40 comments/ 24515 views/ 5 favorites The Temporary Solution By: brain_damage I'm Bill and I work for a large oil company. After college, I spent 3 years working on drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. I learned a lot about the oil business, but my social life was virtually non-existent. Finally, I was promoted to the main office in Houston. With the money I saved, I was able to buy a house and start a normal life. I made many friends at work and in the neighborhood. I met many nice women, but no one special. My sex life was pretty limited, but that was really my own choosing. Don't get me wrong, just physical sex was nice, but when it was over, it was over. I needed there to be more to it than that. After a year, I wondered if I would ever find the right woman. My best friend, Sam and his girlfriend Nancy, invited me to a party at their place. They told me that they wanted to introduce me to Nancys best friend. She had been dating someone for about a year, but they broke up a couple of months ago. Blind dates scared me, but they assured me I would like her. When I arrived, they immediately introduced me to Cindy. We shook hands and exchanged hellos. Cindy was a nice looking woman about 5'6" with shoulder length brown hair and a cute smile. I think it was the smile that got me. Then suddenly, they had something to take care of and left us alone. There were a couple of moments of awkward silence before I asked Cindy if she wanted to get something to eat and drink. She did and as we ate, we became more relaxed and started talking. I told her that blind dates always scared me. She said she was uncomfortable with them too and almost backed out tonight, but Nancy wouldn't let her. I told her I was glad she didn't and she smiled. We talked about where we went to college. I told her where I worked and what I did. I asked her what she did. She said, "I work for a small medical supply company. My degree is in Marketing, but I do a little of everything. I've been in sales and advertising. Lately, I've been helping write proposals to generate new business." All too soon, the party was winding down. I said, "Cindy, I'm sure glad Sam and Nancy talked both of us into coming. I had a very nice time. Could I give you a call and maybe go to dinner or movie sometime?" I always hated this part. It's embarrassing to wait for the woman to say yes, we'll see, or just plain no. Cindy said, "I'd really like that. I had a nice time too and would be happy to get together again." I said, "Great, I'll call you next week." I called Wednesday and made a date for dinner and a movie Saturday night. We got to the restaurant and the food was excellent, but the service was extremely slow and we missed our movie time. I asked, "Do you want to catch the late showing, or go get a drink and talk?" She said, "The last show won't let out until well after midnight. Let's just go somewhere and talk. I've had enough alcohol tonight, but there's a coffee shop near my house that I go to all the time. It's nice and quiet. We can continue our conversation there." I said that was fine with me. We got our coffee and found a booth in the back. We continued talking and the subject of sex came up (she did, I didn't). She said, "I take sex seriously, it isn't a sport. I don't sleep with someone just for the fun of it. There has to be an emotional attachment and an exclusive relationship. I haven't had many partners, 3 to be exact, but they were in a committed relationship. For what ever reasons, they didn't work out." I said, "I understand completely." We finished our coffee and I took her home. I walked her to the door but she didn't ask me in. So I told her I had a nice time and would like to do it again. She said she would like that too. I leaned over and kissed her, just a plain kiss on the lips. She smiled and went inside. I stood there for a few seconds thinking how nice that simple kiss was. The frequency of our dating increased over the next few months. We went out 2-3 nights a week and talked on the phone most every day. Most of the time we went out alone, but sometimes with Sam and Nancy. I really enjoyed being with Cindy and always had a good time. After we had been dating for 3 months and I decided I was ready to commit to an exclusive relationship with her. Friday, after dinner, instead of stopping for coffee, which had become our custom, I asked if we could go to her place to talk. She looked a little puzzled but said OK. We sat down and she asked, "What's this about?" I said, "Cindy I really love being with you. I remember on our first date, you said for our relationship to go any further than friends, there had to be an emotional bond and an exclusive relationship. I'm ready for one, with you. You've had my heart for some time and I'm falling in love with you." She just had a startled look on her face and said nothing. I was beginning to worry, but finally she smiled and said, "I'm falling in love with you too. In fact, I'm in love with you." I took her in my arms and said, "I love you too. I got you something to celebrate. I handed her a small box containing a gold heart pendant. She opened it, smiled and said, "It's beautiful, I love it. I'll cherish it always." I put it around her neck. It looked beautiful on her; she looked beautiful. I said, "Just