Night Glow

Disclaimer - Mature themes, adult language, sex, violence. This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this story are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Night Glow

- By gstein

Just a simple story about a wife trying to get back her... Zest For Life.

It was a few minutes before 9 p.m. when Hank Blackmon texted her from outside of the

Viejo Alamo Cantina

in San Antonio, Texas,

"Leaving restaurant. On my way to the hotel. Will call you when I get there."

A thousand miles east of San Antonio in Chattanooga, Tennessee her silenced phone alerted her to Hank's text with a glow that faintly lit up her dark bedroom. And even though she was anticipating his text the sudden glow of her phone still startled her and she quickly turned the phone face down to put out the light.

Her bedroom was dark again.

And the sudden glow from her phone hadn't seemed to have disturbed

him

one bit but she still listened to

him

breathe for a couple of minutes before she picked up her phone and replied to Hank's text,

"Can't wait to hear your voice but text before you call."

"Sure,"

Hank texted her back, without thinking anything about it. But then a few moments later, after he had thought about it, he texted her,

"Is there a problem?"

A couple of minutes later Hank got a text from her that read,

"He's home. For some reason he came back early but he's in bed and sleeping. No problem but text me before you call."

Hank texted her back,

"Will do! Going to the hotel now. Talk in a few. Love you!"

And a moment later her bedroom faintly lit up again from the glow of Hank's text.

And when she read Hank's words -

love you

- they triggered her emotions. They touched her mind in a way that only Hank's words could touch her. And she read those two words over and over and over. She savored them until she had squeezed every drop of meaning and feeling from of them. And only then did she delete them, delete his text as she always did, and laid her phone down beside her on the bed.

The bedroom was dark again.

And the glow of her phone hadn't disturbed

him

one bit. So she lay beside

him

and listened to

him

breathe and stroked

his

hair while she waited for Hank to get to his hotel and text her.

She had lain beside

him

for thirty-six years. For somewhere around thirteen thousand one hundred and forty nights, less some nights for business trips, hospital stays and family emergencies, she had faithfully been by

his

side as she had vowed to do on the day they married.

And ever since the day they married she'd been a good and faithful wife. She had been a loving wife. And she'd been happy and wholly content with her role of wife and housewife and mother and grandmother and lover.

But recently something had happened to her.

Out of the blue an odd

feeling

had crept over her causing her to

feel

a deep sadness and sorrow about the entirety of her life.

Moreover, it was causing her to question the meaning and purpose of her life and for those questions she had no satisfactory answers. And that had caused her to think she truly didn't know who she was or where she was going or even where she had been for the last forty years or more. And with those thoughts in her mind she felt like a lost soul wandering aimlessly through life without purpose or meaning.

She was terribly sad.

In all her life she had never felt this way before. She'd always been happy and content and confident, and had never had a reason to feel otherwise.

So since she had never experienced

feelings

like this she didn't know what to do except to try to shake them off and hope they'd go away.

But they wouldn't shake off and they wouldn't go away. In fact, her

feelings

intensified and were dragging her down into a deeper state of sadness and sorrow and soul-searching.

So eventually she gave in to them and saw her doctor who diagnosed her as possibly experiencing a

later-life crisis

or

late midlife crisis

. And after thoroughly examining her, and finding nothing physically wrong with her, he referred her to a specialist who confirmed her doctor's diagnosis and prescribed medications for depression and anxiety and sleep.

And the medications worked, they got her

feelings

under control. But she became frustrated with the drug's side-effects and quit taking them. So without her medications she slipped back into the abyss of

feeling

sad and sorrowful and introspection.

She needed another solution.

And out of desperation she reasoned the source of her

feelings

might be spiritual. So she talked with a minister who listened to her, talked with her, prayed with her and counseled her to get involved with a Christian support group.

And she followed his counsel and attended some group sessions. But they didn't help because the support group was like a clique and she didn't fit in. And she would leave the meetings despondent which in no way helped her

feelings

.

So she dropped out.

And after dropping out she found herself slipping into an even deeper state of sadness and sorrow and loneliness and introspection. So she went back on her medications. And like before she couldn't handle the side-effects and so, like before, she stopped taking them.

And then her emotions took a turn for the worse. She began to experience sudden and intense changes in her mental and emotional state. Her mood swings went from thinking about running away to just ending it all.

She was on the edge.

And that's when a very concerned friend, who saw what was happening to her, stepped in and just about forced her try Yoga and Palates. Just to get her out of the house and involved with something other than constantly dealing her

feelings

.

And Yoga and Palates helped a little. She got control of her

feelings,

somewhat. And since there were no side-effects she didn't give them up.

And that was a good decision because eventually it was at the Yoga classes where one of her coaches recognized she was dealing with an emotional issue and correctly guessed that she was going through a

late midlife crisis

.

The coach had seen it before and had helped some women to get it under control. Had helped some women better deal with it. Had helped some women to get through it and get on with their life.

So the coach offered to try to help her and she accepted the help.

