Chronicles of a Shared Wife Ch. 19

"How does she know?...we haven't given her any reason to suspect."

It's clear Ted is freaked out and John acts quickly to calm him down, reassuring our elderly friend with wise words.

"Calm down it's alright...look...she doesn't know ok?...she may suspect but that's it nothing else...no evidence is there?...you deleted everything yeah?"

A quiet confirmation from Ted.

"Alright...so calm down...look...we think that she's been watching you and Pip you know?...seen how you act together...it's aroused her suspicion but there's nothing else that's all it is ok?...call it jealousy...it's gunna be alright...ok?...Ted?"

Ted replies with a quiet 'yeah.'

But then my hubby has some difficult news to deliver.

He tells Ted that although we have tried to be just friends, it isn't working out.

Going on John explains that it's very difficult for me, what with my feelings for him and then Mary breathing down my neck...our presence is putting his marriage at risk.

There is only one solution, and that's to make a clean break.

John expresses deep regret but confides that we both believe this is the right thing to do.

Again there is a lengthy pause from Ted, before he replies with an apology.

"I'm so sorry it's come to this...but I think your right."

What follows is a heart felt exchange between all three of us, Ted asking to speak to me and asking how I am, thanking me for trying to play along and apologising again for 'putting you through this.'

It's good to hear his voice but also bad, as I detect a resignation in his tone...an uncomfortable finality.

I feel it too.

We talk for almost half an hour, discussing mainly what to do next. It's decided that our idea to say John's shift has changed back is good, believable.

We also agree to cool it for the next couple of days, while in front of Mary, don't give her any more cause for concern.

The call is ended after a special exchange of emotional words between myself and Ted, that leaves me once again in tears.

**

The next couple of days are among the hardest of my life. I'm in conflict, torn between wanting to be with Ted but having to be in the presence of his hate filled wife.

I don't want to go into detail about what happens over the course of those two awful mornings at the pool, in the end I just want it to be over.

Friday is the worst, knowing it will be our last time together.

By then, even Charlie has noticed Mary's odd behaviour towards me, she's very quiet and only speaks upon greeting with a reluctant 'morning.'

There's not really much to tell about our last hour together, I stick mainly with John, Ted with Mary, Charlie hanging around in the background. It's awkward, uncomfortable and painful...the time drags.

Eventually the whistle sounds and we make our way out first to the showers then to the lockers and finally cubicles...going through the motions.

We do get to say goodbye to the three of them, bidding them a good weekend and a 'see you on monday.'

Knowing full well that we won't be seeing Ted on monday and perhaps not for a long time doesn't make things easier.

As we make eye contact I throw caution to the wind and allow my affection to show through, briefly.

Fortunately Mary isn't paying attention at the time and I see the same affectionate gaze reflected back in Ted's eyes.

It's a very brief, secretive moment between us and one that I won't forget.

My last view of Ted is in the car park as we drive away, watching through the door mirror I see my former boyfriend closing the passenger door of his car after Mary gets in, then as he walks around to his side he pauses briefly to watch us leave.

It's a poignant moment and I'm not to know it at the time but it will be another four months before I see him again, and that fleetingly.

We do however keep in touch by phone for the next month or so.

Later that evening John calls Ted and as part of our plan informs him of the shift change and that we won't be coming back to the early bird session, all while Mary listens in the background.

He later tells us that after the call Mary finally comes out with why she'd been moody with her hubby, admitting to Ted that she thought I was after him then making a comment about 'good riddance to her.'

In the end it all works out for the best.

Mary believes our excuse and stops sulking, Ted is relieved not to have me on his conscience and we, are free to move on.

It's win, win. But it doesn't feel like it, not at first anyway.

**

As mentioned earlier we did keep in touch with Ted for some time before contact ceased.

He would call us when he could, usually late on an evening when Mary was in bed. We'd have a long chat on speaker phone, a catch up of the days events in our individual lives.

It was good to hear his voice and he mine. In fact shortly after 'splitting up' we began experimenting with phone sex sessions. It appeared that Ted didn't count this activity as cheating and I'd often talk him through a wank...often with John listening and being pleasured by me at the same time.

Sometimes John would be providing me with oral while I spoke breathlessly to our friend.

Ted loved to hear my moans of pleasure.

This activity was short lived however, as on one occasion he was almost caught in the act by Mary whom he thought had gone up to bed for the night, she'd come back down after forgetting something.

After that we didn't indulge in any more special phone calls, and the 'ordinary' chats began to dwindle too.

Ted seemed tense while he spoke to us and would often make an excuse to end the call.

Then the calls suddenly stopped altogether, we gave it a week and tried to call him but got a 'the number you have dialled is unavailable' message.

Trying again the next day and the next only brought the same result.

We wondered if Mary had discovered evidence of our late night calls and taken drastic action, but ultimately it is still a mystery to this day why contact was lost.

I did see Ted fleetingly in december of that year. It was a week before Christmas and we'd gone to pick Rita up for one of our saturday night 'get togethers.'

John stopping at a petrol station to fill up and I happened to notice Ted's car pulling onto a pub car park opposite, the sticker in the back window 'grandads taxi' initially grabbing my attention.

I saw him get out with Mary and Charlie with whom I presumed to be his wife Beth, and go in the pub, Ted was laughing at something Charlie had said and seemed in good spirits.

It was good to see him happy and still with Mary and his long time friends, I'd been worried that Mary had found something out and they'd split up because of me.

I wondered if he still thought of me...as I do him.

Despite living in the same town as Ted, between then and now I've only had very occasional brief glimpses of him. I may have mentioned this before but it's strange how you can live in the same place as someone and hardly ever see each other...the circles we move in I suppose.

During our journey there has only been two instances where I've become emotionally attached to the men involved.

One of these I can see often and still have as a close friend, the other has drifted out of my life...gone but not forgotten.

Ted, wherever you are and whatever you're doing love, I wish you all the best from my heart.

End of chapter 19.

Authors note.

For the next part of our journey I will return to my very special friend Rita, and this chapter will be posted in exh/voy.

And on behalf of John and myself I wish everyone a very happy new year. Have fun in 24. And thank you for reading.

Pippa x