THE CELTIC HARP by Tomh1966

Feb 08 2024
In Cheating Wife Stories

Friday, March 17, 2045

It was a few minutes before midnight, Brittany Danner was in Dublin, Ireland at the Celtic Harp, a pub in the tourist areas a half mile or so from the Guinness Factory. She was on a sightseeing trip with the other women of her 'Rockin 50's' singles group. At fifty-one years old, she was attractive enough to get the occasional date, but most men her age wanted to date younger women for anything serious.

Brittany sighed and thought back about her life. When she was younger and just after her divorce, men had wanted to date for fun and the line of willing bedmates was long, especially after the story got out about her infidelity. It had taken several years to quiet the gossip about her cheating on her husband. Her time with her paramour seemed worth it the time it happened but quickly lost its luster. As the memories and thrills quickly faded the guilt grew.

Her ex-husband, Michael had told close friends and family about her cheating, but quickly grew bored of trashing her. It was a true backhanded comment when he said to her, "You are not worth the effort of telling anyone else."

She had lost friends and even had to face her parents who were not happy with her bad behavior. Not only was Michael done with her, she wasn't even worth trashing. Ouch.

Through news from her mutual acquaintances, she knew her ex-husband had a few relationships that quickly unraveled. When it happened, Brittany felt self-justified for her behavior, the helicopter ride, the yacht, the shopping in Cannes, the decent sex.... Eh well. Decent, but unspectacular sex on a private plane joining the mile high club was still a bucket list item safely checked off.

It was all great until it wasn't as her life unraveled after it all came out. Now, she felt bad about abusing her ex to the point he did not have enough trust left even for a woman who had never wronged him. Years on, that hurt the most, she tried in vain to start a new relationship with him and when that failed, she tried to set him up with some of the women she knew, all in a vain attempt to quiet the guilt that filled her days.

He was broken and simply incapable of the intimate trust a woman needs to be in a happy relationship with him. After giving up on restarting things with him, Brittany thought that if she couldn't find happiness, perhaps if Michael could. If he found happiness, perhaps she could at least look in the mirror and like the person she saw.

She would never let him know a chance meeting with a woman was more than a mere chance as she knew he would never accept her assistance in finding her replacement. After several dates, each of the women she had quietly encouraged reported the same thing to the effect of, "He is very sweet, but there is a cold darkness that hides behind his smile."

The fog in Dublin settled lightly over the town and she was the last of her group to leave the pub. She sat and pondered, wishing she could fix what she had done with a sad expression underlying her faux smile.

The bartender came up to her and said, "Last call. We close in twenty-five minutes."

Brittany nodded with a feigned smile.

The bartender read her expression with concern and asked, "What is the matter?"

Brittany looked at the name badge on the bartender that said, 'Patrick.' and half laughed, "The ultimate Irish name, 'Patrick.' Nothing except that I betrayed someone and in the process assured that both of us will die alone and unloved.

Brittany looked Patrick over. He was thirty years old if he was a day... or was he fifty? Somehow it was hard to tell. His eyes were older than his face. He wore a simple suede brown vest over a plain white collared shirt. His hair was the ultimate in 'Irish Red.'

Patrick was skeptical, "What do ya mean?'" he said in his Dublin Irish accent.

Brittany said, "Just that. I wronged someone and screwed up both our lives and now we both are doomed to live alone until it is time for us to meet our maker."

She paused and sighed, "I'm afraid I won't do so well on judgment day when I have to account for myself. I am truly alone."

Patrick looked her up and down, "You obviously have friends. I saw you with them here earlier before they left for their hotel rooms. You seemed to be well-liked by your group."

Brittany said, "I have friends in our single women's group for companionship, but will likely never have a loving man for myself again. I had the love of my life. I cheated on him and humiliated him and everyone found out. I had a man who adored me and I hurt him beyond words for thrills and adventures with a suave rich man. After hurting him he simply dismissed me and I'll have to give him credit. He never lifted a finger to fight a war he could never win against a man worth billions."

Patrick said, "Regret is the most expensive thing there is. I know three things. The first is, I'm the best bartender there is and that makes me the best listener. The second is, that you are the best tipper left since you are last in the pub. Three is, you are the last person here so we have some time to hear your tale."

