Chapter 1 Ground Rules
My special thanks to The Soulful Bard for reviewing and improving my story.
All errors are strictly mine.
* * *
Aiko was 42 years old, her husband Gerald was 44. Their twin daughters had just started university, an event that had suddenly seemed to make their house feel empty. Both had good jobs. The mortgage on their house was just about paid off. Both were fit and healthy. Not only did they share house, home and children, but also the same values and attitudes about everything from money to sex.
They were compatible and very comfortable with each other. They were faithful to each other. Both had opportunities, neither ever took them. Where they sometimes attracted to other people? Absolutely. They accepted sexual attraction to others, and others' attraction to them, as part of human nature and as a fact of life. In short, they wondered but never wandered.
Married for more than 20 years, both had reached a stage where they felt that something was missing, an inexplicable emptiness that did not jibe with their love for each other. They couldn't put a finger on why or when this sense of emptiness started. They just knew it was there. It had crept up on them.
In the beginning of their life together, the sex was hot. They were more experimental in their youth, discovering the joys of various positions and techniques. But over the years, their sex life fell into a routine, especially after the twins were born.
Thinking back on their sex life together, Gerald remembered that he almost always had to take the initiative. His wife, Aiko, almost always acquiesced. Clearly, she enjoyed sex. But sometimes he wished she would take the initiative, surprise him, intrigue him, do something really different.
She was a real go-getter at work, a person who took initiative. In family and household matters she even usually took the lead. With her friends, acquaintances and clients, she revealed a forceful and outgoing character. In short she was no doormat. She made rational decisions, thought out her opinions, and showed leadership.
On sexual matters Aiko displayed deference and diffidence toward Gerald, a characteristic that he attributed to her cultural background. She was shy but she no prude. Once the love play started, she was an enthusiastic lover.
As the years went by, they concluded that they would have no more children. To avoid an accidental pregnancy, and being not particularly fond of using condoms, Gerald underwent a vasectomy, a procedure that was less invasive for men than the equivalent would be for a woman.
When the children were young, vacations involved the entire family and the family stayed relatively close to home. They usually rented a cottage or camped. Now that they were well established in their careers and the children were essentially out of the house, the couple found more time for themselves. They resolved to travel on their vacations once or twice a year depending on the length of the vacation and how much vacation time they had available. They also took up dancing because it was a healthy form of physical activity and a hobby they could share. Still, something seemed to be missing.
* * *
Deep in thought, trying to shake off his unease, Gerald looked toward his wife. She was dressing down after a hard day's work.
'God, I love this woman,' he thought. 'I would do anything for her.'
His mind wandered off to the time when he first met Aiko. She was petite. Her figure was slimmer, almost thin, in those days. Her face was round, her features delicate and smooth. Her hair jet-black hair stood in sharp contrast to her lily-white skin.
What Aiko lacked in stature, she more than made up for with a strong, seemingly self-assured, outgoing and sometimes even forceful personality. Her intelligence and straightforwardness were characteristics that Gerald found both attractive and endearing.
They met while both were working on their master's degrees in information studies. She specialized in research librarianship, he in records and information management. He first noticed her in the lecture theatre in a course that they shared, one about research methods. She was sitting near the front row talking to a guy sitting next to her. At first, he assumed he was her boyfriend, but soon found out that they were just classmates.
One rainy day, while he was eating in the crowded noontime lunchroom, he saw her come in and start wandering around the lunchroom looking for a place to sit. The seat beside him was vacant.
"Is someone sitting there?" she asked.
He opened his hand, gesturing toward the open seat. "It is if you take it," he smiled.
She smiled too and sat down.
A few moments of awkward silence followed.
Noticing that she was shy, Gerald tried to make conversation. "I've seen you in the research methods class." Then added, "Oh, by the way, I'm Gerald and you are?
"Aiko."
"That's a nice name," he said. "Does it have a meaning?"
"Thank you, and yes, it does. It means 'love child'."
"That is so sweet," he had said as she had blushed.
They talked about their other classes. From there, they progressed to talking about their interests and careers. By the time lunch was over, they behaved as if they had been friends for ages.
Gerald found himself strangely attracted to this thin Asian beauty. His 'type' was normally more buxom and broader. It had never crossed his mind to date an Asian woman. But then again, there were few Asians where he grew up.
He remembered the odd feelings he had when he was with her. He was attracted to her, but it wasn't just sexual attraction. There was more; he just felt it. He felt comfortable with her. Even more oddly, he felt an overwhelming desire to protect her.
