My name is Dan Jansen, 34 years old, married to my 32-year-old wife, Paula, for twelve years. We met by chance on Memorial Day weekend fourteen years ago when I and a few friends decided to spend a weekend camping at the beach in New Hampshire and coincidentally Paula and a few of her friends had the same idea. Since I drove I had first pick and one look at Paula and it was a no brainer. She was and still is beautiful.

I am a work from home IT specialist and Paula is an Auditor. She is a wiz with numbers and as such she moved from a prior job in a marketing support role to that of finance. We work at the same company and back in the day carpooled and had our lunches together. We were inseparable. Her chance to a career in finance took some time as she had no prior college experience but once we were married we leveraged my salary to pay for the evening courses and we took advantage of the companies tuition reimbursement plan. She aced the courses and obtained her degree.

Even though a majority of her work is done from the office, as the data is all centrally stored in the computer systems she does attend seminars quarterly. One time a few years ago when it was held in Atlanta I was able to take a week off and go with her. It was around the time the new Aquarium opened and I was really interested in seeing it. She would attend the seminar during the day, I would sight see, and then we would spend the evening together. Her lunches were all working sessions where the food was brought into the seminar room. The evening dinners were held buffet style and one of the larger conference rooms was converted into a banquet room. A regional VP would give a presentation while folks ate and mingled. Each night was a different VP and on the last evening there was a reception. It was by no means a formal event but dress was not casual. It was a well-run event.

My story takes place just before one of these seminars. It was a Saturday evening and Paula was upstairs packing for a Sunday flight while I had just finished cleaning up the kitchen from dinner. I went upstairs to our bedroom to change into something more comfortable to relax and watch TV, you know, T-shirt and some baggy gym shorts. As I entered the bedroom Paula appeared startled and quickly shut the lid to her suitcase that she was packing on the bed. She just commented on how I surprised her and zipped it shut and put it into her closet. Now this is all normal. I have watched her pack numerous times. What was different was her reaction. She was startled and now her body language made her appear nervous. I just explained I was going to change and I would be down stairs shortly. Paula had already also changed and left to go select a movie on Netflix.

As soon as I felt that she was preoccupied downstairs I grabbed her suitcase and opened it. Right on top was what I called her Anniversary dress. I call it that, as it is what I had bought her for our last anniversary, which was just four months ago. It was what the ladies call a LBD, a Little Black Dress. It was very sexy as it had spaghetti straps for the shoulder, a low cut neckline that does show cleavage, and it is rather short in length. It’s not too short to reveal any butt cheek but it is something that has to be worn with care. Bending over is out of the question and getting in and out of a car has to be done with legs together and a hand holding down the hem or the valet will get a pleasant surprise. Also in the case were her four-inch stiletto heels, and in a small velvet bag was the rest of her anniversary gift consisting of a pearl necklace with matching earrings. So the same outfit she wore on our anniversary dinner was now packed for a work seminar. I didn’t like it and went downstairs to ask a few questions.

When I entered our TV room Paula was scanning the movie list and asked me what I wanted to watch.

“How about that Richard Gere Diane Lane movie, Unfaithful?”

“That’s depressing,” said Paula.

“I don’t know, under the present circumstance I’d say it’s appropriate.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I saw you packed the LBD, the heels, and the pearls. Who’s that for?”

“I packed that for me! I’m not having an affair if that is what you are driving at!”

“Why were you so nervous and zip up the suitcase so quickly? You didn’t even finish packing. So obviously you didn’t want me to see the outfit. I’ve watched you pack many times over the years and you always pack your normal office attire. Even that Atlanta trip where I accompanied you the outfits were conservative. Why the sudden change?”

“It’s for the reception on the final night. I thought I would dress up for a change. I don’t like the way you’re acting. Why don’t you trust me? You’re pissing me off, Dan!”

“I still don’t understand the change. Why now do you want to dress up? That outfit is not exactly business attire. Who else is going on the trip? I know most of the people that attend these seminars so is there someone new? Is there someone from the field maybe that you may have met last time that you now want to impress?”

“I’m telling you there is no one! I’m going to go finish packing. I don’t have any interest in sitting here getting drilled by you!”

With that said she stormed upstairs and slammed the door. I decided to go to our home office and make a few calls and make a plan. It was several hours later that I slipped into bed. Paula was asleep, or at least I thought she was, and was as far over on her side of the bed as can be without falling off to the floor.

