[Review+] Just Once... If You Don't Mind? - Kalimaxos (Patreon)

Just Once... If You Don't Mind? - Kalimaxos

Note: This has to be behind a pay wall due to graphic content

This story is an interesting animal. It is intentionally 'not finished' and the author invited other's to come along and make up their own endings.

So, how do you review an 'unfinished' story? Of course I can critique the story as it is, the set up and characters. How it's written. All of that. But it feels a bit unfair because without an ending... my overall critique would be just as unfinished as the story.

But, here is what I will say. The set up for this is great. A story that so many possibilities, by design. On the surface it's a story about a marriage gone a bit stale, and the wife wanting some excitement. So of course, she decides to have an affair. As a nurse, she goes on a six week trip with Doctors without Borders, and it's on this trip she's decided to have six weeks of fun with a fellow doctor. She tells her husband this in a letter, delivered by a neighbor (a woman) who happens to be in the hotwife lifestyle. His wife set up for her to come over and have sex with her husband as some sort of trade.

The story ends after the husband reads the letter and is left to decide what he want's to do.

And in turn, the reader gets to decide what happens.

This has spawned several different authors taking a stab at an ending and it's run the gauntlet of BTB to Reconciliation to other affairs and relationships. I found myself in a spiral of going through version after version.

So... of course... I had to take my own stab at an ending.

Before I post my own ending here (and on Literotica), I'm going to say that I think this story is very much worth a read and then I recommend you go searching for the other endings people have come up with. Some are better than others. Long and short. But it's a wild ride to see what people think up, a very cool experiment.

Now... without further adieu, I present my version of the ending to this story.

...............................................

Just Once... And Then Move On

This is my version of an ending for the Kalimaxos story Just Once… If you don’t mind? Please check out his original story and the set up that he put together. Super fun idea.

I’ve read many of the versions other authors have put out and have enjoyed several of them. So I couldn’t resist jumping on this idea and adding in my own voice. Hope you enjoy.

………………………………………………..

When I finish reading it, I noticed Leslie was at the kitchen island filling her glass again.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"I will be," I replied.

She nodded and came back with the bottle and her filled glass. Sitting next to me this time, she refilled my glass and turned to look at me with those doe-like eyes.

"So, Rick? What do we do?"

………………………………………………..

Rick put the letter down gently on the table, as if it were some old parchment that might crumble if handled too harshly. After a moment he folded it back up and slid it into the envelope and placed it on the table, then turned to Leslie.

There was no question she was lovely. Sexuality dripped from her in the best possible way. Everything in her expression told him that she wasn’t aware of the implications of the letter and the situation she’d been thrown into. Maybe if Marcy had talked to him about this… he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t tempting. The way Leslie was looking at him, it was clear she was eager and willing.

A part of him wanted to do it. To pull Leslie to him and do things to her… But he couldn’t. It would have been out of anger. Misplaced aggression and frustration. If… and it was a big if at this point, he was to do anything with Leslie, he would want it to be purely sexual and consenting. There was no real consent in this situation. It was manipulative. Down right duplicitous. But that wasn’t Leslie’s fault.

“I…” Rick halted, his voice catching. His emotions were on edge. Boiling rage. Despair. Confusion. It was all waging a war and as well trained as he was from the military, everyone had their breaking point. “Leslie. I appreciate the offer. And… god I wish I could say yes. But I think… right now I just… I need to be alone for a little bit.”

The look of desire melted away and Leslie put a hand over his. “Rick. I honestly thought Marcy had talked to you about this. Or maybe she wanted it to be a surprise. But… listen I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me and Vincent. We do this with permission. We tell each other everything. That’s part of the fun for us. But we don’t do cheating. There’s been plenty of men over the years that have tried to hook up with us while keeping it from his partner and we shut that down fast. I would have told Marcy no if I knew…”

Rick patted her hand. “I know, Leslie. And I’m not judging you. You’ve done nothing wrong. You thought you were going to have some fun with a willing partner. And I would be willing, but Marcy and I have never discussed this. Not once. So that wouldn’t be fair to you. Or respectful of your boundaries.”

Leslie nodded. She squeezed my hand. “Well. This isn’t how I pictured the evening, but… I’m here if you need someone to talk to. As much as I’d like to be friends with benefits, it doesn’t have to be the sexual kind of benefits. I mean it when I say me and Vincent like you. We would love to have that old school neighbor relationship.” Her smile was genuine.

“I really appreciate that. And… and I’d love to have that too… maybe… we will see how things go. I’m not sure what’s going to happen right now.” Rick’s face paled.

Leaning in, Leaslie gave Rick a tight side hug. It was hard to ignore the feel of her breasts against his side but thankfully he was in no mood for sexaual contact. “I understand. And I’m here. We are here. I can stay. We can talk…”

Rick shook his head gently. “No. I need some… I just need some space. To think. This has all been a lot, and that’s coming from someone who’s been in combat zones. I think even the most seasoned soldier would feel overwhelmed.”

Leslie gave his cheek a kiss. “Okay. Well, you know where we are. Our door’s open. And you can call and text any time.” Getting up, she gave Rick’s shoulder a friendly pat and then left quietly.

The house suddenly became oppressive. The silent was thick. Like mud. Grimy and wanting to suck Rick down. Walls began to shift… close in… his pulse began to pound. Hair stood up on his arms and neck. A cold sweat broke out. He’d been through similar situations, as well as helped other soldiers over the years enough, to know what was happening. Panic. Anxiety. Clostrophobia.

Standing up fast, the chair tumbling behind him to the floor, Rick quickly marched to the back door, threw the door open and stepped out into the night air, onto the back porch. The air quickly relieved the feeling of walls closing in. The oppression lessened. There was a chill in the air that helped cool off his burning skin. He could breath again. Slow and deep.

He stepped off the porch and onto the lawn, tilting his head up to take in the open sky. Wide open space. He wasn’t closed in. Wasn’t held captive. He was free. There was room to move and breath. His heart was still pounding but that would calm down in time. So he stood for as long as it took. There was no tracking the time. He just stood and existed. The worries and troubles that were waiting for him would do just that, wait. For now he would just stand. He would breathe.

When his pulse finally calmed and the overwhelming feeling of panic subsided, Rick turned and walked back up onto the porch. He wasn’t ready to go inside yet. Just looking thorugh the open door, back into that house… because it wasn’t home anymore… was enough to almost kick off another panic attack. Pulling up a deck chair, he sat down, reached over to the small outdoor fridge that was stocked with an assortment of beer, grabbed the first one he could reach, and twisted the cap.

The evening moved on slowly. Rick sat in the night, sipping at his beer, staring out into the dark. Dark that began to turn to light. The sun slowly making its way up into the sky and burning off the dew and mists of the cool evening. The world simply moved on even though his life felt like it was coming to an end. It was the human condition. Everything kept going even when you wanted it to stop.

Rick had been nursing the singular beer in his hand all night, and it was nearly seven am by the time he finished it. And once the bottle was empty, he set it down next to the chair, leaned back, hands in his lap and and sighed. The whole night his mind had been empty. But everything had been working itself out in the back of his mind. First came the irrational, violent, stupid thoughts. Thoughts of revenge. Of burning it all down. Ruining lives, including his. 

