0 comments/ 4064 views/ 1 favorites Caroline and Roland's Tango By: c1992w Author's Foreword: This story is about people who do not live next door. The sex is tame and there is reconciliation. It is not my thing to compete with other writers, so ratings are not my thing. Please skip this submission if any of these plot actions are not your thing. I really appreciate the kind compliments on my last submission. ***** Caroline Zale sat alone and watched the graduation exercise of Brainer State University's Engineering School. She took a telephoto video of her son, Mat Zale, from her first marriage, as he walked up to the Dean to be handed his certificate. The ceremony had been a long, dull procedure for Caroline because of speeches and because the graduate names were called in alpha order. The reading of full names went on and on for Caroline because of her tense mood. Inevitably painful scenes of her past seeped into her mind like early morning fog. She was commiserating her tenth year since she had been divorced from her Son's Dad. Many in attendance were crying because they felt just pride in their loved one reaching this moment, but her tears were streaming because she no longer had a warm, loving relationship with her two children, or their father, or anyone else, if truth be known. Caroline recalled one fateful day that she had been sitting at the kitchen table before her 6th and 8th graders were delivered home from school. She had started drafting a letter to their father: 'Dear Roland, I want a divorce because my heart aches to be with someone else day and night. Our falling in love just happened...' The front doorbell rang and she paused to answer it. Shocked, she was preemptively served with a divorce petition. After the officer left, the lady remained dazed but soon recovered enough to walk to the street to check today's mail. There was a letter from her husband but the envelop only contained two pictures - both were of her and her true love, naked and fucking. There were cold chills that alternated with relief and depression. Putting the shock in the best light possible inside her chaotic mind, she said to nobody, "O.K., so he knows. This will work itself out easier than I had hoped." She made herself a drink and phoned her lover, a junior partner in the law firm where both worked. They had found each other about 6 months ago. She left a voice mail. "Jerry, Darling, I was served with a divorce petition today. Lets get my divorce over with so I can wake up in your bed every morning." Caroline was waiting at the bar when Jerry Bates was making his way through the crowd 15 minutes late. Admiring him for his beautiful high fashion suit that emphasized his perfect dancer's body, her pride in him knew no bounds. She and her husband, both of whom were social dancers, had watched Jerry and his dance partner win the New England Argentine Tango competition championships a week ago. Today she smiled broadly as he approached her and kissed her lightly on the lips without the usual feelings. The cheating wife was concerned at his nonchalance, but just slightly. Bates said, "Let's get a table have a drink and then let me take a look at what you got today." Once they were sipping their drinks, Bates first examined the name of her husband's counsel and grimaced. Everything seemed held in suspended animation to him for a moment. Continuing, he then read the petition and by that time his face had turned to a scowl. Finally he examined the two photos and ordered another drink, only a double this time, and a look of dread was now smeared onto his very handsome face. He said tentatively, "First, Caroline, the woman your husband has hired as his counsel drinks 'blood for breakfast' daily and strikes dread in every Family Court Judge in the county. "About the snapshots, his hiring a snoop is a shocker but I should have thought that a possibility. My hands are tied now since I was informed yesterday by the managing attorney that I am being considered for a promotion to a senior partner position. That will mean more pay, more lucrative and prestigious cases, and a stepping stone to political office will be in my future. A nasty court fight with his vampire counsel - who just happens to hate cheating spouses - shuts down my future both in the Firm and it will not do my dancing future any good either. Pictures like this hinted at or introduced as evidence by his vampire would provoke many of the Senior's to vote 'No' in my nomination." Suddenly Caroline's face grew white and her breathing became very shallow. Her thought was, "We promised eternal love for each other and now I am not the most important thing in this man's life. Do I even know who Jerry Bates is, and yet I have thrown away my marriage for him and sacrificed the intellectual health of my children for this man." Then before her very eyes her lover metamorphed into an ugly monster. She recalled that he had even gladly stated, "I will learn to love your young children and the dancing is not that important." After a very long pause she asked, "Are you telling me that we are finished, Jerry?" Bates looked at her and smiled condescendingly. He reached to hold her hand, but she jerked it back out of reach. He said, "Darling, it's not as bad as all of that. We just need to put our relationship on hold while you work with Roland on your divorce. He is a fair man, in that he offers both alimony and child support in exchange for joint custody and his liberal visitation rights. Look at the reality of it, Darling. If this is perceived as 'just-another-divorce' by your children and the community with no waves, then we can resume our relationship after all the dust settles." At that point, Caroline felt nauseous and the need to go to the ladies room. So she abruptly stood up and tossed the remaining half glass of a Bloody Mary on to Trial Lawyer Jerry Bates' Armani pen-striped suit and walked out of the bar. She never spoke to him again on personal matters. She was an attorney who ran the Research Services for the Trial Attorneys in the same very large law firm as he, so they met on certain cases. And, did see and ignore him at Tango dances occasionally. Caroline drove home and signed the divorce petition as is and mailed it at once. And then her ten-year nightmare started. So, for starters, in less than a year, Roland's visits with his children in his former home morphed into Caroline's visiting mostly in her ex-husband's newly purchased townhouse in stead - her busy social life, extensive pleasure travel, and her children's wishes drove that process. Even so, no changes in the terms of the divorce were ever made in court. After another marriage, another affair, and yet another divorce later, Caroline now lived essentially alone in a spacious, luxury home she had won from her first husband. No amount of rationalizing hid the fact that she lived lavishly, but had not earned the means to do it. She consequently hated every minute of her existence. Her hatred of life was such that she could no longer stand spending time by herself. She realized today