Modern Day Marriage

Thanks to mikothebaby for editing this story.

* * * * * *

Betty Sutton scanned the bar around her nervously. Though she'd done this many times before, she was always worried that she'd run into someone she knew. The chances of that were remote since she'd picked a meeting place that was a half hour's drive away from her neighborhood, but you couldn't be too careful. Only stupid people weren't careful, but that was why stupid people got caught.

Betty didn't want to run into anyone she knew. The chances of them telling or simply mentioning to her husband that they'd seen her and where, were something she didn't want to take a chance on.

Her husband, Travis, was busy helping someone at work with some kind of problem or other tonight, so this was a perfect opportunity for Betty. Not that she needed many opportunities or that they were hard to find. She usually scheduled her trysts for the daytime hours when her husband, Travis, was at work. But the opportunity for a rare night time assignation was too good to pass up.

Betty loved Travis with all or her heart and she'd never do anything to risk her marriage. She intended to grow old with Travis, and spend their golden years traveling and visiting their grandkids, as soon as they had some. Losing Travis was simply not on the menu for her.

Betty and Travis had been married for twenty years. She knew everything about him. She was sure that she knew her husband better than he knew himself. But the fact of the matter was that they were in a rut. Travis hadn't seen it yet but they were. Betty was also smart enough to know that every marriage went through peaks and valleys.

Betty knew that her best friend's marriage had broken up for just that reason. Her aunt and uncle had ended their marriage for the same thing. After being together for so long things just got a bit stale. Being a smarter than average woman, Betty realized that things in the modern day marriage were far different from what our ancestors had to face.

There was no longer the need to fight for survival or fight and work very hard just to scratch out a living. In the modern era, people also lived a lot longer and were far more isolated from their peers than ever before. It was really silly. In the old days people lived on tracts of land and might be separated from their neighbors by relatively large distances. Even then, though they didn't live very close to each other, they all got together regularly at churches or other social events.

In the modern era, people lived much closer together, but in many cases didn't even know their neighbor's names let alone socialize with them. There were people who lived right next door to each other for years and had never spoken to each other.

The modern era had also brought with it a degree of flexibility in morals. Betty loved Travis and she didn't want their marriage to end, so she saw nothing wrong with the occasional piece on the side. In her mind, all it did was to spice up her relationship with her husband. It was no threat what so ever to their marriage. She even had clearly defined rules about what she did and how she went about it.

Rule number one was that there were no repeat visits. She only had one time meetings. That way there was no danger of emotional entanglements. This was only sex. All of her emotional feelings were reserved for her husband. Rule number two was that any sex she had was never anything that she wouldn't do or hadn't already done with Travis. Travis gave her more than sex, he made love to her. So there was no way that she'd ever short change him or hold out on him. If she wanted to try something new sexually, it had to be with someone she trusted not to hurt her. That meant it had to be Travis.

Rule number three was that nothing she ever did could ever be instead of spending time with Travis. Her marriage was the number one thing in her life. It super ceded everything else. So if she'd planned on doing something or meeting someone and Travis happened to come home, Travis won. She simply didn't go. If she was meeting someone and Travis called, she went home, immediately, in mid stroke if necessary. Travis came first.

The last rule was that she never, ever did anything at home. There was no way she could ever disrespect her husband by doing anything in his home. Betty also didn't intend to do this forever. It was only a temporary thing. Travis was working very hard to get a promotion that would increase their security and lessen his work load. With his workload lessened, they'd have more time to devote to each other. Then she would start doing things to put the spark back in the bedroom. But for her to unload on Travis right now while he was busting his ass for both of them was unfair. So being a modern woman in a modern day marriage, Betty simply subcontracted out some of Travis' duties.

It wasn't that Travis wasn't capable. He was just under a lot of stress. He hardly ever had time to relax. But when they did take time off, it was wonderful. Betty remembered back only four months previous when they'd gone to Hawaii. It was the best time in her life. She'd also noticed that a lot of the women there had paid a lot of attention to her husband, but as usual the big dope had only noticed her.

