If you think you recognize someone in this story, you are wrong.

I have changed each enough that if you have a match, well then you don't. See?

I made these changes knowing that anything written would eventually fall into the wrong hands.

Oh yes, I did make this all up! It is fiction, you know.

I had been happily married for twenty-two years to a fine woman. She certainly had been attractive when we married.

The fact that time took some of her looks from her certainly wasn't her fault. I still loved her. We had our ups and downs, but what marriage hasn't? We had a nice house in a nice old part of the town, two blocks from the elementary school where our kids had gone. My wife, Cathy, worked as the assistant to the business manager in the district office of our local public school, a job she'd had for many years.

Cathy and I had two kids, Ethan who was in his senior year at St. Johns, and Kim who was in her first year at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Cathy and I were proud to have two great kids. We were certainly paying the bills, but they had flown from the nest. For the first time in two decades, it was just the two of us at the table. I guess it is fair to say we were rediscovering each other. It was a time of adjustment and appreciation. I certainly had a lot to appreciate.

I worked for a technology firm. It seemed to change names every couple of years as it kept on getting sold to new outfits. Luckily, my job had not been messed with throughout the changes. That is it hadn't been until that year, twenty-two years into our marriage.

We lived in a small town and, though my work is high tech, I had been isolated from many of the personnel shifts that frequently occurred in our company. But this last merger had been different. I got the word that remote staff – those of us who were not at corporate headquarters, would be the first to service clients in new remote spots. That was not good news. It did not mean that we were going to relocate with our family. These assignments would be temporary. It did mean that I would be gone a good deal from home right at a time when Cathy and I were 'reconnecting.' I had at least another ten years before I could retire and if I left my company, I thought it was unlikely that I would ever find a position that paid as well as the one I had now.

My first assignment was in the Philippines. We had just acquired a large outfit there and needed to integrate them into our corporate culture and operations. I would be there for at least ninety days. Cathy was not happy, but she knew it was not my choice and we both just accepted it as part of life. We would get through it.

Standing in the security line at our small airport, Cathy told me not to worry and just do my job. Even though I was going to do that anyway, I appreciated her words. Then I was into the security area and Cathy was on the other side of the glass. I had no idea then how different things would be when I did finally return.

I guess I should have been alerted before I ever left my home sweet home. In retrospect, I wonder why I ignored the signs. There clearly were signs. The first sign came when I called Dell about a power cord for my notebook. I had checked the Dell website for information on the cables and transformers I would need for travel to the Philippines. There was no information there.

I called Dell. What I did not know was that their Call Center is in Manila. In case you don't know, Manila is in the Philippines. I explained why I called to the first woman with whom I spoke. Her response to my technical question was: Do you have a girlfriend? Are you going to visit a girlfriend on your trip?

Huh? What does that have to do with power cords? I restated my question and I was transferred to another woman, to whom, for a second time, I explained why I had called. Her first questions: Do you have a girlfriend in the Philippines?

I was tone deaf. All I cared about was the power cord and I treated the rest as noise. I was a fool.

On my way over to the Philippines, I travelled on Philippine Airlines. I was seated among Filipinos, each of whom wanted to know why I was going to their country and if I had a girlfriend there. All I thought was, "what's with that?"

I landed, got to my hotel and the next day went to my first meeting – where I was asked if I had a girlfriend in the Philippines. The same thing happened at my second meeting and the third meeting. Saying I was married back home seemed to somewhat lessen the push to hook me up but didn't kill it entirely. I was getting offers to be introduced to women. I ignored all comers.

By the second week, it was clear to all that I had no girlfriend and was disinterested in having one. I thought I was in the clear. I was mistaken. I was introduced to some gays, thinking that was what I wanted! Oh, dear God, No!

I mean no offense to gay men, but I am not interested. I dared not tell Cathy about any of this. It was a mess. I spent my third weekend in the Philippines just being miserable, wondering how I was going to deal with this. My ability just to get through meetings was being affected by the issue. I was going to be traveling to Cebu on Monday and I could see the same thing happening again there as I tried to get my work done.

I decided that, just to stop all this, I did need a girlfriend, just for appearances. I did not want the word to get back to anyone with whom I was working, that the girl I introduced as my girlfriend was a shill, so I did what any desperate man would do on such an occasion. Using my computer, I found a couple of dating sites for Filipinas. I registered and logged in to one called Asian Kisses.

