Smoke & Mirrors

Smoke & Mirrors

Sam's perspective

I yawned as I pulled into town. It had been about 24 hours since I had any sleep, but I am anxious to get home to sleep in my own bed. Actually, I am looking forward to taking a nice hot shower and cuddling up to my wife of almost 5 years. Sleep will also be nice. I looked down at the clock on my radio and it was just after 2:00 AM. I turned into my circle and looked into my driveway. There were two cars parked there preventing me access to the garage. Looks like our best friends, Brian and Lisa, both drove over to our house. Seems a little weird that both cars would be at my house, but maybe Brian joined Lisa and my wife Amber later in the evening. Since it is after 2:00 AM, looks like maybe they had too much to drink and wasn't able to drive home. I noted to myself to be extra quiet as I entered the house to not wake them. I would be walking past the spare bedroom on my way to the master.

I parked along the curb and quickly grabbed my camera bag. I'll leave the rest of my things in the car until I wake up later today. I won't need anything and it should be safe enough in the circle for a few hours. I walked into the house through the front door to avoid opening the garage door. No need for any extra noise since I couldn't park my car anyway. After walking towards the living room, I noticed the 3 empty bottles of wine sitting on the end table. No wonder they were all sleeping over at my house. I thought to myself that Amber is going to feel real good in the morning, but I can't help that now. I placed my camera bag on the floor next to the stairs and made my way towards the bedroom. I reached for the door handle and slowly opened the door. Whew, what is that smell! It hit me just as I finished my thought. The smell of sex was very strong! Before I could comprehend that thought, I looked in my bed to see Brian laying in the middle with his arm around Lisa on one side and Amber on the other. Not a stitch of clothing on any of them. The sheets and blankets were all on the floor, but no one seemed to care. All were sleeping pretty soundly without a care in the world.

I couldn't catch my breathe. I slowly backed out of the room and closed the door. I made my way down the steps and stopped to lean against the wall. Slowly my legs gave way and I was sitting on the floor. What the hell did I just see?

Backstory

Let's take a step back and start from the beginning. My name is Sam Maven. I am a professional photographer with a focus on landscapes and scenery. I don't care for portraits or any other type of studio work. I prefer to work in natural environments where I can use light and shadows to emphasis the subject matters. I have been able to make a pretty decent living by providing stock photos for some advertising agencies and have even sold some of my works to the public. I have even seen some of my photos framed and displayed in offices around my area.

While I was sitting in a nearby park on the outskirts of town awaiting for just the right light to take a couple of pictures off of the water when I heard the sound of laughter. When I focus on my photography I tend to enter into almost a trance like zone so I don't miss my opportunity. The laughter pulled me away from my focus and I started to look around for the source of the noise. About 50 yards away was a little girl and her mom, at least that is what I thought at the time. The little girl was running around and her mom was chasing her. I recognized the light was perfect so I started to take a few photos. I also noticed that the mom was stunning! The sun was slightly behind her from my vantage point and framed her face and hair just right. This was going to be a great set of pictures.

As the little girl ran towards her mom, she jumped into the air and landed in her mom's arms knocking them both to the ground. I was able to get a close up of both the mom and little girl's face. Great timing. I spent the next few minutes taking a few more photos before I decided that I had enough. I didn't want the mom to notice me taking so many pictures without providing an explanation.

After I finished my impromptu session, I gathered up my camera bag and approached the mom. I decided to clear my throat to announce my presence without scaring the crap out of the mom and little girl. "Excuse me, my name is Sam. I am a photographer and I happened to take a few photos of you and your daughter. I apologize for not asking for your permission first, but the lighting was perfect and felt that I would ask for your forgiveness for my intrusion. Here is my contact information if you would like to take a look at the photos. Please don't feel you are obligated." The mom looked at me and started to laugh. "Unfortunately this isn't my daughter. I am babysitting Lily for my friends so they could have some alone time. I thought a quick trip to the park would burn off some excess energy before we go back to my place for a sleepover."

