Failure To Communicate

{This story has cheating in it, so go ahead and be outraged}

Denver Hawkins sat in his car that Monday afternoon, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly it was a wonder he didn't break the thing.

Just 49 years old, days from reaching fifty, his entire world had just come apart. He was already feeling badly about things, the next Wednesday was his birthday. So he was struggling with that, time was going by and he was now middle aged.

And now this.

He saw her come out, she had been in there for about two hours. Glancing at his watch, it was almost exactly 5 PM.

There was now no doubt at all in his mind, his wife Dorothy of over 25 years was having an affair.

That was bad enough all by itself, but what he had just witnessed was a complete and total shock.

He was suspicious because suddenly just a few weeks before Dorothy had become secretive. So Denver followed her from her job at the clinic, something that was completely out of character for him.

As the senior nurse on staff, Dorothy worked straight day shifts, getting off duty at 5 PM, but that day it was just after 2:30 in the afternoon.

Following her had actually been easy, Dorothy was always completely attentive to what was in front of her when she was driving, she never looked around, not really.

He was only a couple of hundred feet or so behind her when she pulled into the condo lot, parked and went inside.

Denver knew very well who lived there, it was Jack Kawolski, his very best friend in the world.

The one man he would have trusted with his life.

+++

It wasn't anything obvious at the outset, not really. First there were the phone calls, Dorothy answered and then stepped into the kitchen. There was a buzz of conversation, he couldn't make out the words.

"Who was that?" He had asked.

"Nothing, just a telemarketer asking questions." Dorothy answered.

Five minutes on the phone with a telemarketer?

That happened at least 4 times that he knew of.

The next thing that was different was when he got home at 5:30 a few weeks earlier and Dorothy wasn't there. Dorothy was always home when he got there since it was barely 5 minutes to her job. She came in about 45 minutes late that night looking rushed.

"Where have you been, honey?" He asked, not really thinking anything of it.

"I was talking to...uhh..Sara...I just lost track of time. Give me a minute, I will get us some dinner."

"I already have it started, I have a salad in the fridge and some steaks thawed out in the microwave." Denver told her as she breezed by and went upstairs.

Denver had just seen her friend Sara driving by in her little Toyota on the way home and waved?

Sara was a bubbly little brunette, short and best described as stacked. No way could she ever be called slender, but she wasn't fat either. Just 5 years younger than Dorothy, they spent a lot of time together, usually either shopping or sitting in the kitchen doing some of that girl talk that Denver did his best to stay out of.

Sara had even gone out with Denver's friend Jack a few times but that went nowhere, Jack normally very quickly bedded any female he dated but he ran into one of those women that were not that easy in Sara.

He knew that even though Sara normally dressed to attract. She had it in her head that her breasts were her best feature so often the upper portion of her bra was showing.

She was also extremely selective in men friends, although her flirtatious manner may have caused some to think otherwise.

Jack had taken one look at her when they were introduced and instantly went into his now familiar charming mannerisms.

No doubt Jack was a bit of a horn dog, everyone took that in stride, they were used to him.

Denver was reasonably sure that Jack struck out with Sara, he overheard one of the girl's conversations about that one day. Sara was giggling about Jack coming out of the shower when she was over there one, making it obvious what he had planned.

".....in just a towel and I could see he is like a danged horse, let me tell you. But I don't like pushy men much so I told him no." He heard Sara tell Dorothy.

"Really? Maybe you should have given it a try?" Dorothy giggled.

Then they spotted Denver and suddenly were talking about a new diet they had heard of.

Denver was used to the two of them sitting in there laughing about everything so he thought nothing of that.

But why would Dorothy say that she was talking with Sara when she could not have been? Not one time that he could think of had Dorothy ever been untruthful to him?

That made no sense at all.

"That was really good, honey. Thanks for fixing dinner." Dorothy told him as he cleaned up the table. They sat and watched some TV, then when it was bedtime Dorothy reached out for him with all of the signs that were so familiar.

