Other People's Drama

For those of you who find and read our stories, our thanks. The stories will all have an "In Your Wildest Dreams" tag, so you can find the others using that tag. I asked a few friends to write stories on that theme from the song by the Moody Blues. If that sound like your thing, read on. I kept it small, so maybe the number will be less overwhelming. I'll hit everyone up one more time on St. Patrick's Day.

Welcome to the party, tho. I hope you like it. I would like to thank my team who contributed to this story over at SynCor Intelligence for their assistance. Harddaysknight is my mentor and gives me critical review.

Just a fun (for me) little fantasy bit of fluff with a LW slant. Friendly ones, appreciate you. Appreciate Laurel and Literotica for their kindness, Randi.

She always reminded me of a big cat, the way she moved: graceful, sleek powerful, always independent and self-assured. She sank onto my lap, her arms around my neck, wiggling and getting comfortable, her back against the arm of the sofa as she leaned back to look up at me, her exquisite features carefully arranged to show her loving side, and she was an extremely loving person.

"Cedric, Tom Ambrose asked me out for Friday night."

"Out to what?" I asked.

"He's getting an award for broadcasting," she said. "He asked me to go to the awards ceremony, then out for dinner and dancing."

"Ah, well, what did you say?" I asked.

Her eyes dropped. "I told him I would ask if you would be okay with it."

"Did you think I would be?" I asked.

She looked down, not meeting my eye. "No. I thought I'd ask, though."

"Is this something you want to do?" I asked.

"Sorta, if you wouldn't be mad," she said. "He's a different sort of guy."

"Well, you're a grown-ass woman," I said. "I don't make decisions for you."

"So you're good if I go?"

"I don't know how you could possibly have understood that from what I said," I told her.

"You said 'You're a grown-ass woman.' That kinda seems like you're saying it's up to me."

"It is," I said. "I don't own you; I'm married to you."

"I know," she murmured. "Would you be upset if I did?"

"Again, Calaney, is it what you want to do?"

"Yes, it is," she said. "Look, Cedric, I love you and we're well into the process of growing old together. Would you understand there would be no love involved between Tom and me? It's just a date. He's married, too, and his wife is good with him going on the occasional date."

"I hardly think we're in advanced old age," I mentioned.

"Middle age is 38," she said. "The average life-span is 76."

"I plan to live forever," I said.

She smiled. "Yeah, me too. It makes me feel so sexy that a guy like him wants me. You wanna find out just how sexy I'm feeling?"

"Maybe later," I said. "How do you envision this happening?"

"Well, I'll go out Friday night. You can do whatever you want. Saturday morning, I'll come home and we can talk about it. It will be so hot, Cedric."

"I think I'll go on a date, too," I said.

She sat up and looked at me as if she'd had an electric shock. "Can you get a date that quickly?" she asked.

"I can," I said.

"With who?" she asked.

"Marni Ambrose," I said.

She jumped up off my lap and stood with her hands on her hips, glaring down at me. "What have you done, Cedric?"

"Well, it turns out he may have exaggerated his wife's complacency about him dating other women," I said. "In fact, she was looking for evidence that he was dating other women. That's what she told me, anyway. She had a hunch. Guess what, she was right."

"Oh, my God! He lied?"

I shrugged. "Dude asked out a married woman. Seems like a pretty shady thing to be doing. I'm not surprised that he's also a liar to go along with the trying to fuck a married woman."

"Well, of course I'm not going now," she declared.

"Why not?" I asked.

"The fuck, Cedric? He lied to me! Are you sure his wife didn't know?"

"Would you like to call and ask her? I have her number," I mentioned.

She shot me a look. "No, I wouldn't."

"So the idea of banging some dude who isn't me seems okay to you, but not said dude lying to you. Is that it?"

"God, why do you make it sound like that?" she complained.

"'Sound?' I don't have to make it 'sound' any way. I just gave you the facts."

"Well, I thought he was on the level," she said.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," I said.

"How did you get this information?" she asked.

"Marni called me," I said. "Apparently, she has transcripts of his calls and texts. I've seen a couple of conversations."

She flushed bright red. "Oh, my God, Cedric. No one was supposed to see those."

"Right? Information crops up at the most inconvenient times and in the most unexpected ways."

