It was late morning when she got the phone call. A fine, warm day and Celia Portman had just finished hanging out the washing. There was always plenty of it; with Tom, Celia and their three children. Daniel was the oldest at seventeen; Roz was aged 15 and Mandy 12 years old. No name came up on her cell phone.
"Hello; Celia speaking."
"Hi Celia. It's Julia Morris here."
"Oh...Julia. Hi! What can I do for you?"
Celia recalled Julia as being a former work colleague of her husbands. They'd met and conversed at a number of work gatherings.
"Well...it's a little bit difficult. I've wrestled with this for a while, but feel I need to let you know."
"Oh! Need to know what Julia?" Celia asked, wondering what this woman she only vaguely knew had to tell her.
"Look Celia...it's Tom."
"Tom! My Tom?"
"Yeah Tom. It's me and your Tom really. Look, I don't know how to say this, so best I just come straight out with it. Tom and I have just finished an 18 month relationship."
Celia said nothing. She hadn't really registered what she'd just been told.
"You there Celia...?"
"Y...yes. Did you just say relationship?"
"I'm sorry Celia, there's no easy way to put this. Tom and I have been lovers for the past 18 months. He's...we've...just broken it off. I've felt guilty for so long and feel it's only right that you know."
"Oh...ok...that's good...I guess...thanks Julia..." Celia mumbled and immediately disconnected.
Celia slowly began to fully register what she'd just been told. Her legs went weak. She slumped onto a kitchen chair. Tom had been her husband for 20 years. She viewed him as dependable and a good father. They had three lovely children, a nice house, in a good neighbourhood. Tom's job brought them an income large enough that she didn't have to work.
Celia began to sob, the tears streaming down her face. All sorts of thoughts raced through her mind. First there was anger; the next minute concern that her husband might leave her; then thoughts of her children. She began to mull it over, trying to work out when Tom would have had his trysts with Julia. She recalled how attractive Julia was and she dwelt on her own looks. Finally she just sat there entirely deflated.
"I've just thanked a woman for telling me she's been fucking my husband for over a year," Celia mumbled, between sobs.
It was two hours later when Celia finally rose from the chair. She felt washed out and went to the bedroom to lie down. She felt very tired, but couldn't sleep. She increasingly drifted toward self-blame.
"I'm just not as glamourous as Julia. I'm an okay Mum, but probably don't try hard enough in bed. I used too, but..."
Celia tried to recall the last time she'd made love with Tom. At first she couldn't and thought this was a bad sign in itself. Tom rarely pushed for sex in recent years, leaving it up to Celia to initiate.
"He probably had no need to push it, with that bitch taking care of his needs," Celia thought, with a flash of anger.
She finally recalled it being around four weeks previous. All the children were out staying at friend's houses and she'd cooked a nice meal for her and Tom. Afterwards they'd watched a movie and it had some sex scenes. This had aroused her and she'd determined to have sex with her husband that evening.
At the conclusion of the film Celia had run her fingers across his trouser front and announced she was going up to bed. She told him to close up and not to linger. It was code for, 'You're going to get some tonight.'
Once in the bedroom Celia recalled following her usual routine of stripping naked and leaving the covers down to expose her breasts.
"Tom likes my breasts," she thought. "Or at least he used too."
He'd always complimented her on their size and firmness. Displaying them was her signal that she was ready for sex.
Tom had smiled knowingly, stripped naked himself and climbed into bed. They'd engaged in some mutual touching. He'd sucked on her nipples, while she reached for his cock. She recalled being happy to feel him harden under her touch, because that didn't always occur. She'd quickly opened her legs and he'd moved above her, entering her quickly.
Celia recalled enjoying having him in her, but hadn't orgasmed. Her husband had fucked her vigorously and soon cum with a long groan.
"He seemed to enjoy it," she thought between sobs. "Maybe I should have taken him in my mouth. I'll bet Julia does that."
