I adjusted my portable shaving mirror balanced on the edge of the tub in the bathroom of the hotel. I had put a new blade in the shaver and wanted to make sure I looked my best for the evening ahead. I switched to BBC Radio 2 on the phone. I needed easy listening to stop my mind from wandering too much. Shaving as I bathed in the tub full of warm water was a particularly rare indulgence for me, but I wanted to take my time and enjoy anticipating what might happen later in the evening.
Tomorrow I was going to be travelling up from London to the north of the country to Fiona’s (or Fi) graduation. My daughter seemed to have been studying for many more years than the four she had been at university, and I knew how upset she would be if Maggie and I didn’t attend the ceremony together. It would mean that I would travel up to Liverpool the next day, which would be too close to Manchester to avoid triggering lots of memories of visits to see Michael, one of my wife’s previous lovers, and the weekend in Wales when I had seen them make love together. The result was the short-lived pregnancy which nearly ruined our marriage. Now our relationship was in a similar place again.
I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Maggie. We were going to meet beforehand so that we could arrive together. I didn’t want to ruin Fi’s day, but there were things that had to be said to Maggie. After all, we had gone through, now I had to accept that there was no way forward for us both. I felt betrayed. I just hoped I could avoid saying the wrong thing until after the graduation and when we had left Fi. It wasn’t easy coming to terms with the end of my marriage.
Tears came to my eyes. I knew that Maggie had been more distant but I never imagined this. All my worst fears were haunting me. The sex Alan and Maggie had was obviously really special for both of them. Maggie hadn’t told me some of the things that were in that email. They hadn’t just orgasmed together, she had squirted too. I hadn’t made her do that.
I knew that Maggie was stressed at work and was often tired. I could see that she might like to work less. Couldn’t she discuss it with me?
Had Alan’s riches changed her?
During my career, I had opportunities to earn lots more money by getting involved in more corporate acquisition work and spending more time away from home. Maggie and I had always agreed that having lots of money was less important than time together as a family. We had enough money to live comfortably. Clearly, Alan was a successful businessman who had acquired lots of material wealth but had not had good relationships. He should be the wrong type of person for Maggie. When did she change? Or was it me that had changed by encouraging her to do things that the old Maggie would never have done?
I wondered deep down whether the chance of having another child had also attracted Maggie to Alan. It was something I could no longer give her. I felt completely inferior to this rich businessman who seemed to have everything and with whom Maggie had found she was so completely sexually compatible.
Maggie would be with Alan now. I wondered if they had already made love. Whether they had enjoyed bareback sex, and whether Maggie was prepared to risk another pregnancy.
I thought more about the email and what Maggie had told Alan about us. I’m sure Maggie and I had orgasmed together more than once during our long relationship. Despite her recent times with other men, I had always thought that when we had made love, whilst it might not have been very inventive but it was intimate and special. She never seemed to want to do more. How could I have been so wrong?
I wondered if right now they were planning a new life together. I wondered when Maggie was intending to tell me that she was thinking of leaving me. Maybe the decision had already been made. My life was coming apart. It felt even worse than the moment Maggie told me that she thought she was pregnant with Michael’s child. I wanted to call her straight away and confront her. But she was miles away and tomorrow was our daughter’s graduation. We had arranged to be there together.
I felt in a haze as I tried to work out what to do. Images of my wife having sex with Alan flashed through my head. I thought of them crying out with pleasure as they orgasmed together. I thought of Maggie in the hot tub making Alan cum with her mouth and hand and his seed shooting through the air, some of it landing in Maggie’s hair and her laughing with delight. Maggie seemed to like to take control and ride Alan in a Cowgirl position; could they be doing this trying to get Maggie pregnant?
My thoughts were interrupted when my phone by the side of the tub buzzed to tell me I had a message from Louise. I checked the message.
‘Looking forward to seeing you and doing things with you that I’ve never done with any other client. I’ll be on time, or even a little early, that is if you can be ready early too. I’m intending to give you the most exciting time. I can’t wait. Louise xx.’
