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Friday is Date Night

By: qhml1



I actually heard the interview about the site I describe in the story, on NPR. The woman makes almost four million a year.

And there's almost no sex, but there is a cheating wife, so I think it fits this category. And if it were your wife, what would you do? 

..................................................

I was an NPR junkie, hardly ever listening to regular radio. Lately I had been listening to a program featuring people who were doing well in the bad economy.

One guy started out with a van, cleaning out and repairing abandoned houses that were in foreclosure. Now he had eight box trucks and a crew of twenty and still can't keep up.

The one I remembered most was the one that offended me terribly.

It was a website designed to introduce people who wanted to cheat on their spouses.

"It's not a cheaters site. We provide a discreet introduction service. They read each others' profile, and if they like it, they email each other, privately. Of course we have different categories, some things appeal to some but not others. Actually, the second most popular section is called Date Night. 

"It's for people who want to experience others without actual sex taking place. Some use it as a stepping stone to more serious encounters. Others are quite content to just date and go separate ways, sometimes with just a handshake or a chaste kiss."

The host was intrigued.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned about the moral aspect? It's like you're encouraging and facilitating the destruction of marriages."

She wasn't deterred.

"We don't encourage anything, we just offer the opportunity to explore options. There again, once the contact is made on our site, they must immediately leave and go private. No exceptions. Anyone caught violating that rule will be banned from the site for life."

"Tell me, do you ever face litigation?"

You could hear her smirk on the radio.

"People have tried, but they've all been thrown out of court. All we do is allow like minded people to communicate. And again, their actions after they leave the site is not our responsibility. They've been carefully screened, and they are consenting adults. No one is forced to use this site."

The host finished the interview.

"Well despite what people think of your business, it's been very successful. Before we go, I understand you did a survey to determine who is most likely to cheat. Can you share those results?"

"Sure. Remember this isn't scientific, we just asked our members to participate in some research. We had one hundred eighty one thousand members respond. I have a friend that's a detective, and when I showed him the results he laughed."

"It's like a crime," he said. "Motive and opportunity." 

She went on to explain.

"The number one profession likely to step outside the marriage are realtors. Think about it. Erratic schedules, available spaces for their encounters, a multitude of opportunities."

"Second were lawyers. Again, scheduling and opportunities."

"Third was health care professionals, fourth were people in services like construction, especially plumbers."

"The fifth group were stay at home parents and the unemployed. There you go, motive and opportunity. Curiously, people who travel professionally made up a very tiny segment. And one more tidbit, most members range from thirty two to the middle fifties. I guess the seven year itch theory is often fact."

.................................................

I told my wife about it later, as I did most things I found interesting. We were both in our late forties, and had been married for twenty four years. Two children, one each, the youngest a freshman in college, the oldest set to graduate in a few months.

Mary wasn't a model, but she still retained her figure, going to the gym more often since the kids were gone, and had just a few strands of gray in her blonde hair. Outgoing, friendly, she was a good neighbor, watching out for the two elderly couples that lived on our street. She worked, we weren't wealthy, as a receptionist for an auto parts manufacturer.

I had a good job, making decent money considering I never went to college, working for a building supply company that catered to manufactured housing. I had been there fourteen years.

About six months ago one of our crew retired. One of our largest customers had a monster development at the beach, and it was cheaper to order the parts necessary directly from us and have them delivered. They were such a big customer we bought one of those box trucks and made a weekly run. We delivered on Friday, so the crews would have the materials ready to go on Monday.

They posted the job but I didn't ask for it, it required overnight travel and I liked sleeping at home.

The boss gave it to a young guy that loved the beach, but he liked it so much he found a job there and abandoned the van and disappeared.

The next driver, also young, had a beer too many and wrecked the truck. My boss called me into his office.

"Bill, I'm not gonna beat around the bush. I need someone dependable to make these runs, someone who knows the business. I'm going to ask you to do it for a few weeks, as a favor to the company. We'll run an ad, see if we can find someone. Will you do it?"

I finally agreed, after they changed my hours. I had been working four tens and having a three day weekend. Now I worked four eights, drove the truck home on Thursday, Left at five in the morning on Friday, drove the four and a half hours, and delivered the material. Sometimes I delivered to their little warehouse and was done by one or two, sometimes I had to deliver to individual sites, but was still usually done by five. I was paid for twelve hours, unless I worked more. I was given money for lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next day plus my room, and paid for the four and a half hours it took to drive home. 

Mary wasn't too fond of it at first, It cut into our home life quite a bit. I worked it out where every third week someone else drove it, and once a month or so Mary would take a vacation day and make the trip with me. Those days we would spend another night, paid for by us, and drive home Sunday.

Three months went by and I stopped by the office one Thursday to see if I needed to take any documents with me, warranties, changes in the housing codes, anything that seemed relevant. While I was there, I asked how they were progressing on my replacement. The boss told me to pull up a chair and shut the door.

"We haven't had much luck, and I have to confess, we stopped looking. The developer loves you, the shipments are complete, and on the rare occasion something gets missed, you take the time to go to Lowes or Home Depot and make it right, if they have it available. When you looked over his warehouse and made suggestions to improve flow, he took it to heart."

He saw me frown, knowing what was coming.

"Don't say no right off the bat. If you take it, there's three dollars more an hour in it, and I'll agree that if you want your old job back in six months you can have it and keep the raise. Go home, talk it over with your wife."

We did talk about it. Mary didn't like it, but she liked the extra money coming in. Our house was almost paid off, and we agreed to put the extra money towards the principal every month. Plus, we both agreed that at the end of six months I'd go back to my old job.

I hated it, at first. Then I made a few friends, even got invited to dinner with the development owner and his wife.

I was never much of a drinker, so I didn't hang out in bars. At a suggestion from one of the contractors, I started eating dinner at a quiet family style place three blocks off the beach. A local hangout, not like the tourist traps on the main drag. It had a small attached pub that I usually had one beer in, and sometimes watched a game. It was baseball season, one of my favorite sports to watch. I made friends with the bartender and a few of the locals, enough to speak to them by name and exchange sports talk.

One night the bartender was telling us about the fish he had caught off the pier that morning. Interest perked, I asked him about it, and ended up invited to go with him the next morning. I called Anne to tell her I'd be a few hours late coming home the next day, but got the machine. 

I wasn't concerned, she was often at her sister or parents house, so I left a message.

Five thirty found me on the pier. I didn't need a license, the pier permit covered everything. Sam, the bartender, gave me a tutorial on bait, rigging, casting[a big thing if the pier was crowded] and what I could and couldn't land.

"No sharks" he said. I laughed. What were the odds I would catch a shark? Better than even, my first fish was a two foot sand shark.

I had it dangling out of the water, looking at Sam.

"What do I do?"

"This" he said, pulling out a fillet knife and cutting the line.

I caught a few more fish that Sam kept and filleted. It didn't matter to me, I had fun just catching them.

After a lot of discussion and a lot of advice, I bought two eight foot rods with Penn reels, and kept them in the truck. Just as soon as I was done for the day I would hit the pier and fish, sometimes into the night. Invested in a cooler to take the catch home, if I caught enough.

Mary and my friends were happy with the fish fries we started hosting about once a month.

................................................

My six months were almost up. My boss was begging me to do it for another six month period, but he would stick to the deal we made. I was really surprised when Mary urged me to do it.

"We're used to it now, and the extra money is really helping with the house payments. Two more years and we're done. Think about it, about the vacations we could take, the things we could do. I miss you honey, but after all, it's just one day a week. And I know you'll miss the fishing."

She had a point. I really wanted to pay off the house. After that we could relax, save a little for the future, and enjoy life.

My boss was happy with my decision, and sweetened it by giving me another small raise.

.................................................

My world came apart about two months later.

I was a hundred miles out when the truck stopped running. Judging by the engine noise, it was bad. I called a wrecker, called my boss, called our customer, and waited. 

They hauled it to the local dealership. I knew there was no way I could make my delivery, and it would be late afternoon or tomorrow morning before they could fix it. I had the option of spending the night, or going home. I wasn't that far away, and I figured it would be nice to surprise Mary and come home. The dealership actually gave me a loaner, so I didn't have to rent a car.

.............................................

It was almost seven that evening when I turned into our block. I was five doors down when Mary walked out of the house. I remember thinking she looked amazing in the dress she had on, one I had never seen before. She seemed to be in a hurry, pulling out quickly. I called her cell to try to stop her.

She picked up on the third ring.

"Let me guess, you're on the pier."

"No, honey, I'm actually right behind..."

"Hold on a second honey, the timer just went off on the oven. A new casserole I'm trying. I hope you like it."

Huh? Since when did she install an oven in her Camry?

"So you're at home?"

She actually giggled.

"Of course I am, where did you think I would be? I've got my old robe on, hair all up and a new mask on my face. Supposed to take years off. How would you feel about a sexy, younger wife?"

I'd feel a hell of a lot better than I feel right now. My hands were actually shaking on the wheel. I had to get off the phone.

"Hey! I got a bite. See you at home tomorrow."

She actually told me she loved me when she hung up.

I followed her to an upscale restaurant, French I think. She got out of the car and looked around uncertainly, and a man in a nice suit got out of his car and they started talking. After a few minutes, they shook hands and went into the restaurant.

I pulled in behind the car and wrote down his license number. Then I sat for over twenty minutes, trying to decide what to do.

I dialed a number I hardly ever used. It was a young man that worked for us for awhile, before getting another offer. The job fell through three months later and we had already replaced him. I knew he was on unemployment and was strapped for cash.

"Jerry, how are you? Found a job yet? No? Too bad. Listen, are you busy right now? How would you and your wife like a nice meal on me, and a little spending money to go with it? Sound good? All right, meet me at the Kroger on Third as soon as you can, and I'll explain everything. And Jerry, It's nothing illegal."

