What Happened to Until Death Do Us Part?

Breakfast was quick, I needed to get back to work. With only two hours sleep I looked a little tired.

"Looks like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation," my secretary Jill kidded me. She asked me if I needed a cup of coffee.

There were a few things that needed my immediate attention but everything was back to normal by noon.

"I see you're still alive," Diane said walking by my office just before four o'clock. "You two talk or just take pot shots at each other last night?"

"Both," I said with a weak smile. "I guess you can't solve it all in one night."

"Well at least you're talking for a change," she said and she moved on.

We talked, made love and talked again for the next month. We'd solved some of our issues but finally figured out we couldn't do it all on our own. Carol got David's name from a friend who had used him years earlier and said he was pretty good. Tuesday at three o'clock we found ourselves in his office.

"What can I do for the two of you," was the first question out of his mouth.

We both went on for the better part of a half hour explaining how we'd grown apart and the issues we'd been having including the sexual ones.

"Look, I can't solve your problems overnight but if your willing, we can work on the issues that are tearing you two apart and see where that takes us?" We both agreed and started on the long path to recovery.

We met twice a week. Most of the times we were together at the sessions, but sometimes he wanted to see us each alone to work on our individual issues. He didn't soft-soap anything with us. He told me that what I did in California was cheating and that what Carol did on the cruise was also stepping over the line. It seems that my wife also found someone to her liking on the cruse and as she put it, went as far as second base with him more than once. She did get a little irritate with me when I said I hadn't heard that phrase, second base, since I left high school. But at least we were trying.

When he asked us where we saw ourselves in one year and five years from now we both didn't have a clue, but it got us to thinking. When he asked us how much sex was too little and how much was too much, we were still on opposite ends of the spectrum. To me once a week was too little for me and three times a week was too much for Carol, but we plugged on.

It took almost five months before we had our first real breakthrough and another month before we resolved our final two issues. David was pleased with our results and for the first time in a long time Carol and I were both happy.

"Steve, when I got your e-mail about wanting to go on this cruise I was doing back flips," Lorie said to me while on deck looking out over the water. "But when you said that you were bringing your wife, that kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm," she said holding my arm.

"I told her that I wanted to go alone but she said no way no how after me having to tell her about our last trip together," I said with a smile. "She said something about you not sharing my bed this time around."

"Well, if she accidentally falls overboard, I'm telling you in advance it's not my fault," she said kissing me on the cheek.

"Steve, I can't leave you alone for a damn minute," I heard my wife's voice call out to me as she came up behind me and gave me a full lip kiss. "And you must be Lorie," she said reaching out her hand. "I've heard a lot about you and you're as lovely as Steve said you were," she said now looking back at me.

"You know what a flatterer he is," Lorie replied.

"Not really, but he better start learning if he knows what's good for him," she said with a smile. "Well, shall we go to dinner? I am so glad you were able to get switched to our table, because there are still a few questions I've got about that wine country tour I need to talk to you about," she said as the two of them laughed looking at me, as I turned more than a little red. I was dead meat and I knew it.

Our dining room table seated ten and by the time the waiter brought our drinks everyone was seated. There were four couples, including ourselves, and a single good-looking young guy who sat next to Lorie. I elbowed her and gave her a thumbs up as she punched me in the arm.

Introductions were in order as each couple told everyone their names and where they were from. I introduced us as Steve and Diane Moore from the sunny state of Florida as I looked over at Lorie who's turn it was next.

That's right, my wife Diane not Carol. You see we finally did work out our issues with David's help, just not the way we both had intended to. It seemed that we were both on different pages in our lives. Carol was at a point where she wanted to kick back and let life go on as long as it didn't interfere with her casual lay back life style. She was starting to enjoy her freedom and didn't want anyone dictating to her what she could or couldn't do, including me. She was more than happy with sex once in a while, to take the edge off, but was overdoing it when she wasn't really in the mood, even to please me. We talked about where we wanted to be in one and five years and found we weren't even on the same planet. We called it quits and are now better friends than we were together.

Carol and I sold our house and split everything right down the middle. We used the same attorney and within three months it was all over and we were both a lot happier. She wanted to do it one more time for old times sake, but I told her that even though I would have loved to, I was in a relationship and couldn't cheat on Diane like I wouldn't have cheated on her.

You see, a week after our last session I showed up on Diane's doorstep. We talked, went to dinner but she told me there was no way in hell she was going to get involved with someone from work. I solved that problem when I took a buyout of my eight weeks vacation, cashed in my 401k and bought into a prosperous travel agency. We started going out the next day.

I got an apartment close to my work and leased it on a month-to-month basis but within three months I'd moved in with Diane. She had been with two guys since her husband passed away but both didn't live up to her expectations. I guess her husband was a lot better than good in the sack.

After our third date, and with her not me driving her car, we stopped back at her place.

"Steve, I'm not Carol nor will I ever be. I don't like games and if you have a damn problem with me, I expect you to tell me so we get it out in the open. You two screwed up your marriage and if we're going to move forward I won't tolerate what the two of you did. I expect you to be honest, faithful and to put my needs first and I'll do the same for you. So if you can't handle that there's no use us wasting our time on something that doesn't stand a chance in hell of succeeding.

"All right Diane, tell me how you really feel. Don't beat around the bush, tell me straight, I can handle it," I said with a stupid smirk on my face as I grabbed and kissed her. We made love that night or let me rephrase that. Diane balled my eyes out and then I made love to her after that.

"That was nice," I said stroking her arm as we lay there next to each other.

"Nice? Nice?" she asked again. "I didn't rock your world? I figured you'd say something like that was fucking great, the best ever," she said now resting on her elbow looking at me.

"Babes, it doesn't matter if you ball my eyes out and leave me blind or we make gentle love and then cuddle for the rest of the night, the only thing that's important is that we're together," I told her. We spent the rest of the weekend in and out of bed.

At two months she wanted to make sure we were exclusive. At three months I moved in with her and at six months we were married in a small ceremony with just friends and family. Her daughter was her maid of honor and with my sons, I had two best men. In passing she asked if I wanted to invite my ex but I told her it was our day and even though we were on good terms, Carol was my past but she was my future. All she said was, good answer.

Since we never had a chance to take a formal vacation I set up a cruise for the two of us. I e-mailed Lorie and asked if she was interested and she immediately responded, YES. I finally told Lorie I was bringing my wife; my new wife, and although she was more than a little disappointed she still wanted to see the two of us.

"I just need to meet the woman that grabbed your ass so soon after you became available."

We had a fantastic time. Lorie never did hookup with the young guy at our table but mentioned a certain someone back in Denver who had taken more than a shine to her.

"He's nice and all, but wants to make an honest woman out of me and I don't know if I'm ready for that just yet."

"Let me give you a word to the wise," Diane said leaning in and whispering to Lorie. "If he's worth it grab him as soon as you can, if not he may not be available when you are ready," she said grabbing my leg. "So if you'll excuse us, I want to try that new way of spooning you told me about. However, I can't promise you he might not accidently slip in though," she said with a big smile as we walked back to our cabin hand in hand.