at her son's ceremony, for the first time, that she had compensated by living a typical noisy life that unearned discretionary income demands of its victims. The 'noise' was, for example, luxury cruising, skiing the Alps, giving costly parties, etc. and it only served to hollow her life out even more as time passed. Depression also had stalked her for the past ten years - even sitting on a toilet stool in a stall her need of people was unnerving to her. She recalled that every-time she visited her children in Roland's Townhouse she could hear screams of laughter and fun going on behind the front door. After being admitted inside there was silence, and her ex-husband excused himself from the room - careful to avoid any eye contact with his ex-wife. Dabbing a tissue in her eyes the ceremony was finally over. Now the audience well wishers streamed into an open field looking for their particular Graduate of interest. Caroline saw her ex-husband surrounded by her children and 6 friends and relatives. She wanted so much to insert herself into their party, but then chided herself, "None of them would appreciate your crashing their party." So she decided to go home. Her Graduate had previously said to his mother in a phone call, 'Sis and I will come by to see you tomorrow morning because she is driving me to Logan to fly to Houston to start my new job." So Caroline Zale dragged her depressed bones home and made herself a stiff drink and called a girl friend to bellyache about life and kill off the rest of the day. The next morning her daughter and son were at the door. Caroline Zale said, "Oh come in Glenda and Mat, congratulations belatedly on getting your sheepskin, Mat, since I didn't have a chance to say so yesterday." He replied, "Thanks. I hope you are well, Mother," with an expressionless face. After the two children hugged their mother perfunctorily, the younger one said, "I need to get a few things in my room to take with me. See ya in a few." Glenda Zale was a chip off of her father's block mentally but appeared as a stunningly beauty replica of her Mom, 23 years younger. By profession she was a Paid Escort and successful enough so that she and a best friend, Barb, who was also a Paid Escort, shared a Penthouse Apartment near the top floor in the most expensive high rise in Boston. Glenda drove a Z3. When the two ladies were alone, the daughter, who routinely grossed more than each of her agency's colleagues every month as a Paid Escort, could finally relax in the presence of her fickle mother. She asked, "Mom, have you met any well hung and brilliant men with means and who are fascinating conversationalists lately?" Feeling even more depressed because her daughter just assumed she was constantly on the lookout for suitable gentlemen to share her bed, said "Not lately, Dear, the men I attract want to bring a 'take-out' over, eat dinner while we watch an 'R' or 'X' rated video, and then hurry to the bedroom. At 43, that thought repulses me so I just say 'no' to those would be suitors. In the mean time I wonder where are the nice guys like the ones who took me skiing in the French Alps, for example." Seeing the puzzled look on her daughters face, Caroline explained, "I haven't logged in to my 'Match' account in two months and I haven't spread my legs in over a year. My life is not fun dear Daughter, and down deep I wish I had never thrown your Daddy away!" "Wow! My Mom is celibate and she pines for a man from her past. I think you are serious. What do you do with your spare time, Mom?" She said proudly, "I volunteer at St. Joseph's - but even there the new men I meet have no interest in getting to know me. Glenda, why are men so horny and have no interest in finding out who I am? Yes, I am still a triathlon competitor, I only eat a Paleo diet, and am dedicated to the use of your Dad's gym equipment in the basement, so they take one look and are definitely interested in my hard body - but only enough to get into my pants. 'To hell with men' is my latest rant!" Her daughter chuckled and replied, "Maybe you are looking in the wrong places - there is a song about that, you know?" Caroline asked, "How is your Dad? I saw him from a distance yesterday and his whole head was one big smile, but really - how is he?" Glenda looked directly at her Mom studying her and said seriously, "Well, happiness has eluded him just like it has you. He keeps a portrait of a favorite Paid Escort above his desk - she is my roommate, and Dad buys her services at a discount. He delights in saying and I quote, 'When I use to date, the ladies could only discuss what the radio robots said or what my date had seen on the one-eyed monster.' You know, Mom, his hedge fund has become very successful in that his name appears in the financial press often. He keeps his earnings banked or in vaults all over the planet - but he still lives in that townhouse in the working class suburban neighborhood where Mat and I largely grew up. Hey, Mom, consider this. You should offer to rent him my brother's room now that he is relocating to Texas. Heh heh. Seriously, for what it's worth, Dad will call me this afternoon before I leave for my date tonight to ask about you, just as you have asked me about him. Both you guys are strange!" Caroline was struck silent pondering what her daughter had said and wondering under what conditions fate would be kind enough to give her first husband back to her. The young son drug a box downstairs and up to the entryway at the front door and said, "Mom, you got any tape and string so I can pack this to go with me as luggage?" "Sure Son, I will get it for you." ———- Roland Zale sat in his computer room Tuesday of the following week, rolling his office chair to the front of 6 computer monitors, reading private subscription financial intelligence and espionage reports from around the world. His goal was to be among the first to know when/how Central Bank bureaucrats were voting their guesses on the effects of a currency and/or debt issue. Secondarily, his sources reported how bank executives near the top of the food chain reacted to the CB's guess, of how to solve their own set of resultant looming problems. In a separate room that once was his daughter's bedroom, a paid assistant entered buy and sell orders as Mr. Zale squawked instructions to him on the desk-top box. The trading day was over for Roland and he was pooped as he gradually unwound from his current day of sustained maximum tension - since 5 A.M., in fact. He was relaxing now in his micro-fiber easy chair. He closed his eyes lightly and enjoyed the audiophile classical music that played in the background, and he sat dozing between sleep and wakefulness. He vaguely heard the doorbell chime but ignored it since his assistant would answer it. The assistant knocked and then tip-toed into his work room and said, "Your children's mother is here. I explained to her that neither of her children are here but she insists that she came specifically to talk to you." The exhausted wizard sat up and said quietly, "Tell her I have no int..., on second