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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} A Different Sort Of Lifestyle 18 (MF, rom)
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Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:10:04 -0500
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Lazlo Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
 
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<1st attachment, "Life01-18.txt" begin>

A Different Sort Of Lifestyle
Chapter 18: Searching for Answers
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2006

Pouring two cups of coffee, June asked, "So how was your 
vacation?"

"I'm afraid that it wasn't all that great."

June examined Cindy shocked by the unhappy expression on the 
woman's face. She wondered what had happened. Frowning, she 
said, "I thought George wanted to give you a nice treat."

"He did. He wasn't the problem," Cindy said while shaking her 
head. In fact, he had been great. If George hadn't been with her, 
then things could have been much worse. 

"It couldn't have been all bad," June said taking a seat across the 
table from her neighbor. 

"Saturday and Sunday were great, but Thursday, Friday, and 
Monday were torture," Cindy said. Elbows on the table, she 
cradled her head between her hands and, in a sad voice, she said, "I 
had no idea what he has to suffer on those trips of his."

"What happened?" June asked. She was curious about what could 
have been so bad.

"For one thing, I found out what flying is like."

Cindy had only been on an airplane once and that had been when 
she had gone on her honeymoon. She had enjoyed the flight, but 
that had been eighteen years ago. Looking confused, she asked, 
"What is it like?"

 "It is a real hassle flying now. I remembered it as exciting, but this 
was anything but exciting. The planes were packed with people 
and most of them were bored, tired, and irritable. The seats were 
too small. We were packed in there like sardines. I know that I'm a 
little overweight, but I could just barely fit in the seat. There 
wasn't enough leg room. The seats are very uncomfortable.

"I probably could have handled that for a little while, but the air 
just felt horrible. There was this smell that I couldn't take. I had 
difficulties breathing; it seemed like my lungs dried up on me. I 
have no idea how he puts up with it," Cindy said. The headache 
and dry eyes had lasted until they reached home. George 
recommended that she take a hot shower and that had helped her 
feel better. 

"So what else was so bad?"

"The hotel was in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't anything to 
do. Friday, I thought I was going to go crazy from boredom. I was 
stuck in a very small room with the boys. The hotel staff didn't 
even know of a playground where the boys could play," she 
answered while shaking her head. 

"Sounds like you didn't have a good time," June said. She took a 
sip of her coffee before asking, "Did George and the boys have a 
good time?"

"Traveling was rough on the boys, but George had a great time. He 
kept talking about how nice it was to have company. I never 
realized how lonely he was when he was away," she answered 
remembering the tired looks on the men seated in the hotel 
restaurant. She felt that the image of the men scattered around a 
dining room woodenly eating their food was burnt forever in her 
memory. She sighed and said, "He really does have a miserable 
job."

"You know, I never really realized just how hard it is being a man. 
We do take them for granted," June said. The afternoon when she 
had thought she lost Jack had made her consider what life was like 
for him. She sighed and said, "As women, we worry about security 
and having a nice safe home. The men work so hard to provide it 
for us and then we complain that they aren't there for us when they 
are doing everything we ask. No wonder we confuse them."

"I hadn't thought about it like that," Cindy said. As much as she 
hated him traveling all the time, she'd freak if he came home and 
told her that he'd lost his job. She wondered if it was time for him 
to consider changing careers. She said, "I'd like to help make his 
life a little better."

"So what are you going to do for him?"

"I don't know," she answered. Everything she thought about doing 
that was good for him didn't do anything for her. She was still 
stuck at home and never leaving the house. She thought about 
George out in the garage helping Jack work on his boat. She sighed 
and said, "He was overjoyed at being able to work on the boat with 
Jack."

"That boat... I've never seen Jack so happy as when he's working 
on that boat. He really enjoys it when other men come over and 
help him with it. They spend most of the time talking and just a 
little time working on the boat, but he's as happy as he can be."

"I'm glad that Lisa was willing to baby sit this evening. I really 
needed to get around adults for a while. I swear that if I watch 
some of those cartoons for much longer, I'll end up talking like a 
cartoon character."

June laughed at the mental image of Cindy talking like Daisy Duck 
and said, "It is a win-win situation for everyone. Lisa is happy to 
be earning a little spending money. George is happy working on 
the boat and you're getting a chance to engage in a little girl talk 
without interruption."