because we're going steady doesn't mean that I expect us to make love. It's up to you, but I'm ready when ever you are." She laughed and said, "I'd like that very much. Wait here, I'll be back." She headed to her bedroom. I was so excited that I had goose bumps. After about 15 minutes, she walked back in a sheer black negligee with no panties. I just stared and she asked, "Do you like it? I bought it several weeks ago." I had a questioning look on my face. She said, "I knew this day was coming." She took my hand and led me to her bedroom. We started to slowly kiss and fondle each other. She gently pushed me away and began undressing me, kissing down my body as she went. She pulled my shorts down and saw that I was fully erect. She smiled and said, "This is nice." She took me in her mouth and began to lick and suck me. I felt wonderful. I was moaning and thrusting into her mouth. I finally told her to stop, or I was going to climax. She just kept going and I cried out, flooding her mouth with my cum. This was the first time I came in a woman's mouth. She continued until I was completely spent. She sat up and swallowed. I couldn't believe it. She moved to me and we kissed. I could taste my cum on her lips and it excited me. Then, I started kissing her, as I moved down her body. I kissed and licked her breasts. Her nipples were hard and I gently sucked one into my mouth and ran my tongue around it, then moved to the other one, back and forth for several minutes. She was moaning softly. I slowly kissed down to her pussy. I spread her lips with my fingers and slowly licked her. She asked me to lick faster and suck her clit. I did and she began thrusting herself into my face. After a few minutes, she let out a scream. She wrapped her legs around my head, pulling me tightly into her. Her body shook with each contraction and her orgasm seemed to last forever. Finally, she unwrapped her legs, reached over and felt that my erection was back. She said, "Now, please make love to me. Please do it now!" I moved up and got in position over her. She grabbed my ass with both hands and pulled me into her. I slid right in. I couldn't believe what I was feeling. She felt so warm and smooth. My previous sexual experiences were nothing like this. Cindy was obviously more experienced, but I didn't mind at all. I began pumping in and out of her. She moaned and told me to go faster and push harder. I began pounding myself into her. Even though I had cum less than 15 minutes ago, I felt my orgasm building. Cindy screamed as her body tensed and her orgasm began. Her contractions were squeezing my dick. That was it. I gasped and came inside her. This was the first time I came in a woman without a condom. The sensations of warmth and slipperiness, as I slid in and out of her were indescribable. When we stopped, I rolled off and held her close. The feeling of total release and joy was incredible and we feel asleep in each others arms. When I woke up in the morning, we were still holding each other. Cindy was awake watching me. I kissed her and said, "That was the most wonderful experience of my life. I love you." She said, "I love you too. That was very special. It's never been like this, ever." We held each other a few more minutes, then she said, "I've got to pee." and we laughed. We got dressed and made breakfast. We talked about last night and where we went from here. We thought about moving in together, but we both had houses. One of us could sell their house. But, we realized we were getting way ahead of ourselves. We decided it was best, at least for now, not to live together. I gave her a key to my house and she gave me one to hers. Then, if we decided to meet or stay at either place we could. The next 8 months were great. We became closer and I began thinking about asking her to marry me. I was sure, without a doubt, that she was the woman I wanted to be with always. Our one-year anniversary was a little more than a month away and I decided I would propose to her then. Cindy called from work and asked me to meet at her house after work. When I got there she was almost jumping up and down. She said, "My boss put me in charge of developing a proposal for a huge project. It would mean several million dollars a year for the next 5 years. He told me he was impressed with my work and trusted me to handle it." I told her I was proud of her and we celebrated by going to a nice restaurant and of course, we made love. After 2 days, she wasn't in such a good mood. She said, "I don't know if I can do this. It's not that I don't know what to do, it's too much for just me to do in the timeframe. I have less than 4 weeks. The client has very specific requirements and the detailed documentation has to be in their exact format." I said, "Well, if this has the potential you say, your boss shouldn't mind hiring a Temp to help you. It would be money well spent." She said, "That might work. I'll talk to him tomorrow." The next day, she was in a good mood again. She said, "I explained everything to my boss and he agreed. He called an agency and I had a Temp this afternoon. This just might work. Thanks for suggesting it." The next day she called and said she believed it would work, but even with help, she was going to have to work late and weekends. There wouldn't be