Passion In James County XI
Abby
By D.C. Roi
Chapter five
Abby's desire to have her husband spend more time with her wasn't satisfied in the weeks following their trip to their mountain cabin. In fact, Lee spent even more time at the office and hospital than he had before the trip. Her suspicion that her husband might be seeing someone else continued to grow stronger, but she had no proof that Lee was cheating on her. And, even though she tried to convince herself nothing was happening, the thought that her husband might be cheating on her was terribly painful.
Because she was bored being home alone all day, she had tried to convince Lee to let her go back to work several times in the course of their marriage. Each time she brought the subject up, Lee told her in no uncertain terms he didn't want his wife working. So, to keep busy, Abby tried immersing herself in other things, like volunteering to help her high school classmates organize their reunion.
Bill Coughlin, one of Abby's high-school classmates who was working with her on the reunion committee, stopped by the Marklin house one day to pick up some newspaper stories about the reunion she'd agreed to write for the local papers.
Abby was dressed, as she often was around the house, in a plain pink button-front blouse and loose chino slacks. That morning, unfortunately, she and Lee had a huge argument at breakfast, and Abby was in tears when her husband left for the office. Knowing her classmate was coming by, Abby tried putting cold cloths on her face to hide the fact that she'd been crying.
When Bill arrived, he noticed that Abby's eyes looked a little red, like she'd been crying. "Abby, is there something wrong?" he asked. He had dated Abby a few times when they were in high school, and still found himself powerfully attracted to her, even though he and she were both married. More than once Bill had found himself fantasizing about Abby while he was making love to his wife.
"Uh, no, not really, Bill," Abby replied. "I...I'm just having a bad day." She wiped at her eyes. "I'm embarrassed you found me this way."
"Anything you want to talk about with an old friend?" Bill asked. "I'm told I'm a really good listener."
Abby shook her head. "I...I don't think so, Bill. It...it's something I have to work out on my own, I guess." She sniffled a little, took a tissue out of a box on her kitchen table, and blew her nose.
"Hey look," Bill said, "I'm here, I've got plenty of time, and I hate seeing you so upset. If there's anything I can do..."
"Oh, Bill, I...I don't know," Abby said, "I...I shouldn't be bothering you with my troubles."
"Come on. What are friends for?" Bill said, "Look, I'll make some coffee and you can tell me why you're so upset." He'd taken the day off to work on the reunion, so he had plenty of time.
"If...if you...you don't mind, I...I guess it can't hurt to talk about it a little," Abby said.
Bill found the fixings for coffee, started a pot going, then he sat down at the kitchen table next to Abby. He laid his hand on her shoulder, intending it as a friendly gesture. He was not at all prepared for the sensations that shot up his arm when his hand came in contact with his former classmate's body. If this kept up, he was going to have a hard time standing up to pour the coffee when it was ready. But touching Abby felt nice, too, so he left his hand where it was. "What...what's up, Abby?" he asked.
"Lee...Lee and I...we...we aren't getting along!" Abby stammered, then she began sobbing again. "He...he's gone all the time..."
Bill and his wife socialized a little with Abby and her husband. Bill knew Abby's husband was a very successful surgeon, and also that he was quite a bit older than Abby, but that was about all he knew about Lee Marklin. "He's a doctor," he said, "They have to work long and sometimes erratic hours, don't they? You...you don't think it's more than that, do you?"
"I...I don't know...I...I..." Abby sobbed as tears splashed onto her slacks. Her body continued to shake with the force of her sobs.
Bill began rubbing her back. And, as he did, he realized he could feel her bra. That didn't do anything to help calm him. He started to feel guilty. He was supposed to be comforting Abby, and maybe he was, but touching her wasn't calming him, not even a little bit. And it was making him feel and think things that a married man shouldn't be feeling and thinking about a married woman. Abby was upset and very vulnerable right now, and he'd be a heel if he took advantage of her in a moment of weakness.
While he felt he still could, Bill got up and went to get coffee. Abby had her head down, sobbing, and he hoped she'd keep it that way so she wouldn't see the bulge in his pants.
"Go on," Bill said as he stood at the counter, pouring the coffee, "I'm listening."
"I know he...Lee's busy," Abby sobbed, "he...he and his partner are the only...only doctors who do bypass surgery at the Medical Center right now, but..." She dissolved into sobs again.
Bill picked up the two cups of coffee, carried them to the table and set them down. He sat down again, carefully adjusting his legs so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable. "For one thing, it sounds as if the two of you aren't communicating very well," he observed.
"How...how can we communicate?" Abby sniffled. "I...I try to talk to Lee, but he...he gets angry right away. He...sometimes I think he doesn't hear me at all."
"Sounds like a typical surgeon," Bill commented. He sold insurance and occasionally had to deal with doctors. "Great with a knife, but not much for talking."
"He...he is like that, sometimes," Abby replied. She sniffled.
Bill kept returned to rubbing her back and it seemed to be working, at least for Abby. She did seem to be calming down. She'd almost stopped crying.