Betty used Craig's list to meet people. She never used her real name. She never placed an ad herself. She only responded to ads placed by other people. That way there were no records for anyone to ever find. Betty never responded to ads placed by men who were looking for casual sex or quick hookups. She knew that those types of men were predators. She only responded to ads from men who were looking for long time relationships, even though she wasn't interested in them for more than a quick fuck. It did seem like a shitty thing to do to them, but they could always say no. Not one of them ever had. Betty also never found her men on her home computer. She went to the library and used one of their free public computers. She also set up another email address and never accessed that account either at home or on her cell phone. She covered all of her bases, but she was still nervous. You just couldn't be too careful.

* * * * * *

"But Trav, What if she doesn't like me?" asked Gary Lynch for the third time.

"Gary, you're a great guy. You just need to get out there and meet someone," answered Travis. "I'm sure she'll like you. After all, she answered your ad and you sent her a picture. If she didn't like you, she wouldn't have agreed to go out with you."

Travis shook his head again. The quirks and idiosyncrasies of dating in the modern era perplexed him. Travis was an old school guy. He was glad he hadn't had all of the pressures that Gary was going through. He'd met his wife, Betty, at college and they'd been together ever since. They'd raised two kids who were both in college themselves now. Let the modern day kids deal with the modern day problems. Travis still loved Betty so much it was crazy. Sure she was no spring chicken. Her ass was getting a bit wide and her boobs sagged a little, but those things just endeared her to him even more. He remembered sitting on their bed while she stared at herself in the mirror and discovered the crow's feet by her eyes or her first few gray hairs mixed in with the black.

She'd been devastated until he grabbed her around her waist, pulled her panties down around her ankles and fucked her until both of them were too tired to move. Of course, they missed dinner at the restaurant they'd been getting dressed for, but it had been a magical night.

The next morning Travis asked her what she thought of his car.

"Travis, are you thinking about getting another Mustang?" Betty asked him in shock. "The new ones do look a lot like the old classic ones that we grew up with."

"Sweetie, my Terminator can still run rings around most of those cars. She's got a supercharger and is far more aerodynamic. It's the perfect car for me," Travis said, referring to his 2003 Mustang SVT Cobra. "With all of the upgrades we've done, that car puts out nearly 600 horsepower and weighs less than the newer cars. Except for all of that fancy electronic shit they cram in there nowadays, it's just a better car."

"Plus there's the fact that I know every minute scratch and blemish in her paint. I was there for them so they're all like memories we share. It's the perfect car for me. Unless it was destroyed, I'll never need another car," he said.

"Then why the hell did you bring it up?" asked Betty. "I know all about your car honey. I know how much you love it and prefer it over newer cars even though it's almost 10 years old. It may not be the perfect car to anyone else, but it's the perfect car for you. As far as I know, no one else has ever driven it, so I don't think anyone else would know how good or bad it is. I can't even drive it since I can't drive a stick. But if it's perfect to you, that's all that matters."

Travis was smiling at Betty as she sat there in the mirror trying to decide whether or not to dye her hair.

"I brought it up because we're not really talking about my car, Betty," said Travis. "We're talking about you. I love you the same way I love that car. You're perfect the way you are. It doesn't matter if you're getting a bit older or what anyone else sees in you. Okay, you may not be the perfect twenty year old that you were when we met, but I love you and you're the only one I want. I know every scratch and blemish and gray hair on your paint too. And I'm glad and proud that you're all mine. I'd never replace you unless you were dead or destroyed either."

Betty had started crying and ran over to him when he said that. She'd taken her clothes off and gotten back in bed with him and they'd started again. This time their coupling was more romantic and less hurried. They were both late for work. Travis still considered himself lucky. He had Betty in his life to give him a good foundation. It was so much easier for a man to go out and bring home the bacon when he had someone to bring the bacon home to. Gary was a great young man. That was why Travis wanted to help him get a good foundation in his life too. Having the right woman in his life would not only help to make Gary more focused, it would make him happier too.

