Losing Everything to Science

Losing Everything to Science

Watching my best friend heal my wife.

(NOTE TO READER: This is not a "quick-relief" story. Instead, the slow build examines the eroticism of both the body and the mind to explore the complicated relationships between average people and their sexual desires. It contains themes of extra-marital relationships and group sex, with the character's personal reflections on the ecstasy and consequences of their actions. All participants are consenting adults. If you give it a few minutes, I think you will really enjoy it.)

By TheErosBard

© 2022

PART 1

This story recounts true events of two years ago and its aftermath. It remains one of the most confusing yet consequential events of my life. I tried to repress or rationalize it as a one-time mistake, but now I admit my own culpability in a moment that continues to shape our future to this day?

At the time of "That Night", Jenn and I had been married for five years. We'd met at an Ivey League college on the East Coast where she was in law school, and I was completing a master's degree in mammalian biology.

In appearance, Jennifer was very much a Girl Next Door type with a quiet beauty and sex-appeal, clearly of Nordic decent, medium stature at 5'4" with pale skin, blue eyes, abundant blond hair which fell well below her shoulders and pleasing feminine curves accented with modest but pronounced breasts. A lithe and well-proportioned body honed by years of track-and-field and dance.

While our initial attraction was intense, we were able to respect one another's heavy academic responsibilities. Our relationship still thrived through these times of great stress, convincing us that we were "meant to be". Shortly after graduation we got married and moved to a major West Coast city to start new jobs in our respective fields.

In the background to all of this was "Dom", or more accurately Domingo. We met at freshman orientation, ending up in the same dormitory reserved for advanced science students. As aspiring Doctors we'd both enrolled in the Pre-Med program, sharing many classes, but our friendship was sealed over our mutual passion for Rugby. During the inevitable roommate shuffle, within a month Dom and I were sharing a cramped dorm room and became inseparable given our largely identical class, sports and social schedules. We became the brothers we never had growing up. Domingo's Anglo nickname was "Prince Dom", a joke based on his striking resemblance to a famous bad-boy music star all over the news at that time. Amid our very white and privileged student body, he was our swarthy Mexican Prince and the name stuck.

Given our very different backgrounds, I was a little surprised how close we became. I was a WASP kid from a ritzy suburb of a major midwestern city, raised in upper middle-class privilege with two very successful parents. My two sisters and I grew up with opportunities not available to most, but our parents made sure we remained grounded. We worked hard academically, immersed ourselves in school athletics, volunteer community activities, and worked crappy high-school jobs to earn spending money and buy our first car. Fortunately, we all left high school on the fast-track to success with partial scholarships to elite schools. I knew I was lucky but felt I had earned my way.

Dom could not have been come from more different circumstances. The child of a large family of migrant workers from the central California agricultural valley, Domingo's path to our elite institution involved unbelievable sacrifices from himself and his family. While I was moaning and groaning about getting out of bed at 6:30am to get to school, Javier had been up since 4:30am working the fields before the 45-minute school bus ride to a full day of classes, after-school AP tutoring sessions and varsity sports, eventually getting home between 8 and 9pm with homework late into the night. His household of nine sacrificed, forgoing any luxuries so that all their financial resources could be directed to providing their children a pathway out of that life. He was a second-generation immigrant, the first to graduate from high school and go to college, the youngest child and only boy of five girls before him.

So, while I tried to convince myself that I had "earned" my rightful place at our school, Dom's road to our quiet tree-lined college town was a humbling American success story. Most importantly, while he could have been a jerk given his achievements and the obstacles he faced to get here, he turned out to be one of the most humble and nicest guys you'd ever meet.

While I was an over-achiever in the traditional mold and comfortable in my erudite surroundings, in truth I was a very average kid. In looks, stature, and charisma, I was nothing special and, if I'm honest, was only moderately successful with the opposite sex. I'd had a few serious girlfriends, but I had to admit that Javier's dark good looks, shy but witty personality, and impressive physique from a lifetime of physical labor, made him swoon-worthy amongst our female classmates, something he never seemed to notice.

