This story follows on from "Home Early on a Wednesday". It may be helpful to read that one first to gain a little more understanding of the characters. Feedback is always appreciated.
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A month or so after our mid-week adventure, another Wednesday. This time, I don't make it home early, in fact, this time I'm running late.
By the time I get home, she is already dressed to go out, impatient and anxious. My job is to stay home tonight and mind our already-sleeping son. She is going out with some friends.
She told me about it weeks ago. It's a Christmas party of sorts, a bunch of friends she meets regularly are getting together for a small party, drinks and finger-food. It will be mostly other women her age, or older, and perhaps the odd husband or two. I can tell she's been looking forward to it, something that breaks the routine.
I'm happy for her to go, and she did ask if I wanted to go with her. The reality is that I won't know anyone very well, and she'll have a much better time on her own, amongst her friends. And since we don't have to try to make babysitting arrangements, the whole evening will be a lot less stressful.
I plan to stay at home, catch up on a little work, perhaps watch some television, if I can find anything worth watching.
She looks good as she leaves, wearing a short red skirt and loose fitting black blouse. She has put on make up for the occasion, the right shades to suit her tanned skin. I tell her how good she looks and she smiles.
"I won't be too late," she says. "I'll probably have a few drinks." This doesn't worry me, she's getting a lift and she rarely drinks much anyway. In fact, it has been a source of good-natured dispute over the years, that I have only seen her really drunk once. I have often hoped she would drink a little more now and then, to lower her inhibitions and relax her. She just doesn't enjoy drinking enough, she says.
The evening for me passes completely uneventfully. As I expected there is nothing on television and at eleven I decide to go to bed. I'm a little surprised that she isn't home yet, but I imagine she won't be long. I leave a living room light on for her, turn out the bedroom light and am quickly asleep.
Some minutes, or hours, later a noise wakens me. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust and I read the clock. Just after midnight. I hear the distant thud of a car door, fumble of a key in a lock, heels on the wooden floor.
During the next few minutes, I drift between sleep and wakefulness several times, hearing her in the kitchen briefly, the bathroom, the door of our son's room, the flush of the toilet. I fall back to sleep.
I wake up again and hear her softly calling my name from the bedroom doorway. I shake my head to clear the sleep away, concerned, trying to analyse what might be wrong.
"What's up?" I stage whisper, into the darkness.
"Nothing. Just follow me." She pads quietly down the hallway expecting me to follow. For a moment I debate whether to put on shorts and a shirt. I only have boxers on and I'm unsure what I might be required to do.
She isn't in the living room, nor the kitchen and for a moment I'm confused. Then I see that the front door is open. I'm sure she wouldn't have left it open accidentally so she must be outside somewhere.
It's a warm night, despite the fact that it is only early summer. There is a gentle breeze fluttering through the palm fronds high above me but the sky is clear with a half-moon rising. I step into the paved courtyard and see her.