thought, show her into the Entertainment Room. I will be there shortly." Roland was still wearing his pajamas from the early morning but he stopped by the toilet to wash his face in a vain attempt to wash the feeling of total exhaustion away. He saw his former triathlon winner ex-wife sitting tensely on his couch. She obviously had brought a bottle of his favorite wine - this one Roland recognized as being over 25 years old - and two glasses that were sitting on a coffee table. He froze with desire to touch her perfect body while she stood and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue that was part of the smile on her face. She said, "Thank you for seeing me, Roland. I opted not to join your party in the post-graduation ceremony Saturday, so I came today hoping you would have a drink with me. Both of our nestlings have flown from their two homes and you and I are alone now - completely alone. I came hoping against hope that you and I could toast our limited success as parents and enjoy a moment of pleasure in each other's company." Coming suddenly to full conscious awareness, Roland smiled slightly and said, "Welcome, Caroline. Thanks for bringing a bottle of my all time favorite wine for our toast, and yes, both children are no longer tethered to either of us and we must get use to that." Caroline said nothing, but suddenly a killer smile spread across her beautiful face and her white teeth glowed from the ceiling LED light's reflection that was at the exact angle for maximum breath-taking impact on Roland. This resulted in his erection being immediate and pipe-like in his pajama bottoms as he forced himself to breathe. His reaction did not go unnoticed by his ex-wife. He said, "Uhhh Mat should do well in his career since long chained and focused reasoning is as easy for him as living with a chaotic mind is for most. Glenda is well on her way to retire at 30 years old in her profession. So, Caroline we did reasonably well, I think," as he moved to the coffee table and poured the two glasses of wine. When the two glasses were held, his ex-wife said, "To what shall we offer a toast?" She smiled and said, "The future. Theirs as well as ours." Roland stopped and looked intently at her but now relaxed as the two touched their glasses and drank the elixir and said, "Hear, here!" As a strategic move, Caroline said, "Roland, I am out of here. Thanks again for being a gentleman and I hope we don't forget each other now that there is no longer a reason for periodic meetings. The wine is yours, my compliments, and what else can I say but, 'Thanks.'" After the front door was opened, Roland said, "I am sure that a Texas Cowgirl will get her hooks into Mat, so I am certain that we will have a meeting stemming from that." Tears were visible in Caroline's eyes now as she said, "I didn't even think about that - no thanks for reminding me, but that also is a somber warning that we are both getting older," as she walked towards her car in the visitor parking lot. —— Saturday night of the same week, Roland's paid escort, 'Barb,' and he, had just finished the lavish meal that the gentleman had cooked - he prided himself on being one of the world's great chefs, albeit, it was unknown to everyone except Barb and Roland's Children and just once, his ex wife. For over a year the unwritten law for the Escort when Zale was being entertained was that, 'all sales talk stops! period.' So when she raved on and on about the 'delicate lightness and colors of the sauce he had served,' which unbeknownst to Barb, he had spent 3 hours preparing, her customer completely believed her sincerity. There was robust laughter later as both became completely naked and showered after dinner. Roland loved to lick champagne off her perfect body after he had doused her with it. They then moved off the rubber sheets to his master bed. Over the two years that the 23 year old Escort had been 'servicing' him once or twice monthly, Barb had learned everything possible that excites and pleases this man and she was confident of his repeat business - Barb thought of Roland as, 'My first cash cow!'" She was expensive, but negligibly so for someone who was among the top 20 most successful hedge fund managers in the world. Eccentric that he was, Barb even got use to driving here to meet him for a date and and simply told her booking agent, "He prefers to live anonymously and modestly in that working class neighborhood. And when I visit, my appearance blends into the neighborhood as well." He cooked her breakfast the next morning and, as usual, the odors wafting to the master bedroom was Barb's alarm clock. After breakfast and one final coupling, he kissed her goodbye inside the house and then walked her to her car carrying her suitcase - and both wore standard South Shore Boston street clothes. Barb drove to her luxury high rise pent house - three floors from the top - and let herself in. What she needed more than anything at this moment was sleep, in that Roland Zale's adoration of her body kept waking her during the night. But when she walked into the shared bedroom, Roland's daughter, Glenda, her roommate, sat naked on the bed brushing her hair. They smiled and hugged each other's necks. Noticing the way Barb was dressed, Glenda said, "Ahh! You have been entertaining my Dad. Anything new on this date?" Barb smiled and said, "He was hornier than usual and just couldn't get enough of my body so I got very little sleep. I was hoping to nap since I ate such a large and wonderful breakfast until I have no idea when I will be hungry again. How was your date, Glenda?" "The kind I like. He was an elderly gentleman who, at first, just couldn't get it up. I finally brought out the best in him and he did get his small cock up and I unrolled the condom onto it, and he managed to get it into me but it was over in less than a minute. But I read faces very well, so I am certain he got his money's worth and that is the only thing that counts in our business. He took me to what looked like a private home for breakfast - and the food was so good until it rivaled my Dad's." Caroline and Roland's Tango Barb said, "After your Dad tires of my body, I hope I can get invited over to share meals with him even though he will have moved on to someone else. He is the best chef in Boston!" Glenda said, "How well I know! Speaking of my Dad, there must be something we can do to get my Mom and him back together?" Barb said, "Strange that you should mention that. He talked about her in his sleep last night and still mistakenly called me, 'Caroline' once. I think he still carries a torch - but they have been divorced for many years, haven't they?" Glenda replied, "Yeah, about ten or eleven. " Barb said, "I have an idea. We never have dates on Sunday night. Let's put our heads together and come up with a plan. We then call your Mom and ask her to meet us for dinner tonight and lets reveal our plan to her." Glenda said, "Well, I know Mom now thinks that she is, again, madly in love with my Dad - yes, I know there are many used up men in her wake and it's rather