He pulled up thirty minutes later. He and his pretty young wife got out. She went quiet, then spoke before he could.

"Why don't you just go in there and confront her? It might be nothing, maybe she's planning a surprise for you. Maybe he's a long lost relative. It could be anything."

I agreed with her.

"You're probably right, but I'd look like an asshole barging in there, and she could say anything and I wouldn't be able to dispute it."

"But what if it's not innocent. What if she's having an affair? What if it's been going on for awhile? No, this way is best. No one gets accused, no one causes a scene, and I'll know, one way or the other."

"But I'll understand if you don't want to do this. I'll still pay for a nice meal, at a place of your choice."

She looked into my eyes, and sighed.

"All right. But promise me, if it's bad, you won't get violent."

I know I had tears in my eyes when I answered her.

"I've loved this woman for twenty four years. Even if she has betrayed me, I could never physically hurt her. I just need to know. Please."

They agreed. I showed them several pictures of her on my phone. There was a chance they might leave soon, and if they did I wanted them to follow them, and be sure to get as many pictures as they could. I handed them three hundred in cash, and told them I would give them more later.

After they left, I went back to the town where the truck was and got a room, sleeping very little.

I called her the next morning, telling her I would have to spend Sunday away, so they could unload me first thing Monday. She actually seemed disappointed I would be gone all weekend.

Then I called Jerry and Amy.

"Don't tell me yet. I want to talk to both of you face to face, to get your feelings and opinions. Also, I won't be there tonight, so I want you to watch my house from say, six until ten. If she doesn't go out, go home. If she does, follow her and get pictures. I'll have some more money for you when I see you."

..................................................

I met with Jerry and Anne, having coffee with them in the next town over.

"I don't know what to tell you, man." said Jerry. while Amy nodded.

"They had almost finished their meal when we went in, so we sat at the bar and had a drink. Then they went to the Platinum Club, the place that caters to people your age and up."

"They stayed until just before midnight, danced a lot, then he took her back to her car. They talked for a few minutes, and after a small kiss, they got into their cars and left. She went straight home. We sat and watched for about an hour, but the lights went out and no one came, so we left. It was kind of weird, watching her."

Amy added her thoughts.

"It was definitely odd. It looked like, I dunno, like a first date."

................................................

She noticed I was down when I got home. She fixed a nice dinner that I ate quietly. She noticed.

"What's wrong, honey? Have a bad trip?"

I took my time looking up, trying to keep my face bland.

"Yeah, it kind of sucked. The truck breaking down screwed up the whole weekend. They had to schedule someone to open the warehouse for me, and he was late. Then I went and ate at that restaurant I liked so much, and the food wasn't really that good. I didn't even get to relax in the pub, some guy caught his wife in there with another man, apparently having a romantic date, and caused quite a scene."

I couldn't resist.

"The whole scene left a bad taste in my mouth. Give me your opinion, what would you have done if you had walked into a restaurant and found me sitting there with a date? Would you cause a altercation?"

She didn't answer me right away, a telling sign.

"I'd be shocked and disappointed, and I would probably be pretty sharp with you, but I don't know if I would cause a scene. It may be innocent, with a valid explanation, but I'd damn sure want to hear it when we got home."

I just looked at her.

"Really? If I walked in on you and another man I don't think I'd be discreet. I'd probably come apart like a flea market watch. And there wouldn't be any waiting to get home, you'd better have a damn good explanation right then."

She actually paled a little, but recovered.

"You don't have anything to worry about, honey. You're the man in my life. Don't judge too harshly, there may have been a reasonable explanation for the woman you saw. It might have been an old friend or a relative she was having dinner with. You may have read too much into it."

I wouldn't let it go.

"I don't think so. She was apologizing, saying it wasn't what he thought, he was screaming at her about being a slut, and the guy she was with disappeared like a ghost. Regardless, if she was there without his knowledge, she was cheating at least emotionally, and in my mind that's just as bad as the physical act."

"For God's sake! Can we please change the subject? Relax honey. Let's watch a movie, maybe snuggle a bit. Who knows, it may lead to more. I really missed you this weekend."

I'd like to say I took the moral high ground, but she knew the right buttons to push. At forty six, she was still a looker. Went to the gym three times a week, made sure we both ate right, took good care in grooming. She was maybe fifteen pounds heavier than when we married, settled in the right places. She was indeed built for comfort and pleasure.

Like I said, knew all my buttons, and she pushed them all that night. It was like she was trying to prove something. I asked her about it as we snuggled afterwards, and felt her stiffen.

"I just wanted to give you a little extra tonight, just my way of telling you that you're still pretty special and I'm glad you chose me as a life mate."

I hugged her a little tighter, wanting to believe it, when she giggled.

"You made out pretty well. Have you seen Myra lately?"

Myra was her only serious competition when we started dating. Time had not been kind to her, she was five feet tall and had to weigh over two fifty. She didn't have double chins, she had a triple chin. Still, when she was young she was hot.

I couldn't resist.

"Yeah. I feel bad for her. Her last divorce was pretty rough on her, even if it was her fault. Cheating seems to always have repercussions, in this case it drove her self esteem so low she drowned in ice cream and cookies. Maybe she'll find someone she can be faithful with. I hope so. The choice of going on at our age alone is depressing."

I could tell it got to her. She got up, went to the bathroom and stayed in so long I went to sleep.

.................................................

I had Jerry and Amy check on her the next Friday night. They watched the house from six until ten, but she never went out. She didn't go anywhere the next week and I started to relax.

The next Friday she was out the door, dressed sharply, at seven. She went back to the same restaurant, I never knew she like French cuisine so much. It was a different guy this time, and they just had dinner. Again there was a slight kiss, and she went home alone.


Friday is Date Night



Jerry gave me the pictures of them and his license plate at work the next Monday. We had a position come open and I pushed to get him back.

He asked me to meet him at home the next night. I got there and he introduced me to his cousin.

"This is Billy. Among other things he is a techie bordering on nerd status."

That got him a punch on the arm. He continued, pulling out a box he had in the garage.

"This is a pretty high end GPS system he took in trade for installing some security gadgets for a guy. Here's my thought. You work for a living, and I know you're not rolling in money. I felt bad taking it, but it helped with our bills."

"Here's what I think you should do. Billy will give you a good price on this thing, installed. All you have to do is get her car to us for an hour. Once in, he'll set it up to ping on my computer if it leaves your house after six on Friday. Billy, me, or Amy will go to the address she stops at, take some pictures. Then we'll leave, but monitor movement. If she goes home we'll know. If she goes somewhere else, we'll get the location, drive by, and snap a few shots. The system will log the time she gets home for your review."

Amy had gotten home by then.

"This sucks for you, it has too. But, from what I've seen, it's just dates. She goes out, eats, talks, maybe dances, but she's always home alone before midnight. I don't think she's looking to have sex, for what it's worth."

"Do you think what she's doing is acceptable for a married woman?"

Her face colored.

"Hell no! My first husband cheated on me, same with Billy and his wife. These are threshold events in my opinion, nothing serious now, but it's opening the door to disaster. If she can do it without having sex and not get caught, how long will it take before she feels safe doing the nasty? Better stop it soon. Ask her point blank what the hell is going on and proceed from there."

I thought about for a minute, then told them I would drive her car Wednesday, it was due an oil change, then run it by Billy so he could install the unit.

.................................................

Without out right confronting her, I shook her up pretty good the next Saturday.

I had been home long enough to put the fish I had caught in the freezer, clean up, and grab a beer. We were on the patio, trying to decide whether to go out or have something delivered. I asked her what she was in the mood for, and she said it didn't matter.

"How about French? My boss told me about a place called La Petite Chateau, said it was really good. It's a little fancy, though. Feel like dressing up?"

Her face lost almost all it's color. She pulled herself together quickly.

"Not really. The more I think about it, the more I think we should just call Wongs', get some General's Chicken and some egg rolls and hot and sour soup. Sound good?"

I lazily agreed, saying I didn't feel like dressing up. That night she didn't reach for me, and I didn't make any overtures, the first time in years we hadn't played on a Saturday.

...............................................

I endured it for five more weeks before putting the whole thing to rest.

She had developed a steady boyfriend, dating him four Fridays out of five. They were starting to linger over dinners, giving each other soft kisses.

I drove the truck down three hours early that Friday, hopped a small commuter flight back to town. Four and a half hours of driving reduced to fifty minutes. I rented a car, drove home, and waited until she left. I sighed as I watched her walk to her car, trying to remember the last time she had dressed so elegantly for me. No matter. Not anymore.

I gave her forty minutes and called Amy.

"Are they together yet?"

"Yes. They just ordered drinks and are looking at the menus. Are you sure about this?"

I know she could hear the pain in my voice.

"Not at all. But I'm doing it anyway. Now."

Amy walked up to them.

"Mary Travers! Is that you?"

She looked embarrassed, not remembering Amy.

"I'm Amy. My husband Jerry works with your husband."

She looked at the man.

"Is this your brother?"

The man was smooth, I'll give him that.

"No, I'm not. We're old friends. My wife was out of town, so we decided to share a good meal. It beats sitting home."

She looked at Mary, who eagerly nodded.

"Well, enjoy your meal. Tell Bill I said hi." She turned to go, then turned around like she had an after thought.

" While I'm here I have something for you. You've been served."

All right, she wasn't really a process server. But it was dramatic and unexpected, and that was what I was going for.

PETITION FOR DIVORCE was in big letters across the front of the paperwork. Mary sat there stunned.

"Oh, by the way, it's for you."

She handed Mary the throwaway phone I had bought and walked away. Fifteen bucks with thirty minutes of free airtime. More than enough for the conversation I wanted to have.

She had put it on speaker. I had heard the whole conversation.

"Mary, pick up. I know you can hear me. It could get real bad for you if you don't."