Fifteen years of age separated the two neighbors. For a long time 
that had kept Cindy from approaching her neighbor. She now 
realized that she had someone who could give her advice about 
how to save her marriage. There were things that she couldn't 
discuss with her mother. June was just much more approachable. 
She asked, "How is the change in lifestyle going?"

"It's been wonderful," June answered. She hadn't realized how 
much she had missed having an intimate relationship with her 
husband. It wasn't intimate in the manner of more sex, although 
that was a part of it. It was nice being able to talk to him about her 
feelings and knowing that he was listening to her. 

"So what have you been doing so different?"

"I guess that Friday nights represent the biggest change. They are 
date nights. While Lisa is on her dates, I tease him all evening 
wearing revealing outfits. It drives him crazy, but a good kind of 
crazy. I don't know why, but he sees me like a Playboy Playmate. 
I'm far too old to be that," she answered with a grin. The shocked 
look on the younger woman's face was priceless.

She continued, "Saturdays are actually a day when we fix up the 
house. In the afternoon, Jack takes Lisa out driving. That's their 
time together and, God knows, they really need it. Jack barbecues 
steaks on the grill. It's a nice quiet day. 

"Sundays, we go to church and then have a Sunday dinner. Jack 
just loves Sunday. It is the one day of the week that really fits his 
view of how the world should be."

"I never thought about it like that," Cindy said. She wondered what 
George's expectations were about how the world should be. It 
bothered her that she didn't know.

"Weeknights are spent pursuing different activities. Each of us 
takes turns doing what we enjoy. Mondays, we rent a DVD and 
watch a movie together. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jack works on 
his boat while Lisa and I normally have a girl's evening. 
Wednesdays, Lisa usually has Harry over."

"So what's it like having a teenage girl that's dating?"

"Oh, it's been a little rough. At first, Jack was really worried 
because Harry's father is a lot richer than we are, but he's gotten 
around to where he likes the boy. It is hard on Jack having them 
spending time in her bedroom, but he was the one who suggested it 
so he deals with it."

Shocked, Cindy said, "He suggested that they spend time in her 
bedroom?"

"Well, after the experience with the serial killer he felt that it was 
better to be safe and unhappy than sorry."

"What experience with a serial killer?" Cindy asked sitting up and 
staring at June. The only serial killer that she knew about was the 
one that had been caught six weeks earlier.

"Oh, I guess you didn't know. Her boyfriend was the one who 
caught the serial killer last month. They had snuck off into the 
woods behind school for a little make-out session and ran into the 
guy."

"I guess I can see why Jack would rather have them making out in 
her bedroom," Cindy said amazed to learn the news. 

"Yes. It hasn't been easy for Jack. He spends most of his time out 
in the garage rather than in the house when Harry is visiting. I 
think he likes to pretend that nothing is happening. He wants to 
keep Lisa as his little girl. The idea that she is turning into a young 
woman is a little hard for him to accept," June said. She sighed and 
thought, `I can't believe how much I misjudged his feelings for 
Lisa.'

"We're not going to have that problem with the boys," Cindy said.

"Oh, you'll still worry about them," June said, "You're a mother 
and that comes with the territory."

Jack and George were standing around the boat talking. They had 
just finished putting the bottom of the boat in place. It had been a 
remarkably complex job. Jack asked, "How was the trip?"

"It was pretty nice. I had the wife and kids fly up for the weekend. 
We went to a ballgame and the aquarium," George answered with 
a smile. He had really enjoyed having the family there with him. 
Even when the boys were bored and tired, he had liked being able 
to play with them. It was a shame that Cindy hadn't enjoyed the 
trip as much as she had anticipated.

"That was a nice thing to do for them," Jack said knowing how 
much Cindy wanted to get away from the house. He said, "Cindy 
must have been happy as a clam."

"Well, Cindy found traveling to be a little uncomfortable. The 
flight was unpleasant and the room a little more confining than she 
thought."

"Oh. That is a shame," Jack said. 

"I tried," George said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

Jack looked at the house and said, "I'm kind of surprised that she 
hired Lisa to baby sit so that she could come over and gossip with 
my wife."

