BUT HONEY, IT WAS JUST A DANCE by laptopwriter
I doubt very much if I'm the perfect husband. I have a stressful job and I know sometimes I come home a little grumpy. Maybe I'm not the best provider, either. I'm certainly no millionaire, but we still do alright. We have a nice home, two luxury cars, my wife has a closet full of beautiful clothes and our eight year old daughter, Jennifer, has tons of expensive toys.
I guess when it really comes down to it; I'm just a simple, hardworking guy who loves his wife and family. Linda and I have been married for almost twelve years, and for the most part, those years have been heaven on earth.
I say for the most part because for the last couple of months or so, something just hasn't seemed right between Linda and me. It's hard to put my finger on it, but she's been acting strange, kind of aloof. On numerous occasions, for no reason, she's found fault with something I did or said; that's just not like her. I tried discussing it. I asked if she was pissed at me for some unknown reason, but like all women, she'd just say nothing was wrong other than she was a little tired, or that she'd had a bad day.
At first I thought I'd just give her a little while to work out whatever was bothering her, but as time went on, that detached attitude of hers was getting old and downright aggravating.
Besides her attitude, as I'm sure any married couple knows, you can't have a troubled relationship with your spouse without it carrying over into the bedroom. I've always tried hard to keep our love life spontaneous and exciting. I've always been a romantic at heart so I would sometimes start foreplay by bringing a dozen roses home after work. In the past, gestures like that never failed to get my laid later that night, but recently my amorous deeds would be met with nothing more than a "thank you," and a peck on the cheek. Instead of accepting my tokens of love for what they were, it was almost like she thought it was some lame attempt to make up for something I did wrong. It's been weeks since Linda initiated sex and my attempts have been met with either, she's not in the mood, or she has the proverbial headache. On those rare occasions when she would give in to my begging, she'd lay there while I did all the work.
As time passed, I realized I was starting to mentally remove myself from the situation. I'd go home, play with my daughter and pay as little attention to my wife as I could. Of course all that did was make things worse.
I was getting desperate so when I had a minute or two at work, I started going over things in my mind. I thought back to when and how everything started. I tried to remember if I had done something that might have spurred the change in Linda's attitude but was coming up empty.
I ran a dozen different scenarios over and over in my head, trying to come up with some kind of 'cause and effect,' analysis. The more I thought, the more one unthinkable trigger for Linda's behavior kept popping up. I wondered if it was possible. Could my wife be cheating on me? I told myself no, she would never do such a thing, but every time I tried putting two and two together, it was coming up three, me, Linda, and a lover.
I tried telling myself there was simply no way, but you know what they say about curiosity. I did some reading up on what kind of things to look for; differences in behavioral patterns, attire, schedules-things like that. To tell the truth, I really hadn't notice Linda wearing any skimpy clothes or dressing sexier; but then I only see her when I get home after work, who knows how she dresses during the day. I also had no idea of what kind of schedule she kept. She's always running here or there—for what...again, who knows.
When it came to her change in attitudes, though, some of the symptoms sounded awful familiar.
I thought of hiring a private detective, but I had no real evidence. All I had were suspicions and certainly nothing to warrant the cost of a P.I. so I started to investigate on my own. I did little things like call the house in the middle of the day. Sometimes she would be home and sometimes not.
Then I got a hold of an old, outside surveillance camera and stealthily mounted it under the eaves of the garage. I hooked it in to a tape unit that I hid on the back shelf behind some paint cans. I wanted to see if any strange cars were coming to the house, but after two weeks, there were none.
I did see my wife leave the house a few times, then tell me she was home all day; but she wasn't gone long enough for anything to happen...not unless her boyfriend was a one-minute wonder. Maybe it was just a small errand that she felt was too insignificant to mention. It was certainly not proof of an illicit affair.
Time went on, and although I still had absolutely no evidence of any hanky-panky, my suspicions deepened. Her moods were getting worse and we hadn't made love in a couple of weeks. I was getting pissed!
Our twelfth anniversary was coming up and I saw it as an opportunity. I wanted to go out and have some fun. It had been a long time since Linda and I had gone out for a night of dinner and dancing; maybe, just maybe, it would put a little spark back in our marriage. I was certainly ready to give it a try.
We arranged for Jennifer to spend the night at my folk's house so we could really enjoy ourselves with no time restraints.
I made reservations at Plato's Place, one of Linda's favorite restaurants. She took my arm as the maître D escorted us to our table and I was hoping for some of that old magic to come back, but for some reason she seemed a little tense. We ordered a bottle of wine with dinner and I could see Linda starting to relax. She was beginning to act like her old self again. Our conversation was light and playful.