I heard her voice, quivering slightly

"Bill? Honey, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. And you don't have to call me honey anymore. If you've got one brain cell left in your head, you need to come home. NOW, Mary. If you don't, it could get pretty ugly."

I could hear desperation in her voice.

"Bill, please, I can explain. It's not what it looks like."

I cut her off.

"What it looks like, Honey[I put as much sarcasm as I could into the word]is you having yet another romantic dinner with your steady boyfriend. Are your other boyfriends disappointed? I hope you let them down gently. It was kind of cruel to let them wine and dine you, then not seal the deal. Like I said, come home, or deal with something really bad."

I hung the phone up. Amy had gone out, but Jerry stayed behind to watch.

I had found out the name and address of every man she had been with through their license plate. All were married. One was as young as thirty, one was sixty three. I sent some very nice pictures of them with Mary to all their wives, along with the date they had met. They had no idea where they came from, although it did come out later in court actions that it was me.

The wife of her steady boyfriend got a bonus, their exact location that night. As Mary was trying to process what was happening, she came blasting through the restaurant door with her lawyer, and an off duty policeman.

"You slut!" she screamed at Mary, and would have slapped her had the officer not grabbed her arm.

"I hope you have room for him at your house, because he's not coming back to mine."

She looked at her husband, who seemed to be trying to disappear under the table.

"I warned you, but you didn't listen. Shouldn't have signed that post nupt the last time I caught you. I brought you a suitcase. This nice officer has some paperwork for you. See you in court."

She turned to leave, but had a few more words for Mary.

"I hope you end up with him, you deserve each other. Oh, have him drive you over tomorrow, and I'll let you and him explain to our twelve year old daughter why daddy isn't going to live there anymore."

The off duty officer served him with his divorce paperwork, along with a restraining order barring him from the house unless accompanied by an officer of the court.

The management came over, and asked them politely to leave, and asked Mary, up until then a loyal customer, to never come back. They were escorted to the door.

Amy was sitting in the car, and she said everyone walked away and left her standing there. Mary stood for a second, then ran to her car, actually squealing tires going out of the parking lot.

She got home five minutes after her sister and mother came over, at my invitation. They were sitting on the couch, leafing through the photos I had thoughtfully left. Pictures of her with everyone of her dates, especially the ones of the goodbye kisses. I heard later her sister ranted at her while her Mom just sat and cried.

Me? I disappeared. I was back down at the beach and checked into a little Mom and Pop motel my friend the bartender had recommended. It was old, off the beaten track, but it was clean and well maintained, and fairly reasonable. It even had basic cable. I paid cash and left no paper trail.

I had taken two weeks of vacation, and turned my cell phone off. At noon and eight I would check my phone. It was full of messages from Mary, mostly crying. A few from her mother and sister, and some from friends and even my boss, all saying to call them back or to call Mary. The only one I called was my boss.

"Bill! Where the hell are you? Mary must have called twenty times, and been by here twice. When she found out you had taken two weeks of vacation, she almost collapsed. I don't know what's going on, not my business, but you need to call her."

"Thanks boss. Do me a favor, call her and tell her I talked to you, and I'll call her when I'm back from vacation, not a minute before. And tell her if she keeps it up, for every time she calls and bothers you, I'll wait another day before I call. And boss, I'm sorry she called you."

"Oh no, I'm not getting in the middle here. I'll call her, tell her I heard from you, and that you said you'd call her at the end of your vacation. After that, I'm done. Where the hell are you, anyway?"

"If you don't know, you can't tell. See you when I get back."

I fished a lot. Sat in the pub and watched baseball. Bartenders are almost physic by nature and training. He prodded a little, and pretty soon I told him the whole story.

"No way back?" He asked, gently.

"I don't see how. Twenty six guys! And that's just the ones since I found out. Out drinking, dining, dancing, dressing to the nines for them. It doesn't matter that they didn't have sex. Every time she left the house to meet them, she cheated on me. Could you live with that?"

"I don't know the answer to that. The real question is if you can find some way to."

Truth? I couldn't.

..............................................

I went back to town, back to work, but not back to Mary.

She tried mightily. My boss had to bar her from the property. She finally got a lawyer and the dance started. She fought it hard as she could. I wouldn't even speak to her. If she managed to find me, I'd leave wherever I was. Finally had to get a restraining order after she caused so many scenes in the parking lot of my apartment building they almost threw me out.

Finally, after four months, my lawyer and hers reached an agreement she would honor.

Six counseling sessions. More only if I thought it would lead to something. If not, the divorce would go through.

It was probably the most painful four hours of my life. I met the counselor, liked her, and caved just a little. Six sessions, with the first two solo, so she could get both versions of the story.

The first joint session was pretty much a waste of time. Mary just sat and cried and begged me to come home. I looked at the counselor and she sighed.

"Mary, this is not productive. To have a successful session, there has to be a dialog, a give and take. What caused the rift? Can it be fixed? I won't assign blame, but I will need to determine which spouse triggered the events leading to where we are now. I'm going to cut this short and give you time to compose yourself, then I'm going to ask you to do some things to prepare for next week."

"Write it down, it will help. Be honest. One half truth or verifiable lie and I'll cancel the sessions and recommend the divorce go through. If you have even the slightest hope of reconciliation, do this for both of you. Now, I want you both to go home and think about where you see your marriage now, and where you hope it will go. See you next Tuesday."

We actually made progress the next session, even if I didn't like what she had to say.

Mary remained fairly calm, which surprised me. I guess she finally figured out all the tears and apologies in the world wasn't going to do the job.

She had a notepad in her hand.

"First Bill, and I'll only say it once, I apologize for possibly ruining what was up to now a very good marriage. I know you have questions, so ask what you want, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability."

"Very good, Mary. I'm sure Bill will appreciate that."

The counselor was upbeat, hoping for a breakthrough. 

I just looked at her for a second.

"What made you do it? Was what we had not enough? Was I not enough? If you were unhappy, why didn't you say something? I would have done anything to fix it, you know that?"

She burst into tears, excused herself to the bathroom. After five minutes, I nodded at the counselor, and got up to leave. she rushed back in just as my hand touched the door.

"Bill! Please, don't leave. I'll be all right now."

"Still haven't answered my question, Mary. Why?"

"Boredom, and stupidity. I was fine for awhile when you first started being gone overnight, then I got bored. You can only visit your family so many times before you get tired of each other."

I snorted.

"So, it's 'I'm bored, so I'll just slip out on my husband, he'll never know, and I'll have a good time.' Is that what you were thinking?"

"Yes...No! I don't know! I was just tired of sitting home, watching television, while you were at the beach, eating in restaurants, ogling bikinis, having drinks in a pub. Why couldn't I do that?"

I lost it and walked out.

.................................................

It took two weeks for the counselor to talk me into coming back, reminding me if I'd honor my commitment it would soon be over, one way or another.

She was downcast, listless. Her hair was a mess, no makeup. She was a woman defeated. It was my turn to speak.

"Do you honestly think I was having minivacations while I was gone? I was working, damn you. I admit I enjoyed the fishing, but sleeping alone in a strange bed, driving hours on end, eating food nowhere near as good as what you fix, is definitely not my idea of vacation. And bikinis? Yeah I saw a bunch. It was THE FUCKING BEACH, in the middle of the summer!"

"So I looked, but that didn't prompt me to hunt down their moms and ask them to dinner."

I stopped to get my breathing back to normal.

"All right, tell me this, how did you meet these guys? And how many were there? I know more than you think, so be really careful about lying. Tell one too big and I catch you, I'll leave and not come back. Ever."

She hung her head down.

"You told me where to look."

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

She refused to look up.

"Remember last year, when you were ranting about that cheating website? It stuck in my head. I went online and checked it out. At first it was just chatting, talking about all kinds of things."

"One guy kept urging me to check out the romance section. There was no sex allowed, just dates, conversations, activities and interests you could share, but at the end of the night you went home, alone."

I already knew about the site. I had Jerry's cousin over one night when she was visiting and I knew she wouldn't be home soon. Plus, the GPS was still active, and if she headed for home we'd know it. He downloaded everything on a thumb drive for me, got me a good deal on a older laptop, and I would piggyback the WiFi from the motel I stayed at while I was gone. At first it was just chat, but as she got used to it it got a little more risque. In the fifteen months I had been traveling, she had thirty one dates, with twenty six different men. She date two twice, and her last four times. At first, it was just once a month, then it got to twice a month, then one set where she went out twelve weekends in a row.

She was still talking while I was reviewing my facts.

"How many? I don't really know. Over twenty, probably more. We just went out, mostly to eat. Sometimes we would go dancing, one took me to a street festival, another to a jazz concert. But I always came home, and I was always alone. I Did Not Cheat! I swear."

The counselor was letting her go, but at this point she asked her what constituted cheating. One too many kisses, inappropriate touching? Where did she draw the line? Did she really think I wouldn't react badly if I found out? Would she be all right with it if I started taking ladies to dinner, maybe fishing, or some other activity?

The tears started again.

"I'd hate it. I understand how he feels, I really do. It would break my heart to see him going out with others. It wouldn't matter how innocent it was, especially if he went out multiple times with the same woman. I get it, don't you understand?"

I felt my own tears.

"It doesn't matter that you get it. It doesn't matter what you want. The fact is you did it, went out on dates while I sat in a motel room bored and lonely. Different men, different styles, different ideas, and all them interested enough to go out a date with you. Don't tell me it didn't excite you, didn't give you a sense of power, that you could have such a big secret and I had no idea."

I paused to catch my breath. She started talking but I just got louder and overrode her.

"Tell me about your last boyfriend. And don't deny it, you dated him four times in a row. That isn't casual. That's a relationship, or the beginnings of one. You kissed him at least eight times the time before I decided to let you know I knew what you were doing. Still insist there wasn't any feelings there?"