"I'm not. I think we both realized on this trip that she is lonely. She 
spends all of her time with the kids. She doesn't get a chance to 
just talk to someone without a hundred interruptions from the 
kids."

"Your situation isn't much better."

George nodded his head and said, "You're right. I spend most of 
my time with complete strangers talking about nothing except 
work."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Jack asked.

"I don't know what to do about it," George answered. It didn't 
seem to him that there was a middle ground where everyone could 
be happy. 

Jack bent down and examined the bottom of the boat for a minute. 
He was pleased with the work they had done. Straightening up, he 
said, "We're going to fire up the barbecue tomorrow night. Why 
don't you bring over some meat and a potato salad? We'll make it 
a little party in the backyard. The boys can run around a bit. Lisa 
and her boyfriend will be over, so they can maybe watch over the 
kids a little."

"That sounds like fun," George said trying to remember when he 
had last attended a barbecue party. The fact was that since he had 
taken the job he hadn't done anything like that. He grinned and 
said, "I'll bring some beer."

"Great, I'll let the wife know," Jack said. Looking at the boat, he 
scratched his cheek and said, "There's not too much we can do 
now until the sealant dries."

"It looks like a boat now," George said. He was impressed with the 
progress that Jack had made over the past three weeks. 

"I still have a long way to go until it is done," Jack said. He was 
surprised at how long it was taking him to build the boat. He was 
becoming convinced that summer would be over before he finished 
it. Lots of men in the neighborhood came over to talk with him 
while he was working on it. It seemed to him that a lot of his 
neighbors had the same desire to build something that he had 
discovered within himself. 

"How are you going to haul the boat around?"

"I guess I'll have to get a trailer," Jack said. He hadn't given much 
thought to transporting the boat when he had started the project. 
Grinning, he said, "Maybe I can build one."

"It's nice to build something with your own hands."

Nodding his head, Jack couldn't agree more. Of course, building a 
family was more important. He said, "Yes."

The men were silent for minute as each thought their own 
thoughts. Realizing that he hadn't given George the one piece of 
advice that he thought was important, he said, "I've got something 
to tell you. Maybe it's not my place, but ever since an old man 
gave me this advice I've felt compelled to share it."

"What?"

"You've got to tell women that you love them," Jack said.

George said, "Ah, my wife knows that."

"No she doesn't. You've got to use the words," Jack said. 

"She's seen what my job is like. She's got to know that I wouldn't 
put up with that if I didn't love her," George countered.

"Women need the words. I know that we say that actions speak 
louder than words, but that's bullshit. Women need the words," 
Jack said with authority. Shaking his head, he added, "I didn't 
know that and it nearly cost me my marriage."

"You don't say," George said while considering the advice. It 
didn't seem like such a big thing. He rubbed his chin and stared at 
the boat while thinking about it. 

Putting out some cake, June said, "Jack is barbecuing some burgers 
tomorrow night. Would you like to come over for some barbecue?"

"That would be great," Cindy said. The chance to spend more time 
around adults was appreciated.  She said, "I'll bring over a Jello 
salad and a desert."

"Great. I'll let Jack know."

It suddenly became clear to Cindy that what had been missing in 
her life was a social life. They had become isolated from everyone 
around them. Not for the first time, she thanked God that George 
had gone over to help Jack with the boat. Life had changed since 
that day. She had gone out to eat, gone on a vacation, and now was 
socializing again. Her sex life was better than it had been in years. 
She had dropped ten pounds and was starting to look attractive 
again. 

Their discussion was interrupted when the men came in the house. 
Entering the kitchen, Jack said, "We're done for the evening."

"Have a seat. We've got some cake and coffee ready for you," 
June said getting up from her chair.

"Great," Jack said. He pulled out a chair feeling happy at the 
attention his wife was showing him lately. His needs and desires 
had seemed to become more important. He was more important. 
Friday nights when Lisa was out on a date were the best. His wife 
actually lounged around the house wearing very revealing lingerie. 
They were always in bed by the time Lisa returned from her date. 
Settling into the chair, he said, "I suggested that George and Cindy 
bring the boys over for barbecue tomorrow night."

June laughed and said, "That's funny. We were just discussing the 
same thing."

