We Need To Talk

Michael knows where I am now living and is under strict instructions not to pass that information to either of you. Also, security has been instructed not to allow either of you entrance to my office, should you try to corner me there.

I will tell you the same thing I told your daughter when she spouted her hateful speech at me on Friday night: I do not want to ever speak with you, either of you, again. Both relationships have been damaged, probably beyond repair, by your selfish, condescending acts and I will no longer be a part of your lives, at least as much as I can manage. I'm sure Holly can find someone to walk her down the aisle for her wedding when she finally manipulates Dean or some other poor sap into marrying her.

I loved you both so much for so long that it hurts me to have to leave you behind, but your attitudes toward me have reached the point of being destructive and I will not allow you to do that to me.

Henry

---

Tears were streaming down my face as I finished Henry's letter. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to love me forever and understand that this had nothing to do with him or us.

I could see where involving Holly was a mistake, but it had just started out as girl talk. She was telling me about her and Dean and I started talking about Henry and me to try and get Holly to take me more into her confidence. I happened to mention that mom, Holly's grandma, took on a lover when dad began to slow down and that I was considering the same, and suddenly Holly was introducing me to Rick at one of her choir performances. He was certainly handsome and sexy and I recall giving Henry a very good time that night.

After that meeting Holly started talking about him more. She'd tell me that he wasn't married and didn't want to be. He wasn't looking for anything permanent, just a little fun. I took the bait from there, finding reasons to contact him just to open a dialogue. I asked him to dinner one night when Henry was out of town for work, pleading loneliness. We ended up in his apartment that night and had the best sex I had experienced in years. It didn't have the love behind it that Henry gave me, but the orgasms were amazing and he could keep getting it up until I was well taken care of. I spent the night there and we did it again in the morning.

When I got home the next morning Holly was there and it was obvious I had spent the night with Rick. We talked about it like we were old girlfriends; I felt like I was back in school again. It was all so exciting. And when Henry got back he had no idea of what I had done. I had somehow managed to not let on. I realized at that point that I could play with Rick on the side and keep Henry from finding out. And since Rick wasn't a full-time teacher he had no problem meeting me a couple of times a week, and we were very discrete.

It went on like this for months. I kept my eyes open for anything suggesting Rick was getting too attached to me. I couldn't have him falling in love with me, but nothing ever showed itself and so our relationship continued on. We'd meet a couple times a week and then I'd make sure I got home in time to get cleaned up for when Henry got home. I kept thinking something would go wrong but it never did. Well, until that fateful day.

It was moving up on the anniversary of that first time Rick had taken me to his apartment. Even though we weren't in love it was still an anniversary of sorts and he asked me to go to Hawaii with him. Henry was right in that he and I had been planning a trip there, but that didn't occur to me at the time. I don't know why but the thought of spending a week in paradise getting fucked silly really appealed to me.

Of course, as a housewife there was no way for me to justify being gone that long. I don't have a job that sends me out of town, and saying I was visiting family would be too easy for Henry to check up on. I got it in my head that Henry would be okay with it, that he loved me so much that he'd let me do this for myself and everything would be fine. It was Rick that mentioned I could point out how bad a divorce would be for him, should Henry be inclined in that direction.

The fact was that I did, I do, love Henry, and so I did feel some guilt about doing this behind his back, and this seemed like the perfect time to bring things out into the open. I could get Henry's approval because he loved me and wanted me happy, and I could enjoy my week in Hawaii with Rick guilt-free.

I was surprised when Henry was so against it. I knew that his ego would take a hit and there was really no getting around that, but I was sure once I explained there was no love between Rick and I, that it was just sex over and above what Henry himself needed, yes, I was sure that Henry would eventually come to see things logically, which is to say my way. That was why I told him 2 weeks in advance: to give him time to come to terms with it and give me his approval. Obviously that never happened.

