The Wives 1

Our "friends' group" consists of four married couples. All four couples participated in what I'm about to describe so let me introduce them: Johnny and June, Sid and Nancy, Jack and Jackie and my wife, Eve and me, Adam. We will all be 25 this year. We all went to the same state university and were all in the same year. That's where we all met. All of us married within two years of graduating. Our collective wives are referred to by each of us as "The Wives". The husbands, by default, are "The Husbands".

How did we become friends? Junior year, our four future wives shared a dorm room together. The university was renovating one of the women's dorms that year and they shoved all the female students into the remaining dorms. Our future wives were lucky enough to get what the university called "a suite", a dorm room which had its own bathroom and was slightly larger than the other dorm rooms. The four of them became fast friends and inseparable. When they met their future husbands, we also became friends, by default. By senior year, all four couples did practically everything together. No, not that together. We are all monogamous. At least that's what I thought.

I mentioned that we all married within two years of graduating. June and Johnny were the first to marry. June got pregnant the last semester of senior year and she and Johnny married shortly after graduation. They are the only couple in our group with a child.

Eve and I were the last to marry. When we discussed marriage, Eve told me she believes marriage should be for a lifetime. She wanted both of us to be sure we were ready for that sort of commitment. She suggested we live together before marrying to make sure that we were completely compatible. Fine. I was in no rush. I was sure about her but if she had her doubts about marrying me, I wanted her to resolve those doubts one way or another before we married. A year later, we married.

Our marriage is successful because Eve runs the show. She gets her way about pretty much everything. When I wrote the names of the couples before, without thinking I put the dominant, or at least the more demonstrative, spouse first. Everyone refers to the two of us as Eve and Adam. No one would put my name first when talking about us. Before you call me a wimp or simp or some other derogatory name, let me defend myself: I don't care what's for dinner. I don't care what TV show Eve wants to watch or movie she wants to see. I don't care what restaurant she picks. I don't care where we go on vacation. I don't care what we do to for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I don't care enough to fight over any of that stuff. If I don't like the TV show or movie, I'll just doze off. I know Eve won't pick a restaurant where I won't find something on the menu I'll like. I know Eve will work it out with our respective parents where we're going for which holidays. If I'm asked for an opinion, I give it. If I decide to put my foot down about something, I do and Eve accedes to my wishes. Although, offhand, I can't think of an occasion when I actually put my foot down and Eve actually acceded to my wishes. But I'm sure she would.

All eight of us found jobs in the university town where we went to school. All the couples live within a 10-minute walk from one another. Something The Wives insisted on. The Wives spend a lot of time together. Weekends, The Wives go shopping and have lunch together. Or they go to a spa for the day. Or they spend the day together at Nancy's pool.

The four couples spend pretty much every Saturday evening together. We either all have dinner at one of our homes or go to a restaurant or, in the summer, we rotate hosting barbeques. Summers, if the weather's nice on Sunday, all of us usually hang out at Sid and Nancy's pool. We're all OK financially. We all work, but none of us have jobs that are going to make us rich. Nancy comes from a wealthy family and she received money from a trust fund when she graduated college. So they have a nicer house than the rest of us. And they have a pool.

Sid and Nancy hosted a barbeque to begin the summer last Memorial Day. I was sitting by the pool with a beer just enjoying the sun on my face. June and Johnny were by the diving board on the side of the pool with their daughter. They were arguing in hushed voices. June and Johnny were always arguing lately. It seems like Johnny is always angry at June. Jackie was on the other side of the pool talking on her cell phone. She intentionally moved far enough away from the rest of us so no one can hear her conversation. She has been on her phone since shortly after Eve and I arrived. Almost an hour. She looked enraptured by whomever she was talking to. Smiling and happy. Her husband Jack, a firefighter, had to work but would come to the barbeque later after he got off. He's working a lot lately.

My wife Eve was standing next to Sid who was doing the cooking. She was holding his beer while he put burgers from a plate onto the grill. They were talking and Eve, smiling, seemed pleased by whatever Sid had to say.