late in life to feel that - but it's true, she feels it. I personally think that Dad has always carried a torch for Mom as well. And that is the reason he never remarried or even entered into a long term, committed relationship." After Glenda called her Mom and made the arrangements for the three to meet for dinner, she said to her roommate, "I must take a power nap for about two hours. We then have a conversational Spanish Lesson at 2 and a Waltz Lesson at 4, both at the agency. That will give us enough time to meet Mom at the restaurant." ——— Roland Zale was up at dawn on Monday two full weeks later studying the Singapore and Hong Kong market comments and trades. His house keeper, who comes in at 4:00 A.M. brought him a cup of coffee. The trader said, "Eggs and sausage and a bowl of berries, please Martha." When the assistant arrive he found 6 "buy on the open" and 4 "sell on the open" orders while they chatted about any weekend weather, or political, or violence that might impact the markets. About Ten O'clock there was a knock on the front door and it was opened by the housekeeper. She came to Roland's work room and said, "A Fireman is here and insists that he talk to you." Irritated, Roland asked her, "Did you ask him to come by in the afternoon?" "Yes Sir, I did." "Please show him into the Entertainment Room and I will join him momentarily." After cursory greetings and introductions were completed - The Chief said, "Mr. Roland, this part of the city is zoned multifamily residential, and the electric supply grid doesn't safely support the excessively high peak demands you require. It's unsafe for the neighborhood. Would you conduct me on a tour of your home and identify the equipment you have?" "Sure, right this way and I will show you immediately what is causing the problem." He opened the door to his ice cold server room where a half dozen very large pieces of equipment were running. He said, "Chief, if you give me to the end of the month the power company will see normal demands coming from this townhouse, and I appreciate your pointing this hazard out to me." After the remainder of the tour and cursory chatter, the gentleman left and Roland immediately went back to work. ———- The most beautiful woman anyone in this suburban town, including the Fire Chief, had ever seen sat across the table having lunch with him. The problem was that he couldn't eat because of no appetite and couldn't get comfortable because his erection wouldn't go soft. Worse, everybody in town knew the Chief and just had to stop by their table and say, 'hello.' The broken introduction record went something like, "Meet Barb, a distant relative..." Finally lunch was over, he walked her to a sports convertible. She shook his hand and said, "Thank you, Mr. Fire Chief, for checking this out as my poor grandmother's lights were dimming and she thought something was wrong with her vision." "No problem, Ms Barb, the owner of the meter with the high demand was nice and gave me a tour of his home and showed us the heavy duty equipment. He promises to have everything fixed by the end of the Month." ———— At the close of business that day Roland Zale called both a commercial realtor friend and the IT contractor that had set up his server room 6 years ago. By Saturday morning he had found a larger commercial space - because he was expanding his operation - to lease and the IT contractor was planning the move to the new quarters during a three day weekend coming up the following week end. The realtor asked, "Roland, are you sure you want to live here when all of your equipment is gone? I think you will go absolutely stark raving mad without your loving hardware and software surrounding you and to sleep with! Heh Heh" Zale thought to himself, "Crap! I didn't even think about that! My townhouse is close to public transportation it will be easy to sell or rent at market price, but where will I live?" Roland asked, "Harry, I will be looking for a place with lots of good looking women near by. Know any place like that?" "Well, frankly, Rolland, NO! And, if I do find a place like that I will move there myself!" Both roared with laughter. After they said their goodbyes, the Trader called his Favorite Escort's booking number. He identified himself and his password and asked, "Any chance that Barb Streeter is available to have dinner with me tonight?" After being put on hold the voice came back, "She will arrive about 6:00 P.M." After he hung up the phone Roland thought, "That is it! Barb will know where all the hot places are!" AT 5:30 Roland sat down with his iPad and started watching some film clips advertised on Literotica, being very careful to keep his hands above the table. He was killing time until his visitor came about six. Finally the door bell rang and he ran to the door and opened it. There stood his ex-wife, Caroline. ——- Roland said, "Whaaat? I was expecting..." "Barb asked me to pinch hit for her - she and our daughter are tag teaming two German soccer stars because they need the money to make a special assessment payment to the Penthouse's Homeowners Association." Her ex asked, "Do you often substitute for either of the ladies?" "No, Roland, Never. For one thing I am too old. And, for what it's worth I haven't had a man inside me in over a year and I am handsomely paid as a senior attorney now plus I get a generous alimony check from you monthly. So I do not relish the thought of being in their business. But tonight was different only because you were Barb's customer." "Caroline, what does my being Barb's customer have to do with anything? And without telling a lie please tell me why are you here, Dear ex-Wife?" "You were nice to me a couple of weeks back and since then you rarely are out of my mind. I agreed to substitute for Barb thinking that you might want to see me again, if to do nothing but talk some more. But, if seeing me is an unpleasant experience, say the word and I am out of here!" "Damn, woman, I believe you are even telling the truth. Welcome and come on in. There is something I need to talk to you about anyway. I didn't cook tonight because too much is going on so what are you hungry for?" "Legal Seafood is a good choice. Its easy to get to and we can talk." "O.K." The couple had spent the last half hour talking mostly about their children but some mundane things as well. After the food was in front of them, Roland began, "The Fire Chief kicked me out of my condo in that I am using power like a commercial customer yet I am in a neighborhood that is zoned residential multifamily. So, I have rented commercial space and will move in this coming weekend and will be hiring one additional full time plus one part time employee. "My problem is that I want to sell my Townhouse because I don't want to live here without my workstation. I must move somewhere else. I thought about finding a place where my social prospects are good - because there are none in this suburban town! Any idea where such a place might be?" At that point the waiter refreshed both of their beverages and Caroline was in deep thought. She