much, if any time for us until it was over. I told her it was OK, we could make up for lost time later. Well, that turned out to be true. I didn't see her at all and when we talked at night, she was so tired she couldn't stay on long. I was glad this was going to be over before our anniversary. We had talked about doing something special. I think proposing will qualify. I bought Cindy a beautiful 2-carat diamond ring, with the option to exchange it for something different if she wanted. I made dinner reservations at Maxims, she's always wanted to go there. I got tickets to the theater show she wanted to see and made a reservation at the Downtown Hilton. I wanted this to be special, an evening we would never forget. Finally, our anniversary was here and I went to pick her up. I knocked but she didn't answer. I knocked again, still nothing. I knew she was home, her car was out front. I figured she was in the shower, so I let myself in. I didn't hear water running, but I heard moaning. At first, I thought she was hurt, but they were moans of pleasure, not pain. I wondered why she would be playing with her vibrator now. I walked toward her bedroom but realized the sounds were coming from the guest room. I walked to the door and stopped. The moans weren't from her vibrator. Another man was on top of her. Her legs were pulled up over his shoulders and she was being wildly fucked. I could hear their bodies slap each time he bottomed out in her. After about a minute, she yelled she was coming. As her orgasm began, she moaned loudly. She came for at least a minute, crying and screaming the whole time. Then, the guy grunted and began emptying himself inside her. When they finished, he rolled off beside her. They had their eyes closed and were breathing heavily. The first thing I noticed was that he wasn't wearing a condom and second, his cum was oozing out of Cindy's pussy. She said, "WOW! You were right. This was an excellent way to celebrate winning the contract and it certainly relieved all that pent up stress and frustration. Thanks, I'll be sure to recommend you the next time we need a Temp." She opened her eyes and saw me. She screamed, as she tried to cover herself with the sheets. She yelled, "Bill! What are you doing here? Who said you could just let yourself in?" I said, "I knocked, twice and you didn't answer. I thought you were in the shower so I let myself in, just like you always told me to." As I spoke, I took her key off my key chain. "We had a date. I guess you double booked and he got here first." I threw her key on the dresser and said, "You don't have to worry about this happening again, at least not with me." I turned and walked out. She called for me to stop, but I kept going. When I got home, I rounded up all her stuff and put it in a box outside my door. Then, I got a drink and sat down to think about what just happened. I had no indication that she was cheating on me, and with the Temp. I guess I should never have suggested it. Cindy rang the bell and beat on the door. She was making so much noise that I thought the neighbors would say something. So I opened the door and she pushed her way in. I said, "I'd invite you to sit down, but his cum leaking out of your pussy might stain the couch. She started crying and said she had to explain. I cut her off and said, "There's nothing to explain. Do you even know what today is or why we had a date?" She had a blank look on her face and shook her head, no. "Today is our one year anniversary. We met at Sam and Nancys party a year ago this week." As she remembered, she said, "Oh my God! I forgot. I'm sorry." I said, "You forgot? If you had remembered, were you going to go out with me, and reschedule your fuck with the Temp?" She cried even harder. I said, "I even got you a present. Do you want to see it?" She nodded and I went to my room and came back with a small box. I opened it and showed it to her. It was the engagement ring. She gasped and said, "It's beautiful." She kept looking and finally said, "Oh! It's an engagement ring." She looked back at me and said, "You were going to propose to me?" I nodded and closed the lid. "The operative word is, 'WAS'. I'm sure glad I found out you're a slut before I gave you this." I put it in my pocket and said, "I'll save it for someone deserving of my love." She was sobbing so hard she fell to her knees. "You're stuff is in the box outside. Anything of mine, put it in a box outside your door and leave me a message. Or, you can donate it, throw it away or give it to the Temp. Or have you made him permanent?" She cried even harder, I took her key chain from her purse and took my key off. Then I threw her keys at her feet and said, "Get out, NOW. I don't ever want to see or talk to you again." She kept saying she needed to explain. I firmly took her by the arm and led her out the door and closed it. She stood there crying for 5 minutes before picking up the box and leaving. Cindy tried to call me several times that week, at work and home, but I ignored her. Later in the week, Sam and Nancy came by to talk. Cindy told Nancy what happened. Nancy said, "Bill, I don't know what to say. I never would have believed it if she hadn't told me herself. We're so sorry. We feel kind of responsible since we introduced you two." I said, "It's not your