Homecoming

I expected to hear from Michelle right away, maybe even as soon as Monday night, to let me know about her coming home plans. She'd implied that she could be home this coming Friday and I haven't been so anxious about anything in my life before!

Tuesday morning, I was in my office looking at a house plan, going over it so that our office manager could issue the building permit when my office phone rang. I answered it as I always do, "Building Codes, this is Bob, may I help you?"

"Hi," was the sweet, feminine response from the other end. It was the voice I'd been wanting to hear for so long, my wife.

My heart rate doubled in about half a second. I'd thought about this phone call for so long and my mind went totally numb, "Hi," was the only thing that would come out of my mouth.

"I told him last night," she told me.

I needed to know specifically what she'd told him, "What did you say?"

"That I had a husband who I loved and loved me. That I was going home to my sweetheart."

That brought tears to my eyes. I wiped my eyes and asked her, "How did he take it? How did you tell him?"

She paused a little before answering, "I was sitting on his lap...Naked...With his cock inside me...He was still dressed."

She seemed reserved like it had been hard for her. "How did he react?"

"He fucked me, hard!"

"Did he hurt you?" I asked.

"No, it was good, really good! We both came harder than we ever have before."

"He wasn't mad, then?"

"No, just disappointed. He wanted me to stay really bad."

My biggest burning question was, "What now? Are you coming home now, then?"

Her answer surprised me, "I can't yet. I need to be here until at least a week from Friday, possibly a little longer." Then, a very quiet, "I'm sorry."

That answer didn't please me! I didn't understand why she couldn't come home now. I asked her, "Why?"

"Sweetheart, you have to trust me a little longer. There's a reason, but I can't tell you yet."

I groaned in frustration. I wanted her home and I didn't understand! I asked her, "Are you going to keep sleeping with him?"

She hesitated before answering, "I won't if you don't want me to."

I suggested to her, "I know that Kristen has a spare bedroom. Maybe you could call her and see about staying there until you come home?"

She quietly responded, "Okay, I can do that if you want me to."

I thought about it, wondering if that was what I really wanted. "You don't sound like that'd make you too happy."

"Honey, I will if you want it."

Her willingness made up my mind for me, "No, I think I'd rather you keep sleeping with him. I saw how much you enjoy being with him."

She perked up, "I do! A lot," she said. She went on, "Thank you, honey, I love you, you know."

Hearing those words from Michelle almost made me cry. It had been so long since I heard them. "I love you too, sweetheart."

I wanted to keep her on the phone forever. Unfortunately, real life intervened. I saw that I had a customer waiting, and I was supposed to be working. I told her I had to go and she told me that she'd let me know as soon as she could confirm when she was coming home. The thought that there was light at the end of the tunnel made me smile when we told each other goodbye.

My customer wanted to know what was required for the guardrail on the deck she was building and whether or not she needed a building permit.

After she left I checked my calendar. A week from Friday would be August twelfth, nearly two months after Michelle had left and three months after we'd last made love. I have no idea how to convey how anxious I was for that day to finally come!

I managed to get through the next week, marking every day on the calendar. The following Wednesday, she sent an e-mail. "Will be flying into Seattle on Friday. Meet me at the Four Seasons Hotel, in the lobby at seven. Wear something nice, we'll be going out to celebrate. Oh, and please bring your car. I'm so anxious, Love, Michelle."

Meet her in the hotel lobby? I wanted to pick her up at the airport. I wondered why she'd want me to bring my old Corolla too, the Accord's a lot more comfortable for long drives. That didn't matter, though. The only thing that mattered was only two more days! Finally, the end of the longest and loneliest two months of my life was almost here!

The trip from Kennewick to Seattle had never seemed longer to me. Yet, it was the most enjoyable trip I'd ever taken. I knew that in just a few hours I'd be reunited with my wife, for real this time. She also asked me to wear something nice. I hadn't known for sure what that meant but wore my one and only suit. I'd only worn it twice before, once to a dance with Ginger and the other time to Jacqui's wedding. This reunion was far more important to me than both of those events combined, so what else could I wear?

I waited in the lobby of the grandest hotel I'd ever been in. I'd arrived at six-thirty. The seconds were ticking by, and my heart was pounding a hole in my chest.