was part creator of the plan for the Fire Chief to visit so she moved ahead with their plan after they were alone again. She said, "Why not rent space from me?" Roland dropped his fork and swallowed and finally said, "To do what?" "To live! Look, Roland, I live a lonely life in the five bedroom house that in a just world should belong to you. I also think that your making love to your computers is a lonely life, if truth be known. The alimony you continue to pay will be your rent payment. Isolated from each other, Barb or anyone else can spend time with you. My only demands are two trivial ones. You must agree to invite me to share dinner with you when you cook one of your prize winning dinners. I was consumed with envy when Barb described that dinner you cooked for her the last date-night. The second demand would be that we visit and chat in the entertainment room, perhaps. Otherwise, we two would live in two separate virtual cages." The ex husband said, "Caroline, I can not be that close to you. It would only be a matter of time before I am slipping into your bed - or vice versa. And, in time you would become very important to me again. Then, the incompatibility we were crushed with for all those years before you ultimately were in someone else's bed would raise its head again. Why tempt fate by living in close proximity and re-attaching ourselves to each other, only to be hurt later? I certainly wouldn't want you to stay 'true-n-blue' when your heart was elsewhere and neither would you, I think. I can not turn on and off my love then or now for you but having a fuck toy doesn't present me with that dilemma." "O.K. Roland, please think of me only as a fuck toy initially because I can and will become more than that to us. You are in your mid-40s so just how long will 'clearing your tubes' with a 20 something Escort satisfy you? None of them have had enough experiences in their life to grasp what kind of man you are or what kind of life you have lived or what kind of values you hold." He replied, "Caroline, suppose you were my 'fuck toy' then what would I be and become to you?" "Initially just a 'toy.' Then we would become someone to enjoy life with - both in and out of the bedroom. Look, Roland, I know what kind of music and movie and book and friend you treasure - and broadly speaking I treasure those same things. In point of fact, that is why we got married 24 years ago. Just how long would it take a talented person like Barb to learn just a small portion of what is important to Roland Zale - there is a lot more to life than fucking?" For the first time, the attorney ex wife had his attention because he saw clearly that 'clearing his tubes' was the only thing he had gotten in his two years with Barb, and had spent untold dollars for the limited pleasure. Caroline picked up on his new found awareness at once. Roland said, "But Caroline, you have been fickle over many years - husbands, lovers, affairs, divorces, etc. What is different this time?" She looked him in the eyes and said, "Good question and the answer is not simple, but let me try. Aging. Maturing. Wisdom gained by finding that I hate my confused self that I was then for not seeing what was and remains important to this day. All of those things combined have cured my fickleness." "Caroline, you don't realize how badly I was hurt when the P.I. brought me the pictures at the end of our marriage - it still hurts and that was, what, eleven years ago I guess? So to restate it, my fear would be that if you, again, become crucial to me, another well hung pretty boy will steal you - or at least, steal your affection. You are a triathlon competitor with a hard body and the pretty boys will continue to pelt you with 'come-ons' disguised as compliments. That is not a worry with my favorite fuck toy(s) - albeit, I don't get nearly as much from them as I give, or as I got from you when we were in love. But those are some of the things that would be my worry if I lived in a 'cage' next to yours." "Roland, I threw away my marriage and a chance to enjoy the love of my children while they grew up just to be with a man I loved more than life itself. I was mistaken about what felt for me and and even vice versa. So I know something about the level of pain you experienced. But your sleep-depriving pain lasted a day or two only. Mine continues!" Roland had an expression that told Caroline for the first time he fully understood her pain. He stood up and walked towards the front door, and said, "Come on, I will walk you to your car, Caroline." She picked up her purse and said, "We have something in common, Roland. I can not get closure from the co-worker for whom I threw away a good life with you and our children, while you can not get closure from your and my resulting break up. Why don't you use one of the planet's most brilliant financial minds to solve our respective closure problems?" Stunned at her insightfulness, her ex said, "That sums up our two respective problems precisely, Counselor. During this visit you have suggested one theoretical solution to both problems - re: We would live in two cages side by side! But in the real world...?" Leaving the sentence unfinished he continued, "On the other hand I still care for you more than I care to admit to myself or you and at the same time I am reluctant to tempt fate." Caroline sat in her car and rolled her window down as Roland bent over talking to her. At this moment he wanted to kiss her and she even prayed silently that he would, but he only smiled and mimicked a kiss and touched her lips. He said, "Good night, Caroline, and thanks for coming." ——- The following Tuesday evening, Barb, Glenda, and her Mother, Caroline, sat talking in a quiet neighborhood family restaurant. The ladies had learned long ago that when they go to a bar or a popular restaurant, the gentlemen just would not take 'no' for an answer and leave them alone. Barb was finishing her vegetable plate with a small piece of meat side order and she asked, Caroline,"So how did your date go with my favorite cash cow on Saturday night?" She smiled and said, "We only talked and he did not pay me money, but he paid me a compliment - and that made our whole experiment worth while, ladies." Glenda's interest was piqued and asked Caroline, "Did Dad finally admit that he still loved you?" "Not in so many words, but 'yes,' because I do read people and, to be sure, I got his attention - and once I even got his cock's attention!" The three ladies laughed robustly at that. Barb asked, "What was the outcome of my smiling at the Fire Chief?" Caroline answered, "That is the good news. He is relocating his office to a commercial space this coming three day weekend and he is looking for another place to live. Of course, I offered to rent him a room but he didn't outright accept, but he is thinking about it - and Dear God! I promise to keep my knees together forever except in his bed, if he accepts." Glenda said, "I will drink to that as the three ladies touched their glasses, and toasted, 'To Dad and Caroline, Again.'" Caroline ask, "Changing