The Best Laid Plans

1. Planning for the Future

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans" - John Lennon

AUTHORS NOTES

This is the first part of a series which follows the story of a troubled middle aged couple as they move from their city home in order to try and make a fresh start living in a coastal town.

It is probably somewhat different from most stories in that it is told from the points of view of the four main protagonists.

Craig Forbes: Director of Forbes Logistics

Maya Forbes: Craig's wife

Danny Scott: Freelance removal operative

Kirsty Watson: Event coordinator and Craig's lover

There are also a number of minor characters who are of varying importance to the storyline.

Gary Bartlett: Removal Company Director

Luigi Rossi: Owner of La Casa restaurant

Pietro Mancini: Waiter at La Casa

Jez, Jake, Simmo, & Alfie: Removal Operatives

Lisa & Damon: Friends of Kirsty

I have attempted to tell the story as chronologically as possible in order for the narrative to hopefully still flow. Whether I have succeeded or not will be down to the reader to decide.

This part of the story contains a great deal of necessary background, so it is very slow and also there's not a great deal of actual sex involved. However, it does contain elements of Infidelity, Voyeurism, Fantasy, and Female Masturbation. If any of this is not your cup of tea, then thanks for dropping by, but probably best if you simply move on.

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CRAIG

It had been Maya's idea to move. At first I was fairly ambivalent about the idea, as I still quite liked being adjacent to a busy metropolis. After all, it had allowed me to carve a successful and extremely lucrative career, and I still enjoyed the buzz of city life; its cafés, restaurants, pubs, clubs, and cinemas all within a reasonable distance. But it seemed like my wife had been growing increasingly unhappy with our suburban lifestyle and had started to yearn to go back nearer to where she was brought up, living by the sea.

So, aided by her constant reminders that we were beginning to 'crack on' as it were, I began to realise the idea was not without merit. I had drifted past the big fifty some years ago and Maya was closing in on it, and I think, as one grows older, city life can also become tiring, the traffic increasingly annoying and the almost continual noise at times irritating. Also, as with many professionals, covid had completely changed the way that I operated. I was working mainly from home and apart from meetings I only went into the office if needed, or as was more often the case if I wanted to do something else afterwards.

MAYA

It was mum's death that really decided me that I no longer wanted to live in the city anymore. I know parental deaths can affect people in different ways, and I doubt that my reactions were exactly the same as many others. Mum had been ill for some time, and I had eventually managed to get her placed in a small hospice, so although it was not a total surprise, her passing still shook me to my core. It's difficult to explain but suddenly I felt like I was drifting, like an unmoored rowing boat slowly floating away from the land. Dad had died when I was in my late teens, so mum had taken on an increasingly important reference point for me. But now I was an orphan, albeit a middle aged one and I was surprised at how strongly this had affected me.

I had Craig of course, my husband for over twenty years now. He was really good, helping me get through those dreadful dark days that accompanied her passing, but then I suspect it might have been partly due to a guilty conscience. Initially he had worked diligently, ferrying me back and forth between our home, mum's house, and the hospice. After her death he sorted out invoking my power of attorney, then dealing with the undertakers, the funeral, and all the other hoops that nowadays it seems one has to jump through, in order to wrap up someone's life, even someone who would always be so desperately missed.

CRAIG

Being her only child, Maya's mother had left everything to her. A nice but smallish house overlooking the sea, a reasonable amount of savings and a couple of decent investments. Initially we discussed the idea of moving into the house as it seemed to tick all the boxes. It was on the North Cornwall coast, on the outskirts of a largeish town with reasonable amenities, and it would save us going through the rigmarole of selling two properties and having to buy another, rather than just selling ours. For a while Maya seemed to baulk at the idea, not sure whether living in her mother's old house would be too upsetting for her, but as the days slipped by, she finally came around to the idea, mainly I suspect because of my constant prodding.

