A Highway 61 Moment

God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son,"

Abe say, "Man, you must be puttin' me on."

God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"

God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but

Next time you see me comin', you better run."

Abe said, "Where you want this killin' done?"

God said, "Out on Highway 61."

Words and music by Bob Dylan.

ABE

Abe Bellin was an average guy, with an average wife, Abigail. But they both cleaned up good. Abe was a salesman for a software company, specializing in programs for law firms, and other independent businesses. He made good money.

Gail worked for a law firm that did small claims, divorces, and general practice. She was also well compensated. Consequently, they had a nice four-bedroom house with a pool, in a medium suburb of D.C.

Abe was 5'8", 140 pounds, brown, curly hair and soft brown eyes. All in all, he looked soft. He was in quite good shape, due to his home gym. But he had a 'body fat' look about him. He'd been a good athlete in high school, but when he went out for the basketball team freshman year at college, the coach took one look at him and waved him off. Abe didn't mind that so much. He could just play intramural ball, and get more time to study.

Abigail was 5'4', 122 pounds, light brown hair and eyes. She was pretty, without being all that noticeable.

But Abe noticed her.

He noticed in their junior year, when both took an advanced math class. What he noticed first was that Gail was very smart. Then he noticed that she looked just fine. Gail noticed that Abe was smart. But she also noticed that he looked like a softy. Still, when he asked her out, she accepted. Smart was a good start. Maybe if he hit the gym.....

Gail never had trouble getting dates. Abe did, sometimes. Nevertheless, when they met, neither was a virgin. Abe had an older woman neighbor at home who had taken an interest in him, and then taken him in interesting ways.

Gail had a steady guy in high school, and the summer before she left for school, she let him in. She liked it. So, she continued to let him in. In various ways.

Abe took Gail to a place outside of town which featured good food and dancing. Gail liked the meal, but especially the dancing. Abe was a good dancer. And she found out that he was the starting point guard on the intramural basketball champs - two years running.

She began to recalibrate about him. She accepted his offer of another date. And she gave him a nice kiss before she went inside her apartment door. The dancing had been hot - for both. So, they both took measures when alone after the date. Gail decided that after the next date, she'd see about him.

As it turned out, Abe had a game on that Friday. When he mentioned it, Gail decided to go see him play. His team won a thriller when Abe stripped the ball from his opposing guard, and passed to his big man for the winning basket. She was no sports fan, and Abe didn't score a lot of baskets. But she noticed that the guys he guarded also didn't score much. And she also noticed that Abe ran the offense the entire game. He never had a rest. And he wasn't worn out at the end.

When Abe picked her up Saturday night, he took her to another restaurant, and they ate pizza. Then they went to a college sponsored dance. They danced for quite a while, then sat for a rest. A big, dark-haired guy came up and asked Gail to dance. She looked at Abe, and he nodded. So, she danced with him. When the number ended, the guy - Bob Beam - whispered to her. She shook her head and started back to Abe. Bob grabbed her arm and pulled her around. Abe was right there, stepping between them and breaking his hold on Gail's arm.

He said, "Hold up, man!"

Beam tried to shove Abe, but instead of making that sort of contact, he fell down. She wasn't able to see what had happened. But she did see Abe step on Beam's elbow - hard. Then security came and broke it up They sent Beam outside, holding his arm.

Gail and Abe sat for a minute. He got her some wine. She asked, "How did you manage that, Abe?"

"Manage what?"

"Bob was....I mean he's a big guy and he ended up on the ground."

"He was probably a little drunk. Fell down."

She chuckled at him and said, "Abe, I went to your game last night. I saw you play. You look one way, but you.....seem to get what you want."

Abe smiled at her. He asked, "Will I get what I want tonight?"

She stood right up, grabbed his arm and said, "Absolutely." They went back to her apartment, which she shared with Dora Glaston. Dora was out.

Gail took Abe to her bedroom, and gave him a super-hot kiss. From there, Abe took charge. He showed Gail some things he'd learned from his home-town squeeze. It took her quite a while to recover.

Eventually, she propped herself up on her elbow and said, "Abe, you're just full of surprises. Good ones, too."

He stroked her hair, and said, "Wanna see what else I'm full of?"

She did.

The two of them were inseparable for the remainder of their college careers. Gail got into law school in D.C. Abe and she married after graduation from college, quietly with only family.