Over the years with his intelligence training among other things, he’d learned that those thoughts needed to be had. Let them form. Rise up like bubble in a boiling pot, and let them pop. They would come. They would go. And then he would be able to move on to the more stable thoughts. Still not constructive or useful, but necessary.

The next thoughts were about giving in. Begging his wife to take him back. Admitting fault to everything even if it wasn’t actually true. All the possible avenues that he could put his life back together the exact way it had been hours ago. This was bargaining. It was almost like the stages of grief in a lot of ways. There were subtle differences of course. No one had died. But his marriage was essentially dead and the priciples were nearly the same.

Of course, he dismissed those thoughts too. He wasn’t going to grovel. Maybe he’d made some mistakes. One small indiscretion, not what Marcy thought it was, but it was still wrong. He’d been absent from his marriage more often then present over the years while in the military. But he’d tried to make up for it. Pushing off possabilities of promotions and career opportunities in order to prioritise his family. He’d tried. That was more than some people could say.

Maybe he hadn’t done enough. But he was only human. Only one man. And he was bound to make mistakes and fail. But that didn’t mean he deserved what Marcy was doing to him. How she’d framed it and dropped it into his lap.

Now… came the thoughts and ideas that were more constructive. Ones he could actually weight and measure and consider. There were the boiler plate ones. Divorce. Distribution of assets. Their kids were adults. Grown. There would be no need for custody. At best they would need to discuss Kyle’s college. But that wouldn’t be hard. The house… that might be a little difficult… but there were some easy avenues depending on how stubborn Rick or Marcy wanted to be.

Considering he couldn’t think about walking into the house without his heart starting to pound… Marcy could have the house. All the profits. He didn’t care.

They’d been making good money over the last few years. More than enough. They’d even discussed early retirement. Truth be told… if they’d wanted to, they could have done it right now. Sure they wouldn’t have been able to live in as much luxury if they waited longer. But they’d have enough. They could live just fine and be happy and healthy. And just because they were retired didn’t mean they’d stop working completely. Rick had been politely rejecting offers for contract work for years. And some of those contracts would have been extremely lucrative. They would be fine when it came to finances.

That lead to his first decision.

He set it aside in his mind and began to quietly list the things he would need to do. What roadblocks might he encounter.

Most of all… he sat and considered if what he was thinking of doing was really the mature decision. Maybe he was being rash. He was upset. Angry. Sad. People did stupid things when dealing with less. So even as he began to list out and detail all the things that he’d need to be doing over the next six weeks, he also told himself he needed to give himself at least a few days to really and truly weigh what it was he should do.

With his mind working diligently, he went back inside, moving quickly, leaving the door open for a quick escape should his panic become too much to handle. He gathered a few clothing items, stuffing them into a duffle bag. He made his way thought the house, turning off lights, adjusting the thermostat, making sure everything that was unnecessary was turned off and then left. Locking the house up, jumping into his truck, and drove away to the nearest hotel.

…

“YES! OH fucking God! FUCK!” Marcy screamed, not caring that those in the neighboring rooms might hear. She hadn’t felt this good in years. This free.

“YEAH! You fucking like that? Huh? You want more of my cock? Beg for it!” Dr. Trey pushed Marcy’s legs up further, knees pressing agaisnt her shaking breasts and pounding his bare cock deep into her shaved bare pussy.

“Yes! Ohhhh fuu–uuu–uuuuk Yes please! Give it to me Trey, fuck me!” She was riding her fresh orgasm, back pressed to the lumpy hotel bed. Sweat slipped into her eyes, dripping from Trey’s forehead as he hovered over her, ramming himself balls deep into her cunt. Trey wasn’t as big as Rick, but he was able to get deep and pound hard. And though the sex was good, fantastic, it wasn’t the best she’d had.

Rick was the only one who’d ever made her squirt. To shake like a leaf when cumming. Their tenth anniversary came to mind as probably one of the best sexual experiences of her life. But there was still something amazing about just being free. About leaving the responsibilities and pressure of marriage and motherhood and just being something sexual.

She knew Tray wasn’t interested in a relationship. She was a bedmate to him. And he was a fuck toy to her. They had the mutually unspoken agreement that this was good old fashioned wild fun. Nothing more. And that just added another layer of freedom. Tray didn’t love her, value her beyond her skills as a nurse and willingness in bed. That allowed for some more rough treatment, harder pounding, reckless sex that often married couples couldn’t indulge in because of the care they had for their partner.

Trey wasn’t showing any care for her now. She was doubled over and he was giving it his all. Thrusting deep. Hard. Making her toes curl and her pussy ache as he gripped hold of her hips, lifting her ass up from the bed and pounding into her like a piston.

“Fuck! Fuck I’m gonna cum Marcy… I’m gonna fucking cum in your married little cunt! You want that? Huh? You want my fucking cum?” Trey’s eyes were wild and wicked, aroused by the mear fact that he was fucking a married woman and about to fill her with his semen.

It was just as arousing for Marcy. Giving her pussy to this man. Letting him use it. Fill it. She’d had her tubes tied after Kyle was born. So there was no risk what so ever. And she’d always loved it when Rick filled her up. But now she was eager to fill another man’s seed. Feel him climax because of her. It made her feel young, alive, desirable.

That had faded a little over the years with Rick. Not that he didn’t show interet in her. But… she just hadn’t felt the thrill. With Kyle finally out of the house and in college, part of her had thought they’d renew their sex lives. But instead it had dwindled. She’d felt old. Tired. Without the kids in the house, the only thing she felt she had was her job. Moving up and higher at the hospital. It was an accomplishment that made her feel good, but it wasn’t as fulfilling as raising the kids. Something was missing.

She knew it was empty nest syndrome. The house was empty now. And she’d been a single mom most of her marriage in a lot of ways because of Rick’s various deployments. Even though he was home now, the house still felt empty. She felt empty.

But Trey was filling her. Sinking himself completely inside her and groaning deep, his cum shooting into her pussy. It was hot and thick. Hard pulses of it hitting her cervix. It sent a wash of pleasure over her as she moaned along with him.

Finally Trey rolled off of her, laying back and panting as Marcy straightened out her legs, feeling his cum leaking out of her. She let her fingers wander down and rub against her smooth mound. Trey had talked her into shaving. It wasn’t something she’d ever done, at best she trimmed it nicely, but he’d insisted and now she was happy she did. It made for a better view of his cock thrusting into her and now she could feel the soreness and cum rubbing along her skin, making her shiver.

“Fuck this is going to be a good trip.” Trey chuckled, getting up and heading to the bathroom to pee.

Marcy lay on the bed with a smile, letting her fingers dip into the mess of her pussy. She felt used and sore. A good feeling after a long day at the hospital. These next six weeks were going to be long and stressful. This arrangement was going to be a big help for relief.