I smiled through my tears. I had been so looking forward to this evening and it was due to start soon. I took a deep breath and messaged Louise back.
‘It all sounds great. I’ll be ready in less than an hour. Px.’
I sent a further message with my room number and put the phone down. I settled back into the warm bathwater. At least I could try and enjoy this evening.
I rationalised that there was little I could do about Maggie until the next day. If I tried to contact her it would ruin everything including our daughter’s graduation. This was my last meeting with Louise. Maggie was miles away. Anything I would say to Maggie could wait until tomorrow if I could just control my emotions for that long.
I listened to the music coming out of the phone and tried to put what I had learned about Maggie to the back of my mind. I found it more difficult when the station played ‘touch me in the morning’ and I cut myself, but I tried to relax and shut my eyes until the bleeding stopped. It was difficult. Once again I considered that if I cancelled everything and contacted Maggie I could see us not even talking to each other at the graduation, which would cause deep upset to my daughter on her special day.
I tried to think of happier thoughts. I thought of the pleasure Louise had brought me. As the time for her to arrive got close, I started to feel more excited about seeing her. I got out of the tub, put on a hotel robe and after another beer I just about managed to stop thinking about Maggie all the time. I wanted to shut her out for the next few hours.
Five minutes earlier than the appointed time, Louise appeared at my hotel room door looking as sexy as ever. She kissed me on the lips for longer than she had ever done before and then we sat down on the bed together. She smiled and asked me how I was.
I tried to put out of my mind my anger with Maggie, and the impending sense of doom when I finally would have an opportunity to confront her after graduation tomorrow. I made myself smile and come up with a good response.
“I’m fine and really looking forward to the next few hours with you. You are the best thing in my life at the moment, and I don’t want to think that this is the last time for us. I would do anything to find a way that we might meet again.”
“Wow, I didn’t mean to go too deep. Are things not good at the moment?” Louise asked.
“I’ve just learned some things about my wife which have made me rethink things. She’s been betraying me. I’m not sure we have a future together,” I said. I immediately regretted saying so much but it was what I was thinking.
Louise said nothing. I realised I had ruined the mood.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have shared that with you,” I said.
“No, that’s fine. I’m glad you did,” said Louise. “I would like to help you.”
We sat next to each other on the bed.
“I wish you could, but if this is our last time so I don’t see how you can,” I said. “Unless this doesn’t have to be our last time? That would make me a very happy man.”
I thought I could ask.
Louise seemed to be thinking for a moment.
“I’m going to make tonight really special for you. Massage is a great way to leave your everyday troubles behind. Afterwards, if you still feel as low as you feel now, I’ll stay longer and talk. You’ve told me enough about your wife for me to believe that she wouldn’t do anything just to hurt you. I’m sure she still loves you, and it’s worth holding that hope. Meanwhile, I’m going to demonstrate how I can make even the most painful problems disappear, at least for a few hours. And who knows, maybe I could fix them for longer.”
“I’d like that, but don’t over-promise,” I said. “I’m looking forward to what you have planned, but I don’t think it’s going to change my future. But I’d like it if you would try.”
Louise thought for a moment.
“I’ll promise you this. If you can’t sort things out with your wife, and you and her split up, I’ll meet up with you. We can talk and see if there’s any chance of us making a go of a relationship. But you’ve only ever known me through this job and just because you like the way I massage you doesn’t mean we’re right for each other.”
“I know you’re right,” I said. “But I know you’re intelligent and I can sense what a gentle caring person you are. I hope we can meet again.”
I could see that there was more to Louise than just massage, and I wanted to know her better. Suddenly this seemed possible. Louise reached and put her hand on mine.
“We can talk later. For now, just put yourself in my hands,” said Louise. “Are you ready to trust me completely?”
This was starting to sound exciting.
“I am. You’re making me feel better already,” I said.