After dinner I could tell my lovely wife was getting anxious to go kick up her heels. I wanted to go to a new dance club that had opened a couple months prior but Linda talked me into going to the same place we usually go. It was a nice place with intimate lighting and a nice, cozy dance floor. They catered to a little older crowd and played music a person can actually dance to, so she didn't have to twist my arm too badly.
Now, I'm not a bad dancer, if I do say so myself. In fact, that's one of the things that brought Linda and I together. We both loved to dance. We found a nice, private little table for two, ordered a couple of drinks, took one sip each, then strolled over to show the rest of the people that there was more to dancing than the two-step. It was like old times, we were both having a great time.
We became a little tired after dancing for almost an hour straight, so we headed back to our table for a breather. I plunked myself down in the chair but without sitting, Linda took a sip from her glass of wine then excused herself to go to the ladies room.
I watched with visions of carnal bliss still to come, as my lovely mate gracefully swayed her hips with each step she took. As I finally broke the focus from my wife's perfect ass, I realized I wasn't the only one whose attentions she held. Sitting all alone at a corner table on the other side of the dance floor was a very good looking guy who was watching Linda's every step. For a second I thought I saw her make eye contact with him and wondered if they knew each other. As she disappeared into the washroom I'd swear the guy looked right at me with smug look on his face but from that distance it was hard to tell for sure.
The place we were at was strictly a dance club and I wondered why a guy would come by himself, but then I thought, like Linda, his date was most likely in the ladies room.
I kept a vigil on him out of the corner of my eye while I watched for my beautiful wife to return. Again, as she walked past him on the way back, I was sure I saw them both grin and make eyes at each other. Suddenly all my suspicions were returning.
"Honey, would you mind getting me another glass of wine. This one is stale," Linda asked me as she sat down.
I was already feeling uneasy and didn't particularly like the idea of Linda sitting alone while I waited at the bar for some busy bartender to take his time filling my order. I looked around and caught the eye of one of the barmaids. I'd swear Linda looked disappointed as the young lady came to the table to take our drink order.
I just knew the evening was about to take a turn for the worse. I could feel it in my bones. I looked back over my shoulder and saw that guy was still sitting there, unaccompanied. He was most certainly by himself.
"Who's the guy over in the corner?" I asked.
I caught her by surprise and for an instant I thought I saw panic in Linda's eyes. It didn't take her long to recover, though.
"What guy?"
From the uncomfortable tone in her voice, I was sure I was on to something. "The guy over there; the one you were making googily eyes at on the way to the bathroom," I pressed.
"Honey, I don't know what you're talking about," she countered, innocently. "I didn't make googily eyes at anyone."
Just as our drinks came I saw Linda's eyes quickly flash over my shoulder. I looked over and saw Mr. lonely walking up to our table. He never even glanced in my direction. He bypassed where I was sitting and looked straight at Linda. "May I have this dance?" he asked her.
I piped right up. "No thanks," I snarled.
That drew a response. "I was talking to the lady," he smirked derisively.
"Yeah, well the lady is my wife and I say who she can and can't dance with."
Just then Linda chimed in. "Harry," she said, "you're being rude."
"Rude! Do you know this guy?" I could see the question caught her off guard. "He's the one I was talking about. I don't know what you two have going on but he just walked up and asked my wife to dance without even glancing my in direction. That's not only being rude, it's being extremely disrespectful."
"Hey, Mack," Mr. Lonely started to interject but I cut him off.
"Do you mind—I'm talking to my wife and I sure as hell don't need your input."
I turned back to Linda and continued. "Had he asked if I would mind you and him dance together, I may have said okay, but now...not a chance in hell."
"Harry," she said, now with an edge to her voice, "you're being silly. There is nothing going on between this gentleman and me, and yes, you and I are married, but you don't own me. I'm not your slave and if I want to dance with someone, I will."
I couldn't believe my wife was talking to me like that. She had never shown me that kind of disrespect. I was boiling mad and any hopes of spending a nice romantic evening with my wife went right out the window; still, I was going to try and hold my temper. As I tried to calm myself down, she continued.
"Honey, I just want to have some fun." she said, now in a much sweeter tone.
"Linda it's our anniversary, I want to have fun too, but with you, and sitting here watching you dance with someone else is not my idea of fun, especially when I've asked you not to dance with him. Now you're right, I don't own you and I can't stop you from dancing with him, but if you do, then you'd better get him to take you home too, because I'll be gone."
