Chapter two starts, as I have done before, with a little of chapter one.
That night Jack woke up and reached for his wife before he remembered she wasn't there and why. Tears came to his eyes and he almost cried, during the next fifteen minutes, three times he asked out loud how she could do that to them.
That week was pretty much the same as the week before. He met George at the Sizzler and again they found a table in an empty area of the restaurant.
After eating for a few moments George said, "I met with my wife this week, she kept calling to ask that we talk. We met at a park she likes and we walked and talked. It was early afternoon during the week so there were not a lot of people there, mostly joggers and such. We could talk without anyone being within hearing range. She explained what happened and how she fell in love with your wife, but that love was small compared to what she felt for me. She felt bad because she did what many of us had encouraged her to: reach out and become friends with someone. She decided to get out of her shell and do that and this is what happened. At the same time, she felt that the relationship with your wife had done her some good. She wasn't sorry for the friendship, maybe not even for the love she felt, but she was sorry for the sex. She had let it go way beyond what she should have."
There was a pause as the waitress came by to refresh their drinks, then he continued, "we talked a lot more about our relationship, Normally a talk like would do a marriage good, but now I don't know. I realized that our marriage was in trouble and neither one of us knew it. We were both taking the other for granted, I was doing things that bothered her and she was doing things that hurt our relationship also. Things like not talking, when we did have sex it wasn't making love, but just basically satisfying ourselves, reading, or in my case going out with my friends instead of being with her. As I said normally that type of conversation would have cleared the air and helped, but after she went so far I... don't know."
Jack nodded and said, "I can see why you feel like that. I've been thinking about my relationship with Jennia, we were in a rut. One we could have gotten out of if she hadn't gone off the deep end like your wife."
"Have you talked with your wife yet?"
"No, it's still too painful. I don't know what good it will do."
"They're living in an apartment now, I have their phone number."
"I still have my wife's cell phone number."
They talked a little more about how hard it was sleeping by themselves, then they finished the meal and left. Again agreeing to meet the following week.
The next meeting was the same; they got their food and found a table.
George started the conversation by saying, "I've been over to their place. You might like to know that they are sleeping in separate rooms. I was told that even the night they stayed at the hotel they were in separate beds. My wife said that the affair was over. It was hard sometimes for both of them to be living in the same place, but they were determined that no matter what happened to their marriages they were never going to have sex with each other again.
That surprised Jack. He thought, at least, they would need to comfort each other, if not go all the way and have an open relationship, since their marriages seem to be in the toilet.
George continued, "I talked to my wife again. We again aired some pains. She explained that she didn't set out to find someone else to love; it just worked out that way. She does blame our downhill slide on us, because she thinks she wouldn't have let it go as far as it did if we had been close like we used to be. She said that she didn't know how far her relationship with your wife would have gone, but that she still wants to be married to me, if we can work things out. I told her I would think about it, I missed her, but the hurt I received when I saw her with someone else still was fresh. She said she understood and repeated that she was sorry she had caused it.
"Have you?"
"I have I what?"
"Thought about it."
"Yes I have, and I have made a decision. I'm going to call her up and ask if she wants to go out to dinner with me. If so then I will take her to the same place, we went to celebrate our engagement. During dinner, I will ask if she still wants to move back in. If she says yes, I will help get her stuff the next day. We have already agreed that we need some counseling so think it can work. With certain stipulations that is."
"Which are?"
"That she never has sex with your wife again, and that she is never alone with your wife if they are ever together. And that if she ever does have sex with anyone else, man or woman, then I will know that either she can't control herself, or that she was lying to me about the reason behind her affair. In either case our marriage is over."
"That sounds reasonable."
George nodded.
They talked some more, and then left. Jack asked about meeting the following week, but George said that the next week probably would not be good, but they could get together the week after.
The next two weeks were especially hard for Jack. He spent the time that he wasn't working writing, but at night, he sometimes dreamed of Jennia. One night was particularly hard when he reached for her and she wasn't there.
A few days later, he called her cell phone. It was off and he wondered what she was doing that early in the evening that her phone would be off. He tried again later and she answered after five rings.
"Jack??"
"Yes it's me"
"Oh god, I fumbled the phone when I saw your number was calling. Is everything Ok?"
"Everything is fine, uh, physically that is and the house is fine too."
"That's a relief... Why did you call then?"
He heard eagerness in her voice, which she was trying to suppress.
"I wanted to know if you wanted, um, to go out with me. I...I want to take you out to dinner."
The last was said with a rush and she paused for a second, probably remembering that was exactly the way he had first ask her out for date.
She said, "Yes, I would like to go out with you, you're a neat guy."
Which was exactly the way she had responded years ago.
"Good, I was thinking of taking you to the Writing Dragon. We haven't seen Patrick and his wife for a long time, and we both like that place."
She paused again "Yes, it would be good to see them again, And, um, to talk to them."
He noticed that she sounded unsure, and thought it was because Patrick and his wife had some experience talking with couples with the same problem they were having. He was glad that she seemed to be willing to get counseling.
"What would we do after dinner?"
"I thought we could go back to, um, our, the house to talk in private."
She made a noise like she was going to say something and he continued, "I mean talk and that's all before I take you back to your place."
"Oh...Ok I would love to go to dinner with you. And we need to talk some more."
They set a date for two nights later. That night came and he was surprised by how nervous he was. He wasn't sure how he would react to her, and what she had to say. He dressed in an outfit she liked and made it to her apartment right at the time they had agreed on.
The dinner was nice, and they filled each other in on what was happening in their lives. After the meal, he spoke to Patrick the owner telling him that they might want to talk to Patrick and his wife some time, in private. Patrick was surprised by the request, but said that anytime they needed to talk him and his wife, they would be available.
Jennia wasn't sure if she liked the idea of Jack making that request of Patrick especially without talking to her first, but at the same time, it meant he was trying to work on their relationship.
Jack drove her to their house, so they could talk about more personal things in private. Once inside he invited her to sit and asked if she wanted anything to drink.
"Just pop...I think you know what type I like."