I quickly responded "My apologies for being presumptuous, but feel free to share my information with the parents as well. I have some great shots of both you and Lily. By the way, can I ask your name?" She quickly responded with the perfect name for a photographer, "My name is Amber. I will share the information with my friends when I see them tomorrow." With that, I made my way back to my car.

As I sat in my car, I couldn't help but focus on Amber. I had noticed her ring finger on her left hand was bare, which was something all single men are trained to look at first. I also noticed that Amber was gorgeous. She had the looks that would allow her to be comfortable in an old sweatshirt and jeans or dressed up to impress when out on the town. Amber was about 5'5" and roughly 125 pounds if I was to guess. Perfect match for my 5'10 if she wanted to wear heels. I kept myself in pretty good shape since I spend a lot of time hiking to get to my photo shoots. Currently my weight was around 175 pounds, but would quickly get back to my fighting shape of 170 once I get back out after the long winter. Amber had light brown hair and brown eyes that seemed to sparkle. Her eyes were captivating and one of her best features. Amber's smile lit up her face and seemed to enhance the sparkle in her eyes. Amazing! As I started my car, I hoped this wasn't the last time I saw her.

As luck would have it, Amber called me later that evening asking if it would be possible to meet to review the photos. I looked at my calendar and asked if Thursday would work for her. I told her I don't have a studio but would love to meet her somewhere convenient for her. Amber suggested a bar and grill that was close to her apartment. I would meet her around 5:00 PM on Thursday. After hanging up the phone, my heart was racing. This was so outside of my comfort zone. Amber was way out of my league in my opinion.

Thursday quickly approached and I arrived at the bar about 10 minutes in advance. My motto has been to always arrive early for any of your engagements. I would rather arrive an hour early than be 2 minutes late. I was able to get a table a little further away from the general traffic in case it got busy before we were able to review the pictures. Amber arrived right on time and looked amazing. She must not have had time to change from work and came with a nice blouse and skirt. She filled out both perfectly. I could quickly see myself getting carried away with her, but I vowed to keep this professional and see where it leads. I pulled out the chair for Amber which brought a smile to her face. Again, those eyes sparkled. "Thanks for meeting with me. I hope you like the photos. I have them on my laptop which I will bring up once you have had a chance to order a drink." The waitress had just arrived and Amber ordered a glass of white wine while I ordered an iced tea. "Hitting it pretty hard are we Sam?"

"I don't really drink, but I am glad you ordered yourself one. I just never developed a taste for it and after a while I gave up trying it. My friends thought it was great as they always had me drive them home after hitting the bars." That brought another laugh from Amber.

"Let me bring up the photos and you can see if any meet your approval. I haven't heard from your friends if they would like to have any of the photos of Lily. Feel free to take your time." Amber started to scroll through the photos and smiled as each new photo came into view. The waitress arrived with our drinks and noticed the photos. "You are really talented. I would love to have you take some pictures of my husband and kids if you would be willing."

"Thank you for the complement, but I don't really do portrait work. This was a one time thing for me." I could see there was a question from Amber that was rolling through her mind, but she didn't ask until the waitress left. "If you don't do portrait work, then why did you take all these of Lily and me?"

"Easy, the light was perfect and the two of you were so perfect for these pictures. You were my one-time exception." Amber smiled. I thought I might have scored some points with that one.

I could see that Amber was getting towards the end of the photos. The last photo was my favorite which was the close up of Amber. "I hope you like the next one. It is my favorite of you." Amber hit the next button and sat there with no further expression. It felt like a very long time before she stated "I love this one. This is the best photo I have ever seen of myself. How much to have this sent to me?"

Now was my chance. "The photo is yours. I would even be willing to develop it and place it in one of my custom frames. The cost to you would be to stay and have dinner with me." I held my breathe as I waited for her response. Amber laughed before saying "that is an offer that I just can't refuse. I get to spend an evening with an interesting man AND I get a custom photo. What's the catch? Are you a serial killer or something?"