Still, I was sure that when I got back and everything for him was as it was that he'd see that what I did with Rick did nothing to hurt him. But that opportunity never came. Apparently he and Holly got into it pretty good and he left, though I doubt that was the only reason. I guess I misjudged what Henry's love for me would allow me to do, and now the love of my life has gone.

But I was a resourceful woman, and I had no doubt I could find him and convince him to see things my way. I might even have to cool things with Rick for a while and convince Henry it was over, then take up with him again later. But I could do that.

Henry's brother, Michael, knew his new address. They were thick as thieves so I doubted I could get him to roll over, but maybe his wife, Fiona, would help me out. She probably knows, or at least could find, the new address. Once I found him I could surely get him to come back and give me another chance. That must be why he doesn't want to talk to me: he knows he can't resist my charms. Besides, he never once mentioned any plans to file for divorce so he obviously doesn't want to lose me. He was probably just trying to make a point with this 'never want to speak to me again' stuff but I doubted he meant it. Soon he'll realize he can't live without me and he'd welcome hearing from me.

Yes, I would start on this on Monday by calling Fiona when Michael is at work. Until I could get Henry to come back to me, to us, Holly and I would soldier on.

*****

HENRY

It was a beautiful day out, and I decided to go relax by the pool. The apartment complex I had moved into had the pool as well as a fitness center and a large community room that could be reserved for parties and large get-togethers.

I'd been here for a couple months. The first week was spent either in the apartment unpacking or at work. For the next few weeks I was just kind of depressed and I just hung out in my living room watching TV. Finally I decided to, as they say, get busy living or get busy dying. I headed out to the pool to relax and get some sun. The water was probably still a little cool for me, but lying in the sun and maybe doing some reading would be perfect.

I had actually gone on a few dates but no one caught my fancy. I was still lamenting the loss of my family and I did miss Becky. Not the one I walked out on but the one I had married and loved for almost 20 years.

I had been resting in one of the provided chaise lounges for about an hour when a shadow fell over me. I opened my eyes to see a very appealing female silhouette, though I couldn't make out much in the way of details until my eyes adjusted. She spoke first.

"Hi there. I haven't seen you here before. Did you just move in?"

"About two months ago, but this seems like the first time I've seen the light of day since then. I'm Henry."

"Michelle. It's nice to meet you. May I join you?"

"Michelle, if there's anything I've learned over the years it's to always say yes to a request from a beautiful woman. Have a seat."

She smiled as she pulled one of the other chaise lounges over next to me; right next to me. With the sun out of my eyes I could get a better look at her and was very impressed. She had long brown hair and a lovely figure. Her breasts were probably B's (maybe C's) and a nice butt that was not flat but not too big, either. She had on a light pink bikini top and I presume the matching bottoms, though the sarong around her waist hid her lower half. She did not wear a wedding ring. At last she was settled and then turned to me.

"So, Henry, are you recently divorced or just trying to make people think you are?"

I glanced over at her with a questioning look.

"Why would you ask me that?"

"Your finger has both a tan line and a dent where you, at least until fairly recently, wore a wedding ring."

"Very perceptive; it's interesting that you're checking out my ring finger, though."

"No more or less interesting than when you checked out mine a couple minutes ago."

"Damn. I thought I had been more subtle than that. Well, anyway, I'm not actually divorced but I decided to remove my ring and move out while my wife was in Hawaii for a week with her lover."

"Oh my, I'll bet that's an interesting story."

"Not so interesting when you're living it but from the outside I can see the appeal."

"Any chance of you guys reconciling?"

"None. I still care about her but what she did and the way she did it destroyed any chance of our staying together."

"You can tell me about it when you take me out to dinner tonight."

I hesitated for just a moment.

"Is there somewhere in particular you'd like to go?"

"Someplace nice. And you're taking me dancing, too. My daughter is sleeping over at my sister's house so we can stay out as long as we want."

"That sounds very good to me."

Michelle looked over at me and lowered her sunglasses to make direct eye contact, waiting for me to do the same.