I waited, never taking my eyes away from the elevator doors, scanning from one to the other, hoping every time that one opened, that it was her that'd be stepping out. I'd made it a point to set my watch before I left home, to the very second. The hands continued to move, the second hand slowly winding its way around, time and time again. When it showed 6:59 and started that last circle, I could barely breathe. The elevator door opened...and there she stood, my wife!

I couldn't move. I wanted to go to her, but my rubbery legs wouldn't let me move. I must have been ten or twelve feet from the elevator door, it was off to my left a little bit. How long did it take Michelle to move those ten or twelve feet? I have no idea, it seemed in slow motion. Then she was there, in my arms. I burst into tears with happiness, just as I am writing this now. Right this second, tears are flowing down my cheeks remembering that instant, that glorious moment in time with my wife in my arms!

Michelle's cheeks were wet. I had no idea if it was from my own tears or hers as well? I hugged this woman as I've never hugged her in my life. Then I started kissing her face. I kissed every inch of that beautiful face, and then her lips. Oh God, those wonderful lips! The fact that another man, who wanted her for his own wife, had been kissing those lips for the last two months never entered into my mind. My Michelle was home...in my arms! Her arms were around my neck and mine around her, our lips together at last!

She stepped back. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. Her first words, "I think we ruined my makeup." We both burst into laughter!

Then I saw her, actually saw her. This was the most beautiful woman in the world. I'm not just saying that because she was my wife, or that I'd missed her so much, but because she was. She was more beautiful than I'd ever seen her. Her skin was bronzed from the Caribbean sun, her fabulous hair was a beautiful golden blonde with curled tendrils on each side of her face, and her dress...how do I describe the dress she was wearing?

It was leather; a soft, thin, snow-white leather that fit her as if it had been formed specifically for her body. In fact, I was sure it had to have been made explicitly for her. There wasn't a single wrinkle or crease. It fit her breasts as if it wasn't even there, every curve showing as if she was standing naked in front of me.

She turned slightly so I could see the back. It was bare from right below her neck to the small of her back, a large oval cut-out. The hem was about eight inches above her knees. Below that, she had on shiny, black boots with at least a four-inch heel. The boots were as skin tight as the dress, extending to just below her knees, with her gold anklet hanging over one, still on her left ankle. Above her boots were silky, smoky black stockings, with their lacy top just barely exposed below the dress's hemline, contrasting with the solid white of her dress.

Her body was even more perfect than I remembered. I had no idea how a forty-year-old woman could look like my Michelle did at that moment!

I couldn't speak, but mouthed the words, "I love you," to her.

She smiled, that dazzling smile I've seen on her face so many times, and said, "I love you too."

That seemed to break the trance I was in. Michelle took my hand and squeezed it for the first time since the middle of May. I don't remember the exact date she'd last squeezed my hand like that. She told me she had to fix her makeup, then we had dinner reservations at the Four-Seasons Restaurant. I was reluctant to let her out of my sight, even to go to the ladies' room for a moment. It seemed like a dream that she was there, and I didn't want that dream to suddenly disappear as so many had in the last eight long weeks.

I understood why she wanted to meet me here, instead of the airport. This was special, a place for lovers to reunite, where she could prepare and dress for the special occasion. I realized this was as important and meaningful for her as it was for me.

She didn't disappear. In a few minutes, she was with me again. The tear streaks were gone, her smeared lipstick repaired and her make-up impeccable once again. It wouldn't have mattered to me. She was so beautiful she didn't need anything to make herself more so. That was when I noticed the fragrance of her perfume, the same perfume I'd fallen so in love with from her lingerie drawer.

She led me to the hotel's restaurant. An impeccably clad host greeted us with a smile, and said, "Good evening, thank you for dining with us." Then he bowed slightly and said, "This way Madam." It appeared he was familiar with my wife.

He led us to a table, alongside the window overlooking the harbor. The view was fantastic. Then, I looked out the window and saw the other view, of the beautiful boats in the harbor, sailboats, yachts and large motorboats. This definitely wasn't a "poor-mans" harbor. It wasn't dark yet, but I could imagine what it would be like with the lights of the City and the boats shimmering on the water at sunset in a few hours.