Out of habit, Marcy reached for her phone to check messages and emails. After Rick’s surprise phone call earlier, she was afraid he’d start blowing up her phone or email trying to reach her. Part of her felt bad about freezing him out. But she needed this. She’d explained it all in the letter, though in hindsight she did think maybe she’d been too harsh. Too flippant with the idea that they could just go their own ways. She didn’t believe that would happen.

Yes, Rick would be hurt. Angry. But Leslie would help with that. Men were fairly simple. Sex solved a lot. Take an angry man and give him a blow job and he’d forget what he was upset about, or be more than happy to forgive. Leslie was beautiful, attractive, young. Rick would jump at the chance to fuck her. And from what Leslie had told her, some of the experiences she’d shared and even a few photos, she knew Leslie would keep him distracted over the next couple months.

He’d still be angry, she had no doubt about that. But he’d be satisfied. Just like she would be. They would meet at the hotel. He’d probably want to yell. She’d let him. He had every right to call her a slut and a whore. She definitely expected some name calling. In fact she was preparing herself for it, imagining scenarios when she was doing the more mundane and routine things at the hospital. Going over how she would respond. What she would say or do. What he might bring up or ask. It was a good exercise. A way to calm her nerves.

Once they got passed the anger, she’d fuck him. Any way he wanted. Every way he could think. She’d even packed a new set of lingerie expressly for him. Something extremely kinky that he’d hinted at once but she’d told him no. She was a mom. Mom’s didn’t wear leather and chains. Maybe he’d been joking. Maybe not. But she’d gotten it while preparing for this trip and was going to give it to him. That would probably shut down any last bits of anger and frustration.

She smiled to herself. A good plan. A way to decompress from all the years of marriage and being a mom and feeling alone while Rick was off doing his duty. She could respect his service, but it was still frustrating that he got to go off and she had to stay put. Add on top that Dierdra had apparently been taking care of some of her husband’s needs, she felt entitled to her own fun. She had needs too. It was about time they got explored and taken care of.

There were no messages. No emails. That was a little surprising. She’d expected at least something, though since Rick had already called, maybe that was the initial blow up she was going to get rather than some other message. A few other notifications on her phone told her Rick had turned off the security cameras they had in the house. Honestly that wasn’t too surprising. He probably didn’t want her peeking in on him when he was having his tryst with Leslie. Or maybe he just didn’t want her peeking in at all. That was the sort of reaction she was expecting. Some small petty things. There might be a few big things too. Rick wasn’t inherently violent by any means, but even the best of men could throw a tantrum.

But they’d deal with it. She’d forgive him. She would understand. It was the least she could do.

She put her phone down and laid back, taking a few deep breaths. Trey had turned on the shower, no doubt cleaning himself off from the grime of the day and the juices from their fuck session. For a moment she let herself imagine it was Rick. That they were in the Ambassador hotel. She was freshly fucked like never before. Probably be walking funny for days. And now her husband was cleaning himself off before he would slip into bed, cuddle up close to her, and they could begin discussing the rest of their lives.

It was a somber fantasy that lulled her to sleep.

…

“If you love someone, set them free. And let them come back to you.”

Rick repeated the line over and over again as he went through the house, carefully picking out the things he needed. The things he wanted. What he couldn’t live without. What ‘sparked joy’ and what didn’t. It was hard. Beyond difficult. He kept second guessing himself on things. Small items. Books. Clothes. Nicknacks. Records. Photos.

He couldn’t bring a lot. The van was small. Big enough for one. He’d looked at several and the one that he’d chosen was a sleek newer model with all the bells and whistles, while still being compact. There was only so much he could bring with him and it had to fit either in the small amount of storage he had inside the van, or the roof storage he’d purchased. Thankfully many of their photos were digital and he’d copied them all to a cloud drive as well as a portable external hard drive. He backed up all the documents he needed. Packed away his passport, other important documents into a secure fireproof/waterproof case that he’d hide away in the van.

Over the past couple of weeks, he’d been busy from sunup to sun down. He’d take off work, having accrued multiple weeks of PTO that he was now using very liberally. Once he used up his time, he planned on giving his notice. He’d already taken on some new freelance contracts that allowed him to work remotely and from anywhere as long as he had an internet connection. Those details along with the purchasing of the van and getting it ready, were the easy parts.

The hard parts were the lawyers. Setting up the splitting of the assets. He didn’t want anything. Just his fair share of their finances. Their house was paid for. Marcy could have it. Pensions and 401k’s were discussed with the lawyers and he made sure that all he wanted was something equal and fair.

Other details were a bit more tedious and complicated. Rick shut off his cell phone and purchased a new one. Got a new number. Set up a new secure email. New back accounts. He moved funds, what he’d need only. Withdrew cash and a few cashiers checks. This new life he was planning on living was going to be nomadic and though he was have a satellite connection that most businesses would envy thanks to his connections in the intelligence community, he’d been trained to anticipate every circumstance. Cash on had was good. Cashier’s checks in case he needed more and didn’t have a signal.

Maybe the most difficult, besides what he was going to have to tell his kids, was setting up instructions with the lawyers about how to deal with the affairs once he was gone. Hopefully Marcy would just sign the papers and that would be it. But… in the event that she wanted to fight it, not that he thought she would, he didn’t want to argue. He didn’t want to meet. This was over. And he wanted to be free.

If you love someone, set them free.

Marcy had set herself free. She hadn’t asked Rick if she could go and have this time, this hallpass. She took it. She shoved it in his face and told him it was happening whether he liked it or not. But she’d also set him free. Offering up Leslie as some sort of sexual trade off, Marcy was in effect setting him free to do what he wanted. But freedom to Rick wasn’t sleeping with the sexy young neighbor. Maybe freedom for Marcy was going off and getting her brains fucked out while she pretended she wasn’t married or a mom, but Rick wasn’t built like that.

He may have slipped up once. But he wasn’t a cheater. That was extenuating circumstances. Pressure and nerves. He’d made a vow to Marcy… and he would keep it. At least, until the t’s were crossed and the i’s dotted. Then… well, he’d figure that out if the situation ever came up. Considering what he was preparing to do, he didn’t think another opportunity like Leslie would come up. So… he knew he was throwing away an opportunity. Once in a lifetime. 

Another thing he’d just have to live with.

Placing things carefully into a plastic storage contained, latching the top, he picked it up and took it out to his new van. One retrofitted for ‘van life.’ living out of it like it was a camper or RV. It had a small kitchen. Bed. Electricity. Running water. He’d gone over the details with the sales people a well as did his research on the lifestyle as well as downloaded an app that provided information on places he could stop to refill, recharge, and park/camp for the night or an extended period for free or a small fee.

He’d packed it full. Prepared as best he could. And if there was something missing, he had cash on hand and there’d be plenty of places to stop as he made his way… elsewhere.

Rick stored the last containers, boxes, and then began going through his checklist. Once. Twice. Three times. He closed up the van and walked back through the dark house. Silent and still violently oppressive. On the back porch, he sat down and pulled out another beer from the fridge. The empty bottle from the first night was still sitting beside the chair. He hadn’t bothered to throw it into the recycling. In fact, the chair he’d knocked over was still on the floor in the dining room. Everything was preserved besides what he’d had to disturb while gathering the things he needed and wanted. The house was a museum, kept still and stagnant.