After twelve years together, I can read Linda like a book. As she looked into my face her expression was one of anger. I was surprised she couldn't see the same in mine.
"Well it's impolite to make this gentleman stand here while we're bickering so I'm going to dance with him and we'll talk about this when I come back," she snapped.
The jack-ass had a triumphant smirk on his face as he stretched his hand out for her to take. Linda placed her hand in his as she stood up and they walked out to the dance floor together.
I'm sure they didn't even see me leave because I was out the door before they even started dancing. I was already eight blocks away when my cell phone rang.
"Where the hell are you?" asked Linda in a very contrite voice.
"I'm on my way home to pack a bag, why?"
There was a pause. "What the hell are you talking about...pack a bag, where are you going?"
"I don't know yet, all I know is I'm getting the hell away from you," I said. "I've had enough."
"You can't be serious, Harry. It was just a dance, one lousy dance. You're going to throw twelve years of marriage down the drain over a dance?"
"It has nothing to do with a dance, Linda. Why would you want to stay married to a man you don't love or respect? I'll be honest, I haven't caught you but I'm pretty sure you're cheating on me. I suspect with the jack-ass you just danced with. I saw the look you gave each other when you went to the bathroom. When he came over to our table he gave me the same amount of respect that a guy gives to the husband of a woman he's fucking...none."
"Harry," she said, now with a softer voice, "I do love you—and I respect you. I told you, there was nothing going on between that guy and me. I would never cheat on you, why would you even think that?"
"You got to be kidding. We haven't made love in over two weeks! When we do, you don't even participate, you just lay there. You've been grumpy and short tempered for the last two months...and don't tell me you respect me because you don't, you proved that tonight. If you're not having an affair you're doing one hell of a good imitation of it."
There was nothing but silence from the other end of the phone. Finally..."I'm sorry, Harry. I...I didn't realize...I'm sorry for how I acted. I'm sorry for tonight. I'm sorry I gave you cause to think I'm having an affair." She paused for just a moment. "I...I guess I did look at that guy on the way to the ladies room. He...he was a good-looking man. I noticed him when we were dancing and I guess we saw each other at the same time but I'm not having an affair with him. Please, honey, please just come back and pick me up, we'll talk about it."
"Nope! As I said, I've had it. I told you if you danced with that guy you would have to find your own way home and I meant it. I'm pulling in our drive right now. I'll be out of here by the time you get home. If you are having an affair maybe you should just go home with lover-boy and forget about me."
"Honey, please believe me, I'm not having an affair. Please, look I'll grab a cab, but please just stay there until I get home."
Now I recognized desperation in her voice, quite a difference from earlier.
"We have to talk this out...Please, I'll be home shortly." She begged before hanging up.
I pulled into our drive, went upstairs, and packed a bag. I was out of the house in twelve minutes flat. I wondered if she was really going to take a cab home or if jack-ass would drop her off so I drove down the block, turned off my lights, and waited to see. About fifteen minutes later a Yellow Cab pulled into the drive. Linda got out and ran into the house. I saw what I wanted to see so I took off for a motel.
Almost immediately my phone started to ring again. I turned it off. I still had no proof of infidelity, but I had very strong suspicions. I was almost positive Linda and the guy she danced with knew each other. I thought now might be the time for that private detective. If I wasn't home, maybe she'd go to her lover for consoling.
The next day I went through the Yellow Pages and found the P.I. with the best ad. I went down to his office and gave him a retainer. After that I went into work. Tracy, my secretary told me to call my wife immediately. She said Linda had called twenty times already and something was definitely wrong. I explained that Linda and I were having problems and I was not going to return her calls. I told Tracy to clarify that to her the next time she called. I also called the receptionist in the front lobby and told her not to let Linda back to the offices if she should come by. I wanted to give the P.I. a chance to see what he could come up with. Now it was just a waiting game.
A little later that afternoon I got a call from Andrea, our neighbor. I knew it would be about Linda but I didn't want to seem rude so I took the call.
"Harry," she started, "Linda told me what happened the other night. She's been frantically trying to apologize but she says you won't talk to her."
"That's right," I said. "I have nothing to talk to her about."
I heard a little sigh come from the other end of the line. "She also said you suspect her of cheating on you. You don't really believe that, do you?"
"I'm afraid I do," I answered. "She's been acting strange for over two months now. The other night just substantiated my suspicions."
"Substan...she said all she did was dance with some guy."