fault. It's Cindy's." Nancy said, "I had a long talk with her. She's sorry. She didn't mean for it to happen. She told me there were reasons, but said it didn't matter. She knows there's no excuse for what she did to you. She still loves you, but knows you don't love her anymore. She's resigned herself to the fact that you're gone for good." I said, "It's not that I don't still have feelings for her. God knows I do. Part of me wants to forgive her. But actually seeing her fuck that guy and seeing his cum ooze out of her just killed me. I just can't forget it and act like nothing happened. I just can't." Sam said, "We understand, and we want you to know you are still our friend. We won't abandon you." I said, "Thanks, I appreciate that." Nancy said, "But I want you to know that Cindy is still my friend. We've known each other since high school. Despite how mad and disappointed I am in her, I won't abandon her. We'll invite you both to our get-togethers but we'll let you know if she plans to attend and I'll let her know if you plan to come. Then you both can decide if you want to come or not. Believe us, you won't hurt our feelings if you decide not to." I thanked them. Life went on. I did keep in touch with Sam and Nancy. They invited me to their parties and I went, if Cindy declined. And, many times, just the 3 of us went to dinner or a ballgame. I started dating again, but nothing serious. Truthfully, I still loved Cindy. About 3 month later, Sam and Nancy came over. Sam said, "We have some great news. Nancy and I are getting married." I congratulated them and Nancy proudly showed me her ring. Sam asked, "Bill, will you be my Best Man?" I said, "I would be honored. I'm so happy for both of you." Nancy said, "Thanks. But, I want you to know that I asked Cindy to be my Maid of Honor. She said the only way she would is if you agreed to it. If you didn't, she would decline so you could be the Best Man." Sam said, "I know this is awkward, but we really want both of you in our wedding." I thought about it for a few seconds. Bill and Nancy were my best friends. It was their day. It should be all about them. I said, "I'll do it. It won't kill me to be in the wedding with Cindy." They both thanked me and Nancy hugged me. She said the wedding was in about 3 months and she would send me the invitation with all the information. They told me to bring a date if I wanted. Time went by quickly and the wedding was this week. I hadn't been dating that much and there was no one I really felt comfortable taking, so I went by myself. Friday night was the Rehearsal. I walked in the church and was a little nervous about seeing Cindy. We hadn't seen or talked to each other since that day. I walked over to Sam and Nancy and congratulated them again. They introduced me to the rest of the wedding party. I was standing there alone when Cindy came in. My heart stopped. She was still as beautiful as I remembered. She came up to me and said hello, that she was glad to see me again. Then, she excused herself and went to talk to Sam and Nancy. Throughout the Rehearsal and the Rehearsal Dinner, she made no attempt to talk to me. In fact, she seemed to avoid me. The next day, the wedding went off perfectly. At the reception, she watched where I sat and moved to the other side of the Bridal Table. I couldn't help but notice her. Many of the old feelings I thought were gone, resurfaced. Why did she have to ruin us? I realized a big part of me still loved her. That's probably why I never got beyond casual dating. I wasn't really looking. None could come close to Cindy. The Bride and Groom went to the dance floor for the First Dance. For the next dance, they asked the wedding party to join them. Cindy didn't move, so I got up and walked over to her. She hadn't seen me. I tapped her shoulder and said, "I think we're expected to dance. Will you dance with me?" She had the most unbelieving look on her face. She sat for a second, then stood up and followed me to the dance floor. I took her in my arms and we danced without saying a word. It was wonderful to hold her again. I had really missed her. When the song ended, I led her back to her chair. Before we got there, she asked me to follow her to an empty table. The Temporary Solution She said, "I know I have no right to ask you this, but please do me one last favor. Can we sit down somewhere and talk? I know nothing will change, but I want to talk with you one last time about what I did to you. Please?" I was silent for a minute then said, "OK. But, not here, not now. How about we meet tomorrow, 2pm at the coffee shop? Sort of neutral ground." She said she would be there and thanked me. She got up and went back to her seat. The next day, I got there a little early. I got my coffee and sat at a booth in the back. Cindy came in right on time, got her coffee and sat down across from me. She said, "Thanks for coming." She took several sips and finally began. "I want to try to explain what happened and why I think I did it. I'm not trying to excuse what I did. There's no conceivable excuse for it. I know that. It was all my fault and I'll have to live with the consequences of my foolish actions. "You remember how excited I was when they gave me the responsibility for the proposal? I was so happy they had that much confidence