He asked us what we would like to drink, and left us menus, which sat on the table unopened.

My attention was still on the primary view, the one sitting across the table from me, the beautiful one. She asked me, "So, you found my letters, my little game?"

"I did, that first Friday. I thought maybe the feel of your lingerie on my fingers would help with my loneliness." I told her, "They were the only things that kept me sane. The whole time. I have your pictures framed all over the house."

She cocked her head, "I thought Diana would help with that."

I wasn't ready to tell her about Shaun and Diana yet but did tell her, "No, that didn't work out. I didn't exactly tell you the truth. After that first time I slept with her, she told me she couldn't do it again, that she couldn't sleep with someone she couldn't have, and she knew I was yours. We didn't see each other again after that."

She looked at me in shock, "So..you...didn't have anyone?"

"I had your letters to look forward to. I wanted to cheat every time but was glad I didn't. They kept me in contact with you, except at the end when they were gone."

"I thought I'd be home after that, that four were enough." Besides, she smiled, "I didn't know what else to hide." She went on, "I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself for not getting ahold of you right away."

"You're home now, though. That's all that matters to me."

Then I laughed a little bit about her scavenger hunt, "You found the best hiding places. In plain sight, in your printer for crying out loud! I knew what that last one would be, but had no idea where to look without cheating, and in the DVD player? What if I'd have wanted to watch a movie?"

Michelle giggled, "But you didn't, did you?" Then she asked, "Did you like the movie I left?"

My eyes wandered off a little, then back to her, "It was a little extreme, wasn't it? Didn't that hurt when he pulled your hair so hard?"

"I don't know. I was a little busy to notice," she giggled.

"Anyway, to answer your question, yeah, I loved it!"

"It turned out to be a little bit of an extreme night. One that I hadn't been expecting." She paused a few seconds before she went on, "It was fun, a little more than I expected might happen at a dance." Then she told me, "I hoped my second letter didn't tease a little too much."

I laughed, "It got my attention! I think you got the result you wanted. I was hard like a rock after reading it!" I thought back to that night, "Only for a little while, though." Then I got a little more serious, "But yeah, it scared me. After you were gone for two weeks, I was already pretty nervous about you being with him, then that letter. Looking back, though, I'm glad you did it, you really made me think about what we'd done."

As much as I enjoyed talking about that night with her, there was another question that had been burning into me, for the last month! "You and Brett, how did you leave that? What happened when you said you were going home?"

She looked away and paused before answering, "He wasn't happy. I know he's in love with me, but I think he understood. He's a good man. I hope he eventually finds someone he can marry to make him as happy as he deserves."

"What about you, your feelings for him?"

Her voice was soft, nearly a whisper, "I like him...a lot. If I wasn't already married to another wonderful man..."

I had to ask, "Do you think you'll see him again?"

She nodded her head, "I don't know. I hope so. He does quite a bit of business in Seattle. I asked him to let me know whenever he's going to be here."

I'd be okay with that, but another thing, "Do you think he'll want to take you on another trip?"

She looked into my eyes, "If he does, what would you say?"

She'd put me back on the spot. I took a breath before answering, "I don't know, maybe not a month...but something shorter? Maybe."

She nodded her approval. Then she suggested, "Maybe if he does, I might suggest he invite Kristen...and her boyfriend."

I thought back to that night with Kristen and told her, "Worse things could happen than spending a couple weeks with her."

I asked another question I had been curious about, "Your escort business, do you plan to re-start that?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, I don't think so. I'm not sure I could. I think I might see if my firm was sincere about me coming back if things didn't work out."

I knew I'd like that. I didn't like losing her every week and didn't want something like the last three months to happen again. I nodded my approval, "I'd like that." I told her.

She said, "I want to call Jeremy, see how he's doing. I hope he has a girlfriend, maybe the girl from the restaurant. I need to see Shaun too. I missed him."

I was afraid to tell her, but this was probably as good a time as any. "About Shaun, after Diana told me what she had, about wanting someone permanently, I thought about Shaun...I sort of suggested to him that he might want to call her."

Michelle was looking at me with her eyes wide, "And?"

