“I’m hardly going to DO anything with the guy—It’s just flirting, and it’s harmless. And I’ve gotta admit, fun!
“God, April, married life can be so repetitive! Teach my students, cook the meals, wash the dishes, do the laundry, pick up the boys, do the shopping, kiss Nick, watch some TV, fall asleep, and then get up and do it all over again.
“When I’m with Jason there’s that spark, you know? He looks into my eyes, holds my hands, tells me how beautiful I am—and I feel like a girl again! I’m certainly not going to break up my marriage over this; it’s just a little bit of excitement.”
And more recently she wrote
“Just chill a little, okay? It’s just a fling, it probably won’t even last a month! And I’m certainly not going to let Nick find out—I’m being super careful.
“But I can’t even tell you what a turn-on it was when he—well, when we petted a little. I was just dripping! Sex with him is going to be amazing!
“And then it’ll be done and Nick will have me back, happier than ever. And probably hornier, too—he’s gonna love it.”
**********************
Nick knew he had to get out of there. He didn’t want to even SEE Emily; he needed to deal with the shock and the pain. And the anger.
He left the computer exactly as he had found it. He wolfed down his sandwich and put everything away, leaving the kitchen the way it had looked before. He ran upstairs, changed back into his business clothes, and left the house.
An idea was already brewing, but Nick knew he needed some time to think it through. He drove straight to the gym and swam laps for an hour. By the time he was showering and getting dressed, he’d pretty much worked out what he was going to do.
Nick was a direct, straightforward, goal-oriented person. As a 14-year old he’d decided he wanted more money, and he worked to put together the largest paper route he could handle. In college he’d earned a business degree in only three years because he was eager to get out into the world and make a career.
And when he met Emily at a friend’s birthday party, two years after graduation, he knew after their first date that he wanted to marry her. He wooed her ardently, energetically, and romantically. He found out that she loved the ballet and got tickets. When he met her mother he asked her about Emily’s favorite flowers, and bought them for her.
He did, in short, what he always did: he went after what he wanted without dithering. After eight months they were practically living together; and when Nick proposed, at Clemente’s after a long romantic dinner, she cried and said, “Yes Nick, yes!” threw her arms around him, and marveled at the ring he slid onto her finger, as the people all around them smiled.
Was their marriage perfect? Certainly not—but Nick would have said it was great. Emily was generous and loving. She had a great sense of humor, she was terrific with their boys, and Nick knew that she loved him. Their sex life had gotten a bit routine, above all because two careers and taking care of an eight year-old and a six year-old added up to a lot of work, but it was still pretty satisfying.