Water Lily Girl Ch. 01

To change the subject quickly away from this unpleasant topic, I asked him if his wife had gotten into much trouble, what with the murder of her mother and her lover to avenge her father's death, and he actually got the joke at once. Thank goodness for someone with a classical education and a sense of humor! I did get the clear impression that his wife also had a mysterious and secret past as well, when he vaguely mentioned that he had met his wife on a 'long cruise from hell'.

Soon afterwards, I noticed that his daughter "Curriea" (meaning "of the marsh" in Celtic) had come outside onto the pier next to the house for few minutes, casually but pointedly watching us. She still hadn't bothered to add on any clothing since I last saw her and soon her mother, who seemed similarly (un)dressed, came outside to join her.

Electra was about Jack's age, but she was still a stunning beauty with a dark sultry look that even Sophia Loren would be jealous of. She was still lithe and moved with the grace of a panther, one of the great huntresses of the dark jungles. Her eyes were sharp and focused on everything around her with an intensity that ought to have been disturbing. I could sense that she was no simple wife and mother of just past middle age, but an equal guardian of the hearth and home; a natural predator, equally as capable of any extreme defensive measures as her veteran husband. I wondered what sort of unspeakable carnage on their long ago ocean cruise and joined them together, but wisely decided that I probably didn't really want to know the answer.

Jack rolled his eyes and laughed when he noticed me give his ladies an extra long look of contemplative appraisal.

"I never could keep a scrap of clothing on either one of them!" He laughed. "You're not sweet on her are you, Tom? Looks like you have someone waiting at home for you." He added, taking another long glance at my wedding band.

"Technically true, unfortunately." I admitted, but I was unlikely to be married for much longer. Separation and divorce was not only looking possible, but even probable, I sadly told him, right before I packed up my gear to start to get ready for the long drive back towards home.

I was probably going to be rather late getting home tonight, but in all likelihood Wanda would either be still at work or else already in bed asleep when I got home. We'd have the caught fresh fish for dinner tomorrow, maybe... if she came home for dinner. On Sunday maybe I wouldn't even see her at all. Who knows what her schedule was. She never told me beforehand. She'd either go off to work, go decide to run errands for the whole day, or else stay home and eventually end up picking a fight with me.

The more I'd thought about it lately, it really wasn't much of a marriage and maybe it was time to start to do something about it.