Sid's wife Nancy came over to where I was sitting and asked if I needed another beer. I told her, "I'm good," so she sat down next to me. I nodded toward Jackie and said, "Jackie has been on the phone with Jack since we got here. Things must be slow at the firehouse. Why doesn't he just leave and join us? They can always call him back in if they need him."

Nancy looked at me for a while and finally said, "I doubt if she's talking to Jack."

From her demeanor, it was clear to me that Jackie was having a private, cozy, intimate conversation with whoever was on the line. The way she was smiling indicated she wasn't talking to her mother or her sister or any casual friend. "Who's she talking to?"

Nancy didn't respond right away, I guess debating whether to tell me. She said, "She has a friend at work who's she's become close to. She's probably talking to him."

"Is she cheating on Jack?"

Nancy shrugged and said, "I don't know what she'd doing. I don't think Jackie knows what she's doing. The Wives have tried to talk to her but she's seems very confused. She really likes this guy but doesn't want to destroy her marriage. When we ask her about him, she just says that it's nothing and that it will work itself out. I know that Eve has talked to her alone and probably knows more."

We both looked over at Eve who was still talking with Sid at the grill. Still smiling with her hand now resting on Sid's forearm as he flipped burgers. I looked back and forth from Jackie to Eve. Both had the same expression on their faces. Eve seemed to be interested in her conversation with Sid the same way Jackie was with her work friend.

Nancy sighed and said, "I wonder if the two of them remember that they broke up. I wonder sometimes if they ever really did break up." She was talking about Eve and Sid.

I asked, "What do you mean? Were they ever really together?"

Nancy said, "I didn't meet Eve or Sid until our junior year when I moved into the dorm room with Eve and the others. From what I was told, Eve and Sid were hot and heavy their sophomore year. I understand they were pretty serious. They broke up during the summer. Evidently, one of them was cheating and the other found out. I don't know which one was the cheater. But that supposedly ended their relationship. Eve introduced me to Sid junior year and encouraged me to pursue him. You know how Eve gets. She made sure that Sid and I became a couple.

"I asked both Eve and Sid separately why things didn't work out between them. Eve said that they were better as friends than lovers. Sid said they just weren't compatible. Neither would tell me more. I always thought that Eve wanted Sid with me and not someone else because she knows I'm no competition for her. If she wants Sid back, all she has to do is crook her finger at him and Sid would dump me in an instant and run to her."

We were both still looking at Eve and Sid. She had removed her hand from his forearm, but they were still engrossed in conversation. Smiling and laughing. I said to Nancy, "Sid would be a fool to leave you and Sid's no fool. I know he loves you. I don't think you should worry that something's going on there. I'm not."

Nancy replied, "Thanks for saying that. But I am worried. They're even meeting up for lunch."

Eve and Sid both got jobs at the university after graduating. Eve works in their employer outreach department. The department helps students write resumes and prepares them for job interviews. Eve's job is working with employers to get internships for students and placing students in jobs when they graduate. Sid got a job in purchasing for the university. They work in the same administration building but not in the same office. "How do you know they eat lunch together? How often?" It was news to me that they were meeting for lunch. Eve never mentioned it.

"I know because Sid tells me that they see each other for lunch. A few times a week."

Eve glanced at Nancy and me, said something to Sid, smiled, touched his forearm again and walked over to us. "What are you guys talking about?"

I replied, "You and Sid and college."

She blushed but laughed, "Talk about ancient history. Boring ancient history."

Nancy smiled, got up, excused herself and walked over to Sid at the grill. She probably asked Sid the same question Eve asked us, "What were you and Eve talking about?"

I nodded toward Jackie, still on the phone on the other side of the pool, and asked Eve, "Who's she talking to?"

Eve looked at Jackie and, angry, said, "Let's find out." She got up, walked around the pool so she was standing in front of Jackie, staring at her. Jackie ended her phone call and began a heated conversation with Eve. I couldn't hear what they were saying.