When I awoke she was already in the kitchen having a coffee. This is unusual as I am usually the first to awake. I walked over to the coffee maker, poured a cup, and sat at the table.

“Paula, you remember when we were dating and you brought up the topic of our past? You asked me if I was ever serious with anyone and I told you about Leslie and how I trusted her but was burned? Remember how I told you that for two years that we were together she insisted on going to the beach for her girls only week and I had no reason to say no or who was I anyway to say no as we weren’t married. We were just a couple of teens dating though I thought we were exclusive. I trusted her. But it was after her second trip that I learned that it was really a couple’s week only I was not part of any couple. That hurt me deeply and from that point on I had a definite lack of trust when it came to any relationship. I dated, but nothing serious. But then I met you and heard your story. Your prom date was your serious boyfriend and he cheated on you at the prom! When I heard that, as sad as it was, I thought here is someone that understands the pain that comes from cheating. You were someone I felt I could trust. Then after two years of dating we married. Then what did you do? We were only married for four months when you broke the news that you were going to the beach for a week for a girl’s only week!”

“I remember. Kathy Richie had a place for a week with her girlfriend Karen. Karen came down with something and was too sick to go so Kathy asked me to take her place as she didn’t want to go all alone.”

“Right. You never asked me how I felt. You just told her yes and told me you were going. Think about it, at that time we only earn two weeks paid vacation and you were using one for yourself. What was I to do for vacation? You were being selfish. I also guess you forgot all about my past experience with girl’s only beach trips. This was the exact situation I ran into with Leslie and in fact it was the exact location. But did I object? No. Did I remind you that we were still newlyweds and we should be all over each other and not having one go away from the other for a week? No. I trusted you.”

“I’m sorry, Dan. I was young and it sounded like a good time and I didn’t remember about your past experience.”

“Well to be honest my trust for you quickly evaporated.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember John Collins?”

“Yes, John and I worked together with Kathy in the Marketing Support unit at work.”

“John was there, remember?”

“Yes, so?”

“He saw you the first weekend you were there at some club or bar. He called me that night asking where I was. When I told him about it being just you and Kathy he said I was either the most trusting guy on the planet or the stupidest. When I questioned him he sent me some pictures. They were pictures of you dancing up a storm with several guys. Not several guys all together like a group on the dance floor. These were pictures of you dancing solo with different guys including many slow dances. At first he thought you were a couple but once he realized it was you he gave me a call.”

“It was just dancing, Dan. Nothing was going on.”

“I know, but it was enough for John to be worried and call me. I never thought you would be going out to bars every night. I just didn’t think of it but I also didn’t expect you to sit home and knit. I thought you two would go out and get something to eat but dancing at a bar never entered my mind. Anyway, what upset John and then me was the flirting.”

“I wasn’t flirting!”

“Paula, I wasn’t there but I trust what John told me. He told me you were going table-to-table asking guys to dance. So you were initiating this, not the guys. When you got a bit too tipsy and the guys hands started wandering John got you out of there and took you home.”

“He told you that?”

“Yup. He also told me he stayed outside the house for an hour or more to make certain no one followed you home.”

“I never knew.”

“I told him to keep it quiet. I also told him to keep an eye on you all week.”

“You had me followed! You spied on me?”

“Both watched and followed. Every night you went out, John was here. Whenever or wherever you went, John followed. Your behavior was putting you at risk.”

“You didn’t trust me!”

“No, I didn’t. But I also cared for your safety. Had John not been willing to do this I would have driven there myself and dragged you home kicking and screaming. He told me that there was guy in particular that you saw every night. No matter what bar you were in that guy was there. I have no proof but I think you two had it planned. I mean what are the odds that he is in the same place as you each night?”

“I don’t believe this. All this time I never knew. I don’t know what to think now. You had me followed like a child!”

“You gave me every reason to lack trust. What newly married woman goes off for a week and flirts with other men? What was I to think? When I was comfortable that nothing more happened I had no reason to confront you. But I can tell you this had you ever said you were going for a girls week or even weekend again I would have said absolutely not. For the next several years either you came to your senses or you weren’t presented with the opportunity.”

Paula said nothing so I continued.

“Then came the new position and the quarterly travel. Do you know Tom Tighe? You must have met him as he is in your department.”

“Yes, and older guy, tall and a bit heavy. I’ve met him but we haven’t really talked. He left the company a couple of years ago. Why?”