When lunch was over, they agreed to meet regularly for lunch. It was not long before he asked her for a date. Much to his delight, she accepted. From there, their relationship progressed, became deeper and eventually more intimate. First came the kisses and touches. Then they made out. He remembered how excited he was the first time they had sex.
In the first summer of their romance, which coincided with the completion of their Master's Degree program, Aiko left for Japan to visit her relatives. Although she would be away for a month, her absence left a void in his life.
For days he thought about her. He couldn't get her out of his head. He missed her. It was as if she had cast a love spell on him before she left. Then it hit him. Without knowing how and when it happened, he suddenly realized he was in love with her!
He became uneasy. He began to worry. Did she love him? He thought so but nonetheless he felt insecure. Would she find a lover in Japan? He knew her parents were pushing to find a Japanese husband, or at least one of Japanese descent. Aiko's parents were first-generation Japanese and on matters of marriage and family they were quite traditional.
She was their only child. Her parents made sure that their daughter spoke and read Japanese while she was growing up. They encouraged and supported her ambition to achieve an advanced level of education, including a Bachelor's and Master's Degree. In this sense, they were quite progressive. Her parents were fortunate to have such a studious daughter. She was fortunate to have such supportive parents.
Gerald had to tell himself to calm down. 'She said she was coming back,' he consoled himself. 'After all, she accepted a job at the university's science research library!'
Aiko returned. He saw her face shine as soon as she saw him again. He had no doubt that his face shone too.
As soon as Aiko had settled in, Gerald took her out for a walk. It was early evening. Gerald was nervous.
Aiko had noticed. "Is there something wrong, Gerald?
Gerald held her hand. 'I missed you so much, it was painful," he said.
"I missed you too, Gerald. It was only a month but it seemed like forever." She squeezed his hand.
Still holding her hand, he looked into her eyes, nervously. He felt butterflies in his stomach. His hands were sweaty.
'Now,' he told himself, 'before you lose your nerve.'
"I love you, Aiko. Will you marry me?" he blurted without preamble.
Her eyes flew wide-open. She was stunned. He had said the magic words, both sets of them.
She smiled. "I love you too, Gerald. I will be proud to be your wife and the mother of your children," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
Gerald got an instant hard-on. Aiko became wet. They embraced and kissed each other passionately, and made love that very night.
* * *
Of course, two decades had altered her appearance somewhat. She had some wrinkles. Her hair, while still mostly black despite being in her forties, had a sprinkling of grey hairs.
Gerald discouraged her from dyeing her hair. "Why bother spending money and time on something like that?" he had said. "Grey hair hasn't and won't change my feelings for you."
She had agreed. She was not a vain person.
She had filled out more too. Her figure was curvier, less linear than it was when she married Gerald. Her firm, luscious breasts looked large on her petite body. Her figure reminded Gerald of the lusciously erotic females depicted in Japanese manga and anime. He actually thought she was even more attractive now then when he first met her.
'How do I reconcile my seemingly contradictory thoughts?' Gerald asked himself. 'She is as sexy as ever. So why do I feel something is missing.'
Gerald himself was a second-generation German. His blond hair and squarish features were evidence of his Teutonic ancestry. A child of immigrants, Gerald's parents had insisted he learn German. When he was old enough, they sent him to his aunt in Germany for the summer. He also learned French in school and university and took advantage of student exchange programs to stay in Montreal and Paris.
Gerald had a somewhat more laid-back approach to life than his wife. He preferred to observe before commenting. Aiko could always tell when he was being thoughtful.
She remembered that her tradition-bound parents were not happy with Gerald as her choice for a husband. They had anticipated she would marry a man in the Japanese community. Eventually, though, they reconciled themselves to their daughter's choice. She was happy. He treated her well. He was very attentive to their children and actively involved in raising them. He always showed respect to his in-laws.
* * *
"Out with it," she said, curious to know what he was thinking about. "I can tell something's on your mind but I can't read it."
Gerald snapped out of his reverie. "You're right, hon. Something is bothering me, but I just can't put a finger on it." He seemed to be in the doldrums.
She had felt them recently too. "Are you falling out of love with me?" she asked out of the blue.
"No, it's nothing like that, sweetheart," he rushed to assure her. "I still love you very much. I wouldn't hurt you for anything in the world."
She studied her husband for a moment. He still cut a fine figure even after all these years. True, he had more wrinkles. His hair had darkened from blonde to an almost mousy brown colour with flashes of grey.
