It is based on a real-life story and not on fantasy. Thus the description of intimate moments is less 'colorfully detailed' than usual. I changed the names and a few details to protect the protagonists.
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I married my wife, Anna, about 50 years ago. At the time, we were both university students abroad. In the first years of our marriage, like many other couples, we struggled to combine studying, working, and raising our little children. With the help of our parents, we were able to live comfortably. We had chemistry that was expressed by talking openly about everything. However, with time, our differences began showing, and emotionally we gradually drifted apart. Despite that, our intimate relationship flourished. I took topless and even nude pictures of her at home, and later in public places as well. And then we began adding people to our bed. They were mostly men, but on occasion, a female too.
Eventually, the emotionally strained relations took its toll, and my wife decided to move closer to her birthplace, where she still kept in touch with her old friends. The separation from my wife occurred many years ago. We did it amicably, and our wealth is still in both our names. We keep in touch by phone, zoom, and e-mails, and at times, we even travel together with our adult children. Since my wife and I parted ways, we have told each other almost everything about ourselves, including how it used to be at work, and lately about our retired life, our health, and even about our relationships.
Since Anna moved away, each of us had a few intimate relationships with others. With my latest girlfriend, Nelly, I stayed the longest. She was by far the best match for me: We complemented each other extremely well in many aspects of life and went to restaurants, shows, and movies. We traveled together both in the USA and abroad and had thousands of pictures to show for it. Taking into account that we weren't very young anymore, our sex life was satisfactory too. Perhaps less than when I was younger, but we still enjoyed things like topless and nakedness in public, and even playing with others.
Nelly declared her love to me multiple times both verbally and in writing. I, on the other hand, was reluctant to say it, but often I showed her that I cared and thought about her a lot. I'd say we were in sync on 95% of the subjects. Nelly never told me what she didn't like about me, but she emphasized more than once that age and appearance meant nothing to her.
There was a single thing I didn't like about her: Whenever anything pertaining to my separated wife or prior relationships arose, she turned antsy and snappy, and rather than discuss it in a calm way, she used to send me an e-mail later in a rather unpleasant way. I didn't like the overreaction, and on several occasions, I gently attempted to tell her that I saw it as a 'Biggy.'
The latest episode arose 2 months ago. The details were not important, but rather than talk about her concern at the time when the subject was raised, she continued talking about other subjects calmly. Later in the evening, I got another irritating e-mail. It was the last straw for me. In a patronizing way, I answered never again, and suggested to her to let me lead our relationship. After all, everything I ever did was for HER and for US and never strictly for me!
Her e-mail response was swift: 'Don't ever contact me again."
I was surprised; choosing to terminate a longer than 20 year successful relationship because of an e-mail was incomprehensible. I e-mailed back, 'You are crazy.' her e-mail response was, 'No, you are crazy.' This was her last e-mail. I waited a couple of days and e-mailed, 'Have you calmed down yet?' No response. After 5 days, I e-mailed again, reminding her all the benefits she enjoyed with me: Traveling, going out to restaurants, movies, and concerts SHE wanted, presents, and sex she liked. Like before: No e-mail or a phone call. After 10 days I tried one last time, explaining that life was short and we were no longer young. If she wouldn't contact me in the following 2 days, I'd move on. Nada.
...
For about a week, it felt unusual, frustrating, and sad; for so many years Nelly and I connected every day by phone and/or e-mail, and suddenly, it all fell apart. It was like grieving somebody who just died. I found the saying 'People appreciate somebody after they lose them' to be very true in my case.
After 10 days, I adjusted my daily routine slightly differently. Every morning for about an hour, I strolled in the nearby park, taking photos of the waterfall, the tall trees, the changing snow levels, and the waterfowl in the river.
On the 5th day, one of the other walkers, whom I'd seen a couple of times before but never said anything except nodding my head to say hello, approached me. At the time, I was aiming my camera at a group of ducks sitting on a snowy patch and warming in the winter sun.