She tried to answer several times before breaking down and telling the truth.

"I'm sorry! He was everything you weren't, in upper management, wore expensive suits, had a nice haircut. He could talk about things you had no interest in. I just wanted to pretend, just for a little while, that I wasn't a middle class woman that had to work to help maintain their lifestyle."

I laughed out loud.

"Your Romeo isn't in management, he's a salesman, and not a very good one, according to his wife. Their lifestyle is actually a little more conservative than ours. He has a great haircut because his wife is a hairdresser. The nice suits were knockoffs, and the two you saw him in were the only ones he had. The nice car was owned by his company, they could have fired him for using it for personal reasons. He was paying for your dates on a credit card he was hiding from his wife. There's your urbane, witty dream man, honey."

"Speaking of wives, I know she and two others have named you in divorce suits, nice to be popular, huh? Heard from any of the others yet?"

I had shocked her into silence with my tirade. Looking over at the counselor, I told her I wasn't coming back.

"There's no use. I'm not taking her back. If it was so easy for her to date twenty something men while I was gone one night, what would have happened if I was gone a week at a time? She says it didn't mean anything, but we all know that's a lie. It meant enough to her to risk her marriage. She knew how I'd react if I found out, I don't know why she pretends otherwise. I'll see you in court."

"Counselor?"

She nodded her head and I left, her sobs filling the room.

I returned, almost immediately, with an old suitcase.

"Since we're through, I need to give you these back. It's all your dating clothes you kept hidden in Rose's old room. Bet you thought I'd never notice them, hanging there with her old things. Luckily, I had pictures. And I also found the underwear. When did you ever wear a thong for me? And I bet you looked great in that bustier, too bad I'll never see you in it."

I shoved the suitcase across the floor with my foot. It came to rest against her chair.

"I wouldn't open it in here if I were you. I thought about it, and though I would never physically hurt you I needed a little revenge.




Friday is Date Night



So I pissed on them. Twenty six times for every guy you had been with, that I knew about. A few more times, for the ones I didn't. It's been in my trunk for the last week, and you know how hot it's been. I'd like to say I'm sorry, but I won't lie to you."

She looked like she was about to faint, and the counselor looked ill at ease. I left, for good.

The counselor filed her report and the divorce went through, and at forty eight I was a single man again.

................................................

There was fall out, of course.

Our oldest, Charlene, couldn't understand why I couldn't let it go. She was set to graduate, already had a few job prospects. She was also engaged, to a man who seems reasonable enough. He was still a junior and had almost a full year to go.

"Charlie, honey, I know you've had job prospects. Let's say that out of the blue the company you've always wanted to work for offers you an entry position, at a good salary. The drawback is it's far away. You talk it over with Tony, and agree that it's in both your best interests to take the job. You're up there working, being lonely, and then find out he's been going out with a lot of different women. Just dates, no sex. Would you consider that reasonable behavior? He's not sleeping with them, but suddenly he's seen dating the same woman for a month. How would you handle it?"

She didn't have an answer, but stopped trying to get us back together.

Rose, our nineteen year old, was more pragmatic.

"You did the right thing, Dad. I couldn't have put up with it either. It's just too bad you wasted all those years."

"I didn't waste them, honey. I got you and your sister. That alone would have made it worth it. And until this year, I thought we had a great marriage. And I've told Charley the same thing, don't shut your mother out over me. Be angry, let her know it, but she didn't directly betray you. One of her biggest fears in counseling was that she had lost her whole family."

I saw the determined little jut to her jaw, but she would eventually come to some kind of peace with Mary, as would Charlie.

We owed eleven thousand dollars on the house. I took a hardship disbursement on my 401 and paid it off. The lawyers worked out a deal where she could still live in it rent free, but there could be no roommates, male or female. If she found somebody she wanted to live with, the house went up for sale, and we split the money evenly. The eleven thousand I paid and her living rent free went towards balancing out our finances, her 401 wasn't as big as mine.

She seemed determined to apologize to me every time we saw each other, mostly over the kids. It got old, and I finally snapped at her one day.

"For God's sake, Mary! Give it a rest. You're sorry for what you did. I'm sorry for what it did to us. It's over, stop beating a dead horse. If you can't, I'll stop coming around."

She finally stopped.

The girls let me know she wasn't dating anyone, hoping it might make me forgive her. I just grunted.

"Must have gotten it all out of her system while we were married, I guess."

They didn't talk to me for three weeks. When they decided to forgive me, I was gone.

..................................................

My company had finally gotten tired of sending a truck every week, and they had picked up two new developers, so they decided to open a warehouse there. I was offered the managers job, at a substantial raise, and I got to pick my crew. Of course I took it, and took my friends with me.

Jerry became assistant manager, Amy worked the counter for walk ins, and Billy ran our computers. We hired four locals, stocked the warehouse, and opened. Amy was quite a salesman, and I took her with me to meet all the developers. When she was comfortable I bumped her into sales and hired another local for the counter.

My phone finally rang after almost four weeks of the silent treatment.

"Dad! Where are you? We went by your apartment and the manager told me you had moved. We went by your job and they said you didn't work there anymore. We're sorry for ignoring you. You hurt our feelings, and we decided to be petty. Where do you live now? Can we come and see you? Please?"

"Sure you can. You know I love you girls, right? I didn't cut you off. Come whenever you want."

"Thank you, Dad. Where is your new place? We'll be right over."

I laughed.

"Not that easy, girls. I live five hours away. I'm at the beach, got a nice house in Surfside. We opened a new warehouse down here and I'm manager. But come this weekend. Bring your bathing suits, it's still pretty warm down here."

"The beach? Does mom know?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. And I didn't move down here to run away. It was a good offer and I needed a change. So, are you coming or not?"

After giving them directions, they promised they would be there Friday afternoon. They asked if they could tell their mother, and I had no problem with it, as long as she didn't tag along.

I had gotten a really good deal on the house. After you got a few blocks off the beach real estate was almost as low as any other town. A nice yard, fair sized lot, semi private back yard thanks to the bushes the homeowner had planted a few years before. The neighbors were mostly my age, and were friendly. I was renting, not yet sure I wanted to stay, or if I wanted to go through the hassle of having house payments until I was retired.

The girls showed up earlier than I expected, coming to the warehouse. I gave them a quick tour, and they seemed impressed. Being the boss had some benefits, so I took the rest of the day off and showed them around.

I took them to my favorite restaurant, and introduced them to my friends. They were suitably impressed, and Sam laughed. He complimented them on their beauty.

"Must take after their mother."

Hey!" I said, "it's a good thing they do. It would be awful to be as ruggedly handsome as me and be female."

My friends laughed, we had one drink[a soft drink for my youngest] and left.

We caught up at home. Charlie was getting more serious with her boyfriend, and was going to take a local job for now, for the experience. I wondered if our discussion had any bearing on her decision.

Rose was not the least bit interested in getting serious with anyone, content to enjoy her first year at college. She was keen to hit the beach in the morning, but caught what she was saying and apologized.

"Why? You're at the beach, this is sort of a holiday for you guys. Go have fun. Peyton Point is best for people your age. Don't look surprised, I'm a local now, remember. I'll fish while you enjoy, maybe I'll catch something to grill tomorrow night. You go too, Charley. Now, it's past bedtime for an old man, so I'll see you at breakfast. I love you, girls. I always will. It's really good to see you."

I got a couple of really nice kisses. I heard them talking while I drifted off to sleep.

I got them up at eight the next morning, fed them breakfast, and told them to have a good time.

I went down to the pier, and joined Sam.

"Nice girls," he told me, while I was rigging up.

"The best, Sam. I'm just glad I got to be around while they grew up."

Sam, bartender/psychologist that he was, glanced at me. He was the only one locally I had ever told the whole story to.

"Still miss her?"

I sighed.

"Most every day. I had my whole life tied up to hers. I never once thought we wouldn't be together. But then I think about how easily she did what she did, and still get angry. Not the full on rage I once had, but still enough to be pissed."

"Ever think about getting back together?"

"Not once."

He just grunted and changed the subject.

The trout were running, and I got lucky and caught three, all a nice size. I dressed them, put them in my cooler, stopped at the farmers' market and picked up some fresh corn, tomatoes, and zucchini.

I had bought a really nice grill, my one extravagance since moving. I hardly ever turned on my stove, especially if it was nice outside. The girls came in about four, slightly sunburned, and giggling.

We talked for about an hour before I started dinner. I had already prepped everything, so all they had to do was sit and watch. The meal was great, the compliments flowed. We had a nice wine, and Rose got a glass, since we were home.

Dinner over, dishes cleared, I noticed Rose fidgeting.

"What?"

She hung her head.

"I kind of met some people today, and they told me about a dance club for people my age. I thought about going, if you don't mind."

"Rose, you're not a little girl any more. If you want to go, then go. I have to say I'm not too keen on you going alone. There are predators everyone, especially in vacation areas. Is your sister going?"

Charlie looked surprised. 

"I thought I'd stay in with you?"

"That's sweet, but I'm still as boring as I was when you were home. Go with her, I'll feel better. Dance, flirt, and think about how lucky David is to have you. Just be careful, and don't split up, all right?"

Charlie was still hesitant, but Rose practically dragged her into the bedroom. To her credit, Charlie called David, I guess the lesson her mom learned was still fresh. He gave her his blessing, trusting her completely.

They came out, dressed to the nines, kissed me, and left. They came in about one, I was still the same nervous dad I was when they were sixteen, old habits die hard. I heard them giggling, and I smiled and went to sleep.

We went out to breakfast before they had to pack and leave. I gave them each a key to the house.

"Just in case you decide to pop in."

To their credit, they hardly mentioned their mom.

..................................................

I hadn't dated since we had split, just couldn't work the interest up. Plus, I was badly out of practice.

