Charlene was sitting at the bureau gently anointing herself with potions meant to enhance her appearance. Tilting her head just slightly, as if teasing the mirror in which she gazed, lazily attending her bedtime preparations she allowed a slight smile cross her lips as she caught me watching her from the shadows.
"Just like old times." She quipped.
Just like old times... It hadn't been that long ago, had it? I began to rethink the events that had brought Charlene and me to this point in our lives.
My name is Bob. Charlene and I were married in the summer of 1979. As long as I can remember Charlene had been a flirt. Not that she made an effort of it; she just had a way of behaving that attracted men to her. I had occasion to question her several times about the way other guys were always coming on to her. She played innocent every time. She really didn't know that she had this effect on men.
I joined the Army the following year and was stationed to Ft Campbell, Kentucky. We had our first kid there. Just as the Army has a habit of doing, they put me on orders. I was assigned to Korea and spent a year there; not being able to take a mid-tour leave made it was a very long, lonely tour of duty. When I left, Charlene was staying with my brother, Sam, and his wife, Melissa.
I returned home in November of 1981. As I got off the plane I fully expected to see many of my family members, brothers, sisters, mom or dad. None were there. No sweat, I remember thinking, as I saw Charlene standing at the gate. She looked as though she had put on some weight. Funny, I thought, she had sent pictures of her and she looked slim?
I hugged her for what seemed like hours before I turned and picked up my bags, and we departed to the parking area. Once in the car, it was obvious that she had a pronounced belly protruding from the loose sweater she was wearing.
I just blurted out, "are you pregnant?"
My head was spinning with the implications of what I was asking her.
She very calmly said "no."
Not exactly the response you get when you make a preposterous statement. Unconvinced, I rode quietly the several miles to a new apartment my wife had moved into, never having thought to inform me of the move.
That first night was a re-exploration of our sexual appetites. I kept wondering what she had been up to? The following day I set about finding a home pregnancy test kit to check for myself her true status. Sure enough, the test was positive.
"What is going on?" I asked
She pulled a letter out of her pocket and handed it to me, shaking with anxious tension. Inside I found a letter in broken English describing an affair I had supposedly had with the young girl in Korea. Along with the letter were photos of our tryst. Oh shit, I thought, what the fuck is this?
Charlene explained that she had been so upset about the letter she had looked to a man at work for solace. He was having problems at home and she offered to share his grief. The rest is a story that never was fully explained, but it sure as hell had an impact. She was about seven months pregnant, and I had to explain why I had an affair!
My head was spinning. I had nothing to anchor my thoughts to. Everything I had trusted, understood to be true, was evaporating, and I was unable to check my emotions. Rage, frustration, and jealousy were alternating in my every thought. How could this happen? How can this be explained? I groped for answers and found none. Our marriage was at a fatal crossroads. I had to think clearly, and could not.
I realized that I had put her in an impossible position, but how could I accept the fact that she not only fucked around on me but became pregnant while doing it? Between the love for my family and the guilt I bore for my transgressions I was unable to make a decision. I found myself wondering what the other guy had done to Charlene while they made love, and became strangely aroused by the thought. It became clear that I was not really angry as much as I was embarrassed by her pregnancy.
My new assignment was now as a drill instructor at Ft Benning. The hours were long and arduous. Charlene had made friends and we seemed to be on the right track. Every thing was fine.
Our third child came along in the winter of 1986. We were a happy family. Charlene decided to have her tubes tied so there would be no more surprises.
One day Charlene had mentioned that a friend of hers had hurt her feelings when she accused Charlene of 'making it' with her husband. These are common accusations among army wives, but usually there is some truth to them. I asked if she had.
Her response was "no."
Where have I heard this before? At any rate, we fucked like minxes for several days after this incident.
I found myself dreaming of her fucking some guy while I was at work. It became an obsession and seldom could I concentrate on anything else. I had to pull duty at the anti-tank range one night and had plenty of time to just sit and think of her in the throws of passion with her lover. I began to write down what I thought were my true feelings about her having extramarital affairs. I don't remember what I said but it was erotic. It wasn't intended to be, it just came out that way.
The following day I let Charlene read it and she said that she understood what I meant and would like to have an affair, if I didn't mind. I was floored! My wife was volunteering to screw another man.
As cool as I could I asked her if she would screw the neighbor whose wife had accused her before. She said she would rather not as the situation was too tense. Good call. I was thinking with a lust clouded mind, and needed to do better.
We were coming up on cycle break, where we ended the training of one group and got ready to start another, and I had yet to figure a way to get Charlene a lover. Graduation came and went, we started the cycle break, and I had a stroke of genius.
There at the desk was a young soldier, maybe 18 years old that was being held over because he had been injured during training. I don't remember his name, but an idea struck me right there and then. I went home and asked Charlene if she was up to some strange dick tonight. She looked frightful, but wanted to know the details. We talked and I went to retrieve our yet uninformed sex partner from the unit.
When I got to the unit I found him in the laundry area, cleaning up the day's mess. He said hello as I approached and I asked him if he was up to a short break from his task. He was more than happy to let the mess lay, grabbed his hat, and accompanied me to my waiting truck.
He said, "I might get in trouble if I leave and the duty sergeant comes around."
I hadn't thought about this. So I went to the duty sergeant, a friend of mine, and asked, "Can I use this soldier to help me move some equipment for a couple of hours?"
"No problem." He replied.
We were back on track. Throughout this entire time I was hot, flushed with sweat, and sporting a raging hard on. We left the area and I drove around so as to confuse the young man as to where we were going.
As I drove I stumbled through a concocted explanation of what we were up to. I said that a young widow I knew was lonely and would like some safe sex with a couple of soldiers.
When I asked him if he was up to it, he exclaimed, "Hell yes!"
Charlene met us at the door and I introduced her to the young man as Sally. I was about to explode. The anticipation of this moment was overpowering, but there was no way I could go first, not wanting to leave him alone in the house, I told them to "have fun." And off they went to the bedroom.