Brittany laughed, Patrick had a relaxing air about him.

Brittany smiled and said, "I guess I could tell you about it. Perhaps you may see a situation like mine and stop it before it happens... You know... warn a woman what happens when she steps out."

Patrick crooked an eyebrow, "Perhaps if I see what you speak of, I might be able to warn someone of an upcoming disaster. Well, go on."

Brittany said, "Exactly twenty-two years ago, I was at a girls night out at a bar much like this when Winslow Charleston, the hedge fund manager came into the bar a few tables away. A few of the women at the table knew who he was and one even went up and talked to him. While he was talking to my friend, I caught Winslow's eye."

Patrick winced, "Sounds like trouble."

Brittany nodded, "Yeah. Big trouble. It started off pretty low-key at first. I was at Sherry Shenanigans, a local bar with a group of friends from work. It was a Friday girls night out. I had a few drinks, but I was not drunk and that is no excuse anyway."

Brittany thought back and told her story...

Friday, March 17, 2023

Madison noticed him first., "Hey! Isn't that Winslow Charleston, the manager of Charleston Funds? He is sek-say and worth billions. What is he doing here with us regular folks?"

One of the women in my group, Sara, went to his table to flirt and talk to him. She was a busty blonde who often could break the ice with men and often got us drinks from them. Though married, she loved the power her pretty face, blonde hair, and large bust gave her over men.

As Madison talked to me, I was watching Sara who talked to Winslow and made him smile. She leaned over giving a good view of her ample cleavage. Sara was proud of her bust and had even flashed men many times. He looked at our group then he looked at our table and finally, he saw me and smiled his billion-dollar smile. After a bit, Winslow got up and held my gaze as he approached. At first, it seemed he was just going to join our table but as he got closer he headed directly for me.

Honestly, I was completely shocked as the rich and very good-looking Winslow came up to me and introduced himself, "Hello, I am Winslow and you are a very attractive woman, may I buy you a drink?"

I just sat there stunned that this highest of high-end men had noticed and taken an interest in me. I was in a fog when I nodded. I knew he was flirting hard, but I dismissed it and believed I could handle it. Winslow was every bit the charmer willing to work his magic and take it slow with me. Sex was never mentioned that night and he only mentioned his wealth in passing, speaking of a trip to the South of France that he had taken the past summer.

Brittany came back to the present and looked at Patrick, "I knew what he was doing, but I told myself it was just harmless. He knew I was married and he even complimented my husband that he was the luckiest man in the world. He was the ultimate charmer full of compliments and knew how to use his looks and charisma to full effect.

She sighed, "I knew in my heart what he was doing and I let it go on. Nothing really happened that night. After a half hour, he smiled and took his leave, but not before learning a lot of things about me including where I worked. Still. Nothing and he did not even try for a kiss."

Brittany sighed and took a sip of her drink then thought back again, "So a few days later, it was the last day in March on a Friday and usually I will treat myself to a Chick-fil-A grilled nuggets and a sweet tea for lunch.

I walked out the door at work and literally bumped into Winslow.

He acted surprised, "Oh sorry."

He paused and said, "Well this is a coincidence!"

I knew it wasn't, but I went with it anyway and smiled a knowing smile, "I bet not."

He looked at me and said, "Guilty. Want lunch? Just lunch I promise."

Foolishly, I said yes and we walked three blocks to Madrid's, a high-end place and we had lunch and it really was just lunch except I agreed to meet him on the following Wednesday for another lunch date.

I met him for lunch on the following Wednesday again and he again mentioned his trips to the Mediterranean the previous summer and how enjoyable they were with the places to see, the clubs, and the nightlife. He lived the high life there among the rich and beautiful. Looking back it was all a seduction and I knowingly walked right into it.

Brittany paused, "He played it slow and sure. He held my hand but that was the extent of it. Lunch took ninety minutes so I worked a half hour late to make up for it. An extra half hour of work is not uncommon for me and it went completely unnoticed by my husband."

I had another lunch and I knew in my heart it was a matter of time, I put Winslow's number in my phone under the name 'Winnie'. I knew in the back of my mind I was going to eventually cheat, but I let it happen. It felt too good to be wanted by the rich and powerful charmer.