the subject, Ladies how was your Saturday night plus dates - I would like to know just for professional reasons. Heh heh." Her daughter answered, "Professional reasons? Mom, soon to be grand mothers can not be in this profession - and yes I know it's age discrimination." The whole table burst into laughter. Her Mom asked, "What do you mean, 'soon to be' because you are not in that game and Mat's Dad read him the riot act about protecting his future - not to mention his health!" Glenda said, "According to his letter there was an explosion of a population bomb in and near his apartment. And, the good looking women in the Houston area are everywhere. He has already met one that he, and I quote, 'Can not get her out of my mind.'" Barb spoke up and said jokingly, "Caroline, listen real carefully and you, too, can hear bells ringing." The table broke up with laughter again. Finally, Caroline's face turned several shades of color and said, "Oh Shit!" Barb spoke up and said, "About our dates, there were only two of them but damn! I almost couldn't get out bed on Sunday afternoon - in fact we both missed one class." Glenda chimed in, "But, one of the men was a team captain and said he will be passing out our contact information so all deep pocketed marathon-type athletes are welcomed!" "I will drink to that," Barbed chimed in. After ten more minutes of girl chat the two young ladies said good night to Caroline with promises to do this again. ——- On the following afternoon, Roland Zale sat exhausted in his office easy chair post-closing, sipping a glass of wine from the bottle of his favorite that Caroline brought him after Mat's graduation. Inevitably, this brought on thoughts of his ex wife and how much he missed her. At that moment his iPhone Reminders App popped up and said, "Buenos Aires Tango Troupe next Wednesday Schubert T. 7:30." So he dialed Barb's administrative number, but was told, 'She is unable to have dinner next Wednesday.' Talking out loud to nobody after breaking the circuit, he said, "Barb dances only waltz and foxtrot for professional reasons and has no personal interest in dancing in general and Argentine Tango, in particular anyway. Who could I take???" He took another sip of his velvety wine and thought of his ex-wife again. He sat up and continued talking out loud to nobody, "Caroline and I stole the show sometimes when we were younger dancing the A Tango. I wonder if things would have turned out differently if both of us had taken time out from kids and work to keep dancing? God! I use to struggle keeping my erection from showing in public when she rubbed her crotch all over me on the dance floor. What would I give to be able to excite a woman on the dance floor like that again?" Roland sat up abruptly with a cold sweat on his forehead. He nervously found her number in his Address List and called. "Greetings, ex-Husband, what a pleasure to hear from you." "Hi Caroline. I wanted to say, thank you sincerely for coming over last Saturday night. And, I didn't say it at the time because of my shock but you were beautiful." His ex started crying at what he had just said said and she breathed deeply to get a grip on herself and said, "Well, I shocked you by showing up in lieu of your date. I understand. Thanks for accepting me." "But Caroline, the reason I am calling is that there is a traveling Argentine Tango Troupe at the Schubert Theater next Wednesday, 7:30 and I have two orchestra seat tickets. Last year at this time I called Barb but she is not available this year. Would you be my date for that stage show - there is a ten piece orchestra according to their flyer, along with gala costumes and the best dancers ...?" Caroline could not believe the wonderful sound coming from her cell phone and answered quickly before Roland could could even finish his invitation, "Yes, Roland. That sounds wonderful. Remember how we once really thrilled at those performances - more than that, I can even remember when we wowed our peers at least once a month at a the South Shore Tango Club Milonga, have you forgotten?" "I haven't forgotten, Caroline." The rest of the conversation was about the logistics of the two's date as both were somewhat in a hurry to end their recanting of their memories when a couple. He ended by saying, "Good. I will pick you up then. Good night." He broke the circuit. The following Wednesday the Private Car driver opened the rear door for Caroline in front of her home as Roland rushed to the other side to get in the back seat beside her. Both smiled broadly at each other after their greetings and then Caroline asked, "How did your long weekend moving project go, Roland?" Caroline and Roland's Tango "Thanks for asking, Caroline, it was rough work and we experienced technical problems galore that even provoked some unprofessional words between the contractor and me. But, it got done and I was able to log in on Tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m. from the new location - and my assistant even found the place and arrived at work on time." She asked, "How was your sleep at your townhouse when there was no computer in bed with you?" He said, "Heh heh Frankly, not good. I couldn't read my library technical papers like I normally read nightly as a lullaby song. So I brought up a porno site and entertained myself." "Did you think about me, Dear ex husband, by any chance, because I did the same thing and thought about you once this past weekend. Heh heh I did what you did!" The two looked at each other and burst out laughing loudly. Roland said, "Damn! We both have both been 'busted!'" The performance was electrifying to the couple as their respective skins tingled and Roland's hair on his arm was standing straight up at several points. In time they both noticed that each was squeezing the other's hand - especially in the choreographed street gang fight dance scene. Making their way to the exit after the performance, three of the old acquaintances from the dance world stopped them to say, 'hello.' After one re-introduction the dancing enthusiast said, "Roland and Caroline, really nice to see you again. I had some very wrong information about you two, I think." Caroline interrupted him and said, "Not so wrong. We are just dating tonight. Thanks for remembering us, though." The old friend said, "Good. In that case, you two, why don't you come to a Milonga Saturday night at the civic center in Brainville - 8 o'clock. There should be several of the old timers there in addition to Marge and me who would like to see you two dance again." Roland said, "We are very rusty, so we would be poor entertainment. But thanks for the info. We will think about it." Once in the hired car heading back to her house, Caroline said, "I would review some patterns on youtube as well as our training tapes if you were to do the same, and you could invite me to the Milonga Saturday night?" Roland put his hand in front of his face noting he was tired but elated and smiling having just seen the tango performance, so he said, "Would you like to go to a dance with me Saturday