"No, I am not a serial killer, but I thought this might be my only shot at getting a date with you. Once the glamor of my photos wear off, you might find yourself heading for the door. At least I have you captured for the evening this way."

The waitress came back to check on us and we decided to order some food. Amber ordered another glass of wine to go with her meal. I shut down the laptop and we started to have general conversation. I asked Amber to tell me about herself. I quickly learned that she was 23 and just graduated from a local university majoring in business. She is currently working in an all female office that focuses on financial planning. Her current job is an assistant, but she is studying to take some of her exams to move towards starting to work with her own clients. That is a few years down the road, but I was excited she had aspirations. Amber is an only child with both parents living a couple hours away.

I guess it was my turn. I mentioned that I was 24 and had spent the last few years solely as a photographer. I love the outdoors and took every opportunity to find interesting places to take photos. It has worked out well so far. I told Amber I have an older brother who is 8 years my senior. I told her I think I was an "oops" child, but my parents were great. I damped the mood a little by telling her my dad had passed away due to a heart attack about 5 years ago and my mom had passed 2 years ago due to a very rapid cancer diagnosis. My brother had a great job and family, so I took over the house from my parents.

The evening seemed to fly by and I asked for the check. While walking Amber to her car, I asked if I could see her again. I told her if she wanted to get together next weekend I should have her picture developed and framed. Amber smiled. "I am free on Saturday if you would like to go with me to listen to a favorite band of mine that is playing here."

"That would be great. Do you want to meet here or I would be happy to swing by your place to pick you up."

"Here is my address. Pick me up about 7."

"I'll be there." I gave her a quick hug and let her get into her car. Wow, what a night!

Amber and I continued to date over the next year before I proposed. We had went hiking one weekend at one of my favorite locations when we hit the top of the trail and I dropped to one knee. I pulled out the ring my dad gave to my mom and asked Amber to be my wife.

"Yes, I would love to be your wife!"

Amber and her parents spent the next few months getting everything in place. We had a smallish wedding of friends and family with my brother standing next to me as my best man while Amber had Lisa as her maid of honor. Amber looked amazing, but that wasn't hard for her. I felt at the time that I was the luckiest man alive.

The next 4 years went by quickly. We had decided to wait on expanding our family until Amber was a in a better position at work. She was fully licensed and was just starting to take over some of the clients from her mentor and boss. At the time, I thought that might occur next year. I really wanted kids, but it would impact my ability to travel to some of the locations to continue with my photography business. I was developing quite the reputation in the advertising community as having great photos for their ad campaigns and the custom business was really taking off. I have a custom framer that I use all the time to make the frames for some of my higher end work. My goal was to setup a store front to display my work and utilize my website to sell nationally. That was about a year away.

As we approached our 5 year anniversary, I had decided to throw a party to celebrate with our closest friends and family. I had booked a back room at the bar and grill where Amber and I had our first date where I bribed her to have dinner with me for the cost of a photo. I still have that picture framed in our living room and I look at it all the time. It was a reminder of how perfect things were, at least until now.

A week and a half before the anniversary party, I told Amber that I was going to be heading out of town to capture a few pictures that I had in mind for the party. I expected to be gone for about a week, but would be back in plenty of time before the party. I gave her a kiss and a hug goodbye before Amber left for work and I left on my trip. As fate would have it, I was amazed that I captured all of the pictures I had envisioned in just over a day. I decided to drive back to spend the remainder of the weekend with Amber and work the following week on the development and framing.

That takes us back to current situation I walked in on.

Current Day

As a sat on the floor with my head in my hands, the tears started to flow. I was having a hard time comprehending what had happened. Why was the only question that I kept asking myself. I had thought we had the perfect marriage and loved Amber unconditionally. I was supportive of her work and provided a very good living as she was developing her book of business.

