Time is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Distance is measured in feet, yards, acres, and miles. But time can feel like it's frozen in place and a few hundred miles can feel like hundreds of light years when you are away from the one you love. There is a delicate equilibrium to maintaining a long-distance love affair. Most people think that the time and the distance away from a lover keep the relationship fresh and exciting. The perception is that if you only see one another every few months, that you are filled with passion and lust for one another; that you don't have to deal with the mundane and the tedium that plague average relationships.
To some extent, there is validity in that theory. You have to squeeze a whole lot of loving and living into a few days when you live far apart from the one you love and sometimes you can't wait to tear each other's clothes off and get into some hot and sweaty love-making. Sure, there is a lot of late night phone sex, and sexting, and all the other forms of intimacy people can share with new technology to hold you over. But people who are in long-distance love affairs know all too well the down sides of having a partner who is not there day in and day out. They know about the lonely nights and empty beds, the subtle fear and insecurity that creeps into your subconscious mind, wondering if your lover is finding comfort in the arms of another. Being separated from your lover is no fun when you need a shoulder to cry on or a simple hug. The rush you get when you see each other is countered by the long, painful goodbyes that feel like your heart is being ripped out.
Once the relationship has survived the obstacles of time and distance, then there is always the dreaded "conversation," the looming question is always hanging out there, just beneath the surface at every reunion, "When is it time to move this to the next level? When is it time for us to move closer together? What will it take for us to make that commitment?" Bill and Suzy Suburbia never have to deal with those issues, never have to factor those things into their stable, familiar day in and day out equation.
Cynthia and Esteban were working out the dynamics of a long-distance relationship in their relationship. When Cynthia moved to Chicago from Philly, the couple didn't have years together to solidify their connection, they had a few months, a rough and rocky start, and a tremendous connection. If their affair was to survive, it was going to have to make it on a wing and a prayer, a commitment to honesty, fidelity, and open communication. It wasn't the ideal arrangement but it was going to have to work for them as long as they were in love with one another and determined to make it work.
Esteban had been feeling the pangs of something unfamiliar, something nagging at his gut. In his heart, he knew that Cynthia was a wonderful woman and perfectly suited for him. They were compatible in so many ways and the sex was great, which means a lot when you are "no spring chicken" shall we say. But his commitment to a relationship where he only got sex every few months had been on his mind. In his heart, he wasn't sure he could handle the temptation much longer nor was he even sure he wanted to. Sex with Cynthia was fantastic when they had it, and they had enough phone and cam sex to relieve some of the pressure but it wasn't the same as flesh to flesh contact. In his heart he KNEW he didn't want to be in a relationship with any another woman, Cynthia WAS the woman for him, but he wasn't as convinced he didn't want to get hot and sweaty between the sheets with someone else. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her but he didn't think he could live indefinitely with the concept of having sex every three months either.
He knew Cynthia was feeling the pains of separation herself. He heard the longing in her voice when they spoke on the phone, the growing insecurity she had that he was ready to move on, and he saw the unconditional love and passion she had for him when they were together just lounging around the hotel room when he went to visit. Neither of them was ready to relocate to be closer to one another again and financially it was still too much of a burden to visit much more often than they did. He held on to his love for her. He struggled to remain faithful and, if he was being honest with himself, he was ready for the relationship to move to the next level. A year of being apart was more than enough time for him to recognize that he didn't want to live without her but circumstances demanded that they did.
Cynthia was struggling with the distance as well. For her, it wasn't so much the temptation of having sex with someone else, it was the lack of intimacy that haunted her. She needed the touch, the bond, the physical presence of her lover there to keep her motivated on her goals; she needed that shoulder to cry on when she was weary. It was her job that caused them to be apart and hardly a night went by where she didn't want to pack it all up and run back to him. She made a point of bringing up their fidelity frequently enough to let him know that she was aware of his physical needs and she just wanted to stay informed but she didn't bring it up so much as to lead the horse to the water so to speak. Cynthia wasn't sure if their relationship could endure being open but she needed to know that she was going to be kept up to date and in the loop BEFORE the dynamics of their relationship changed.
With a significant tax refund check in hand, Esteban decided that the best thing to do in order for the couple to recharge their batteries and decide what the next step should be would be to take a much needed vacation for the two of them. Initially, he was planning on going to New Orleans but there, in the travel agent's office, he decided he wanted to take her to his hometown, a secluded village in Puerto Rico called Aguadilla. He knew there that they could be undisturbed and uninhibited. Aguadilla was exotic and exciting yet comfortable and familiar and someplace they could both just relax and unwind. An extended four day weekend would be just what they needed to and talk about their future and decide what was to lay ahead for them.
They had connecting flights in Miami and they met in the airport lounge. Cynthia's face lit up when she saw him and erupted in that smile that was reserved only for her man. Esteban was filled with that feeling of intense lust and emotional connection every time he was in the presence of his lady love. Thanks to a very romantic ticket agent who could tell the two were in love, they were upgraded to first class. True to her adventurous spirit, Cynthia was intent on igniting passions even before they left the runway. As they slid into the seats she leaned over to Esteban and whispered, "Honey, I'm so absent minded. I think I forgot to put on my panties." She winked and slid her tongue in his ear seductively.
Esteban tried to remain as calm as possible but he was visibly moved by her naughty revelation. He glanced down at her smooth, brown legs and ran his eyes up to the bottom of her floral-print silk dress. Cynthia, feeling particularly bold and empowered, shifted in her seat and spread her legs ever so slightly. She raised the hem of her skirt a little more to expose more of her sexy thighs as Esteban glanced around to get an idea of who was around and get his bearings. No one was directly across from them, thank goodness. Esteban was going to enjoy the ride, literally and figuratively, and with any luck, it would be an extremely bumpy one.