"Maybe the two of us could just go out Friday night," she suggested.

"Well, that would have been nice, but I have a date," I said.

She stood there for a moment. "Okay, you got me. Do you really have a date, or are you just rattling my cage?"

"Both," I said.

"Well, I guess I really can't complain, can I?" she said. "Are you permanently mad, Cedric?"

"No. I was just sad, at first. Then I got mad. Seriously, Calaney, I'm a man of peace, but had you been home two hours after that phone call, you would have been lucky to survive. I guess I'm just resigned, now."

She took a step back and looked a little frightened. "What does that mean, 'resigned?'" she asked.

"Resigned to the idea that you and I are fundamentally different: to the idea that my wife wants to go on 'dates' with other men. Why am I using your euphemisms, anyway? You want to fuck Ambrose. When you feel a way, that's the way you feel."

There was some trepidation in her voice when she spoke. "What are you going to do, Cedric?"

"Make adjustments, adapt, survive, thrive," I said.

"Could you be a little more specific?" she asked.

"Okay. I thought we were good. I loved my life. Obviously, something is missing for you. What I feel for you isn't the same thing you feel for me. I'm not stupid, Calaney. I know it's stupid to love someone more than they love you. I'll just adjust and be like you."

"What the fuck are you talking about? I love you. You know I do," she protested.

"Oh, I believe you," I assured her. "I'll still love you, but like you love me. I just won't consider myself bound to any particular standards. So far as being married is concerned, I mean. That's not a thing we have anymore. In fact, I believe we should get divorced."

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "You're going crazy here, Cedric. Nothing even happened."

"Who is it, exactly, who is responsible for 'nothing happening,' anyway? Ambrose? You? No, I'm responsible, and Marni. Did you bother to find out anything about your date?"

She was silent for a while. "No," she said softly. "Just what is publicly known. I can see that I made a bunch of mistakes. He's just so... extra, Cedric. You know that. You've met him, seen him on TV. He's just..."

"Yes, I know," I said. "He is. You've forgotten, Calaney. So are you. Look at me. Am I just... whatever word you were thinking about?"

"Of course you are," she hurried to assure me. "This was not about you, Cedric. I love you and I love being your wife. Stop talking about divorce. That's just ridiculous."

"But is it really?" I asked. "Think about it, Calaney. Next time you meet somebody who's 'just...' you wouldn't even have to ask if I'd be mad. You could just go for it."

"How many times has that happened in the last 17 years?" she asked.

"Well, just this once," I said. "As far as I know."

"The fuck? You think I'd lie, cheat?" She looked angry.

"Well, as of yesterday, I never thought you would ask me if I'd be okay with you 'dating' another man. I was obviously wrong about that. Do you not think it's now reasonable for me to doubt many of my other preconceptions? I realize I've made unwarranted assumptions, and that has me a little uncertain," I explained.

"Well, I haven't lied and I haven't cheated," she said.

"You have to realize that if you were a liar and a cheat, that's exactly what you would say," I said.

She snorted. "Well, since I'm neither, I don't realize shit. I'm still the same person you've been married to for 17 years."

"I guess I never knew you." It was really the only reply.

I'd always wondered about people who had been married for years and suddenly, next thing you heard, they were on their way to divorce. I realized I'd been quite a superficial person. We had serious conversations, but I had made monumentally naïve assumptions, definitely about Calaney, but maybe on the world, in general. I felt that colossally stupid.

I asked myself some questions I'd never even considered. Does everyone assume that other people are fundamentally like they are? Do we put our cultural values on other people, assuming they share those ideas? I had certainly done that.

I guess I was a happy optimist: believing, without ever actually getting that information, that Calaney and I shared the same basic views about marriage, fidelity, loyalty, the whole moral and ethical landscape. That was obviously wrong. I thought it was an understandable mistake, because she'd never show any indication that wasn't the case, but there we were.

I was 23 when we got married, and she was 20. We were kids, and I guess, blinded by love and youthful exuberance, we just went with the flow. I'd been rudely awakened.

"How long have you felt like this was something it would be okay to do?" I asked.

She frowned. "I don't understand the question."

"Have you always felt like banging other people you aren't married to while you're married is a thing we should do?"

"Not 'people,'" she said, "and not 'should.' It wasn't something I planned planed on doing, it was just the perfect storm. It's like a one-of-a-kind situation."

