Doctors Without Morals

I ran into Brian at a coffee shop one day, and we sat down. I apologized once again for my behavior, but he waved it off. "It's in the past. Let's keep it there."

Instead, we mock complained about our children and spouses for half an hour, shared a small kiss, and went our separate ways.

I thought about it as I watched him receding down the sidewalk. The old adage about cheaters never prospering came to mind, and I knew it was false, at least in my case. Yes, I did a terrible thing, flush with self-entitlement and arrogance, and I did suffer for quite a while. But in the end, I think the pain I endured helped me to be a better person. I like to think it reflected in my marriage and my relationships to all the people I held dear. I used the experience when counseling the younger people I worked with, hoping my story would make a difference.

I grinned as I felt the envelope in my pocket. My gift to my husband for our upcoming anniversary, two weeks at one of the most exclusive resorts in Thailand. Sun, sand, clothing optional. I didn't have the rock-hard body of my thirties, but I worked out and was voted one of the top three MILFs at my hospital. Jeremiah still looked at me like I was a hot young thing and I wanted that never to go away, so I endured the pain and tried to ignore the ravages of time and nature, as long as some of the ravaging was by him.