I was a housewife turned mom who endlessly cooked, cleaned and took care of the kids. I felt like a limp dishrag most of the time. Every day I would get a little more worn and and a little more frazzled, and a little more threadbare. Every day. Every single day I would straighten, clean the bathrooms and wash the dishes. I would also do the laundry and cook, bake, chop veggies only to go to bed, wake up and have the chores reset for the next day. Lather, rinse, repeat. Into oblivion. I felt like I was in a vortex and couldn't get out.
When my husband Landen proposed we drop the kids off at my mom's and take a trip to a cabin in the woods, I was more than willing to jump in the car. When he suggested we invite another couple to split the cost, I was less enthused, but ultimately decided it might be fun. Maybe I would be able to have an adult conversation for once.
"Ok, have a good time." my mom said as I hugged her goodbye, and had a pang of guilt at leaving both of the kids for three days. I squeezed them tight one last time, promised to call when we got there, and headed out to the Jeep with my husband.
After a few hours, we got to the cabin. It was made from real logs as advertised and had a wood stove, hot tub out back, kitchen and a loft with a king sized bed. There was also a separate bedroom off the main sitting room where I assumed the other couple, some friends from my husband's work I had met only a few times before, would sleep.
I had to laugh when I saw a TV with an honest to God VCR. There were a few movies too. Mostly family friendly releases from the 90s. On the shelves though were lots of books. Mostly about fishing, but I found a few trashy Romance Novels, probably left by previous guests.
"Should we call the kids?" my husband asked, looking at the ancient land line. I looked at my Apple phone and realized there was no reception, so we would have to call my Mom to give her the number. We said "hi" to the kids, then Landen went out back while I unpacked the groceries and sank into a cozy chair to read "Moonlight in Milan," one of the books I had found on the shelves before our friends arrived.
It was nearly 6 o'clock when Tyler and Julie came through the door.
"Anybody home?" Tyler called out when they arrived. He was sandy haired, tall and muscular, and a lot better looking than I remembered him being when I saw him at the company summer kickoff dinner last year.
"Hey!" I said, getting up to give them both a friendly hug "How was the drive up?" I asked.
"Exhausting." Tyler said "But we made it." He turned towards his wife, a statuesque woman with brown hair and almond shaped eyes. "You've met Julie, right? Julie, Anna, Anna, Julie." he said by way of introduction.
"Oh Yeah, we've met." I said. "Good to see you again. Can I give you the grand tour?" I asked.
After a brief walk through, Tyler asked where Landon was and I said "I think he's out back checking out the creek. He wants to try fishing in the stream."
"There's a stream back there?"
"I don't know if there are fish in it, but yeah." I said.
"Alright!" he said with enthusiasm, and headed out back to where my husband was.
"Boys and their toys." Julie said and rolled her eyes. "When did you get up here?" she asked.
"A few hours ago. Maybe 3 o'clock." I said "So what are you guys thinking you want to do? I see Tyler is all about the fishing." I said.
"Oh, I don't know. Just relaxing, same as you. "I mostly want to have some fun adult time. Free from kids!" she said.
"I think we all need that." I said and then asked "You hungry? We bought steaks and it looks like there is a grill. After that, I'm hitting the hot tub." she smiled. "I better go tell Landen to make sure the tub is on and to fire up the grill."
When I got outside, the boys were standing by the stream out back amid the trees talking and I noticed how attractive Julie's husband Tyler was. How his muscles worked under his tight shirt that said "Bad Decisions Make Good Stories" and smiled. I could tell Tyler and Landen were good friends, and I was glad to see it. I could see why. They both worked at the same place managing a roofing company, were about the same age, and seemed to have the same interests. I seemed to remember they had 3 kids, but I wasn't completely sure.
"Hey, cutie!" I called out to my husband. I pranced up to him like I was a teenager and he put his arm around me. I then kissed him on the mouth, not caring how my PDA was coming across to Tyler. I noticed his eyes wander down to my breasts when he thought he wasn't looking.
"Can you get the grill going and turn on the hot tub?" I asked. "I'm sure ya'll are hungry." I was letting out my Tennessee drawl, caught Tyler's eye and he winked in a flirty way..