If We're Not Back in Love by Monday

I couldn't answer her, so I just mumbled something about how couples sometimes get in a rut.

"Daddy, please don't get a divorce," she said suddenly, then she buried her face in my chest and cried. "I love you both and I want to see you guys happy again. You're both miserable and I hate it. Please? At least try?"

I got her calmed down, then she told me that she wasn't going to play soccer that fall, that she was going to go out for the cross country team at her school.

That decision gave me something to think about as far as my time was concerned.

Kyle was going to be playing football for the high school varsity that fall, and Jacob was playing Midget football, which I'd never gotten involved with because I'd always spent the fall season coaching Lisa in soccer, a game I'd come to enjoy.

What that all meant was that for the first time in a long time, I wouldn't be coaching any of the kids in the fall, and, as a result, I'd have a lot more free time than I'd had in the past.

Long after Lisa went to bed that night, I sat up pondering things, and went to bed determined to take action.

The next day, I made some phone calls.

I called about hotel reservations for a week back in Sanibel, which I'd come to look back on as the high-water mark of our marriage. We'd gone back a couple of times, and while it wasn't as magical as that 10th anniversary, it had still been fun.

I also called some airlines to get some price quotes, called my mother to see if she and Dad could come down and sit with the kids for the Labor Day weekend, and finally called an old sitter we'd used when the kids were younger to see if she could and stay for a day or two.

By now, our children were old enough that they didn't need a baby sitter when Marlene and I went out at night, rare as those occasions had become. But they still weren't old enough to stay by themselves overnight for an extended period of time, especially during school.

That night, I loaded a small cooler with a six pack of beer, put on my swim suit and went out to the deck. I swam several laps, then sat back with a beer and watched the sun set over the horizon.

Marlene was working late, I guess, although she'd quit calling to let us know. One more sign of a failing relationship, I thought. It was just about dark when I heard her car pull in, and several minutes later I heard the back door open and her voice calling out to me.

"James?" she said hesitantly. She was holding the note in her hand that had directed her outside, telling her we needed to talk.

"Have you eaten?" I asked, trying to keep my voice pleasant.

"No, but I'm not very hungry," she replied as she walked slowly out to where I was seated.

"I fixed you a plate and left it in the fridge, if you want it later," I said.

"Maybe later," she said. "I will have a beer, if you don't mind."

"That's what it's there for," I said.

She reached in and got a beer, twisted the cap off, then sat on the lawn chair opposite the little table we had sitting out there. We sat in silence for a minute or two before Marlene mustered up her curiosity.

"You said we needed to talk," she said, waving the note I'd left. "This isn't what I think it is, is it?"

"I don't know what you're thinking," I began. "Marlene, it is no secret that our marriage is in trouble. You know it, I know it and the kids know it."

"James, I ..." she started to say, but I cut her off.

"Please, hear me out," I said. "Please?"

"OK, I'm listening," she said.

"Marlene, regardless of what you may think, I am not ready to give up on us," I said. "I don't know how you feel, but I still love you, as much, really, as I did the day we met, but our marriage is dying. We've let too many things pull us apart, too many things that are killing our love."

"I know," she sighed. "It seems like we've put everything else -- jobs, kids, games -- ahead of each other. It's almost like we're strangers to each other."

"I agree, but I have an idea on how we can at least try to fix that," I said, sounding a lot more confident than I really felt.

"Here's what I want to do," I continued. "Let's take the week before Labor Day and fly down to Florida, get a room on Sanibel Island and just spend the time together, you and me. Nobody else but us. Before we bury our love, let's be sure it's dead. I've talked to Helen Johnson about coming in to stay with the kids for a couple of days, talked to my folks about coming for the weekend. We can just be together, make love like we used to, go to that crazy little café where we danced all night that one time, talk to each other -- I mean, really talk -- and if we're not back in love by that Monday, then at least we can't say we didn't try."

"That sounds nice, but I don't know if I can take off work like that," Marlene said. "And what about the store?"

"I don't care about the store," I said. "I don't think we can afford not to do this, Mar. We're teetering on the brink, and if we're serious about saving our marriage, we need to do this. Talk to Prichard and see what he thinks. I'll bet he gives you the time off."

Miles Prichard was the senior associate at Marlene's firm, and she didn't know that he and I had talked several times in the previous weeks about the state of our marriage. He was concerned that Marlene was working too hard, wasn't eating right, and wasn't getting enough rest.

"Sounds like you've already made the decision," she said, with an air of resignation.

"We need it," I said softly. "If we not back in love and recommitted to each other by the time we get back, then maybe we can go our separate ways with a clear conscience. I'd hate it because I do still love you, but if that's the way it goes, then that's the way it goes."