Amy, Jerry, and Billy had integrated into the community, and in six months they were mentioning mothers of their friends, the nice single ladies they met in the course of business that were my age, even a few much younger. Soon our local crew was in on it. I smiled, thanked them for their effort, but never followed up.

Even Sam got onto me.

"Time for you to start enjoying life again."

He handed me a paper with a phone number and an address on it.

"My cousin Kat. She's going through the same thing you are. I thought you would be perfect for each other as a first post marriage date. I had to get our mothers in on it to get her to agree, so you owe me. Don't screw it up. If you do, better drink cans or bottles. Everything else might taste a little funny."

I called. She seemed really nice on the phone. We talked twice before agreeing to go out. I told her since she was the local, she should pick something she would enjoy, and tell me how to dress.

"Jeans, t shirt, comfortable shoes, something you don't mind getting dirty. And a light jacket. Plan on being out most of the night."

She wouldn't say anymore about it, so I didn't know what to expect.

I don't know what I expected, but she wasn't it. At six one she was two inches taller than me, but for her height she had a slender, willowy build. She was the most graceful woman I ever met.

We sat on the couch, after she got us a beer.

"Wanna get the rant about our exes over now so we can enjoy the rest of the evening?"

I was surprised, but her grin made me feel comfortable. I gave her the short version. She snorted.

"She had to know even if she didn't have sex it was still cheating. What was she thinking? Never mind, I doubt she could tell you."

She sighed.

"Mine is a little more mundane, I suppose. Short version, he found someone else, gave her a test drive or two, got caught. We divorced, she started living with him the next week, left him in three months when she found out he couldn't provide the lifestyle she expected. Two weeks later he called me, wanting to reconnect. I'm afraid I dashed his hopes."

She brightened up.

"Come on, time to go. I'm driving."

She had a small, four door pickup. We went about two hours up the coast before she pulled into a little diner in the middle of nowhere. She was greeted like a local.

"Hey Kat! Going out to the island?"

She nodded assent.

"Yes. Tonight's the night. This is my friend Bill. I told him you had an almost edible burger. Bring us one, loaded."

The barely edible burger turned out to be a half pound monster. Loaded meant cheese, mayo, mustard, slaw, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, chili, and a pickled sweet cherry pepper on the side, with almost a pound of onion rings and fried potatoes.

"If you eat it all you get a free dessert" said the waitress, with a wink.

Kat deftly cut it in two, putting her half in a separate plate.

"Eat as many of the fires and onion rings you want, but don't touch the pepper, or I'll stab you with a fork."

The waitress laughed, brought us out a half dozen more so we could share, and told me they were for sale, if I wanted to take some home. I bought two quarts on the way out.

We went another hour up the coast before she turned off, going another mile up a dirt track. She parked behind about eight more cars and trucks. There was a fire going, people sitting around, talking, the passion in their voices evident.

They greeted her with enthusiasm, calling her name and making comments. They eyed me with speculation.

"I brought a virgin sacrifice" she said, grinning. "It's his first time, so be gentle."

They grabbed lanterns, high beam flashlights, shovels, sacks, and coolers, and plunged into the undergrowth.

Soon they were wading across a broad channel. The water was cool against my legs.

"Turtle Island" she explained, "A breeding ground. Protected by state and federal law. At the very least, a hefty fine if you were caught there off season, serious jail time if you were there during the hatch. We're certified watchers."

She pointed out the older, bearded man.

"Walt, with the state. Beside him is Sarah, a federal official with fish and wildlife. Our leaders. This is an endangered specie. The hatch should start within the hour."

We came out on a broad beach, covered with pyramid shapes.

"Nest guards" she explained, "keeps the predators out, increases the population chances."

We settled into a dune, waiting. Ninety minutes later a ripple went through the group, and they hurried to remove the guards. Soon small turtles, some no larger than a quarter, were making their way towards the water. Our job was to help the ones going the wrong way, being careful where we stepped. It took three hours. A few stayed behind, on the off chance of a late hatch, while the rest of us trooped wearily back to the vehicles.

There was a grill and a couple camp stoves going. We ate a nice breakfast while the officials tallied the hatch. A cheer went out, four hundred more than last year.

"How many of the four hundred will actually live to come back and lay their own eggs?" I asked Kat, curiously.

"If we're lucky, two. The mortality rate is astronomical. That's why every hatchling is so important."

She grinned and pointed to the tents that had been erected while we were out.

"Time for a nap. Four hours, then we head back. You can actually say you slept with me on our first date."

They were large military type tents with cots set up. We picked a couple, kicked off our shoes, and lay down. I was surprised when I went right to sleep. It seemed like I had just lay down when Kat was shaking me gently.

"Get up, time for lunch, then we have to pack up and go."

We got back to her house in the early afternoon.

"Can I ask you for something?" she asked, looking nervous.

"Sure" I said. By now, I didn't think she could surprise me any longer.

"Will you come in? We can shower, and then I'd like you to sleep with me."

"Huh?"

She looked into my eyes.

"That's all I want, someone to sleep with. I haven't lay down and cuddled with someone in two years. I miss it. Will we make love? I don't know. Maybe. You might not want to. I might not want to. It will be the chance you take if you decide to go along."

I thought about it for a minute. She looked lost and alone. I knew the feeling.

"Sure" I said, grinning, "but if you snore, I'm gone."

.................................................

We showered together. Not the least bit sexual, but very sensual. We touched, rubbed, shared body parts without agenda, just because we wanted to.

We lay down on her bed, snuggling. She kissed me lightly.

"Thank you" she said, through tears. "For now, would you just hold me?"

We snuggled. I caressed her shoulder, breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. I was thinking about doing more when we nodded off.

About two in the morning I felt her stir. I kissed her back and she giggled.

"You're not very good for my ego, you know. The first time I'm in bed with a man in almost two years, naked, ready, and then you start snoring."

I tried to apologize but she stopped me.

"Hush. It's all right. I was probably asleep myself five minutes after you were."

She got up.

"I won't be able to sleep for awhile now. These things always mess my schedule up for a few days. Want a glass of wine?"

I got up and joined her. She hadn't bothered with clothes, so I didn't either. We talked about things neither of us would remember later, drank a glass of wine. She took my hand. 

"Let's go back to bed. And if you go to sleep this time, you'll wake up with altered equipment. Understand?"

I did indeed. It's hard to describe sex with someone new after twenty five years. It's both familiar and totally different, at the same time.

We took our time, explored and touched. She loved oral, giving more than getting, No anal, not ever.

She told me that and I grinned. 

"What?"

I'm channeling Meatloaf here. Two out of three ain't bad."

She looked shocked, then laughed so hard she almost fell off the bed.

"You're fun! Now shut up and fuck me!"

So I did.

................................................

We knew it was going nowhere, so the tension wasn't there. We became friends, were good for each other. But three months down the road, she met me at the door with a tear in her eye.

"Remember Walt, from the island? He was here last night. I've had a few lunches with him, but last night it was dinner, followed by breakfast. I really like him. We share interests and history. Tonight is our last night, I won't be seeing you anymore. Please don't be mad."

I think I surprised her when I gave her a big hug.

"I'm happy for you. But you'll be seeing me again, every time there's a hatch. I'm one of you now. And I think Walt's a nice guy. You'll be good together."

We had dinner, a few drinks, and then she surprised me by asking me to spend the night.

"I want to give you a proper goodbye, I've become fond of you. Will you?"

I hugged her.

"How could I refuse an offer like that? But I have to tell you, I think it's just to remind me what I'll be missing. Now come, lead your lamb to the slaughter."

It wasn't magical, but it was very nice, bittersweet and tender. The next morning she made us breakfast, walked me to the door, and stood waving as long as I could see her.

..................................................

Sam was amused.

"Well, you got your feet wet, as well as other parts. Now maybe you'll do something more permanent."

I think it bothered his wife that I was unattached. She would stop by the bar occasionally, have a few drinks, and start telling the single ladies what a catch I was. Sam would laugh as I turned red.

I was polite, but I already had a woman living with me.

................................................

Rose came down every chance she could, and without my knowledge changed her address to mine. After the six month residency requirement was established, she transferred to Coastal, ten miles down the road.




Friday is Date Night



She showed up with her car packed to the gills.

"Hi Dad. I've decided I'm a beach girl. I've transferred to Coastal, and start in two weeks. I hope that gives me enough time to find a dorm room, or I could save you some bucks and move in here. What should I do?"

She was grinning so wide it almost swallowed her face.

"I'm sure the dorms are very nice," I said, watching her face fall.

"But probably not as nice as here. Which of the spare bedrooms do you want?"

Her smile returned.

"Am I old enough to call my dad an asshole for being mean to me? No? I didn't think so. If it's all the same to you, I'll take the one at the end of the hall, and maybe we can actually have a little privacy."

I grinned for three days, happier than I had been in a while.

Because Rose was a 'local', she soon had friends stopping by often, usually when I was about to cook. Most of these kids were homesick, and a meal they didn't have to eat at school or a restaurant was a treat. She would often have one friend with her in her room, and two more in the spare bedroom. They would laze around while I slaved over a stove for them, giggling, talking about boys, wandering around in bikinis so small I almost didn't see the point of wearing them, and generally having a ball. A few of the closer ones started calling me Beach Dad. I would fuss at them sometimes, but having a houseful of pretty girls versus staring at the walls every weekend, was a trade off I was willing to accept.

Two actually came on to me, and I let them down gently, thinking how I would feel if some creepy middle aged guy was taking advantage of my daughter. Rose found out and talked to them, and soon I was back to being Beach Dad. One actually apologized.

.................................................

Rose came to me for a favor.

"Emily just told me her Mom wants to come down to visit but can't afford it. You know she's on full scholarship, and they really have very little money. Will you help them?"

Emily had become her best friend. She had told me a little about her background.

