Norma's Pit Stop

The only good thing about being an empty-nester is that I can drink all the Black and Tan that I want without being harassed. I was expecting more. Both the kids were long gone and they had completely cut the apron cords. I figured that Norma and I would finally be able to relax and enjoy ourselves. It never happened.

I tried everything; flowers, candlelight dinners, nights out to the theater, and such. Nothing seemed to work. We still slept together, but there was very seldom any sex and what there was, was mediocre at best. I wasn't really looking for sex, but I was hoping for a bit of romance. I know that sounds silly coming from a man, but that was all I was looking for.

Now Norma wasn't mean or nasty. She didn't turn into a shrew or a disagreeable hag. She just wasn't interested. I was not looking forward to the next thirty years. I guess her job had a lot to do with it.

I was still working as a claims adjuster. It was a laid back job and I was able to handle it with no stress. Norma's job, however, was a bit more complicated. Norma worked as an editor for a textbook publisher in Baltimore. It was a two-hour drive from our house. She had been there for about five years, loved what she was doing and I assume she did it well. She never complained about the long drive or the separation. Yes; separation. She drove down to Baltimore on Monday and drove back Friday. I argued and argued that she could do everything that she was doing from home, but she insisted that she had to be there to do it right. I tried to convince her to give it up completely, but she refused. She claimed that she needed the stimulation that came with the work to keep her from going bonkers.

I always tried to have a nice supper ready when she got home Friday night. I was usually able to time it pretty well, but occasionally things got a bit out of kilter. I solved the problem with a smartphone location app. Now, I always knew when she left work and how close she was to getting home. It made meal preparation a lot easier. There was one small thing that confused me, however. The trip to Baltimore on Mondays always took about two hours. The trip back on Fridays, on the same route, usually took three hours.

I was interested, but not enough to confront her.

The next Friday I stayed close to the computer and monitored her trip a bit closer. Everything seemed fine until she got just East of York. She stopped. There was no movement for about fifty minutes, then it started again. The rest of the drive went as expected. I had the broiled salmon on the table just as she got home.

I didn't question her at all about the stop.

In all the years that Norma had been working away from home, I never had any reason to doubt her fidelity. Now I wasn't sure. If she had wanted to mess around it would have been easy for her to do it and I would never be the wiser. It didn't seem like something that she would do, however.

The next Friday I was waiting. When she stopped again in York I copied down the GPS coordinates. She stayed over an hour this time. We had baked Ziti for supper.

oooo000ooo

It took me an hour to get to the coordinates. There was a gas station, a veterinarian clinic, and an adult video store. I picked the most obvious.

It was just like all other adult stores; books, videos, toys, and magazines. The guy behind the elevated counter was also just what you would expect to see.

"Hi. I was wondering if you could help me out."

"Five dollar minimum." He didn't even lookup.

I gave him a ten and tried again. "A good friend of ours is having a birthday and we are looking for a place to bring him. We were hoping for a place that had some working glory holes. Are there any in the area that you might know about?"

"Are you a cop?"

"No! Why?"

"I had to ask." He shuffled a few papers around and then leaned over.

"We have two glory holes. The girls who work them do not work for us. They come here on there own. Of course, they don't have any posted times, but there are a few regulars who keep pretty steady hours."

"When would be a good time to bring him in?"

"There are two local ladies who come in every weekday from noon to 1 pm. I think it is their lunch hour. That's a joke."

I grimaced a bit at the humor.

"Most evenings from Seven to Ten there are a couple of girls here. Oh yeah, one of the favorites is an older lady who stops by every Friday between five and six. She doesn't say much and she is not very friendly, but gives a hell of a blow job."

That was interesting. "Okay. Thanks a lot. I think we will give it a try, maybe next Friday. I'll just keep these quarters until then."

I did a lot of thinking on the drive home. By the time I arrived, I was pissed. My social life and my sex life was in the dumps and she was giving free blow jobs to all comers. No telling what she was doing in Baltimore all week.

oooo000ooo

My parents had moved to Ocala about three years ago. Norma's father lived in Frackville, but her mother died from an aneurysm.

"Hey, Dave! This is John, your favorite son-in-law. How are you doing?"

"You're my only son-in-law, you idiot. I'm doing fine. Is something wrong down there?"

"No! Everything is good. If you are not busy Friday, I was wondering if you might want to go with me to the Harley plant down in York."

"Hell yeah! I always wanted to take that tour. Are you gonna pick me up or should I drive down there?"

"I'll pick you up, We will spend the day in York and then come here for supper with Norma Friday night."

"Sounds like a plan, John. I'll see you Friday."

oooo000ooo

The Harley tour was a big hit with Dave. He had two Harley's when he was younger, and spent the whole afternoon comparing the new ones with the ones he had. We stopped at the Steampunk Hobby Store and then hit the Galleria. I had to kill time until five o'clock. The food court was empty.

"Dave. Do you know what a glory hole is?"

"Damn straight I do! I've never been to one, but I watched a lot of videos."

"I thought that maybe we could stop at one before we started back home. We have about an hour to kill and there is one that I know of pretty close by."

"Do you think that there will be any girls there this time of day?"

"I am not sure, but I am willing to try. Are you in?"

"Yeah! Wait till the guys at the VFW hear about this."

I killed time until about 5:15. Norma's Civic was parked at the end of the building. I waved my roll of quarters at the cashier and he smiled and pointed us to booth four.

"Use either booth three or five and wait your turn. You won't be disappointed."

I gave Dave the roll of quarters and wandered around the store as he went into number five.

Twenty minutes later we were on our way home. I had to laugh at the big grin on my father-in-law's face. He had no idea.

While we were driving, I called Surin of Thailand and ordered a complete Thai meal to go. Forty minutes later Dave and I had the whole meal set out on the dining table waiting for Norma to come home.

About halfway through the meal, Norma couldn't contain herself anymore.

"Dad! What the hell is going on with you? You are grinning like a little kid. I haven't seen you act like this for years. What did you guys do to bring this all about? I am sure that a trip to the motorcycle plant wasn't that exciting."

"Sorry, Norma. I can't tell you. It is quite personal and nothing that a father would discuss with his daughter. Let's just say that I had a great time and it is all thanks to John."

We finished the meal with no further discussion on the matter. Dave decided that he would rather go home than stay overnight. As we were walking out the door, Norma stopped me.

"Where the hell did you take him?"

I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "I took him to a glory hole in York. He got his first blow job in five years."

As I closed the door, I could hear her retching in the hallway. I had a big grin on my face all the way to Frackville.

It was after ten when I got home. I slept on the recliner in the family room. I didn't want to disturb my wife.

Oooo000ooo

It was a quiet weekend. There were no confrontations or even conversations. I spent all day Saturday working on the yard and all day Sunday cleaning the garage. It is amazing how little jobs can be stretched out to take up a lot of time. Mealtimes were normal but quiet. I slept in the master bedroom, but there was no intimacy. We were not purposely doing this; it just seemed to happen.

Norma left for work Monday morning but came back that night. Her car was loaded up with all of her personal items and clothing that she had kept in Baltimore. I didn't ask, but she said she had quit her job. There was no further explanation or discussion. I didn't push it.

I signed up for online dating.