After Jules got home from work we decided to go out to eat. You can never be quite sure if you are being overheard, we assume that we are, so we save our serious chats for the coffee shop. We dare not even email as we are pretty sure Jules' work computer and our home computers are compromised.
We should be okay if we pick a random pub to eat at, and try to vary where we eat, but we are still very careful. We went to a Steak House in Bingley near to the weir. It is far enough away for the office so is unlikely to be generally bugged, yet near enough to home that it isn't a chore to get to. It was my turn to drive, so I would be on soft drinks, Jules on wine. It was a nice evening so we elected to eat at a table outside and face the weir.
People think that the sound of running water will mask conversations, in reality, the techies just add a running water filter to erase it. We know that, they know that, us sitting by the weir makes us look less like what we actually are. But we were still not going to talk detailed shop. We did leave our phones in the car, just in case.
As I sipped my fizzy water, Jules asked, "any more from our neighbours?"
"Yes," I replied, "she phoned and again asked if we were swingers." That would tell Jules that Annette had made some form of sexual overture.
"God, I hope that you told her we aren't."
"I assured her that you were in no way interested in such things. I thought all that swinging stuff died out years ago." That would tell Jules that I hadn't ruled me out, just Jules.
Our steaks arrived, perfectly done medium rare, and conversation changed to mundane things like shrubs that we wanted in the garden whether to get rid of the grass and have Astro turf, I was in favour of artificial lawns, Jules not so much so. Even though the house was ostensibly ours, it really wasn't, and we would probably have to get approval to make a big alteration like that. We never knew how long we would be in a place, or how quickly we would move on. All we knew is that we would probably remain in the mid North West. Probably.
When we got back home neither of us were in the mood for tv so we had a platonic early night. I guess married couples don't have sex every night. Shame.
In the morning Jules went off to work. I was 'working from home' and it was dry, so I sat on the drive with my chrome polish and company phone. Company laptop was inside the garage in case I needed to go online, but I wouldn't, that was just for show. Sure enough I had a visit.
"Well, hello neighbour," Annette greeted. She was wearing very short shorts and a tight T-shirt.
"Hello Annette, how are you today?"
"Oh me? I am super horny." She doesn't miss an opportunity.
"Get Pete on the phone and get him home, tell him you need servicing." I wasn't going to bite. I am supposed to be a happily married man and it was supposed to be a bit of a task for her to turn me into one of her conquests, and thus get leverage on me.
"I can't. He is with clients all day. He is, as far as I am concerned, non-operational."
"Oh well, let's hope he isn't home too late."
"Come on over and have a coffee."
"I can't Annette, I am working from home, and that means I must be home. Company laptop to hand." I pointed to the laptop on the garage floor, ready to be used.
"Poo. No problem, we'll have coffee at yours, I'll just go in and put the kettle on." And she opened my front door and went in. Good grief, there was no stopping her was there. I wondered when Pete was going to work on Jules, or would Annette do that too? Was she the sexual side of their partnership? Pete didn't strike me as the shiniest penny to be honest. Was he just muscle? I wondered if it was actually someone else that ran his business from behind the scenes. For a company he supposedly ran, he seemed to know precious little about his IT.
I put my cleaning bits and pieces back in the garage, grabbed my laptop and went into the house. The kettle was boiling and Annette was opening cupboards, presumably looking for mugs and so on.
"We only use the kettle for tea," I said, "we have a bean to cup for coffee, it's over there." I pointed to the Gaggia. "Which do you prefer, tea or coffee?"
"Coffee I think."
I grabbed a couple of double wall glass mugs and went to the machine, putting the mugs under the twin spouts and selected 2 coffees and pressed go.
"Right, let's sit in the conservatory," I said, taking the two coffees with me I led the way.
As Annette sat I handed her a coffee and I sat opposite her. Had she been wearing a skirt I would have had a clear view of her crotch. Perhaps she missed a trick there.
"Nice coffee. Now, can we go to bed?"
"Fucking hell Annette. No. I am married. As attractive as you are, I am true to Jules, so no."
"I so need you. I need your fat cock inside me. I really do."
"No Annette, go home, grab a cucumber and pretend it's Pete."
"You are mean. I have needs."
"No I am not mean. I am married and that is the end of it."
She stuck her tongue out at me and pouted a real good old fashioned pout. I didn't care. I knew that eventually she would win, we would shag, and she would believe that she had a hold over me. I let her carry on in that belief.
After a sulky Annette had gone I resumed my chrome wheel polishing. Next door the other way were a retired couple, they seemed to spend their time gardening. The other side of them were a possibly Chinese couple, they looked Chinese but the office hadn't flagged them as a potential FIS risk.
"Hello," the next door but one Chinese Lady said.
"Hello," I responded. "You are next door but one, yes?"
"Indeed, I am Soo Lin. You must come for tea and say hello."
Oh. Must I? Yes I supposed I must.
"Oh okay, that is very kind."
"I shall go heat water. Five minutes, yes?"
"Okay."
It seems she meant now. I put everything away, again, and after washing my hands I wandered next door but one to Soo Lin's house.
I tapped on the front door."
"Come in, come in, is open," she called. I pushed the door open and entered. Her house was very differently dressed to ours, as I walked past her lounge I could very low furniture, almost just floor level. In the kitchen much was the same as ours, but her hob was different and was dominated by a large wok, and then smaller burners.
"Ready, good, I make tea."
She took a small kettle off one of the burners and poured the boiling water into a tea pot. She stirred the contents and shut the lid.
"We go in lounge room," she said, placing the pot and some handle less bowls on a tray, and leading the way to her lounge. She put the tray on a small low table and invited me to settle on a cushion beside it. She sat opposite, her legs sideways beneath her.
"Thank you Soo," I said. "Your husband, he is at work?"
"Oh, he not husband, he brother."
"Oh goodness, I am so sorry."
"No worry, no need. It is sad. I love brother but would prefer husband. Can get so lonely."
"Oh Soo that is such a shame, you are such a beautiful woman, you would have no difficulty in finding a husband."