"Sure. I'll call the motel I used when your Mom and I split up. It's not fancy, but it's clean and close. Think she'd like that?"

"No, Dad, you don't get it. I want her to stay here. She can have the guest bedroom and Emily can bunk with me. That way they don't have to go out for meals. They really are broke, Dad."

She gave me her little girl eyes, and I agreed. Rose and Emily met her at the bus station, she didn't own a car.

I was at work, and when I got home I could hear them chattering in the living room. I stopped in the kitchen for a glass of tea before going to meet her.

Both the kids jumped up and hugged me.

"Mom, This is Beach Dad. Isn't he neat? Beach Dad, Mom."

She stood. Dark hair with a few flecks of gray. Eyes so dark they looked black. She wasn't a beauty, but had a pleasant face. She was probably twenty pounds heavier than she had been in her twenties, but it had settled nicely. She held out her hand.

"I prefer July when I'm in the presence of grownups."

I took her hand, thinking how warm it was.

"Bill, when I have people over old enough to call me that."

We hit it off, right away. We were the same age, almost. She was actually three years older. We had the same taste in music, movies, and food. She insisted on helping with dinner until I told her I was grilling.

"Oh no, there's no way I'm getting between a man and his primal urge to burn meat. If you'll show me around the kitchen, I'll work on the salads."

Soon her, Emily, and Rose were rattling round the kitchen, laughing and teasing. I looked through the patio door and suddenly felt an overwhelming loss. That should have been Charlie, Rose and Mary, instead of the combination in there now. For a second I raged about what I had lost, what she had thrown away. I was over it by the time they came out, and we had a very pleasant evening.

I insisted Rose and Emily take her home. They could get there in six hours, versus the nine and a half it took on the bus. She gave me a tremendous hug when she left.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. You'll always be welcome."

She sighed.

"That's not what I meant, but thank you for that. I was thanking you for showing me there are still a few decent men out there. Emily's dad left when she was six. If they put him in a lineup, she wouldn't be able to pick him out."

We didn't say much more, and soon they were moving into the distance. Tuesday Rose jumped me.

"What do you think of July?"

I wasn't sure what she was getting at, so I answered carefully.

"She seems really nice. Emily is lucky to have her."

She grinned.

"She REALLY liked you. Can we have her down next month?"

"Sure honey, if you give me your word you and Emily don't try to set us up."

Her grin faltered a bit, but she pressed on.

"Promise. I'm going to call Emily."

Soon she was chattering away.

.................................................

I really liked Emily, and tried to think of a way to help her. Our warehouse was specialized to the modular housing industry, and there was a lot of stuff we carried contractors couldn't find in the box stores. I found myself being called a lot on Saturdays, someone begging me to open up long enough to get a part they desperately needed. After six Saturdays in a row, I had had enough.

The next Friday found me in my old town, in the owner's office. I presented my plan to him, trying to anticipate all questions. My presentation must have impressed him, because in three weeks my little warehouse would officially open on Saturdays, from seven until six.

I got Emily and Rose together and stated my proposal.

"Look girls, the powers on high[meaning me, but I didn't tell them that]have decided to do business on Saturdays. Most of my guys like a little overtime, but not every Saturday, so I have to look for some part time help. Ten hours, with an hour for lunch. Ten bucks an hour. I think college kids would work best. Know anybody?"

There was silence for awhile, before Rose spoke.

"Is there a policy against hiring official and unofficial daughters?"

"None that I'm aware of."

"When do we start?"

What time do your classes end during the day?"

"Three."

"Good. Starting Monday, I expect you there at four. That should get you trained on the basics before we open officially. One of us, Jerry, Amy, or me, will be there with you for the first three months, after that, you'll be on your own. Jerry or Amy will open, and I'll close. If you know of some guys interested, I'll probably need two or three down the road, and one right now."

Emily had a semi official boyfriend. He seemed to be a nice guy, and was just as broke as she was. He showed up with the girls, and after two weeks of intensive training, we opened.

It didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked, but they survived and our customers were very happy. After enough time had gone by, we crunched numbers, and found we made more on Saturday than any other day of the week.

Rose and Emily came to me with a presentation they wanted me to consider. We weren't in the retail market, working exclusively with contractors and developers. They wanted us to crack that market, cater to the do it yourself crowd. I talked it over with the home office, and got permission to try it for three months.

We advertised heavily. Retail would be open Saturday only, starting in two weeks. We were nervous, and I made sure to be on hand opening day.

We nearly got buried. Modular housing owners, frustrated about not being able to get specific parts without paying a hefty price to have it ordered special through the box stores, responded in droves. I had to call in another man to handle the load. We still had customers a full hour after we were supposed to close.

We didn't originally offer delivery service on Saturday, but soon it was regular thing. The contractors liked it because they could get an earlier start on the week. I had to add an extra truck, just to keep up.

..............................................

Charlie would come down every three weeks or so. David was set to graduate in a couple of months. She had brought him with her a few times, and they both liked the area. She was sending out resumes locally, and I helped as much as I could, networking customers and friends. She got three interviews before she found a position she liked that paid a decent wage. She was due to start the week he graduated. I found them a nice apartment, paying the deposits and first month's rent, as a gift. They were very happy. He was looking in his field, but hadn't found anything. I gave him a job in the warehouse, being liberal with time off to do interviews.

Thanks to free room and board, July was spending every other weekend with us. We got comfortable with each other. I told her a little about Mary, and she gave me a brief history of her ex. I asked her how she came to be named July.

"My parents had no imagination. I've got two sisters named May and June, and a brother named August. It gets worse. I have a set of first cousins named Thunder, Rainy, and Sunny."

Interesting family.

"How did Emily escape?"

July laughed.

"She didn't. Her middle name is April."

The kids would socialize a little more, because of their jobs they actually had a little money, and they often left us alone at night.

We had been getting more and more relaxed. One night we shared a bottle of wine and watched a romantic movie, sitting together on the couch. Gravity got us, and soon we were against each other. She looked up, I looked down, and before we knew it our lips were locked. Thirty minutes later we were in the bedroom, shedding clothes. The first time was fast and hard. It had apparently been a while for her too. The second time was a little gentler, and lasted a little longer. We didn't get to snuggle in the afterglow, we had just got done when car lights raked across the window. She ran naked from my room. I had to hide her clothes and sneak them back the next day.

I think the girls figured it out judging from their smirks, but they never said anything.

................................................

Rose and I went to watch David graduate. It was the first time I had seen Mary in almost a year. She was thinner, quieter, with a sad look about her. We were pleasant, but Rose sat between us, just in case.

We met back at our old house for a small celebration. Curious, I wandered through the rooms. I couldn't tell any change at all, even all our photos were still displayed. I picked one up in the den, a snapshot of us standing on a beach, ironically enough. Her hair was longer then, and was whipped about by the wind. I had my arms wrapped around her, and we both smiling happily.

"It's always been one of my favorites. We were so happy back then, weren't we?"

I turned to see a tear trickle down her cheek.

"Yes we were" I said softly, the sadness clear in my voice.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm so sorry I ruined everything. Looking back now, I can't even understand what made me do it. I can definitely tell you I'll regret it until the day I die."

I didn't even think, just took her into my arms for a gentle hug. It broke something loose in her, and she started sobbing. Rose came in, took one look, and gently closed the door, giving us privacy.

"You didn't have to take them away from me, you know."

She said it quietly, as we separated. I had no idea what she was talking about and told her so.

"The girls. They chose to be with you instead of me. Soon you'll all be down there and I'll be completely alone. If this is your idea of revenge, it's working."

I was shocked. I hadn't considered that at all.

"There is no revenge here, Mary. The girls are both adults now, they can make their own choices. I haven't stolen them from you. Rose has always loved the beach, ever since the first time we took her at three. What difference does it make if she's going to college at the beach instead of where she transferred from? I won't deny that I love having her with me, but I didn't have the first clue about her transfer until she showed up at the house. Doesn't she still see you as often? I know she and Charlie come up at least once a month."

I paused, becoming slightly pissed. Everything wasn't always about her.

"As for Charlie, don't you think she exhausted all her options locally before she took the job she has now? It was a good offer, Mary. She's an adult, about to be married. Where she lives is her choice. I won't deny I like having her close, but I'm slightly insulted you think I deliberately tried to take them away from you."

She stood, eyes wide, while I had my little rant.

"I'm sorry" she said, hanging her head. "I know you didn't deliberately take them away. But the fact remains, you'll all be down there and I'll be here, alone."

I almost reminded her that her actions led to this situation, but held her tongue. Anything I could have said she had probably already said to herself. Then I said something in retrospect I should have given more thought to.

"Look, if you get to missing them too much, come down. It won't cost you much, you can stay in my guestroom."

She looked up, hope in her eyes. I cautioned her.

"Don't read anything into this. A room is all I'm offering, understand?"

I could see the disappointment in her eyes, but she thanked me, saying she might take me up on it someday. We went back to the party.

...............................................

July and I were getting along pretty good. She was attractive, articulate, and was up for just about anything. I took her and the girls to the pier one morning, just for fun. Rose didn't care much for it, but Emily and July really enjoyed it, especially when July caught a four pound flounder. Between all of us we caught enough for a nice fish fry that evening. July even helped me clean them.

Rose, Emily, her boyfriend, and another boy were going out. I'm pretty sure he was her boyfriend but didn't ask. I didn't feel like sitting home so July and I went to the pub. We had a pretty good time, relaxing with my friends. Sams' wife Evelyn and July really hit it off, to the point that she asked about our relationship during a trip to the bathroom. She seemed satisfied with the answer, grinning at me the rest of the evening.

We were in bed when the girls came home. She started to get up but I held on to her.

"They know" I said, "and we're all adults here. Now, snuggle down and let's go to sleep."

They grinned at us all morning but said nothing.