I did a search for girls in Cebu and found hundreds. The search facility couldn't help me when it came to beauty or intelligence, but it could sort by age, whether they had kids, height, weight, hair and eye color and other more meaningless factors. I ran a sort and sent messages to five women. I made it clear I was only in the Philippines for a few months and was looking for a friend who might accompany me to social events and act as my girlfriend, but that I was married back home and had no intention to divorce my wife.

Of the five messages, I got back four responses, all positive. I was flabbergasted. I made arrangements to meet a pretty Filipina, thirty-years younger than I am, at age twenty-three. Her name was Elen. I flew into Cebu on Sunday afternoon and met Elen in the lobby of my hotel at 5PM that same evening.

Elen was there in the lobby when I came down from my room. She was even prettier than her picture. She stood five feet one inch and in her two inch heels I still towered over her. Her figure was 'all woman', and I was feeling guilty as hell. If Cathy ever got wind if this I was in deep shit.

I greeted Elen and asked her if she would like to eat here at the hotel or at a restaurant that had been recommended to me by the office staff in Makati. Elen said she was happy to try the food at the hotel. We walked a few steps to the restaurant, and we were immediately seated by the maitre de. After being seated, and served drinks, a mango shake for Elen and a San Miguel Pale Lager for me, we went up to the buffet and filled our plates before returning to our table.

Elen: Sir Noah, why you want a girlfriend when you have a wife?

Me: Elen, every time I enter a meeting here everyone wants to know why I do not have a girlfriend here.

Elen: Why is your wife not here?

Me: She has a job at home.

Elen: Are you lonely here?

Me: Yes but that is not why I want a girlfriend. I want to be able to go out in public with you to stop the questions and the attempts to introduce me to other women.

Elen: So you are not interested in me? Am I not pretty enough?

Me: Elen you are very pretty. More pretty than I ever imagined you to be.

Elen: Am I too old for you?

Me: You are not too old for me! I am too old for you!

Elen: You are not too old for me. You are fine. Why you only want to see me in public? What is wrong with me?

Me: There is nothing wrong with you. You seem perfect.

Elen: Thank you. But why you do not really want me? Only want to be with me in public.

Me: Elen I told you that I am married.

Elen: You do not want a Mistress? You not like women?

Me: Oh dear, I love women, I love my wife. What do you mean Mistress?

Elen: Wife without marriage ... Mistress.

Me: I don't know what to say ... are you offering to be my mistress?

Elen: Maybe. You be good to me?

Me: Elen, I think there is a misunderstanding. I am not asking you to be a mistress.

Elen: Why? I am not good enough? Maybe you find someone younger, prettier?

Me: Let's just eat our food and we can talk about this in private. OK?

Elen: OK

The food was actually pretty good; better than some of what I had in Makati. Still, it was a buffet, and the mind numbing choices are balanced out by the lack of presentation and the lack of a meal cooked and presented at the right temperature. I guess I am not a fan of buffets.

After the meal, I did need to sit down and talk to Elen about this, but where could I do it in private? The only private place I had was my room. This was not a matter to which I wished to have others listening. So, against my better judgment I took Elen to my room. When we got there, I sat on a chair and invited Elen to sit on the other chair.

Elen went over the same ground as before. Either there was something wrong with her or I don't like women at all. There didn't seem to be any other reason she could think of as to why I would reject her as a mistress. When I swore that there is nothing wrong with her and there is nothing off about me, she started to cry. Oh hell, now what was I going to do?

I put my arms around her and tried to comfort her. She kissed me. It was a nice kiss. I gave her a kiss back. Not a long one, but not a peck on the cheek either. It was a real kiss. That was probably a mistake. I had been standing to comfort her. Now Elen wrapped her arms around me as she stood up and pressed her body against mine. I hadn't had a lovely twenty-something press her body against me for over twenty years. I was more than flattered. Talk of being a mistress was one thing, this was quite another. Whatever thoughts I had about my vows and faithfulness to my wife seem to have turned to dust as Elen's body pressed into mine.

The distance from the chair to the bed could be measured either in inches or in decades of love, trust and commitment eschewed. Elen's body was a sweet new symphony for my old instrument to play after years of Cathy. It was exciting, it was enlightening, it was ego boosting, it was an education, and it taught me how much I had not been getting from my marriage. It was so good. It was devastating.

