It was a spectacular scene on Maiden Road, a smell of fresh spring flowers in the air. Both sides of the road were bright with pink cherry blossoms. At the far end of the road, the investigator saw a woman with a baby in a pram, who seemed to be taking pictures of the scenery. When he got closer, she asked, ‘Please, can you take me and my baby?’
‘Of course, Not a problem’ he replied. He took the camera and snapped a few pictures while she posed. ‘Do you live round here?’ he asked curiously.
‘Oh yes, I live here,’ she replied.
‘For how long?’ he asked.
‘Long enough,’ she replied casually.
‘Oh. You know your neighbours well?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I know some, but many neighbours keep to themselves these days,’ she said. ‘Are you looking for someone?’
‘Not exactly,’ he answered. ‘We’re looking to relocate to somewhere nice, and my wife suggested this area. I want to survey to see if it is an area that meets my family’s taste.’
‘Well, I guarantee you that this is a good area to live in. The crime rate is low, and the schools are good, though I don’t think homes are selling. The one at the right was empty, but it is now occupied, since almost two years ago.’
‘Which house is that?’ he asked curiously.
‘The semidetached on the right.’
‘You know who lives there then.’
‘Yes, she is a nurse and her two boys.’
‘You mean a single mother?’ She nodded in assent. ‘Will you do me a favour? Actually, I am the father to her second son, but she has stopped me from seeing him.’
‘Really?’ she asked, dumbfounded. ‘But you said you want a property to buy.’
‘Yes, that’s true, but I also want to be closer to my boy.’
‘Oh, that’s awful. Why would she stop you from seeing your own son?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘Anyway, that’s not my business,’ she said.
‘Can you do me a favour then?’ the investigator asked suddenly.
She gave him a narrow look. ‘What do you want me to do?’
‘I want you to let me know about any men who go into the house and how long they stay. Take my number, and call me if you see anything.’
‘That’s creepy. I don’t want to spy on my neighbours.’
‘I will give you hundred pounds for the information,’ Jason offered.
The lady’s face lit up. ‘All right, then, when is this finishing?’
‘As long as it takes.’
‘Then your hundred pounds is not enough. Make it two hundred, and that’s a deal. And give me some of it now,’ she demanded.
The investigator took out his wallet and handed her twenty pounds. The lady took the money, looking over her shoulder.
‘I will call you when I see something,’ she assured him.
For the lady, it was easy money and exciting just spying on her neighbour; in fact, she didn’t like her, the way she thought herself better than anybody else, the way she walked. This young mother found the job interesting, as she currently was not working; the amount agreed on would give her a little luxury.
They continued to talk as they went past number 18. The occupants were in, as the curtains were drawn and he could see movement behind them. He was certain that Shirley and her sons were in. He would hang around until she moved out.
Ron left for the countryside to attend to family business, but he had instructed Shirley to meet him in the local rest house three towns ahead. When he finished, he would meet her there.
‘Don’t let me down,’ she had told him, looking serious. ‘I will be very mad if you do that. I will let the children go to my Aunty Paulina. They haven’t visited her for a very long time, and she will be glad to have them for the weekend. I must have something convincing to tell your wife before she gets suspicious.’
‘What will you tell her?’ he asked, a little worried
‘I don’t know if she has any ideas about us. She may even be too busy to think about stuff like that. But I need to say something.’
‘Like what?’ He wanted to know how Shirley was covering her back.
‘Like, I am going to see a friend in Manchester,’ she said convincingly.
‘We will have a meal at the rest house and then have some fun before we leave for home. You can leave first, and then I will follow later.’
The two had planned this meeting to cement their ongoing flirting. It had been going on for about four months, and they had declared love for each other. His having to go to the countryside created a great opportunity for them to meet and express their love physically, touching and caressing and even making love. Shirley couldn’t wait for the opportunity. She had been thinking of how she would hold him and how she would feel his warmth.
Maria had provided Jason with Ron’s plan for the day, so he knew that Ron would be away for two days. In his plan, the investigator would trail his movements from the day he stepped out of the house. The paid neighbour would also supply him with information about Shirley’s movements.
Jason’s paid informant got a chair near her window so she could get a full view of number 18 opposite. She had seen a woman walk in the house, stay for a while, and leave with the two boys. Two hours later the neighbour came out dressed smartly and carrying a small case as if she was travelling.
She communicated the information to Jason. ‘I have given you more information, so you need to give me more money,’ she demanded.
‘All right, all right. I will see you in an hour’s time. I will give you twenty pounds out of your money,’ Jason assured her.
‘Okay, see you later,’ she said.
He followed Ron in his car until he got to the estate in the countryside. Ron didn’t seem to notice that he was being followed. The country road was rough and bumpy, a tricky road to navigate by car if you were spying on someone. Ron had no problem with his four wheel drive jeep.
Jason decided not to enter the estate but park by the road and wait for the next morning. It was a very long wait, but he had done things like this so many times and had found a way to remove boredom. He took out a book and read until darkness. He had been waiting for twenty-four hours before he saw the jeep resurface. Ron had finished his business meeting and was on his way home.
He saw the jeep pass his car and followed, first making sure that the driver was Ron. He saw him take an unusual turn to the right, after which he stopped, got out of the jeep, and walked round it, apparently making a phone call. The investigator drove past him and got to the next telephone box. He called his informant to find out what she knew. Shirley hadn’t been in all night and day, she informed him, and no one had entered her house.