night?" "Yessir, I accept but only if I can come to your townhouse Saturday daytime and review with you some of our old dance patterns. What do you say?" The exhausted investor, whose day had started at 5:00 A.M., leaned against the back seat and was trying to outline some things he needed to do first in the morning. But he concluded he was just too tired. Thinking now about his ex-wife, one part of him wanted desperately to spend time with her Saturday but another was repulsed at the idea - That part kept seeing her as a hollowed out Bitch who just looked like a million dollars because she worked at it every day. But he knew from another source that she was now a mover and shaker in her law firm and did volunteer work as well. She had said that she spent her time in committee meetings planning defense strategies for high profile clients soon to be sued in civil court. The clout she carried was a result of her exhaustive and erudite knowledge of former cases gained when she had been the research librarian for many years. Arriving at her home they walked arm in arm silently to the front door while the driver waited. He finally said to Caroline, "Please dig out some of our old videos when we were taking lessons and come over about one on Saturday? Maybe bring a sandwich to give us energy for dance practice?" Caroline felt a flood of pleasurable emotions and came very close to believing in good luck when she said, simply, "I will be there. Saturday night we won't wow the others because we will be rusty, but we will relearn enough for us to have fun with each other's company." Roland said, "Isn't that what dancing is about anyway?" She chuckled and said, "In a word, 'yes.' Thank you, Roland," as kissed him lightly on the cheek and went inside. ——- Saturday, Caroline had a suit hanger over one shoulder and a large bag in the other when Roland responded to her knock on his door. She said, "I brought DVDs because Mat had converted all the VHS tapes of instruction patterns we had previously recorded when he visited just to pass the time. I suggest that we eat our sandwich and watch a few dance videos to decide which patterns to relearn ourselves." The first clip was from youtube and was the Gear-Lopez Tango pre-competition clip from 'Shall We Dance.' That was followed by six other training clips and afterwards both were revved up and ready to dance. The couple started working very hard trying to come up to speed again in the Argentine Tango using the training videos. At five Roland said to his ex wife, "We had better get ready to go out for dinner and you can have the master bedroom bath while I shower in the kid's bath. Our dinner reservations are at 6 and it's a 15 minute drive." When the two well dressed dancers met again in the entertainment room, Roland literally had to hold on to the wall because Caroline was so beautiful and he thought his knees would give way. He said, "You are going to be in the spot light tonight, so again I will get to see you being relentlessly pursued by handsome men." "Well, Roland, two things to consider are that, for one, I will be competing with young ladies who also know how to dance and who have youth on their side. The second is that being pursued by mindless bodies in the past was sinful and exciting - now they are just boring stiffs, and besides that, my eyes and thoughts will be on you. Thank you so much for taking this chance with me, " she emphasized while looking directly into his eyes. ——- The first hour and a half of dancing for the couple was just plain fun! Their fears did not materialize in that as soon as they started their patterns their muscle memories kicked in and and soon they were holding their own on the very crowded dance floor - Roland estimated that there were 100 people there and 76 would have been the optimum number for that small floor. Between dances three couples came up to say hello, two of whom did not even know of the chaos of the past 10 years in the two dancers' lives. They sat down to rest at a small table along the dance floor when Roland said, "The cash bar is pretty busy and will even get more so. What would you like to drink, Caroline?" "Thanks, Roland, just a bottle of water would be wonderful. He went to stand in line and the man in front of him happened to remember Zale. The man said, "I heard that you and your Misses got a divorce, yet I saw you dancing with her?" "We did. So we are just dating. I am surprised that I can remember as many patterns as I do - its been years for me." The gentleman asked, "You still in finance and investing?" The affirmative answer followed and the conversation lasted until both were at the bar. Back at the table as soon as Roland left, a rotund couple, who was everybody's friends, sat down and renewed acquaintances with her. She remembered the fat couple well because they came to the Milongas double heading on a Harley-Davidson. She said, "I am glad you remembered me. Roland and I dropped out of dancing after we broke up. We are dating again now, as both children are on their own and neither of us are married. We loved the Tango so..." At that point Jerry Bates, the man who seduced her 11 years ago, butted in and asked her for a dance. Caroline frowned and said,"No. Go away!" Bates insisted, "Just once for old time sakes, Caroline?" She continued to ignore him and he still wouldn't go away and then he asked again and she continued to ignore him. The portly gentleman Caroline had been in conversation with stood up and said, "Bates, if you aren't out that front door in one minute I am going to smear you all over this floor. " He looked at the burly man and asked, "Whaaat?" And then he shuffled off as the better part of valor. As he hurriedly away, Roland returned from the opposite direction and put the water bottle in front of Caroline. Recognizing John and Marge, Roland smiled broadly and greeted them and then asked him, "You scared hell out of that dude. Who was he?" "Oh just a womanizer who is responsible for breaking up two marriages of our members that I know about, and probably more. He made a nuisance of himself to Caroline and insisted that he wouldn't leave until she danced with him. So, I sent him away - I am still the board appointed bouncer here." John and Marge nodded goodbye and got up to dance. Roland said to Caroline, "Drink up and lets dance?" "I am ready." For some reason the couple were dancing like there had scarcely been a break in their Tango dancing over the years, because Caroline started once again to get her timing exactly right. There was a huge smile on Roland's face as she wrapped her legs around his and jammed her torso into his, very natural like. He reminded himself, "I am the only dude on the floor with a hard on, damn it! I wore the wrong underwear." After the dance, Roland drove his date to her home. He brought her day clothes and hang up suit case inside for her. She said, "How about a night cap?" He smiled and said, "Hell! I thought you were not going to ask..., just one though!" After they were seated next to each other and enjoying the glass of wine