We fell into bed with Elen pulling my slacks and briefs down. She was still dressed and I still had all my clothes on, just not pulled up. Elen was not a virgin. Of that, I was sure. No, no virgin gives head that good. One hand stroked me. Her mouth carefully worked me, applying a suction that was felt from the very beginning. Her tongue was doing magic tricks and simply drove me crazy. Her other hand had my balls in a soft, tight grip while one of her fingers applied pressure directly between my balls and my asshole. It didn't take long before Elen had my whole load in her mouth. When I came, though I had warned her it was coming, she never stopped her suction. Cum shot into her mouth; it disappeared down her throat. My dick was going limp and it felt like it was being sucked from the inside out. I felt a post ejaculation echo right through my balls such as I had never experienced before.

In all the years we had been married, Cathy had given me head maybe twice and she never took cum in her mouth. She had told me I was warped to want her to do that. I had felt guilt about the desire. Was I supposed to feel guilty now? Oh God, what a feeling.

Elen slid off me and proceeded to undress me and then undress herself. She got me under the covers and then got under the covers herself. I was in a dream world. I was lost. I was confused, elated and desperately sad. What I wasn't, was functioning in the moment.

We snuggled. It could not have been more than thirty minutes when both I, and my dick, came back to life. I was snuggled around Elen. My hand began to explore this new territory. Her breasts were smaller that Cathy's. Cathy wore a C cup, Elen might wear a B cup. Elen was half a foot shorter than Cathy. Elen's hips were tiny compared to Cathy's. My hand reached Elen's most private parts. She did not obstruct me. She spread her legs for me. She had no hair down there and there was no stubble either. She was as smooth as a baby to my touch. I had never felt that in a woman before.

My dick was pressing against Elen. She then wrapped her hand around my dick, gently stroking it. Elen rolled me onto my back. She straddled me so that we were looking directly at each other as she mounted me and my dick slid into her. Elen started a slow lope on my dick. She was pressing forward then up and towards the back and down to the root. Slow and steady, the friction of very, oh so tight pussy on my member was intense. I stayed hard as she brought herself off three times. I moved a hand onto her ass and using her juices, I snuck my index finger up her ass to the first knuckle. That was something Cathy would have never tolerated. But it sent Elen into orbit. She stopped her slow lope and started just bouncing up and down and squirting juices like mad all over me and the bed. Her cunt muscles contracted on my dick in a way I cannot explain. It brought me over the edge and for the second time in two hours, I unloaded cum, but this time in was in her cunt and bareback.

After the fucking ended, we moved to the other side of the king-sized bed where it was not soaking wet.

We passed the rest of the night snuggled up together. I awoke to sunlight. I had gotten a good night's sleep. We must have been completely out of it for more than nine hours.

At 5:40, on Monday morning, I got into the shower and three minutes later Elen joined me. It was all business, as we got ready for the day. While we dressed, Elen asked me for my schedule. She then asked how long "we" were staying at the hotel, how long "we" were to be in Cebu, whether "we" were returning to Makati, and how long we would be together before I flew home. My answers were somewhat unsatisfying to both of us as I didn't know many of the answers yet. I told her I would have a clearer picture this afternoon and made arrangements to meet her late in the afternoon at our offices in Cebu City. We had a pleasant breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Elen had chicken and rice. I had eggs and corned beef. On the way out, I took care of two things. I had the front desk give Elen a key to "our" room and I handed Elen twenty thousand Philippine pesos, for a nice dress, shoes and taxi fare to the office this afternoon.

On the way to the office, I called Cathy. It was Sunday night back home and we had agreed that while I was over here we would check in once a week on her Sunday night. It was the first time in all the years of our marriage that I cheated on her and I now lied to her. I felt like crap for cheating and lying, but there was no other option. What happened here was not, I told myself, going to follow me back home. It was just a matter of necessity. Oh, how we delude ourselves!

When I got to the office, I met all of the staff and went through the same vetting I had gone through before. The 'did I have a girlfriend' question however only came up once! I had said yes and mentioned that she would stop in this afternoon. After that, the word spread around the entire office. Now what they wanted to know was, 'who was she and where was she from.' To each I told them that they could ask her this afternoon ... and then like magic – it was over and we were able to get down to business. Everyone seemed happy.

The decision that I would stay in Cebu for the rest of my stay was made that day. We also determined that, in spite of what the staff in Makati had claimed, I would need close to six months to complete my work. I wrote a long email back to corporate telling them what I thought of the clueless Makati operation and how pleased I was with the staff in Cebu. I informed them that their estimate of ninety days was based on inaccurate information and proceeded to lay it out in all the gory detail. My estimate was six months to complete the work.