I was feeling good for the first time in a long time. There was hope that I wouldn't be alone the rest of my life. I was hinting pretty hard, telling July about local job opportunities and how low the cost of living here was. She seemed interested, even checking out want ads in the Sunday paper.

The owners summoned me back to the home office. I wondered what was going on.

"Bill, you've done a great job. Some of your ideas have been real moneymakers. We'll get straight to the point. We want to open a warehouse in Florida. The market research we've done indicates a real opportunity there. The location is four hours away from where you are now. We want you to go down, get it up and running, hire the staff, help with the training. We want you over both, spending most of your time at home, do maybe one day a week at the new site. There's a good raise in it for you. Think about it for a day or two."

It caught me flatfooted. I had never suspected they thought so highly of me. But, the more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me. I had nothing to hold me down, no commitments to anyone.

I talked to Jerry and Amy when I got back home, telling them about the opportunity.

"Now, the big question. Which one of you wants to manage the new warehouse? Or do you want to stay here. Either way, both of you are going one rung up the ladder."

Jerry surprised me by saying Amy should take it.

"The customers have a better relationship with her. I'm more a behind the scenes kind of guy. As long as she understands I'm the boss when we go out the door for home, I see nothing but good in our future."

Amy blushed and I grinned.

"Done, and Amy, as manager, we can't have any more late nights in the office, all right? People would talk."

She flamed about eight shades of red while Jerry collapsed laughing. I'd gone by the place on Saturday night and noticed lights on. I used my key, disarmed the alarm, and was going around flipping them off. When I went through the back of the warehouse towards the office, I noticed a bra on the floor. Then a shirt, shorts, a pair of boxers, and finally panties hanging on the doorknob. I froze, then heard the unmistakable sounds of passion. I eased back, turning on the lights as I went.

I noticed Jerry's motorcycle as I went out, parked at the side of the building. The office smelled heavily of air freshener Monday morning.

................................................

It was summer, and the kids were out of college. Emily decided with us so both she and Rose could work more hours, save a little spending money for the next year. I asked how come they weren't doing something for spring break. They just giggled.

"We live at one of the biggest Spring Break destinations on the East Coast. We don't have to go anywhere, it comes to us."

July didn't come down for a month, citing work as an excuse. I offered to come up, but she said she wouldn't have any time to spend with me, so it would be pointless. Didn't like it, but respected her wishes.

I was pretty busy myself. We'd found a good location for the warehouse, and had the vendors come in and help us set it up. I took Emily with me for a week, there were two colleges nearby, a massive labor pool just waiting to be tapped. There were twelve hundred applications for nine part time positions. She worked with the schools, targeting people like herself, who were on a tight budget and could use the work.

I reviewed the first three she recommended, and turned the rest over to her. She ended up doing almost all the hiring, though I did insist on following up on the full time candidate. She was over the moon, her degree was going to be in Human Relations, and this experience would look great on her resume.

We were only three hours from her home, and when I said we should drop by and see her mom on the way back she was all for it. We left a little early, so we could get there in time to take her to dinner.

She was chattering a mile a minute as we drove, happy to see her mom. We decided not to call, and make it a true surprise.

Her house was small, neat, the lawn carefully tended, a couple of neat flowerbeds. Emily laughed.

"She must have someone new doing lawn care. Last time I was home it was overgrown and there were so many weeds you couldn't see the flowers."

We went up the sidewalk, she was going to drop her things off, and we were going to Ambush July as she got off work. She unlocked the kitchen door, walked in, and screamed.

There was a guy sitting at the table, drinking a beer and reading the paper. He was as surprised as she was. 

"Who the hell are you?" came out of their mouths at pretty much the same time.

He recovered faster, actually smiled.

"I recognize you. You're Emily. It's nice t finally meet you. I'm Bill, July's fiancee. Who's your friend?"

He seemed like a nice guy. My age, in better shape because he was a construction worker, neat in appearance. I was still processing the fiancee statement when Emily spoke up.

"This is Bill, too. He's my mom's boyfriend?"

"What?"

I finally got control of myself.

"We should go, Emily. This is a family matter I don't need to intrude in."

"NO!" they both yelled at the same time. 




Friday is Date Night



We ended up at the table. He actually got me a beer.

"How long have you guys been engaged?"

"About four months. I finally got tired of living with her and forced the issue. Now what is this about you being her boyfriend."

I thought about how to answer that. The fact that July was doing this generated little loyalty, but I had Emily to consider.

"I really think you need to talk to July. But I need to tell you this. Before we came here, neither of us knew you existed."

"Dad, stop being nice." Em snapped, "you don't owe her shit. If he wants to hear it, tell him the whole story."

She turned to him.

"And you, hold your tongue and your temper. As far as I can tell, you're both victims."

To my surprise, he held it in until I was done, although at the end a tear trickled down his cheek.

"I never had the first clue," he almost whispered.

"Nor did I. I can tell you as someone who went through a divorce a couple of years ago, finding out something like this hurts, but you get over it. One way or another."

July pulled in just then. She didn't recognize the car, it was a nice midsize Hyundai I got as part of my promotion.

"Bill, who's car is that....."

It was almost cartoonish. Her eyes went from his, to Emily's, to mine. She had a bag of groceries in her hands. It hit the floor as she screamed.

"Noooo!"

Before we could say anything she ran back out the door, jumped into her car, and squealed tires as she shot out of the driveway. We just looked at each other.

I rose.

"Emily, I think we need to go. You, me, your mother, and Bill here need to do some thinking."

I turned to him.

"All I can do is say I'm sorry. If I had known, we would never had gotten intimate. I will tell you this. Whether you guys work this out or not, I'll never touch her again. Tell her to call ahead next time she visits, so Emily can get her a room somewhere. And tell her not to call me. Ever."

He actually shook my hand. I was a little freaked. This was the most civilized betrayal I had ever witnessed.

I tried to talk Emily into staying, but she just got in the car, looking straight ahead.

About fifty miles down the road she started crying and trying to say she was sorry. I pulled over in a rest stop, unbuckled her and lead her to a table. I sat down beside her and held her as she cried.

After I calmed her we got back on the road.

"I'll move my things out as soon as I can find something."

She had been living with us for the summer. Rose was trying to get her to move in so she wouldn't have to worry about dorm fees. I thought it was a done deal.

"Girl, you better listen closely. What happened is none of your fault. I don't hold it against you. In fact, I'll be hurt if you move out. You'll always be my 'Beach Daughter', do you understand? I'd miss you."

She started crying all over again. I called Rose during a bathroom break, so she would be prepared. When we got home she came out, took Emily by the hand, and disappeared into her room. I didn't fix dinner. We'd order something when they came out.

Three hours later they came out. They both draped themselves over me on the couch.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered. My eyes got unexpectedly moist. I hugged her a little tighter.

"I'm hungry," I said, "pizza, or Chinese?"

They jumped up, arguing. I had to do a tiebreaker, and Chinese won. Then they had to argue over what to get, and I stepped in and told them to order it all.

"If we have any left, I'm sure your friends will help finish it."

Three of their friends came over later, destroyed the leftovers, and huddled over Em.

.................................................

Bill left July, despite her begging. I never got the details, I was just as happy not knowing. She never came down the rest of their summer, and that fall, when she did, she stayed at a motel. The rift between Em and her never completely healed for years. She respected my wishes and didn't speak to me for a very long time.

I dated some. The girls set me up with one of their professors. We liked each other, but didn't have the first thing in common. It faded quietly away after four months.

Summer came again. One more term and the girls would graduate. They were looking forward to it.

David had finally found a good job. I was happy for them, they seemed so in love. They found a house in the neighborhood. I gave them a little help on the down payment, despite their protests.

They came over just before the fourth for a cookout. They came in, carrying three wrapped presents, grinning like mad.

"Here," Charlie said, "open yours first, Dad."

It was a tee shirt. I just barely read it before my eyes got blurry.

"Worlds' Greatest Grandpa," it read. Rose and Emily got matching ones, "Worlds' Greatest Aunts". The tears started. I took David out on the patio.

"How far along?"

"Three months. It's a boy. William David Grant. Sounds good, huh?"

It did. He was a junior, his son carried the name of both grandfathers.

............................................

I had an interesting meeting at the home office two weeks prior, they were opening warehouses in Georgia and Texas. We had bought out a major competitor, and had to take over their territories. I was expected to oversee all of them, at least temporarily.

After business was over I couldn't resist, and drove by my old house. It had been almost two years since we had split. I was surprised to see Mary pulling in as I drove by. Before I knew it, I was pulling in behind her.

She didn't recognize the car, and was standing there in a familiar pose, head cocked slightly in curiosity.

"Bill!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I had some things to do at the office. How are you?"

She sighed. "Lonely. You?"

"The same truth be told. Look, this was an impulse thing. I was just going to drive by, look at the house. But since you're here, would you like to go to dinner?"

Her smile almost split her face in two.

"I'd love too. Come in, let me get changed. I've got something for you and the girls anyway. I was gonna mail it, but since you're here it'll save me the trouble."

She had redecorated. It was more modern, lighter. I didn't know whether I liked it or not. She noticed.

"I felt like I needed a change. Do you like it?"

I was honest.

"I don't not like it, it's just different."

"Good," she said, "different was what I was going for."

She handed me some keys.

"I changed the locks. My purse got snatched a month ago. It was a pain in the butt to get everything replaced. The cops said I should do this, after all, he had the keys and the address. It scared me so bad I stayed with Marge for a couple of days while the locks got changed. They caught the guy in two days, trying to cash one of my checks. A junkie."

It shocked me.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why? You live two states away, what could you have done? I wasn't harmed, and I didn't want you guys to worry. It's all good now."

Her voice said one thing, her body another. I heard the waver in her voice, saw the trembling in her hands. But she was right, what could I have done?