Louise put her other hand under her chin and tapped the forefinger on her cheek and looked up at the ceiling with a smile as if she was trying to work something out.
“So, mister, how am I going to keep you happy for five hours?”
I knew she was teasing me now.
“I’m sure you’ll find a way, I’m almost beside myself with excitement. What’s the plan?” I asked.
“Well, I thought we might start with a longer version of our normal routine. So you can relax, and enjoy the sensations. After that, I thought we might repeat it with some further special variations I designed just for you, just to stop you from getting bored,” said Louise.
“What sort of variations?” I asked.
“Well that would spoil the surprise,” replied Louise. “You’ll have to trust me. Then once we’ve done the massage a couple of times, I’ll see what we can do to have a big finish. I mean, a really big finish. Now, are you ready to start, or would you like to spend some more time talking?”
I could hardly wait, and so Louise carefully and slowly prepared the room as usual. She took her bag into the bathroom and the shower started. I took off the robe and lay face down on the bed. As I waited and listened to the sound of the relaxing music and the water running as Louise showered. I thought that maybe this was the best part of the session, when the anticipation was highest, and my cock was already hard.
I found I could put my anger at Maggie out of my head for a while. I decided that I could leave my troubles until tomorrow; or at the very least until Louise left tonight.
I heard the shower turn off and the bathroom door open. A short while later, I felt Louise place her warm, oiled hands on my ankles, and the now-familiar but still amazing massage started.
I savoured each moment as I felt Louise’s skin on my skin. She moved slowly, allowing me to experience each stage. When she asked me to turn over, I drank in the view of her naked body. I was on the edge of climaxing as she opened herself up to me. Her lips brushed my lips, then as the massage was building to its explosive finish, she leaned forward and kissed the tip of my cock. She must have felt the cum rushing to the tip and she directed it away from her and onto my stomach.
It was as good as ever, but I was slightly surprised that it was almost exactly the same as the previous massage, and although it was longer, it couldn’t have taken more than a couple of hours.
Louise wiped me clean, poured me a drink of chilled water, then lay next to me and spoke quietly into my ear.
“I could see that you enjoyed that.”
“I did, it was lovely,” I replied. I waited for more, not daring to ask.
“Now I want you to imagine what we’ve just done, and think about it as I do it again. But this time you’re only going to feel my touch on you. I’m going to deprive you of sight and sound.”
I was confused. “How will that be better?”
“It will be more intense,” she replied. “It will feel different. You have to trust me.”
I was disappointed if this was the extra that Louise had promised, but I didn’t want to show it. Maybe there would be a third round, which would go that bit further. She had mentioned a big finish. Meanwhile, I was in her hands, so I just confirmed that I trusted her.
After we had rested a while, she asked me to lie on my front again, while she prepared for the experience. She went into the bathroom and had turned off the music so that I could clearly hear her using the shower again and imagined her soaping her oily body. Although I was looking forward to feeling her touch again, I was no longer hard and not quite so excited as the first time.
I heard the bathroom door open and instead of being touched, Louise placed a blindfold over my eyes. She then told me that I would need to raise my hand if I wanted her to stop at any time. Then she placed headphones over my ears. They were playing the same relaxing music that had come from her speaker during the first massage.
Nothing happened for a few minutes, then once again I felt the touch of warm hands on me. I realised Louise was right. Without being able to see or hear her, I had to focus on the feeling of skin on skin. It did feel different.
The massage was almost the same, but while I was still on my front, my legs were spread wide. I felt a warm moist finger run up and down the skin between my cock and my arse. And then it circled my back passage. I could feel a warm breath. Then I realised that it felt more like a tongue. Or was it? I could only imagine. And my imagination was starting to go wild as I imagined Louise crouched between my legs and licking my arse.
Then I felt my balls being gently licked. Or was it just a wet finger? I was desperate to know.