She smiled and asked, "I've seen you here before. What are you shooting?"
"It's sunny and optimal for scenery photos. Right now I aim at the colorful ducks."
"May I see the pictures you already took?"
"Sure."
Next, I displayed on the screen a few photos of the area. She looked at them one after the other and then grinned, "Sir, you have good eyes and a fantastic camera."
I laughed, "Thanks for the compliments, but the camera is not expensive. It's a point-and-shoot one, which cost me only $350. I have a much more sophisticated camera at home, a DSLR, but it requires changing lenses, and the whole equipment is heavy, so I stopped using it."
"Still, I like your photos. You are not a professional photographer, are you?"
"Not at all. I was in the medical field, and just retired."
"Interesting. I used to be a teacher and retired this year as well..."
As we talked, I attempted to inspect her, but it was impossible: Due to the cold day, she wore a long coat, a winter hat, and sunglasses. I couldn't even guess her age. I began moving to my next shooting spot and she joined me.
I said, "My name is Ron. What is yours?"
She had a cute smile, "Harriet. Pleased to meet you, Ron."
"Harriet, do you like photography?"
"On occasions, I take pictures with my phone, but the quality does not come close to yours. However, I like to see photos in books, exhibitions, and museums."
"If you are interested, next time before coming here, I can download nice pictures I took lately on the camera's memory card and show you."
"That will be great! How often and what times you come here?"
"Weather permits, I arrive around 10 am, and stay here for about an hour."
"Will you be here tomorrow?"
"Yes."
Harriet grinned, "See you then."
...
The next day was warmer. By 10 am, it was 40 degrees, and the snow on the ground was melting. I shot 2 photos before Harriet showed up. She smiled at me and handed me a small package.
I was surprised, "What is that?"
"I baked a chocolate cake and thought you might like it. I put 2 pieces, one for you and one for your wife."
"Thank you, that was nice of you, but these days I live alone."
"How come?"
"It's a long story, but I am separated, and my wife lives in New York. Are you married?"
"I used to be. My dear husband died of cancer 4 years ago."
"Sorry to hear that."
"That's OK. I had enough time to get over it."
I showed Harriet 10 photos on the camera's screen, and she loved them. "You really ARE a good photographer. And to know you did it with a simple camera is amazing!"
We continued talking and strolled side by side. This time, she had on a short, thinner coat with a midi style skirt and no hat. I still couldn't tell her age, but she looked good. After a while, I glanced at my watch. It showed 12 noon. I said, "I usually go for lunch at this hour. Care to join me?"
She hesitated, "I took too much of your time already. I do not wish to impose..."
"Lady, with all due respect, if I didn't want you around, I'd just say I needed to leave."
Her grin was sweet, "Where would you like to go?"
"I am not picky. For me Panera is good, but if you prefer to go elsewhere, I am willing to try it."
"Panera is fine, but I pay my share."
I sighed, "It means you'll never invite me to drink coffee at your house."
Harriet glanced at me quizzically.
I smiled, "Because if you pay for your food at Panera, it means that once I am invited to your house, I'll have to pay for my coffee. By the way, how much do I owe you for the 2 pieces of cake I got the other day?..."
She giggled, "I got the message. OK, you pay."
In Panera, Harriet took half an apple salad and coffee, and I selected creamy tomato soup and a toasted Italiano sandwich. Judging by her face, she was about 60 years old. Before sitting, both of us removed our coats. She wore a long-sleeved blouse, and her figure looked attractive.
"Harriet, with a body like this, you probably exercise a lot."
"Not really. I possess good genes. Nobody in my family is overweight. I do exercise, but only twice a week for half an hour each time, and then I use the jacuzzi."
"You are lucky."
After lunch, before separating, Harriet touched my arm, "Ron, I do wish to invite you for a coffee at my house, provided you do not insist on paying." She winked mischievously.