Easy Thing

"Honey we have to talk" or "trial separation" stories are some of the more common LW themes on the site. I've read a bunch of them and wondered what it would be like outside of the context of the wife just wanting to try out some new guy for a while before she goes back, so I decided to write this. I don't consider this story loving wives though. There really isn't cheating by most definitions, this is more of an exploration of love and how easy it is to lose sight of it, while running a home, family and career-BH

***************

"Frank can we talk a bit." Ali said as he was watching the news.

"Sure babe, what's up?"

"Frank, I love you. I've loved you for most of my life, but something has been missing the last few years."

"Excuse me?" Frank said confused. "What's missing and for how many years?"

"Don't be a smart ass. I'm serious. We are growing apart. I guess maybe since the girls started high school."

"Oh, I see. We've been growing apart since you started working. All those weekend and evenings you have been working and showing houses have been pushing us apart."

She was shocked. Was it her job that caused this? She refused to consider it and stuck to her plan. She started working when the twins started high school, since they could care for themselves after school now. She loved her job.

"No, if anything it's your job, Frank."

"Hang on," Frank snapped. "For 15 years I worked a fireman's schedule including 24 hour shifts, but for the last year, since I was promoted to chief, I've been working basically 9-5 and only 5 days a week, with the occasional Saturday or Sunday when there are public events. I am home every night and most weekends. When are you home in the evening or weekends?"

She opened her mouth but before she could speak, he continued.

"You're not. You're a realtor. You show houses at all hours and on the weekends. And now you tell me we are growing apart? Well what do you plan to do about it?"

She looked at him with red eyes and said, "I'm moving out."

"WHAT?"

"I'm moving out. Not permanently. Just until we can figure out how to find the spark again."

"What's his name?"

"Whose name?"

"Your lover? What's his name and how long has it been going on?"

"I don't have a lover and I don't want one. That's not what this is about."

"Wait a minute, Ali. Let me see if I have this straight. Since you went back to work, we've been growing apart. You don't know why or how to fix it. You don't have a lover, but you think the way to stop growing apart is for you to move out."

"Yes."

"How, pray tell, are we suppose to grow back together if you leave me. We hardly see each other now, due to YOUR schedule and we're growing apart. How is never seeing each other going to fix that?"

"I don't know. All I know is I need a break. I need a chance to reset. I can't do that here."

"You can't be serious? Are you listening to yourself? You have no idea what is wrong. You have no idea what caused it. You have no idea how to fix it. But you know that you need to move out. For how long? How long do you need in order to reset yourself?"

"I don't know. I'm not renting an apartment though. I'm going to stay in an extended stay hotel. Maybe a week, maybe a month, I don't know."

"Wow. This is the biggest pile of bullshit I've ever heard. Who put it in your head that leaving me is how we fix our issues?"

"I'm not leaving you. We aren't divorcing. Marci told me she separated from her husband and she was able to see the issues from a different perspective..."

"Wait a minute!" He said, cutting her off. "Which husband?"

"What?"

"Which husband? You're getting marriage advice from Marci, who's on her 3rd marriage. Which marriage did she fix by leaving her husband."

"I, I, I don't know. I assumed her current husband."

"Oh, I see. You remember when she married George right?"

Ali started to feel ill.

"Well? When did she marry George?"

"October."

"October, 7 months ago. When did they separate?"

She didn't respond. She was starting to think this was a bad idea, but the allure of not being a wife and mother for a while was too strong. She stuck to her plan.

"They didn't, Ali. They haven't separated. Marci has given you advice on how to end a marriage not save one."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want a divorce and I'm not leaving you."

"No you're just moving out for an unknown length of time. When are you leaving?"

"Tonight."

"Well, don't let me stop you from saving our marriage. But remember this - you're still a married woman. If I find out you're dating or seeing other men, you won't have a home to come back to."

"Screw you. I've already told you that this isn't about having a fling."

"I certainly hope not."

He turned and walked into the garage so he wouldn't see her leave him. He got in his car and drove to Fox and Hound for a pint of beer or six.

*********

Ali, was sitting on her bed crying while looking at the packed bags. "What the hell am I doing?" She said out loud to the room.