Before I left the office that day and just minutes before I was to meet Elen, I called Cathy to tell her the bad news that my trip was now probably extended to a full six months from when I left. She was not happy, but at least we knew when I would be home. She was thanking me for calling when Elen walked in to the office. I told Cathy goodbye, that I loved her and hung up as Elen walked up to me. Her eyes had a question, 'who?' I told her it was my wife. She just nodded.

Within just a few minutes, the entire staff seemed to materialize in my office area. They all wanted introductions to Elen. I barely had time to warn her that they would all be asking questions. She was not worried, she did not ask what she should say, she looked happy. The questions were asked in Tagalog (and Cebuano, Elen told me this later). Elen did not tell me exactly what was asked or answered, but all were satisfied and no one seemed startled or offended, so I guess it went well.

The entire staff decided we should all go out and eat together as a celebration of my arrival. That proved to be a real party. The place they took us to had (Filipino) food, drink and karaoke. I enjoyed the food though I had no clue what some of it was called. We were there for three hours before we were able to excuse ourselves and return to the hotel. Karaoke was not invented in the Philippines, but the Filipinos have adopted it as a national pastime. Singing seemed to be an obsession. I later learned the best karaoke equipment is made in the Philippines.

On the way to the hotel, while in the taxi, I filled Elen on the information I had received today. Her next question was one I was wondering about myself.

Oo (pronounced oh-Oh and means yes)

Back at the hotel, we went right up to 'our' room and Elen proceeded to get ready for bed. We both took showers and got in the bed. This night I did something else that Cathy always refused to allow. I went down on Elen's pussy. I was amazed to discover that there was no odor at all. Yes, there was a scent of the soap we had just used in the bathroom, but there was no smell. From the time of my youth, I always assumed that pussy smelled like day old tuna, but I would get past it to give my partner pleasure. Now there was nothing to get past. She just smelled clean as I worked her labia and clit with my lips and tongue. I had no plan of attack. From my youthful experiences, before I settled down with Cathy, I knew that each woman is different in sensitivity on the clit and so each must be dealt with on a one off basis. Rarely did the same technique work the same way on two women. Elen was very sensitive on her clit. She did not tolerate direct stimulation. Rather she was happiest if she got the stimulation around and not directly on the clit. That was enough to send her into orbit. It was enough to get her squirting.

Elen claimed she had never squirted before. I doubt that. But she was always trying to tell me what a good lover I was and how handsome I was.

After Elen's orgasms, we just lay there for a while. Then she worked her way down to take me orally as she did the day before, and in five minutes I was pumping a load down the girl's throat. The aftereffect on my testicles as she sucked me completely dry returned and I became convinced that before I met Elen, I had never in my life had a good one of these. No one even came close.

We moved to the dry side of the bed and slept seven hours.

Then it was up, and showers, and breakfast before looking for housing. Our offices were in the Asiatown IT Park in Lahug, via the internet we looked for an apartment close by. We found a furnished one-bedroom unit in the Lahug Cebu City area. It was a five-minute ride to the IT Park, and a five minute walk to the grocery, pharmacy and banks. The rental was P15,000 per month and it required three months payment up front with a minimum stay of three months. I needed it for at least six months. The website had the name of the contact person and all contact numbers including cell numbers for Sun, Smart, and Globe, the different cell phone providers. In the Philippines, calling between providers is a problem. We made arrangements to meet the contact, Mr. Requinto, at the property at 1:30 that afternoon.

It was clear to me that we needed transportation but a car seemed like overkill. Elen didn't drive and wasn't interested in learning. Most folks here had motorcycles and that made a lot of sense to me.

On our way out of the hotel that morning, I informed them that we would spend only one more night, as we would leave tomorrow morning. Then I went to the concierge and asked where the best place to buy a motorcycle might be, and he pointed me to RMC-Rañola Motor Center. Once there I bought a nice little Honda CB110 for a whopping P62,000 (or $1,410.00). The folks at the motor center explained to me that I could drive on my US license for 90 days. I could get the LTO form from a website. I would get my Philippine license based on the existence of my US license. There would be no test for my Philippine driver's license and it would cost me about $5.00. In one day, I had a vehicle and we had our condo. We spent the rest of the day buying linens and towels and food for the condo. By that night I had paid the extra day at the hotel, and had moved us to the condo. Tomorrow, while I was at work, Elen would go back to where she had been staying and pick up her personal items.

I texted Cathy my new address and got a text back saying, 'thanx'.

