Down But Not Out

Will this weekend never end? I have been under the weather the last few days, so not much has happened around here. Except for the following...

Linda and I are so wrapped up in our roles that even sickness doesn’t disturb the balance we have found. I haven’t felt like doing much this weekend so the laundry is piling up, there are dirty dishes to be washed, and three days of newspaper are sitting on the table. I never let the house get like this. However, Linda assumes, correctly, that those are my duties as her wife and she is not about to lift a finger in doing my chores, even if I am sick. So I hope I feel well soon so I can get this house back into shape. Fortunately, no one has come around visiting so I haven’t had to be embarrassed about it.

I am not a good patient when I am not feeling well. I just want to be left alone so I can suffer in silence. Needless to say, Linda and I haven’t talked much over the last two days. I know she was going crazy with the quietness of the house and not having anyone to talk to. So you can imagine her joy and excitement when Darryl called her yesterday afternoon. Most of the time their phone conversations take place at night, but Darryl must have sensed that she was in need of stimulating conversation and called at just the right time. I happened to notice the clock when the call came, but let Linda answer the call. Then I didn’t hear anything from her for a couple of hours. I am not sure how long they talked but am willing to bet that was close to two hours! Later I move into the living room to watch TV with her and that is when she told me that it was Darryl who called.

I asked what he called about, but wasn’t really sure I wanted to know the answer. Well, she spent most of the evening filling me in on what they talked about. She told him that I was sick and he offered HER comfort. He mentioned that he would pass on the information to Roger thinking that if I heard from him it would cheer me up. Darryl asked her if I had given any further thought to taking Roger up on his offer to have me join him in Florida.

“What did you tell him?” I asked her.

“I said that I was pretty sure that you would be taking him up on it as soon as you could get away,” she replied, smiling.

I offered a weak “oh” in response. “Do you want me to go?” I asked.

“I think it would be good for you to experience being Beverly for awhile without me around. I think you would grow tremendously from the experience. Plus I know you would enjoy spending some alone time with Roger without me getting in your way. Yes, I think you should go and as soon as you can,” she responded.

Trying to change the subject, I asked what else they talked about. She informed me that Darryl was trying to schedule a trip back to Iowa soon and they talked about going out while he was here, just the two of them.

“It would be best if you were visiting Roger then so we both could have our freedom without worrying about what the other is thinking. Don’t you agree?” she asked.

A lot was going through my mind at that moment. What would our families think if she was entertaining Darryl while I was away? Would she tell them what I was doing in Florida? I was also afraid of the connection between Darryl and her getting stronger. Distance was our greatest allie because she couldn’t spend time with Darryl anytime she wanted. And yes, I worried about the connection between Roger and I getting stronger as well.

“I don’t think Darryl wants me to see any other men, other then him. He seemed kind of jealous and possessive of me when I told him about Tom flirting with me. I think that is why he wants to get back up her soon, so I don’t go ‘wandering’ on him. Isn’t that cute?” Linda seemed to take joy in the fact that she had made Darryl jealous. She didn’t seem to worry about my feeling towards her at all.

“He wants to take me someplace and get a tattoo when he is here. I told him that it seemed like getting a tattoo was like he wanted to put his mark on me. He just laughed and said “seems like a good idea”.

“What kind of tattoo is he talking about, not his name or initials or anything like that, is he?” I nervously asked.

“I hope not. No, he said something like one of those designs on the lower back that show just above the beltline. What do they call those, a tramp stamp?” she replied.

I asked her what she thought about that as she has never indicated any desire to have a tattoo. She said that she really didn’t want one and told Darryl so. But she also said ‘we will see’, so not sure what will happen there. There is something scary, yet erotic about having another man put a tattoo on her.

I asked her if that was all they talked about. She said she told Darryl about me being hit on by Jim. I asked what Darryl said about that.

“He thinks it would be good for you to have a local boyfriend since your time with Roger will always be limited and sporadic at best. He thinks that I should find you a single guy, not some married guy like Jim, so you would be free to go out with him without hurting someone else,” Linda answered.

“I don’t want to go out with any guys at all. I just want to be with you. What would happen if our families found out? Or my friends?” I was near panic with the thought of it.

“Well, Darryl said that I should let our families and friends know so that they wouldn’t be shocked when they found out. And, they might know someone you could date!”

“You are going to tell my family that I want to date some guy? How would I ever face them? What would they think of me?” Now I was really worried.

“First, they probably wouldn’t be that surprised as both of our families know you dress up as Beverly and that our friends have even seen you like that. So they would think that it was the most natural next step for you to try dating guys. I don’t think that they would be surprised at all. I know our friends wouldn’t be surprised and probably already expect it. Most of them know about you going out with Roger so it would seem natural that you would want a local boyfriend. Besides, it will make it easier and more understandable for me spending time with Darryl when he is here as they will know that I need some real male companionship. So see, it would be best for everyone to get it out in the open. Don’t you agree?”

This last question was asked as she slid over beside me on the sofa and was rubbing her hand gently on my crotch. She sure knows how to weaken me. I didn’t give in and agree right then, but I think we both knew that it was just a matter of time.

And just like that, I forgot about how sick I had been feeling.