Beth and Tom had been married for twelve years. Like many couples in that stage of marriage, their time was focused more on raising the next generation of good humans than on each other. Weeks were spent on work, shuttling from one after-school activity to another, finding time for a decent meal together, and homework. Weekends were for sports, birthday parties, and family outings to make the most of the years when the kids were still interested in spending time with their parents.
Despite the chaos, they always made sure to have a date night each month. Their middle-class income meant the nights weren't extravagant but it gave them important time to tend to each other's needs and keep their relationship solid. Tonight's date was typical for them, stopping by a local diner for an inexpensive sandwich and a shake and then heading to their local movie theatre to see whatever was playing.
This week, the pickings were even thinner than usual. They settled on a romantic comedy nearing the end of an acceptable but unimpressive theatre run. No one would be surprised if this fourth week ended up being its last before film execs shuttled it over to whatever streaming service was desperate enough to bid for it.
Beth knew that Tom wasn't interested in the movie and this was more of a choice for her than for him. But with nothing that offered a better compromise between their tastes, he was happy to indulge her in seeing what she agreed would be two hours of nonsense. Two hours of nonsense that she wouldn't mind though. She could use a mental vacation and a dumb comedy in a cool theatre with her husband would occupy her brain for a short time with something other than her normal day-to-day stresses and anxieties.
Beyond the lack of other choices, she knew Tom was willing to go along with her suggestion because it meant the theatre would be empty or at least close to it. Their local multiplex didn't get as much traffic anymore. Even for good movies, a full house was rare. So for a mediocre romantic comedy at the end of its run, it wouldn't be a surprise if they were the only people who showed to see it off into the streaming world. They enjoyed not only the extra space and ability to chat during the movie afforded them by an empty theatre but also had gotten into the habit of fooling around a little as long as no one was sitting in a spot where they would be seen.
They weren't a young couple anymore and had a nice bedroom at home with a comfortable bed so they weren't doing anything excessive. Maybe leaning in for a kiss here and there. Maybe hands venturing to each other's thighs. Maybe even those same hands loosening pants for sensitive skin-to-skin contact, gently rubbing or stroking away some of the past month's stress. For Beth, a quiet orgasm wasn't out of the question. For Tom, he would have to wait until they returned home and the kids were asleep to receive his reciprocation.
On these trips, Beth found that something about touching her husband while relaxing and watching a film with a whole theatre to herself helped relieve her stress. Doing the same thing on the couch at home wasn't the same.
Tom was quiet tonight. Both at the restaurant and in the car. He wasn't cold or distant and she knew he was happy to be out with her, to have this one night per month to themselves. But she also knew he was exhausted. His job had applied an unusual amount of stress on him over the last month. He had powered through as he always did hiding the impact from his family as much as possible. But being married as long as they had, the effect was obvious to her. She didn't press him and allowed him the space to decompress but loved him enough to want to help. She rolled through the last few weeks in her mind remembering all the long days when he didn't finish work until after their normal dinner time. Since he wasn't interested in the movie tonight, she decided to pay him a little extra attention. She would watch her dumb movie and with any luck, relieve some of the pressure that had built up inside him. As they pulled into the parking lot with only a few cars scattered across what was now an excessive amount of spaces, she smiled. It appeared they would be alone enough for her to lean back in her reclining chair and touch her husband without worry.
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At a fancier more expensive restaurant a few minutes away from the diner where Tom and Beth shared their dinner, Jackie and Angela enjoyed each other's company as had become their habit at least once per week over the last year or so. They first met at the local community center as part of a book club. Both women had the unfortunate experience of being widowed earlier than they ever would have imagined. And both were now navigating their 50s being single empty nesters with more free time than they'd ever had as adults.
For Angela, a little over two years had passed since she'd lost George. The book club where she met Jackie was her first attempt at socializing since it happened. She'd only gone because her kids had been harping on her so much to get out and do something that she wanted to get them off her back and stop their worrying. But she also had to admit, they were probably right. The time had come and she needed to start living her life again.