After some time, it stopped and my headphones were lifted as Louse whispered in my ear that she was going to turn me over but keep my blindfold in place. As I turned over I was once again as hard as ever. The sensation was so strong. The headphones were put back on and the music continued.
As my front was massaged, I had trouble telling when I was being caressed by oily fingers, by pussy lips or by a tongue. I wanted to pull off the blindfold and see and touch Louise. I resisted because I didn’t want to spoil the magic.
I thought things may be coming towards an end as I could once again feel my legs being separated and Louise kneeling between them. But then I could feel her breath on my cock and then her wet tongue running up and down the shaft of my cock, I could feel her tongue licking my balls and then sucking them into her mouth while her soft hand slowly stroked my hard cock. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from cumming for long. Louise must have sensed this also as she released my cock and then, surprisingly, leaned forward and kissed me passionately. Our tongues met and it felt like a special connection. After a long kiss, I felt her kissing my chest and licking my nipples.
This didn’t go on for long and I felt her once again move to put her knees on either side of me. I knew from past routines that she must now have her pussy just above my cock. I felt her pussy lips on my cock, pressing it against me. I felt her rubbing herself up and down. Normally she would have done this earlier, and I started wondering if there was just the possibility that she intended to go further.
She rubbed herself up and down the full length of my cock, and I felt the entrance to her pussy against the tip of my cock as she hesitated with each stroke. It felt amazing. I knew she was in control and I had to resist pushing my cock forward where I was sure it would enter her. I needed her to finish me soon or I would lose it.
Then suddenly, instead of rubbing her pussy lips on me again, I felt my cock being lifted slightly and then enveloped by her warm wet pussy. I heard her moan as she slowly lowered herself down onto my rigid cock. There could be no mistake, she had just taken my cock inside her. Bare with nothing between us.
It felt so wrong, yet so wonderful. She sat on me barely moving. I loved the feeling of being in her warm wet pussy. She placed her hands on my chest and rubbed her thumbs over my nipples as she slowly started to push herself up and down on my cock. This continued for a few minutes then I felt her body on mine and her lips on my lips. Her mouth opened and we were again kissing passionately. I started to move my hips to match her grinding on my cock. I could feel her moaning into my mouth as we kissed. I felt her pussy tighten around my cock as I came inside her.
I was stunned as my cock pumped its load inside. I knew I would regret this. I couldn’t be sure that Louise was safe. But for the moment, it felt like the best orgasm ever. I chased any guilt out of my mind. I didn’t even know if I would ever have sex again with Maggie, so why should I feel bad?
After I had stopped moving, I held her body next to mine for a few minutes until I felt her lift herself up, my softening cock still inside her. It felt so comfortable, like we were meant for each other. This was someone I needed to know better. She removed the headphones. I could just hear my breathing, and her breathing. We both sounded like we had been running.
“That was better than I ever imagined or expected. Probably the best experience ever,” I said. “I never believed you would go that far, but I was hoping so much that you would.”
Then I did feel guilty for a moment and had to add something. “But don’t tell my wife!”
Almost immediately I thought that I didn’t need to say that. After what Maggie was doing tonight, I didn’t need to worry about what she might think, yet alone that she would never meet Louise. However, I didn’t expect the reply.
“She already knows.”
The voice was instantly familiar, and I pulled off the blindfold to find Maggie, naked and on top of me with my cock still inside her.
I was stunned. Maggie spoke again.
“At least some good has come out of the last year. That may be the best sex we ever had.”
“How did you do that? Where’s Louise?” I knew I was babbling but I felt like I was in shock.
“Louise left after you turned over. She taught me all I needed to know a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to spend time tonight with the man I love. And from now on I want to spend all my freedom weekends with you.”
I reached up and pulled her to me. I felt emotional and I had so many questions. But we just laughed and then, for no clear reason, I started crying and Maggie soon started crying as well.
Between my tears, I managed to speak.
“I thought I’d lost you to Alan forever.”
“Why would you think that? I could never stay with Alan, I love you.” Maggie sounded genuinely surprised.