Brittany came back to the present and sighed, "Winslow was busy the next week, but we had a lunch date on Friday following on the 14th of April. Winslow held my hand and as we left the restaurant, we kissed."

Patrick brought her out of her memories, "Uh oh!"

Brittany nodded, "Uh oh is right. We set another lunch date for the following Tuesday and that one was the one that fully turned the corner. He flat-out invited me on a week-long trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy on May the 19th. I sat in shock and sat stunned. I did not make up my mind consciously, but I probably really did. It took another week for me to get my mind together and decide to do it but I did not know how to approach the problem of telling Michael.

Winslow worked on me and told me how I deserved a one-time indiscretion and opportunity of this magnitude. He told me I should just tell my husband it was a one-time thing and I would be back and be a good girl from there on out. He even said he would arrange a 'reclaiming trip' to Tahiti all first class if Michael agreed.

Brittany came back to the present, "Can you believe I actually believed my husband would go for that? How stupid was I?"

Patrick said, "You don't really want me to answer that one do ya?"

Brittany shook her head and said, "Uh. No."

Brittany sighed, "So the lunches continued but the extent was hand-holding and a kiss at the end of each lunch date."

On May the twelfth which was the Friday before I was going on the trip I finally got up the nerve to tell Michael or rather I wanted to have a night out with him and then sex and I was going to tell him Saturday morning.

Patrick sighed and said, "It gets worse doesn't it?"

Brittany sighed and nodded then cried for a bit.

Brittany finally composed herself, "So we were in Albert's Steak and Cake, our favorite restaurant. We ate there quite a few times because they have amazing deserts in addition to amazing steaks. Michael was all smiles as we enjoyed an evening together. It all came crashing down that evening because I had told Winslow my plans and... Winslow showed up."

The memory played in Brittany's head, almost as if it were happening again.

Winslow stuck his hand out and introduced himself to Michael. Michael was cautious but mostly polite. Well, that is until Winslow looked at me and asked, "How did he take the news of our trip next Friday?"

Brittany sobbed. It was five full minutes until she composed herself. Finally, Brittany shuddered out, "I saw love die. I literally saw it in his eyes."

Winslow was just standing there like he owned the world. Michael looked at me with a complete change etched on his face. He asked how long I had been 'Fucking that asshole.'

Winslow assured him, "We have not been intimate yet. Next weekend will be the first time when I take her to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. We will be gone for a week and I will return her safe to you the Sunday following for nine days total. To make up for this, I will sponsor a trip to Tahiti for you to get reacquainted. First class and all expenses paid including international first-class airfare."

Brittany sighed, "My husband got up and said, "Over my dead body.""

The whole place was looking at us and Winslow said, "I am only borrowing her for nine days."

Michael was fishing his pants for the car keys when he said, "Goodbye, Brittany."

Brittany sighed, "The whole place knew I was just a whore for a rich guy."

As Michael got to the door he said, "Go on your trip. I cannot stop you nor will I fight a war I have no hope of winning. The asshole can pay for everything including dinner and our divorce. I'm not hungry anymore."

Brittany sighed, "By the time I got home, he was gone. Later, I found out he had spent the week at his brother's place."

Patrick looked then asked incredulously, "And you still went with Winslow?"

Brittany nodded, "Stupid. I know."

Patrick asked, "What did Winslow do when your husband left?"

Brittany said, "He was very consoling. It was all part of his ploy. He was the 'good man' consoling me while my 'evil husband' was the one trying to control me and deny me the experience of a lifetime. He paid the bill at the restaurant and drove me home. He told me I deserved the trip and my husband would be fine once he got done pouting. He reminded me that he would sponsor the Tahiti trip to make up for things.

Patrick shook his head trying to figure out how anyone could believe their own lies to that degree.

Brittany sighed, "I lied to myself. I knew I had killed Michael's heart and I lied to myself and said it was all going to work out. I foolishly told myself that Winslow was right and things would return to normal once I got back and made things up to him."

Brittany broke a bit as she said, "I packed for the trip that week. Michael never came home and never called. Winslow kept reassuring me and I kept lying to myself that everything would be okay."