"No, that's not quite true. I saw them looking at each other before he ever came over to the table. He was extremely rude to me and Linda sided with him and followed right in his footsteps. I warned her of the consequences if she danced with that asshole but she didn't care. I'm almost sure those two are lovers."
"Harry, come on. I'm sure you're wrong. I've lived next door to you guys for years. I believe I would know if Linda was cheating on you and I have never seen any evidence of it. I've never seen any strange cars over there; I've never seen any strange men... Please, she knows that dancing with that guy was wrong. She said she got angry because you said she COULDN'T dance with him, but she thought about what you said and she realizes you were right. Believe me, Harry, I know Linda and she's not cheating on you. She loves you; you know that as well as I do."
"I'm not so sure anymore, Andrea. She was not acting out of love the other night, that's for sure."
"Please Harry, please just talk to her. You're never going to resolve anything if you won't talk to her."
I knew she was right, of course, but I wanted to buy some time for the P.I. "Andrea, do me a favor; tell her I'll call her in a couple of weeks. I still have some thinking to do."
Again I heard a sigh. "Okay Harry," she said, "I'll tell her but please, please call her then, will you promise me, please?"
"I promise," I told her. We said our good byes and it started me thinking again. Andrea and her husband, Don, were good friends of ours. I couldn't picture Andrea lying to me. If Linda was cheating on me, she was being very discrete about it.
For the next two weeks I was on pins and needles. I checked in with the investigator a couple of times but all he'd say was that he had nothing to report yet. He finally called and asked me to come by his office. My stomach was in knots when I sat down. He pushed a manila packet across his desk, toward me. My hand was shaking as I picked it up.
"You can skip all the boring stuff," he said as I opened the first page of his report. "Just go to the bottom of page five."
I nervously thumbed through the pages until I found what I was looking for—proof?
After a thorough investigation, this office has uncovered no evidence to support client's suspicions of infidelity on behalf of his spouse.
I think my jaw dropped to the floor. I wasn't sure how I should react. Of course it was good news...great news—but I was so certain she was cheating...
"Are you sure?" I asked, looking back up at the man across the desk.
"Mr. Freemont, I've had a man covering every move your wife has made for the last two weeks. We've watched the house, monitored her calls, and tailed her every time she went out. We've checked her phone records and credit card statements. We found nothing. Not a shred of evidence that suggests she's having an affair."
I was so relieved I had to struggle to keep from breaking down and bawling like a baby in his office.
"Go home, Mr. Freemont. Go home to your wife and child. In my business I don't get to see too many happy endings."
I thanked him and went back to my motel room. I still needed a little time to sort things out. I spent the weekend going over everything in my mind. That Monday morning I called Linda. Her voice was weak and shaking when she answered.
"Hello."
"It's me," I said. "Are you okay? You don't sound well."
There was a short pause. "Harry, oh Harry, I'm so sorry, so very, very sorry. I just don't know what I'm going to do if you don't come back to us. I've tried to stay strong for Jennifer's benefit, but all I do is cry. I'm so sorry. I guess I just started to take you for granted. You were absolutely right, I should have told that guy I was with my husband and to shove off."
I heard her starting to cry again.
"I showed you no respect and I don't know why because I do respect you. I love you and very much respect you. I swear, Harry, if you give me another chance I'll never make that mistake again...never!"
Linda's plea actually surprised me. Her attitude was sure a lot different than it was at the dance club. When I didn't immediately speak up she jumped to the wrong conclusion.
"You're not coming back, are you."
"Yes, I am," I said, then quickly added, "but only on a trial basis. I want my wife back, Linda; and I don't mean the woman I've been living with for the past two months. I mean the woman I fell in love with, the woman I married."
"She's here, Harry. Honest, she's here waiting for the man she loves," she replied sounding very sincere.
"We'll see. After what I've gone through; the bad attitudes, the lack of any passion in the bedroom, the disrespect—I'm still not convinced, Linda, not yet. I have to go to the motel after work and get my stuff but I'll be home tonight," I told her.
There was a moment of silence from her end before she spoke. "I love you, Harry. I'm so sorry I treated you the way I did. I don't want to lose you."
I can't say I didn't still have reservations. I was still pissed and even with all the evidence to the contrary, I just couldn't shake the feeling that Linda knew that guy at the dance hall.
After work I picked up my clothes and went home. Jennifer came running and almost tackled me at the door. She asked where I had been. I explained I had been out of town for a while. She obviously knew nothing of our problems. Linda was right there also. She put her arms around me and showered me with kisses. I passionately kissed her back. In the end I couldn't deny I loved my wife.
