Satin Dress

Foreword.

I have two linked stories that are nearly finished and I needed to clear my mind of them before a final read through. So, I thought I would have a go at finishing this short punchy story. This one popped into my mind about 3 weeks ago and was about 90% done. My thanks to AnAverageGuy61for his editing and suggestions.

We were sat at the kitchen table, my wife of 10 years Sandra, sometimes known as Sandy. It was a fairly standard meal for us on a Monday. Bubble and squeak, she even put the cauliflower cheese in it, nice and crispy. Lovely, just how I like it with yesterday's leftover roast beef and pickles on the side. She brought me a pint of my favourite beer. Adnams Broadside, a tad strong at 6.5% for a Monday night. I suppose a strong beer on a work night isn't a problem occasionally.

But. I'd known her for about 14 years, something was coming now, and I probably wasn't going to like it.

Then it came. "I'm going out on a date Friday night with one of the chaps from work, and before you get worked up about it, it is just dinner. There's not going to be any sex, so you can get that idea right out of your head."

There were many things I was expecting, that wasn't one of them.

"Why?" I was displaying an outward calm; my insides were seething.

"I want a bit of excitement, something for me. Everything's a bit mundane."

I think I could see where this was going. "So, it's my fault now everything's mundane. You didn't say that Saturday last week when I took you to the Red Lion for dinner and dancing, or Friday when we won the pub quiz, you seemed over the moon about the bottle of bubbly we won that night."

"That was us, I want something for me and trust me there won't be any sex. It's just dinner."

"So, who is this bloke? And when did you decide to do this?" I asked.

"It's Jonathan, he's been asking me for weeks, but I've always turned him down. He asked again today and insisted it is just dinner. No sex, he promised. So, I said yes."

I had sort of guessed it was the new bloke Jonathan, she'd mentioned him several times a few months ago, but she hasn't talked about him at all for a while now. I had popped round to her office one day when she forgot to take her lunch, and I'd seen him. You know when you take an instant dislike to a smarmy shit, well that was it. And we had met various times around town.

"I don't want you to go, but it will be your choice. But I warn you, I don't trust him or believe you about the 'no sex' bit. Don't forget, I've met him."

It was a cold house for the next two days.

She was late home Wednesday, she had a supermarket carrier bag, but I could see two handles, she had hidden one bag inside another. Hiding things, that did not bode well.

Whilst she made dinner I went for a shower, I looked in the back of her wardrobe and there was the other bag. In it looked to be a sexy satin blue dress and a new pair of stockings. I couldn't take it out without giving it away that I had found it. It could be for me as a make-up surprise.

I did some thinking Wednesday evening. Thursday, I left the house at the normal time, but I phoned in sick at work. I had stuff to do.

It was still frosty Thursday evening, she told me they were going out early, so she would more than likely be gone by the time I got home from work.

She probably didn't want me to see the new dress. I didn't see that coming. I would have to bring my planned speech forward a bit.

"Where are you going for your dinner date?" I asked.

"I am not telling you; you'd turn up and spoil it."

"You need to think about this, what you're doing, going out on a date with another man, not your husband. And not telling him where you're going. I will not stand for it. If you go, I will throw you out on the street."

She looked at me amazed. "You wouldn't do that, you love me."

"I do love you, but do you want to find out?"

She looked down.

"And I believe your company has a morals policy? I would tell them."

"You wouldn't, I'd get sacked."

"Do you want to risk it?"

I finished my speech. "If you go out with him, I will not be here where you get back, sex or not."

I think that worried her. She had been warned.

It was an even colder night in bed.

I went to work early so as not to have to confront her. And I would be home early.

I got home. Her car was there, I went inside but didn't make myself known. I gave it 15 minutes after the shower stopped running and walked upstairs into our bedroom. She stood there in the satin dress. She looked stunning.

"That's why you're going early, you don't want me to see the new dress." I could see the empty stockings packet on the bed. I picked it up. She looked embarrassed.

"So you're not going to have sex with him, but you're going out looking like a high class escort." I was tempted to use the word hooker or whore, but that would probably be too much, for now.

Until she stepped out that door there was still a chance.

"When I took you dancing to The Red Lion it was a blouse, skirt and tights, no stockings for me, but Jonathan gets them.

"And you've bought a new dress for him. Who paid for that?

"I did."

"Did the money come out of our joint account?"

"Well yes, of course it did."

"No, you didn't pay for it, we did, and as I put most of the money into that account, you're now using my money to dress up for your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Then why are you going out with him?"

"I want something different, exciting."

The doorbell rang, I went downstairs, she followed me.

It was Jonathan, I could tell he was surprised to see me.

Now there was an impasse, I stood to one side to give her the choice.

Then I said, "If you put one foot outside that door, I will leave you."

"No you won't, you love me."

"Do you want to try it, is it worth the risk?"

Jonathan smiled at her, held his hand out to her and said. "Sandy, time to go." That seemed to make her mind up.

She stepped out the door.

I pushed past them, so I was outside next to him.

"Sandra." I said. She looked at me. I took the envelope containing the divorce papers out of my back pocket, took my wedding ring off, dropped it inside and sealed it. I offered it to her. She didn't take it, his hand was still out so it put it there, he took it.

I looked at him and said, "When you finish fucking her, give her that."

I walked up to the side of the house and picked up the 'For Sale' sign that had been laid there since I had contacted the estate agents and stuck it up by the fence post.

Sandra stood there with her mouth wide open, leaning against the door jamb.

I walked past her back indoors to behind the sofa, I picked up my rucksack and a large suitcase. I walked past her and threw the luggage into the back of my Mondeo.

I turned to Sandy and said. "I'll be back tomorrow to pick up the rest of my stuff. Make sure he's not in the house." I pointed at Jonathan.

She collapsed on the floor, crying.

"Now you can go on dates and fuck whomever you wish."

"You can't talk to her like that." Jonathan said as he pushed me. Oh, so nice, I was glad the cameras were recording everything, I stepped forward and kneed him in the knackers as hard as I could. He went down and started throwing up

Sandra was on the floor crying looking up at me. "Don't contact me, I'll see you tomorrow."

I drove to my parents' house; they were expecting me.

Afterword.

AnAverageGuy61 suggested I might get flak for the sudden ending, and he was probably correct. So for those of you that like the story finished, here you go.

I went to collect more of my stuff on Saturday. Jonathon wasn't there. She begged me to stay. I told her if she was going out on dinner dates with work colleagues dressed like that, it showed she had no respect for me, and it was only a matter of time before she strayed.

And I wasn't going to wait around for that to happen. I suggested she find somewhere to live as I've had an offer on the house, and I was going to accept it. She would get half of what was left over. I collected what I wanted and walked out to a new life and didn't look back.