"How does being married fit into your calculation?" I asked.

"I love being married to you and I never intend, or intended, to change that," she said.

"No. I mean, what made you think it would be okay to approach me with this, do this?"

She sighed. "Cedric, I know how you think. I've never disputed it, but I've never agreed. I don't think marriage means you can only have sex with one person for the rest of your life. It means I love you and I'll always put you first, but exclusive relationships are taught to us. We're not like that by nature."

"No, I suppose not," I said. "But then, we're murderous, by nature. How many violent deaths have occurred in the history of the world? Just because we're some way by nature, doesn't mean it's not destructive. What we did was, we figured out murdering our neighbor tends to cause a ruckus. Society works better when we aren't firing howitzers over the back fence."

"You're being absurd," she said.

"Am I?" I asked. "We figured out that most people just thrive when they're in a loving relationship with another person. That's what I want. That's where I thrive."

"That's what I want, too," she said. "This has nothing to do with love. I love you and no one else. This is about excitement, lotus eating."

"I see. Well, you want what you want. I want what I want; what I thought I had."

"You do have that," she said. "Stop, Cedric, you're making this harder than it needs to be. Nothing even happened."

"Okay. I understand your position," I said.

"I don't understand yours," she said.

"That's okay. I do." This was going nowhere.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Contemplate," I said.

"Contemplate with me," she said.

"You're too distracting," I said. "I think I'm going for a little trip."

"I'll come with," she said.

"No, I'm going alone," I told her.

"I thought you had a date," she said.

"I'm going to cancel," I said. "I may reschedule, but she'll understand."

"Yes, I suppose she will."

"Okay, I'm off to pack a few things."

She followed along, keeping up a stream of words, assuring me of her undying devotion. I packed a suitcase, my toiletries, and when I got my fishing tackle, I could tell she thought she knew where I was going.

We owned a place on the Bolivar Peninsula, and she would figure I was going there. I wasn't. I was looking for blue water. Something you couldn't find in the Gulf.

She tried to kiss me as I went out the door, but I wasn't having it. I checked into a room down at the Holiday Inn Express at the airport, and started planning. Three days later, I was on my way to Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia.

I hadn't answered any of Calaney's calls or texts, but I did tell her where I was going, that I was safe and had some contemplation to do. She tried to talk me out of it, or into taking her with me, but I just ignored her. I could work from wherever I was as long as I had an internet connection, and she made plenty without any input from me. I was due a long vacation

*****

This was just what I needed, I thought, sitting on my patio, looking out at the waves coming in, those sounds of the surf soothing my soul. I was in an introspective mood. The last months on the beach had my hair bleached out and I had a serious tan going. I worked in the tiki bar down at the surf camp half a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, just to meet people, I had a wide circle of acquaintances and life seemed good.

I heard from Calaney and our kids regularly. Drew, our daughter, had flown over to stay with me twice; she loved it, and our son, Dominic, had visited once. Drew was talking about becoming a permanent resident as soon as she finished high school.

I even talked to Calaney on the phone when she called about once a week. The first words out of her mouth every time were when was I coming home. I think, by that time, both of us were aware that I was home. She still kept asking.

It was Tuesday, and I slipped on my bar-tending attire: shorts and a light linen/cotton blend cream shirt. My good shades and best sandals, and I was ready. There was a crowd, and I got in the swing right away. I was just working my station, chatting with Jude, who worked the next station. I wasn't really paying attention to my customers, just exchanging a few words while I was making their drinks.

"What do you recommend?" I would have known that voice anywhere.

"Calaney, imagine running into you here," I said without turning around.

"I finally realized you weren't coming to me," she said. "I realized I would have to come to you."

"Ambrose was busy?" I turned and faced her. "I'll make you a good frozen daiquiri," I said.

"Yum. Sounds good. And I have no idea if he is busy. He is no longer employed in our fair city," she said. "I don't give a fuck about him. I never did."

"Fair enough," I said. "Just feeling down for a little stalking?"

She laughed. "Get used to it. I love you, Cedric. I'm not going to stop."

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"Whatever it takes," she said. "Can I stay with you?"

"Of course," I said. This was going to be wondrous. "When you finish your drink, I'll take off and we can go."