“He’s a more successful businessman than I am. He has a better house, swimming pool, car, plane and more,” I said as I was stopping crying.
“He’s not as bright as you. He inherited his stepfather’s property business. He’s never had to do a day’s work. He’s pernickety, even obsessive. If I spent more than a few days with him, I’m sure he’d soon find me irritating as I would find him when I upset his ordered life. He’s a poor little rich kid without your wonderful brain and caring heart,” said Maggie. “Do you think that I’m that shallow that he could buy me with all his wealth and possessions?”
“Why aren’t you with him now? How did you end up here? What am I missing?”
“Let me get us a drink,” said Maggie.
Maggie got up and went to the minibar and found a bottle of red wine, which she opened and poured out two glasses. I was still trying to work out how I’d got things so wrong. The space between the question and Maggie’s reply seemed like an age.
Maggie handed me a glass of wine. “I guess I should explain,” she said.
Maggie told me that she had received an email from Alan, which surprised her since all their previous communications had been by text message.
He had clearly become infatuated by her and had made demands which suggested he was falling in love with her and wanted commitments she was not prepared to make. These included unprotected sex, although she said that it was the emotional attachment that concerned her even more. She had messaged him to say that she wasn’t prepared to see him on the terms he suggested.
He responded by suggesting he would pay more and offered ten thousand pounds if she would accompany him to the family event and that she didn’t have to make any commitment. Having appeared to give Maggie a challenge, he quickly withdrew it. This made Maggie even more determined to say no. She was hurt and upset.
In the end, Alan begged her to at least go to the wedding with him. He had told everyone she was coming and there would be a place for her. In the end, Maggie felt a little sorry for him, and so agreed to go to just the wedding, which was at lunchtime on Saturday, but she said she would leave during the early evening and not stay with him that night. She booked a separate hotel for herself.
During the time when Alan was messaging Maggie trying to get her to go to the wedding, she busied herself tidying the bedroom and happened to find Louise’s card in my trouser pocket when she was sorting out some clothing I had left on a chair (I really need to become tidier!).
Maggie had realised I was looking forward to a further session with Louise and she didn’t want to stop me from doing so. She went over to see Kat later and explained everything and showed her the card Louise had left. Over an early evening wine, they had a wild idea and worked out a plan for a special ‘freedom weekend’ just for me. They just needed Louise to cooperate.
During the evening, they contacted Louise and ended up having a long conversation. Maggie gave some background and Louise explained that I wanted a last special session, but she was still trying to work out what she could do. She knew that what I really wanted sex was with her, but she didn’t want to go that far. Maggie did tell me that Louise was tempted, although she may have told me that because she wanted to make me feel better.
Louise loved the idea of involving Maggie in her evening with me. They arranged for Maggie to go to meet Louise after she left the wedding.
On the day, after the wedding and the formal part of the reception, Maggie changed her clothing and returned the expensive dress to Alan, although he didn’t want to take it back. She didn’t want to keep it or have anything else from him. She wanted to be clear that she would not see him again.
Maggie then went to Louise’s home to learn how to do the special massage. Louise was due to see a regular client later that evening and so Maggie went with her.
Maggie massaged the client while Louise supervised, then provided a special four-handed treatment. The following day Lousie had a lunchtime massage appointment with another regular client. She got the client to agree to allow Maggie to try out her technique while Louise watched and helped out. The client was happy to have the attention of two attractive naked women.
I asked her if she enjoyed massaging a stranger. Maggie promised to tell me more about this another time but indicated that she did find it exciting massaging naked men. She did say that neither man was in particularly good shape, and she could see why Louise found me more attractive.
Maggie got on really well with Louise and they had fun working out the moves and how to give me the ultimate treat.
This evening she had come up to London instead of going to Manchester. She had met up with Louise and came to the hotel with her, waiting in the hotel bar for Louise to message when she had finished the first massage. She said that while she was waiting on her own, on two occasions guys approached her in the bar to talk to her. I wanted to ask her what they had said to her and what they were like and if she was tempted by any of the men, but I thought it was a conversation for another time.