she asked, "Roland, did you recognize the 'Womanizer' who John ran off from our table tonight?" "No. Who was it? I didn't see his face." "Jerry Bates." In his mind there was turmoil but his stone face was unchanged as he shifted his position so he could looked carefully at Caroline's eyes. He asked, "So he still pines for your body? What were you thinking while he refused to go away after you said, 'no' repeatedly? And, more importantly, would you be thinking different thoughts had John and Marge not been sitting there?" "Roland, running into him is like running into someone with whom I spent time in the back seat of a car in high school - nothing more. It meant noting. It means nothing." She came over to her silent date and knelt in front of him. Looking carefully at her ex-husband she said, "I fell in love with and married you, a man out of my class, when I was totally unqualified to marry any man of your caliber. Now I am qualified and I love you more than I can say. Please give us a chance?" Roland finished the wine and stood up. He looked down at her and said, "I believe you love me at this moment, Caroline, but tomorrow a question mark arises in my mind. I fight against falling in love with you - with anyone - again for fear of recurring pain, as you well know." "Roland, I can not make the pain of the past go away, but if we both fell in love completely, then past and future pain would become trivial by comparison to what we will have gained." The ex husband said, "Some weeks ago I arrived at that logical conclusion, but I need time for my whole body to feel that." "We have time, Roland, Goodnight!" ——- Sundays are terrible days for Roland Zale, especially now. His eyes were sore from reading so many technical papers and on line reports so he stood up to make a cup of coffee. His thoughts were, "It sure would be nice to have some company or to go see someone..., but who?" It was early evening and Roland had finished his dinner that he had worked all afternoon to get it just right when the door bell rang. He went to the security port hole and saw Barb standing outside. He quickly opened the door and said, "What the...? Oh come in. Come in. I am so glad to see you, Barb." She said, "Thanks. This is not costing you money because it's my personal visit." Sniffing out loud she asked, "Something smells very good, you got any of that left?" Beaming with pleasure, he said, "Yes, I do - its a vegetable stew with beef and I am trying a new spice set. While I did my reading all day I worked intermittently for several hours on it. Let me know what you think." The stunningly beautiful Paid Escort ate with gusto. Watching her fully enjoy the large bowl of stew, Roland said, "I aspire to be the only customer on record who seduced a Paid Escort with the food he prepared for her Heh heh!" After she finished and was enjoying a glass of wine she said, "Roland, you and I are through with sex." "But why Barb, isn't my money as good as the next man's?" "It's not money - I am developing feelings for you and that is an absolute no-no in this business. The most important thing to me is to retire before I am 30 and live in a white stone house on an island in the Mediterranean sea. Even your importance pales when compared to that goal." He said, "I guess, having a long-term outlook is what makes me spend my money for you only." She replied, "I know having goals are important to you, and that is why you should take another look at your ex-wife. Are you aware of what she is doing in that law firm?" "I don't know what Caroline is doing specifically except that she sits on many committees." "Yes, she does that, but she does much, much more. She is determined to be voted a senior partner as a woman and whose experience is outside the usual path of being an outstanding courtroom lawyer. She can do this because her knowledge of previous judgements and awards of court cases is so vast until she is indispensable to that major law firm. She is a beautiful woman and intends to make this giant leap without spreading her legs. In short, she is driven to succeed and she is in love with you." "She hasn't told me any of this." "Of course she hasn't. She, like you, wants to succeed and then tell those close to her that she has done it. But what looks like her pinning for you constantly is only a small part of her drive to succeed." Roland slumped in his dining room chair and felt bewildered. Barb continued, "I care for you, Mister Zale, personally, and it hurts me to see you so unhappy in your personal life. For example, you were mentioned in Friday's Wall Street Journal on the same page a two-bit politician and bureaucrat appeared. Take a chance on Caroline and tell her you love her, because every time you have been inside my body we both knew it was her body that you should have been inside - and you were just masturbating with an expensive fuck toy." "Barb, I am not averse to taking chances - hell, I lost many, many millions in one week in 2008 but lost no sleep - but personal pain when I lose is unbearable - like when I lost Caroline eleven years ago." She replied, "That kind of pain is lessened when one stays focused on the love and commitment one had rather than what was lost. At any rate, that is my advice to you in my goodbye soliloquy, for what it's worth. Thank you so much for being my cash-cow and being a man who has taught me so much and who I can respect as well. If you were 20-years younger I know where you would spend the rest of your life!" Roland just grinned at his former fuck-toy's compliment. After a silence where both parties were obviously in deep thought, Barb stood and said, "Thanks for the wonderful stew - I had no idea a simple dish like that could taste so good. I am going to miss your cooking, Roland. In the best of all possible worlds you and Caroline get back together and I routinely get invited over for dinner. Heh heh." ——— The next morning at 10:00 A.M. Caroline Zale was sitting at her desk reviewing documents before she went to a committee meeting. Her phone rang and it was the receptionist who said, "There are some flowers for you that a florist delivered so please come get them as the vase is rather large." She took the elevator five floors down and walked up to the receptionist. Caroline noticed that the vase contained two dozen roses. She picked it up and returned to her desk thinking, "These are going directly to the trash if they are from that beast, Jerry Bates. She got to her desk with two excited co-workers right behind her - both remembered that Caroline had trashed flowers before. She sat down and opened the accompanying card. It read: "Do you still have that room for rent to me? Roland Zale." Caroline was wailing tears and laughing at the same time. One coworker asked, "Are you happy or sad, Caroline?" She blew her nose and said, "I don't think I will ever be sad again!" The end. Epilogue: Two years later, the couple were remarried and only their children and Barb were in attendance - the J.P. even joined them for the out of this world wedding dinner that Roland had cooked.