Ring! Ring!
"Why is it that the phone rings just as I'm going out the door?" I thought, as I closed the door, put down my wife's school papers, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" I said as cheerfully as I could.
"Hello? Mr. Riley? This is Lisa... Lisa Brown," said a small, shy voice. Lisa is one of my wife's former students.
"Hello, Lisa!" I said. "How are you? How's everything in college?"
"College is fine, Mr. Riley. And I, well, I guess I'm fine. Is your wife...I mean, Mrs. Riley...I mean, Rachael there?"
"Rachael is at school now. Lisa, I really wish you'd call me Tony. You're a friend of the family now, not a little girl."
"Okay, T-T-Tony. Could you have Mrs...I mean, Rachael, call me when she can. I'm at home for a while," said Lisa.
"Of course, Lisa, I'll tell her to call you this evening. Okay?"
"Thank you, Mr. Riley, I mean...ummm...Tony. Good-by."
"Good-by, Lisa." I hung up the phone, picked up Rachael's papers, and went out the door before the phone could ring again. The papers were corrected tests that my wife had forgotten to take with her this morning. I was on my way to deliver them to her when the phone had called me back inside.
I thought about Lisa as I drove. I remembered her as being very thin. One of those poor girls who just had no shape. She had straight brown hair, cut shoulder length. Her nose was a little too big, and her mouth a bit too small. The poor girl was flat-chested, which did not help her self-esteem, and narrow of waist and hips. I used to joke with Rachael that Lisa had to run around in the shower to get wet, but I never teased her, in fact I would always tell her what a pretty girl she was. To her credit, she did have the loveliest clear blue eyes, a quick wit, and a good sense of humor, once she became comfortable with you.
She was one of Rachael's favorite students. Although she was shy, my wife saw a spark of creativity in her. Working with her for the two years Lisa was in her class, my wife was able to develop that creativity and she was able to get a full scholarship at the state university studying journalism, with an eye toward becoming a writer.
When I arrived at the school, I buzzed through the front security door, signed in at the office, and then was allowed to take the papers down to my wife's classroom. From the hallway I was able to look into her room and watch Rachael teach. She had every student watching and listening with rapt attention.
Rachael is a natural born teacher. She was a substitute teacher when we met, working on her teaching certificate. After we married, she earned her masters degree in English literature. In addition to the high school, she also teaches a course at the community college. In her "spare" time she is earning her Ph.D. There is no doubt that she is intelligent. She has even published several scholarly works, and is even now writing a novel, while she negotiates with a publisher.
In addition to all this, she is very attractive. She is not super model beautiful, thank goodness, but her beauty is the kind that, although not immediately obvious, grows on you as you get to know her. She keeps her chestnut brown hair cut short, so that it frames her oval face. Her light blue eyes are so sharp they never miss what is going on in her classroom, and they can freeze a miscreant in his tracks with just a stern look. Rachael's thin lips are almost always curved in a smile, which, along with the twinkle in her eye, lifts the spirits of everyone who is lucky enough to be around her.
My wife dresses very conservatively, even for an English teacher. Tweeds and mid-calf dresses in dark blues and earth tones are her normal school attire. She keeps her 36B breasts in what I teasingly call her "industrial strength" bra. Thankfully, her clothes completely hide her trim 26" waist and 35" hips. If the boys in her classes knew how great her body was, they would never be able to learn their lessons because they would be daydreaming all the time.
I tapped lightly on the door and was rewarded with one of her loving smiles when she saw it was me. She opened the door and had me step into the room. She turned to her class and said, "Class, this is Mr. Riley, my husband. He has brought your corrected tests to me so you will all receive your grades today."
"Hello, Mr. Riley," said the class in unison.
"Hello class," I said.
Rachael turned her back to the class and faced me. She smiled again and slowly slid her tongue out the side of her closed mouth until the pink tip showed then slid it back. This was a signal we use with each other to say, "Hi, sexy, I'm in the mood!"
I handed her the papers, smiled, and gave her a quick wink to let her know I had received the message. Now I had something to look forward to all day.
"Good-by Mrs. Riley, good-by class," I said as I turned and left the room.
They responded with, "Good-by Mr. Riley." Rachael was back to teaching them before the door had closed behind me.
As I drove to work, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I was to have a woman like her as my wife. You see, there is a world of difference between Rachael's education and mine. I have only an associate's degree in building construction from the same community college my wife teaches at.
Friends have asked how two people as different as we are got together. "Simple," we'll say, "We love to read." We met in a bookstore, hit it off right away, and spent the rest of the day discussing various books and authors. At the end of our second date, two days later, she asked, "Would you stay with me tonight?" We have been together every night since then, except for hospital stays.
Let's see, I guess I should describe myself, since I am the main protagonist. My name is Tony Riley. I am 5'11 1/2" tall, weigh 178 lbs, wear a size large shirt to fit my 16" neck, and 34" waist jeans. I think of myself as normally proportioned. I still have all my hair, thank you very much, but it's turning gray at the temples. Rachael says I have buns to die for, but I think she's prejudiced. The size of my equipment is large enough to do all the things Rachael needs it to do, and that's all you need to know.
I own my own small construction company, specializing in additions and renovations. I keep it small so I can continue to do construction work, which I love. It is hard, physical work, but it keeps me in good shape. I use a small accounting firm in town to do all the paper work, from payroll to taxes. My normal attire is work boots, blue jeans, and flannel shirt when it's cold outside, t-shirt when it's hot.
Rachael is 39 years old, and I'm 41, and we've been married for 17 years. We are best friends and still prefer each other's company to that of anyone else. Sexually, we are a perfect match. Under her conservative clothes (and only with me) Rachael is a wild woman who loves sex. As do I. Even after 17 years, we're still hot for each other and make love at least five times a week, if it's a normal week. On one of our many "honeymoons" away, we will double that in three days. I am man enough to admit that I am totally in love with my wife.