Patrick asked, "So how was the trip?"

Brittany sighed, "Amazing. It STARTED with a helicopter ride and Winslow made damn sure to keep me distracted and never brought Michael up. I joined the mile-high club. I never even thought about the fact it was my first time cheating when it happened. I just let it happen."

"I had thousand-dollar dinners at restaurants that catered to people with budgets like Winslow. I had sex in a ten thousand dollar a night hotel suite. The truth is the experience was all Winslow said it would be."

Brittany had a sour look as she described what would be an amazing experience for most people, "I saw Positano, Salerno, and Cetara. I saw the entire Amalfi coastline from a private yacht. I had a private dinner on a seaside patio made by a local chef who made a Chicken Marsala that was probably the best I ever had.

Brittany sighed. "How is this for irony? All those things. All worthless memories that hold bitter regret."

Brittany sighed, "Those memories are gold that shine like lead. They should be memories of a lifetime and technically they were. They hold no happiness for me."

Patrick nodded then Brittany continued.

So I got back home and wisely, I came back in an Uber, and not with Winslow. I got to the house and Michael's brother was sitting on the front stair. Somehow he knew I was headed home. I was nervous as I approached. He looked at me with pure disgust and pulled an envelope out of a grocery bag and said, "You've been served."

He sneered, "Worthless cunt."

Patrick winced, "Harsh."

Brittany scoffed, "I deserved much worse."

Patrick nodded, "So you had a lot of great sex and some memories to fall back on."

Brittany broke a bit again, "His brother broke the fantasy. I opened the envelope to see divorce papers and suddenly the memories were not so golden. The sex was adequate. The truth. The honest truth was the sex with Winslow was B plus... Just like my husband Michael except I loved him which is what made it special."

Patrick said, "You rate your ex-husband a B plus in Bed?"

Brittany shrugged, "In raw ability to give an orgasm, that is the truth. I loved Michael and that is what made the sex special and turned it into grade-A sex... until I killed his love."

Patrick was still shocked, "B plus?"

Brittany said, "Why do men insist they all have to be some kind of super stud that gets us off by a mere glance? Before I even met my husband, I had one of those high-end super stud guys who could glance at me and make me wet. He was the starting quarterback at my college. His name was Chaz and we were a thing for three months until I could not stand the sight of his narcissistic face a moment longer. He was a narcissistic asshole with eight inches and a shitty attitude which worked for sex and nothing else."

"I also broke up with him because he brought literally nothing else to the table. There is more to life than crushing orgasms. I chose Michael because he had a huge number of more important qualities... Intelligence, compassion, drive, ambition, whether he would make a good father. He wasn't bad in bed. He was in fact very good in bed and our connection made it better. He had a lot of great qualities. Michaels' qualities dwarfed Chaz's by miles."

Saying the list of the good things about Michael hurt and Brittany broke down again, "Qualities that I used against him."

Patrick brought over a cold glass of water rather than another beer.

Brittany composed herself, "Sara said I was a damn fool and told me flat out she regretted talking to Winslow and trying to entice him over. In fact, she used the incident to stop going on girls nights out. Imagine that! She had a big blow-up with her husband over it and they made up since she had never stepped out physically, not even a kiss. He knew she flashed her boobs quite a bit and didn't have a problem with it as long as no one touched her and she never allowed it. They both agreed to make more time for each other and Friday nights became their night. They are still married and still go out nearly every Friday night. I still work with her and she has a happy life that I envy."

Patrick nodded, "So your mess did have one positive outcome. Sara learned just how thin the ice was that she was standing on."

Brittany nodded, "Yeah. Crappy way of making it happen."

Patrick nodded, "But you already have helped one couple and that is good. Two people live a happy life now because you showed her that her path was indeed a dangerous one."

Brittany sighed, "It's good, but I did it by accident, and through my own betrayal of a man I stood up in front of a church full of people and swore myself to. I don't deserve credit."

Patrick narrowed his eyes, "I see it a bit differently, but go on."

Brittany shrugged, "Well, Madison was cheering me on with Winslow as were Lauren and Katie who I also worked with. I'm sure you won't be shocked that all three eventually took things up a notch and eventually cheated. Each earned a divorce in the process. I did try to warn them to not follow my path."