"Gary, you're going to do fine," said Travis.

"Trav, you have to come with me," said Gary. "At least just come for the beginning. You can hide in the crowd and text me if I'm acting too nervous or anything. I can also call or text you if I'm nervous or need help."

Travis nodded his head in silent agreement.

A half hour later, Travis, in his Mustang was following Gary's Kia down the road. As he looked at the car, Travis knew that he had to have another talk with Gary. Gary needed to get rid of that fucking car ASAP. A man's car should say something about him. And a gray Kia just said all the wrong things about Gary.

The restaurant that Gary, or the woman he was meeting had picked, was a fairly nice one. It didn't appear to be overly expensive, but it was nice. That said several things about the woman. One was that she wasn't after Gary's money. And second that she did have good taste. If only the place wasn't so fucking far out of town.

Travis waited a few minutes after Gary went in so no one would think they were together. He got a seat in a shaded corner near the bar and ordered a beer.

He watched as Gary looked around the room. At first Travis couldn't see the woman because Gary was blocking his view of her. They were chatting and he saw Gary pull out his phone. Travis felt the buzzing of his iPhone and looked at the screen. He had a text from Gary. It read, "She's older than I expected. And not quite as pretty, but she seems nice. Should I stay?"

Travis texted his own message back to Gary. "Think of this as practice. Practice making conversation and practice becoming comfortable with new people. Leave your phone on and record the conversation and the whole date. Tomorrow we can go over what you said so you don't make mistakes when you find the one you really want. Besides you might get lucky."

Within a few moments Gary had texted another message to Travis. "Okay, will do. Gotta go, I told her I was texting a friend at work to tell him I won't be back tonight. She wants to go somewhere more private."

Travis hunched down in his seat as he noticed Gary standing up. He tried to get a good look at the woman and finally caught a glimpse of her face. His heart stopped beating as he realized that the woman at Gary's table was his wife. What the fuck was Betty doing here? Why was she going out with Gary? Was this some kind of joke that Betty and Gary were playing him?

By the time that Travis got his brain in gear, Betty and Gary had left the restaurant. Travis got up to run after them, but was stopped by the waiter who brought him his beer. Travis paid for the beer and ran outside but Gary and Betty were already gone.

Travis slowly walked to his car and tried to open the door. He pulled on the door handle several times before he remembered that he had to unlock it before it would open. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car and then got into it.

He started the car and for the first time failed to enjoy the throaty growl of the car's engine and exhaust system. Most of the time Travis didn't turn on the radio in the car and left the window down, he enjoyed hearing the sounds the car made, more than any music.

Tonight was different though. Travis never even noticed the car's engine. He sat there in the parking lot for a long time before he realized it. There was only one thing on his mind and it was a question. "Why?"

Travis had hours before he was supposed to be home and he had a lot of thinking to do. It was obvious to him that he had several major decisions in his life to make. No good deed goes unpunished, he thought. He'd started out trying to help Gary bring some stability into his life and lost the stability in his own.

He'd wanted to help Gary find a good woman to love, instead of some floozy. In exchange, he'd discovered that the woman he'd spent half of his own life loving wasn't who he'd thought she was. It now appeared that half of Travis' life had been wasted. He'd thought that he was the one who would give Gary the benefit of his experience, only to find out that he was the one who needed answers.

He had only questions now. How long had Betty been doing this? Why was she doing it? Didn't she love him?

He had no idea of how to handle this or what to do about it. He turned on the radio for some background music and heard news instead. "On this date back in 1975, the greatest tragedy on the great lakes occurred when the Edmund..." Travis changed the station. He didn't want to become even more depressed. He drove down by the riverfront and watched the blowing of the fall winds create ripples and waves on the black water.

A huge freighter passed by him nearly silently. He almost missed it, lost in his thoughts until the big ship sounded its horn. The big ship was trying to tell him something, but Travis couldn't figure it out for the life of him.

