10

Back to Normal

It was back to normal for Jackie, as the alarm clock let her know it was six o’clock and time to get up. She rolled out and put her robe on to help shield her from the cold winter morning. She could hear the heater trying to get ahead of the night setting and bring the house to a comfortable state. Ice had formed along the edges of the windows, indicating how cold it was this February morning. Jackie’s weekday routine found her making sure Jerry and the kids were awake, and starting breakfast.

Jerry went directly to the shower and then ate breakfast with the kids and Jackie. They tried to eat breakfast during the week as a family. Given the fast pace of the rest of their lives, both Jackie and Jerry felt that having breakfast together was important. Jerry had to be at the train station to get the 7:20, which required him to be out of the house by seven.

Today the kids lingered a bit and Jackie had to call them a second time. “You better get up,” she said sternly. That brought the sound of little feet on the stairs, and Lisa and David appeared at the kitchen doorway.

“Sit down. What do you want this morning?” Jackie inquired. Lisa decided on Frosted Flakes and David wanted a scrambled egg. A few minutes later Jerry came into the kitchen and asked Jackie to adjust his tie. He had some toast, juice, and several cups of coffee. Jerry was also a bit slow this morning and looked at his watch to see it was already several minutes past seven. “I’m late.” He grabbed his hat, coat, and briefcase as he kissed the kids and gave Jackie a passing kiss as he ran out the door. She knew he was a bit late but had hoped for a kiss more reflective of their weekend. She thought, I guess the weekend is really over!

She got the kids to finish their breakfast and brush their teeth. “Bundle up. It’s very cold and windy out this morning.” Jackie always walked to the sidewalk and watched them until they got to the bus stop. There were several other kids there, and Jackie waited until the bus picked them up before returning to the kitchen. She wanted to quickly clean up the breakfast dishes, knowing Mary would be coming soon to get the skinny on her weekend.

It was just before eight o’clock when Jackie heard Mary’s familiar voice calling to her. “Hi! Let me see if you have a big smile on your face,” she said.

“Sex—is that all you think about?” Jackie asked.

Me? You should talk. The last thing you showed me before you left Friday was the sexy white number you got at Victoria’s Secret.”

Jackie asked Mary if she wanted some coffee, which was one of those non-questions. Mary always had coffee with Jackie, either at Jackie’s or at her place. Jackie and Mary shared almost everything together, just like Jackie had with Barb when she was in college.

“Come on, give. Tell me everything,” Mary demanded.

Jackie described the trip to the Poconos and the way the inn looked. “It was just like the material I showed you from the internet,” she said. She explained the blending of old and new and the friendly reception as they had checked in. “They asked us to sign in using a quill pen and then proceeded to complete our registration on the computer. John would have been impressed with the construction of the inn. Jerry said he didn’t think they used any nails. It was constructed using handmade joints and wooden pegs.”

“Did Jerry approve of your choice?” Mary asked.

“Yes. I know he had good time. He didn’t mention work one time. I made damn sure of that,” Jackie remarked.

“What did you do after checking in to your room?” Mary wanted to know.

“We unpacked and Jerry went to the bar. This gave me a chance to use the whirlpool tub and prepare for my first surprise.”

“What do you mean, ‘surprise’?” Mary asked.

Jackie answered, “Well, when I got dressed I didn’t put on any bra or panties. In addition, I wore my western outfit with the short skirt. I completed the outfit with that wide belt and my boots. I was hot, both on the outside and underneath.”

“Did Jerry know you weren’t wearing underclothing?”

“Well, parts of the dining room were a bit chilly, which made my nipples get hard. I knew he saw them although he didn’t say anything. He did rub against me a lot when we were dancing after dinner,” Jackie said. She explained how she had sat on the barstool and parted her legs so Jerry would see she wasn’t wearing panties.

“Weren’t you afraid some of the other men would see you?” Mary asked.

“Well, I was careful. Besides, by that time I didn’t mind if a few saw my show. After all, I’ll never see them again, and it may have gotten them ready for their after-dinner activities. Who knows?” Jackie responded.

“What happened after that?” Mary questioned.

Jackie gave her a general idea about the remainder of the evening. “Jerry is a great lover when he wants to be. He reminds me of François,” she explained. She had told Mary a little about her year in Paris but had never gone into the details of her relationship with François.

“Tell me more about François. It sounds like he was much more than just a casual acquaintance,” Mary demanded.

“François was the best lover I ever had,” Jackie admitted.

“Come on. Give me all the details. How did you meet him? What did you do together?” Mary asked. She was getting excited just wondering what her friend had done with this Frenchman.

Jackie described their bicycle ride and the way he got her to pose nude for him. Mary couldn’t believe Jackie had actually posed for an artist. “What happened to the picture?” Mary wanted to know.

“Funny you should ask. Last night, when I was putting the suitcases away, I found my portrait.”

“Let me see it!” Mary said.

Jackie went to the attic and brought the picture down for Mary to see. Mary could hardly wait for her to remove it from the tube. As Jackie unrolled it, Mary couldn’t believe her eyes. “My God. It’s beautiful. You are beautiful. That is the best portrait I have ever seen!” Mary exclaimed. She studied the drawing for a few minutes and turned to Jackie and said, “What did you think when you saw it for the first time?”