"Great minds think alike," Jack said with a grin.

George and Cindy exchanged a look. It was obvious to each that 
the other was very pleased by the invitation. Both came to a 
decision that they needed to talk that night once the boys were in 
bed. The next half hour was spent working out details about the 
barbecue. 

Once the boys were in bed, George went into the living room. 
Settling into his chair, he said, "They fell asleep before I finished 
the story."

"They were tired. Lisa was throwing a Frisbee and they were 
chasing it down. I think they both ran more this evening than in 
months."

"Ah, that explains it," George said with a smile. 

"I'm looking forward to the barbecue tomorrow," Cindy said 
approaching the topic that had been foremost in her thoughts.

"Same here. I realized when Jack made the offer that we've been 
isolated for the past few years. Maybe we ought to consider 
entertaining on occasion," George said.

"I was thinking the same thing."

George sighed and said, "I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy the 
vacation as much as you anticipated."

"Actually, I think it was for the best. I understand how you feel 
when you come home now. I really didn't understand what it was 
like for you," Cindy said. She felt a little guilty for how she had 
treated him when he returned from his trips. It was unfair that she 
blasted him with her frustrations the moment he entered the house.

"I really did want you to have a good time," George said. 

"I enjoyed the ballgame and the aquarium," she said. 

"It was nice falling asleep with you in my arms. I even enjoyed 
eating out with you. The meals tasted a lot better with the 
company," George said.

"I can understand why you don't want to eat out when you come 
home. The best meal was Friday night when we ate at the Crab 
Shack. The restaurant at the hotel was horrible. The service was 
bad, the people were depressing, and the food was terrible," she 
said. It didn't change the fact that she still wanted to go out to eat 
on occasion. 

"You still want to eat out sometimes," George said as if reading 
her mind.

Looking down at the floor, she nodded her head and said, "Yes, I 
do."

"Okay. We'll do that on the Saturday night before I leave," George 
said. He knew that it would give her something to anticipate. 

"I was thinking that we would do Sunday dinners and really make 
a production out of it," Cindy said hoping that would be nice for 
him. 

"That sounds great."

"I also thought that Saturday breakfasts should be special," she 
said.

"Actually, I don't mind eating the kid's cereal for breakfast. It's a 
nice change from hotel breakfasts," George said. 

"Okay," she said. In a way it was a relief that she didn't have to 
spend the morning cooking a big breakfast. She said, "I really have 
enjoyed having Lisa baby-sit the boys on occasion. It is so nice to 
be able to go to the grocery store without having to deal with the 
boys."

"I can imagine. They are quite a handful," George said in 
agreement. He was silent for a minute and asked, "What can I do 
to make your life a little nicer?"

"Actually, just getting a break from being a mommy all the time is 
wonderful," she answered.

"I'm enjoying being with the boys. I'll try to spend a little more 
time with them. Maybe that will give you a bit of a break. I could 
take them fishing some Saturday," George offered. 

The idea of having a morning or afternoon alone in the house was 
almost too much for Cindy to handle. A vision of taking a long 
relaxing bath without interruption came to mind. She smiled and 
said, "That would be great. I'm sure that they will enjoy that a lot. 
I'll enjoy having a little peace and quiet, too."

George looked across the room at his wife. She was looking much 
better lately than his last few trips home. It was obvious by how 
her clothes were hanging off her body that she'd lost a little 
weight. He was happy about that. She had been approaching the 
point where he no longer found her sexy. He said, "You've lost 
weight."

"Yes. I started taking a little more care of what I was eating," 
Cindy said pleased that he had noticed.

"You're looking good," he said.

Pleased by the simple compliment, she sat up a little straighter. 
Deciding that she was going to work harder to lose some more 
weight, she said, "Thank you."

He thought about what Jack had advised him. He pulled on his ear 
and thought about it some more. It was hard to believe that it was 
that important for a woman to hear the words, but Jack had been 
insistent. He said, "I know I don't say it very often, but I hope you 
know that I love you."

Without saying a word, Cindy stood up and walked across the 
room. She knelt on the floor in front of his chair. Leaning over, she 
started unbuckling his belt. Looking up at him with a smile and a 
sparkle in her eye, she said, "I've missed having you around."







 
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