A bedtime confessional for two.

I was lying on my back in the dark on my side of our bed; one hand behind my head and the other on my chest. Jill was lying on her side with her back toward me. We had just retired at our usual time; eleven pm.

"Jill?" I said softly.

"Hmmm."

"When did you decide to have an affair?" I asked quietly.

I felt more than heard her stiffen with a quick intake of breath. "What are you talking about?" she finally asked.

"I'm just curious... I know you've been seeing someone... I've known for over a month now. I was just curious when you made the decision."

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you crazy?" She hadn't turned toward me and was doing her best to imitate an irritated attitude.

"You aren't a very good actress, Jill. I knew something had happened almost from the first day and I was hoping it wasn't what it turned out to be. I was hoping you hadn't been unfaithful." I said sadly.

"Are you accusing me of infidelity? How could you?" She was now becoming much more vocal and had at least turned her head toward me.

"No point in denying it, Jill. I checked your purse one day when you were out in the garden and I found the condoms."

There was a long silence and I could see her shoulders begin to shake as she started to sob.

"Oh God, David, I'm so ashamed. I'm so sorry. It doesn't mean anything. I love you; you know I do."

There was a long silence as I waited for her to continue.

"Are you going to divorce me?" she asked through her sobs.

"I guess that depends. Do you love him?"

"No... god no! I love you. I don't want anyone but you." she cried.

I wanted her to talk to me. I wanted her to tell me when and how it had happened.

"David, I'm so sorry. I would never hurt you deliberately. I don't know what I was thinking."

"I know Jill. But it did hurt. It hurt me very deeply and I'm still having trouble dealing with it."

The silence between us grew but I was determined to let her tell me what had happened and that meant being patient.

"Was I right about when it started?" I finally asked.

"Yes... yes. About a month ago. How did you know?"

"Jill, I've known you for over twenty five years. I know your every signal. I just didn't think it would happen to us." I said

I could hear her renewed sobbing and I was once again forced to wait and be patient.

"I met him at the Crisis Centre. He was there looking after his sister. I can't remember how it started, but he was very attracted to me. He told me how beautiful I was and how he admired my work there. I saw him there every week with his sister and one day, he asked me to go with him for coffee. It all seemed so innocent and I... I didn't think that... I didn't know it would be the way it turned out."

"Is he younger?"

"Yes."

"How young?"

"Twenty five, I think."

"God, that's over twenty years younger than us. You must have made quite an impression on him." I said.

"I was flattered. I didn't think any man would be interested in an older woman like me."

"That's crazy. You are beautiful. I can understand why he would be attracted to you. You should look at yourself in the mirror more often." I stated emphatically.

There was another long silence.

"Jill... when you had sex with him... was it different?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he bigger... you know... does he last longer... can he do it more times?"

"Oh, please David. Don't! I can't! Don't do this to me... please!"

"Talk to me, Jill. I need to understand. I want to understand... why it happened!" I pleaded.

And yet another moment of silence.

"He was... thicker. That's all. It felt different. He's young. He could last longer than I could." she confessed haltingly.

"Was it better?"

"No... just different. We did... different things."

"Did you have oral sex?"

"Yes." she replied quietly after another pause.

"Did you give him oral sex?"

"Yes." she answered haltingly.

"Did he come in your mouth?"

"Please, David... don't make me."

"It's alright, Jill. Just tell me the truth. Did he come in your mouth?"

Another long silence. "Sometimes."

"Did you swallow it?" I persisted.

"Oh god, stop it. Yes, I... I swallowed it. There! Are you satisfied now?" She was getting frustrated with the endless questions.

"I'm just trying to understand how he could convince you to do things you would never let me do." I explained in a quiet, even voice.

"It was different. I told you. It wasn't the same as what we had."

"Did you do it 'doggie style'?" I continued.

"Yes." she said quietly.

"Did you have anal sex?"

"No... not really." She had given up resisting the questions and was now answering in a flat, monotone voice.

"Does that mean he used his fingers there?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything else he did with you that I didn't mention?" I asked quietly.

"No."

Another long silence ensued as I digested what she had told me. In our twenty five years of marriage, she had pretty much restricted our lovemaking to conventional, plain vanilla sex. She had tried oral sex a couple of times and claimed it made her ill. We had tried 'doggie style' several times but she made it plain it wasn't something she enjoyed and eventually I quit trying. She wouldn't even consider anal sex or having anything near that area. But now, in the space of a month, she had succumbed to all these pleasures with her youthful lover that she had denied me. I didn't know whether to be angry or curious. I chose the latter path.