Paris France

My name is Josh and I was born and raised in west Texas, well west of Fort Worth and little north of Abilene.

I'm kind of a tall and guess you would say a lanky kind of guy. I enjoy sports and played football, of course, as well as baseball and even a couple of years bull ridin. Never did get any broken bones or lose any teeth while ridin bulls but sure wasn't because the critter wasn't tryin.

Did O.K. in school and graduated but never did consider myself college material. I'm pretty good with fixing things and started working for my uncle after graduating. He own's a tractor store. They sell, service, and repair tractors and other farm equipment. I'm pretty good at it and make decent money.

I have a steady girl, Betty, who is gorgeous. She has blonde hair with pale blue eyes, and dimples! She also has the best set of hooters you ever laid eyes on. Her long legs aren't bad either. Total package.

Now, Betty isn't like me. Where I'm a little rough around the edges she is a lady. You might see me in muddy blue jeans out back of a bar in a fight with some old boy because he said the Texas Longhorns were better than Texas A&M. I just need to get him to see the error of his ways.

Oh yeah, I'm not of drinkin age as yet but there are a couple of bars just outside town that don't mind much.

I'm really not what you would call handsome, maybe the rough silent type. Nah, I'm not silent much. Beats the hell out of me why I never had much trouble getting dates. Not that I date much. Once I laid eyes on Betty there was no one else for me. She kind of felt the same way. We been boyfriend/girlfriend since eleventh grade and naturally started dating as soon as I bought an old pick-up and her folks started letting her date boys. For some reason her dad likes me which really helps.

I may be rough around the edges but I'm also a gentleman. I believe in treating women with courtesy and respect and maybe that is why her dad trusts me. Before I had a driver license, I would spend quite a bit of time at Betty's house and was accepted as a part of their family. At some point we all assumed Betty and I would one day be married. I sure thought so and believe Betty felt the same.

Betty was a year behind me in school and we were going steady by the time she turned sixteen. Shortly after I graduated high school I asked Betty to marry me and she said yes. I had already talked to her dad and told him my plans and explained we would probably have a long engagement but when the time was right and I had a steady job I wanted to make her my wife and spend the rest of my life making her happy. Betty and I had talked about this long engagement and we both agreed since we both knew we would some day be married.

Everyone seemed happy and we just continued on as we always had. Now being the all-American red blooded American male, I would occasionally try to get into Betty's panties. We would on occasion participate in some heavy petting and would almost go all the way but there was a line where Betty would call a halt and say no. She said she was all mine but our wedding night was going to be special and I would just have to wait.

I tried and tried and tried but she was adamant. I would sometimes sulk and get angry and rant and rave but deep down I was really proud of her. She was going to be a wonderful wife.

Betty was all girl and really smart. She always made good grades in school but never really talked about going to college but rather being a good wife and Mother. There was one subject in high school she really liked and that was French. Go figure, a west Texas girl liking and learning French. What the hell you going to do speaking French in west Texas?

Well towards the end of her senior year, one evening when I was picking her up for one of our dates she could hardly contain herself. Their French class had applied for and received approval to attend a month-long visit to a French academy in Paris France. It seems this school hosted American students each year for a "French experience". It consisted of tours, classes in French culture, and was designed to encourage foreign students to attend a French university, hopefully in Paris.

It seems almost everyone in the high school French class was girls and about twelve of them had signed up for this trip. Not everyone gets accepted and apparently this was a big deal for her and her French class mates. I couldn't really see why anyone would want to fly half way around the world to see a bunch of people who couldn't even speak English let alone Texan.

Now this was several years ago, mid 1990's, before cell phones and home computers were still a novelty. I wouldn't see nor hear from my girl for almost a month. I wasn't nearly excited as she was but hey, if it made her happy I'm all for it.

The trip would last twenty days not counting flying time. They would leave end of May, after graduation, and return in June. It was all girls going, they had to be at least eighteen by the time they left on the trip and there would be four adult lady teachers going with them.

They all gathered at the school grounds the day they were leaving on their trip and I kissed my girl, made sure she had her engagement ring on, and told her to be careful and think of me every day and try and send me a few post cards. She promised she would. I sure was glad I wasn't going to have to spend all that time with a bunch of excited giggling girls.

I went to work and tried not miss my girl so much. The days dragged by and I finally did get a post card with a picture of a big tower on the front of it and a brief note saying she was having fun but missed me. I didn't get an address so I didn't write her or send her any post cards. Didn't think there was a telephone line between west Texas and Paris France and if there was didn't think I was smart enough to figure out how to call her. I just counted the days.

Finally, the day arrived when she would be headed home. I couldn't wait. The day she was supposed to arrive, her parents, a few friends, and me decorated her house with a welcome home sign, banners, and other stuff to let her know we were glad she was back home. Each of the lady teachers had driven their car to the airport and were now returning and dropping off each girl at their house. When the lady drove up and Betty got out my heart almost burst.