in me. But, a couple of days later, the enormity of it hit me. It was just too much for me alone. Then, you suggested getting a Temp. My boss agreed and the agency sent Victor. We sat down and started reviewing the project. I liked him immediately. He was nice and easy going. He had a positive attitude and he was funny. He had a lot of experience and he calmed me down. Within a day and a half, we went through all the requirements and specifications and had an outline of how to proceed. I began to think we could do this. "As we worked together, we began to anticipate what each other was thinking. Whenever a problem came up and I got frustrated, he had a way of calming me down and getting me back on track. The project was going pretty good but it was taking an enormous amount of time. We worked late and weekends too. I pretty much shut you out. I don't think I saw you the last 3 weeks or so. When we talked at night on the phone, I was so tired I couldn't stay on more than a few minutes. And, just so you know, there was nothing sexual going on between us. It was strictly business. "During the last week, we were going back and forth with the client getting everything just right. We submitted the proposal Wednesday. Then, all we could do was sit and wait and worry. "Friday at noon, they called and awarded us the contract. We were elated. This meant so much to the company financially and to me personally. My boss congratulated us and told us to take the afternoon off and go to lunch on him. "Victor and I met at the Mexican restaurant by the coffee shop. We ate and drank margaritas, congratulating each other. He said we made a great team and I agreed. "After we ate, he commented that I was still extremely keyed up. So, we went to the bar and had a few more drinks and I tried to relax. I wasn't drunk, but I was feeling good. Finally, we started to leave and I remembered that Victor had let me borrow several books and old proposals. I asked if he would come by my house and get them, so I wouldn't have to take them to work. He agreed and followed me home. "We went in and I gathered up everything. He was ready to leave and I said, "I sure enjoyed working with you. I couldn't have done it without you." Then, I hugged him. When I let go, he slowly bent down and gently kissed me. We just stood there, then he said he knew a great way to celebrate and get rid of all that pent up frustration. He kissed me again, this time with his tongue. I just snapped and grabbed him, returning his kiss. We were all over each other. "I took his hand and pulled him to the guest room. We stripped off our clothes and I pulled him on top of me. There was no foreplay. He didn't play with my tits. I didn't suck his dick. He didn't lick my pussy. We just fucked. There was no love. It was just pure sex. I didn't care how he felt or if he came. I just cared about me and my own pleasure. Neither one of us lasted very long. As my climax started, it was as if all the worries and frustrations that had built up over the last 4 weeks, left me. I could actually feel them leave my body. Then, Victor came and as I felt him shoot inside me, I realized he wasn't wearing a condom, but it was too late. We finished and he moved off me and we lay there with our eyes closed. I told him he was right, that was an excellent way celebrate and relieve my frustrations. I opened my eyes and saw you standing at the bedroom door. I wanted to die. I was so ashamed of myself. I knew right then I ruined both our lives. "I guess that's all except to tell you that was the only time I cheated on you. I just wanted to explain what happened. Again, this isn't an excuse, there's none. And I know you can never forgive me. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself. Do you have any questions?" "Actually, I do. I've thought about this and I'd like an honest answer from you. If I hadn't caught you, if you finished fucking him earlier and remembered our Anniversary, would you have told me? Or would you have pretended it didn't happen? Would you have let me take you out and celebrate? Would you have accepted my proposal? Would you have let me make love to my fiancée, just hours after you fucked Victor?" She thought a few seconds and said, "You know, I've asked myself those questions. My answers would be a good indication of the type of person I am. If I hid it from you, I feel our marriage and our life together would be a fraud. I firmly believe I would have told you the minute you got here. The end result is the same, but I couldn't have lied. I really think that I'm basically a good person. I just made the absolute worst mistake of my life. "Anything else?" I shook my head, no. "Then I guess I better go. I'm sure you have better things to do the rest of the afternoon." She stood up to leave and said, "I'm so sorry. I still love you and probably always will. I won't try to contact you again. I hope you find someone who loves you and won't hurt you like I did. You're too good a person for that to happen again." She removed a small box from her purse and handed it to me. She said, "Here, I don't deserve this. Goodbye." After she left, I opened the box. It was the gold heart pendant I gave her when we started going steady. I sat there for 30 minutes after she left. My thoughts and emotions were on