She resolved herself, picked up her bags and left. She had already spoken to her daughters who told her she was nuts. That conversation went worse than the one with her husband.

As she drove to the hotel she thought about what he had said to her. Was it really her job that caused the situation? If it were his job it should've solved itself now that they were in bed together every night since he was promoted.

Maybe Marci gave her bad advice? Maybe a separation was not the way to go? Too late to turn back now. The damage was done. Hopefully she missed home enough fast enough to go back. She figured to just take it one day at a time.

**********

"Marci, can you tell me which of your marriages were saved by separating?" Ali asked her soon to be ex-friend.

"Hey, I never said it saved it. I said it allowed me to figure out what I needed to do. I figured out that I had to make me happy, not just my husband."

"You bitch. You've driven a edge between me and Frank. I only did this because you said it helped you."

"Yes. It helped me leave my shithead first husband. Don't worry, Ali. Sow some oats and go home. You'll be fine."

"Fuck you, never call me again."

Ali, again thought the worst. Yet she was too far gone in her own mind to go back home and fix it.

**********

Molly and Abby ditched a study hall to take an extended lunch. They had just got their licenses and were definitely using the car Frank bought for them as often as they could.

"Hey look there's Mom going into Frank's with a guy." Abby shouted.

"What the hell?" Molly said slamming on the brakes to turn into the parking lot. She backed into a spot in the back row so they could watch what was happening.

"We can't call Dad. We will get busted for ditching. Call Aunt Sara, she's close and doesn't work." Molly said.

"On it." Abby confirmed.

Molly pulled out her cell and zoomed the camera in as much as possible. She was able to get a pretty clear picture of them in the small restaurant. They sat at the table closest to the window.

"Hi Aunt Sara, it's Abby."

"Hey baby, what's up?"

"We found Mom at Frank's Shrimp with a man that is not Daddy."

"What? Who is it?"

"We don't know. I want to go in there and slap her but I don't want to get in trouble. We kinda ditched study hall."

Laughing Sara said, "I see so you called cool Aunt Sara, to save your butts and still slap some sense into your mom."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Go back to school. Uncle Jesse is off work today. I'll send him right over. I'll make him get his pregnant wife some shrimp as a cover."

"Thanks Auntie."

*************

The bell rang as Jesse opened the door to Frank's Chicago Shrimp House. Ali was sitting with her back to the door and her lunch guest didn't know him so he didn't think twice about Jesse coming in.

"Ali, we can..." Ryan was cut off as Jesse spoke.

"Excuse me asshole, sorry to interrupt, could you please leave so i can talk to my stupid sister."

"Jesse, what are you doing here? This isn't what you think, Ryan wanted to see some houses and..." Ali too was cut off by Jesse.

"Shut up Sis! Asshole, please leave."

"Look prick. You don't get to come in here and call me an asshole."

"Jesse, stop. Ryan please go. I'll straighten this out with my brother and he can drive me home."

Ryan grabbed his Coke and stared at Jesse as he walked out of the restaurant.

Molly snapped several pics of the man as he left, including his license plate.

"What are you doing, Ali? You're a married woman."

"Ryan is a client. We looked at some houses, then stopped here for a bite and to talk about what we saw. This was not a date."

"Bullshit. I saw how you were looking at him when I walked up and you told me before that you never go to lunch or dinner with a male client alone because of the girl at your office that was assaulted. You haven't been gone a week and you're seen with another man. You're a fool. You know Frank already thinks you're cheating on him, and now you're caught with a good looking younger guy? Sis, you need to get your ass and brain wired back together quickly. As soon a Frank hears about this he's going to flip the F out."

"Please don't tell him. He won't believe me either."

"Sis, it's not me you have to worry about. You have to worry about the mop heads. They're the ones who called Sara."

Jesse called his nieces "mop heads" because of the mop of long curls on top of their heads, and he could never tell the pretty twins apart.

"Shit. What are they doing out of school?"

"Jesus. That's what you're concerned about right now? Get your shit together and go home to your husband and kids. If Mom and Dad knew about your idiotic idea, that you need a separation to figure out how to fix your marriage, they'd smack you straight themselves."