Patrick looked deep into her eyes, "So you again tried to warn other women from the path you had taken."

Brittany nodded and sighed, "For all the good it did."

Patrick thought and said, "But you did the right thing. It was even more their fault when you showed them what it cost you and they still went forward and cheated."

Brittany sighed, "Meh. It didn't work. I failed... Three times. So Friday arrived and I arranged my own ride to Winslow's home and what a home it was. It was huge with a big circular drive and wings on each side of a big center hall Even as I arrived he handed me a Visa gift card and told me to spoil myself with it. I heard a helicopter that seemed to be close then kept getting closer. I looked out the window and saw the helicopter land. He smiled at me with his billion-dollar smile and said, "Our ride is here!"

We had a helicopter ride to the airport where we got onto a private jet which took off barely five minutes after we boarded. An hour later I was sitting naked on a towel full of Winslow's seed, a full member of the mile high club. I joined it two more times that flight. "

Patrick winced.

Brittany sighed, "I know. So we landed at Naples and took a stretch limo to this luxurious villa overlooking the sea then had dinner at this amazing restaurant with an equally amazing patio with an equally amazing view."

Patrick asked, "Italian restaurant?"

Brittany shrugged, "Wouldn't an Italian restaurant in Italy just be a 'restaurant'?

Patrick chuckled, "Touche!"

Brittany smiled a tiny bit, "So the first day we took a yacht cruise from one end to the other. I had a 5-star meal on deck for lunch at this amazing dinner at yet another high-end place with a seaside view for dinner."

Patrick nodded, "Sounds like the memories of a lifetime."

Brittany shrugged, "In hindsight, not so great."

Patrick looked at her, "And so what happened next?"

Brittany shrugged, "More of the same. Sex, tour, eat, sex, tour, eat, sex, tour, eat. Memories that should logically be lifetime memories but are in fact lifetime regrets."

Patrick nodded, "So you got back to a warm welcome from your brother-in-law. Did Micheal come home?"

Brittany shook her head, "No. He refused to even talk to me. As I said, his brother's visit was a huge wake-up call. Anyway, I had the divorce papers looked at. The offer was a bit one-sided, but my lawyer said they probably were not so lopsided that I should fight them. I tried to talk to him to save the marriage but... his eyes... his dead eyes!"

Brittany sobbed, "I murdered his happiness."

Patrick looked at his watch, "It's twenty after twelve. Ten-minute call. You want one last drink?"

Brittany shook her head, "No. I'll be fine."

Patrick asked, "So did you fight the divorce?"

Brittany nodded, "For two weeks. I tried to get him into counseling and he fought it. Finally, I said I would sign if he let me speak to him for twenty minutes without interruption. He accepted that."

Patrick asked, "I take it that it did not go well?"

Brittany shook her head, "We met at my lawyer's office and he did listen as agreed. I started with an apology and ended with one and basically begged for another chance between the two apologies. At the end, he said with a lot less hostility, just sign them. He was just broken at that point and wanted to end things."

Brittany half broke and said, "He said, "Please. If you have any love for me. Set me free.""

Brittany was clearly reliving that moment and the haunt in her eyes was palpable. It was twelve twenty-eight and two minutes to closing and she sobbed, "I saw the hopelessness then, so I signed the papers. Upon signing him he said the last thing he ever said to me, "Thank You.""

She sobbed, "He thanked me for releasing him!"

Patrick sighed and said, "Let me get you an Uber."

Brittany shuddered then smiled weakly, "Thank you."

Patrick sighed, "A sad tale, but it is time for me to close."

Brittany sighed, "Thank you for listening, you probably don't want to hear me blather on for the rest of the story."

Patrick smiled beatifically, "And I surely do. How am I to help anyone if I don't know how this sad tale ends!? I will definitely see this situation at some time and I will warn her of the coming disaster! I know I can help someone! And I WILL!"

Brittany smiled a bit brighter, "Okay then, We leave in two days, I will be back tomorrow night at some time, perhaps around when the last person leaves. I will finish and you may be able to help someone not take my awful road."