Our sex life was great. We had sex at least 2 or 3 times a week and I loved giving Amber multiple orgasms both orally and through intercourse. I admit I wasn't the most experienced lover when I began dating Amber, but I would ask her if she enjoyed different things I would try to make sure she was fulfilled. Oral was her favorite and one of mine as well. I could get multiple orgasms from Amber.

I must have missed something for Amber to stray and break our marriage vows. Now what? I lost track of how long I sat there on the floor crying. As I looked up, I saw something that I wasn't expecting. I had glanced at the large mirror that Amber had hung on the living room wall and the way the light was refracting off of the wine bottles had this smokey look as it hit the mirror. I grabbed my camera from my camera bag that was next to me and took a picture. Internally I was kicking myself that at one of the most horrible times in my life, here I was taking a picture of something that I still couldn't comprehend.

Taking the picture also triggered me to start thinking through my problem. One thing to know about me is that when it comes to fight or flight, I am more likely to choose flight. That's not to say I am a total wimp, but that is my tendency. But if I am backed into a corner, I will fight with shear abandonment. Three bullies would continuously pick on me in Jr High, that is until they had backed me into a corner on the far side of the school next to the dumpsters. Once my back hit the wall, I came out swinging. I took a few shots, but I was the last one standing when I walked away. Same type of thing happened with me and my brother. With such an age gap, he would constantly pick on me until I hit my breaking point and I started swinging. His size hindered my ability to do any significant damage, but he did start to respect me a bit more. I needed to decide if my back was against the wall or if it was better to fly. Big decision to make.

I started to come up with the basis for a plan. It started with me going back into the bedroom and taking back my mother's ring. Amber always takes off her ring when she puts lotion on before bed. I wasn't sure that happened last night, but I had to look. I quietly walked across the room trying not to look at the three of them and into the master bathroom. Sitting in the exact spot Amber kept her rings was my mother's ring. I grab it and walked towards the door. The last thing I did was look back at Amber to memorize her face. AND to take a picture in case I needed it later. Never a bad idea to keep your options open and the picture could come in handy in case I decided to divorce her.

I took a quick inventory of what remained in my car. I had enough clothing to get me through the next few days. I had my camping gear in case I needed that, but I would first try to stay with my brother. I would need his help and advise as I put the pieces of my life back together. I won't reach out to him until he has had a chance to wake up. I only needed to kill a couple of hours at this point. I decided to stop by an all night diner and grab some coffee. Eating didn't sound all that appealing, but I could use some coffee.

At 7:00 AM I was knocking on my brother's door. I know I had to look like a mess, but I didn't care at this point. Tom invited me in and poured me a cup of coffee. "What's wrong, Sam? You look terrible."

"Tom, I haven't slept in over 24 hours and I just walked in on the worst possible thing a married guy could want to see." I went on to explain the rest of what I saw earlier this morning.

"What are you going to do? Sam, you know I will support you in anything you decide. Just make sure that you are 100% sure in your decision. That is the only advise I have for you at this point."

"I know. I think I need some time to think things through. Amber isn't expecting me home for a few days. It will take me a few days to make some decisions and some of them will take your help. Can I stay here for a couple of days?"

"Absolutely. I will let Vickie know and explain that she can't get in touch with Amber. Now go take a shower and hit the bed. I know it will be tough but try to get a little sleep. It will help to clear your head."

I headed over to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. The water felt good. 10 minutes later I was laying in the guest bed at my brother's house. This wasn't what I had planned, but nothing I could do about that now. Surprisingly, I was able to get a couple hours of sleep. I headed downstairs and gave Vickie a hug. Their kids were in the basement playing video games so I would head down there next. Vickie started to cry. "Hey, none of that. If you start crying then I'm going to start crying and I don't want to do that right now." Vickie wiped her tears and gave me another hug. She quickly left the room and I decided to go say hi to my nephews.