Chapter 11

Marily and Fred were not displeased to have the party end. They had both benefited from it, and this both of them knew as they drove home. Inside the house Marily looked around, felt that she was seeing their home for the first time. She turned to Fred and he took her in his arms and kissed her as she had never been kissed before. She liked it, she loved her 'new' husband. "Now you'll be too much for me," she told him, feigning pushing him away from her.

"I'll try to be, darling," he said, taking her again in his arms and moving his hands down to her soft, full buttocks and pulling her pelvis into his. "And I can try better in the bed, too." He moved her toward the bedroom.

Fred's and Marily's happiness increased daily. Marily had some struggle with her own feeling because Peter came to her house twice during the week and Hans invited himself over once. She was surprised that she wanted Peter and Hans, just as much as she had the first time. She enjoyed Fred more than either of them, yet there seemed to be the need within her for other men too.

She hesitantly told Fred about Peter's first visit, and he had laughed at her, told her that she was becoming insatiable, then seeing her brow wrinkle laughed and told her about his daily visit during lunch to Anna or Vivian or Katherine. She was jealous, then laughed at herself for being so, then told him that he might pay her a lunch visit someday and see how strongly she could show her appreciation. He promised to do so the following day. He did.

Marily no longer had to go to the Patio for her morning cigarette, but she did anyway out of habit. She enjoyed the fresh air and it tended to bring her fully awake in the morning to go there and have a cigarette. There was generally dew on the ground, all the small creatures in the world were starting their day, moving about slowly and then more rapidly, eating and looking for food and she had come to appreciate the closeness of all the creatures in the world, had even come to some kind of philosophy about man and insects. She was sitting in the patio one morning, thinking about the four parties she had attended with the group, and someone spoke to her. She looked toward Peter's house, thinking that Vivian must be home and was coming to visit her, but she saw no one there. Then the voice spoke again, said, "Over here." Marily swung her head around and saw where the voice was coming from. It was the yard in back of their house, rather than at the side of it.

Marily stood and looked at the beautiful young girl who was speaking. "Hello," she said to her. "I'm Marily and you must be the new neighbor. I knew that someone had moved in because of the lights, but I hadn't seen anyone about. Come over and have some coffee." Marily opened the gate, looked at the curvaceous petite blonde as she stepped into her yard.

"I'm Sam Kingsley," she said, smiling. Her eyes sparkled.

"Sam?" Marily asked.

The blonde laughed. "It's short for Samantha. Sam."

"Well, Sam, welcome to the neighborhood. What does your husband do? I haven't seen him."

Marily did not miss the momentary scowl on her face before she answered. "He's in business. Electronics." She did not elaborate.