That was two years ago and married life has been wonderful again. Linda was once more the woman I married, both in and out of the bedroom. A couple of months ago she gave me a surprise birthday party. In the past, we always treated Linda's birthday as a special day, but only started celebrating mine after my return home.
Last night was our fourteenth wedding anniversary. This time Linda planned the entire evening. When I got home from work she surprised me with tickets for a dinner-playhouse to see, "Man of La Mancha," one of my favorite plays.
Afterward we drove down to the lakefront and walked along the beach. The moon was out and warm breezes blew in from the lake.
"Thank you for a wonderful anniversary," I said, putting my arm around her and pulling her to my body.
"Ummm, what's this?" she coyly asked, feeling the erection in my pants. "I think we need to get home and do something about that."
I agreed, and half an hour later we were in our bedroom ripping at each other's clothes.
To this day I don't really know if she was cheating on me or not. I'll probably never know for sure. I do know I'm glad I decided to come back home.
Chapter Two;
Linda's side of the story
Although, according to the calendar, spring had sprung a couple weeks earlier, it was the first day Linda was able to leave the house without her winter coat. Finally, another Chicago winter was history.
As she walked outside, Linda breathed in the fresh scent of morning dew that lingered from the gentle, over-night April shower. She smiled at recalling the warm, secure feeling she felt, wrapped in her husband's strong arms as they laid in bed listening to the soft rhythm of the rain.
On the way to her car she noticed the beautiful, blue wild flowers growing in the lawn. She was in awe of their determination. No matter how bad the winter, they persisted in their quest for a new beginning, a new start at life every spring.
Linda sang along with the car's radio as she drove to the little coffee shop to meet, Cathy, a good friend, and one she hadn't seen in a while. She had a son the same age as Jennifer, Linda's daughter. They met years ago at a school function, hit it off, and had been good friends ever since.
Cathy arrived first and had already claimed a small table in the corner by the window. They waved and smiled at each other through the glass as Linda past on the way to the front door. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee wafted through the busy café as Linda wandered over to the line of customers waiting to request their own cup of Columbian heaven.
Cathy stood up when she saw her friend approach. "Hi," both girls giggled simultaneously as they hugged before taking their seats.
"It's been a while," Linda commented. "How have you been?"
Cathy's eyes were bright and cheery as she answered her friend. The girls chatted, catching up on old times and laughing at funny things that happened at some of the school functions they attended. They asked each other about their children and both mentioned how fast they grow up. They were about an hour into their conversation when Cathy leaned over the table and lowered her voice.
"Linda," said Cathy almost whispering. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, sure," Linda replied, gesturing as if locking her lips with a key. "What's up?"
"I shouldn't even be telling you this but I've got to tell somebody or I'm going to burst. I've been...well, kind of seeing this guy."
Linda's head quickly rose from sipping her coffee to look her friend in the eye. "What do you mean, 'kind of seeing this guy?' Are...are you having an affair?"
Cathy pursed her lips together in an impish, half smile. "Mmmm, well we haven't really done anything yet, but I'm thinking about it. I know it's naughty but I feel so alive when I'm with him. His name is Cody. Isn't that a neat name? I know I shouldn't but I really like this guy and I'm afraid he'll lose interest if I don't sleep with him. So..."
"Well let me ask you this," said Linda. "Are you willing to lose your husband over him?"
"Oh no, of course not; I'm not talking about marrying the guy, just...you know, having a little fling. What do they call it, the spice of life," she said with a smile. "I'd make sure Bruce never found out. It'd kill him if he knew I was screwing somebody else." She started to take a sip from her cup. "Besides, Cody's married too. We'd both have to be very careful."
For the past two years Linda had lived with a secret she'd never told anyone and had every intention of keeping it that way. She looked at her friend and decided to risk it.
"Cathy, do you remember a couple years ago when Harry and I were having troubles. He actually left me for a little while...remember?"
"Yeah, I do but I never really knew what it was all about. You never spoke about it and I didn't want to pry."
"I never told anyone and you have to promise never to breath a word of what I'm going to tell you to another living soul." She waited for a clear signal from her friend before saying another word.
It took a second, but Cathy realized what she was waiting for. "Ah, yeah; yeah, of course, Linda, I promise."
"If this ever got out I'm pretty sure it would ruin my marriage. That's why I've never told anyone, but...well, you have to hear it, Cathy, before you ruin your own marriage."
Just then a waitress came around with fresh coffee. Linda waited for her to finish topping off their cups before she started.
