Beth Barker often thought about how it got started. Of course the obvious cause was one all too familiar to married couples; a marriage gone sour; a marriage that had promised much passion but had died.
Why does this happen? Who can tell? A partner who turned out not to be the person you thought they were; a familiarity that makes one weary of the same penis in the same vagina; the vagaries of middle age that make us wonder if we're still attractive to the opposite gender; the desire for some excitement -- an excitement that has disappeared from the marriage?
Perhaps for Beth there was something of all these elements in her married life. Certainly Simon no longer made love with her as frequently as she wanted and needed him to, not by a long shot. As she often told herself, "Once a month and then a quick in and out, roll over and go to sleep."
Beth had employed all the female ploys she knew to maintain Simon's interest and give him an erection, but the results where disappointing and even humiliating.
Mostly Simon would tell her to go to sleep, and on the few occasions she managed to get him to the point of penetrating her, he lost his erection before either of them had climaxed, and that was hard to do with Beth because she was one of those women who came very quickly and also had multiple orgasms.
* * * * * * * *
Many women might have suspected that their spouse was involved with another woman. Beth had considered this possibility and had dismissed it on the grounds that at forty five, the slim and athletic young man she had married was now balding, had a paunch and his complexion was mottled, and besides, she had never detected the presence of another woman in his life.
On course there was a certain naivety about this because what Simon lacked in physical sex appeal might well have been compensated for by his financial situation. He ran an extremely successful Estate Agent Business and there are many women who are prepared to close their eyes to a lover's physical shortcomings if the money is present.
But like Beth we must give Simon the benefit of the doubt since there were no known inamoratas in his life. For Beth it might have been a relief if there had been, for at least it would have accounted for Simon's sexual ineffectiveness with her.
To add to her disappointments, Beth had desired to have children. Thrice, in the early days when Simon still retained some interest in her sexually, she had become pregnant, and thrice she had miscarried. Medical science did its best to discover the cause of this problem, but finally had to tell her that there seemed to be nothing organically wrong with her.
She had never actually given up hoping, but as Simon's virility declined the chances of further pregnancies seemed to vanish into the hazy distance, along with Simon's interest in reproducing the species, that had never been as strong as Beth's.
Beth might well have contemplated divorce but that certain affection for Simon remained and, as a cynic might maintain, he did keep her well stocked with this world's goods, including a very pleasant house in a well-regarded suburb.
It was very possible that Beth might have made good her lack of sexual gratification by taking a lover. She had never had a profession she wished to pursue, so she spent her time further enhancing her home together with some charitable and church work, the later involving her in playing the church organ on alternate Sundays. Thus she had plenty of opportunity to entertain some randy young man.
She not only had the time and opportunity, but she also had the right equipment. As opposed to her less than sexually appealing spouse, Beth, four years younger than Simon, looked at least ten years younger than she actually was.
Her features were very even and her nose small and straight. Her mouth and chin looked as if they had been carved by a sensitive sculptor, and she had that great gift of gorgeous and expressive blue eyes with near black hair.
Her figure was as near perfect as it could be, with a fine balance between well formed and firm breasts, a waist narrow, but not so tiny as to make her look anorexic, and nicely swelling hips.
Five feet eight tall, sufficient of her height was taken up by her slender but nicely formed legs that drew many males' imagination to the paradise that resided at the top of them.
Beth was not averse to displaying these female advantages. She had a fine array of shorts, shirts, skirts, blouses and bikinis that tended to display more than they concealed, and these displays were much appreciated by the males who came into contact with her, or even only saw her on the street.
Beth was not unaware of these appreciative looks and dressed so as to encourage them; they reassured her that she was still attractive to the opposite sex, even men far younger than her. One might wonder why she did not use her ability to attract to gain the sexual satisfaction she needed.
Such is the mystery of woman we might never know the answer to that. We might conjecture some adherence to the vows of the wedding ceremony, or her continued allegiance to a church that frowned upon extra-marital sex, or maybe even the dread of the consequences that might follow discovery, like the loss of Simon's financial support.
Whatever the case she held back from following the course her demanding body dictated.
* * * * * * * *
Apparently insignificant events can lead to larger consequences. Such an event took place when one day she answered a ring on the doorbell.
Standing before her was a youth of some eighteen or nineteen years. A sturdy young man she had seen occasionally who lived a few streets away with is parents in less affluent circumstances than Beth and Simon enjoyed.
"Ah...er... Allen isn't it?"
"Yes Mrs. Barker."
Surprised and puzzled at having this young man on her doorstep she asked, "What can I do for you Allen?"
"Well I'm looking for some jobs."
"Jobs?"
"Yes, I'm studying and the student allowance I get is pretty small, so I'm trying to get some supplementary income."
"What sort of jobs?"
"Oh, mowing lawns, general gardening, washing cars, or I can fix things -- like leaking taps or sort out computer problems -- I'm studying electronics."
Beth enjoyed pottering round the garden herself, and she managed to bully Simon into mowing the lawns occasionally. They could well have afforded a gardener on a part-time basis, but since they had not felt the need they had never got around to discussing or organising it.
Now computers were a different proposition. Beth had recently acquired one of these infernal machines and after battling with it's -- to her -- complexities, had finally given up until such times as she could go to one of the courses on offer.
"Can you teach someone to use a computer?" she asked.
Allen grinned and said with the confidence of youth, "No problem."
"Would you teach me?"
"Sure?"
"And how much will you charge?"
"Fifteen dollars an hour," Allen replied tentatively.
It's strange that many people who have money are so frugal, while those of lesser means can be profligate with what little they have; but let me not moralise on this subject.
