This is the fourth part of a five part story and it could be read as a stand alone. I would suggest that you read part's One through Three first though. There is no sex to speak of. So if you are looking the stroke stuff? Click the back button now!
My thanks go to Techscan and LadyCibelle for their kind assistance with the editing of this story and correcting the usual clangers that keep my critics so happily amused. But I'm sure you'll find something you don't like in the story somewhere.
I would like to point out that my editors do not necessarily agree with my interpretation of the characters or the events portrayed. Any flack should be directed at me. This is a work of fiction and comes solely from my somewhat demented mind.
Part 4 – Anita's Story
I push the stiff door open, stagger inside, collapse onto the scruffy old bed, put my head in my hands and have my nightly cry. How had I brought myself to this, living in this tatty little bed-sit on my own. I had a good life, a nice house with a gentle loving husband who had given more than I ever wanted. But I had thrown all that away.
I had turned that good man into monster, who would find fault in everything I did. Who would drive me insane with his constant unspoken questions, about where I'd been and who I'd been with. In the end I couldn't stand it anymore and felt forced to leave him. But it was I who had turned him into the man he is now.
You will never believe how it started. One of the girls in the accounts department where I work, had got pregnant and decided she wasn't coming back after she had the baby, she was going to be a stay at home mum.
My boss told me that if I went to night classes and learnt how to use the accounts software they were using, I could have her job.
It was more money and I thought it would be much better than the work I was doing, so I looked into what courses the local college was running. They had a ten week course starting in a couple of weeks later, it was just what I needed and the timing was perfect.
When I got home from work that night I told my husband Martin about the job offer and the night school course. He as always, was very enthusiastic and encouraged me to go for it. That was Martin all over back then, he was always so supportive of anything I've ever wanted to do.
When I think of all the hare brained things I have done over the years, I don't think he ever once put up an objection. He encouraged me when I wanted to start horse ridding again, and even offered to buy me a horse. Then there was the ballroom dancing classes, I know he hated it, but he took me every week for months until I lost interest and there had been many other short lasting hobbies.
When I first met Martin, I was working on the tills at the local supermarket. He started coming in two or three times a day. Often buying no more than a can of soft drink and he always came to my till. He appeared very shy, in the beginning he would just smile as he paid me, after a while he started just saying hallow and asking how I was, then we would have a little chat
Mrs Sanders the supervisor, started telling me off, as he would be at my till for some time, keeping me occupied whilst other customers were waiting. But I told her, I couldn't be rude to him. One day she asked me if I liked him, I said that I did, but I didn't think he had the nerve to ask me out.
"Well, we'll soon see about that!" she replied, "You are here to serve our customers, not talk to your admirers."
The next time Martin came in I could see her watching him through the office spy window. Martin got his can of Coke and walked over to the cash tills. The other two till lines were empty, but he came and stood behind the customer that I was serving.
As I finished serving the lady, out of the corner of my eye I saw Mrs Saunders come out of the office. She came striding down the store like she was on a mission; I was worried and wondered what she was going to say to Martin.
"Excuse me young man". She almost bellowed at him. Martin was taken by surprise and spun around to look at her. "Would you mind telling me your name?"
"Martin, Martin Shaw." He answered, looking very nervous and somewhat taken aback.
"Well, Mr Martin Shaw, this young lady is Miss Anita Thomas. There! Now you've been introduced, so you can get on and ask her to go out with you, and after she has said yes, you can leave her alone to get on with her job." Then in a much softer voice. "Oh by the way, she's off shift at seven, perhaps you can meet her and go for a drink or something.
With that, she stormed off again. Martin turned back to me his face had turned beetroot red.
"Anita, would you like to go for a drink?" He sheepishly asked.
Of course I said yes and the next thing I knew, we were going steady. I had always taken Mrs Saunders to be a bit of an old cow, but I think she really had a heart of gold.
Mrs Saunders would always ask after Martin, and six months later when I showed her my engagement ring she was very happy for me. The funniest thing she ever did was at our wedding, we were stood in the reception line, when Mrs Saunders's got to Martin she gave him a bill for a can of Coke. Martin and both looked at her confused, and she told us that Martin and I hadn't realised that he had never paid for his can of Coke that day.
I soon found out Martin was not the shy man I had taken him for, it appeared that it was only me he was shy with. Well, until he got to know me, and he got to know me very intimately, very quickly, if you know what I mean.
Martin and I were marred a year after we met. Martin unlike me, was very cleaver and had a really good job in his fathers business. Well, it had been the family business but his father had sold out to some big organisation. Martin was on a very good salary and it appeared he was able to work when he liked. It was only later that I discovered he was a kind of figure head. He had a great chunk of the companies stock and could really do just as he liked.
I think he liked being what was the equivalent of the boss and being in on the negotiations for new contracts and things, I don't think he really needed to be there, but he claimed the people the company dealt with, like to meet a 'Shaw' when they did business. We or should I say Martin, (I never had any money until I married him) bought a great big detached house just off the high street for us to live in.