Abe got his job selling - a tradition in his family. He was very good at it, and put Gail through law school. She went summers and was out early. As she graduated, they had a daughter, Ellen, and soon a son, Cameron. Gail got her job with the law firm when they were each in grade school. Before that she did piece work legal research from home.

When Abe and Gail had enough saved, they bought the house in Fairfax. They were each thirty-four. Their kids were eight and ten.

Life in the suburbs was peaceful. The houses around them were also occupied by couples with children. There were some older couples, retired. But mostly people in their age group, some a little younger, some a little older.

Abe and Gail became good friends with several other couples in the area.

Bella and Grant Dawson had kids in the same school as did Abe and Gail. The four struck up a friendship quickly. Gail and Bella were soccer moms together. Abe and Grant played basketball and baseball in a local rec league. Bella taught at the local elementary school.

Also in their group were Nici and Nathan Carson and Paul and Annette Frick.

The elfin Nici was also a soccer mom. She stayed at home with her daughters. Nathan was a lawyer, forty, and made gobs of money in some sort of corporate practice. Abe liked Nici a lot, but wasn't really fond of Nathan (not Nate). Abe thought Nathan an ass, too big for his britches because of the money. Also, because he was a big man - 6'4", 225 pounds, dark hair. A former college power forward.

Paul Frick was also a big guy, and a former college tight end. He was maybe a little out of shape, but he was a truly nice person. His wife Annette was a former college cheerleader, and she was a beauty. Tall, blond and very athletic. Abe thought about recruiting her for his basketball team. When they would shoot around on the local court, she regularly swished jumpers.

The eight of them would get together quite a bit, usually on Saturday afternoons into evenings, when kids' sports were done, and barbecues could be fired up. Beer, wine, and maybe after ten pm some weed, were regular factors in those evenings. Sunday mornings were sometimes hard to take, especially for Nathan, and for Bella. That didn't seem to stop them from indulging, though.

The eight settled into solid friendships. Abe even felt a little better about Nathan. There was always a bit of flirting amongst them. None of it went too far, for some years. Nathan, especially, liked to come on to the other women. He might go a bit too far, get a bit too close, and then laugh it off. Paul and Grant were also not above a bit of horseplay. And the women seemed to like it.

Abe really didn't like it all so much. Of the eight, he was the one who didn't dance too close to the other wives, or tease them with innuendo. He danced close only with Gail. But Gail didn't mind a bit of close contact with the other guys. At the end of some evenings, she would take Abe home and rock his world.

Abe spoke to Gail about the flirting once, back when it first started.

One Sunday morning, after a rousing Saturday night, Abe and Gail were at the breakfast table. The kids were out in the pool.

Abe said, "You were getting kinda close with Nathan and Paul last night. And you were revved up after."

"Abe, just some fun, flirting. It does no harm. You should....you know, join in. I think Annette really would appreciate it. Especially when Paul and I are dancing."

"I don't play that way, Gail. And I hope you keep it to a minimum. Especially with Nathan. He was handsy with you last night, and also with Bella."

"Loosen up. We're all close friends. Well, maybe except for you and Nathan."

"Yeah. Please keep away from him, Gail. He's not to be trusted."

"He's older than the rest of us. He maybe feels insecure."

"Bullshit. And you know it. You're worrying me."

"Relax. I'll keep what you said in mind,"

Abe let it go.

Time moved on and the eight with it. The children were all in high school.

The Saturday parties were still a thing. It was only maybe twice a month and rotated around. There were two hot tubs, which spiced things up. They were at Nici and Nathan's and at Paul and Annette's homes.

Abe thought the hot tub sessions were way too touchy-feely. Especially the ones at Nathan's where all eight could fit into the extra-sized tub. Abe was never comfortable, and Gail knew that. So, she'd always be with Abe in the tubs. The other couples mixed and matched, and Abe knew some hanky-panky went on sometimes. But not with Gail. And not with him. Gail still danced close with the other guys, though. But she didn't do that in her swimsuit after a hot tub session. Abe had specifically asked her not to do that, after she had done it the first time, with Paul and Nathan. That evening, Abe had come close to blowing up. Gail saw that, and backed off.

She and Abe had a heated discussion about it when they got home.

Abe said, "You were basically having sex with those two guys tonight,"

"I was not!" Gail was angry. But she knew that the dancing, in wet bathing suits - hers was a bikini - had been over the line. In fact, with Paul, she was close to an orgasm.