I didn't tell her, but I was quite aware of the disposition of Ambrose. I wasn't totally without influence, and Ambrose was now their liaison in Coventry.

We chatted a little, she finished her drink and we started walking. It was less than a mile to my place, and I walked everywhere. When we got there, she was crazy about the place. "Oh my God, Cedric, what a view."

I turned from where I was prepping dinner and looked out to sea. The back wall was all glass, and it was stunning. "Yes, I'll confess to being impressed every time I look out," I said.

I heard the key in the front door, and Meilani came in, I heard her put her bag on the hall table and she came looking for me, as she usually did. She also took my breath away, as she always did. "I am home," she said, as she came into the kitchen. She noticed Calaney and did a double-take.

"This is Calaney," I told her. "She arrived... unannounced. Calaney, Meilani."

Mei giggled. "I see." She walked over and offered her hand to Calaney. "I am very glad to meet you," she said. "Anyone who is part of the Cedric's life is important, I know."

Calaney shook her hand. "How are you acquainted with him?" she asked.

"Oh, he is my favorite bartender," Meilani said. "I met him one night when I was just a little bit high. He was very gallant and offered to walk me home. Instead, I came home with him and I've never left."

"You live here?" Calaney asked.

"Well, I have my own place, but for all intents and purposes, yes. Do I live here, Cedric?"

"Yes," I said. "You go other places, but yes."

Calaney looked from one to the other of us. "Do you mind me asking how old you are?" she asked Meilani.

"No, I don't mind," she said. "I'm 24. Is that a problem?"

Calaney looked at me reproachfully, before turning back to Meilani. "No problem. You just look like a baby."

Mei laughed. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I have a baby face. I needa run and take a shower. Be back in a flash." She kissed me and went into the bedroom. Calaney gave me a death stare.

"She's gorgeous," she said. "And 24."

She was gorgeous, too. The day we met I thought I had never seen a woman who made such a visual impact. Her curly and glossy black hair hung around her in carefully studied disarray, and that face... It was a baby face, and she was a babe.

She had on a short, sleeveless olive-colored dress with a belt. It showed her... attributes, and she had plenty of those. She was long, muscular, creamy brown, eyes so dark they looked black, having that exotic island tilt toward the outside corners, huge, with the longest lashes I'd ever seen that weren't fake. She was slender, with hip-dips, until she turned sideways or you saw her from the back.

Then, there was no mistaking that this woman worked out. Her back was broad and muscular, and that ass...

Oddly enough, she too asked me what I recommended.

"Are you into fine spirits, or do you want something fruity and delicious?" I asked. Mostly, I wanted to hear her talk some more.

She decided on fruity, and when I got off shift, she ran into me at the door, literally. She was a bit unsteady and giggly, and she took my arm as we walked down the boardwalk leading from the bar to the beach sidewalk. I asked her if she would like a cup of coffee, and she never left.

"Well, I guess that puts a damper on my plans," Calaney said.

"How so?" I asked.

"I was planning to come here and reclaim my husband," she said.

"Reclaim me from what?"

"From your self-imposed exile," she said.

"I'm not in exile," I said. "I'm on vacation."

"How long do you think you'll be vacationing?"

"I have no idea."

She sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. Cedric, you said I could stay with you."

"You can," I said. "Plenty of room."

"Where will I sleep?" she asked.

Meilani came in, fluffing all those damp curls with a towel. "With us," she said.

"The fuck?" I think that got out before Calaney could engage her brain.

"You don't wish to?" Mei asked.

"I'm... I don't... Cedric?"

"Don't 'Cedric' me," I said. "May I remind you that you're a grown-ass woman?"

She flushed. "Meilani... I... Can I just talk to Cedric for a minute?"

"Of course," Mei said. "I'll be in there selecting some dinner music."

As soon as she was out the door, Calaney was talking. "Cedric, you said you needed some time to think. Well, what are you thinking?"

"My position is unchanged," I said.

"I guess I need you to clarify that. Do you even want me here?"

"'Want' might be too strong a word," I said. "I don't mind you being here."

"But you're okay if I'm not? Are you going to divorce me, Cedric? Are you with Meilani? God, she's half our age? What are you doing with her?"

"I'm having fun, lotus eating," I told her. "I hope she's having fun, too. She seems to be having fun."