The sun was starting to set. He twisted the cap and took a slow drink from the bottle as he watched the sky darken. There was still four weeks before Marcy came back. She hadn’t texted. Hadn’t called. No emails. Nothing. It seemed she was taking this vacation from “us” very seriously. She’d disconnected herself. For all intents and purposes, she was Trey’s wife while overseas.

Rick was sure Marcy didn’t see it that way, but it was true enough. She wasn’t his wife right now, that was for sure. She’d made that crystal clear. “...during my absence, I am not your wife, and you are not my husband.”

If she could turn off their marriage so easily, walk away from it as if it were just something to be dealt with later, like laundry waiting to be folded, that said so much about her respect for him. Maybe at one time she’d had respect, honor, care for him. But now she didn’t. That was gone.

It didn’t matter how much she said she loved him. And he believed she did, because he still loved her too. Probably always would. But she’d abandoned their commitment. She used Rick’s perceived infidelity as an excuse. But where his indiscretion was in the heat of the moment and fairly quick and honestly not all that pleasurable, hers was planned. Marcy had prepared. Like a doomsday prepper, she’d organized everything and then dove into the cover of her bunker while the world fell apart outside. She’d come out when the dust settled and thought she’d rebuild at her whim.

Rick sat quietly. Watching the night descend. Maybe this would be his last night at the house. Maybe not. He still wanted to make sure everything was taken care of. Plus his ‘vacation’ time wasn’t up yet. He still planned on giving two weeks notice for his job. They deserved it. But Marcy… she didn’t deserve any notice.

…

Trey lay back groaning deep, his legs spread as Marcy and Penny knelt between them licking and kissing all over his cock. Penny sucked at his hairy balls and Marcy slid her tongue around his thick head, sucking at the tip as it ooze precum

“Fuck yes…that’s it girls… show me you love it… fucking great… ohhh god.” Trey gripped the sheets, looking down at the two married women servicing him, dressed only in naughty nurse outfits that they’d purchased in some seedy area in town that had cheap se toys and accessories. They wore sheer white tops that exposed their tits and nipples. Sheer skirts that reached just below their ass cheeks with a red waistband. Their stockings were white and clinging tightly, with red crosses along the tops. Their g-strings were white with a red cross along the crotch. And to top it off they wore the classic nurse hats with red crosses.

He watched them worship his cock. Marcy loved the taste of his cock and when you added the taste of Penny’s spit it was even better. She was discovering so many things about herself. Kinks. Fetishes. Positions. All things she filed away for when she got home so she could share them with Rick.

Penny was a surprise addition. She was supposed to be spending time with another doctor, Shane Dawson. But apparently he’d moved on to another nurse, which left Penny a free agent and needy. So Dr. Trey had selflessly invited her to join him and Marcy.

Honestly Marcy didn’t have any interest in women. But she wasn’t such a prude that she was against exploring, especially if it excited Trey. Maybe Rick would want her and Leslie to experiment for him. That wouldn’t be so bad.

Marcy trailed her lips down Trey’s dripping cock until she came to his balls and stole Penny’s lips from his sack to kiss and bit. Penny groaned deep as they kissed, rubbing their cheeks along his cock.

“That’s it girls. Kiss. Fuck that’s hot. Come here, let’s all kiss.” He chuckled, thinking he was clever.

Marcy was getting a little tired of Trey’s overblown ego. He thought everything he did was terrific and astounding and mindblowing. And sure, the sex Marcy was getting was great. But her orgasms had only been mid tier. Good. Pleasurable. But not earth shattering. Rick was able to shake her to her core easily. Trey seemed to be struggling to even get her over the top sometimes. Not that she always needed to cum to have fun or feel good. That was just the icing on the cake sort of thing.

The girls moved up and kissed Trey as he grabbed hold other their asses, squeezing and spanking, making their cheeks jiggle. “Who’s first.” He breathed between their threeway kiss.

“Why not both.” Penny giggled and gave Marcy a look. “I have an idea.”

Pulling Marcy with her back down to Trey’s lap, she helped her straddle his lap, back to him, moving her to press her bald labia against his shaft, lips parting to glide along his thickness. Penny did the same, facing Marcy. She slid forward and on the underside of Trey’s cock, pressed her mound against him like Marcy was doing on the other side.

“Ohhhh fucking shit girls!” Trey groaned.

They had his cock sandwhiched between their pussys, warm and clinigng. Grabbing hold of marcy’s hips, breasts smashed together, they began to move up and down, giving him a double pussy job.

“Yeah…fuck…oh so fucking soft… fuck you girls need to keep yourselves bald all the time. At work… fuck I’m gonna need to see it between surgeries.” He laughed.

Penny rolled her eyes and Marcy shook her head but they continued moving along him while he lay back groaning in delight.

It didn’t take long before Trey couldn’t hold on anymore and began to cum. He shot his seed up between them, soiling their skirts and stomachs and mounds, staining them with thick white.

Trey lay back gasping at the intensity of his orgasm. Marcy and Penny giggled and grinned at each other, feeling powerful and accomplished. Getting off the bed they headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up while Trey just lay back breathing hard.

In the bathroom, the girls slipped off the cheap costumes and tossed them into the corner while Penny grabbed a wash cloth, got it wet, and started washing off Trey’s cum.

“Too bad he’s one and done. I’m still pretty horny. I thought he’d last longer.” Penny sighed, scrubbing her stomach.

“Yeah well, he doesn’t have the greatest stamina. At best you’ll have to wait a couple hours before he can even get hard again.” Marcy said, sitting down on the side of the tub.

Penny sighed. “Can’t wait that long. We have an early morning tomorrow. I need some good sleep.” She scrubbed at a sticky spot along her waist. “I’ll just have to rub it out on my own I guess.”

“Me too.” Marcy said, taking the wash cloth from Penny once she was done.

“So, have you talked to Rick? I’m still kinda nervous if he told Josh…” Pennsy sat on the toilet, watching Marcy as she cleaned up.

“Uh, no. I haven’t talked to him since that first night. Um, but I doubt he’s said anything. You’d have heard from Josh.”

“I’ve already talked to him a few times. Just some quick texts and emails. Nothing deep, but… I guess if he knew he’d say something.” She ran her hands through her hair, bridging them around to cover her face as she breathed deeply.

“It’s going ot be fine Penny. Rick’s not going to say anything. He’d have done that by now if he was going to. I’m sorry about that, I didn’t think he’d try so hard to call. The timing was off. I should have had Leslie bring the letter over sooner.” Marcy sighed, scrubbing at her thighs, wiping the cum away.

“Do you really think that’s going to work Marcy? That Rick’s just gonna jump on Leslie and forget you’re here?” Penny leaned back, arms folded under her pretty little breasts.

“I don’t think he’s going to forget. But she will be a good distraction. And he’ll see that this is good. Healthy. I’m getting this experience out of my system. Having my fun. And he’s getting his fun, honestly he’s getting the better end of the deal. Trey’s fun enough, good in bed, but Rick’s better. Bigger. More stamina. If it were Rick in there he’d be ready in like ten minutes and you’d be bent over the sink.” Marcy laughed, her own tits bouncing.