"It's none of their business. I can't believe Frank told YOU."

"What did you expect? The guy's broken and lost. He needed us. Unlike your selfish ass, he came to his family to help him figure out what your problem is. He's not out looking for a new piece of ass like you are."

"That's not fair and not true. I'm not looking for a fling."

"Then what is your problem and how do you fix it?"

She broke down sobbing and cried, "I don't know."

"Well Sis, you're screwed then. Let me get Sara's shrimp and we'll get out of here."

**********

"Daddy," Molly started with a tear running down her cheek. "Mom had lunch with a man today."

"Who?" Frank asked quietly.

"Some guy named Ryan Davis. We took his picture and a picture of his license plate. Keri Ellison's mom is a policewoman and she ran the plate for us as a favor. We kinda lied and said we bumped his car in the parking lot."

"Super. Did you talk to them?"

"No, Daddy. We called Aunt Sara and she sent Uncle Jesse to talk to her. The guy looked like he wanted to punch Uncle Jesse, but he just left."

"Ok, baby. Just out of curiosity, what were you doing out of school?"

"Um, we're able to leave for lunch now that we have a car," Abby lied.

"Okay. Thanks girls."

"Daddy, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, sweetie. I just don't know."

************

Ali's parents are two of the most in love people Frank had ever seen. They are always kissing, touching, hugging and never away from each other when they are in the same room. When Frank and Ali first married up until she started working, they were like that too. Frank had figured out over the two weeks they had been separated, that it wasn't him that was the issue, it was Ali.

She had never worked a full time job before she got her real estate license and started selling houses. She was pretty successful at it and made some good money, but the hours were horrible.

She had complete flexibility in her schedule, but she was a workaholic. Frank's opinion was that she hadn't been able to find a good work/life balance and she was burned out. Instead of fixing that issue, which he felt was hurting their marriage, she must have been blaming him and the marriage for her burn out. Likely with the help of her so called friend Marci.

Ali and Marci were friends from high school that reconnected after Marci's second divorce. When she married husband number 2, they moved to Detroit and lived there for 6 years until they split. She moved back a couple of years before her marriage to George, and they've been close since.

Frank had decided two weeks with no contact was enough. It was time for an intervention. He also had decided to bring in the big guns. Ali's parents.

Her family was very close. Regular get togethers for dinner, barbecues or pool parties were common. There was a lot of love in the family and he was proud to be part of it.

Ali's mother invited her out for lunch and shopping on a sunny Saturday morning. When Ali arrived to pick her up, she was shocked to see Frank, their daughters and Jesse and Sara sitting there with Ali's father.

"What's going on?" Ali asked.

"Ali, have a seat please," her dad said as her mom came into the room.

Ali's mom started the conversation, "Alison, it's time for help. It's been over two weeks and you haven't once spoken to your husband. What kind of marriage can you have, not speaking to each other? Communication is vital to any relationship, and even more important in a marriage."

"Mom, you don't understand what I'm going through. You have no idea what it's like to grow apart from your husband."

"What does that mean, Ali? What does growing apart mean?"

"We don't do anything. We don't see each other. We don't touch. We hardly kiss. We don't cuddle."

"Ali?" Frank started. "When was the last time you were home before 8 O'Clock? When was the last time you came home and didn't spend several more hours working on listings or valuations? When was the last time you sat on the couch with me and watched TV? When was the last time you came to bed with me? Tell me when the last time our love was more important than your job?

Don't you see? It's not me. It's that you've become a workaholic. Yes you're very good at what you do and you're making great money, that we don't really need, but is it worth it?"

Ali was crying. Deep down she knew he was right, but she had commitments and clients that needed her.

Before Ali could answer Sara spoke. "Ali, explain your relationship with Ryan Davis."

Ali looked at her shocked. "There is no relationship. He's a client."

"Mom, why does he need to be your client when he has a real estate license and works for your office part time?"

"What? You don't know what you're talking about." Ali felt a pang of horror for lying.

"Mom, Illinois has a database of all people with real estate licenses. It's pretty easy to find info on the hand held Google machine," Molly said as she showed her the picture of Ryan on his real estate website that she pulled up on her phone.

"He's a part time Realtor that works out of your office," Abby finished.

