No sex in this one (and yes, I know it's Literotica); just a cautionary tale about the realities of adultery. You've been warned.
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Who would have thought that the birth of my first grandchild would lead to the possible destruction of my 24-year marriage to Jane?
I'm sitting in the back of this rented utility van, just up the street from my daughter's home; hoping what happens next doesn't finish what I considered a very loving and wonderful marriage. According to my daughter Sarah, Jane typically goes for a long jog around noon on the days she visits her grandson. Sarah says Jane comes back after an hour or so and looks fairly flushed from her workout. I'm here to see what Jane's workout consists of.
My name is Bill Jones and until a month ago I was living the dream. My business is doing great, I'm 47 years old and part owner of a fabrication plant that is on the cusp of a new patent that will revolutionize one of the plastic extrusion processes. If everything goes according to plan, I stand to make a few million on the patent even after sharing the profits with my co-inventor and the five investors who backed our development.
Besides my worklife, I thought my personal life was everything I could ask for. As I said, my wife seemed to love me and our life together. We have one child, Sarah, who we're both very proud to call our daughter.
Sarah met, married and got pregnant to a wonderful man ten years her senior right after graduating from the U. The funny thing about Sarah is how easily she's taken to motherhood and being a full-time homemaker. Here's a girl (woman really, but she'll always be my girl) that graduated with honors and had every intention of taking the financial world by storm. Sarah's graduation present from her mom and me was a full six weeks of touring Europe; it was her reward for finishing college in three years (saving us a bundle); bucking it up while most of her peers spent spring and summer breaks on the beach.
Sarah met her future husband in Europe, she claims it was love at first sight; something she wouldn't have considered possible before that first evening in Madrid. She also claims it was fate, Jim Taylor was from Jane's hometown of Olympia. When Sarah returned from her European tour she moved into her grandparents' house (Jane's folks) and within six months she was engaged to Jim, within eighteen months she was married and pregnant with our first grandchild. Jane couldn't have been more excited; she immediately cut her hours at work so she could spend time with Sarah and the baby.
OK, so now you know my worklife is great, I'm a very happy papa/grandpa/father-in-law. That brings us to my marriage to Jane.
Jane and I met at the University of Washington. I was a senior and Jane had transferred in from Washington State. We had a class together, one of those entry level classes required to graduate. Jane was, and still is, a very attractive woman. She's 5'8", athletically built, she's been a runner since high school, with a great smile and beautiful hazel eyes. I was smitten the first day I saw her, but our few conversations after class led me to back off since she seemed reserved. By the time the quarter ended I worked up enough courage and she accepted my invitation to go out. One date led to another and things were looking good for a long-term romance.
I found out the reason for her reservation after our third or fourth date. She was getting over a very bad break up, Jane caught the boy she dated for two years in high school and two years at WSU in bed with another girl. Jane humiliated herself by accepting his indiscretion for almost three months before finally giving him an ultimatum, he had to choose. This guy was pretty full of himself by this time and blatantly chose both, suggesting a three way. Jane had enough, left school soon after and transferred to the U. I guess that made me a rebound romance. The subject seemed to hurt Jane and it was never brought up again.
I'm fairly certain Jane and I had a pretty good marriage and that she was a faithful, loving wife for the next twenty-three years. Although there were minor disagreements from time to time, we never went to bed without working those problems out and at least kissing each other good-night. I never strayed; sure I looked sometimes, but was never tempted to ruin a good thing by crossing that line. Jane caught me once and a while eyeing a woman at the beach or on the dance floor. She'd lightly slug my shoulder and say, "Remember, you can look, but not for too long and never touch!" She always did this with a smile and a gleam in those eyes.
So, what happened?
When Sarah had her son, William (yea, named after me), Jane decided she needed to spend time with Sarah and Bill, Jr. (as we call him). One day a week Jane would get in her car and drive sixty miles from our home in North Seattle to Olympia; not far by measured miles, but anyone who's driven that stretch knows it takes hours going from point A to point B. After a couple of months of driving back and forth in the same day and with winter coming on, Sarah bought a day bed and put it in their study so Jane could spend the night; Jane could drive south in the morning of the first day and come home prior to rush hour on the second. I used the evenings Jane was away to work on the patent. This new routine worked out so well that Jane continued to stay overnight in Olympia even after the weather improved the next spring.
Saturday, June 27th was Bill Junior's first birthday; Sarah and Jim planned a bar-b-que in their large backyard to celebrate the event. Two minor incidents occurred during the picnic, both played a role in putting the pieces of this mystery together.