"I'm probably no different than most of the other married women out there. After twelve years of marriage I was feeling...I don't know...bored. Everything was getting to be such a routine. It was strange; after all those years I looked around and said, what am I doing, where am I going? Nowhere, I'm stuck here. I have no real life for myself."
"Exactly," Cathy interposed.
"I know, I know just how you feel, Cath. I'm sure most women go through the same thing. It isn't that you don't love your husband; I love Harry with all my heart, but...well, all of a sudden it seemed like it wasn't enough, like there was something missing. I think I was actually starting to slip into a slight depression. Nothing seemed fun anymore, not even sex. It wasn't really anyone's fault; hell, Harry was bending over backwards for me, especially in the bedroom. I should have been the happiest person in the world, but nothing seemed to help, even school functions were a dredge."
Linda took a sip of her coffee and looked at Cathy to see if her story was seeping in so far. She could see she had her attention so she continued.
"Then I met Terry."
"You...you had an affair?"
Linda confirmed it with a slight nod of her head. "An emotional affair, yes; I smartened up before it became physical...thank God," she said with a sigh.
"One day I was at that little grocery store on Marshal Avenue and saw him. God, Cathy, he was gorgeous. He had those rugged good looks with sandy blond hair and flashing blue eyes like Robert Redford. He was tall, too. I'm sure he was over six feet and even with his clothes on, I could see he had a nice build. I knew I was staring but I couldn't bring myself to look away-until he caught me, that is. I blushed when he looked at me and smiled. We started to flirt with each other. It was exciting and felt so wicked.
"Finally I came to my senses. I had to get on with my shopping so I went down the produce aisle. When I reached over to pick up some tomatoes I bumped right into him. He looked at me with his those big, blue eyes and that gorgeous smile and said hi. Cathy, I hate to say it but I could feel myself getting wet between my legs. It was so embarrassing. I prayed he couldn't smell the scent I was giving off. I know I was blushing again.
"He reached out to shake my hand and introduced himself. Right off the bat he noticed my wedding rings but they didn't seem to deter him from trying to make time with me. It was downright flattering to think a guy like that could be interested in me. We talked and joked around in the aisles while we both bought what we needed; then, as we got to the check out, he gave me his number and said I should call him for lunch the following week."
Cathy was now hanging on every word of her friend's story. It was so familiar.
"I almost tossed his card away as I was leaving the store. I thought, 'yeah, right; I'm going to call you and we're going to have this intensely hot, romantic love affair—and then my husband will kill us both.' I didn't though..."
"Didn't what?" asked her captivated friend.
"I didn't throw his card away—I stuck it in my purse. Shit, all the way home, all I could think about was Terry. Harry came home as I was putting the groceries away. I already felt so guilty I snapped at him when he tried to help. I think it was some kind of unconscious defense mechanism. Poor Harry just asked if there was something wrong. "
"Oh my God, what'd you say?"
"I lied, of course. I told him I was just a little tired from shopping; truth was, I was secretly walking on cloud nine. Anyway," Linda went on, "I knew I shouldn't call him, it was wrong. I also knew that because of the way I was feeling, I was very vulnerable. I kept telling myself, no, no, no, but I just couldn't help myself. I found one of the last pay phones in the city and dialed the number on the card he gave me. We arranged to have lunch the following day."
With anxious anticipation, Cathy waited for her friend to take another sip of coffee before continuing.
"Cath, on the way to the restaurant, my emotions were all over the place. I was terrified and excited at the same time-not to mention horny as hell. At one point, while we were talking, Terry reached over the table and held my hand. I could feel that wetness in my crotch again. It was almost like being a kid on my first date. I'll tell you, I wanted to go to bed with this guy so bad, but my conscience...or maybe it was just down-right fear...either way I just couldn't do it.
"That didn't stop Terry though. He had already started his seduction. He started talking about Harry not knowing what a great woman he had, and not appreciating me. Stupid me, I was eating it up. I was starting to resent my own husband. In no time, Terry had me convinced Harry was taking me for granted."
"God, Linda, this sounds like what I'm going through right now," Cathy said.
"That's why I'm telling you all this, Cathy. I want you to know what you're getting into. This guy you're seeing—has he started talking about Bruce yet?"
"No, not at all." Cathy stopped and thought about the answer she just gave. "Well, I mean...not really. He's asked questions. You know, like—'Does your husband know how lucky he is?' Things like that."
"Uh huh; and of course you're starting to wonder that yourself, right?"
"Well..."
