SEASON OF THE WITCH
When I look out my window, what do you think I see,
And when I look in my window, so many different people to be,
It's strange, sure is strange,
You've got to pick up every stitch,
You've got to pick up every stitch....,
Oh, no. Must be the season of the witch, yeah.
Must be the season of the witch." Donovan Leitch, 1966, Sunshine Superman
Todd Baker and his wife Eleanor were on their way back from dropping their youngest child, eighteen year old Jason, at State University. The other three children were twin girls, Bella and Stella, twenty-two, and Barb, twenty, also at college. Bella and Stella had graduated and were working in NYC for a trade association. Eleanor wasn't happy about the NYC part. The girls commuted from New Jersey.
In fact, Eleanor hadn't been too happy at all for some time -- six or eight months, as far as Todd could make it out. He put it down to the impending empty nest. Both of them were forty-four. They'd been together since they were twenty, students at State U.
Todd had his own CPA firm, which was doing well. Elle worked at a real estate firm, as an agent. She was also making good money. They lived in River City, outside of town on a thirty-acre plot, with a five-bedroom house.
The trip to State U. was a three-hour drive. Todd had been feeling quite uncomfortable during both stages. He had a nagging ill-feeling about -- well, about Elle. Her disquiet had turned disquieting to him. Now that she was faced with the prospect of a big, empty house, she had seemed to withdraw. On the drive home, she sat knitting in the passenger seat. She was good at it, and could knit without much thought -- in the dark. And it was dark now, just past ten pm. The two had spoken only sporadically. Todd had recently given up trying to have any conversations with Elle.
Elle said, in a matter-of-fact way, "I want to start seeing other men."
Todd was appalled, but not particularly surprised. "You mean having sex with other men?"
'If I like them, yes." She didn't seem at all fazed by the topic.
Todd was contemplating his response when two rabbits darted out into the road in front of his SUV. Elle gasped and Todd slammed the brakes, narrowly missing the two rodents. Cute rodents, but rodents, nevertheless. They dashed up the depression on the side of the road and off into a field. Todd was rattled, and Elle as well. She cursed about messing up her knitting. But Todd drove on. He had about an hour of driving on these rural roads before home. He needed his concentration, as amply demonstrated by the rodents.
He said, "I don't want to talk about this until we're home. It's upsetting and I want to concentrate on driving." That was the last either of them spoke during the drive. But Todd was thinking, nevertheless. In fact, he was becoming quite angry. All this time he had put up with Elle's flat affect. Near total lack of sex for a month. Now this. By the time they got into the garage, he was ready for a split. It wasn't as if the thought hadn't occurred to him before.
He stopped the car, took the snack bag from the rear seat and went inside the house. He went directly upstairs, stripped and showered. He gave the entire matter more thought in the shower. Nothing changed, except he decided to take a calm approach to the matter when they did discuss it.
He dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt, sandals. He went downstairs and poured himself a red wine. Elle was in the kitchen, with white wine. Her knitting had been cast off, and was on the small couch against the far wall. It looked a little ragged -- strange for her. He assumed that the rabbit episode had caused a problem. Elle wouldn't stand for any mistakes -- in her knitting at least.
He sat down opposite her at the round breakfast table.
"Explain, please." He had absolutely no emotion in his voice. Nor was there any emotion on his face.
She looked determined. But a little nervous. She certainly wasn't calm.
"I have been considering this for some time. I feel like I need something to perk up my life, now we don't have the kids at home. Other guys, dates, dancing, maybe will do it. Maybe not. I can't be sure until I try." She wasn't looking at him when she spoke. But, at the end she looked directly at him, searching for a reaction. Which didn't come.
"Are you proposing an open marriage? I can also fuck other people?"
"No. Well, I'd like it if you didn't. But I can't insist, can I?"
"This has to do with your buddies and the new gym, right?"
Todd had had his suspicions about her friends, and the fact that the four of them, and maybe two more, had switched from the YMCA to a new gym across town, a twenty-minute drive. The gym was part of a development being built there, including condos, fancy houses, and a shopping complex, which had the gym at the edge. It was called The Gym at Covenstead Center. (GCC.) An odd name, apparently derived from the name of the former owners of the ninety-acre property upon which the entire development sat. Elle's firm was selling the dwellings in the development, and getting very well paid to do so. When the firm took the work, Elle and her three friends switched gyms.
