I walked out of the office with one of my coworkers, Chad. It was Thursday almost the weekend. My drive home is along a peaceful stretch of back roads. The drive was almost like being on autopilot. I've done this drive so many times it is routine. My mind began to wander to what I wanted to do this weekend. Nothing major, some yard work, maybe a little time in the garden. After all a middle age man should have a relaxing weekend every now and then. I chuckled at that thought. Middle age is in my rearview mirror, more like mid-fifties man. I enjoy sports from time to time, but never a sportsaholic. My fitness routine is almost nonexistant. At 5'-9", 200 pounds, sure I'm a few pounds over weight, but I guess most men my age are. I'm not obese, I don't smoke, do drugs and my alcohol consumption is mostly moderate. At lease I have my hair, thinning maybe, but no bald spots.
Pulling into our garage, I parked next to my Lana's car. She always beat me home since she starts work an hour before I do. The benefit for me is, she gets a big jump on dinner. Today was no exception. The wonderful aroma of dinner met me at the door. Smelled like the pot roast she put in the crock pot was going to be delicious. Lana was standing at the counter working on salads to go with our dinner. I kissed her on the back of her neck, as I usually do. Today she jumped at my touch.
"Sorry hunny, you startled me. Lost In my thoughts I guess. Dinner is almost ready, will you set the table for us?" Lana said.
Even after 34 years of marriage, we made it a priority to eat together at the dinner table often as possible. I set the table, and poured us drinks, then helped dish up our dinner. Lana and I sat down together and began our dinner routine. Dining and chatting about the events of our day. It almost seemed normal, but I could tell Lana was distracted by something. I tried to ignore it and continue as if nothing was off, but when she didn't even smile at a humorous event in my day. So I had to ask.
"What's up tonight sweetie, you seem to be pretty distracted? Anything wrong? Bad day?"
"No, it's really nothing I guess." She replied, then after a brief pause to collect her thoughts, she asked, "Tell me Ray, what do you know about the Rooster Club?"
"Is that the new bar over on Memorial road, across from the old Sears?"
"No. It's some sort of private club."
"Sorry I never heard of them. Should I have?"
"We got a mailing from them today, I almost threw it out without even opening it. It's an invitation to join their club. You sure you never heard of the Rooster Club?", She asked again.
"Positive. What is the club like, did the mailing give details?"
"From what I read, it seems to be a swingers club. Could you have pressed a button on one of the porn sites accidentally?"
I almost choked on a piece of potato I had in my mouth with that revelation.
"Lana, I never press buttons when I surf adult sites. I'm very careful about that. Too much spam to deal with. Let me assure you it wasn't me. So what did the letter say?"
"You know I almost threw it away after reading it. But it seemed so..." She paused to think of the right words, "The mailing was almost too well done to be a swingers club, it's kind of intriguing. It is a private club, and the way its worded, it's not a mass mailing, but definitely targeted to us. I'll show it to you after dinner."
We continued to chat bout the day as we finished up dinner, except now we were both distracted by todays mail.
After dinner we cleaned up, did dishes together like normal, and got comfortable since we had no plans of going out this evening. When I finally sat in my easy chair, Lana brought me the mystery mail, then disappeared to the kitchen while I opened the letter.
The letter read:
Greetings from the Rooster Club. We are a very exclusive club for discrete couples who are open to adult activities. We know you have never heard of our club, as we are very private with discretion being one of our top priorities. Our club has a very extensive selection process for new members. You have been recommended by one of our current members, which is the only way to be considered. Please understand this is not an offer to become members. This is only an offer to apply for membership. If you choose to pursue membership, there will be follow up meetings, where we will evaluate both of you as a couple to ensure a harmonious fit with the club.
The Rooster Club has been in continuous operation for more than 65 years. As you could ascertain from this letter, you already know at least one couple in the club already. Many people assume at this point that we are just a swinger type club. The members of Rooster Club prides ourselves as being more than a typical swingers club. We are a group of very tight knit friends that truly care about one another.
As stated previously, this letter serves only as an invitation to apply for membership, not a guaranteed acceptance. We ask that you please give this letter of invitation as much careful, heartfelt consideration as the Rooster Club has given your candidacy. Our request is that you both discuss this openly together, to see if such a club may be a suitable fit for your relationship. There is no firm commitment on your part at this time, you can choose to end your candidacy to any time during the process. We also reserve the right to do the same.
Acceptance into the Rooster Club must be right for everyone in order to maintain the discretion and harmony that our members expect.
After discussing this as a couple, please return the enclosed RSVP card in the postage paid return envelope.
Your's very sincerely,
Members of the Rooster Club
Lana handed me an old fashion she made for me, "Here, I figured you might need this."
"Thanks"
The RSVP card was basic. There were simple check boxes alongside the options.
We have discussed the invite to apply and are interested in learning more about the Rooster Club. Please contact us for further discussion
After careful discussion, we do not feel this is the proper time to consider your offer. We are intrigued, so please keep us in mind for future consideration.
We have discussed the opportunity and do not feel it is a good fit for our relationship. Thank you for the letter, however we wish to have our names removed from consideration now and in he future.
The return envelope had a stamp on it, and was addressed to a PO Box in a city about 45 minutes away from us.
Sipping my drink, I reread the letter before putting it down to talk with Lana.
"At first I thought this might be a joke, but this looks pretty official. Who the hell do we know that would be members of this club?" I finally said.
"That is exactly what I was trying to figure out when you startled earlier. I can't think of anyone. And why us? I mean we don't fit the young fitness type. We're in our 50's, I've had 2 children. I'm overweight. Not terribly, but at 5'-7", I should be a lot less than 195 pounds. Must be a mistake." Lana said.
"Doesn't make sense, but also doesn't sound like a mistake. Who put our names out there, well there seems to be only one way to figure that out. I'll be right back."
