Just a short quirky little flash tale of a married couple having a conversation...

It was about 6:30 pm when I finally pulled up to the old two-story house that had been in my family for four generations. It had been a very productive day in the field and I felt like I got a lot accomplished. I was more than ready for a good home-cooked meal and a quiet evening with Terri, my wife of 20 years.

I had it made, I thought, as I decompressed from the day’s work. Sure, working a farm is hard, but the rewards more than made up for it. On top of that, I had the best wife a man could want. Terri was a lovely girl, always so warm, friendly and loving. Sure, she had her moments, like we all do, and she tended to be a bit too trusting sometimes. And a bit ditzy now and then. But she was my partner – my rock – and I wouldn’t trade her for anything.

I walked in and instantly detected the odor of freshly-cooked meat loaf and knew I was in for a treat. Terri loved to cook, and she had a way of making even the most mundane dish taste delicious. I glanced at the mail on the small table next to the door.

Most were for “Occupant” or “Resident” – garbage and advertisements for this or that. A couple were addressed to Bill and Terri Carson – my wife and I – and I knew they were the standard bills we always got this time of month. I walked into the kitchen to see Terri pulling the hot meat loaf out of the oven and I ran over to help her.

She thanked me for taking it, and I put it on the table. Afterward, I went into the first floor bathroom and washed up. By the time I got back, she had the rest of our dinner waiting for us on the table.

“This smells delicious, honey,” I said as I sat down.

“It’s not much, just meat loaf,” she said. “I put in some mild chili peppers and mushrooms in it. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it,” I told her. She put a nice helping on my plate before piling on the mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. I couldn’t help myself. I looked at her and smiled. She definitely knew the way to my heart. She sat down and put some food on her plate.

“So, how was your day?” I asked. She nodded after she took a bite of her food.

“Okay,” she said. “Finally sold the old Jennings place.” Terri had started working at a real estate office in town about ten years ago. She wanted to contribute something to the family after the twins were old enough to walk to and from the bus stop.

Now they were both gone. Dan, our son, had received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point and Lisa, our daughter, was at the University of Washington, studying to be a veterinarian.

Between Terri’s work and the revenue from the farm, we did quite well. Our goal was to retire at 60 and take a nice, long cruise. Maybe in the Caribbean. We hadn’t decided yet. I looked at Terri. Our lives together had so far been wonderful, but I noticed that she had become a bit moody over the last couple months. Tonight, she was even more pensive than usual.

“You okay, dear?” I asked. “You seem a bit preoccupied.”

“I think we need to talk, after dinner,” she said quietly.

“Okay,” I said. “Maybe after we eat, we can retire to the back porch.” That’s where we usually went when we wanted to smoke and consume some adult beverages. We had long ago agreed not to smoke inside the house.

“That sounds like a good idea,” she said. We finished our dinner and I wondered what was bothering her. I helped her put everything away, then grabbed a beer and poured her a glass of wine. We went out back and I offered her a cigarette, which she readily accepted. After lighting up, I sat down on the porch swing as she sat in a chair next to the bistro set.

“So, what’s on your mind?” I asked.

“Bill, please promise me that you’ll hear me out completely,” she said. “I’m so torn and I’m afraid you’ll hate me when this is all over. Please just let me finish before you say anything, and promise me you won’t get mad.”

“Alright,” I said. “I’ll listen. What’s on your mind?”

“Bill, you know that I love you more than anything, right?” she asked. I was starting to get a bit worried, but I encouraged her to continue.

“Of course,” I said. “You’ve put up with me and living on this farm for 20 years, so that’s got to mean something, right?” I jokingly asked. She smiled, but the smile didn’t last long.

“You know you’re the only man I have ever been with in my whole life,” she said.

“And you’re the only woman I’ve ever been with,” I told her. “What’s this all about? You’re starting to scare me.”

“I guess I should just come on out and say it,” she said. “I’m thinking about taking a lover before I get too old. We’ll both be 40 in just under two years and I’d like to know what it’s like to experience another man.”

“Wait, what?” I asked. “Are you saying you want to have sex with another man? And you want me to just accept it?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying,” she told me. “It’s no reflection on you or anything, and it doesn’t have to change anything between us. I’ll still love you just as much as I do now. It’s just, well, I want to experience this just one time in my life before, you know, the change.”

“What, don’t I please you enough?” I asked. “Is there something I’m doing wrong?”

“No, no,” she said. “You’re a wonderful lover. It’s just that I’ve never been able to, you know, have anything to compare you to. It’s like, driving a Ford pickup all your life and one day getting a chance to drive something else, like a sporty sedan. Like I said, it doesn’t mean anything, and it doesn’t have to change anything between us.”

“I really don’t think I like your comparison,” I told her. “And for your information, it already HAS changed things between us.”

“I guess maybe I didn’t use the right phrase,” she said. “Please don’t take this the wrong way.”

“So, have you done it yet?” I asked.

“No,” she said.

“Have you decided who you want to do this with?” I asked.

“No, not at all,” she said. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking seriously about lately.”

“You didn’t just come up with this all by yourself. Who put this silly notion in your head, Terri?” I asked, fighting to keep calm. I wanted to punch a hole in the wall, but I knew that would only drive Terri further away. I needed to get more information. And I needed to get Terri to smell the coffee.

“Well, Marie Cunningham, you know her, she works in my office,” Terri said. “We sometimes go out for lunch and stuff, and she told me that it was something I really needed to do to validate myself. And she said if you really love me you’d let me have this. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. She said it really wouldn’t be cheating if I got your permission first.”

“Really? Marie Cunningham? Brunette, about five foot, nothing, in her early 30s, dresses like a teeny bopper? That Marie Cunningham?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Terri said. “You know her?”

“I’ve met her a few times at your office, but I can’t say that I know her very well personally,” I said. “From what I’ve heard, she’s been divorced two times in the last six years. And she’s working on her third divorce.”

“I don’t know about all that,” Terri said, somewhat surprised. “I know she’s been divorced at least once.”

“Word down at the Wagon Wheel is that she’s been quite friendly with a whole bunch of guys,” I said. “Her husband is pretty suspicious and from what I hear, he’s getting ready to file for divorce.”

“I didn’t know all that,” Terri said. I decided to change tactics and try to get her to realize the grave mistake she was making.

“Tell me something, dear,” I said. “How long have we known each other?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “About 30 years, maybe a bit more.”

“And we’ve been together ever since our freshman year in high school, right?” I asked.