And so, Mr. Average Me made it my job to get Dom out of his shell and laid, to varying levels of success. The problem was him, rather than the more-than-willing Lovelies. Nevertheless, looking back I think one of my greatest contributions to Dom's life was helping him to be comfortable with his success and enjoy the well-earned rewards of his hard work and sacrifices.

For the next six years of undergraduate and graduate school and we were inseparable, sharing an apartment and navigating life's ups and downs, getting to know each other better than we knew ourselves.

Eventually we both realized the call of Medical School was not what it once was. Instead, Dom found his passion in the anatomical sciences and elite sports, his once refuge from the poverty and prejudice of his youth.

During our sophomore year of college, Dom sustained a serious Rugby injury, and the subsequent physical therapy and alternative movement exercises led him to discover Yoga, Tai Chi and related meditative practices, a vegan diet, and Eastern philosophies. He would go on to get degrees in Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, becoming a Yoga master and teaching meditative and alternative medicine. He would later shock his traditional Catholic family by studying to become a Buddhist monk.

Likewise, the more I learned about the business and lifestyle of modern medicine, the less I wanted to spend another 8-10 years learning to pop pimples and check hemorrhoids. After coming to terms with my doubts, I finally admitted to myself that what I really loved was the science, academic research, and anthropological history of how humans evolved over the millennia, leading me eventually to a master's degree in biological sciences.

PART 2

And that is when I met Jennifer, as she picked up her roommate one night at the end of a study group I was hosting at our apartment.

Once the first words of introduction had been uttered, I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Breathless, she and I stared at one another for what, we were later told, was almost a full minute. For me it was an out of body experience, the proverbial lightning strike, and members of the group tell the story that all conversation stopped, wondering what was going on between me and this girl. I think someone eventually punched me from my catatonic state.

After a few awkward meetings for coffee and "running into her by accident" on campus (what she called "cute stalking"), things quickly grew between Jenn and me. Since we both were incredibly busy, every moment we could snatch was more valuable than gold. To this day, I'm amazed we didn't chuck it all, skip all our classes and spend six months in bed together, but I guess one of our mutual attractions was our discipline and respect of our individual career paths. This was the first time I truly understood the word "Love", and I knew we were destined to be together, quickly immersing ourselves into one another's life.

If I'm honest, it took a while for Jenn and Dom to warm to each other. On the face of it, we all had similar personalities and interests, but I think their mutual love for me caused some jealousy due to my divided loyalties. They certainly respected each other and went out of their way to hide any tensions between them when I was around. I was in blissful ignorance, the luckiest guy in the world to have my two best friends with me.

Don't get me wrong. We had lots of fun together. About a year into our relationship, Jenn had moved in with me....with us..... and the three of us become almost inseparable, earning us the moniker "Tres-W" or a Spanglish version of "The Three Weirdo's" from friends, a play on the Three Musketeers. Over a short period of time, Jenn and Dom also became very close. We were constantly eating, studying, and partying together. We closed many college bars, attended concerts, went on outdoor excursions, and danced the night away many times.

Actually, Jenn and Dom did the dancing. She, as a former ballerina, and Dom's years of traditional Mexican folk dancing as a boy. I, on the other hand, was a shining example of White Men Can't Jump....or Dance. They were dynamite on the dance floor together, causing the only pangs of jealously I would feel during that period, blissfully unaware of the complicated relationship my best friend and my lover struggled through.

For all intents and purposes, the three of us were "a couple", the only distinction being the sexual component of my relationship with Jenn. In retrospect, the only shyness Jenn ever demonstrated as we cohabitated was the occasional unease during our lovemaking, knowing that Dom was just in the next room. At first, I assumed it was typical female shyness, embarrassment at this intrinsically private act. However, emerging from the bathroom wrapped only a towel, or lingerie drying on the balcony never seemed to embarrass Jenn, so being the only female in the household didn't seem to bother her.

