invited Tess over whenever he got the chance. Joely genuinely liked Tess and had no idea about Nick’s ulterior motives, since he was relatively careful to reveal his attraction. One night, however, while Joely worked a late night at the clinic, Tess appeared at the Dobbins house, and Nick could no longer keep himself under control.

They proceeded to make out on the living room couch, oblivious to anything but each other. Unfortunately, Nick and Joely’s son Will happened to be playing chess just across the room, and saw everything. If I weren’t a ghost, dear readers, I would have covered his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see his father behaving so irresponsibly, but alas! I could do nothing to stop this wretched scene from unfolding. That poor boy!

Disgusted, Will stood up from his chess game and left the room. Nick never saw him, and he and Tess continued their display on the sofa. I watched in horror, half-hoping Joely would come home and see Nick for who he truly was and half-hoping she would stay away so she wouldn’t have her heart broken!

In the end, Tess left before Joely returned, and Joely remained innocent of her husband’s infidelity. Nick rubbed her pregnant belly and acted as if nothing had happened, and life seemed to go on as normal, though Will scowled at his dad whenever he saw him, and refused to speak to him.

Within a day Nick was over at Tess’s house — the very house he and Joely used to share — engaging in another illicit encounter. It seemed that he loved Tess as much as he loved his wife and son, but how long could he continue to keep this a secret?

…especially with another child in the house and more responsibility! Not long after the Dobbinses moved into their brand-new house, Joely gave birth to their second son, Rory. He looked much like his older brother, Will, who was now a teenager.

But of course the plot thickens. Not long after Rory Dobbins came into the world, Tess Blakemore gave birth to a baby girl, Ferris, who had a beautiful head of blond hair. It seemed everyone in town knew that the baby had to be Nick’s, but no one would say anything, least of all to Joely. She was so busy with her new baby that she never saw Tess or Tess’s child, and so remained ignorant of her husband’s indiscretion.

But what had Tess gotten herself into? She knew Nick would never leave his family, nor could he give her any money. She would have to go it alone, a poor single mother, with no one to help her.

Some people just don’t consider the consequences, do they? But we’re only human, and we all make mistakes. If all of us were perfect, I’d still be alive, my dears! But that’s a story for another time. This is Maude, signing out!