I thought about Nancy's concerns about Eve and Sid. I knew Eve and Sid dated in college. Eve had told me that she and Sid dated casually for a while sophomore year but that there was no spark, no real attraction or connection. They stopped dating but remained friends. A different story from what Nancy just told me.

Nancy may not be the best looking of The Wives but she's certainly the nicest, most generous and most gracious. And maybe even smarter than Eve. The Wives don't talk trash about each other. They may tease each other as friends do. But none of them ever has an unkind word to say about any of the other wives. At least not publicly. The Wives are a united front to anyone who's not one of The Wives. This, of course, does not apply to their husbands. The Wives are free to say any disparaging thing they want about their husbands. Complaints and jokes about husbands are common. But woe unto the husband who has even a minor criticism of his wife in front of the other wives. The wrath of The Wives is deep, merciless and endless.

That Nancy voiced even a mild criticism of anyone, let alone Eve or her husband, is way out of character for her. I figured she must be desperate. She must think that Sid is cheating with Eve but is afraid to confront them. She told me all this because she wants me to find out what's going on and stop it. I'll have to think about that.

As we were walking home after the barbeque, I asked Eve, "Is Jackie cheating on Jack?" I wanted to see what Eve had to say.

Eve stopped walking and asked, "What did Nancy tell you?"

"Only that she's become close to a co-worker. Watching her talk to him on the phone, it looks like they've become very close."

"Jackie has been in an emotional affair with this guy for the last couple of months. She says it hasn't turned physical. Yet. We've been trying to get her to cut it off before Jack finds out. She loves Jack but she can't seem to end things with this co-worker. School's out in a couple of weeks so she won't be with him every day. He's the vice-principal at her school. I'm worried that since she's not working over the summer, she'll have plenty of time on her hands and will figure out ways to see him." Jackie is a 3rd grade teacher.

I asked, "Do you think she's telling the truth when she says they haven't had sex yet?"

Eve looked at me like I'm an idiot and said, "No, of course they've had sex. I don't know when and where they're hooking up but I'm positive they are. If she keeps it up she'll ruin everything. She's letting this guy affect our group. He's always there, a presence in our lives, even though none of us have even met him. Going outside our group will destroy what we have. If Jack finds out, he'll divorce her. If Jack throws her out or if she leaves Jack for this guy, they will no longer be a part of us. The guy is evidently married with a couple of kids so I doubt if they have serious plans to run off together. But who knows. Jackie is smitten with this guy. She should never have brought someone outside our group into our lives. It's not fair to the rest of us."

"So it would have been better if she had an affair with one of the other husbands in our group? That would have been OK with you. That wouldn't have destroyed marriages and torn apart our group?"

Eve replied, "If that happened, it would have at least stayed within the family. We are a family, and we would handle it as a family. We could work through it together. There would not be some stranger pulling us apart, pulling the group apart."

"How exactly does the group work out infidelity in other people's marriages? It seems to be something the couples involved have to work out. It's not your business or anyone else's. What gives you the right to stick your nose in. It's between or among the spouses how they want to resolve things."

"Oh please. We're all involved in every part of our friends' lives. Maybe both husbands and both wives of cheating spouses realize they have feelings for the other's spouse too. Maybe they want to remain married but recognize that's what's best for them, for their marriages and for our group, is to share their spouses. Would that be so bad? At least the group would stay together. There wouldn't be some outsider messing things up. Our group would have evolved but we'd all remain friends. After a while, none of us would think twice about our friends' sharing spouses. We'd go on as before."

I was stunned, "Are you seriously recommending swinging or whatever you call it as a solution for adultery? Are you nuts? That never works out."

"I think it can work for some couples. Obviously, not for you. You're a little too stuck in traditional ways of thinking about things. But if swinging or a group marriage keeps them together, and keeps our group together, what's wrong with that?"

"It won't work for me but are you saying it could work for you?"

"Not if it's something you're not comfortable with. But there's nothing wrong with it. As long as it stays within our group. I could see more than one of our friends opting for an open type marriage. Or swinging. We're all really close friends. We all have intimate relationships with one another. Just not intimate physically. At least as far as I know. I can see some of our friends taking the next step. It almost seems like a natural progression. If both the husbands and wives are on board with it, why not? Who are you to tell them they're wrong?