I confess, at times I resented Dom's unintended "cock-blocking" and her occasional reticence because Dom might hear. Sometimes I would moan and groan even louder during our lovemaking to reinforce the point that, like in all other areas in our life, Dom knew very well what was going on. Occasionally it caused tension between Jenn and I. Moreover, the selfishness when you're that age meant I assumed Dom would be happy for me, never begrudging a Brother getting some Action?! He never seemed to mind, but Jenn was always rather stiff and hesitant after some of our louder escapades, seeming to spend extra one-on-one time with Dom to make up for his exclusion from this part of our life.

Over the years, we all tried to set him up with various girls, both of the One-Night-Stand and the Take-Home-to-Mama varieties. While there were a few times when I smirked at the noises we heard coming from Dom's closed bedroom door, Jenn always appeared pensive and uncomfortable. But nothing really seemed to work out long-term for Dom. I ascribed it to him being very busy with school and "finding himself" in some weird Eastern stuff that often involved the word "monk".

A couple times I spoke to him about it, Mano-a-Mano, but he'd obviously blow it off, deflecting, saying that none of those girls offered what he was looking for. Now, to my shame, I realized I should have pressed him further. There was obviously lots left unsaid. But I was oblivious.

After we graduated, Dom very reluctantly moved to a city 500 miles away to attend advanced training. While we and Dom stayed in touch, inevitably our worlds started to drift apart, becoming observers of each other's life, instead of constant participants. We were genuinely happy for each other's successes...... and I assumed, happiness...... and during our periodic get-togethers, Jenn and Dom seemed to grow even closer, clearly having agreed a truce once everyone knew Jenn had "won" the battle over my affections and attention.

PART 3

Fast forward five years, Jenn and I are married, parents to two very little girls and struggling to balance our respective careers and a family.

Jenn joined a small law group, comprised primarily of women, focused on women's family and divorce law. I confess it could be a bit depressing being the same gender as all the jerks they fought hard to protect their clients from. Comprised of about 12 lawyers and support staff, company holiday parties and Friday night drinks could get a bit intense and toxic, a Penis being the root-cause of most that was wrong with the world. Although they always took pains to reassure me that I was one of the "few good men".

Nonetheless, since most of the female staff were either single, divorced or had same-sex partners, I was usually one of only two or three males in the group, of which one guy was gay and the other was the soon-to-be divorced husband of one of the Partners, so he wasn't around very long. Suffice it to say, this Us-versus-Them vibe got to be a bit much for me and I increasingly excused myself from attending most of the impromptu social gatherings, instead "making an appearance" during mandatory holiday parties. It was a Win-Win situation, as volunteering to stay home to watch the kids only cemented my enlightened Good Guy status.

Jenn's second pregnancy had been very difficult. We had several scares, and the doctors warned us that while the second daughter we were expecting would be fine, they strongly cautioning Jenn against a third pregnancy. Jenn's disappointment was deep, as she'd always wanted to "give me a son", but I was fine with it. These three ladies in my life would be enough to seal my happiness, and since Jenn had spent months in and out of hospitals, poked and jabbed countless times, I decided that it was only fair that any ongoing family planning would be my responsibility. So, I got a vasectomy, which got me more major Good Guy points, despite suffering through weeks of jokes about bags of frozen peas from Jenn's coworkers with barely controlled glee and glints in their eyes.

On my end, I got a surprisingly well-paid job in the research science field. However, after a couple years I was getting restless and wanted to DO the research, instead of ANALYSING someone else's. For this I needed to go back to school and get my PhD. After six months agonizing over these decisions, we decided we could survive on Jenn's income alone for a while and shifted much of the child rearing to her and a newly hired babysitter, as my studies and research travels would take up much of my time. Jenn was very supportive and seemed to handle it well while I finished my course work and ensuing two years of field work for my Doctoral dissertation.

But over time the strain started to show on our marriage and family life. To be honest we hadn't had a quiet night at home together, let alone a Date Night......or sex..... for over four months! But as the end was in sight, we seemed to both take a deep breath, knowing we only had to survive a few more months.