This was another rare event, normally when in the mood he was the one to reach for her, finding her typically quite willing.

Denver certainly had no cause to complain about that part, Dorothy was more matronly now than she was when she was much younger, but still in far better shape than most women her age.

Even her close to perfect breasts had not settled a lot, and he loved the softness of the full mass of pubic hair she left untouched.

One unique portion of their lovemaking was when she touched him, the few brief experiences he had known in his life were of women that used one hand, pumping up and down.

Not Dorothy, she used both hands and briskly slid her palms back and forth, rolling his erection between her palms.

Plus she stuck her tongue out when she did that, which Denver got a kick out of.

That sensation was always incredible, plus she was usually sitting cross legged and exposed when she did it, knowing that Denver delighted in seeing her like that.

When she would lean forward and suckle his nipple gently into her mouth, that was her sign of being wet and fully ready.

The actual sex act nearly always was far more brief than the playing and teasing part, Denver was pleased in that part of their lives and it had never really changed much.

+++

The next day after realizing that something was going on, Denver left work 60 minutes early and drove by the clinic. Dorothy's car was not there. He briefly went back to his office, that evening she was home, in the kitchen like always.

He really wanted to say something, ask her what was going on but then she would know he had followed her, been spying.

The next day he did the same thing, this time her car was there. He parked up on the hill where he could look down on the clinic parking lot, Dorothy came out at 5 PM just like always. Jack Kawolski was walking beside her, they stopped by her car and talked for a few minutes, then he kissed her lightly on the cheek and left.

What in the hell was Jack doing at the clinic?

Denver felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.

+++

Denver met Dorothy in college, she had the seat right next to him in class. She was blond with short hair, pretty in a way, not the raving beauty type but more of what would be called a nice looking woman.

It was her smile, her completely relaxed manner that struck his interest. The deep blue eyes added to that, also.

She had her books already and Denver had not yet gotten his, so she shared with him, scooting her chair over closer so he could see them.

Her bare arm brushed his for just an instant, he was completely aware of that.

They clicked, first as friends and that progressed to dating. At their beginning, the dating was a mix, Dorothy went out with a few other guys, Denver dated a few other girls.

But one evening as he dropped off a date at her place he realized he had been wondering what Dorothy was doing all night.

Normally Denver might have ended up in bed because his date for the night had been giving the signs all evening. She even not too shyly suggested he come on in for a nightcap.

Obvious, of course.

Instead he thanked her and left, driving by Dorothy's apartment on the way home. He actually never really intended to drive by her place but somehow he just did, it was close to on the way anyway.

Just as he drove by, he saw her and her date arrive, so curious he went on down the street and parked.

At the door there was some conversation, Dorothy leaned in and kissed the guy and he left.

It was a brief peck, not really a kiss.

Denver was happy about that as he drove on home. He had been wondering by then if she was having sex with some of her dates, apparently she wasn't.

At least not that night, anyway.

The next day at lunch he asked her point blank if she was interested in them becoming exclusive, he put it just like that. Dorothy smiled and told him she would like that.

That was all rather generic and not exactly romantic, but Dorothy moved in with him the very next week. That evening they made love for the first time, Denver was surprised to find that Dorothy was a virgin.

She insisted that the lights be turned off, even though she wore a special nearly sheer nightie for him. Dorothy was just far too shy to let Denver see her in that at first. Not in the bright light, anyway.

Her very first touch of a male penis other than one boy she dated that just took it out in the car and tried to make her put her hand on it was startling even though she had thought she was ready for that part.

That had been partly her own fault, she had let the boy nurse and play with her naked breasts.

Now with Denver her curiosity took over and she began to experiment, which turned into some full blown playing.

It was so hard and rubbery feeling, touching it made her breath catch in her throat. Denver's fingers touched her loins, her body jerked, then an orgasm poured over her. The overwhelming urge to press her body to his flooded over her, she leaned forward and began to suck on Denver's bare nipple.