I was sitting in a nice lounge chair having a cold beer when Jim and Sarah joined me. They caught me staring at Jane. Jim was the first to speak.
"You're a lucky man, Dad. I must admit that I took my father's advice and looked at Sarah's mother to see how my future wife would look when she's 40 before proposing."
Sarah gave him a slug on the shoulder, just like her mom always did to me. "You pig; I can't believe you'd say such a thing. What if my mother wasn't such a babe? Would you have dumped me?"
I tried to save Jim. "It's true Sarah. I did the same thing - one look at your grandmother convinced me that your mom was a keeper."
With that Sarah gave me a punch on my shoulder. "OK Dad, but what are we girls supposed to do, look at your fathers? In that case I better like looking at a shiny bald head."
The three of us looked over at Jim's dad manning the bar-b-que and laughed. Jim's dad is a great guy and good looking, but he's fighting the male baldness thing by letting his hair grow and trying to comb it over. Right now the wind was blowing it around and he looked like a certain future president.
"Well, anyway you're right Jim, I'm a lucky man. How many men are married to a 45 year-old woman that has the body of a 30 year-old?"
Sarah replied. "She should be in good shape with all the running she does. Every day she's here Mom takes off by noon and spends at least an hour running to the waterfront and back. I don't know how she can do it."
"Yea, she runs at least four days a week at home. Once or twice a week I go out with her and she runs me ragged. She'll do four miles at a seven-minute mile pace. I think she's going to try for the half-marathon this fall. You have to hand it to her."
About this time Jim's dad Jeff called everyone over and started serving the grilled corn-on-the-cob and burgers, including some surprisingly good vegi-burgers; the first I've ever tasted. I sat with Jeff and Jim; we compared work notes, Jeff had a restaurant supply business and he was grooming Jim to take over when it was time to retire in ten years or so.
After the meal I went inside to grab a few beers for the three of us and just before I walked out the patio door something caught my eye in the house behind Jim and Sarah's. I took a step back into the house and focused my eyes. Sure enough, Jim and Sarah's backyard neighbor was standing at an upstairs window looking over into our yard with a set of binoculars. I couldn't tell for certain, but it looked as if he was watching the table where Jane, Sarah and Jim's mom were sitting. Creepy. As I moved back through the patio door, the neighbor quickly lowered the binoculars and stepped back from the window.
"Jim, what's the deal with the neighbor behind you. I just saw him staring over here with binoculars."
Both Jim and Jeff took their beers and gave me a look like, 'what the hell?'.
"That's Allen Ross, he's actually a salesman for one of our main vendors and the guy gives me the creeps. We had a neighborhood watch block party last year and even though the guy doesn't live on our block, he shows up. Everyone thought it was a bit strange. I caught him more than once staring at Sarah, so I went over and talked to him. He of course recognized me, was surprised we were neighbors and apologized, he said Sarah reminded him of someone he knew back in high school. I let it go, but it was strange."
"Well, I hope you keep the curtains in your back bedroom closed. What an asshole."
But something about this rang a small bell in my head.
It was a long afternoon and by the time Jane and I headed home, I forgot about the kids' neighbor. It wasn't until Sunday morning when I remembered. Jane was out on one of her runs and I was having my second cup of coffee so I went over to the bookcase and pulled out one of Jane's high school yearbooks; we keep all that nostalgic stuff with the photo albums in the den. I looked up the name Allen Ross and much to my surprise there was a handwritten note in the margin.
Jane
It's been two great years with you - and just as your favorite song says - we've only just begun. I am looking forward to next year at WSU and all the years after. Your love forever,
Al
So, it was Jane's old boyfriend that was living right behind Sarah and Jim. Did she know? If she knew, why didn't she say anything? These and dozens of other questions swirled around in my head until Jane came home and took her shower. By the time she came downstairs I had a fruit and yogurt smoothie waiting for her. As usual, Jane had that fresh, flushed and glowing look about her; she looked so beautiful, I almost chickened out, but I sucked in my breath and asked the million dollar question.
"Jane, do you know an Allen Ross?"
Jane's answer was so fluid; in retrospect, it's almost as if she anticipated the question and was ready with her answer.
"I knew an Alan Ross in high school. We even dated for a while. Why do you ask?"
Jane's answer took me by surprise and I decided to play the rest of the hand close to the vest.
"He lives behind Sarah and Jim. When Jim caught Ross looking at Sarah, he called him out and Ross said she reminded him of a girl he knew in high school. Given how much Sarah looks like you at that age, I wondered if you weren't the girl he was talking about."