Abe said, "It's got to stop. I really mean that, Gail. If you ended up in bed with one of them, we'd be done."

"I won't. I don't deny that I get turned on. But here we are. Wanna fuck?"

He did. And that ended the discussion.

But Gail did back off from then on, and stayed near Abe in the tubs.

---------------

Nathan was turning fifty. He seemed insecure about it. He was in pretty good condition, but had a lot of work. So, physically, he wasn't quite what he had been.

Nathan decided to have a party week, at a resort downstate. All eight were invited. And only the eight of them. The children were old enough to leave behind on their own. (With an older neighbor to keep an eye out.)

The place was called Sixty-One, after the state route that ran by it. It featured a large pool, riding, tennis, three-par-golf, and other games. Their facility featured a large central room, with a balcony above. The four bedrooms were all off the balcony. The staff cooked, cleaned and set up drinks at any time of day. When Abe looked at the place on-line, he thought that Nathan was dropping a bundle for a week's party.

The birthday party was set for mid-July. Before that the eight had a Fourth of July bash at Abe and Gail's house. All the kids were there, and everyone had a great time. Abe did fireworks. After that party, Abe had fewer concerns about the birthday bash.

But, Monday afternoon Abe got home earlier than usual. He went directly upstairs to piss. He heard a conversation through the window, between Gail, Nici and Annette.

Annette said, "Gail, if you have doubts....."

Nici chimed in, "I know you want some thrills. You can get Abe to agree. Well, Annette can do that."

Gail said, "Ladies, it's a bad idea. Not to say that it isn't exciting. But my marriage could crash."

Abe gently closed the window, then he flushed. Down the stairs he came

Gail was in the kitchen, refilling snacks and wine. She said, "You're home."

"Yep."

"How long have....?"

"What you really mean is did I hear stuff. Yes, I did. Bad stuff."

Gail paled. But she knew that she'd not agreed to anything. She said, "Why don't you come out and we can talk about it?"

So, he did. Annette and Nici were surprised to see him.

Gail said, "Abe heard us talking. I believe we should all discuss this openly. Keeping Abe out of it was wrong."

Abe said, "Exactly what are we talking about?"

Annette said, smiling at him, "Swapping at the birthday bash. Every guy gets every girl."

Abe said, "And all of you agreed to this?"

Nici said, "Yes. Well, Gail didn't. But that's because she thought you'd buck."

Abe said, "She was so right. Gail?"

Gail spoke softly, "I don't....I thought it could be fun. We've all known each other for so long. All flirted. Except you. But I never agreed."

"But only because of me?"

"I knew you'd be against it, vehemently against it. I was never going to go against you."

Abe thought about it all for a minute. He said, "I guess Gail and I have to cancel."

All three immediately objected. Gail said, "Why? We just won't do it."

"Does that mean you and I don't participate and the rest do?"

Annette said, "Yeah. I'm looking forward to it. So are the rest. But, Abe, you were the one I wanted the most."

Abe smiled at her. "That's nice, if maybe self-serving. But I'd be very uncomfortable being at an orgy and....you know."

Gail said, "And not joining in."

All the women laughed. Abe didn't. That wasn't what he meant.

He said, "I didn't mean it like that. I would never be able to socialize with you all, if you're fucking each other's husbands."

Nici said, "You're worried about Gail."

"No, Nici. If she tells me she won't, I believe her."

Gail said, "I won't."

Annette said, "But you wanted to do it. And if he'd agree, you would."

"I'm not sure about that, Annette. I believe the three of you are risking a lot. Just for new cocks."

Nici said, "Maybe not as much as you think. On my part. Anyway, I want all three of the other guys. You included, Abe."

Abe said, "We have to cancel. That's all." He got up and walked away, inside.

Soon Nici and Annette left. Gail came upstairs. She looked at Abe, at the desk in their bedroom. She said, "That went well."

Abe turned to her. He asked, "Would you really fuck those three guys?"

"Not if you weren't with it."

"That's not what I asked. It's a serious question."

"I might. I mean I knew you'd nix it. So, I didn't actually have to make a decision. But I did find it tempting."

"Why?"

"New and different men. Like going to a strange place to see what's there - Germany, Spain. Paul, Nathan, Grant. Different and interesting."