Penny snorted. “Well maybe we should do that when we get back. Maybe if I give him a taste then he won’t be tempted to tell Josh.”

Marcy smacked Penny’s arm playfully. “That’s my man you’re talking about. I may have offered him pussy, but that’s just because it wouldn’t be fair for me to be here and he get nothing. When I get back… I don’t know, maybe we will do some exploring, who know’s what Leslie and Vincent are going to open his eyes to. I guess I’ll keep it in the back of my mind, but I don’t wanna see you side eyeing my husband at any of the parties or dinners. I’ll be watching you.”

Penny stuck out her tongue at Marcy and laughed. “Fine. Fine. Didn’t think you’d be so selfish about your husband after this trip.”

Marcy sighed. “Well, there’s gonna be some rough roads ahead when I get back. I know that. I don’t want to push him too much. He’s gonna be fragile. I know he seems strong and all big military macho man on the outside, but really he’s got a creamy center.”

Penny licked her lips. “Mmmm. Creamy center. Wonder what that cream tastes like.”

Marcy smacked Penny’s tit. “Whore.” She laughed.

“Takes one to know one.”

They both began laughing as they finished wipping themselves off, then left the bathroom to gather up their clothes and return to their rooms. Trey was asleep, snoring loudly on the bed laying sprawled out with his cock deflated and flacid and shrunken between his legs.

The girls looked at it and then looked at each other, starting to giggle like school girls as they got dressed.

…

Everything was set. He’d checked everything over a dozen times. Called the lawyers. Looked over the paperwork. Went through the house. Inventoried the van. Now all that was left was to call his children. Return his equipment and IDs to his now former job.

Rick sat on the end of his…Marcy’s bed, pulled out his new phone and sent a quick text to his daughter Rhonda, first. Thankfully she wasn’t at sea at the moment and was on base with proper cell service. He told her he had a new number and that he needed to call her when she was available.

It wasn’t even a minute after his message when Rhonda called.

“Hey daddy. Why the new number? Is everything okay?” She sounded happy. It hurt Rick to have to ruin her day.

“Hey honey. Listen… this is a bit complicated so I need you to be patient and hold your questions until I’m done. Can you do that sweetheart?”

Rhonda paused. It was a loaded silence. Rick’s daughter was no fool, she knew something was wrong and serious just by the tone of her father’s voice. She had guesses as to what it might be, but her time in the Navy had taught her not to jump to conclusions or make assumptions without the right information.

“Okay, Daddy. I’ll listen.”

Rick had thought long and hard about what he would say. What he would tell his kids. The impulse to tell them everything, to brand Marcy a cheating tramp and ruin her in the eyes of her children was tempting. But… Marcy had been a good mother. She’d been there for their kids when he hadn’t. Taken care of them as if she were a single parent. Rick would never downplay her role in how well Rhonda and Kyle had turned out. She was much more responsible for their turning out so well than him. So… it was only fair that he soften the blow as best he could. If Marcy wanted to tell them more, that was up to her.

“Your mother and I… we are… we are getting a divorce. First you need to know that this has nothing to do with you or Kyle. We love you both. You’ve been the joy of our lives. What’s happening between me and your mother, it’s our fault. You and Kyle have been wonderful children and we are so proud of you, so please don’t try to take any sort of responsibility for this.

Our marriage… it’s been on the rocks for a while if I’m being honest. We’ve done our best to keep things together. To work it out. But… we’ve just reached a point that we can’t go back. We can’t fix things. I don’t want you to feel like you have to choose a side. That’s not what this is. No one person is to blame. Sometimes things just don’t… work.”

Rick sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “This vacation… er, trip your mother has taken was… a chance for us to think. To be apart and make this decision with clear heads. So… I’ll be moving out. Um… this has been hard on me in several ways and it’s hard to explain right now, maybe one day I’ll be able to properly explain, but right now I’m going to… this sounds bad, I tried to figure out a better way to say it but I’m not really good with words. I’m going to travel. Um… my time in the military, there was something about traveling, always being on the move, that was freeing. I missed you guys when I was away and that made it hard, but it was still enjoyable in it’s own way. And now that you and Kyle are grown, and with your mother and I… separating, I feel like I finally have a chance to travel again. To fully enjoy my time away. I’m not disappearing okay. I don’t want you to think your dad is just, up and leaving and vanishing. We are family and I’m always going to be here for you. That’s why I’m giving you my new number… you can call or text anytime. I’ve got a new email too and you can contact me there as well.”

He was quiet for a second. “I love you honey. I’m really proud of you. I know I give you shit sometimes about going into the Navy instead of following your old man into the army, but… that’s just teasing. I’m so proud of you. More proud than I could ever tell you.”

A quiet fell between them as Rick held the phone to his ear, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Are you done, dad?” Rhonda asked quietly.

“Y…yeah honey…” Rick was having a hard time keeping himself from sobbing.

“Dad…” Rhonda hesitated.

“What is it sweetheart.”

“Is mom having an affair?”

Rick’s voice caught and he coughed, trying to clear his throat. “Rhonda…why would you…”

“Daddy. You work in military intellegence. I’ve worked in similar area’s here on base and out at sea. And you raised a pretty smart girl. If this was just an amicable divorce, you wouldn’t need to change phone numbers or emails. You wouldn’t do that unless you wanted to break off contact. And I have to ask myself, why would you want to do that? Who would you want to break off contact with? So… can you please just answer my question honestly? Is mom having an affair?”

He didn’t want to tell her. To ruin the image of her mother she held in her mind. But if he didn’t say something, she’d wonder. She’d jump to conclusions. Conjure up something in her mind that was far worse than anything he told her.

“Yes… but… listen Rhonda, I don’t want you to blame your mother. We’ve had problems. And I haven’t been the best husband or father. This just… got away from us. It’s not her fault.”

Rhonda was quiet for a moment. “Daddy. You’re too good for her.” She whispered. “She’s cheating and you’re trying to defend her. I don’t know many people who’d do that. Most people I’ve served with and worked with would burn the bridge dad. They’d torch their partner for what they were doing, even if they understood it in a way. But you’re…” Her voice hitched and it was clear she’d started to cry. “Daddy, where are you gonna go?”

“I’m going to travel honey. I’ve got a van. I’ve quit my job and taken on some contracts that allow me to be remote. But I’ll always just be a phone call away. If you need me you don’t hesitate. And thanks to this new sort of mobile lifestyle, I can hit the rode and be with you whenever you want. Same goes for Kyle. I’m not going to vanish…”

“For us you mean.” She interrupted, sniffling. “That’s why you changed your number and email. Why you’re gonna drive off into the sunset or whatever. You won’t vanish for me and Kyle but… mom, are you going to tell her? Give her your number?”

Rick was silent, then let out a deep sigh. “No. I’m not. I… I’m giving her what she wants honey. Like I said. It’s hard to explain and maybe one day we can sit down and I’ll tell you all the details but this is what I need to do. Your mother is doing what she feels she needs to do, and I’m going to do what I have to. So… this is maybe the hard part… I’m going to ask you, and Kyle, to not… not talk to your mom about this. About my call. Don’t tell her my new number or email. And don’t call her until after she gets back from her trip, she needs to focus on the work she’s doing.”