And the coach came through and helped her to see that the cause of her

late midlife crisis

was because she had lost her

zest for life

. Meaning that she had lost her energy, enthusiasm and passion for living. And that it was probably an aging thing. But losing her

zest for life

had left a void in her psyche that had been filled with sadness and sorrow and self-doubt and loneliness.

Then the coach counseled her that she needed to find

something

, an activity, to help her to rid her mind of the sadness and sorrow and self-doubt, and help her recover her

zest for life

.

Now Yoga and Palates was helping her but she needed

something

more.

And the coach explained that the

something

needed to be different and outside her normal routine and exclusive of her circle of family and friends. It needed to be

something

that would be hers alone. And most importantly it needed to be

something

that would absorb her attention, leaving no place for sadness or sorrow or self-doubt to reside in her psyche.

So following the coach's counsel she set out to search for that

something

and it was during her search that she stumbled upon Hank Blackmon.

She met him at a photography workshop in Nashville, Tennessee.

During the workshop she learned that Hank was fifty-nine, a widower with an adult son, sold specialty chemicals for a living and was attending the photography workshop because he was looking something creative to do with his life and thought photography might be it.

And Hank learned that she was fifty-six, married with two adult children, had three young grandchildren, was a full-time homemaker and was attending the workshop because she was looking for

something

to help her get back her

zest for life

and thought nature and wildlife photography might be the thing.

They were in the same boat, so to speak. Two mature adults looking for

something

new and different and thinking that photography might be it.

So they struck up a friendship.

And after the workshop they stayed in touch and talked about photography through texts and emails and phone calls and sometimes a FaceTime call.

Then occasionally Hank would come through Chattanooga on business and they would rendezvous for coffee and talk about photography. And like friends do they'd talk about other stuff too.

And through their texts and emails and phone calls and FaceTime calls and their occasional rendezvous they learned more about each other and grew closer as friends.

Consequently, Hank became her antidepressant. He became her prescription for anxiety. He became her emotional support. Hank became the

something

that was helping her to get back her

zest for life

.

And with Hank Blackmon there were no side-effects except that she needed more of him.

And honestly he wanted more of her.

So eventually their conversations evolved from photography to matters of the heart.

Their texts became love notes and their emails became love letters. And the phone calls and FaceTime conversations were about desire and love and intimacy.

And eventually all of their talk was about making love. Hank made it clear that he wanted her. And she made clear that she wanted him. So they worked out a plan to be together and make love.

Another photography workshop was coming up in Atlanta and it would be the perfect place to meet and consummate their relationship.

They would spend the weekend making love.

And the photography workshop would be the perfect cover for her to get away from

him

for a couple of days.

And it wasn't that she was dissatisfied with

him

. Or didn't care for

him

anymore.

No way.

They'd been together for thirty-six years. And except for this last year or so they had been good years.

He

was a good man and a good husband and a good father and grandfather. And

he

was a successful businessman and a good provider.

He

gave her everything she wanted.

And she still loved

him

. She loved

him

dearly. And she believed that

he

stilled loved her. And, honestly, she couldn't imagine her life without

him

.

But now their relationship was different.

Her

feelings

had come between them. Her

late midlife crisis

became a wedge that split them emotionally and physically. And her

feelings

had driven her to Hank Blackmon. So now

he

was just her husband, partner and companion. But Hank was her soulmate and soon to be her lover.

It was a strange and convoluted situation she was in, but she was happy. Because with Hank she was getting back her

zest for life

.

But a dark cloud hovered over her happiness. Because she knew what she was doing was wrong. And she knew that after her's and Hank's tryst in Atlanta she'd have to talk to

him

about Hank Blackmon.

And she'd been thinking about just telling

him

that she was leaving

him

for Hank. And just end their marriage and move on.

Just make a clean break of it.

But the honest truth was that she didn't want to leave

him

for Hank. She loved

him

and she was sure

he

loved her. And she knew that it was her

midlife crisis

that had driven them apart. And she was almost certain that once she got back her

zest for life

they could and would be back together like they were before.

But right now she needed Hank Blackmon. And she didn't want to be secretive about it any longer. She couldn't live like that. So for her peace of mind she wanted her relationship with Hank to be out in the open.

So she decided that after Atlanta she would tell

him

about Hank. She would tell

him

how she met Hank and how they had become friends. And then confess that she was in a intimate relationship with Hank. And explain to

him

the whys and wherefores about their relationship. And, try to get

him

to understand that Hank was more like a therapist and counselor and he was helping her get to back her

zest for life

and get beyond her

midlife crisis

. And try to persuade

him

to let her continue with her relationship with Hank. While they continued to be man and wife as they had been for thirty-six years.

Frankly, it was a bizarre idea and she knew it was bizarre idea, but she had to try. Because she didn't want to lose her husband and she didn't want to lose Hank Blackmon.

She needed both men in her life. But she needed them in different roles.

And she thought she might have a chance because she had listened to some of the younger women in the Yoga and Palate classes talk about open marriages.

Now when she first heard about open marriages she thought it was a crazy idea.

