Author's foreword: Thanks for some good suggestions on my last submissions - in particular, '...develop your characters more fully...
In this story you are warned in advance it contains no masturbatable fucking, so it's not for everyone. Also, the characters speak English - because I don't know how to write any other way.
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Robb Corbin's two children were strapped safely into their carseats in the rear of the sedan while their Dad carefully threaded his vehicle through the huge parking lot of 'Magic Spur.' It billed itself as the 'largest and most celebrated C&W dance floor west of Fort Worth.' It was about 7:00 Friday this summer evening, and one could still be blinded by the bright sky. Now cooling, it had been a typically hot summer day and the dance hall was almost full of people by now. The energy industry employees of this 'oil-town' chilled out here making it the most popular 'watering hole' in the city. The cheap draught beer, large floor space, and the live band drew the crowds.
Robb eyed the sedan his wife of seven years drove, and once again, satisfied himself that she was indeed at happy-hour enjoying herself with her co-workers. He relaxed since she was where she said she would be.
Earlier, after he and the children had finished dinner, he bought them ice cream and when driving home he had spuriously decided to check the parking lot of the 'Spur' tonight. The reason was that he had stumbled across his wife's personal calendar just this past week and learned that over the past year about the only time his wife missed Friday Happy Hour was when she was in her period. This raised some disturbing questions and he became somewhat suspicious again. (It was 'again' because three years ago when his second daughter had turned one years old, a Houston billboard advertisement asked, "Is the Baby yours?" When he called the listed phone number, he was explained the procedure they required. This done, the certified results came back stating that Robb was not the father of the second child but was of the first. He never confronted his wife but decided to watch her closely. He wanted to see if her pregnancy was caused by a one-time affair where she was caught or was her promiscuity a habit. Besides, by this time he loved both children dearly and wouldn't willingly part with either no matter what.
As for Robb, as a young man, 'Handsome' was an adjective never used to describe him. But he was so technically brilliant to the point that that being ugly didn't prevent ladies from trying to attract him.
He went steady in high school starting in the 10th grade for three years plus the first three years of engineering school. He and his sweetheart, Millicent Flowers, could be found at each other's side most of the time.
A stunningly beautiful woman, Millie, who had been voted by her high school student body, "Most Beautiful," was quiet and studious herself - for example, she had made captain of the high school math team as a junior. She modeled clothing on the side and was popular for that reason (at least two students that Robb knew about then had department store sale paper pictures of Millicent modeling underwear that was taped inside their hall locker).
Both Robb and her being religious conservatives, they began copulating in a fit of passion. But both had convinced themselves previously that "God approves of our relationship," even though they were technically sinning.
Their intimate courtship lasted through the first three years of college, where her engineering degree plan was a mirror image of Robb's. They both studied hard and rarely took time out for passion.
But, during a 'get acquainted' dance both attended at the beginning of their senior year, Robb met Julie Delmont on the dance floor. He was struck dumb and fell immediately under her charms and convinced himself that he was madly and hopelessly in love — this after dancing with her just one time.
Like a gentleman that he was, he later went to his sweet heart of five years and said, "I have met someone who has stolen my heart completely."
Millicent asked, "Robb, that doesn't sound rational to me - our five years mean nothing?"
He replied, "It means everything to me. I will not continue to build a relationship with you when my focus is on someone else. Would that be fair to you?"
After agreeing and painfully smiling, she replied, "I wish the best for you because I love you so much." She kissed his cheek goodbye, while maintaining a stone face so that he never saw the pain and suffering the breakup caused her.
Upon graduation the high school sweethearts and college peers were independently recruited by the same firm, but started work in different offices. She dated but remained single and focused on community and church activities.
Later, she requested and was transferred from Houston to the same Permian Basin office, and worked in the same building as did Robb. This happened right after the rising star's farewell office party in Houston which celebrated the heading up the seismic operations.
Millicent now lives in a luxury apartment house a mile away from Robb's home and picks and chooses her dates, but remains single.
Robb and his wife Julie, by way of contrast, live tensely and unhappily in a four thousand foot home.
On this beautiful Friday afternoon in the grimy and pot-hole filled 'Spur' parking lot, he immediately threaded his way out and drove to the city park so his children could play on the equipment until dark.
Afterwards he bathed and read to the children and put them to bed. He then watched television until his wife came home. She had always made it home before 10 P.M. in the past.
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At 3:00 P.M that afternoon Julie Corbin sat in her Accounting Department office cubicle of the Oilfield Maintenance firm where she worked as one of three accounting technicians.
In her very large high school in suburban Houston she had been just average looking at best, but excelled in Music - for example, she won the First Chair Cello position of the State Youth Orchestra. But, when she enrolled in the University of Houston she felt practically ugly by comparison to the divas that crowded the campus. She developed a complex about it. But, she compensated by wearing stylish clothes and keeping fit. She quickly developed the reputation of being a 'party girl,' so lots of male attention was paid her as such.
Julie had the good fortune to meet Robb at a Mixer dance in her fourth year and the two were in bed with each other by the second date. She liked him because his GPA was near 4.0 in engineering school. Every time she looked into his eyes, she saw dollar signs, and fell more 'deeply' in love. Since both were in different circles on campus, Robb didn't find out she was a' party girl' until years later. Both graduated the same year, went to work with two different Houston area firms, and they continued as each other's live in significant other until she accidentally became pregnant with their oldest child. At that point they got married in a small civil wedding. After the child was born 'prematurely' her husband got the big promotion and they transferred to the Permian Basin office 350 miles northwest of Houston.
