Mary's relationship had ended disastrously. She had been taken for granted with no consideration to her feelings or the work that she put into the house and relationship. The end came home early one afternoon, finding him in their bed with another woman. Her belief that this man loved her, body and mind, was destroyed. She swore to herself, "Never again."
John's relationship was a constant battle. The money he earned disappeared faster than he earned it and nothing he did was ever good enough. He finally couldn't take the abuse any more and left in debt.
John and Mary had gone to high school together where they helped each other with study. They hadn't seen each other since graduation and met again at a friend's party when each was looking for a place to live. After talking about where their lives had gone, their conversation arrived at the present.
"Look, we both respect each other, we both need somewhere to live, How about we set up a place together," John suggested.
"Only on the condition that there is no sex."
"Yes, no mention of sex. In fact let's make an agreement to be celibate. Absolutely no sex, no reference to sex, and no partners."
"Okay."
Mary and John found a simple two bedroom apartment and set up housekeeping together. Chores were rotated on a weekly basis. One did shopping, cooking and clothes washing while the other did washing dishes and cleaning the house.
They enjoyed playing scrabble a few evenings, watching news and documentaries on TV, discussing politics, and occasionally bike riding or walks.
They each had jobs. John worked as a programmer for a bank and Mary as a High School teacher. Everything was going pretty well. In fact John was really getting to enjoy his time with Mary, the sound of her voice, her cheerful approach to life. Mary appreciated John's energy in organising and getting things done. His I can do it attitude and ability to communicate and cooperate with her were winning her over.
Through it all, there was no reference to sex, but after a couple of months the underlying tension, almost excitement, was rising.
One Saturday morning when her chore was clothes washing, Mary came to John accusingly.
"John, I thought we had an agreement!"
"You mean, no mention of ...?"
Holding up his pajama bottoms. There was an obvious dried crusty patch on the front. "What's this then?"
John blushed, "Uh, it happened in my sleep. You know, a wet dream. Look, I can't control my subconscious. Sorry."
Mary was taken aback. This made sense, but it didn't seem fair. He got some release and she hadn't. It set her to thinking and feeling, wondering if she had unconscious sex urges.
Sunday night, John in bed reading heard a scream,
"Aaahhh, John, help! Come in here!"
John jumped out of bed and dashed across to open Mary's bedroom door. Mary sitting up in bed, pushed back against the headboard pointed up to the ceiling at a large spider. What John saw was Mary's breasts, shade of aureole under her night gown.
"I can't stand spiders, please get rid of it. I hate spiders! Please John, get it away!" Mary pleaded.
John got a large mouth jar from the kitchen and a magazine from the lounge and came back. The spider was still above Mary's bed, so John stood up on her bed and reached up with the jar placing it slowly over the spider.
Mary was entranced by the spider and by John. His pyjama top rode up, showing a firm stomach. She recognised the pyjama bottoms as the same she'd washed yesterday. She remembered the splotch that had been there. Mixed with her fear, she felt embarrassed. The slot in the front of his bottoms almost open and she didn't see anything, except in her mind.
John slid the magazine along the ceiling over the jar, then brought down the spider in the jar. Looking down at Mary, he saw she was looking at his groin, she glanced up saw him seeing her, then they broke eye contact. John held up the spider jar and Mary shrank back.
"Take it away, get rid of it!"
"Sure, I throw it outside right now."
John threw the spider out the window and went back toward his room.
"Thanks John."
"It's okay."
Later, Mary knocked on John's door.
"John, I just can't sleep tonight. I just keep thinking of, um, spiders, you know, crawling up on me."
"Yeah? Anything I can do?"
"Would you come and stay in the lounge with me, keep me company and a watch out? I'll feel better if I know you're there."
They sat on the sofa, which could fold down as a futon. Mary sat with her legs curled under her and John with his feet on the footstool.
"You know Mary, in the time we've lived together, I've grown to like you more and more. I've really enjoyed our times together."
"Me too. Playing simple games, doing day to day chores, chatting, just being. I'm glad we moved in together."
"It may be as much what we don't do as what we do that makes things so good."
"Yes, I like what we don't do, too."
John gave her a long look and Mary smiled back, coyly.
"You know, those spiders really give me the willies. But I need some rest and I want you near. Do you mind if we just lie down and rest here in the lounge room?"
"Fine by me. I'm happy to look over you."
They threw the futon mattress on the floor.
"We need separate covers and pillows."
They each got a sheet and pillow from their rooms.
"Now, I'll lie this way, you lie that way and keep a watch out for spiders creeping up from below. I must seem crazy, but I can't stand spiders. Sometimes I imagine their crawling over me."
"Look, it's okay. I'll keep a good watch."
They left a dim table lamp on and lay down, head to feet.
"Thanks John, I do appreciate you being here."
"It's kinda fun, like being kids again. How you feeling."
"Good, a bit tingly, but good."
"Look, there's a small spider up on the wall over here."
"Oh, John get it away, get rid of it!"
"It's only small."
"Get rid of it, please."