* * * * * *

Betty Sutton pulled into her driveway thinking about how nice a time she'd had with the young man she'd met. He hadn't been a sexual dynamo, but he'd been willing and able to perform. If she had the time to train him, someday he might be as good as her husband was. He wasn't a brute and just out to get himself off. He seemed to genuinely care that she enjoyed herself. That was one of the reasons that she only picked guys who were looking for a relationship. Suddenly an alarm bell went off in Betty's head. Her empty driveway wasn't empty. Travis' bright red Mustang was pulled in right in front of the house. He wasn't due home for an hour.

Betty felt herself begin to perspire as she put her key in the lock and went into the house. She looked around for Travis and didn't find him. He was outside on the deck. He was drinking a Dos Equis and staring up at the moon. She'd already showered at the motel so she went out and sat next to him.

"Hi Honey," she said. "I didn't expect you back for a while. I can make you something to eat if you'd like."

"I'm not hungry," he said.

He hadn't asked her where she'd been, so Betty didn't say anything about it either. Why start trying to lie to him when it wasn't necessary. There seemed to be something off about her husband though. For one thing, for the past twenty years, if he wasn't pissed about something he always kissed her or touched her whenever they were close together. It didn't matter if he hadn't seen her all day or it had only been five minutes, he always kissed her or stroked her hand.

He'd told her that he was only that way with her. He also told her that it was because if anything happened to either one of them, he didn't want their lives to end and have his regret be that he hadn't kissed her goodbye before one or both of them died.

He just sat there looking up at the sky and thinking. It was eerie. She scooted over closer to him, expecting him to wrap his arms around her. Travis just sat there staring upwards. She scooted still closer and smiled at him. The movement put them so close together that her right hip was touching his left one. He didn't move away from her, which was good, but he didn't hug her or grab her or even do anything to acknowledge her presence.

Betty was sure that something was wrong then, but she didn't know what to do. Being a direct person she simply asked.

"Travis, is something wrong?"

He didn't say a word. He just stared up into the sky as if she hadn't spoken.

Betty was on the verge of panic. Did he know? How could he know? She'd been so careful. There was no way he could have found out.

She sat beside him for another five minutes and then had an idea. "I'm cold," she said.

"Maybe you should get a jacket or go inside," he said. His voice was monotone. It didn't carry any anger, but the usual animation and tone wasn't there either.

"Travis, let's go to bed, Honey," she said.

"I'm not tired," he said.

"I'm not either," she said smiling at him and grabbing his hand.

"I'll be there in a little while," he said.

Betty was confused and concerned. Her sex life with Travis wasn't as hot as she wanted it to be. But until this moment, he'd never turned her down either. Something was definitely wrong. On the other hand, she knew Travis better than anyone else on the planet. If he knew what she'd done, he'd have been pissed. He'd have been screaming and demanding to know who the guy was. He was angry about something but she was pretty sure that he didn't know about what she'd done.

She got up and went towards their house. "I'll be waiting for you, Honey," she said. "Don't be long."

As soon as she got into the house, Betty took another shower. She took a really long one this time. She washed her hair and made sure there was no section of her body that was untouched by soap inside or out. Then she blow dried her short hair and got into their bed naked to wait for Travis.

She thought back over their lives together. The last time he'd gotten into a funk like this it was due to stress. He'd been considering leaving the job he'd been working for. It had been a big decision because instead of staying at a place he'd worked in for a while, he'd been considering moving to a different company. If it hadn't worked it would have affected not only him, but her and their children as well. Travis was always very careful where the family's well-being was at stake. He always put her and their kids first. She needed to reassure him that whatever was wrong they'd face it together.

She also needed to make sure that things were okay between them too. She drifted off to sleep with worries of her own.

When she woke up the next day, she was still alone in her bed. She looked out the window and Travis' Mustang was gone. She dialed his cell phone and waited. She heard the phone ring as she waited for her call to connect. Downstairs she heard music. It was familiar. The song was Van Halen's "Ain't talking bout love." It was one of Travis' favorites and also his ring tone. As she walked down the stairs, she saw his phone on the stereo in the living room.