When she came through the door we all yelled surprise and everyone started talking and trying to hug her. Not sure she was surprised but she was definitely tired. You could see bloodshot eyes and circle under her eyes. She acted real happy but you could tell she was worn out. She hugged me like she did everyone else and tried to answer all the questions everyone was throwing her way. Her Mom and Dad quickly saw how tired she looked and quickly shut the celebration down and told everyone after Betty had some time to rest she would be ready for a visit. Once I thought about the time difference and the long flight as well as the long layover they had in Boston we should have realized she would be worn out and planned her return differently.

Everyone left. This was a Saturday and I didn't call her since I didn't know how tired she was and figured she would call me when she got rested up. She didn't call on Sunday so I went to work on Monday as usual. She called me Monday evening and we talked for a while but I could tell she was still adjusting to west Texas time and was still tired. She told me, she and a few of the girls who had made the trip were meeting at one of the girl's house Saturday afternoon and were inviting family and friends over and they would relate their experiences with the trip. Sounded to me like a good way to handle all the questions as well as celebrating their return.

That Saturday arrived and I was there early and spent some time with Betty but already people around so we couldn't really talk. They sat it up out back with the girls sitting in chairs in kind of a circle with the relatives and friends on the outside. The girls would talk amongst themselves relating all their experiences with the flight, tours, and all their adventures while in Paris. The rest of us would listen and try not to interrupt. It actually worked out real well.

The girls were just talking amongst themselves and reminiscing about the days and events during their stay. Often times one girl would tell of a tour and another would comment on a building or a painting or people on the street. The conversation was free flowing with a lot of giggles and sometimes teasing amongst the girls. They had obviously had a great time.

I wasn't listening very carefully, not really something that I found all that exciting, but suddenly the conversation caught my attention. One of the girls was teasing Betty and another girl about a couple of French guys who were a part of the tour guides. She was saying something about them spending a lot of time with the guys even when they weren't acting as tour guides for the group. Betty was blushing really red and glanced over at me. Betty quickly changed the subject and started talking about some other part of the tour. I'd heard enough to be worried.

After the party started breaking up Betty and I talked for awhile but she left with her parents. I asked if we could meet the next day. She invited me over to have lunch with her and her parents. Not exactly what I was hoping for but O.K.

The next day I went to her house and we had lunch and afterwards Betty and I sat on her porch swing and talked. I didn't bring up the previous day's conversation about spending time with a frenchy guy, didn't think her parents house was a good place to discuss it.

Went back to work the next day and when I went to lunch I ran into one of the teachers who had gone on the trip. I always liked her and she was a good teacher. We sat together over lunch and I asked her about the trip. I was really interested in the part about the French guys but didn't want to be obvious.

Apparently, they all stayed in a dormitory type building but unlike American college dorms this one wasn't secured; it was more like a hotel. There were guys and girls staying there and they came and went as they pleased. I asked if she or the girls would go out sometimes other than tours or classes. She said sure, as they became more familiar with the area everyone would leave at times to go shopping or to eat. I asked if the tour guides were around all the time and she said some were and several of the girls had become friends with some of the tour guides.

I didn't want to ask directly about Betty but said something like being in Paris some of the girls probably got pretty close to some of the handsome French guides. She said, "oh yes in fact Betty and Pam became really smitten with a couple of the guys and I tried to keep a close watch on them." I don't think she knew Betty and I were a couple.

I couldn't believe what I had just heard but I couldn't see any reason why she wouldn't tell the truth. Thank goodness we were finishing our lunch and I had to get back to work.

I didn't call Betty that evening and she didn't call me either. That was troubling in itself.

I went out and got a burger at a local hang out that evening. One of the girls that had gone on the trip was there with her boyfriend. I said hello and asked if she had just returned from the Paris France trip I had heard about. I had seen her around but didn't really know her. She said she had and I asked her about it. She was excited and anxious to relate her experiences during the trip. I finally got around to asking about the French people and if there were any good-looking guys there. She glanced over at her boyfriend and said a few. He then jumped in and said tell him about those two girls who were fucking their tour guides. She slapped his arm and blushed. I said "really!"

She couldn't help herself. She started to excitedly tell me about two of the girls who had gotten really close to a couple of the tour guides and everyone knew what was going on. She said several times the two girls didn't get back to their rooms till just before breakfast. She explained they all met for breakfast during the week to make sure everyone was accounted for and to go over the day's events. She said these two girls had obviously had a long night with someone. She said they were even gone over a couple of weekends and didn't return until late Sunday and the two French tour guides dropped them off. I asked their names and she got quiet but her boyfriend spoke up and said a Betty and a Pam. She said, of course she didn't do any of that because her boyfriend would kill her and he replied "damn straight."

I told her it sure sounded like at least some of them had a great time. She giggled and said "it will probably take those two girls a couple of weeks to get rested up." Her boyfriend piped up and said "yea, they were rode hard and put up wet" and then laughed. I said I had to go and was barley able to stagger out of the place.

There was a special place Betty and I would sometimes go. It was a nice grassy place under a tree next to a creek. It was peaceful and quiet and secluded. I drove there without thinking and sat in my pick-up for a long time. I couldn't believe it but finally resigned myself to facing the truth. Denying or ignoring it wouldn't do any good. The question was "What now?"