"OK, James, we'll go," Marlene said finally, as she drained the last of her bottle of beer.

Then she got up and walked inside without a single look back.

I was wondering about the wisdom of this trip, as we passed the flight and the drive across the Everglades to Sanibel mostly in silence.

Little had changed in the ensuing few weeks, except that Marlene did try to spend a little more time with the kids.

She took Lisa shopping for clothes a couple of times, and I think they did some girl talk while they shopped, and maybe our daughter got through to her the way she did with me. I'm not sure, because I wasn't made privy to whatever they talked about.

We left bright and early on Monday, landed in Miami without incident and rented a car, a convertible, as we had done on our 10th anniversary.

It was still fairly early in the afternoon when we arrived at the hotel where we were staying. I could afford to book a room at the best hotel on the island, and that's where we stayed. It was on the beach and on the main strip, not far from the best clubs and restaurants.

After we got settled in, I suggested that we go hang out by the pool for awhile and that's when I got my first indication that maybe, just maybe, things were going to move in a positive direction.

Marlene emerged from the bedroom of our suite dressed in a new bikini that was, for her, pretty revealing. The top was quite skimpy, showing off her perfect breasts, and the bottom, while not quite a thong, was also fairly slight. She also had a matching wrap that she wore with it.

She smiled slightly as she saw my reaction, the first real sign of warmth I'd seen from her that day.

We swam a bit, had a couple of drinks, then we went to our suite and took a nap. We were both a little bushed from the trip, and I was going to be very patient. We ended up snuggled together, which I took as another good sign that a possible thaw was in progress.

It was the next day, on the beach that things took a real turn for the better. Once again, Marlene wore her new bikini, and I made it a point to tell her how good she looked in it. I was rewarded with a smile and a quick kiss, then we gathered up our stuff and headed out for some sun, sand and surf.

I could feel myself stiffening as Marlene rubbed the sunblock on my back, and I was downright uncomfortable when she untied the strings to the back of her top and asked me to oil her back.

My wife purred as I rubbed the oil into her skin. She hadn't indulged herself in a good tanning session this particular summer, because she's been working too hard. She read for awhile, then laid on her stomach and dozed.

I cavorted in the warm waters of the Gulf, did a little body surfing in the very modest waves, then came back and sat in the beach chair, sipping cold water, eating some fruit we'd packed and watching the passing parade of beach enthusiasts.

It was after one of my excursions into the water that Marlene stood up, put the wrap around her waist and she said she wanted to take a walk along the beach, alone. She said she had a lot of things she wanted to think about.

She was gone the better part of an hour, and when she got back I could tell she'd shed some tears. Her eyes were red-rimmed and I could see the wet tracks on her cheeks. She sat down next to me, took my hands in hers and addressed me earnestly.

"James, I wanted to hold my cards close to my vest, so to speak, until we got out here and I could relax," she said. "We can talk more later, but I want you to know here and now that I want this week to work for us. I know we've drifted apart and we're both equally to blame for it, but the thought of my life without you in it just isn't very appealing to me. James, I still love you and I still want to be your wife. If ... you'll ... have me."

And by the time she finished, she was crying and I was holding her. I wasn't sure what had brought it on, because she hadn't displayed this much emotion in years, but I wasn't going to argue with her.

"Let's go upstairs," I said softly. "I think we need to do something and we can't do it here."

We quickly gathered up our things and headed back to the hotel. We kissed, hard and insistent, on the elevator to our room. We smelled of salt water, suntan oil and sweat, and as far as I was concerned, it was the most intoxicating aroma ever

The window to the bedroom opened to the west and the early afternoon sun bathed the room in bright light as we headed for the bed.

I quickly untied Marlene's top and tossed it aside, and I couldn't help but notice that her nipples were stiff as nails. I bent down and captured each one between my lips. She hissed in lust as I licked and sucked her little nips.

As I worked on my wife's tits, I slid a hand down her oil-slick back, to her butt. I untied the wrap and let it fall to the floor, then inserted a couple of fingers in the bikini bottoms to find her hot, wet pussy.

Marlene groaned as I slid my finger down her slit and stroked her throbbing clit. One of her hands held me to her while the other delved into my swim trunks to my rock-hard cock. She softly stroked me up to full hardness.

"I think somebody's ready to play," she said in a sultry tone of voice that sent a shiver down my spine. It had been so long since I'd heard that tone that I really thought she'd forgotten what it did to me.

At that point, we were both goners. All we cared about then was shedding our few remaining clothes and getting down to business. My cock bounced up and down like it was spring-loaded as I shucked by shorts.

