The end came quickly. The virus spread across the world so fast that no one had time to prepare or counter it's effects. Some survived, but very few. The world was littered with ghost towns and the detritus of a collapsed society. My wife and I some how survived. Apparently we were part of the lucky, or maybe unlucky, few to have been immune to the effects of the virus.
My wife and I are in our forties with no children. Anne is a strong, pragmatic woman and took the end much better than I. The loss of friends and family members was devastating to say the least. In the year following, we moved from our home near Drake University in Des Moines to an acreage on the outskirts of the city. We did this to avoid other survivors, not that there were many. However, we had two encounters since the end and neither good. Fortunately, my wife and I are both proficient with guns and we were able to extricate ourselves unscathed from both events. She grew up hunting with her father and was a far better shot than I. The second encounter decided it for us and we moved.
We found our new home tucked away in a little valley that fit our needs perfectly. The well provided good water and we had plenty of provisions. We weren't that far from the city so on occasion we would make forays to gather supplies. Deer and wild turkeys were plentiful in this area. The virus seemed to only affect humans. The wildlife was doing just fine. We planted vegetables and settled in. Another year passed.
It was the end of Summer and I ventured out a little farther than normal from the acreage to scrounge through some of the drug stores for any medicines we might need for the coming winter. Most of them had been gone over quite thoroughly in the final weeks of the outbreak, but there were still some that had a decent supply of antibiotics, cold medicines, pain relievers and such.
I drew my gun and slowly entered the drug store. I never took chances. As I slowly worked my way back to the pharmacy, I could hear sobbing. A young man hovered over another man who was prostrate on the floor covered in blankets. I trained my gun on the man looking down at his friend. He was startled to see me and begged me not to kill him. He was undernourished and very scared. That was Lucas. Samuel was sick and needed medical attention. It was obvious these guys weren't a threat.
Samuel was nineteen and Lucas was twenty four. They'd met after the end days and became close friends helping each other to survive. They weren't doing a very good job of it. We were able to get Samuel safely back to the acreage. After a couple of weeks of food, rest, medicine, and fresh water, Samuel recovered quickly. Lucas looked much better too. They were both very appreciative of our assistance. They were good guys and we quickly became friends.
Autumn was fast approaching. Samuel and Lucas had no plans. They had been living day by day; barely making it. Anne and I had a well established home with good resources. We offered them the opportunity of staying with us. Anne and I could teach them firearms and the chores of keeping up the acreage. The extra help would come in handy, not to mention two more armed to protect what we had.
Over the next few months, Lucas and Samuel learned all of the chores and responsibilities needed to maintain our life on the acreage. It was still a new life for all of us since the end times, but at this point we managed a pretty good life. Summer became Autumn; and soon turned to Winter. It was a harsh, cold Winter. We spent most days inside just trying to stay warm. Good days were spent gathering wood or hunting. Occasionally, Anne and I would slip away to another room to have sex. We didn't think about this being a problem because, well, we were married and we'd always had a healthy sex life.
The problem was that it was cruel to Samuel and Lucas. I hadn't realized how our sex life would affect two young men like that. Lucas and I were collecting wood from the shed one day. He mentioned how grateful he and Samuel were to us, but said it was really difficult for them to listen to us having sex when they had no wives or girlfriends of their own. I promised him that when the weather warmed up, we would mount an expedition with the hopes of expanding our settlement with partners for both of them.
A couple of days later, Anne and I went on a hunt to replenish our meat supply. We were able to bag a couple of good sized wild turkeys. We had a light meal and then gathered up our gear for the trek home.
"I had a conversation with Lucas that I think I should mention to you."
"Is every thing ok?"
"Yes, well, mostly. He and Samuel are a little uncomfortable with our..." I hesitated.
"With what?"
"Well, basically, our sex life."
"You're my husband, of course we're going to have sex. Why is that an issue?"
"Well, they're young guys with no wives or girlfriends. I think it's just frustrating and depressing for them knowing we're having sex and they have to go without."
"What did you tell him?"
"I promised him that when the weather warms up, we'll set out to see if we can locate any more survivors."
"Sure, we could do that." Ann paused. "You know, there's also the chance we may not encounter anyone for some time, let alone women."
"I know. I thought about that too. I'm just not sure what we'll do in the mean time."
We started for home and walked in silence for some time.
At last Anne said, "The way I see it we have two choices. We can stop having sex until we find them partners, or I take care of all of you until that happens."
I was at a loss for words. To be honest, I hadn't even considered that option. I walked in silence not knowing how to respond. I didn't like either choice.
I quietly thought about what Anne had said as we walked home. I certainly didn't want to give up sex. It could be a long time before we found any other survivors. Good people that would be willing to expand our little settlement, as well as women who would be willing to partner with Samuel or Lucas. However, the thought of her with another man was just something I wasn't sure I could deal with.
I mulled it over in my mind for a couple of days. I went back and forth over the pros and cons of the situation. Every way I worked it I couldn't escape Anne's conclusion. She was right. We really only had two choices and one of them meant I was going to have to go without being intimate with my wife. Maybe for a long time. There was no way I could do that.
The next morning, Anne and I were cleaning up after breakfast. Samuel and Lucas were gathering water from the well for the day.
"About what we discussed the other day regarding Samuel and Lucas."
"Yes."
"I've decided I'm ok with you taking care of all of us. I mean, I'm not completely comfortable with it, but I think it's the best option for now. I don't want to give up having sex with my wife for what could be a very long time."
"Every thing will be fine." She looked up at me and touched my face. "I love you and you are still my husband."
"Thank you for saying that," I said quietly.
"Samuel and Lucas are good guys. They've been gentlemen the entire time they've been here. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but those two really look up to you and respect you."
"I honestly didn't realize that."
"Well, it's true."
She gave me a kiss and we agreed that I'd talk to the guys after dinner.
That evening, we had a nice meal with a little wine from our cache. The guys and I cleared off the table and cleaned up the dishes while Anne retreated to the other side of the house for a bath and some alone time. I opened a bottle of Makers Mark and poured each of us a glass. We made small talk as we sipped our bourbon. I finally said that I had something I needed to talk to them about.
"Regarding, um, Anne and our sex life." I hesitated a moment. Took a drink, and then said it.
"I put it to Anne and she decided that she will take care of all of us until we can find you partners."
Samuel looked over at Lucas, but Lucas was looking into his bourbon.
After a moment or two, Lucas looked up and said, "That really nice of Anne. And you too. Thank you."
I sighed. "It wasn't easy for me to agree to this, but we both think it's the right thing to do."
Samuel nervously drank from his glass, then said, "Thank you." He looked at Lucas again and back at me. "You and Anne have been good to us and we're both thankful for that."
We continued sipping our bourbon. We could hear the sounds of a snow storm picking up outside. It was going to be a very cold night. We had a wood burning stove in the main room of the house. The problem was that the living room was the only heated room in the Winter. So our beds were in a sort of semi circle with a table and chairs in the middle for meals. The bathroom, where Anne took her bath, was cold, but she didn't mind. It was worth it for her to have a space to escape to. And there were times she needed her space.
Anne came back from her bath and sat at the table. A hint of lavender about her as she poured herself a healthy portion of bourbon. She could tell I was nervous. Samuel was visibly nervous as well. She smiled and began making small talk, which turned into a story about one of her crazy friends before the end times. We all had a good laugh and each of us joined in with stories of our own. The evening comfortably wore on, and each of us relaxed as the bottle slowly drained. Then Anne's face took on a more serious look. She downed her glass and then slid back her chair.