a roller coaster ride. I did still love her, but I hated her too. I guess I could understand how it happened. That proposal got her so wound up and when it was over and she succeeded, she just lost it. She said she didn't love him. There was no intimacy. They just used each other. But still, she fucked another man. How can I ever forget that or forgive her? I didn't know what to do. The whole next week I was in a foul mood. My coworkers asked if I was sick. Friday, Sam and Nancy returned from their honeymoon and I called and asked if I could come by. When I got there, they began telling me about their cruise to the Bahamas. But they could tell I had something on my mind. I told them about the talk Cindy and I had, what she told me. I asked them what I should do. I didn't know anymore. Nancy said, "You know Cindy still loves you. She hasn't dated anyone since. She wants so bad to have you back, but she's convinced it will never happen. All I can say is that Cindy is a kind and loving person. She wants to spend the rest of her life with you. But, she gave in to her base desires and made a very bad decision, which she acknowledges and regrets. Do I think she would ever do it again? No, I don't. But we can't tell you what to do. Do you still love her? How do you feel deep in your heart? I know you may never forget it, but can you get past it and forgive her? Bottom line, what do you want for the rest of your life? Only you can answer these questions. When you do, you'll know what to do." I thanked them and went home. The next week, I had to go off shore to check on one of the drilling platforms. I had plenty of time to reflect on Nancy's questions. Deep in my heart, I still loved her. Actually, if I was honest with myself, I never stopped. And, I missed her terribly. I could even rationalize how she could have done it. The only thing holding me back was the image in my mind of them fucking. I thought about everything all week. I got home Friday evening, picked up the phone and called her. She answered and I said hello. At first, she didn't recognize my voice, then she asked how I was. I said, "Cindy, would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?" She was silent for a few seconds and asked, "Do you really mean it?" I said I did. She said, "I'd like that. I can't believe you called. I'd like that very much." I picked her up and she looked absolutely gorgeous. I told her so and she just smiled and said thanks. I had missed that smile. At the restaurant, we ate and talked. I asked about her job. She said, "It's going great. Because of that contract, I got a promotion and a sizable raise. I've been very busy, but I like that. It keeps me occupied." I shouldn't have, but I asked if she had seen Victor. Her smile faded and she looked sad and said, "No. I haven't seen or talked to him since...since..." Then, I blurted out, "Since you fucked him?" She sat silent for several seconds. Tears filled her eyes and she dropped her head. I knew that was wrong. I said, "I'm sorry. There was no reason for me to do that. I shouldn't have said anything about him. Please forgive me. I'm sorry." She sat there and wiped her eyes, then said, "I guess I deserved that." I said, "No you didn't. I was just plain cruel. I'm really sorry." She said, "That's OK. Let's forget about it." We ate the rest of the meal in silence. I felt so bad. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. When we finished, I asked if she wanted to stop for coffee? She said no, she just wanted to go home. When we got to her house, I asked if I could please come in for just a few minutes. She looked hesitant but said OK. I went to sit on the couch with her, but she moved to the chair across from me. I said, "I'm sorry. That was cruel of me to even mention him. I just lashed out at you. I've had all these emotions running through my mind." I got up and started pacing. "I loved you, I hated you, I wanted to forgive you, I couldn't. I've never had to deal with this type of emotional situation before and it has me torn up. "How could you have done this to me, to us? I've never told you how I felt, what it did to me. I loved you and was ready to propose. I wanted to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. Then, I walk in and find you with your legs over his shoulders and him fucking you. No, that's not entirely accurate. He was pounding is dick into your pussy as hard as he could. You were screaming in pleasure, urging him on. And what really got to me was when you were finished and he moved off you, I could see his cum oozing from your pussy. You let him cum inside you. Can you even imagine the pain and humiliation I felt?" Cindy said, "No, I guess I can't. I'm so sorry. I guess I never thought about it like that. All I knew was that I screwed up and it was entirely my fault. I knew I had lost you forever. I was so busy kicking myself, I guess I never took the time to think about exactly what you were feeling. I don't know what to say. When you called me last night I was ecstatic. I thought that maybe, just maybe there was a chance. But I know now there isn't. I am sorry for what I did to you, for how much I hurt you. Please, at least know that." She was softly crying. I said, "I talked to Sam and Nancy after we met for coffee. I asked them what I should