"Let me clear about something, Henry. I'm very attracted to you and I can tell you're attracted to me. But I don't sleep with married men, separated or not. So, if you want a chance to get between my legs someday then you're going to have to do something about your marital status."

"Well, I think I just got that motivation I was looking for, but maybe we should see how dinner goes first."

We spent another hour lounging together by the pool. We were mostly silent, I think with the goal of saving the bulk of the conversation for dinner that night. She did take off the sarong and confirmed that her bikini bottoms matched her top, and that she was in excellent shape.

*****

I was getting ready to take Michelle out and was pondering this unexpected turn of events. I enjoyed being married but wasn't entirely sure I wanted to leap right into another relationship, especially considering the status of my existing one. That it would end was without question, but there were a lot of unresolved emotions.

The most prevalent of those related to Holly. She had said some very hurtful things, but I had realized she was a victim of her mother's own attitudes. In other words, Holly believed that it was expected that a woman would take on a lover at Becky's age, because that's what her grandmother and Becky had both done, and they told her that's how it was supposed to be. And she expected the man to just go with it, since that's what her grandfather had done. I knew that at some point I would try to heal the relationship with my daughter, despite what I had said to her. Becky, however, was finished.

What I did realize is that I wasn't going to let Becky stop me from living my life. If that meant the cost of my freedom was to pay Becky while she banged the local football team then so be it. I wasn't going to let a few dollars hold me down.

I picked Michelle up promptly at 6:00pm and we went to a high-end Brazilian Steakhouse downtown. I had been there a few times but Michelle never had. She had dressed in an emerald green dress that stopped just below the knees but showed a lot of skin up top. She looked spectacular, and I told her so.

"Why, thank you kind sir. You look quite nice yourself."

I took her hand and led her out to my BMW, opening the door for her as my mother taught me. We drove leisurely downtown and talked about some of the places we passed on the way. We held hands the entire way and it felt very comfortable..

We were seated at a romantic small table in a back alcove that afforded us quite a bit of privacy. It's interesting what a well-placed $50.00 bill in the hands of a host can get you.

We settled in and were greeted by our server, an attractive young woman named Kelsey. I was friendly with her, as I am with everyone and particularly those in service positions, as we ordered drinks and then settled down to talk.

"Am I going to have to ask for a different waitress?" Michelle asked me.

"Why would you need to do that?"

"Because if she keeps coming on to you like that I'm going to claw her eyes out, and I'd hate to have to do that."

I looked in her eyes and detected a hint of mischievousness and was confident she was kidding, but made a mental note to tone it down just in case. I think she detected the wheels spinning in my head and decided to reassure me. She took my hand.

"Henry, all I mean is that I like you and I'd like to explore that. I wasn't being serious about hurting the poor girl."

"I know, but I'm flattered that you staked out your claim to me."

"So, Henry, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a mechanical engineer. I'm a senior VP with Alpha Logistics in the city. How about you?"

"I'm a loan officer with First National, though I could probably do just fine with the outrageous alimony and child support I get from my ex-husband. That's the price he pays for cheating on me with his assistant and knocking her up."

"I can't even begin to fathom how someone decides to cheat on someone as beautiful as you."

"Well thank you again."

"Do you have a son or a daughter?"

"Joni is 8. She's in 3^rd grade at Oak Leaf Elementary and I think she might be smarter than me.

"Is your ex active in her life?"

"Not at all. My sister's husband has done a good job of being a good male role model when he can. But we haven't heard from Jay for about 3 years. Do you have kids?"

"Technically, I have an 18-year old daughter named Holly, but she seems to share some of her mother's beliefs about the acceptability of cheating so we're not really on speaking terms at the moment."

"Look, I'd like to hear about what happened with your wife, but only if you're comfortable talking about it."

"Actually I'm okay with it, though I'm not cast in a very favorable light, at least by my wife."

"Don't worry. I intend to find out for myself just how good you are at everything."