She had never done that before but she knew what it felt like when her own nipples were touched gently and she wanted Denver to feel the sensations.

The one other boy that she had allowed his hands to invade her bra had done that, that time she had come very close to allowing him to take her sex, barely managing at the last moment to come to her senses.

Braced for the pain she had heard about from other girls when a man's penis entered the very first time, it never happened. Instead, it felt nice as Denver's erection invaded her.

He pushed and struggled quite a bit, then Dorothy took a deep breath and allowed her lower body to relax.

It was suddenly inside of her, just like that.

She held herself still as Denver thrust at her, unsure of what to do, braced for the stab of pain.

It really did not take very long before she felt Denver stiffen, and suddenly she was all wet and messy.

She had waited, even expected to feel what her fellow female students talked about in the locker room, but all Dorothy really felt was warm and good. Dorothy knew she had reached a climax with Denver, but it was very similar to like when she touched herself, lost in fantasy.

The strange parts was as she cleaned herself up, it felt like he was still inside of her.

Deliriously happy with being a woman now, she slipped back into bed, finding Denver wanting her again.

It was even nicer that time, and it lasted quite a bit longer. That time she lifted her hips, worked them against Denver's body, reaching for something although she was not entirely sure of what it was.

The next night she was still bashful, and when she came to bed in the dark Denver was ready for that. He ducked under the covers, from somewhere he produced a tiny flashlight.

It was quite a squirming session, she finally gave up and allowed it.

By the time he was finished with that he had her laughing and giggling, and she got over being shy.

+++

As it turned out, Dorothy had already made her choice before Denver asked, even planning it because she had gone on birth control pills only a couple of months before.

The only thing she was not sure of then was who it would be with.

All of the other girls were having sex, Dorothy had not actually decided on who she would choose, not really. So she was dating, still every single one of the guys made their move and got nowhere.

The one boy had gotten very close, until he grabbed her hand and tried to force her to touch him. All of the other boys she had dated grabbed at her, she did not like that.

Dorothy was ready in her mind to become a woman. She was being careful though, wanting it to be with the right man.

Some if not most of the other girls she knew tried out nearly everyone they dated, Dorothy's upbringing got completely in the way of that.

Her Mother had pounded it into her head that it was important that she save her "gift" for what would be the right partner.

Dorothy had asked her Mom how she would know, and her Mother had just smiled at her.

"You will know honey. He will be the one that makes you happy all the time." She said simply.

Dorothy found herself happiest when she was out with Denver. Then she realized she kept thinking about him and his goofy smile, the way he made her laugh, the way she got a thrill when she danced with him from even the lightest touch of their bodies.

He didn't grab at her and try to feel her breasts like nearly every other guy did. Instead they talked about how each of them wanted their lives to be.

Dorothy liked it when Denver held her hand as they walked on the beach, or sat together down at the park. The other guys usually took her to dinner, then ordered her drinks which she didn't like the taste of much.

So Dorothy was about ready to ask Denver herself what he thought of the two of them perhaps hooking up full time, then that day at lunch he beat her to it.

It could not possibly have been more perfect.

That evening a few days later when Denver first made love to her was sweet, and it felt good. It didn't take very long before Dorothy was experimenting, trying to find what things made Denver the happiest.

Marriage was a given and the ceremony was simple, once out of school they bought a small house and began what could only be described as a completely normal life together.

Some of her girl friends complained that they had to do everything around the house, but Denver was not like that at all. He pitched right in, helping with the dishes, the cooking, he even was right there folding clothes, doing laundry.

She even took a picture of him running a vacuum cleaner so she could show that to her girl friends, they still didn't believe her though.

His idea of taking her out someplace was in a double canoe up at a nearby lake, or a picnic with just the two of them at the park.

He even taught her to fly fish, with her ending up with the line in a big pile most of the time.

