Chapter 4

Celebrating the Italian saint St. Lucia at December 13 is a special event in Scandinavia, with a nice, usually tall and blond girl chosen as Lucia in every town, every school and in many other places. There are many rumors about scared Nobel Prize winners who sometimes after an hard and late night have been awakened at their hotel rooms early in the morning by several singing girls in white nightgowns, one wearing a crown with burning candles on her head and the others holding a candle in their hand. At least one of the Prize Winners have admitted that he, for several seconds, believed he had been surrounded by angels in heaven.

Our daughter, Emelie, had been chosen to be Lucia in her school and all parents were invited to the traditional Lucia evening at the school. Chris and I went together and I noted that it surprised several parents there who didn't expect couples who had filed for divorce be there together.

A few days later Monica came with a real surprise. She suggested we have a dinner together at a small restaurant. I asked if her husband knew about her plans and when she said he did, I accepted. Chris noted that I was a bit more careful in my dressing than usual and asked with visible sadness in her eyes, "Do you have a date? Anybody I know?"

"No, not a date, not really. I'm going to see a very lovely woman for dinner but she is already married and she doesn't have any other intentions with me than counseling."

Monica was very sexy that evening and during the meal we had a pleasant chat about daily matters. But then when we had gotten coffee, she launched her rocket, "Ralf, do you regard me as sexy?"

"Yes, very. You are gorgeous, indeed."

"Would you get even with Chris and then go back to her if I slept with you tonight?"

It hit like a kick in my head and it took me several seconds before I could reply. "If you had asked me to sleep with you before I met Chris, I wouldn't have hesitated a nanosecond, but I regret to say that it is a different game today. Why destroy your own marriage to help Chris?"

"Because I have a "wildcard" for one cheating and believe me, it was my husband who gave it to me some years ago and suggested that I use it now because he wants me to help poor Chris."

"I'm surprised."

"That wildcard was his suggestion when he wanted me back after his cheating. I took it because it will put some pressure on him to be a good guy but I had forgotten it and had never had any plans or intentions to use it until he suggested that I use it with you because he feels sorry for you and Chris."

"Doesn't matter what he says but it would hurt him like hell. I'm happy for Chris that she has such great friends as you but, my dear Monica, I like you too much to cuckold your husband and make a mess of your marriage. He seems to be a good guy."

"I guess that my husband thinks the same about you. He prefers that I sleep with a good fellow like you instead of some unknown womanizer who could turn it into a longer lasting affair."

"Sorry to say 'No thanks' and I really hope that you never want or need to use your silly wildcard. Please give it back to him and I'm sure you'll not regret that."

"You men act strange sometimes. Of course there are no hard feelings and I hope we can remain friends on a family level when Chris and you have solved your problems. But please promise to keep my suggestion as our little secret."

"Of course."

We parted and promised to keep in touch when we had any news to tell.

With only two employees, the possibilities are a bit limited to have anything that looks like a party at the office, so Chris and I used to take out my employees and their spouses for dinner at some nice place. To my great pleasure Chris accepted my invitation to join me at the dinner on the last Friday evening before Christmas. Once again we forgot our marriage problems and acted like an average couple.

On Monday morning both of my employees attacked me. "Why in the hell are you playing your damn stupid game and using her when it suits your needs and why don't you take her back?"

When I didn't come back with any reply to their satisfaction, both of them joked about a strike at the office after the New Year if I continued with my, in their opinion, silly behavior. It is not easy to be a victim when an increasing number of people regarded me as the crook, including now even my employees.

However the Christmas went on as expected. We spent the eve as a family holiday and on Christmas day Chris took the kids with her to her parents while I paid a short visit to my folks, who were divorced and remarried a long time ago.

Chris and I had agreed to only buy one gift of limited value to each other but I gave the kids a fair amount of money for gifts to their mom and Chris had done the same. Once again we succeed in spending an event together without any quarrel.

On Boxing Day evening, Chris went out with her girl gang from work to celebrate something and the day after Monica rang me for a quick meeting after work. She had interesting news for me; Chris had told the girl gang that she had met a nice divorced man who had began courting her, but she had resisted his attempts so far and they had agreed to see each other as friends until her divorce was final, but if I ignored her on the New Year's Eve, she would begin dating him more seriously.

Monica told me that now it was up to me if I wanted to have the best wife I ever could get or let a fortune seeker get her. She said I ought to know that from now on it wasn't certain that she would make her choice and choose me without getting to know him better so she could do a fair comparison between us. She just might begin dating him seriously after our divorce was final and prefer him if she found him better than me. Obviously I had neglected her for too long a time. I promised Monica to tell her anything new about Chris and me.

My friend had arranged a great New Year party for eight couples. Chris was nicely dressed in a new short black dress I had never seen before, and her hairdresser had done a great job with her hair. She had a very sexy appeal without been sluttish in any way. She was great, indeed. I noted several times that she had some kind of "Mona Lisa" smile on her face when she looked at me. Just like she was thinking, "Now or never."

Of course, Monica's message to me could be an invention of the girl gang to help Chris get me back but I wasn't sure about that. I regarded the possibility that Monica had told me the truth as at least a fifty percent chance and if I wanted to do something to get even with Chris I had to believe what she had told me and do it here and now.

I was dancing with Chris most of the evening, even when the dance got interrupted for the count down to the New Year. We stood close to each other and as all other couples, even Chris and I kissed. She looked surprised at first but then she hugged me hard and we kissed more intensively than in many years. Of course I got a real hard on and when Chris felt it, she got that strange smile on her face again and whispered in my ear, "I think you need to end this evening with service from a real slut."

I regarded her joke as an invitation and replied, "Do you know some one you can suggest?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it is okay with her?"

"Yes."

"Any conditions?"

"Not from me."

"We can't leave before the nightcap, can we?"

"We? Why should I come with you to her? But you can't leave before the night cap."

I felt how I froze to a statue. Obviously I had completely misunderstood her. I believed that she had been joking about herself as a slut and now my head was a bit slow after all the drinks so I couldn't find anything to say in several seconds.