While he was on the phone, the jeep went past. He trailed it until the jeep went right again and drove slowly into an entrance. It was the Blue Ocean rest house. Ron parked out of view in the small car park and went to the receptionist. Jason parked his car outside the rest house along the road, followed carefully without being noticed, and took a picture of Ron’s car and of Ron walking into reception. Then he ducked into the thick bush to one side, tiptoeing to escape notice. He tucked his camera into a pocket and went straight into the lobby and its attached restaurant. It was good that neither Ron nor Shirley knew him; that made things easier.
Shirley was sitting with her back away from the entrance, she had ordered a glass of wine and was waiting patiently for Ron. Her heart was pounding, not sure when Ron would turn up. She loved him madly and was desperate to declare her love to him again. Then Ron arrived, quickly spotting her in the corner, and went to her table. He drew up a chair and kissed her while she sat.
Jason managed to snap a picture of the kiss, but he was curious to see what was going to happen next. He hung around the rest house by getting himself a big glass of lager. The subjects talked more, kissing now and again, and then ordered food and more drinks.
Just as Jason was about to leave, having gathered sufficient information, Ron went to the receptionist and asked for a room. The investigator saw the receptionist hand him keys. He turned and returned to their table, where Shirley was already standing ready to make a move. She asked, ‘What room number?’ and he heard Ron say fifteen.
Interesting, thought Jason. He tried to get a picture of the two entering the room and snogging each other. Satisfied, he quickly turned for the door and away from the vicinity.
Maria won’t like this. Her guess was right: the two had eyes on each other. This answers Ron’s sudden change of behaviour.
Back in the hotel room, Shirley asked Ron to leave Maria for her if he really meant what he said about his love for her.
‘It’s too soon, Shirley. Please give me time to do it gently; she deserves that.’ He nervously realised that Shirley had intended to break his marriage for a long time and had planned this. She spoke about Maria with hate on her face, and that broke his heart.
Oh God! How stupid I have been, he thought.
‘How do you think I feel, seeing you all the time with her? Maria is past!’ she said angrily.
‘You must be patient and leave me to handle her. Trust me, I love you and would like to live the rest of my life with you.’ In fact, he had no plans to leave Maria. What he had done was a stupid mistake. Shirley had seduced him all along, leading him into this. He now regretted it.
Ron left the Blue Ocean and drove home, feeling guilty for what he had done. I can’t look at my wife in the face. I have wronged her, and she will be deeply hurt if she finds out what I have done. Thank God that I used a condom. He felt terrible.
Ron arrived home close to midnight. He had rung earlier to inform Maria that he was on her way. His wife was not in bed yet but was waiting for him to arrive.
She sighed when he finally did. ‘You must be tired. Would you like coffee?’
‘Don’t worry about a drink,’ he said. ‘I will just have a shower and go to bed.’
‘Were you able to sort things out?’ she asked, looking concerned.
‘Yes, the other party is now prepared to compromise,’ he said and went to the bathroom. Maria put his luggage away and retired to bed to wait for her husband. He emerged from the bathroom, slipped into his pyjamas, and slumped on the bed. He was too exhausted and filled with guilt to hear all his waiting wife had to say.
Shirley felt satisfied as she took a train home. She had at long last got Ron where she wanted him. She would take him away from Maria, and they would start a new family. She’d had an eye on the Makintosh family ever since she set foot in the neighbourhood. Ron was handsome and generous and was very good with her two boys. She wondered what such a handsome man was doing with Maria; She is not sophisticated and lacks taste, a total waste of space, she thought.
The following morning was a Monday, and both husband and wife left home for their workplaces.
Ron felt drained and low. This was the first time he had gone behind his wife’s back, had seen another woman’s nakedness. It was a betrayal of trust, but he had no self-control. His conscience had been overpowered by lust, so that he felt nothing and felt nothing wrong at satisfying his desire. His lust for Shirley was unstoppable. He must feel her, lay her, make her feel his strength, his warmth and his cum, because she had invited him through her actions, and he could not resist it. Being secretive was the exciting part, behaving like a bad boy sneaking to commit a moral crime.
The experience was exciting but dangerous and risky. He risked the years of emotional investment he had committed to build his marriage and his family, being a father to his beautiful girls. The thought of possibly losing it all terrified him.
How could he have resisted a woman who smacked his bum and winked at him at the least chance? The thought of it made him want to grab and kiss her. How could he resist a woman who left her bathroom door open when she was showering, with steam filling the room? The thought made him want to get in the shower and have sex with her.
How could he have resisted a woman who opened her legs wide so that he could see her knickers at the least chance? The thought made him shiver with lust. How could he resist a woman who would squeeze through and touch his manhood? The thought made him hard, aching to lay her.
The temptation had built up to the limit. In the end, the time was ripe to explore and discover the hidden volcanic lava hidden in her intimate carriage. He would stimulate it to eruption, he would feel her warm juice, and he would shower her with his cum.
Now it was all over. He was awake from his fantasy and back to reality. The consequences of his actions started unfolding in his mind. What if Maria hears about it? He had no intention of hurting his wife. They had come a long way. He knew this affair was not worth the risk, and he did not love Shirley after all.
He would not blame Shirley; he was also to blame. He should have known better and not encouraged Shirley’s moves. He was also as guilty as sin, and he regretted his actions and his weakness.