I called Betty the following evening and asked if she would like to go grab a pizza with me and she agreed. We went to our favorite pizza place and talked while enjoying a pizza. The conversation was strained and I could tell we had a problem. After pizza, I drove out to our favorite place and parked. We sat in silence under a tree next to the creek for a while and then I turned to her and asked if she would tell me about her boyfriend in Paris.

She sighed and said "I knew you were going to ask. Girls just can't keep their damn mouth closed." She said "his name was Michael and he was just a friend. He was a tour guide and he was cute and they were attracted to each other. He was really nice, and sweet, and we just hit it off immediately. We quickly became friends and I think some of the other girls were jealous because he spent so much time with me and not them. After the days tours he would sometimes take me to a small café, or stroll along some French street and just talk. He grew up in Paris and knows all the neat places and would take me there and tell me the history. He was just being nice."

I looked directly into her eyes and asked if she had slept with him? She hung her head and sighed. She said "you need to understand it was Paris, the city of love. Every thing about Paris is beautiful and romantic and Michael represents everything French. He is just a part of the culture you are immersed in."

I asked again, "Did you sleep with him?" She looked me in the eye and nodded her head. I jumped up and yelled "how could you?" She again said "it was Paris", like that should explain everything. I told her I didn't give a flying fuck where she was, she had cheated on me. She looked directly into my eyes and patiently explained, like to a first-grade child, "it was Paris, you are surrounded by lights, music, beautiful buildings, wonderful people, with romance constantly in the air, it's magical. Romance is just an extension of the total experience you have while in Paris. It's not really cheating; besides it was just a short fling that is now over. I will never see Michael again but will have these memories I will treasure forever."

I was shocked. I told Betty; "I have always thought of my future with you by my side. Married, having children, vacations as a family, growing old together. I never envisioned any other kind of future. Now, I can't imagine any kind of future and especially none with you in it."

Betty looked directly at me and said, "Josh, that is nonsense. I still love you and only you and I know you love me. This doesn't affect us or our future. This was a brief period in time where I was able to live my dream and experience Paris France to its fullest, but now, I'm home and we can resume our life together as we had planned. We're not married yet but I look forward to marrying you and spending the rest of our lives together and I know I will never be with any other man than you."

I hung my head with tears running down my cheeks. I whispered to Betty; "you have destroyed us. All we had built together and all our future plans are gone. I loved you with all my heart, trusted you completely, and now learn you were willing to throw it all away for a few fuck sessions with a stranger, a Frenchie asshole."

Betty stood up and told me to grow up and quit being so dramatic. "It was Paris France for goodness's sake, a chance of a life time, and only for a couple of weeks. I have always loved only you and still do. Nothing has changed. You need to grow up and put your big pants on."

I was so angry. I needed to get away from her before I did something I would always regret. I growled at her to get in the truck and I drove her home in silence. When I pulled into her drive way she got out and slammed my pick-up door so hard it almost broke the window glass and stomped into her house. I backed out and peeled rubber for half a block.

All that week I kept going over what she said and tried to understand why she did it. It seemed it was no big deal to her and being in Paris France justified everything she had done. Being in Paris France didn't mean shit to me and certainly didn't give her any kind of a hall pass.

We hadn't really ever had a huge fight before, nothing like this one in all the years we had gone together. There had never been a time when I felt threatened that she would date behind my back or want to see some other guy. Why would she now want to cheat on me with some stranger she had just met? Why would she risk our future for some random short-term fling? I mean he wasn't even an American, let alone from Texas. We were obviously looking at this totally differently.

I did a lot of thinking that week and finally decided it all boiled down to a few critical issues. I sure didn't like my conclusions but didn't see any other way. I was desperately trying to figure out some way I could forgive and forget so I could spend the rest of my life with Betty but was coming up blank. I finally got desperate and asked my dad if we could talk.

He sighed and said let's go out back so your mom can't hear us. Now, my dad is about a hundred and fifty years old give or take a year or two and he was born and raised in the cave man days so he really doesn't understand me or the world I live in but I have to give the old coot credit, he has lived many years and had a lot of experience and been married to the same woman forever so surely he understands women and can help me out. I do have a lot of respect for my dad but I wouldn't want him to think I was a sissy or anything like that.

He started off and said, "yeah, your mom was at that reunion party at our neighbor's house and told me about the teasing Betty received by one of her classmates. Sure sounded like Betty may have crossed a line in Paris." I related to him what I had found out and my conversation with Betty and asked him what I should do. Of course, the first thing he asked was do I love her and does she still love me. I responded yes to both but told him I didn't know if that was enough. I asked how could I move forward with our engagement and wedding after a betrayal like this.

His response was, "that is a question only you can answer." He continued "marriage is a beautiful thing but there are times when it is hard and you both have to be totally committed to each other to survive those rough patches you will experience. If you think you may continue bringing up this time in Paris to Betty when you have arguments in the future, I seriously doubt the marriage can survive long term." I told him that was the same conclusion I had come to. I didn't want to marry Betty and lose a little of my love for her each day and eventually end up bitter and in a divorce because I couldn't forget this instance. He told me to think it all the way through but once you make your decision stand by it. I thanked him and went to call Betty.