"Cathy it happens without even realizing it. When Harry left me he told me I had been short with him for over two months. I had no idea I was even doing it. I was doing the same thing in the bedroom. I just couldn't bring myself to be passionate with a man who I thought was taking me for granted."
She could see the lightbulb going on in her friends eyes as she continued with her story.
"Think about, Cathy. What kind of man has an affair with a married woman? Can you imagine Bruce doing it?"
"Bruce? No, of course not. He'd never do anything like that."
"Uh huh, so why risk your marriage over someone who would?" asked Linda.
While Cathy was thinking about what was just said, Linda resumed her story.
"Anyway, we had lunch again the next week and it was getting harder and harder to stay faithful to Harry. The third time we had lunch he almost had me convinced to go back to his apartment with him. I could see he was getting a little angry with all of my excuses and I knew if I had lunch with him one more time we would wind up in bed together.
"As we were leaving the restaurant after that third lunch date, I mentioned I had to go shopping for a new dress because Harry was taking me out for our anniversary. I told him we'd probably go to a dance club we used to go to. Harry had been talking a lot about all the fun we used to have there and how we used to dance the night away. Terry immediately seized the opportunity. He said he was going to be there to dance with me. I told him he'd better not, after all it was our anniversary and my husband might get pissed if I danced with someone else. Terry was being arrogant though and said it would teach Harry a lesson. He would show Harry that I was desired by other men and that maybe it would wake Harry up and he would appreciate me more."
"Oh geez, Linda, he didn't really show up, did he?"
Linda took another sip of her coffee. "He sure did. I spotted him as soon as we walked in. I didn't dare say anything to him, of course. So far Harry and I were having a great time...that is, until Terry came up and asked me to dance."
"Oh my God," whispered Cathy.
"Yup! And to make matters worse, he completely ignored Harry. In fact, he was downright rude to him. Harry understandably got his back up against the wall and gave me an ultimatum saying I couldn't dance him. Well, you know how stupid I can get sometimes; I got angry and said I was going to dance with him anyway. Harry told me he wouldn't be there when we got back off the dance floor, but people say things like that all the time, who believes them?"
Cathy could see Linda's eyes welling up as she continued.
"As we started to dance I told Terry he shouldn't have acted like that in front of Harry. I asked him why he had to be so rude. He said he wanted to put Harry in his place. That pissed me off.
"Of course Terry held me real close on the dance floor. By that time, though, I was more worried that Harry was watching us and was going to be even more infuriated. In fact, I was so worried I didn't even realize the first dance had ended and we were on our second. When the dance was over I told Terry not to ask for anymore. I said I was going to spend the rest of the evening with my husband. I started back to the table and saw Terry was following me. I asked what the hell he thought he was doing. He said he wanted to apologize to Harry.
When we got back to the table Harry wasn't there. Terry sat down in his chair and said he'd wait with me until he returned. I really don't think he was going to apologize at all, I think wanted to pull Harry's chain some more."
"Why?" Cathy asked. "Why would he want to do that?"
"I thought about it and I think he figured, since he hadn't had much success getting me into bed yet, he'd make trouble between Harry and me. I'm sure he was hoping I'd run to him to cry on his shoulder. I imagine he thought he'd be consoling me between the sheets before the night was over.
"I figured Harry was in the men's room. I told Terry to go back to his own table but he kept stalling. When the waitress came over, he ordered us drinks. That's when she asked if we wanted to start another tab. I asked what was wrong with the first tab. She said Harry paid it before he left. Cathy, I swear I saw my whole life flash before my eyes...at least my married life. I couldn't believe he just left me there."
Linda's face was showing more and more distress as she told her story and it was hitting home with Cathy. She shared her friend's pain and her own emotions were starting to show. A single tear broke loose from Cathy's eye and started to trickle down her cheek. "You shouldn't be telling me all this, Linda. Look at you, you're crying. Why don't we stop here?"
"No—no, I want to tell you the whole story, Cathy. You need to know the whole story, it's important. So, where was I...oh yeah, I know; I immediately took out my phone and called Harry. I asked him to come back and pick me up. That's when he told me he thought I was having an affair and he had a good idea it was with Terry. He said he was going to pack a bag and leave and he didn't know if he was coming back."
Linda picked up a napkin. "God, Cathy, it hit me like a ton of bricks," she said while dabbing the moisture from eyes. "It was like someone had just turned the lights on and everything suddenly came into focus. It wasn't Harry taking me for granted. Hell, he did everything he could to try and help. It was me; I was taking him for granted...him and Jennifer, as well as the life we had built for ourselves. I realized I was risking my entire marriage over some ass hole. I asked Harry again to come back and get me so we could talk, but he wouldn't do it, so I called a cab."