“You mean the man she’s doing, right? Dad… seriously… don’t try to paint mom as some sympathetic saint! She’s cheating on you! And considering how you’re taking it… it seems like she told you. I’m not sure how that works but seriously daddy, don’t try to justify mom’s actions and sugar coat this.”

“Honey. It’s more complicated then that. And I don’t want you to get the impression that your mother is somehow completely at fault. There was a moment some years ago when I was still in the service, that… I had a moment of weakness. I engaged in oral sex with one of my colleagues. We didn’t do anything more than that. I lasted all of ten minutes or so, but it was still cheating.”

“Daddy! Even if that’s true. You can’t compare something like that to what it sounds like mom is doing. And sure, what you did was shitty. But two wrongs don’t make a right! Tit for tat, all that shit. It just makes things worse. The right thing to do would be to get counseling. To scream and yell at each other. To cry. Not to run off with someone for six weeks while pretending to help people.”

“You mother is helping people. Don’t think she’s not Rhonda. But yes… it’s business an pleasure I guess you could say.”

“God daddy. This is so unfair. Mom’s being a bitch.”

“Honey! Don’t talk about your mother that way.”

“Oh daddy…” Rhonda sobbed. “She doesn’t deserve you. You should be calling her every name in the book but… you still love her… are you sure this is what you need to do?”

Rick held back his own sob. “It’s the best idea I can come up with right now. Maybe I’ll come to my senses and settle back down once all this mess has had time to calm down. But… right now, I just can’t be here. I can’t be with her. And there’s just nothing for me here. I have to move. I have to… I just need to move.” he couldn’t explain it. But it’s what he needed. He needed to uproot himself. Maybe he’d find a new place to put down those roots, but for now he just needed to move.

“Okay daddy. Okay. I… I don’t understand completely, but… I guess I’ll just trust you. But you’d better keep me updated where you are. I don’t want to have to misuse my security clearance and track you down.”

Rick laughed. “No need honey. I’ll keep in regular contact. Can I trust you not to talk to your mother about this? I’ve set everything up so when she gets home all she has to do is sign the papers and we can be done. And for now… for now I’d prefer your mother didn’t know where I was. You can tell her I’m okay, I don’t want her thinking anything drastic like I’ve gone off and committed suicide or something. But I… I just need a clean break. And time.”

Rhonda was crying softly on the other line. Sniffling and gasping for breaths. “Daddy…o…oh…okay. I won’t say anything. Would you… would you come visit me? Soon. Please? I don’t want you to just vanish and leave me wondering when the next time I’ll see you.”

“Of course sweetie. I’ll come visit you and Kyle first thing once I get on the road. You’ll get to see my new van. A little home on wheels.”

His daughter snorted as she fought to laugh and cry at the same time. “Okay daddy. Sure. That sounds… nice.”

“I love you Rhonda. Never forget that. I love you so much.” Rick whipped at his eyes.

“I love you too daddy. Call me as soon as you can, okay?”

“Of course. Now I need to call your brother. I’m sure after I get off the phone with him he’s going to call you so, be a good big sister okay? I know little brother’s can be a pain, but he’s gonna need you.”

“Fine, daddy. I’ll take care of the little brat.” She laughed between sniffles.

“Good girl. So proud. I’ll talk to you again soon. Love you.”

She whispered another ‘love you’ and then Rick hung up, dropping his phone and crying. Shedding all the tears he’d been holding back for the last few weeks. Because before it was just plans, now it was real. Telling his daughter that his marriage was over was real. Final. And when he called Kyle, once he was able to control his tears, telling him the same thing as Rhonda, though thankfully he didn’t question his mother’s fidelity, he cried even more. He bawled like a child and quietly longed for his mother, but she’d passed on years ago. His father was gone too. So he was alone. Alone with his thoughts and despair.

Eventually he fell asleep, having exhausted himself. It was the last time he slept in the bed he’d shared with Marcy for nearly 24 years.

…

“Yeah… give me that married pussy… fuck yes ride it like that.” Trey held onto Marcy’s hips tight as she moved and swayed her hips, riding Trey’s cock for the final time before she was going to cut him off and get her STD test to bring home to Rick.

Almost six weeks of sex, fucking, exploring, but she was ready to be home. The hotel was confining. The food becoming bland. Even the sex with Trey was becoming routine. Oh it was still good, Trey was nothing if not enthusiastic. But Marcy hadn’t had much of an orgasm over the last couple weeks. Nothing earth shattering or all that mind blowing.

She started bouncing up and down harder, faster, wanting Trey to reach his climax so she could shower and go back to her room. Her meetings with him had almost become a chore. Pleasant enough, but still more work than fun.

Trey groaned, thrusting his hips hard and fast and erratic. No attempt to try and make Marcy cum. It was only about him. And that’s what it had mostly become over the last week or two.

The man began to grunt and shot his load into Marcy as she rolled her hips, trying to get him to hurry up. Sex felt good, but even something that was fun and pleasurable could get boring.

Rick had never been boring.

Once Trey finally collapsed back onto the bed, breathing hard and seeming satisfied with himself, Marcy quickly got off and grabbed her clothes. She dressed quickly. Told Trey thanks and left without another word.

Honestly she was happy it was over. It had been fun. But the shine of it was gone. Add on top all the hard work they’d been doing at the hospitals, the long hours, she was worn out and just wanted to be home.

Back in her room, she undressed, throwing the soiled clothes into a laundry bag and took a long hot shower. It was like washing off the last five weeks. Scrubbing away Trey’s sweat and semen. She luxuriated in the spray and warmth for as long as she could and then stepped out, wrapped herself up on a towel and sat on the bed, picking up her phone.

She hadn’t talked to Rick, texted or emailed since their contentious phone call that first week. No doubt he was probably still a little raw about it. And Marcy wasn’t stupid. She knew that she hadn’t handled that well. The letter she’d left hadn’t been very tactful either. She’d gone back and read through it a couple of times and cringed at her flippant attitude about Rick’s service. Cringed at her ultimatum. An ultimatum she didn’t mean. The letter… well, it made her sound like a bitch. And maybe she was.

Laying back she unlocked her phone and opened up her text string with Rick. He hadn’t messaged. Nothing. She still found that strange. She’d been expecting something, even if it was an angry email or a cursing tirade about how horrible she was. The silence was… worrisome.

It was time to start getting things back on track. Tomorrow she’d take her STD test, though she didn’t feel like there was much need. This next week things would be about winding down their services and she would start texting Rick again. He probably wouldn’t reply. If he hadn’t texted anything over the last five weeks, he was probably still upset. And that was okay. She’d make it up to him.

Pulling her towel down, enough to flash a little nipple, she took a smiling selfie and texted it to Rick. “I’m looking forward to being home. Hopefully you’ll be excited to see me.”

Was that naive? Stupid? Maybe she was being too dismissive of how she’d left things.