It'd been many years since Celia had taken her husband's cock in her mouth. She hadn't minded oral sex when younger, but they'd just seemed to grow out of it. It was the same with varying their positions. Their love making had become very functionary.
Acknowledging this made Celia begin to weep again. She drifted off into a turbulent sleep. Upon waking she felt angry again. She got out of bed, determined to confront her husband. She picked up her phone, called Tom and told him he needed to come home immediately.
...
Celia had a feeling Tom knew what he was coming home too. He gave a large sigh, looked down and made no effort to deny what Julia had said.
"It's over you don't need to worry about it. I called it off. She wasn't happy about that and now she's being vindictive," he merely said.
Tom denied that he wanted to leave her, which came as a relief to Celia. Nevertheless her anger continued to build during their discussion. Tom wouldn't answer any of her queries about when and where, or if he'd ever told Julia he loved her. This infuriated Celia.
"We need a break," she finally blurted out." You'll have to go."
"Go where? This is my home."
"I don't care where you go. You're always going away for a week somewhere or other. Probably with that tramp Julia. Tell the kids you're off on one of your business trips. Just stay away, so I don't have to see you for some weeks."
Tom agreed to leave for two weeks from the next day. That evening he nonchalantly told the children he was away in San Francisco for the next fortnight. Their father travelling away for work wasn't unusual, but Daniel wasn't happy.
"But Dad...we're travelling to that tournament next week. You know our Coach can't get time to travel away with us. I'd volunteered you to drive us; like you always do."
"Your mother will have to do it," Tom said, looking directly at her.
"Yes I can do that. What day is it?"
Daniel was clearly not happy that his father wouldn't be driving the team, but Celia told him not to sook.
"What about me?" asked Mandy.
"Ask Zoe if you can stay with her for two nights. Roz; you ask the Johnston's the same" Celia said.
In the end it was settled. That night Celia kept her back to Tom in bed and was upset that he made no effort to console her. He merely went to sleep, while she lay there mulling things over. The next morning he left.
...
With Tom always having made regular trips away, the household operated fairly normally in the following week. Celia remained sad and she woke every night to lie ruminating. Sometimes angry, but more often wondering what she'd done wrong.
Celia had always viewed herself as an attractive woman and others confirmed this back to her. She wasn't naive and could see other men checking her out when she dressed up. However, now she was very unsure. She continually came back to viewing herself as a dowdy, dependable housewife and Julia as the wanton, desirable other woman.
"Will you ever do something exciting for once in your life Celia?" she berated herself, while talking to her reflection in the mirror.
-------------
Soon the day arrived to drive Daniels's water polo team to their tournament. Although the notion of a four hour drive was a bit daunting, Celia was thankful at the prospect of a change in routine.
Celia had never driven the club van before, but despite her son's doubts, quickly got the hang of the gears. Soon she was driving a bunch of boisterous late teens down the interstate to their tournament.
She felt sorry for Daniel that he had to sit up front with his mother and thus appeared to be missing most of the banter. Some of the language was inappropriate, but she didn't mind. In the solo seat by the door she noted an older looking boy keeping his head phones on and staring out the window.
At the half-way stop Celia asked her son about him.
"Yeah, that's Jeremy. He's OK. Keeps himself to himself, but we were lucky to get him this season. He's a good Goalie, so we put up with him."
"Not a resounding referral," Celia thought briefly, when they resumed their trip; before thoughts of her husband's infidelity flooded her mind again.
Celia began to move from the hurt of what had occurred, toward what would happen for her in the future. As the van ride continued she arrived at two certainties. One she would return to work, where she would socialise and possibly even flirt a little with co-workers. Second, she decided she would become more adventurous during sex. Not outrageously so, but certainly more than had become the norm with Tom in the past few years. She determined this would occur either with Tom, if she remained with him; with a new partner; or with a lover should she take one.
In regard to this last choice Celia trolled through the possibilities, but could not come up with anyone. All her friendships with males had long since moved into a platonic stage. This sticking point saw her thoughts move back to the alluring Julia and her mood dropped lower.