Those three friends were Samantha Barnes, married to Darin ; Annabelle Stewart, married to Steven, and Beth Burns, married to Robert. The four women all worked for Century Real Estate, which was owned by Samantha. Samantha and Darin had been friends of theirs since college. The other two couples were also long-time friends, since their kids were small. The eight of them often socialized. But, when Todd considered it, he realized that the hadn't been seeing the others for a while. Since the project and the gym switch.
Elle looked away when Todd mentioned the gym. She said, softly, "No. The gym was to try to get out of the rut I was in."
"Elle, have you already started with other guys?"
"No. I wouldn't cheat. I'm telling you straight up."
Todd was unconvinced. The two of them had been going to the Y for years. It was close-by and fully equipped. They were both in good shape. Todd lifted and used the ellipticals. Elle swam and did dancing, aerobics, and volleyball. The new gym, which Todd had visited, had two younger guys as owners, and a raft of guys from a nearby trade school who worked out there. When Samantha had asked them to switch, she took them to see the place. She said that the guys -- Mark Baston and Larry Mullen -- wanted more women clients. Having more women meant the guy customers would visit more. At that point there had been an imbalance, sexually.
Todd had felt left out by the entire thing. Samantha presented it as a work thing, helping sales by helping the gym. They were introduced to the two guys. They were both big and muscular. Mark was blond, maybe six-two, two hundred. Larry was taller and slimmer, with dark hair in a ponytail. The appeared to be in their late twenties. They both dressed in tight shorts and shirts. Todd was smaller, 5'10" maybe 160 lbs. The guys tried macho handshakes with him, Larry in particular. Todd noted that, and smiled at them. He stared hard at Larry, in particular.
In the end, Elle joined, and Todd stayed at the Y. The argued about it, but she did what she wanted. It was about then that she began withdrawing. Todd had been suspicious for months about the gym.
Now this. He didn't believe Elle.
He said, "I cannot say that I believe that."
"It's true. I haven't crossed any red lines. There's a number of good-looking men, and they like me. I flirt. They ask me out. Now, I'm going to accept."
"What about the other three women?"
She looked away. That gave him an answer.
"All of them? All of them are fucking around?"
"Samantha and Darin have an agreement."
"And Anna and Beth? Agreements? I don't think so."
"They're discrete."
"Now you feel peer pressure to fuck around. After all, everyone's doing it."
"You jerk! This is serious. You're sarcastic."
"Geez. Wonder why." His flat demeanor had slipped there. But he got back into it.
He said, "What's to keep me from blowing up the whole thing? I could be on the phone now with Steve and Rob."
"They tried to convince me not to tell you, because they said you'd mess up the scene. But....I needed to be honest. Sam will fire me, if you tell."
"Elle, I can say this, if you have sex -- any kind of sex -- with some other guy, it WILL end us. Period. Please reconsider." He had regained his flat demeanor.
"I...I gave it a lot of thought. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought it up. I feel that I need this."
"Then, so be it. Please let me know when it happens. I'll have the papers prepared to serve. You're making a big mistake."
"No, it's you who are being stupid. You asshole!" She stormed out, upstairs.
Todd thought that the chances of saving his marriage were dim. He emailed a friend of his from school, who did family law -- June Cromer. He laid out his situation and asked if she could help. About an hour later he got a reply, saying she could. He arranged an appointment for the next day at one pm.
Then he called an acquaintance of his. It was a man who could do computer investigations, not the ordinary ones. He made an appointment for the morning at nine am.
Finally, he made an appointment with a firm of investigators that he had used previously. Four pm tomorrow.
He went to his office safe and got some cash. He kept a good amount in there, in case the shit hit the fan. This situation easily qualified.
It was late, and he had no intention of sleeping with Elle. But he needed his toothbrush and some other things. He tried to open the door to the main bedroom. Locked. He went and got a credit card he used for such events. He used it to open the door. Elle shouted at him to stay out.
He answered her calmly. "I have no intention of sleeping anywhere near you. But I need some things, and this is my house, and my room. I'm going to get them. You're lucky I don't toss you out."
He got his toothbrush, pillow and some clothing. It took some time, and Elle watched him from the bed. She was still dressed. She had been crying, it appeared. She was a very attractive woman, tall, lush, with reddish brown hair and full lips. It was obvious that men would pursue her. But she had been faithful until now, he was nearly certain. Now, with her smeary face, she was even more attractive, because of her vulnerability. She didn't look at all as if she was sure of herself or her intentions.
He decided to give it another try. "Pease, Elle. This doesn't have to happen. You can't expect me to sit by and be cuckolded. Openly. You don't have to do this. We can go to counselling."
