The next day, on returning from work, Hugh sadly informed me that the intercom was, as the agent had told us, extremely expensive, and that we could not afford it at the moment, especially after the expense of my computer. I was quite devastated, for although I could communicate with Hugh through messages, it was not the same, and over the next few days I found that my isolation was becoming greater and greater.
On the other hand, as Hugh did not like to eat alone and, under the present circumstances, being with me was like being alone, one evening he invited our lodger Parker to dinner. It was a really nice dinner. Parker turned out to be a very nice guy and a great conversationalist. He wasn't particularly attractive, but his smile was captivating, and he seemed to always be cheerful. We had a really good time, although, unsurprisingly, I felt rather left out of the conversation of the two giants, although they were both quite attentive to me at all times, solicitously, for which I thanked them heartily.
The logical consequence of this is that Parker became a regular at our table, I could tell that he and Hugh really connected well. I was happy for my husband, but soon the two of them took it beyond the table. They started doing some activities together, like going running on the weekends, or going out for drinks after dinner. And one night at dinner, to my dismay, I noticed unmistakably that Parker was flirting with my husband. But wasn't this guy straight? It was clear he wasn't, at least not exclusively. I also noticed that Hugh was flattered by his interest and that he let himself be loved.
Over the next few days their relationship grew closer and closer, while the demon of jealousy appeared potent in my heart. In addition, I began to notice subtle changes in my husband's behavior. Gradually some of our favorite rituals became distant in time until they disappeared. There was no more masturbation together. Hugh stopped washing me between his hands, he would simply turn on the tap, give me some soap and invite me to wash myself. And his huge affectionate kisses all over my body became a matter of protocol, without warmth.
Every day I felt more isolated and, above all, more ignored by my husband, whose affectionate devotion was now directed at Parker. My patience reached its limit the day they both sat down to watch TV and Hugh offered Parker one of my foot massages. Parker gladly accepted and, again unable to say anything about it, I found myself on the floor in front of the giant feet. They could not hear me, however, I made unmistakable signs to Hugh that I did not wish to do that. He understood me perfectly, but his reaction was not what I expected. He frowned and said to me in an authoritative voice:
-Come on, little mouse, don't make me look bad! -And making a gesture that clearly meant: "Do what you have to do or face the consequences", he pushed me towards the huge sweaty foot of our tenant. Feeling completely disposable (and that's what I was, I couldn't say I hadn't been warned), I set about the task at hand.
Until now I had kept quiet, as I didn't want to come across as the typical pathetic jealous husband, but, as I say, that was the last straw for me and the next day I wrote a message to Hugh. In it I told him that we had already spent some time in that situation, that I didn't feel well and that I didn't want to continue with it, so I asked him to go back to the government center and terminate the contract. I did not get the expected result either. Hugh wrote back immediately, surprised at my message, as he thought we were both very happy, and with warm words of encouragement, he urged me to wait a little longer, that we would soon get rid of the mortgage and be able to get back to our normal lives without financial problems.
The mortgage thing might be true, but I clearly realized that the reality was that Hugh was enjoying his new situation of sexual promiscuity, of making all the decisions at home and being completely free for everything (even to initiate an idyll with our tenant), and he was not willing to give it up easily. I was very saddened by his response - where was that "we are a team"?
