After the dam broke and we finally allowed ourselves a night of passionate lovemaking, Natalie and I both started to feel rather guilty around our spouses. That night we'd managed to clean ourselves up and get to our respective beds, but in the morning there were a couple of scary moments. At breakfast Emma kept bringing up a dream she'd had with wolves howling in the distance. Natalie and I avoided eye contact, but I could tell it made her as uncomfortable as it did me. Later Jed almost discovered the hamper full of sheets, still wet and smelling of sex, in their laundry room. This was way too close for comfort, and later that day in a quick phone call we agreed to avoid each other, for the time being anyway. It made my heart ache (and my cock), but if Emma or Jed had any suspicions I knew it was wise to give them time to die down. Meanwhile we'd text and call each other as often as our situations permitted, including a few heated bouts of phone sex, a new experience for me. We were scrupulous about ensuring we were both alone during any contact, and we both became quite disciplined about scrubbing our phone and text history. I never thought I'd be someone who cheats on his wife, but I'd never anticipated the unique situation Natalie and I both found ourselves in.
Weeks went by and I distracted myself with work, helping Emma prepare a grant application, helping Richard with a social media project, and taking long walks with the neighbour's dog, who I had unofficially adopted. I guess I figured enough activity would just tamp down my impulses and drive Natalie from my mind. Fat chance. I dreamt about her every night. It's fair to say Emma had long ago ceased to feel guilt about the alarm clock waking her to sight of my hardon - morning wood is a thing, after all. It did concern me though that she might roll up against my hardon in the middle of the night just a bit too often to dismiss as a guy thing, or even an under-sexed guy thing. I got into the habit of facing away from her while we slept, hoping she wouldn't read into it more than the need for more air. She was a sweet woman and I wanted her to be happy. But, god. I missed Natalie.
Six weeks after that fateful night with Natalie, there was a huge outdoor concert in the large west end park a few kilometres from our home. It was part of a high-profile free concert series of big name performers, sponsored by the city. They chose the park because the bandstand there was situated in an area that would accommodate maybe three thousand people, more if they really packed in. They would need to for this one. The band on this occasion was really popular, one of the few acts that Emma, Richard and I all liked, so we'd marked the Friday night on our calendar weeks before. Unfortunately work that day was calamitous for me, and I ended up still tied up late in the day preparing a video presentation that was needed for a conference Saturday afternoon. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take, maybe all night, so Emma and Richard went ahead without me for a picnic dinner in the park in order to get a good spot early. I agreed to meet them there if I could wrap things up early enough.
The concert was starting at 8, and I managed to get approval on the video edit by 7:45, so I grabbed my jacket and my phone to head out. But as I did I realized that in the frenzied of back and forth work calls and texts, forwarded image and video files and heated Facetime discussions, I'd run my battery right down. Shit. Well, I could talk to Emma when I get there. I got in the car and raced over the the park. I arrived just as the concert was starting - the crowd was even bigger than I anticipated. Emma had been concerned about keeping Richard out of the middle of the throng - a wise precaution, given the size of it - so she'd planned to be on the north side of the main area. Parking had been pretty limited, so as it turned out I was going to have to cross right through the crowd to get to them. I couldn't quite see the area they'd be in - there was a couple of trees that obscured it from where I was - but I knew the spot. As I slowly pushed my way through the packed crowd, every one one of them on their feet from the first note, I was thankful to be tall enough to navigate. Finding anyone in this would have been a nightmare for a short person.
I took a good 15 minutes to get even halfway across the field. I felt like a sardine, and as the sky darkened it was harder and harder not to step on feet in the blackness that enveloped everything below my shoulders. I'm sure I pissed off more than a few people who probably wished I'd just stay put and watch the concert instead of trying to move in what was essentially a solid. I was considering doing just that and meeting Emma and Richard afterwards when I spotted a jade hairpiece I knew very well. It was maybe eight or ten metres away, on a bed of raven hair. That was all I could see, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was Natalie. I had stared longingly at that hairpiece and the attached hair many many times. Do I dodge her? Will it be awkward with Jed? I didn't care, I had to see her, even if only for a few minutes. I adjusted my trajectory and slowly wiggled towards them. It was painfully slow, so crowded some people were probably able to lift both feet off the ground. As I came closer she seemed taller than usual, and I realized she must be standing on a rock, as many were. I couldn't see Jed, and my heart started pounding even harder. It's dark, I thought, I'm just not noticing him. But I finally got near enough to tell that she appeared to be alone, or at least not with anyone I knew. I wanted to yell to her, but it would have been pointless in this din.