Marcy sighed and put her phone down. She was going to have a lot to make up for. A lot of apologizing. But she was determined to make it up to Rick for the rest of their lives. She’d had her fun. Her fling. It was good mostly, and she was glad she did it. But Rick was home. The one she loved. She probably should have made that more clear in her letter.

Biting her lip, Marcy got up and grabbed her laptop. Sitting back on the bed, she quickly pulled up her email and began to type a new letter. One less harsh. More clear. And showering Rick with praise and love. The love he deserved. To sign off, she took another selfie, this one of her fully nude, smiling seductivly, and attached it. She sent it and then settled in, exhausted from the day and still on edge from Trey’s lackluster bedroom antics.

…

The next week went by fast and yet so very slow. Marcy took her test and of course it came back negative. From there she focused on work. Trey tried to come on to her a few times, but she shrugged him off. Their fun was over and she was dead set on finishing this trip and heading home.

Eager to be with her husband again.

The surgeries were helpful and wonderful, but tedious. She kept to herself mostly, spending her time in her room. Sending text to Rick about how she was looking forward to being home. How she loved him. That she understood he was probably mad. She even talked about being willing to go to therapy. Anything to make sure they could get back on track.

Once in a while she sent a selfie. Something to entice him. Mostly nudes. Bending over and smiling over her shoulder. Legs spread and showing him her smooth pussy. Telling him she hoped he would enjoy it. Telling him that from now on it was all his. Anything he wanted. Forever.

On the last day she sent a picture of the lingerie she was planning to wear for him at the hotel.

Part of her didn’t think he’d show. It would be his way of asserting control. She’d set the terms of their separation and her return. And that was fine. Let him take back control in this small way. If he didn’t show up she’d go home and entertain Rick there.

Every message went unanswered.

He must be really mad.

A pit opened up in Marcy’s stomach. Maybe she’d done more damage than she thought. Had he read her email? And what about Leslie, she’d messaged her and hadn’t gotten a response either. Maybe they were just busy shacking up. Fucking Rick day and night leaving him no room to do any of the mundane things.

Maybe…

…

The plane ride home was oppressive. Sitting for hours, watching out the window waiting… waiting…

Once they landed, Marcy hurried out onto the jet way and out into the airport. Of course Rick wasn’t there. She’d asked him not to meet her there. But now she wished he’d disregarded that request.

Josh was waiting for Penny. But he didn’t look happy. Even as Penny brightly smiled and rushed over to him, hugging him tight, Josh just stood limply and sadly.

Marcy made her way towards the baggage claim, glancing back at her friend as she pulled back from her husband and looked up into his face worriedly. They started talking softly. The noise of the airport was too loud and she was too far away to hear or even try to read their lips. But she did see tears. Tears in Josh’s eyes and running down Penny’s cheeks.

Had Rick told Josh about what Penny was doing? He said he wouldn’t. Oh god…

She made her way to the carosell and quickly grabbed luggage, ignoring Trey’s advances and suggestions maybe they could get together again at the hospital. It disgusted her. She’d probably have to either have a very firm serious talk with him or maybe transfer to a different hospital. Small price to pay to get away from the womanizing prick.

The drive to the hotel was infuriating. Traffic. Everyone was going slow. Once she arrived, she rushed into the lobby, hoping beyond hope that Rick would be there. But there was no sight of him. She sat on one of the lounge chairs and waited.

When an hour had passed, she texted Rick.

No reply.

She called.

It went straight to voicemail.

Now worry was beginning to set in. His lack of any sort of communication was not like Rick at all. Even if he was furious.

A quick Find My Phone search, showed her that Rick was still at their house. Okay. So he wasn’t coming to see her. Fine. She’d just go home. They could have their fight there. Then make up sex.

She canceled her reservation and quickly got back into her car and nearly sped home.

It was early evening by the time she finally pulled into their driveway. The grass in the yard was raggedy. Rick always kept the lawn properly tended. Barely going three days without a trim. But now it was overgrown. As if it hadn’t been mowed in more than a week or two.

Marcy stared at the lawn as she moved towards the door. The lights were off inside. Everything had the strange feeling of… abandonment. Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. The stale smell of a house unlived in hit her like a hammer.

She dropped her keys as she stepped inside. It was quiet. Far too quiet. The lights were off. The normally glowing numbers of the Microwave were missing. It had been unplugged. Rick only ever did that when they went on long trips.

Flipping on the light, she surveyed the house slowly, walking slowly until she entered the dining room off to the side of the entryway. A chair lay toppled over on the floor. On the table was the letter she’d left Rick. It had been opened but the note had been put back inside. Next to it…

Marcy nearly fell. She grabbed hold of the table to keep herself up as she stared at Rick’s wedding ring sitting on top of a small packet of papers labeled Divorce. Next to it was his phone, all of her messages unread.

No.

No this wasn’t right.

“Rick!” She called out, lookign around. Maybe this was a joke. Or his way of getting back at her. Make her feel how bad he must have felt when she’d left him. 

No. I didn’t leave him. I was coming back. I told him that. It was just a fling. Something fun. A vacation from all this responsibility.

When there was no answer, Marcy started to rush through the house. She searched every room. Rick was gone. When she went into the bedroom, she saw several clothes were missing. A few photos that had once been on the wall and his nightstand were gone. Toiletries, missing.

“Rick! It’s not funny!” She cried, tears starting to drip down her face.

She searched the house again. And then a third time. She even looked under the beds. In the attic. All she found were two empty bottles of beer out on the back porch next to one of the chairs. 

Shaking and barely able to keep her voice even, Marcy called Rhonda.

“Hi, Mom.” Her daughter’s voice was flat, exhausted. She must have had a long day on base.

“Honey. Have you heard from your dad? I can’t find him. I got home and he’s not here.” She left out the divorce papers. No need to worry her.

“I talked to him last week.” She muttered, but didn’t add anything else.

“Well… was he okay? Do you know where he went? His phone is here too.” Her voice was shaking.

“I don’t know where he went mom. Why? Were you expecting hiim to be home?”

“I… well… of course I was. Why wouldn’t he be home?” Something was wrong. Why was her daughter being so dismissive and unemotional.

“I don’t know mom. Can you think of any reason?” There was accusation there.

Bile rose up in Marcy’s throat. Did her daughter know what she’d done? Had Rick told her?

“Uh… honey, listen. I… don’t know what you father told you…”

“Nothing mom. Dad said nothing. Because for some reason he loves you. Even when you went away and cheated on him. And before you say anything, no. He didn’t rat you out. I’m a smart girl. Nothing would drive dad away unless it was bad. Really bad. Even if it was just a mistake or something, he’d stay. So you’ve done something really fucked up. And honestly I don’t want to hear any of your excuses. I’m done… for now at least. You’re my mom. Dad said I should love you. But… I don’t have to like you. Not right now I don’t. And so I’m not going to.”

Marcy was dumbstruck. Unable to speak. Her voice was caught in her throat.