She changed, and we went to our favorite place in town, an old mom and pop place that served really good food. It had been in business for forty years. It was also fairly inexpensive, something that a young couple on a tight budget could appreciate at the time. 

The main topic, of course, was our impending grandparenthood. Her eyes got sad when she talked about missing most of the experience.

"I've offered before, but really, why don't you come down. Rose and Charlie would love to see you more."

"I don't know. I really can't afford to..."

"Stop. You can stay with us. Just let us know when you're coming, so I can run a few girls out."

Her eyes got wide.

"Girls?"

"Yes, Mary. Girls. Young, hot, mostly bikini clad at this time of year girls. Friends of Rose and Emily, I think my unofficial daughter count is up to fourteen now. This is what happens when you live at the beach with a college student and they find out you can cook."

"I don't know, I..."

"Mary! What is the problem? Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. You'll come or you won't."

We rode back in silence. She offered me a bed for the night, but I declined. She gave me a kiss, on the cheek.

"Next weekend. I'll take a vacation day and come down Thursday. Enough notice?"

I grinned. "I'll degirl the room. Don't worry about driving. Rose will pick you up."

She protested, but I made reservations on the little commuter line, it was almost as cheap as driving.

...............................................

I came home Thursday afternoon to the sound of giggles in the kitchen. Mary, Charlie, Emily, and Rose were cooking up a storm. David, Chuck[Emily's]and Shaun[Rose's} were in the living room, looking trapped. I told them to go outside, I'd be out in a few minutes.

I got a kiss from every woman, then I was banished from the kitchen.

"Meatloaf, hash brown casserole, spinach salad, and brownies for dessert. We'll call you when it's ready."

Mary was grinning, knowing they were preparing one of my most favorite meals.

"Object lessons, boys," I said, when they handed me a beer, "you can probably stop one woman occasionally, two maybe, three not at all, and four, your only recourse is totally surrender or hasty retreat. So smile and say 'yes dear' pretty often, and you'll have a pretty peaceful life."

They came trooping out, bearing dishes. We ate, joked, the kids snuggled, we sipped wine, and a good time was had by all. I got a goodnight kiss by every one of them, including Mary.

She held me for a second, her head on my shoulder.

"Thank you for this. For a little there I felt like we were family again." 

I drew back.

"We're still a family, Mary, just with a different dynamic. Thanks for coming down, it meant a lot to all of us."

I lay in bed later, thinking. Did I do the right thing? Was my ego that fragile? Reflecting, I didn't see another end to the situation than the one I chose, so I went to sleep.

.................................................

It became a regular thing, twice a month. The closer Charlie got to her due date, the more often she appeared.

I got a call from her late in the eight month.

"Bill, do you think you could come up this Friday and be here by four? It's really important."

I didn't have anything pressing, so it wasn't a problem.

"I can if you need me, what's up?"

"I've sold the house."

I was stunned. Why would she do that?

"Why?"

"Because my family lives two states away. I know I can't sell without your signature, but we know you're never coming back. This will give your bank account a boost and give me a cushion while I find a place and get a job. Please, Bill."

"Well, sure, if you're positive about this."

She'd told me many times she would die in that house.

"I know what you're thinking, Bill. But it's just a house now, it stopped being a home a while back. I need a fresh start, and to be close to my children."

So Rose and I rode up Friday. She had gotten a decent price for it, in this economy. After everything was taken out, we got ninety two thousand apiece. She followed us back, and stayed with us for two weeks. She wanted to try apartment living, and found a nice condo in a community that catered to people our age. It was a lease with option to buy, for six months.

The girls were thrilled. Mom was back in their lives full time.

I wasn't as thrilled. She would call, tell me she had fixed one of my favorites, and had made too much. Would I like to eat with her?

She would come over, end up staying late, and use the guest room. She needed an escort for a function her new company was having. She really didn't know anyone, could I stand in?

The girls were right there with her, wanting a happy ending for their parents.

I wouldn't admit it, but we were dating. It all came to a head the night Charlie went into labor. It was a hard one, lasting eleven hours. Mary was in the birthing room because Charlie wanted her to keep an eye on David. William David came screaming into this world at three in the morning.

It was four before we left the hospital. I had picked Mary up, and I was just going to take her home with me, but she wanted to go back to her place. I was drooping.

"Come in," she said, "you're drooping pretty bad, I'll put a pot on."

I was really dragging, so I agreed.

I dozed off on the couch. I felt her tug on me. Looking up, I saw she was in a gown.

"Get up, you're snoring. I'm not letting you leave. Come to bed."

I protested, but she cut me off.

"Just to sleep. I'm not offering anything else. Come on, we slept together for over twenty four years. It hasn't killed either one of us."

She kept tugging until we were in the bedroom, where she turned the covers down.

"Come on, let's go to bed. I'm wiped out."

I went down to my tee shirt and boxers, climbed in, and she automatically spooned to me. I wrapped an arm around her, and we were both out in minutes.

................................................

I woke up about three hours later. I had a whole hand full of boob. She felt me stir and pressed back into me. I got hard almost instantly. She felt it, and reached around, easing her gown up. Sometime during the night her panties had disappeared.

After her gown was up, she grabbed my erection, stroking it through my boxers. She found the opening and pulled it out, aiming for her slit.

"Mary," I said, but she shushed me.

"Please Bill, just once. I promise. It's been a long time, hon, since before you left."

The blood flowed South, interfering with rational thought. I slipped in, and all the fight went out of me.

We did it like that for about five minutes, before she rolled over and spread her legs. I lost the shorts, and slid back in. Five minutes later we were going as hard as people in their mid fifties could go. The memories came back, her little squeaks when she was close, the soft keening cry she made when she came, how sensitive her clit was when I stroked it. I came as hard as I've ever come in my life. We were both asleep in minutes. I woke up later to her her climbing on top. I pulled on her breasts and tweaked her nipples, getting familiar groans. She turned around, and I watched her butt bouncing faster and faster. When I knew she was almost there, I smacked a cheek, something she loved. It took her to the edge, and when I slipped a hand around her, grabbing a boob hard, twisting the nipple, she exploded. I was thirty seconds behind her.

She slid into my arms.

"I've missed this baby," she sighed, drifting off again.

.............................................

I woke just before noon to the smell of coffee.

Taking care of business and slipping into my pants, I went into the kitchen.

She was wearing the gown again, under a short robe, humming as she put breakfast on the table, even though it was past noon. She looked up and saw me, holding up her hand before I spoke.

"Listen to me before you say anything. Last night was probably a mistake, but I don't regret it. And I'm not foolish enough to expect anything more. But it was good for both of us, if you'll admit it."

She paused, then smiled.

"And, IF you're willing, I'd like more. Now, let's eat and go look at our grandson."

.................................................

Things were a little awkward for a while. And we started sleeping together once or twice a month. I didn't make any promises, and she didn't ask for anything, but I could tell she was hoping. The girls, except Emily of course, were dropping all kinds of hints.

She talked to me one night while Rose was out.

"I like Mary, and it's plain she wants you back. But I've gotten to know you, and it's never going to happen, is it?"

She was a pretty sharp youngster. I had been giving it a lot of thought. Could we be happy together?

"Not a word to the girls, but no, we'll never remarry. I travel more now than I did when we were married, one or two days a week, sometimes more. There's even more opportunity for her to get bored than before. She may not ever do it again, maybe she learned her lesson. But I learned mine. I'll never trust her again, and without trust, they'll be no commitment."

"You need to tell her then. She and the girls are already talking about the day she'll move in. Don't let it linger."

I got up and kissed her cheek.

"You're my favorite unofficial daughter, have I ever told you that?"

She giggled.

"I better be your ONLY unofficial daughter. I'm having a hard time sharing you with Rose and Charlie as it is. Good night, Dad."

I sat and reflected on my life. It didn't turn out the way I thought it would, but I was content.

I was making more than I ever thought I would, in a position I never thought I'd have.

Seventy five thousand a year wasn't too bad for my age and education. I'd never be rich, but that was all right. The company had gone national, and they brought in some thirty year old with an MBA to be National Director. I wasn't jealous, I probably couldn't handle it. Plus I was closing in on retirement, so I was happy with what I had.

Mary and the girls were devastated when I told them we'd never be together again. I finally got her to understand why, and she pretty much disappeared from my life. We'd see each other at family events, but she kept her distance.

She met a man through her new job. They've been pretty close for a while now. She smiles more.

Rose and Emily graduated and started their lives. It was a little awkward when Emily got married, because I gave her away. July stood with me, but she hardly spoke, even while we danced. I think she resents the fact that Emily became so attached to me over the years, and the unexpected visit that messed up her dual life. The years had not been kind to her. She was still unattached.

Amy and Jerry stayed with the company. They moved to Texas, seems that was where she was raised, to manage the store there. Plans are in place for her to take over my territory and Jerry to take over her old job when I retire soon.

Sweet little Rose took over the old warehouse, using her degree to good advantage. She hasn't married, but dates regularly. Some of her ideas are getting her noticed by the home office, and the hints are she may be moving up soon.

Charlie and David are up to their third child now, all boys. I've gotten little Bill hooked on fishing, and Eric, the middle child is waiting anxiously until he's old enough to go with us.

I've dated some, hooked up some, but nothing serious until recently. One of our biggest customers in Texas is owned by a woman my age, and I took her out on a business lunch. She was a widow. Lunches turned to dinners, and eventually to breakfast. I don't even get a room anymore, she gave me a key to her house.

I like her a lot. She's got a sense of humor, good in bed, especially for our age, and a sense of adventure. I think she wants something a little more, and I'm thinking about it.

The best part is she loves to fish, even owns a boat.

.................................................

As always, thanks for reading, and commenting. I was reminded recently that all my stories are starting to sound the same. I'm working on changing that, MM syndrome, I guess.

Q