The next day, Brittany arrived at The Celtic Harp at half past nine with her friends who slowly filtered out as it got closer to midnight. The second last patron left at five until midnight and Patrick came up with a fresh iced water and said, "So... please continue! You sound like you regret your decision to go with Winslow. How did things go right after you signed the divorce papers?"

Brittany nodded, "So I numbly sat in the lawyer's office for a good ten minutes after I signed the papers realizing I had killed my marriage. Michael said nothing as he got up and left. I wasn't worthy of even a goodbye."

Brittany sighed, "I guess I really wasn't."

Patrick nodded sympathetically, "I'm sure he was very hurt."

Brittany nodded, "And it was me doing the hurting. Anyway, We both worked and had good jobs so there was no alimony involved so we had no contract. I kept tabs on him and even tried to reach out a few times. He ignored me completely."

Patrick added, "It can take a while to heal from something like that."

Brittany shook her head, "He never healed. Neither did I. He still carries that pain that I caused him.'

Patrick asked, "And what about your pain?"

Brittany shrugged, "I deserve my pain. I just wish I could heal Michael."

Patrick nodded, "So ya never got back together? Ever?"

Brittany shook her head, "He avoided me. I can't blame him. So, it didn't take all that long before I gave up on my relationship with Michael completely. I did stalk him on social media. He muddled along and never seemed to recover. He just seemed to exist. I tried to quietly help him. I even sent some acquaintances to try him out. If I couldn't save our relationship, maybe I could help him find someone and maybe help him find happiness."

Patrick sighed, "I take it, he never found anyone."

Brittany shook her head, "No. He is still alive... but really he is dead. His heart is dead. I saw him last year. His eyes just held sadness."

Brittany sighed and thought back, "If only I had not..."

It was like reliving the nightmare again. Brittany quietly cried.

Brittany came back to the present and steeled herself. Talking to Patrick was almost like reliving the whole disaster.

Patrick asked, "What happened to Winslow?"

Brittany shrugged, "No one knows. He just disappeared one day a year or so later. It was a pretty big story locally. They never could pin it on someone. He was seen with a woman who was the sister of one of the leaders of a local biker gang. Her husband found out and divorced her. Any time they tried to make a case, he had one hundred gang members swear he was someplace else."

Brittany clearly had no love for Winslow and was clearly only lamenting hurting Michael. She sighed, sobbed and shuddered then said, "I wrecked Michael."

Brittany forced herself to stop her sobbing, finished her beer, went to her wallet, and pulled out a hundred Euro note. She said, "Keep the change. Thanks for listening and now you fully understand how deep and terrible regret can be. Maybe, if you see such a situation, you can stop a different woman from making the mistake I did. I wish I could go back to a date seared in my mind, Friday, March 17, 2023, with what I know now, and make things right."

Patrick asked, "Do ya now?"

Brittany said, "Yes. I ruined two lives. I wish I could go back with my current wisdom and knowledge and not destroy Michael."

Patrick suggested, "And maybe help yourself."

Brittany sighed, "Even if I could only fix it for Michael. At least not ruin him, then I could at least look at myself in the mirror."

Patrick smiled then smiled even wider at Brittany's now unselfish wish just to not hurt her ex and said, "Wishes should be granted in the manner they are desired. I see a pure heart and remember..."

He looked Brittany directly into her eyes, "Sometimes what you already have truly is enough!"

Brittany felt the effects of her beer briefly and her vision blurred.

Brittany felt the world move and the scene changed. Her friend Madison said, "Hey! Isn't that Winslow Charleston, the manager of Charleston Funds? He is sek-say and worth billions. What is he doing here?"

Brittany was disoriented, "What? Where is Patrick?"

Madison looked at her with a puzzled look, "Who is Patrick?"

One of the women in my group, Sara, went to his table to flirt and talk to him. Sara was clearly flirting heavily with Winslow and trying to entice him to come meet her friends. Brittany heard a voice, "An interesting situation, isn't it? This might not be a good situation to be in right now!"

Brittany looked toward the voice and saw Patrick with a smile. He waggled his brows and then nodded toward Winslow. Brittany looked at Winslow and then back toward Patrick.

Patrick was gone.