Back at the office the following day, I received a response to my long email to corporate. First off, they were happy to hear that I had diagnosed a problem that had been bothering them for a while. Second, they asked me if I would like them to transfer the administrative functions to Cebu. Next they agreed that my stay would be for six full months, as they agreed with my back of the envelope evaluation of the true status of the project. They reset the completion target and budget to match. I would not get nailed for not finishing a job before it could be finished. And then they told me since I was there for six months, they were sending me two other projects to manage. Oh, thank you so much corporate ... no good deed goes unpunished.

My email back agreed that the transfer from Makati for operational administration made sense. The Makati office was needed for governmental liaison functions and we could keep a district project office there but I suggested moving that out of the Makati office and closer to our fieldwork areas on Luzon. The reason for that was that the folks in Makati just refused to get out of their offices. Traffic in Makati made it a pain to travel anywhere from there. I think I was a bit over the top saying that no one in our Makati office should have any operational control over anything other than a photocopier and a stapler.

And that is exactly what corporate did. I was asked to set up the office, suggest promotions and deal with requests for transfer from Makati. That was not much fun, but it was instructional for my Cebu staff. There were three managers in Makati who were affected. Two asked for transfers to Cebu and one asked to join the local district office. That last one was the only one of the three worth anything. We approved that last move. Of the two who asked for transfer to Cebu, we accepted them for a transfer to district projects under the current managers who were doing a fine job. Neither accepted the demotion even though their pay would stay the same.

From that point on my life smoothed out while in the Philippines. Elen was a good cook. She would walk to the stores and buy what we needed during my workday. The apartment was always spotless and the food was always cooked well. For lunch, I would go out with some of the staff to a 'Turo-Turo'. (Precooked food is laid out in trays, you point to what you want and a plate is assembled for you. Turo-Turo literally means 'point-point'! Such a place was a lot less formal, more ad hoc, than a cafeteria.) The cost was minimal. Back and forth, to and from work, was by my little CB110, which threaded through Cebu traffic like butter. Work was work. What can I say; I know what to do and how to do it, and so it was just a matter of getting it done.

The weekends often involved visits from or with Elen's family. Sisters, brothers, their kids, Elen's mom ... All were met, and I got to know them pretty well. Elen seemed pleased that I allowed her family to come to our place and that I was willing to go with her to their places. I just didn't think a thing about it. It was only right.

On the sexual front, Elen denied me nothing. Her body was mine and I tried to treat her and her body with both respect and loving care. She would laugh and say she was losing the battle! She meant the battle of who was able to give the other the most orgasms. She was having three to my one and so she was in a deep deficit. To me the math balanced nicely. I don't know how these things happen but I did fall in love with Elen and I believed that she loved me.

But those months did come to an end. I figured by that point that I would be back in about a year if not sooner. I also knew I loved Elen and just couldn't walk away from her. Our apartment was too far away from the rest of her family and she was determined to move closer to them when I left. She also said she did not need such a fancy place. I had been banking the extra P37,000 housing allowance I received each month. By the end of my stay that amounted to over P220,000. With that, we found a nice unfurnished place for P6,000 per month and I turned over the balance to Elen. When I took her to the bank to do it, she was scared! She had never had so much money. I told her to keep the balance of what she didn't need for each month in a savings account and only transfer out a specific sum for monthly bills. With everything, we figured she needed just P20,000 per month to live comfortably even if she didn't do a lick of work. She told me that she was going to get a job teaching and would need less. All I said was that I hoped that was true. I left my CB110 to one of her brothers and hoped against hope that it might still be running when I got back.

And so I left Elen, Cebu and the Philippines with very mixed feelings. I was happy to be returning home, to Cathy and my real life. But I felt like I now had a life I was abandoning in the Philippines and abandoning a woman who seemed to love me.

Returning home was harder than I expected. For six months, I had been treated like a king. I was listened to and my opinions were considered before there were alternatives suggested. I had a large competent staff. Coming home, I had been out of the loop, and when I asked Cathy to be filled in on the doings in the community I had missed, it was as if I had asked for her to clean the men's room at a gas station. I had chosen to be gone and things had changed... , 'live with it and figure it out on your own time, ' was how it felt to me.

Cathy would just interrupt me in mid-sentence and tell me I didn't know what I was talking about. Sex was a 'once every two weeks or so' thing, if she felt like it and sometimes she just didn't. Work was OK, but I had been doing it for years now and the newness of the challenges I had faced in the Philippines was gone. I was feeling depressed and lonely. I missed Elen and started IM'ing with her every day.