Jackie had welcomed her as soon as she arrived and Angela could tell that Jackie was one of the leaders of the group. Over the next few months, she'd learn that Jackie had also lost her husband. But it had been four years by the time they met. She admired how strong Jackie was and how well-adjusted she appeared in this new phase of her life. Each time they talked, which became more and more frequent, Jackie had a new story about something from work or gossip from the community center or the YMCA. She was always taking little day trips and after a few months, began inviting Angela. More than anything, those trips started to bring Angela back into the world.
On one of those trips, Jackie brought up the subject of dating for the first time. Angela scoffed at the idea. She wasn't interested and couldn't imagine dating anyone after George so Jackie let it go. But while Jackie never bragged, Angela began to realize that Jackie had started dating again. At first, Angela ignored it figuring it was none of her business but over time, her curiosity got the better of her and she started asking questions. Usually after a few drinks. And the answers always surprised her.
Jackie not only was dating, but she had quite a few men with whom she spent time. She wasn't ready for anything serious and made that clear to her suitors but she also wasn't going to spend the rest of her life without physical affection. The more Angela learned about Jackie, the more she was impressed with her new friend. She had found a way to move into a new second phase of her life that was different from her life with her husband but still fulfilling. To Angela, that level of contentedness seemed unattainable. She couldn't imagine a well-rounded life without George. But she was happy to have Jackie as a friend and to experience her life vicariously. Away from Jackie though, most of her time was still spent alone. And she had a hard time imagining that ever changing.
But tonight she wasn't alone. She was with her friend. And that made it a good night. She and Jackie had picked a new Japanese Mexican fusion restaurant that opened in the space where a Spanish Thai fusion restaurant had just closed a few months ago. Apparently, this location was stuck in some kind of early 2000s fusion cuisine Groundhog Day situation and they were sure the food wouldn't be much better in this incarnation. But Angela and Jackie weren't there for the food anyway. They were there to people watch and gossip and most of all, enjoy each other's company.
Jackie told a story about a recent trip she'd made to go antiquing a few hours away. She casually mentioned that she'd brought a friend with her and when the friend had a man's name, Angela couldn't help herself. She asked if he was just a friend or maybe a little more. Jackie gave her a little smile and said that he was maybe a little more than a friend. She said she'd met him at the YMCA a few months ago and had enjoyed him enough to take him away for a weekend. When Angela asked how the trip went, all Jackie would say about the man was that he had held up his end of the bargain. She was more interested in talking about some of her finds at one of the shops they'd visited.
While they waited for the check, Jackie made a half-hearted attempt to convince Angela to join her at the Y next week. She had free guest passes and tried to sell Angela on the benefits of yoga. But Angela knew what this was really about. The Y was one of the places Jackie had the most luck meeting men and she was trying to gently nudge Angela in that direction. She appreciated her friend's efforts but politely declined.
As they got ready to leave, they made a last-minute decision to see a movie. The only thing playing was a romantic comedy that had been out for a while. But they hadn't seen it and anyway, they weren't any more interested in the movie than they had been in the restaurant. Angela knew it was just a good excuse for Jackie to get her to spend another two hours somewhere other than home. But she didn't mind. In fact, she appreciated it. She was having a good time tonight and was happy to extend the evening with her friend.
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Beth and Tom walked into the theatre to find it empty. As they always did in these situations, they picked their favorite seats in the middle of a row in the upper half of the theatre. They didn't like sitting too close and also preferred to have no one sitting behind them in case they got bored and wanted to scroll on their phones for a few minutes during a down time in the movie. Or if they wanted to distract themselves in another way.
Not long after they arrived, the parade of previews started. Every movie looked better than the one they were seeing tonight. They made mental notes of the ones they might want to see in the future knowing full well that their decisions about what to see always came down to whatever was playing at the specific time on the exact day they were able to fit in a date night. But sometimes they got lucky and even if not, watching on demand at home later was an option too.