While Louise was showering for a second time she messaged Maggie to let her know what was happening. Once I had the headphones on, Maggie had entered the room and she and Louise took it in turns to massage me until I turned over and Louise left Maggie to continue alone.
“I hope Louise gives me a discount for not staying with me for five hours,” I said. I don’t know why I say such things.
“How can you say that when Louise happily spent hours teaching me how to do the massage? I offered to pay but all she allowed me to do was pay for the meal that we had. Louise has been lovely, and although she’s left the agency, we got on so well we said that if you’re a good boy, maybe you can have a massage from both of us one day. But you’ll have to be very, very good and I have to make sure she isn’t trying to win you away from me,” said Maggie.
“After all you’ve done, I can’t believe you’re jealous,” I said.
“I want to have more adventures, but I want them with you,” Maggie said and we kissed again.
“One more thing, you didn’t make sure I was wearing protection when you thought it was still Louise massaging you,” she said. “That’s a major breach of our agreement.”
“I didn’t have much choice,” I said. “I’m sorry, I should have stopped it from happening. I was just so worked up, so excited. I haven’t let it happen before and I won’t…”
I stopped when I saw that Maggie was smiling. She had been teasing me.
“I’m being cruel. Everything’s fine, it’s all worked out beautifully,” replied Maggie. “We don’t even have to worry about me becoming pregnant.”
“So no more Alan?” I asked.
“No, that’s finished, I promise,” said Maggie. “If you had seen the email he sent me, you would see just how wrong it would be to see him again.”
“While we’re explaining things, there’s something else I have to tell you,” I said. “I saw the email he sent you.”
Now it was Maggie’s turn to look shocked.
I told Maggie how I had seen the email. I told her about picking up her MacBook by mistake and how I had brought it with me. I had used it to send emails and while I was doing that I found the email. She understood how it made it feel.
Maggie became visibly upset, but not that I had read the email. She was upset that reading the email would have caused me so much distress.
“If you read the email, then you saw that he was falling in love with me. That he asked me to consider leaving you. I had to call him and tell him that it was not going to happen. He’s a sweet guy with too much money and not enough to do. He didn’t understand me at all. He told me that previous women had only wanted him for his money, yet he was always using his money to try and impress me and make me want him. It’s sad really. I would never trade my life with you for one with him.”
“But with all that money, you wouldn’t need to work and you could enjoy all his toys,” I said.
“You know me and love me for being me; he wants to put me on a pedestal and show me off. He would want me to stop working, but despite all the pressures, I love my job as a teacher; it’s who I am,,” Maggie replied. “But most of all, he’s not you and you are the only one for me.”
We hugged.
“I thought I had lost you,” I said. “He said in the email that you had only orgasmed like you did with him once before. I’m sure we’ve done these things. Why did you say those things to Alan? It made him think he was the best sexual partner you had.”
“I can’t remember saying that,” Maggie replied. “I don’t remember all the times we had sex. Alan was always asking me questions, often at awkward times. He needed constant reassurance. Questions like did I only like him for his money? Was that the best orgasm I ever had? What could I say? It was often easier to say what he wanted to hear. I do remember that I made a bit of a mess which was unusual. I remember that because he made a bit of a fuss about cleaning the sheets!”
Maggie continued, clearly anxious to reassure me.
“He would complain that other women had been happy to be his partner but then he learned afterwards they didn’t think much of him. The guy can’t read body language. It’s sad really. Sex wasn’t something I thought much about until that time with Simon. Now it’s different and I want to explore my sexuality with you. You’re my soulmate, and the only one who has my heart.”
“He wanted to have a child with you. Do you want another child? Have I let you down?” I needed to know.
“We’ve got two brilliant children, and we can be so proud of them. I don’t want another child with you or anyone else,” said Maggie, touching my arm. She continued.