Finally she actually did catch a fish, it was a stubby looking little thing about a foot long. But it was bigger than the ones Denver caught that day, he even took her picture holding it up before he then had her let it go.

It made her happy that Denver did not want to kill the fish, it was pretty and she would have felt badly about that.

There were a few parties but they didn't drink very much or ever do any of the drugs some of the others offered.

When she did mention to her friends how Denver was, they acted like they didn't believe her. The times the conversations turned to sex, she didn't understand why some of them complained.

She had thought that all men wanted sex nearly every night, that was now normal to her. It wasn't very often that Denver was too tired, although in her time of the month he didn't.

She came to accept that Denver would reach out to her as soon as they went to bed, and even as they got older, that was more often than not although that did slow a little bit.

That part of their lives became normal to her, and she didn't mind, not really. It always made her feel happy, warm and wanted.

There were times when she began to feel like there was something more, but by then Denver was done, and just lay there holding her.

She never mentioned any of that though, he was such a good man and always seemed happy with her.

She did try to give him little hints, like when she played with him with her hands. Denver really seemed to like that. One day she leaned down to take him in her mouth, having heard of that somewhere. Denver had quickly pushed her away, saying that was dirty so she didn't try that again.

Even their family was perfect, along came Bradley and Miranda, just a year apart.

They both were good kids. Other than the usual skinned knees, and Bradley's broken arm from falling out of a tree he was told to stay out of, raising them was easy.

When she found out that Bradley had discovered sex, they sat him down together and explained to him as best they could about protection. Bradley was calm about the intimate discussion, he was the spitting image of his father in that regard.

A year later, Miranda got the same discussion, and Dorothy took her to the Doctor for the pills.

Dorothy did cry when first Brad, then Miranda went off to college.

The house suddenly felt strange, empty.

That was why she planned the big party, Denver's birthday was on a Wednesday. It took her weeks to work out all the details, Denver would never expect a surprise party on the Saturday after his birthday.

The one man she knew that could help was Jack Kawolski. He and Denver were best friends, spending many weekends fishing, sometimes they played golf. They played together on a bowling team, going at it furiously to see who could get the highest score.

There was always a quarter per game bet on that, too. Jack was around a lot, and still single, he showed up with one woman after another. None of them lasted very long, Dorothy just thought that Jack was not the marrying kind.

They had been friends since grade school, and the two of them always had some crazy project going on.

Way back they had purchased an old circle track car and took it down to the local 1/4 mile speedway. That had been great fun, Denver drove the first race, starting dead last and ending up right in the middle of the pack.

He actually passed several slower cars, Dorothy was jumping up and down, all excited. She and Sara sat up in the grandstands to watch, the noise and sparks, cars bouncing off each other was wild.

The next week Jack drove and came in second. They quickly discovered that Jack was far better behind the wheel after Denver managed to crash the thing the next week.

Dorothy threw a fit when Denver said he planned to get right back in the machine, and he finally gave up. Jack became the driver, Denver the one man crew.

The two of them worked all week until the wee hours of the morning on the beat up old car putting it all back together. It was the longest period that Denver ever went without reaching for her in bed, he came in exhausted each night very late.

Jack actually won the race one afternoon, by then Dorothy was going down into the pits to be with them.

Jack was so excited about winning that the instant he got out of the car, he grabbed Dorothy and swept her into his arms, giving her a big kiss.

Denver was over by the tow truck putting some of the tools away and didn't see that. Dorothy was glad he didn't, that kiss was rather intense, and excited herself, she found she was kissing him right back.

Then flustered, her face flaming, she drew back.

"Sorry." Jack told her, letting go of her.

"It's OK, it's neat that you won." Dorothy just laughed nervously.

Dorothy was not quite sure what that sudden feeling she got was, it stuck in her mind. That evening as Denver made love to her, it was in her thoughts and she felt guilty about that.

Jack had been around a lot, other than his being her husband's friend she never thought much of it before that. Jack was tall, a good looking man, but he had never married.