They were the perfect couple - Emmet and Mei Li.
A former college jock turned star real estate agent, Emmet was the golden boy to many with his perfectly styled head of blond wavy hair, bright blue eyes, and buff body. He had an engaging grin of pearly whites could blind you on a sunny day; a handshake guaranteed to crush your knuckles; and a wheeling-dealing personality of a used car salesman. Irrepressibly charming, Emmet was to me self-absorbed and somehow incredibly fake. He was always cutting some deal that would bring him more land, money, and power.
"Exotic" is how you'd describe Mei Li, Emmet's trophy wife. Born of a Chinese mother and a Columbian-German father, her cosmopolitan blend gave her sultry look of sensual sophistication. Five-ten-tall and lissome, Mei Li has this air of casual allure especially when she turned those smoky dark brown eyes of her on you or moved with a lithe grace. An airline stewardess and a model in her twenties, she met Emmet and chose marriage and motherhood. While her husband craved attention, what made Mei Li so compelling attractive was that she was totally unaware of her natural beauty and the reaction of others (especially men) to her. Mei Li truly was a living embodiment of her name's meaning - "beautiful grace."
Mei Li had been my workmate, my partner in crime, for five years in the "think-tank" cell of our advertising agency. As my collaborator, she put up with my off-the-wall creativity and antics, laughing at my morbid and ribald humor, spinning-off my fleeting thoughts and grounding my quirkiness. I, on the other hand, was that electrical charge that jump-started Mei Li's layback nature, taking her to exhilarating heights, and introducing her to alternate realities she never knew existed. My innovative but edgy thoughts were nurtured and polished by Mei Li until incredibly presentable and ultimately marketable. We called ourselves the "Dynamic Duo" (I was "Chaos" and Mei Li was "Order"), but I know that our boss and colleagues often referred to us as "the Beauty and the Beastie-Boy."
We bonded from the moment we teamed and I became an integral part of her life. Now in her early thirties, Mei Li was a loving mother two young children, a four-year old girl and an eight-month old boy. She was also a devoted wife even though Emmet less than reciprocal and was never there for her. Could you believe that I was the one who rushed her into delivery for both her children? Emmet was supposedly away on a so-call business trip the first time, and just couldn't be found on the last time.
I was the first man to hold her son moments after he had been delivered with Mei Li chuckling at my utter amazement. "Uncle Jack" to her daughter, Amy, I was the godfather to her son who was named after me. When Mei Li needed a rare break, I was there more than willing to be her babysitter. I enjoyed our outings (minus Emmet, of course) and my most cherished picture was of the four of us with beaming smiles, a happy family to the casual observer.
Don't get me wrong. It is not that I didn't date. My long line of women had always been a source of interest to Mei Li. She teased me about this one, cautioned me about that one, and voice her objection about those that just weren't good enough for me. In retrospect, none of my ladies seemed to find favor in Mei Li's eyes (or ultimately in mine). Neither one of us realized at the time what this ultimately meant.
I shouldn't have even thought about Mei Li in any way other than platonic and strictly professional. But, the truth was that I was hopelessly in love with her, silently yearning for her. Although I didn't want to admit it, it was against her that my women were measured and failed miserably. Yet, my love for Mei Li was simply unspoken and unrequited. That is until our last business trip. It was then she turned those dark brown smoldering eyes on me and her sensuous lips uttered those magical words, "Shut up, Jack, and make love to me!"
Where do I begin? We had planned a trip in which we had planned to make a pitch to a corporate client and then attend an advertising conference in the same city. Instead of staying at the conference hotel, we opted for our favorite hotel when in Chicago - a quaint, modestly-price hotel but with terrific room service, an awesome view, and quiet privacy. Normally we'd hit the city with gusto, doing a fantastic job with the client, Mei traipse through Li's endless downtown shopping, then with my tripping through the local hot spots, and have a ton of laughs at the convention.
However, this time Mei Li was just off and dud a less than stellar presentation to our client. I knew for sure that something was wrong when she declined her usual boutique romp and opted instead for drinks in the hotel's lounge. At first I thought it might be because she missed her kids whom she left with her mom since she could never rely on Emmet. But after the third martini and a light meal, I knew that something was very wrong and suspected that it was marital in nature.
"Jack, you've known many women, haven't you? Have you ever been attracted to a married woman?"
I did a silent gulp as I wondered if Mei Li was some how keying in on my silent desire for her. Shrugging, I sought desperately avoid answering so that I wouldn't betray my feelings for her.
"Have you ever found a married woman attractive," Mei Li whispered intently as she raised her head to look me straight in the eyes. "Have you ever had an affair with one?" There must have been something about the way that made her doubt my hastily stammered denial.
"You have, haven't you? And not just once...I'm right, aren't I?" Then after a long moment of thought, she then asked, "Why married women?"
"Mel Li, for the record, I have never carried on with a 'happily' married women. To me, married women are somehow unbelievably 'complete' - immune to distraction and the possibility extramarital affairs. They are immensely "safe" and as such, utterly attractive - like you are to me. With you, I am free to be my terrible flirtatious self, knowing that you'll never take me seriously." I had to bite my lip to stop myself from confessing just how much I yearned for Mei Li to take me seriously.
There was a pregnant pause before Mei Li, brushing her dark hair from her face, leaned forward and said, "So you only like 'unhappily' married women then?" When I hemmed and hawed for fear of sinking further into quicksand of Mei Li's questioning. "Come on, Jack," she implored, "I need to know. Tell me, please."
Seeking to escape her questioning by reversing the situation, I said only one word, "Why?"