“I was flattered. The feeling that swept over me led to the best sex I ever had. François was an incredible artist and lover. He taught me things I will never forget. We had a relationship through the spring and summer,” Jackie said.

As Jackie returned the drawing to its resting place, she told Mary that she was the only person to have seen it except for Barb. “There may be a time that I show it to Jerry, but now is not the right time.”

“I can understand how you feel. I don’t think I would show a drawing like that of me to John,” Mary confessed.

Mary was intent on learning what else took place at the inn. Jackie told her about the couple they met from Philadelphia and that the man had designed the web page for the inn. She told Mary that during the two days they were there they had made love seven times.

“You mean to tell me Jerry was able to perform well each time?” Mary asked.

Jackie assured her the sex was fantastic. “At least I know he still enjoys making love to me. I guess it must be the pressure of work that keeps him from showing me more often,” she explained.

After Mary extracted all the details from Jackie, she decided that she and John needed to get away to the inn. Mary asked Jackie for the telephone number so she could see when they could get a reservation. “If I can get John to perform like Jerry, I’ll be able to give my vibrator a rest.”

“Do you really use that thing?” Jackie inquired.

“Sure. Most times it’s the only way I get off. John very seldom takes the time I need to reach climax. It’s either the vibrator or I would wind up having an affair with the blond trainer at the spa. He is really a stud. I fantasize doing it with him when I use my vibrator. He has a body that drives me up a wall at times. After a workout with him at the spa, I need a cold shower,” Mary explained.

By the time Mary had gotten all the details of Jackie’s weekend, it was almost noon. “It’s getting late. I must get started on the wash,” Jackie said.

“Yes. I’ll go home and give the inn a call,” responded Mary. “That place is just what the doctor ordered for John and me. Stop over later and we can talk more.” Mary got up and went home. Jackie took the wash to the basement and went one step further into her normal routine and one step further from the inn.

It didn’t take long for the weeks to pass, and before Jackie knew it, it was late March. Spring was upon her and thoughts of the inn were a fading memory. April was rainy and the cabin fever of the winter continued. Jerry was more consumed than ever by the deals he was trying to put together, and Jackie was becoming frustrated by the lack of attention Jerry paid to her needs. She had gotten away from a scheduled exercise program, and Mary kept after her to get back to a regular program. Jackie decided to take Mary’s advice, and they both set up a supervised program three days a week. After a couple of weeks, Jackie was beginning to feel better and took off a few pounds in the right places.

Mary had the hots for the instructor and always talked about what she would like to do with him. Although there was a strict policy of no involvement, Mary tried to flirt with him every once in a while. “Jackie, you should give him a whirl. With a body like yours, I bet he would forget the rules,” she said.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jackie replied. The spa visits did seem to help her focus better, but she was still frustrated with Jerry’s lack of attention.

In mid-April, the last parent-teacher conferences were scheduled at school. Jackie got both conferences scheduled on the same morning. Mary watched Lisa and David while Jackie went to school. Lisa’s teacher gave a glowing report about Lisa and talked about recommending some enriched work for next year. David’s teacher indicated he did very well academically but was a bit of a loner. He seemed to have only one friend, and his teacher thought they should encourage David to join some group or team to help bring him out of his shell.

That night, Jackie talked with Jerry about the teacher conferences. When she told him what David’s teacher had had to say, he suggested Pee Wee baseball. David seemed to have some athletic ability and good coordination. Jerry decided to take David to a practice so he could see what it was like. If he showed any interest, they could talk about joining a team.

Jerry also decided to see if John’s son, Billie, was going to play ball. He thought if both boys joined the same team, David might be more interested. He seemed to get along with Billie, and they could alternate driving the boys to practice. As it turned out, Billie had decided to join, and Jerry took David to his first practice on Saturday. During practice, David watched as Billie got a couple of hits and saw how much fun he was having. After practice was over, David asked his father if he could join Billy’s team. They went over and talked with the coach. At first, the coach indicated they were at their limit, but he would see if they could add one more boy to the roster. As it turned out, one of the boys dropped out, and that provided a spot for David. He began attending practice the following week. Jerry agreed to be an assistant coach, which gave him a good opportunity to observe how well David was progressing both with baseball and with the boys on his team.

Early spring turned into the end of the school year. Jerry had to be away from home on a series of site visits to evaluate several large acquisitions. One was in Hawaii, and Jackie wanted to go along. However, Jerry’s schedule and the children’s summer plans prevented her from accompanying him.

Jerry was gone a good bit of July and into early August. Jackie was feeling very neglected, and the spa instructor was looking better and better. Jackie would kid Mary about letting her borrow the spa instructor for an afternoon. “You’re my best friend, Jackie, but if I could get him for an afternoon, I would keep him all to myself,” Mary responded. She did, however, decide to get on the internet and order Jackie a little present. When it arrived, she wrapped it up and took it over to Jackie. Before she gave it to Jackie, Mary made sure the kids weren’t around. “Open it,” Mary said.

Jackie said, “What is this?” though she suspected by the shape of the package what Mary had gotten her. Yes, it was Jackie’s very own vibrator. “What if Jerry finds it? How would I explain it?” she asked.

“Well,” answered Mary, “if he finds it, you can say it wasn’t as good as he was at the inn, but it was better than nothing.”