But she researched those kind of relationships and discovered they were properly called polyamorous relationships. It was the kind of relationship where a couple agrees to having sexual relationships outside of their marriage. And, in her mind, that's really what she wanted. To stay married to

him

and at the same time have an intimate and sexual relationship with Hank Blackmon.

And she was encouraged when she learned that polyamorous relationships, or open marriages, seemed to be in vogue.

From what she learned it seemed that society and the culture were successfully arguing that fidelity in marriage was passé. That people needed to have the freedom to have relationships outside of their marriage. So with that argument to back her up she thought she might have a chance to persuade

him

to accept her relationship with Hank.

Because after all

he

was a very worldly and open-minded man.

He

had been around and was certainly not sheltered from or naive about cultural and social trends. So maybe

he

would understand that she needed this relationship with Hank Blackmon for her wellbeing.

"That argument might just work," she thought to herself.

Then on the other hand she had not discussed any of these thoughts with Hank. She just assumed he would be open to a polyamorous relationship, especially if her husband was in agreement to such a thing.

So conversations about relationships with both her husband and Hank would have to happen soon after Atlanta.

But for the moment she put her thoughts and worries about those conversations aside and laid next to

him

and listened to

him

breathe and stroked

his

hair while she waited for Hank to get to his hotel and get settled in and text her......

A thousand miles west of Chattanooga in San Antonio Hank Blackmon and his customers had finished dinner and were waiting outside the city's historic Market Square, along with a crowd of tourists, for a city transit bus that would take them back to Alamo Plaza and the vicinity of their hotels.

And it was while waiting for the bus that Hank Blackmon spotted a woman in the crowd whom he'd been seeing around the lobby of his hotel. And he'd seen her the day before having lunch at the

Kangaroo Court

restaurant. And he'd seen her on the bus from Alamo Plaza to Market Square. And he'd caught site of her dining in the

Viejo Alamo Cantina

. And now here she was waiting on the bus with him and his customers.

She looked to be thirty something and she was a babe. And while she waited on the bus she had every man's attention and especially Hank Blackmon's.

Soon the city bus came and on the ride from Market Square to Alamo Plaza Hank made a point to introduce himself and meet her.

And he learned that her name was Sandra Madison and she was a high school history teacher from Albany, New York. Further, he learned she was on an academic sabbatical and had come to San Antonio to learn about the city's history and the Alamo and the area's Southwest culture.

Hank Blackmon sensed an opportunity.

Because even though he wasn't from San Antonio and didn't live in San Antonio, he did travel to San Antonio quite often for his work. So he'd spent a lot of time in San Antonio over the years. And he did know something about the city and the Alamo and the area. And he knew his way around.

So on the bus ride from Market Square to Alamo Plaza Hank didn't hesitate to share his knowledge of the city with Sandra.

And Sandra seemed to be impressed.

Then at Alamo Plaza, the end of line, Hank asked Sandra to wait for him while he said his adieus to his customers and then they picked up and carried on with their conversation.

It was engaging and lively talk and after a few minutes Hank suggested they move from the sidewalk to across the street to the historic Crocket bar. And Sandra agreed.

In the Crocket they continued to talk about San Antonio and it's history.

And they even talked a little bit about themselves and Hank mentioned that he was flying out the next day to Atlanta to attend a photography workshop. And upon hearing that Sandra expressed regret that he wouldn't be in San Antonio to show her around.

And when Hank heard that his mind started spinning and pondering if he should change his plans and stay in San Antonio for the weekend. But after thinking about it he decided to go onto Atlanta because after all he'd spent months working to get his lover to be in Chattanooga to meet him for a weekend of sex.

"A missed opportunity," Hank thought to himself as he looked across the table at Sandra Madison.

So he put his thoughts of staying in San Antonio out of his mind and they continued to have a good time talking.

But soon their time together was coming to an end because the bar's closing time was approaching. So they started to leave. But before they left Sandra excused herself to go to the restroom. And watching Sandra walk from their table through the bar to the restroom Hank again saw that she was a trophy specimen of the female species.

"My, my, my," he thought.

So while Sandra was in the restroom Hank Blackmon weighed his options again because he sensed that if he stuck around and played his cards right, even though she was probably half his age, he could be fucking her all weekend.

And he figured his lover to be in Chattanooga would still be there for him.

So he made the decision not go to Atlanta.

But he knew that would create a problem because he'd have to tell his lover to be that he wouldn't be meeting her. And he knew she wouldn't take it well. And he'd have to be careful how he told her because he didn't want to lose her. Because he was planning to make her the next Mrs. Hank Blackmon.

Hank's wife had died five years earlier and after grieving her loss for nearly three years he began to look for another wife.

And it wasn't that he was necessarily desperate for a wife but he wanted to be married again. He didn't want to go through his senior years alone. He wanted a companion with whom he would grow old. But he decided he'd be very picky and choosy of who would be the next Mrs. Hank Blackmon.

And so for about two years he had been judiciously seeking -

Miss Right

. Then about seven months ago he found her at a photography workshop in Nashville, Tennessee.