I didn't want to say it, but knew I had to, "I think they're falling in love."

Michelle looked away, out the window into the harbor, for a long time. I sat watching her, waiting for her response. She looked on the verge of crying again. She finally responded, still looking out at the harbor, "It's okay. I think I'd like that, a lot like you and Jacqui. They're both so good and I think they could be happy together." She kept looking out the window and I noticed her wiping a little tear from her cheek.

To break her tension a little I picked up my menu and told her I was starting to get hungry. I was hungry all right, for my wife! But I knew that would come later...I planned to savor that delectable morsel all night! For now, though, my tummy was grumbling. It had been a long, stressful afternoon and evening and I hadn't been able to eat since I left home. We had already been sitting there for forty-five minutes and hadn't even looked at the menus yet, just sipping at our ice tea and diet coke.

The waiter noticed us finally checking the menus. When we set them back down, he came and took our orders. Afterward, I asked her, "You said you left something out of the book you wrote about that night. What was it?"

She looked a little uncomfortable, "Can it wait until tomorrow? I don't want to talk about that tonight."

I nodded, more than a little uncertain what it might be.

Michelle told me, "I was a little shocked that night when you appeared on Brett's door with Kristen. How did you manage that?"

I told her about what happened after I got the first e-mail from Brett, how I thought of Kristen's phone number, calling her and her suggesting I fly out.

She said, "It looked like you and Kristen had a pretty good time together?"

"Yeah, other than the giant elephant in the room, I did like her, quite a bit."

That was when the waiter brought our food and set it in front of us. My steak was good, but I admit, not like the one in Chicago had been. Michelle and I ate quietly, occasionally catching glances of each other. It was really hard for me to avert my eyes away from her, even for a moment. Our waiter had a hard time with it too, every time he refilled our drinks, or asked how our food was, it was obvious where his eyes were. I couldn't blame him either!

Michelle noticed too, she said, "I need to tell you why I had to wait the extra week."

"No, you don't," I told her, "You're here and that's all that matters to me."

"But I want to tell you," she went on, "After you left, I knew I wanted something special for homecoming. I got Kristen's number from Brett and called her to ask if she knew where I could get a dress made."

"I explained to her what I wanted. She picked me up and took me to a little dress-making shop she knew about, and I told them what I wanted. They were nice and said they could do it, but it'd take a couple weeks." She held her arms out, and said, "This is it, the reason for the extra week." Then she added, "It was a little over four thousand dollars."

"Sweetheart," I told her, "It's beautiful, more than worth an extra week. I've never seen anything like it."

After dinner, the waiter asked if we'd like dessert. I looked at Michelle and nearly blurted out that mine was sitting across from me. Not sure Michelle would have appreciated my humor.

We both told him, "No thank you," then Michelle said she'd like to dance. I wanted to skip past the dancing but also wanted to honor whatever she wanted. At least this time I could hold her the way I wanted!

The hotel had a bar down the hall from the restaurant. We walked in and there was a small band playing some soft rock music. It's an upper-class, expensive hotel, so the customers in the bar were mostly a little older. We didn't see anyone who looked like they were less than thirty or so. We sat at a table, and an attractive barmaid stopped to take an order within only a minute or so. Michelle ordered a strawberry daiquiri and I ordered the only thing I actually know what it is, a Singapore sling. After she brought our drinks, we each took a sip or two, and I asked Michelle to dance with me.

What a difference from how we'd had to dance together in Chicago. Michelle wrapped her arms around my neck and I pulled her close with my arms around her back. We shuffled around the floor, looking into each other's eyes and occasionally kissing. I couldn't get over how good the feel of her was through her soft leather dress. Other than a couple minutes in front of the elevator, this was the first time I'd actually held her in my arms since our last night making love, May 16th, only four days short of three months earlier.

We spent a couple hours sipping our drink, dancing, kissing and holding each other, eventually ordering another for each of us. Michelle told me a little more about her trip, what she did on those first few days after getting to Miami. She'd switched hotels the first day to the Four Seasons, Brett's favorite hotel. Looking at the hotel we were in at the moment, I could certainly understand why. It's something Michelle and I would never have been able to afford.