Ali broke down in a full sob and was struggling to catch her breath.

Jesse walked over to her and put his arm around her.

"Sis, we know you're not sleeping with the asshole. We've been taking turns keeping tabs on you ever since the mop heads caught you. You've had 3 lunches and a dinner with him over a 2 week period. You were at Wildfire with him last night. You didn't even see Mom and Dad eating in the side section watching you, did you? Why are you dating another man? Is Frank your back up plan in case it doesn't work out with the asshole?"

"NO, Frank's not a back up plan. I love him." She answered forcefully.

"Then why are you dating another man? Sis, you need to choose. You're either with Frank or you're with asshole."

"Stop calling him asshole. He's a nice guy."

"He's a piece of shit for going out with a married woman." Abby said.

"Watch your tongue, mop head," Jesse scolded.

"We never went out before I moved out."

"I told you that if you did this to be with another man, we're done." Frank said sadly.

"Frank, I swear..." Ali started but got cut off by her father.

"Enough Alison. Right now, we are all considering you a cheating wife. You said you left your husband so you could figure out how to save your marriage, but you're clearly the problem. You're working too much and as soon as you walked out on your family, you started going on dates with a younger man and lied about who he is to cover it up. Damn it girl, we didn't raise you to be a slut."

"ENOUGH!" Ali screamed. "I can't take it anymore. Leave me alone."

She got up and ran from the room, out to her car. They watched from the window as she had her head in her hands weeping.

"Well that went well," Jesse said.

Sara smacked his shoulder.

"Girls let's get on home," Frank said with a tear in his eye.

"Daddy, we have a stop to make on our way home. We won't be long."

"Okay, sweetie. Thank you, everyone, for your help. Hopefully she snaps out of this funk she's in soon. I'm really leaning towards divorcing her over the dating thing."

***********

Molly received the text she was waiting for and nodded to Abby. They were sitting outside a condo building watching the door. "They're in position."

Ryan Davis walked out the front door after receiving a call from a new client that wanted to list a house. They were going to meet at his office in half an hour.

As he approached his car, 2 large men in Donald Trump Halloween masks grabbed him and threw him down. No words were spoken as they kicked him repeatedly. His testicles received some extra attention as he curled into a ball trying to protect himself.

The men stopped as abruptly as they started and left him. They took off running across the street to a car where another man was waiting with the engine running and left.

Molly texted, "Thank you," and drove away to go home and console their father.

**********

Ali was at the office early on Monday and the receptionist gave her the news on Ryan. "He called in and said he wouldn't be in for a while. He was mugged and spent Saturday overnight in the hospital." She said.

"Oh my god!" Ali shrieked. "Is he okay?"

"I think so, hopefully they didn't mess up his perfect face," the young receptionist lamented.

"Yeah, that would be a real shame," Ali agreed with just a hint of sarcasm.

Ali walked to her cubicle and called Ryan. "Hey Ryan. You okay?"

"No. I got jumped outside of my condo. The fuckers didn't even rob me. Just kicked me over and over."

"Oh god! Who were they?"

"I don't know. They didn't say anything at all."

"Nothing?"

"Not a word. I have half a mind to kick your brother and husband's asses though."

"WHAT? You think they did this? I was with them on Saturday. In fact I got a world of shit thrown at me for having lunch and dinner with you."

"Yeah, I do. Why would else they pummel my dick if they weren't trying to give me a message. Well anyway, I got the fucking message. I won't be anywhere near you for the foreseeable future. You just ain't worth it."

"Don't be like that, Ryan. We didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, only because you're a prick tease. Just tell you're asshole family, I got the message loud and clear." With that he hung up.

Ali called her husband next.

"Why did you attack Ryan? You had no right."

"What are you talking about, Ali?"

"Ryan was attacked on Saturday and he thinks you and Jesse did it because they spent a lot of time on his groin."

"Oh, your boyfriend got his ass kicked and it's us that did it? Why would we do that? You said nothing happened. He's just a client looking for a house."

"Don't be an ass. Nothing did happen and my family network of spies knows it."

"Yeah, well can't say I'm too broken up about it. Maybe he was fucking some other wife too."