Brittany shook her head and thought, "What? How?"

As Sara talked, Winslow scanned the table then looked at her and flashed a smile.

Winslow got up and held her gaze. He got up as if to join the whole group of women, but he was looking directly at her.

Brittany panicked

Winslow was approaching her!

SHIT!

He was coming this way and was still looking at her!

SHIT SHIT SHIT!

Brittany looked down at her drink and then had an idea. She picked it up and slammed it down in one gulp!

BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!!!!!! It was almost like the giant burp in the movie 'Elf'.

Winslow stopped and looked at Brittany disgusted. He turned and faked a trip to the restroom.

Madison looked at her, "Winslow was headed right for you! What the hell was that?"

Brittany said nothing but smiled and thought, "A reason to call my husband and ask him to pick up his wife because she has had too much drink to drive and when I get home, wear him out in bed."

Brittany smiled and pulled out her phone, an Iphone 14. She had an odd thought, 'The Iphone 32 was so much better than Iphone 14'.

She was confused by the thought and then dismissed it. She shrugged and she picked up his contact photo, "Michael, can you pick me up? I've had too much to drink..."

Friday, March 17, 2045

Brittany was in Dublin with her husband, Michael, and her twenty-one-year-old son, James. Michael was off with her son who was taking a special St. Patrick's Day evening tour of the Guinness factory as a father and son special bonding time. Brittany walked into The Celtic Harp and looked around. The barkeep was a short dark dark-haired man who looked to be about thirty years old. His name tag said 'Sean'. She went up to the barkeep, "What time does Patrick start?"

Sean looked at her and shook his head, "There is no Patrick working here."

Brittany shook her head, "Yes there is, I talked to him twenty-two years ago... uhhh... I mean today."

Sean shook his head, "You must have the wrong pub. There is no Patrick here. What will ya have?"

Brittany sighed, "I'll uh... have a Guinness."

Sean thought sarcastically, 'Tourist!'

Brittany took a seat near a corner and looked into the darkness of her beer sighed and thought, "I would have liked to see him and thank him."

She took a sip and smiled, life was good. Was it a premonition? Was it a dream? She felt sure she had lived two lifetimes... nah, couldn't be. The memories of the seduction and Amalfi trip were faint like the memories of a dream.

Brittany looked at her watch and paced herself, the tour had another hour to go before she would meet up with her family.

"Is this seat taken?"

Brittany looked up, Patrick had his usual smile and a glint in his eye.

"Patrick!"

Patrick sat down with a Guinness and looked into her eyes, boring into her soul, "Have you been a good girl?"

Brittany nodded happily, "I have been a very good girl! So it WAS you?"

Patrick sat back and smiled, "It was me?.... What? There is a saying about not looking the gift horse."

Brittany nodded, "Okay, but... Thank you. I don't know how or why, but thank you."

Patrick smiled, "I recall someone wishing that they could get a second chance. I also recall you asking if I could help someone not cheat on her husband by warning her. Maybe I chose to help you. Interesting paradox there... Yes?"

Patrick smiled, "Ya know, magic is just a reflection of the heart... and an amplification of what is in the heart." Patrick's gaze bore into her soul at that point, "I see a heart very much in love with her husband. Life is good?"

Brittany again nodded, enthusiastically, "Yes. I had my son in 2024. Michael started a small machine shop right around the same time. We do custom work for the automotive industry. We do okay and have a nice house. Life is good."

Patrick sat back and smiled contentedly.

Patrick laughed, "That was some belching ya did when Winslow came at ya!"

Brittany laughed, "I have an older brother, Tom. He could burp the entire alphabet."

Patrick laughed, "So can I! I can do it in Irish Gaelic too!"

Brittany laughed, "I could only get to 'T'. My brother was a bad influence.

Patrick laughed, "Are ya sure? That belching sure seems to have worked to put old Winslow off."

Brittany leaned back, chuckled and sighed, "Perhaps."

Brittany looked at him, his eyes, neither young nor old... timeless.

Brittany looked at him and asked, "Are you...?"

Patrick stopped her, "Don't look the gift horse..."

Brittany nodded.

Brittany looked at Patrick and said, "YOU ARE! I know it!"