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The Doctor
Brian
I met her at a freshman orientation event. I had never seen anyone so beautiful. Beautiful blue eyes, a welcoming smile, blonde hair, a simple sheath dress, which didn't hide that she was stacked. It was amazing that such a little girl could have such big boobs and butt. Sarah wasn't tiny at around five-foot five, and almost 120, but with me at six foot two, she seemed small. Flawless skin completed an incredible package.
Afterward I walked her back to her dormitory and managed a kiss with a little tongue before saying good night. There was a dance the next night and I asked her to go with me. We did dance and enjoyed the dancing, but we mostly talked about our goals. I wanted to be a plant manager and was planning on an ME, combined with MBA in Management. She wanted to be a pediatric surgeon. I was impressed by her drive and objectives. By the time she finished her second residency she would be in her early thirties. I asked her about children. She said that after Med School, she would be able to do her residencies while pregnant.
When we got to her dorm, she told me how to get up to her room. She had a small single on an all-girls' floor. I took the elevator with her up to the boys' floor below. Then I walked up one flight of stairs, and her room was the second on the left. I got there with no problem.
We both had had some experience in high school, so we knew what we were doing, more or less. I knew about going down on women, although I was no expert. She was the first woman that had an orgasm from my limited licking skills. She came three more times in the Missionary, Doggie, and Cowgirl positions. It was a night to remember although not as memorable as some of our subsequent evenings.
I think that first time was the best sex that either of us had had up to then. We both read manuals, and neither of us was afraid to try new things, and soon we were having fantastic sex with me ejaculating two or three times and while she was approaching double digit orgasms. We moved into an apartment at the end of the first semester and got married the next June.
Our parents continued to help us out through our undergraduate years. After we graduated, I got a job in a computer assembly plant, and began work on my MBA, while she was attending Medical School. It was hand to mouth even with our parents still ponying up both our tuitions. I finished my MBA in three years. However, we had to move for her first residency. I was able to get a job nearby, and we got serious about starting a family. Suzy and Mike came during her surgical residency and Patsy during her pediatric surgeon residency. Things were going great.
We didn't have a lot of student debt because of the fantastic help we had gotten from our parents, but still, it would be good to put that chapter behind us. I had no expectation of either of us becoming a stay-at-home parent, but our first major disagreement came then after fourteen years of marriage and three children. She wanted to take a one-year contract with an NGO in an underdeveloped country.
Sarah told me, "Brian, one of the things that attracted me to you was your high ideals. I feel like I've spent my whole life taking from others, mostly from my parents and you. You've been the primary childcare provider as well as the principal earner during my seven years of residency. You've provided me with the emotional and financial support I needed through three pregnancies and eleven years of post-graduate training and education. I want to give back. I know it's going to be hard on you and I'm taking time away from our children, but it's only a year. After that I should be able to get a great position, and we can start living the great life we've both been preparing for most of our adult lives. I know this is as much, if not more, of a sacrifice for you as for me, but I feel like it's something I need to do. Please, can you bear with me, one more year."
I replied, "I know it's somewhat selfish on my part, but haven't I given enough? I know this is important to you, but I think both the children and I deserve more of you, not less."
She agreed, "Brian, you are absolutely right. You have been not only a wonderful lover but a solid rock throughout our marriage. I know that our children are very young, but I also believe this is the only chance I will have to do something to make the world a better place. I realize that this is a commitment on your part as well, but I hope you can stand up for me one more time."
I asked her, "How bad will the separation be?"
She replied, "I need to go to Stockholm for eight weeks of training. I will be back here for about two weeks with some additional training going on, before I start my assignment in rural Nigeria. Every two months I will be able to come home for a week."
I said, "It sounds like you're pretty much committed to this?"
She told me, "It's all tentative. A few tears ran down her face. "No way can I do this without your support. If you're not on board, I will have to tell them it's no deal. I understand that this is a big commitment on your part. The biggest differences between my commitment and yours is that you won't be in danger, and you'll have air conditioning."
I pointed out, "Sarah, we've never been apart for more than a week throughout our fifteen years together."
She spoke wistfully, "Brian, I know. That's the hardest part for me. Seven two-month separations is a lot. If you were most men, I couldn't even ask this. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you. I guess it's the biggest thing I've ever asked anyone."
I had to tell her, "Sarah, I'm really trying to see my way through this, but it's really hard. A series of two-month separation is not the greatest thing for a marriage. I'm sure we'll both have temptations. Particularly, a woman like you, away from her husband, and drop-dead gorgeous still after all these years."
She replied, "Guys have been hitting on me for fifteen years, and I've never been tempted. The most important thing in my life is what I hope will be the next fifty years with you."
I said, "Sounds like it'll only forty-nine now, but the missing year is the next one. This will be awfully hard. How long before you're fully committed."
She explained, "I'll have to sign a contract for a year of service before I go for the training in Stockholm. That starts in three weeks. At this point, they'd like the contract as soon as possible."
I spoke seriously, "This is a major decision. I think it's reasonable to take a few days."
She agreed, "It is a big decision, I don't want to hurry you, but I guess I am."
I told her, "Believe me, this will have my highest priority."
I had been presented with a near fait accompli. I felt like this was a major threat to our marriage. I believed that we had both been faithful to our marriage vows for the entire fourteen years of our marriage. I could see many scenarios that ended up with her in someone else's bed. On the other hand I had to admire both her bravery and her dedication to her ideals. I believed it was possible that we could come through this with our relationship intact, but my feeling was that it was less than a 50-50 proposition. My next step, I decided, was to be frank about my thoughts.
Sarah
I would never have considered serving in another country if I didn't believe our marriage was rock solid. There were five of us now, and I believed that we could survive as a family unit with one member temporarily away. Today's technology would allow us to make calls frequently, perhaps not daily but at least several times a week. I not only loved Brian, but also Suzy, Mike, and Patsy. It would have been better if our parents lived closer, but we had already made several moves because of my career.
Brian had solidly supported me throughout our fourteen years of marriage. I knew I should listen carefully to his doubts. I guess he had been so solidly behind everything I did, I really didn't expect reluctance now. I didn't believe going to rural Nigeria reflected selfishness on my part, although I recognized it was requiring sacrifices on the part of all five of us.
I had to ask myself why I was so committed to this. I felt like I had given lip service to the highest ideals of service and making the world a better place; this was my best opportunity to do something about that. Signing up for a series of two-month separations was not something I took lightly. Although we no longer made love every night, we seldom missed two nights in a row. The only exceptions were when we had five or six days of training or conference out of town. I knew those had been hard on both of us, but worthwhile. It had also been fantastic when we were back together again.