I couldn't believe it. After 24 years of marriage, two wonderful boys, both doing very well in college, a colleague of mine at work was sitting in my office telling me that I better pay more attention to my home life.
"Listen Bill", he said, "my wife and I have gone through some tough times too. You are 46 years old, your wife is 45, its natural for some boredom to set in. There might not be anything to it . Its just that, as a friend, I thought you should know that last Thursday night when you were out of town, I saw Sally leaving the Hilton Hotel at midnight on the arm of some guy."
I was thunderstruck. I had the all-American life. Great wife, great kids, good jobs, upscale house; the whole ball of wax. Sally and I had never even looked at other people. We had created a wonderful home for our family and had spent the last 24 years building something that all of our friends were envious of. Sally and I kept in shape and I thought we were more in love than ever. Of course we had a few arguments, but they were few and far between. Sometimes we had spent a lot of time with the kids and with our jobs, but I thought that's what we wanted to do for the future, to ensure the good life.
I had called her at dinner time last Thursday night from the road and she said she was going to curl up with a good book for the evening.
The rest of the morning I couldn't get the thought of Sally screwing another man out of my mine. It made me physically sick. I started to review the last year in my mind. Thinking if there had been any change in her attitude, or when she might have had the opportunity to have an affair.
I couldn't think of anything. She had been working harder the last three months, but that was because her company was being reorganized and she had a new boss. Come to think of it the frequency of our own sex had dropped during the last three months. Down from three times a week to once a week or even once every two weeks in some cases. I hadn't even realized it. Damn I guess we were getting comfortable.
I went to my friends office and asked if he would recognize the man. He said he thought he would. I asked if he would go to lunch with me. On the way we would stop by Sally's company and he could see if he spotted the man. He reluctantly agreed and a few minute before noon we were driving across town. We entered Sally's building and stood at the elevators. The doors opened and getting off was Sally and a fit looking man in his late thirties.
"Bill," she stammered turning red, "What are you doing here. I was just going to lunch with Mr. Bates my new boss. I've told you about him."
I shook hands with Sally's boss and introduced my friend.
I turned to Sally and said, "we were in the area and just though I'd stop by to say hello and give you a kiss!"
With that I put my arms around Sally and tried to kiss her, but she turned her head at the last minute and I kissed her cheek.
Sally said, "We have to go to a lunch meeting, thanks for stopping by, I'll see you at home tonight honey."
Minutes later, back in the car, my friend said that Sally's boss was the man he had seen her with. I watched to see what kind of car Sally and her Boss got in to, then purposely drove away before them. Looking in the rearview mirror I saw their car pulling out in the other direction.
I told my friend thanks for going with me and took him back to our office building. After letting him out I drove to the Hilton Hotel to look in the parking lot. Sure enough, the fancy Lexus that Sally had gotten in, was parked on the top level of the parking garage at the Hilton.
Now I didn't know what to think. There was a good restaurant in the Hilton. They could have a legitimate business luncheon there. But the seed of doubt had been planted, actually it wasn't a seed it was a huge Oak Tree of doubt.
I was lost in thought all afternoon. I decided that I didn't want to throw away the life I had built. I wouldn't confront Sally. I would make greater efforts to be a better husband, and ask her if everything was all right. However, I would also keep my eyes and ears open for any lies she might tell.
I couldn't believe this. The person I loved most in the world. The person I would trust my life with. The person I wanted to grow old and die with. Now I was going to try and catch my darling Sally in a lie.
Over the next month I was especially attentive to Sally. I brought her flowers, took her out to romantic dinners when our schedules permitted, even drove the two hours to our son's college and spent the weekend doing family things with them. I hoped that all of this would rekindle a spark in her. I hugged her more often, held her hand and generally acted as if I was courting her all over again. Nothing seemed to change. She was often quiet and distant. Sometimes she had a look of guilt on her face.
Our love making continued to drop in frequency. Part of that was because I couldn't get the vision of her rolling around naked with what I imagined was a very well endowed Mr. Bates out of my mind.
These unwanted visions were very graphic and included Sally on her knees licking the length of his engorged cock while he smiled down at her and caressed her hair. Another vision included Sally on her hands and knees, her breasts swinging like two pendulums as her boss steadily stroked his 9 inches in and out of her while she grunted obscenities. The worst dream showed Mr. Bates and Sally on their sides in a sixty nine position Sally deep-throating his massive prick, fondling his hairy balls with one hand while she stroked his ass hole with the fingers of her other hand, at the same time Mr. Bates was sucking her prominent and erect clit, finger fucking her with three fingers of one hand while he buried the middle finger of his other hand in her ass hole up to the last knuckle.
To make matters worse, those times I did make romantic overtures, Sally just didn't seem interested in sex. She even stopped wearing nightgowns to bed in favor of ugly flannel pajamas.
I even had a terrible thought while visiting our sons at college. Our first boy looked a lot like me. He was dark haired and tall with a slender build. Our second son, three years younger, now 19, was short and blond with the build of a wrestler. Could our whole 24 year marriage be a sham? Had I been raising someone else's bastard child? I loved my boys with all of my heart. I would do anything for them. But the doubts continued to grow.
Finally, six weeks after my friend had told me to be careful, I decided I had to find out the truth. That night I asked Sally if she were OK? Was there anything that she wanted to talk about? I felt that she was becoming distant and I loved her with all my heart. I didn't want to lose her. If she would talk to me I would do anything for her.
She got that guilty look on her face, but quickly covered it up and said, "everything is fine." She went on to say that, "our life was good, it was just that she was working hard and missed having the boys at home."
But she never said she loved me.
I hugged her to me and whispered my love for her.