“I’m so sorry you saw the email before I told you about it. I wanted to give you a special surprise. I never meant you to have so much angst. It must have been awful to have read that email and then think I had gone to him. You’ve got me, and I’m not going anywhere. No more ‘freedom weekends’ unless we’re both together.”
We drank the wine and smiled. It felt so nice to have Maggie with me when I thought she and I were no longer together. A couple of times I nearly cried with relief.
That night we spent a lovely night naked together. The last thing I remembered Maggie saying to me before I fell asleep was, “nothing has changed, I need your love.” Those words stayed with me and were the first thing I recalled when I awoke in the morning.
The next day we took the train out of London. I sat next to my wife and put my arm around her as I thought of all our adventures. I messaged Louise and thanked her for everything. She replied and told me that I had a special wife and that I should treasure her. I agreed.
“Do you think any of our friends, apart from Simon, Kat, Debbie and Dave would believe what we’ve done in the last year? It feels like we’ve lived through an erotic novel,” I said, keeping my voice down.
“It does feel like it wasn’t really us. I’m sure no-one who wasn’t part of it would believe us,” said Maggie.
“Do you think our relationship would have survived if you had given birth to Michael’s baby?” It was something that sometimes played on my mind.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. It would have made things very difficult, but I guess we’ll never know. I just accept that it wasn’t meant to be. I think it was for the best, although sometimes, and I hope this doesn’t upset you, I still wonder what he or she would have been like.”
“I still get excited about what happened, even when I think about some of the times when I couldn’t cope with what you were doing. Even remembering you getting pregnant by another guy is sometimes exciting,” I admitted. “I know it upsets you.”
“I think of what we’ve done and I still can’t believe it’s me. Even though it’s only been a short time since I was with Alan pretending to be his partner.” Maggie was looking very thoughtful.
“I’ve certainly learned lots about you which I never had any inkling of during our whole time together up until that first night with Simon,” I said. “I can hardly believe you’re the same woman I married. There are so many aspects to you, and even though I had incredible low points, I’ve also had incredible moments of excitement.”
“I know what you mean, but maybe we’ve pushed ourselves far enough with others. Let’s see what we can do with just the two of us,” said Maggie.
“But maybe include Louise, just once,” I said, reminding Maggie of what she had told me last night.
“Will you ever learn? I don’t feel inclined to take any more risks with our marriage,” said Maggie. “At least at the moment let’s get back to being us.”
“That sounds fine with me, at least for now,” I said. “I’m going to try and write it all down so I never forget what happened. Maybe I could write a book and we could even try to get it published.”
We didn’t speak for a few minutes as I thought about what we had done, and how we had survived, and maybe even become closer. I had certainly learned so much I didn’t know about my quiet, shy wife.
“Could I borrow your computer again?” I asked.
“Of course, I’m still so sorry that you saw that email without any warning,” Maggie replied. “After the massage, I would happily have shared it with you,” Maggie said. “I just wanted to give you a special surprise. A sort of thank you for all that you’ve encouraged me to do.”
I smiled.
“It was a shock to read the email and it caused me a few dark moments, but we’ve moved on from that now,” I said.
I got out Maggie’s MacBook and opened it. I created a new document. As the train raced through the countryside north of London taking us to meet our daughter I started typing quickly. I already had a title in mind.
Maggie leaned across to see, and I showed her the title and the opening lines:
The Twenty-five Year Itch:
How well do you ever really know those closest to you? Is there always something new for us to learn?
When I was twenty-one years old I never thought of being married for twenty-five years. It wasn’t that I expected Maggie and I not to be together. Neither of us had intended to marry young, but we fell in love, and if I wanted to live with Maggie, we had to be married.
“Perfect title,” Maggie said. “Nice start but maybe you should change my name?”
“Good point,” I replied. “I’ll think about what name to give you.”
Then she snuggled up against me, as I continued typing.