do. We talked for almost an hour and Nancy finally said it was up to me to figure out how I felt. She asked me several questions and said when I knew the answers, I would know what to do. "I thought about them for 2 weeks. Nancy asked me if I still loved you. Despite everything, part of me still did. But part of me wasn't sure. How could I be sure it wouldn't happen again if you were in a similar situation. I couldn't really know. You would have to earn my trust again. I guess I would have to take a chance. "She asked me how I felt in my heart. I dated a few women since we broke up. One even asked me to have sex with her. I thought about it, if nothing more than a little revenge. But I couldn't. None of them came close to you. I realized that I couldn't really be happy without you. "She asked me if I could get passed it and stop letting it consume me. I honestly didn't know. I knew I would have to let go of it. I really wanted to try but it would be difficult and I knew it would take time. And I couldn't promise that those feelings wouldn't ever cross my mind again. I would hope, that with time, they would fade. "The last question was, with everything that's happened since we started dating, what did I want for the rest of my life? That kind of summed it up." I was silent for a minute then said, "I want you. I want to take that chance and forgive you. I know it can never be exactly like it was before, but I want to try. Do you want to try?" Cindy just sat there with her mouth open. She didn't move, she didn't speak. Finally she broke down and sobbed. I went to her and held her tightly. Then she looked at me and said, "Yes, I want that so much, but I never thought I would hear you say that. I don't believe this is real." I said, "Believe it. It's real." Then, I took the heart pendant from my pocket and gave it to her saying, "This is still yours, and it still means the same thing. I love you and I'm committed to you." She started crying again and said, "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you. I can't believe I ever did that to you. I promise you nothing like that will ever happen again. I'll be faithful to you always, if you just give me the chance." I held her and told her I would. After 10 minutes or so, she was cried out and felt better. "Just like when I gave you the pendant, I know it doesn't mean we will make love. It's up to you. But, I'm ready when you are. I've missed you so much." She smiled and stood up, took my hand and led me to her bed and we made love to each other. We continued going steady and were getting along great, almost like it never happened. For the most part, I've been able to let go of it. Our 2nd Anniversary was coming up next week. I asked Cindy what she wanted to do to celebrate. She said she didn't care, she was just glad there was going to be a 2nd Anniversary. Again, I decided to propose to her on our anniversary. I made the same plans as before. I went to pick her up and she opened the door before I even knocked. We went to Maxim's and she really enjoyed the meal. She enjoyed the theater. She thanked me for a wonderful anniversary. I told her there was more. As we pulled in the Hilton she said, "This is so nice, but I didn't bring any clothes." I said, "I packed you a small bag with your essentials. You won't be wearing much. We went to our room and I had a bottle of wine waiting for us. She said, "I can't believe you did all this. I still don't think I deserve you." Tears came to her eyes. "Everyday I thank God that you gave me a second chance. And I promise I'll never do anything to make you regret that you did." We toasted our anniversary and I said, "There is one more thing I want to do for our Anniversary, actually two. First, I want to give you this." I handed her a small box. She looked at it and didn't know what to do. I told her to open it. She did and just stared at it and then at me. I said, "Cindy, will you marry me?" Tears poured from her eyes and she sobbed uncontrollably. I tried to comfort her, but she couldn't stop. After a few minutes, she calmed down and was finally able to speak. She said, "Are you sure? I've told you over and over that I don't deserve you. You don't know how much I want this, but are you absolutely sure?" I said, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." I put the ring on her finger and she said, "Yes, I'll marry you. I would be proud to be your wife." We held each other for what seemed like forever. Then she said, "You said there was one more thing. After all this, what else could there be?" I kissed her and said, "I want to make love to my fiancée." And we did. Epilogue: Cindy and I have been married for 5 years and have 2 children. And every day I'm thankful I decided to forgive her. Some will say I was a fool. That once a cheater, always a cheater. Everything is either black or white. But life usually isn't that simple. Everyone makes mistakes. Thankfully, most are relatively small. But sometimes, like Cindy's, they're huge. If a person recognizes their mistake and is truly sorry, not just sorry they got caught, you owe it to them and yourself, to at least consider forgiveness. Sometimes circumstances don't allow it, but I think many times they can. You have to decide how you really feel and when you do, you'll know what to do.