"What about Terry, what was he doing all this time?" Cathy questioned.
"Oh he wasn't giving up, not yet. He said Harry didn't deserve me and I should go home with him. I told the fucker to drop dead," she reported with a chuckle. "Even after that, he had to try one more time. He followed me outside to wait for the cab. As it pulled into the lot, he grabbed me and tried to kiss me. I gave him my knee right in the balls. While he was all hunched over in pain, I told him if he ever tried to contact me again, I'd file a sexual harassment suit."
Cathy reached over and took her friend's hand as Linda wiped away more tears.
"Anyway, by the time I got home Harry was gone. I tried to call him but he had his cell turned off. Cathy, I was so worried; all I could see was my marriage dissolving right before my eyes. My whole family-everything we worked for, going up in smoke. I'll tell you, Cath, I was never so scared in my life.
"The next day I tried calling him at work but he wouldn't talk to me. His secretary told me he even instructed the receptionist to block me from seeing him if I went over there. I was getting desperate so I went over and talked to Andrea, my neighbor. Harry liked her and her husband so I thought maybe he would talk to her. Well, he did but all he said was that he needed time to think and would call me in a couple of weeks. I knew trying to pressure him would just work against me so I decided to give him some space. Those were the worst two weeks of my life. When Jennifer was around I tried to stay strong and just told her that daddy was out of town, but as soon as she wasn't around, all I did was cry. I thought I'd really blown it. Harry was so pissed I really didn't think he was going to come back to me, especially if he thought I was cheating on him."
Linda was now crying as she remember the pain she went through.
"I'm sorry," she told Cathy, "It's...it's hard to talk about-even now." She took a deep breath, then picked up where she left off.
"As I was saying, finally Harry called and said he was coming home. Cathy I came so close to losing everything; believe me, it made me realize what I had and how unbelievably lucky I was. In the end, Cathy, love has to trump lust. I love Harry and he loves me. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't a man in this world that is worth jeopardizing that."
"Wow," Cathy said in a pensive voice, "you're right. I don't know what I would do if my husband left me. Did you ever tell Harry the truth?"
"Are you kidding? As close as I came to losing him, I wasn't about to take a chance on it happening again. Cathy, I live in constant fear that someday he'll find out, but since the day he came home, I've tried to be the best wife I could be. No longer do I take him or our marriage for granted. Every day I thank my lucky stars for what I have and I show Harry how much I appreciate him with all the passion in my soul. All I can hope for, is that it's enough if he ever does find out."
Cathy squeezed Linda's hand in a reassuring gesture.
"I am so glad you told me your story. You've stopped me from making a big mistake, Linda. Thank you."
The two girls talked for just a few more minutes, then made tentative plans for the next time they got together, before saying good-bye. Linda was feeling good and knew she had just saved a friend from making a terrible decision. She pulled into her drive in plenty of time to greet her daughter with a kiss and an after school snack. Damn, she thought to herself, Jennifer is growing up so fast. She'll soon be ten years old. Where does the time go?
When Harry came home from work Linda greeted her man with hugs and kisses. She had never talked about that painful period of their marriage, until that day. Talking to Cathy just reminded her again of what a wonderful life she and Harry had built for themselves.
Later that night, as Harry laid next to her, wrapped in a blissful sleep, Linda rolled on her side and propped herself up on her elbow. She stared at the lines in his face that come from normal aging and remembered when each one showed up. With an almost imperceptibly faint touch, she traced the outline of a few of the later ones. Her heart pounded with admiration and love for the flesh and bones man who lay at her side.
Quietly, Linda leaned down and touched her lips to his, but as their lips met, Harry's turned up at the sides forming a big grin. He threw his arms around his lovely wife and pulled her down into a passionate kiss.
"I thought you were asleep," whispered Linda.
"Actually, I was laying here thinking about what to get Jennifer for her birthday," he remarked. You know what she really needs?"
"What?"
"A baby brother or sister."
This wasn't a complete surprise. They had debated about having another child but never really came to a decision. Linda smiled; it sounded like her husband just ended the debate.
"Well her birthday is only two months away, honey. Shouldn't we get started?"
Harry's smile broadened. "You read my mind."
Two months later Jennifer celebrated her tenth birthday with a big party in the back yard. Mom and dad invited all her friends, and there was plenty of ice cream and cake for everyone. After the party, Linda and Harry surprised their daughter with, yet another, expensive toy...and the news of a brand new baby brother.
