Bill and his wife Judy were a fairly typical suburban couple in their mid-40's. They'd had two children: Mark and Bethany who were both at university leaving them as empty nesters; except for vacations and the prospect that the kids might return after Uni or at any time they were short of cash.
Bill always thought Judy's best features were her long thighs and pert bum. She had been a gymnast and a dancer when younger and held a classic elegant poise. She seemed to glide serenely across a room with shoulders naturally back and chin up. Her bright green eyes sparkled, set off by her long blonde hair which she usually kept in a ponytail, but with odd strands constantly escaping.
Judy was a bundle of energy and always on the go. Not having kids after so many years left her at a bit of a loose end. She started back with some dance and fitness classes to fill in the time.
It was David moving into the neighbourhood which changed things for the better. David was a widower, his wife Val had died of cancer leaving him to bring up two young children, Keith 8 and Amy 6. It was tragic to lose a wife and mother before the age of 35. David seemed like a nice guy, and they were a lovely family who settled in well. Having the kids was a great way to meet everyone in the neighbourhood. Judy in her usual caring manner led the way, offering to look after the kids and help David with the never-ending juggle of work and family.
The ad hoc childcare was a revelation to Judy, she was in her element back looking after young children and quickly bonding with them. Her mood improved and she was felt far more positive. Bill was relieved; he pitched in as well, taking both Amy and Keith to various local sports clubs. It reminded him of happy times spent with his own children. They didn't have any other living relatives, so Judy and Bill quickly became adopted as Aunt and Uncle.
Judy was determined to help the kids cope with the sad loss of their mum. She was amazed at how resilient they both appeared. She offered more help, doing the daily school pick-ups and taking them home to wait for David to finish work, in effect providing afternoon childcare. In the end, David insisted he pay Judy for at least some of her time, she was saving him a fortune and was a steady regular presence for them. Judy eventually accepted to appease him but would have gladly done it for nothing. She was an excellent cook and started prepping the evening meals to make things easier for them; at odd times she would stay and eat with them as well.
Judy knew she had to be careful; David was a good-looking guy. He attracted a lot of attention at the neighbourhood BBQs and sooner or later a new partner would be on the horizon, she needed to be careful about confusing the kids.
Bill was surprised Judy had started having dinner with the family, he began feeling a little neglected, everything was focused on David and the kids. He urged Judy to be careful and that she wasn't their mum, but having the vibrant, happy Judy back overcame most of his concerns.
It was at a neighbourhood BBQ at their house when Bill first began to feel uneasy. He hadn't seen Judy since the start of the BBQ and stood back with his beer to watch the interactions. Judy was constantly at David's side in between running around after the kids, they smiled a lot often at each other. Anyone who didn't know would think they were a married couple. What was more, David was almost acting as host, doling out drinks, food and organising things.
Just then Judy's best friend Christine interrupted his thoughts; they had been close friends since their own kids were all young.
"Penny for them... you look a million miles away."
Without thinking Bill said exactly what was on his mind, "I am wondering if I have anything to worry about, Judy is acting more as David's wife than mine!"
To her credit Christine didn't dismiss the comment and immediately defend her friend, she watched for a while in silence.
"I can see why you might be concerned but this is Judy we are talking about; she is like a surrogate to those kids and David comes in the bundle. I am certain she would never dream of anything inappropriate."
Bill agreed reluctantly but he couldn't quite shift that feeling of unease. He knew Christine would subtly inform Judy about their chat, probably saying she noticed Bill being left out. It seemed a better solution than any accusations at that point.
Just as he had decided to leave it at that, he noticed something and decided to have a chat with David after all. Bill made sure to pass David on his next trip to the beer cooler and asked if he could spare a minute. They moved over to a quiet corner of the garden.
Bill got straight to the point, "Do we have an issue?"
"No I don't think so, what do you mean?"
"I mean just how friendly you are with my wife."
David looked concerned, "Judy has been a god send, I owe her so much and we spend a lot of time together, I guess we have grown close."
"Is that right! How close exactly?"
"We're just friends."
"I wouldn't like you to mistake that friendship for anything more."
"Of course, I wouldn't... I would never do that."
"Great, so you will understand that the next time you touch my wife's arse, I will break your fucking arm."
David paled, "I never touched her."
"Calling me a liar would be another mistake! I saw it with my own eyes, just subtle enough to call it an accident, but you've been touching and hugging her all afternoon. Do we understand each other!"
"Yeah sure, but there is absolutely nothing in it, it's all absolutely innocent, we're just friends."
With that David trudged off. It wasn't long before Judy stormed over.
"What on earth did you say to David?"
Bill took a deep breath, "The same thing I am going to say to you. I wanted to know why my wife would ignore her husband, spend nearly the whole of the afternoon with another man and when he touched her arse, she would let him... rather than slap him."
Judy's bluster started disappearing, "You're being ridiculous!"
"Am I, are you denying it?"
"We're just friends, I care for his kids, there's nothing else going on."
"Why did you let the touch slide?
"I never even noticed... I am sure any touch was accidental."
"For the first time in my married life, I don't believe you Judy. You were flirting and it's obvious he is attracted to you and he's a good-looking guy. I'll say the same thing to you as I did to him; this stops now or there will be trouble."
Judy was furious, mostly with Bill's over the top reaction but also with herself. There was no denying she had spent all of the afternoon with David. Helping with the kids justified some but by no means all of it. She liked David's company and enjoyed the odd touch but knew it was pushing the boundaries. She had felt David's hand glance from her hip and across her bum. Judy wanted to believe that she hadn't reacted because it might have been an accident or that she was frozen in shock. She really wanted to believe that a lot, the alternative was unacceptable.
***
On the surface things seemed better for a while, but Bill felt as though Judy was moving away from him. Nearly all of her conversation revolved around the kids, although she had enough sense not to mention David much. Still things felt tense, Bill couldn't put a finger on it, but the easy conversations faltered slightly as if Judy was filtering what she shared with Bill.
Thankfully David had the good sense to avoid Bill like the plague. But Bill resented the amount of time he seemed to spend with Judy. Bill looked at her sadly one night as she lay asleep, thinking that his part in her life seem to be diminishing.
***
It was three months later sitting at dinner than Judy mentioned the possibility of going on a trip with David and the kids. There was something in the overly casual way Judy mentioned it that concerned Bill. After numerous questions, Judy reluctantly explained.
"It's a one-week vacation in France. David has a weekend work trip to Paris; he then intends to holiday with the kids in Brittany. He's asked me to travel with them and look after them for the first couple of days while he is working; he'd then be free to spend five days with the kids. He is going to pay me for a full week of child minding and cover all expenses.
"And you want to go?"
"Yes, Yes I do."
"So you want to spend a week together playing as a happy family?"
"It's just child minding to look after the kids. They haven't had a holiday since before Val died and deserve a proper break."
"I appreciate that, I just don't see why that has to involve you. It's inappropriate; they can go on a trip as a family at any time."
