On a warm summer day in mid August, Mazie Duprie gathered up her laptop computer, a glass of red wine, and curled up on her front porch chaise lounge. The heat of the warm Atlanta day had dissipated, and she closed her eyes to relax, feeling nothing but the gentle breeze created by the ceiling fans whirling slowly above her head.
She absent mindedly swirled the wine in her claret glass, a deep 28 ounce goblet that held the bouquet marvelously. She tipped the glass to her nose and took in the aroma, a lovely blend of spice and cherries. The taste was heavenly. There was nothing like a good cabernet to soothe the soul and relax the mind.
Mazie closed her eyes and let her mind wander. After 6 years of marriage she was generally happy, but there was no denying feelings had faded. Her husband Ben was busier and busier with work; his travel had morphed from a couple of days a month into a couple of weeks. Slowly they had become friendly room mates, sharing kisses on the way in and out of the door. He didn't seem to notice her waning interest, and so, over time, they had drifted apart. Mazie was beginning to feel the brunt of rare sex, no intimacy, and the general lack of human touch. Frankly it was making her bitchy. She wondered if their lack of sex bothered Ben. She would have asked him, but he was on a 12 day trip to Berlin.
All settled in with her wine, Mazie opened up her laptop and signed onto Yahoo! Messenger. She had been chatting occasionally with married men from all over, but had become fond of a great guy that lived in Canada. They had started chatting some months back, when Ben was in Australia. Once past the initial pleasantries, it turned out the guy was amazing. Married almost 20 years, he'd been divorced for a few years and had 4 kids. He was 45, which was appealing to Mazie at age 39... she found maturity in men sexy. Chatting had become an outlet for her and she had no desire to waste her time with young guys asking "a/s/l" or wondering if she would get naked on her "cam". This guy talked with her about anything and everything, not exclusively about sex.
At first it bothered Mazie that Curtis was single - they had exchanged their real names after their first chat, which had lasted 3 ½ hours. She liked chatting with married men. Hearing their perspective on marriage gave her some insight into Ben sometimes. It kept her occupied through many lonely evenings. By wading through the sea of online idiots she'd actually found a few men she really enjoyed for who they were. She was sure they liked her too, often asking her advice regarding their wives behaviors, and even gift ideas. But none of them made her mind wander like Curtis.
He made her think. He made her wonder what it would be like to be with him. When they talked, he made Ben disappear from her mind entirely.
Mazie often thanked God Curtis was Canadian. Canada was FAR away ... if he had been closer she may have been compelled to meet him in person. They had exchanged pictures and Mazie found him simply delicious. Tall and blonde, he had light blue eyes similar to her own. He sported a neatly trimmed goatee and wore rimless glasses that made him look like a sexy college professor. He worked a physically demanding job as a glass worker, so he was fit. They hadn't exchanged "naughty" pictures, but they had described to each other what was underneath. He intrigued her. Their last chat involved seeing each other on their webcams ... just faces, but it was enough to drive Mazie insane with desire for the guy. To see him smile warmed her heart.
Mazie settled in and saw Curtis sign on.
Curtcan: hi babe Ziegal: hi! how was your day Curtcan: good, just starting to make dinner Ziegal: what are we having Curtcan: spaghetti Ziegal: I have a great cabernet to go with that Curtcan: bring it over Ziegal: god I wish Curtcan: maybe ill bring dinner to you Ziegal: even better Curtcan: how bout next week? Zeigal: ok, what day? Curtcan: Wednesday Zeigal: youre such a tease lol Curtcan: im not teasing baby Zeigal: WHAT??? Curtcan: i have a job interview in augusta Zeigal: and youre only telling me now? where did this come from? Curtcan: I was waiting for my visa to come thru and didnt want to get hopes up Zeigal: OMG, im speechless Curtcan: that's a new one lol Zeigal: what kind of job Curtcan: management position, this place wants someone with long time experience, I've talked with them before, just needed the visa to come thru Mazie's heart raced and she found herself actually short of breath. Meeting Curtis? It was the impossible happening. What were the odds of him having an interview less than two hours away?
She was dizzy with questions.
Zeigal: how long have you been talking to this company? Curtcan: a year or so, on and off Zeigal: so you knew this was a possibility when we met online? were you searching for someone like me in the area on purpose in case you got this job? Curtcan: Maz, I know what youre thinking, NO ... meeting you was an amazing coincidence Curtcan: but I wont lie ... after we started talking and began to care about each other par of me was hopeful Zeigal: Curtis we discussed this, I'm not ready to end my marriage Curtcan: I'm not asking that of you babe, just dinner Zeigal: don't misunderstand, im just blown away by this. of course i want us to meet!
Once again Mazie felt herself reeling. She had been chatting for months with Curtis, but meeting? She didn't even hesitate telling him she would -- part of her felt cautious and of course they would go someplace public, but still ... was she ready to officially cheat on Ben if it came to that? Just having dinner with another man was cheating really, and if her instincts were right, she and Curtis would not stop there. Mazie asked Curtis to call her on the phone -this was too big to continue chatting online.
The phone rang once and Mazie was on it. "Curt?"
"It's me babe, I'm sorry to throw you for such a loop. God I want to see you, feel you, hold you, and make love to you like we've talked about all these months."
Mazie smiled and sighed. "I want that too, so much. So you'll be in on Wednesday. Is that your interview day?"
"It is." Curtis answered. "I should be done by 3pm, so after that I'm all yours til my flight leaves on Friday."
"Friday?" Mazie asked. "You don't have to go back right away?"
"No." Curtis told her. "I booked an extra day just in case we could hook up."
Mazie felt butterflies in her stomach. It was all so kismet. Ben gone, Curtis in town, how could things come together like this? Mazie and Curtis talked for an hour on the phone, made their plans, and waited for Wednesday to arrive.