I laid out the story as best as I remembered the details, starting with that fateful 'we need to talk' moment and concluding with the yelling match I had with Holly and subsequent early morning exit.

"For what it's worth, Henry, I agree with you that she seems to be as much a victim of her mother as you are. She clearly took what her mother said to heart, and it sounds like she knows she went too far."

"I agree, but it hurt an awful lot that my daughter could speak to me like that and apparently have such a low opinion of me as well, even if it was influenced by Becky."

"Keep the lines of communication open. She'll reach out at some point."

"I hope so, and I may take the initiative as well. So, are you up for sharing your story, Michelle?"

"Mine is decidedly less juicy. My ex, Jay, is a VP for the Muscles Gym chain. He spends a good amount of time on the road doing inspections of the various gyms around the country. A few years ago he got a new personal assistant and, long story short, they ended up sleeping together when they were on the road, and apparently his bosses were fully aware. I got a hold of emails and such telling him to be careful about what he was doing. When he knocked her up I dumped him and I got very generous alimony and child support, plus a very nice settlement from Muscles. I don't actually need to work but I enjoy having a reason to get up each day."

"I don't know. That seems pretty juicy to me; maybe not as titillating as an adulterous excursion to Hawaii but still pretty good."

"You seem to be handling your split pretty well, Henry."

"At the moment I am, but at home in my little apartment the loneliness sometimes overwhelms me. It was the right decision, but that doesn't mean I don't miss what we used to have."

"You know, if you are ever feeling down you can call me and I'll come over. I mean that as a friend. Just so you won't be alone. We can talk, watch a movie, whatever. I've been there and I had people there for me, and I'll be there for you, okay?"

"I appreciate that Michelle. I may take you up on that."

She took my hand and smiled at me. In the moment I felt compelled to do something, so I stood up and came over to her side of the small table intent on giving her a kiss on the cheek. She made like she was ready to accept just that then turned at the last minute and took me lips right on hers. I must have shown my surprise so she set me at ease.

"That gets our awkward first kiss out of the way and I look forward to many more, including a bit longer one when you drop me at home tonight."

I kissed her again, lingering over this one for a few seconds, then returned to my seat. The meal was excellent, as was the conversation as we got to know each other a little better.

We made our way to a local dance club that catered a little more to the older set. Michelle was 35, in case you're wondering. I may have been biased but I thought she was the most attractive woman in the room, and the guys that asked her to dance apparently thought so as well, even as one after the other was shot down.

We took several turns on the dance floor ourselves. It wasn't quite the bump-and-grind that some people are into; you know, the dancing that looks like you're fucking right there on the dance floor. But we did stay very close and we moved very well together. If there's any truth to the saying that you can tell how well you'll get on in bed based on how you are on the dance floor, we'd be tearing up the sheets when the time came. I did hope to one day find out.

It was nearly 2:00am when we finally stopped at her apartment door. Her arms snaked around my neck and I wrapped mine around her waist.

"I had a marvelous time, Henry."

"I did too, Michelle. It really made me feel good about myself as well. Can I see you tomorrow?"

"You don't think that's too soon?"

I thought maybe there was some unspoken waiting period these days; it had been a while since I dated. But I simply said what I felt.

"No, I don't. If I could make it sooner than tomorrow I would."

"Good, because I was thinking the same thing. I'm supposed to pick Joni up at 11:00 so it will need to be before then. I never introduce her to a guy until we've been together at least a month."

"How many guys has she met?"

"You'd be the first."

"How about you come over for breakfast in the morning? I make a mean omelet."

"I'll be there at 8:30."

We brought our lips together and spent the next 2-3 minutes getting to know each other a little better in that way. I can tell you I didn't want to stop but eventually we did and I reluctantly let her go inside and close her door.

*****

I heard the knock right at 8:30 and I appreciated the promptness. I opened the door and Michelle was dressed in black yoga pants and a long sleeve white top, and looking as refreshed as if she had slept for 12 hours.