“I’m not going to tell you where Daddy went. Mostly because I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me. Or Kyle. Oh, and don’t call Kyle. If i’m pissed, he’s… he’s broken. And hearing from you isn’t going to help. So leave him alone. Now that we are out of the house and dad’s gone, you can do whatever slutty thing you want. But I’m not going to support it. So… please don’t call me. When I’m ready… if I’m ready… I’ll call you.”

And with that her daughter hung up, leaving Marcy to collapse into the chair at the dinning room table. She stared at the letter she’d left. The documents that Rick had a lawyer draw up. What was she supposed to do? She needed to talk to Rick. Had to find him. But his phone was here, so… maybe he’d gotten another phone? What about his email?

There were so many questions. And she didn’t have answers. Clearly her children weren’t going to tell her anything. So… who could she ask?

First she went over to see Leslie. That conversation lasted all of two minutes. Leslie didn’t appreciate being pimped out. Rick didn’t touch her. And she didn’t blame him. If it had been a consenting partner swap or open marriage, then she would have indulged freely. But Rick made it clear, Marcy hadn’t discussed anything with him. And she wasn’t going to be used like that.

The door was slammed in her face.

Next she called his work.

He’d quit weeks ago. They had no forwarding address. And whatever other information they might have had, was confidential.

They hung up.

It didn’t take long to find out he’d removed his names from accounts. Liquidated some funds but left her with the bulk of their assets. Calling his lawyer, she was told that any and all discussions would need to be routed through the law office and no direct contact would be permitted with Rick. It was his explicit request.

She screamed and cried. Demanding to talk to him. To get his number. Email. Something.

But she was stonewalled.

And so… she was left alone in her house.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. That’s all Marcy could think as she sat and tried to figure out what to do. But she was lost. The quiet was insidious. And she knew the only one she had to blame was herself.

She waited two weeks before she signed the Divorce papers. She delivered them in person, hoping to see Rick. To maybe set up a meeting. She knew that if she could just see him, talk to him, they could work this out. But the law office wouldn’t release his phone number and they admitted they didn’t know where he’d gone.

So Marcy went home. Went to work. And was left to wonder if she’d ever see her husband… ex-husband… ever again.

…

6 Months Later

Rick wasn’t sure what beach he was on. It probably had a name. It must have if it had the amenities for Vanlife. There were only a few other vans parked along the beach, but over the past week it had fluctuated from a handful to dozens and back. It was a feature of the van lifestyle. Come and go as you please.

This beach allowed for longer stays. And so Rick had been parked for a little over a week, sitting out of the back of his van/home watching the sun rise and set along the ocean. The waves lapping at the sands. Summer rain. Scorching heat. It came and went so quickly and he watched it all. Took it all in. Absorbed every little moment.

It was nearly five am no and the first rays of morning were starting to peek through the clouds. He sat on a camping chair under an awning he’d bought and attached to the side of his van, giving him some shade and if he attached the curtain that came with it, a little extra privacy. But today he was out in the open, sipping from a travel mug and just… watching.

He’d been doing a lot of that over the last six months. Watching. Being quiet. In fact he hadn’t talked all that much since leaving his old life behind. Besides the occasional call to his children, business calls, and whatever other conversations he needed to have in order to live and survive, he spent his time in silence.

It was cleansing in a way. To not fill his life with words. Excuses. Justifications. Silence could be deafening, but it was also honest.

The few emails he’d gotten from his lawyer told him about Marcy’s requests to speak to him. To know where he was. She’d even written a letter that they passed on to him, but he didn’t read it. He knew what would be in it and… he knew that he’d be tempted. Tempted to go back. To ‘work things out’. The love he felt for his (ex)wife was still strong. It always would be. She’d given him two wonderful children and even though she’d decided to throw it all away for six weeks of ‘freedom’, the twenty or more years they’d shared together were still full of good memories.

He didn’t want to taint them any more than they already were. No doubt her letter would have brought up those memories. Trying to use them as a weapon. But Rick was beyond that now. He was moving on.

Sipping quietly, he watched a form slowly jog up along the wooden boardwalk that separated the van lot from the beach sands. Rick had seen the jogger a few times now in the early hours. A woman of maybe thirty (he might have been off, she looked youthful but had an air of maturity that he just didn’t think belonged to a woman in her mid twenties). She had dark auburn hair, tied back in a ponytail that swished and swayed as she ran. Wearing a tight purple sports bra and yoga tights and worn sneakers, she was a peak image of health. Toned and slim but not to the point where she was showing ripped muscles like so many people he’d seen around the beach.

The woman came jogging up slowly, her sneakers slapping the old planks of the boardwalk, panting sotftly with a sheen of sweat on her exposed skin and pretty face. They’d enchanted polite waves over the past week. At best they muttered a ‘hey’ or ‘hello’, nothing more.

Rick waved at her with a soft smile, knowing he probably looked like one of those old retired boomers, grizzled and set in his ways.

This morning… the woman slowed, and stopped. Hands on her hips, panting softly she looked at him and smiled, raising a hand, waving in return. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” He replied and for the life of him couldn’t figure out why he felt so shy. He had been in the military for goodness sake, faced bombs and gunfire and political pressure. But just the sight of this woman’s dark eyes, sweet smile, and soft voice had him on edge.

She stepped off the boardwalk to come stand before Rick, holding out her hand. “I’m Torry.”

Rick took her hand and shook. “Rick. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Figured I’d introduce myself. You’ve been staring at my ass enough this passed week it seemed only appropriate.”

Rick sputtered and sat up straight, eyes wide. “I… no… no I didn’t…”

Torry was laughing heartily. “I was kidding. Calm down. Even if you were, and lets be honest, unless you’re gay most men are at least giving a look, it would be okay. I’m sorry, I was just teasing.” She brushed a stray strand of sweaty hair from her face.

“Oh…uh…okay…I, well it’s not as if it’s not a nice view or… I…” Rick was speechless and that was rare for him.

“Would you happen to have some more coffee?” The look in her eyes was curious, teasing, and hopeful.

“Um…uh sure… of course. Would you like some? I’m always… uh, company is always welcome.” Rick got up from his chair, and went into his van, a small caraffe of coffee still half full. He didn’t have many dishes, since he only ever entertained himself, but he did find it good to have more than one mug, glass, or plate. He pulled out his spare mug and filled it. “Cream? Sugar?”

“Just black is fine.” She smiled coming to stand under his awning and accepting the coffee. “And… why do I get the impression you don’t have much company?”

Rick chuckled, standing next to her and looking out at the sunrise. “Well… because that’s true. I don’t. Haven’t in a while.”

“I’m not intruding am I?”

He shook his head. “No… no. I think, it’s time maybe I start opening up a little more. Would you like a chair?”

Torry nodded, sipping from her coffee and watching Rick over the rim of her mug.

For the next hour they sat, watching the sky and drinking their coffee. They talked about small things. Little introductions. Nothing serious.

The next day, they did the same.

It became every day. Early morning coffee. A chat. Then Torry would continue her run.

After two weeks of this, Torry slipped into Rick’s van and they made love slow so as not to rock the van.

Maybe it would go somewhere. Maybe it wouldn’t. But Rick was content to take it slow. To build trust. And this time… do things right.