And then, one seemingly ordinary night turned out to be anything but, forever changing our lives.

PART 4

While Dom had lived away from us for over five years, he was a frequent and welcome visitor to our house, due to regular work functions he had to attend in our area. Around this time, I was only a few months from completing my Doctorate and Jenn was leading a very high-profile court case, one which would likely result in her being made Partner. Both of us were on the Success Fast Track, but the final sprint to the finish line was a nightmare, straining our relationship to the limit.

On the night in question, I'd just recently returned from over a month away from home and Jenn was prepping the final legal arguments of her case, requiring long days and evenings at the office. I happily took over Daddy Duties, pleased to take a break from my research on the reproductive habits of primates. Yes, recently I was spending all my time watching monkeys fuck....all the more depressing since I wasn't getting any myself.

So relieving Jenn of 100% of her Mommy Duties for the three days expected to wrap up the case was a nice surprise for both of us. Adding to my reprieve from academia was a last-minute call from Dom saying he would be in town for a couple days for a work event. Despite our frequent telephone calls and emails, it was going to be great to see him in person for the first time in almost a year.

While I had a blast taking care of the girls from dawn to dusk, Jenn's case was obviously not going well, and I saw very little of her other than rushed trips home for a quick shower and change of clothes. I decided not to press Jenn with my increasing desires for a conjugal visit, instead distracting myself with some 'self-relief' in the shower and looking forward to Dom's arrival the next morning.

After a wonderful day at the beach with the girls, Dom and I got home to prepared a fancy celebration meal for Jenn, anticipating her last day of closing arguments in the case. Mid-afternoon she called to advise the opposing party had suddenly settled the case, agreeing to full damages and everyone involved at the firm was going out to celebrate. Would I mind if she went, missing our planned dinner and Dom's only night in town? I tried to hide my disappointment, but of course I enthusiastically encouraged her to go out and celebrate a well-earned victory. It would be another lonely night in our marital bed.

Not expecting Jenn to be home before well into the wee hours of the morning, "Uncle Dommie" and I bathed girls and put them to bed, before gorging ourselves on a fabulous dinner and drinking way too much beer. After doing the dishes we settled in for a relaxed evening catching up on each other's lives, starting things off with a taste of a 25-year-old Single Malt Scotch I'd been saving, followed by a dip in our new hot tub, an ill-disguised attempt on my part the previous Christmas to rekindle some romance between my wife and I. Over the ensuing hours Dom and I talked about everything under the sun, periodically checking the portable video monitor of the girls' rooms two stories up, for any shenanigans. But they were asleep as only exhausted children can be. Dead to the world!

As we soaked in the hot-tub, I was surprised by a flash of headlights over our eight-foot privacy fence and heard a car pull into our driveway. Within moments the car backed out and drove away, followed by the lights suddenly blazing in the kitchen over-looking the ground level deck and hot tub, shattering our mellow mood and the ambiance of the flickering torch lights we had going.

I could hear Jenn's muffled but obviously angry voice in the kitchen, apparently talking on her cellphone. Dom and I quickly exited the hot tub, removing our wet swimsuits, wrapping ourselves in waiting towels before rushing via the "walk out" basement TV/family room, up to the kitchen to see what was wrong.

Upon entering the kitchen, Jenn was still in her $1,500 power-suit and high-heels, obviously having an emotionally charged conversation, sounding angry and a little worried. A receipt for a taxi lay beside her briefcase and purse on the kitchen counter. Upon seeing us she blew me a quick but exhausted kiss, while giving Dom a momentary spastic wave to acknowledge his arrival.

Holding up a wait-a-minute finger, she walked out of the kitchen to continue her conversation in the privacy of the living room. Giving each other a questioning look and shrug, Dom and I went back downstairs to clean up our mess of empty bottles and related detritus from both a Kids and an Adult dinner, hanging up our wet trunks on the drying rack, shutting-down our Mellow Guy's Night out of respect for Jenn.