"But let's get back to Jackie and Jack. You and Jack are close. Can you talk to him? Tell him to stop working so much and spend more time with Jackie and with the rest of us. You can do that in a friendly way. Maybe if Jack is around more, Jackie won't be looking elsewhere. Is that something you'd consider doing?"

I answered, "I'm planning to talk to Jack. He should know Jackie is cheating on him and I'm going to tell him."

Eve, very alarmed now, said, "So you don't mind getting involved in other people's marriages after all. Don't tell him anything yet. I think Jack should know but I'd rather tell him after Jackie is done with her co-worker than have him find out while it's still going on. I told Jackie that I'm going to tell Jack if she doesn't stop seeing her boyfriend. I'm not sure she took my threat seriously. Maybe if you talk to Jack about working less and spending more time with Jackie and I convince Jackie I'm serious about telling Jack, she'll end it. Jack will divorce her if he finds out, especially if she hasn't ended it, and I don't think she wants a divorce."

I told Eve I have to think about it. I also have to think about what Nancy told me of her concerns about Eve and Sid. I didn't mention to Eve my talk with Nancy. Why warn her that Nancy is suspicious if there is actually something going on? I don't think Eve would cheat on me. I thought about the tell-tale signs of a cheater. Eve is on her phone at night with The Wives. But she talks to them in front of me. She never leaves the room to take a call although sometimes I wish she would. She doesn't hide her phone from me. She doesn't get texts in the middle of the night. She hasn't suddenly started wearing more sexy clothes to work. She never has to work late. She's always home right after work. The Wives don't go out for girls' nights, bar hopping or dancing at clubs. Eve is home with me every night. She's either at work, with the other wives or with me. How could she be cheating?

I'm not going to rush out and hire a P.I. to tail her. But that doesn't mean I won't keep my eyes open. And after hearing her views about swinging or open marriage or whatever it is, I feel I really do need to keep my eyes open. Wide open.

Two Saturdays later, it was our turn to host the barbeque. I played golf that morning with Sid and Johnny. Jack didn't join us. He was at his firehouse, working another Saturday. I decided I would talk to Jack about spending less time working but I haven't had the chance. None of us see much of him anymore. I also decided that if he asks me what I know about his wife Jackie, I'll tell him what I was told by Eve and Nancy about Jackie's co-worker. I'm not going to lie or try to hide anything from him.

I got home from golf at about 2pm to get ready to barbeque. The other couples usually arrive for the barbeque between 3 and 4 but The Wives were already there. They were all in the kitchen preparing food. The steaks were thawing. They were all drinking wine. They were very excited about something, giddy with anticipation. I asked Eve what was up. She said, "Just looking forward to the barbeque." They all giggled. I left them to take a shower. I figured they were acting so strange because they've already had too much wine.

I put the clothes I planned to wear on our bed and went into the bathroom to shower. When I finished, I opened the bathroom door drying my hair with a towel. I found The Wives, all four of them, in a semi-circle between me and the bed. Between me and my clothes. I was naked.

The Wives were all staring at me and giggling. One said, "Oh my. You poor girl."

Another said, "I thought you were exaggerating. You weren't kidding, Eve. Wow. How does that even fit?"

Another, laughing, said, "Can you actually enjoy that? Does it give you any pleasure at all? Sex with him must be a real problem."

I froze for a second, realizing they were talking about, laughing about, my penis. I was furious and yelled, "GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!"

They filed out of the bedroom still giggling. Eve was laughing and I heard her say to the other wives, "You didn't believe me but now you've seen for yourselves. None of you have ever had to try to deal with anything that size. My cross to carry. You should be thankful your husbands are normal sized." More laughter.

I got dressed, just getting angrier and angrier, and went downstairs. The Wives were in the kitchen preparing for the barbeque. They saw me and started giggling again. My loving wife asked me, "How you hanging?" They all laughed. Then she saw the expression on my face and said, "It's just a joke. Why are you mad?"