We both tumbled back on the bed, not even bothering to pull the covers down. Our mouths were working hard and fast as Marlene spread her legs and welcomed me home.

"Oh, Jesus, James," she panted. "Please, love me. Love me like you used to do."

"I'm gonna do just that," I growled.

I took just enough time to aim the head of my dick at my wife's juicy opening, then pushed it in to the hilt in one smooth stroke. Marlene gasped as I filled her depths with more passion than I'd felt in a long time.

It was like we were on the precipice and our whole future hung in the balance. I knew which way I wanted it to go, and I was becoming convinced that Marlene wanted it to go the same way.

I pulled back and began working at a brisk, but measured pace, letting the feelings wash over me, and from me to my wife. We stared into each other's eyes as we gave ourselves to each other, just like we had the first time we'd made love, way back in college.

I focused on her face to keep from losing my load before she was ready, wanting to prolong the delicious agony of our coupling. This was the kind of passion that had slowly seeped from our marriage and my spirit was soaring at the thought that we might be getting it back.

It didn't take long before I could feel Marlene's body giving me the telltale signs that she was getting close to a climax. Her body was shaking and she was emitting little mewling sounds as I increased the pace of my thrusts.

"Oh, oh, oh! G-g-g-g-god!" Marlene exclaimed. "F-f-fuuuuuck me! Jaaaaaaammmmes-bo!"

That was my signal that she was right on the edge. I thrust up hard on successive strokes, so that I was brushing her clit and that did the trick. She shuddered hard and squealed as the climax rushed through her body and that was the end of any control I had left.

I fucked my wife wildly for maybe a half-dozen thrusts then let loose with a king-sized cumshot. I bucked and shivered as I gave Marlene everything I had to give, just like I had with everything else in my life, if the truth be known.

We clutched at each other like drowning sailors in a life boat, letting the emotions run rampant through our hearts and through our souls.

I knew in that moment that whatever problems we had in our marriage weren't as significant as the love we still had for each other, and that I could no more walk away from this woman than I could quit breathing.

As I came down from my high, I sensed, rather than saw, Marlene giving me an inscrutable look. When I looked up into her eyes, there was something pensive in them, and maybe a trace of amusement.

"Penny for your thoughts," I said.

"I was just thinking that we need to do this more often," she said.

"What, make love or take more trips without the kids?" I said.

"Both," she said.

We got up then and showered, cleaning the funk from a day at the beach and our lovemaking from our oily bodies. I spent a lot of time in the shower playing with Marlene's body, and when we got out, we simply pulled the covers off the bed and crawled in for another round.

I won't lie. Our relationship didn't just magically repair itself just because we spent an afternoon fucking like bunnies.

But it sure helped.

We spent most of the night loving each other, then called room service for breakfast the next morning.

Later, we took a long walk together on the beach and talked -- I mean really talked -- for the first time in a long time.

Even after some 20 years together there were things I really didn't know about my wife, like the fact that she'd always felt slightly intimidated by the men in her life.

I had suspected that there was some baggage from her relationship with her father, who is a demanding sort not given to displays of affection. And I had always felt that he'd pushed Marlene hard into the law, and that she'd complied in her eagerness to please her daddy.

A lot of her attitude toward me and other men was in a reaction to that. She had consciously fought to overcome her fears and it had caused her to develop a hardness to her personality that was at odds with the caring person I knew she could be when she wanted to be.

For my part, I think she began to understand how much I needed to see that person come out to play more often. Having grown up in such a large family where bitchy attitudes weren't allowed, I realized that I was often frustrated at my wife's reserved nature.

Moreover, her inability to express her feelings openly clashed with my personality and my upbringing. In my house, everything had been hashed out in front of the family, and I think Marlene was surprised to learn that I missed that in my own home.

We spent the rest of the week talking, loving and enjoying each other's company in a way we hadn't been able to do in quite a long time.

On Saturday, we found the little café where we'd had such an enjoyable time on earlier visits, and when the little country band took the stage, with the ever-smiling Cajun fiddler, we spent the night dancing, holding each other and just letting all of our troubles fade away.

Toward the end of the night, I did something I'd been thinking about doing through the week. I took my wife's hands in mine and presented her with a new ring, with rubies and several small diamonds.

It set me back a couple of grand, but it was worth it to see the look in Marlene's eyes when I slipped it on her finger and told her I wanted her to wear it as a token of our renewed passion and the love that had always been there, but was burning bright again.

Dawn was breaking as we strolled leisurely back to our hotel. We made love once again then slept most of the day.

Marlene's countenance was far different on our flight back home. She smiled and held my hand the whole time, and when we walked into the house, I think our kids all three noticed the difference.

It was Monday, and we were back in love again.