Some tears started down Abe's face. Gail was stunned. She said, "Oh, Abe. Please." She went to him and gave him a hug. She started crying with him.

Finally, she moved back and asked, "Why are you crying?"

"I feel like our marriage is.....done."

Gail was shocked. She sank to her knees, looked him in the eye. "I'll never love anyone but you. Never."

"But you're willing to screw our friends. And let me do it. I think that's so wrong. I thought what we had - our sex life, was important. Sacred, even. You don't feel it."

"I do. I do. I'm so sorry to have caused you this pain. This was such a bad mistake."

Abe said, "When were you going to discuss this with me?"

"Well, we have to leave in a week. I had to bring it up, so you wouldn't be blindsided. Even if you wouldn't agree, if you got there and found out, it would be bad. Shit! It's bad now."

Abe stared at her. He found that he didn't believe her. He thought she would have spoken to him only when they were on scene. His heart sank.

He said, "I have to think a lot about all this." He got up and went downstairs, directly out the door. He walked off. Gail watched him from the bedroom window, wondering if her marriage was over. And she hadn't done anything. Fuck! She started crying again.

Gail knew that she might have withheld the information about swapping from Abe until they were at the party. She wanted to go, even if they didn't participate in the swaps. But now she saw that such a ploy would have ended their marriage. If she was able to save it now, that was only luck.

She tried to consider why she had been so obtuse. And she concluded that it was lust. Simple lust for dick. Especially Paul's. She wanted Paul, and she engaged in a bout of stupidity to try to get him. In truth, she'd always had a yen for him, and she knew that he reciprocated. All that flirting and dancing. With the other two it was nothing much. But with Paul it was charged up.

Meanwhile, Abe walked for an hour. Then he turned around and walked back. He was hungry. He got home after dark. The kids were upstairs. A pizza box was on the table. Gail was in the kitchen. Abe sat and ate cold cheese pizza. Gail brought him a beer.

She didn't speak, and he ate silently. Then he belched. She laughed. He joined her. He said, "It's Paul, right?"

Gail looked at him, calculating. She said, "Yes. Mainly."

Abe said, "I understand. I want Annette. But, I would never have...."

Gail said, "I know. We're different like that. I was looser than you, all the time. I liked the flirting and dancing. You knew that. But, Abe, I don't know if I would have done it..."

Abd sighed. He said, "I love you, Gail. But this has sure put a crimp in my life." He stood up, and Gail hugged him. He reciprocated. Then he went into the TV room, turned on a baseball game - Nats. And he emptied his head. Gail knew what he was doing and left him alone.

After the game ended, Abe went to his laptop and sent a group email, to the effect that he and Gail would not be attending Nathan's fiftieth birthday bash, due to the plan of the others to swap partners. He explained that he would never agree to such a thing, and that he would be uncomfortable socializing in such a sexually charged atmosphere.

He hit send.

Tuesday morning Gail read the email at the breakfast table. She looked at Abe. She said, "I wish you had consulted me before sending this out."

"Why? Aren't you in agreement?"

"Not entirely. I thought that if we didn't swap, I wouldn't care about the others. We could have fun there."

Abe frowned, "I couldn't just ignore them, all fucking each other. And more, all the guys would be after you. I might have to do something that would be....disturbing."

"Okay. Well, I mean.....okay, I guess. We've taken off work. What'll we do instead?"

"Maybe we can find someplace to replace Sixty-One. Go to Vegas, or Disney."

"I'd like to do something. Something exciting and sexy." She gave him a salacious smile.

Abe made a reservation at a Pennsylvania resort that featured hiking and paragliding, among other things.

That Wednesday, after dinner, their doorbell rang. Abe opened it to find all six of their best friends - or maybe former best friends.

He said, "Hi. What's up?"

Grant said, "We want a powwow."

Abe let them in. Gail did not appear to be surprised. She had a drinks table set up. Abe glared at her.

Gail said, "I wanted to clear the air amongst all of us. About the bash at Sixty-One."

Abe was quite unhappy. He said, "Why do we need that? It is what it is."

Annette said, "Abe, the rest of us felt like, if we went ahead, and didn't make some.....have some discussion, we could end up with only six of us as friends."

Abe looked each one in the face, slowly. Gail was last. Abe addressed her, "You set this up?"

"Yes. Well, it was Nathan's suggestion. I agreed. Some discussion needed to be had before all of them went off to the party."