This story is based in reality, with a fair amount of fantasy thrown in. Like my other stories. I am thinking of doing some sequels. I would love to have some feedback!
*****
"We need to talk." That was all he wrote. Abigail received the email around 2:00 in the afternoon after she returned from her 1:00 seminar class. Dr. Abigail Saunders was a distinguished history professor and had been at this University for her entire career, having accepted an appointment as an Assistant Professor around 25 years ago. Now she was a distinguished full professor. Getting there had not been easy. But 25 years was a milestone for her personally as well. Abi and her husband Greg had gotten married that summer before they both started their new jobs at the university. She met Greg in high school actually but it was in grad school where they had really fallen for each other. But now he had become the chair of her department, and consequently her boss. That was awkward. This email was from him. She looked at it with annoyance and anger. "What the hell is this all about?" She said aloud. "Talk about what, damn it!" She figured it would not be about university stuff, after all he had the annoying practice of sending her orders when it was about university matters. This was about their marriage.
Or non-marriage, as it were. Despite their 25 years their marriage was in trouble. They had only the bare threads of a friendship left, not to mention no passion or intimacy. Greg had been so supportive, and so sexually creative, passionate, giving and dominant at first. He had been everything that Abi craved and loved. For 15 years they had, what Abi thought, was a perfect marriage. They had 4 wonderful children together and they had maintained their passion and creativity through it all. Greg and Abi were open and on occasion this openness extended to special friends. Greg had even introduced his wife to AOL, giving her one of those free disks one Christmas which led to Abi discovering online sex in the 90's. And Greg had participated with her in some unique and rather kinky ways. It had been so much fun. They had had some wonderfully sensual and exciting adventures together.
But something had happened. Greg's mother died about 10 years ago and suddenly he changed. His grief and loss turned pathological and he withdrew from the family, from their friends and especially from his wife, Abigail. She had tried to be present, to be understanding, to be patient, but nothing worked. He became demanding, demeaning and sometimes plain cruel, bringing her to tears more than once with verbal abuse. He even started talking about her behind her back to the point where the Dean, Dr. Margaret Copley, had to intervene and tell him to knock it off, that it was unprofessional and unbecoming and would not be tolerated. This only helped at work, at home it made things worse. The children noticed and distanced themselves from him as well. There had been some major fights, and through it all, despite the typical strains that mothers have with their teenage children, especially daughter, Abi was hearted to see her kids start to stand up to him on her behalf.
For her part, Abi took refuge in her work, agreeing to participate in a couple major research projects that would require extensive travel. When Greg, as her department chair refused to support her, she went over his head to Dr. Copley who approved her leaves and grant requests enthusiastically. This had only worsened their relationship. She also took refuge in her online life that had started with Greg. She created a new screen name, that he didn't know and spent hours developing her online personality. In fact, she became obsessed with "Karen." Abi poured all of her loneliness and sexual frustration into "Karen" who became the sexual submissive slut Abigail was deep down and had been with Greg before. In the guise of her new personality she chatted, she role-played, she posted naked photos (with no face of course), she even cammed.
The only thing she didn't do was meet people for real, despite the myriad numbers of offers. Greg knew this was going on. He would interrupt her and when she opened her locked office door he would always make a face like he was smelling a dead rat. She knew it was her sexual desire he was smelling. She was also not shy about wandering through the house naked, even when the kids where home. They didn't mind but Greg, who had always loved it before, now became judgmental and harsh, calling attention to her body flaws like her saggy boobs and ass and her hairy pussy and thick thighs. She tried to ignore this, but it hurt her deeply when he said things like this to her and she just immersed herself even more deeply in her escapes.
Of course, time moves on and now there was no more AOL since they had discontinued chat. Abi had subsequently moved on to other sites as well. It took a lot of her time, in fact very often she spent all of her home time locked in her study. She would come home, grab something simple from the fridge, head up to her study, strip off her clothes and log in. She even played at work, but not often, only if she was in the middle of something she wanted to stay on top of. But over the years she had played at work too, in ways that might have gotten her in trouble had she been caught. The fact was, she had a hard time balancing her professional life with her online life. And it had all started with Greg's shutting her out of his life.
And now this cryptic message, "He wants to talk with me, finally after 10 years." She typed a response, "Whatever! I'll be home around 7:00 tonight. It can wait until then." She hit send. She waited, and doubled checked as she continued her work. No response. "Fine!"
Around 6:30 she checked again. Nothing! She closed down her laptop and packed up her things and turned out the light in her office and headed home. As she walked across campus in the dusk she paused and looked at her building, the building where both she and Greg had their offices. She felt a wave of sadness followed by a wave of fear and suddenly felt like she was going to cry. But she took a deep breath and continued her walk to her car and then drove home.
She pulled her little Fiat into the garage and turned off the car and closed the door. She sat in the darkness for a bit. "Why does life have to be like this? Why am I scared to go in?" She took another deep breath, left her computer in the car and walked through the kitchen and straight into the living room. Greg was sitting in "his chair" reading when she walked in. She stopped and stood and looked at him. He had changed from his professional attire to slacks and a shirt. Abi was still dressed from school, wearing her customary suit with a pair of slacks and a light sweater, over it she had her long light autumn jacket. She stood in silence for about 5 minutes with Greg never acknowledging her presence. "I thought you wanted to talk," she said coldly. He put down his book and looked at her. He had pain in his eyes. "Please sit down." He said softly. She sat on the edge of the couch with her jacket on. "Maybe you might be more comfortable if you take off the jacket." He said without emotion. Abi paused and then stood and removed it and draped it over the back of the couch. Even at the age of 48 she was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her 38d breasts filled out her sweater and she was still relatively sleek. In truth she had started to sag as she got older but her clothing did not reveal this.
"So, what is up?" She said as she sat down. Greg took a deep breath. "I don't think this marriage is working for me." Abi raised her eyebrows and felt the fear begin to be replaced by anger. "For you?" She repeated. "It hasn't been working for a while. You are preoccupied with your work and your... play (he made it sound revolting) and have no time for this family at all."
"Now, hold on a minute," She was angry and she stood, "Who was it that withdrew from the family, who has been distant and completely unloving for 10 fucking years."
"My mother died! It wasn't my fault!"
"Shit!" Abi spat out. "I tried and I tried to reach out to you, to make myself available to you and you have treated me like shit! Like shit! You are mean and cruel to me and to the children. My work and play is the way I cope with living with you! So don't give me any of your self-righteous crap!"
Greg paused, "Ok, there is no sense in reviewing all of this. Here is the bottom line. I think we should not be together anymore."
Abi was stunned. Not surprised. He was right, they shouldn't be together anymore, even their children felt that way. Abi sat and sighed fighting back her tears, "Ok, maybe you are right. I don't suppose you want to go to get counseling to try to fix our marriage?"
"No, I don't!" He answered forcefully, almost angrily at the suggestion.
"I'm only asking. So since you have come to this decision, how do you want this to proceed?"