I had worked out that with her inheritance, Maya wouldn't have to continue full time work. It was obvious that she had become disillusioned with the NHS and wanted to leave anyway. Although her pension would be small, if she could find maybe a part time job down in the town she'd not have to worry much about work anymore. Besides, my company was still earning so much I could probably support us both if push came to shove.

MAYA

I think it's safe to say that covid had affected Craig and me in diametrically opposite ways. Whereas his background in IT logistics put him in an ideal place to make hay, I was an A&E nurse working in a major hospital and at the height of the pandemic I was living and working on site. It wasn't so much the stifling Hazmat suits that we had to wear all day and night that got to me though. Rather it was the constant deaths I had to witness despite my every effort that I think finally ground me down.

I had joined the NHS for many reasons but as with most nurses, key to it was to help make sick people better. Obviously some people's conditions precluded this, but there was still a great deal of satisfaction in easing them through their final hours, ensuring that when they finally went, it would be painless and with dignity. However, with covid even this went out of the window and the scale of 'failure' was such that at times I felt I couldn't stand it anymore. So, when Craig told me that if we moved into mum's house I could leave work I guess I was easily swayed. Not only would I be able to retire from full time work early, but I felt that maybe Craig would be less open to temptation if we lived away from a teaming metropolis and perhaps more importantly, 'her'.

KIRSTY

I first met Craig when I was coordinating a Communication Technology event in the centre of the city. He was looking to rent a stand and had initially contacted me by e-mail, but we had quickly moved on to telephone conversations. Even without meeting him I had liked him from the start. I know it sounds silly but there was something about his voice that sent shivers up my spine, and I happily helped locate him in one of the prime spots. When the first day of the conference arrived, I have to admit I was more than a little excited and surprisingly just a bit nervous about eventually meeting him. For the early part of the day, I had been busy running around making sure that all the exhibitors were happy and checking on the timings for the various discussion groups and lectures, but while I had kept checking Craig's stand, it had remained annoyingly empty.

It was only during my first break that I had finally met him. I was sitting in the little coffee area when this tall rather good looking older man had wandered through. He had cast his eyes around the room until they had alighted on me and flashing me a smile he offered me a brief wave of recognition before walking over. For some reason I had started trembling, my nerves beginning to get the better of me, and then he spoke. "Kirsty isn't it. I'm Craig. It's lovely to meet you at long last." We sat together for maybe 20 minutes until I had to get back to work but by then I was smitten. Yes, he was married and considerably older than me, but our connection had seemed so strong that I knew that I wanted this man. We had met up at the end of the day and he had taken me out for a meal. The next evening, we had done the very same, except instead of a polite kiss goodbye we had ended up in my bed and so it had gone on from there.

On the days he came into his office he'd invariably call me, and we'd go out for a meal somewhere in the evening. I used to enjoy the looks we got as other customers seemed to be trying to work out if we were father and daughter or lovers. After the meal we would invariably end up back at my flat having amazing sex. For a man of his age, he was in amazing shape and boy did he know how to fuck me. It wasn't that he was massively endowed or anything, but I'd never cum so quickly or so strongly with anyone ever before.

So, when he told me he was moving away, I remember us having a few arguments about it. I think I had naïvely started to believe that our relationship would carry on forever just the way it was, but now it seemed that we would be coming to an end. He had continued to insist that although we wouldn't be able to see each other with the same frequency, when we did meet up he would now be able to stay overnight every time. What could I do but accept the new arrangement.

CRAIG

It seemed that the more I thought about the move the more my initial reticence began to fade. Yes, I'd be further from the lively city that I'd grown to enjoy but then again there would be times that I'd have to go back for major business meetings and given the distance I'd probably need to stay over more often than not. In that respect it would make some things easier for me.

We checked with a few Estate Agents and all of them suggested that we had a very saleable property if we priced it reasonably, and so it proved to be. No sooner was it on the market than the offers rolled in and virtually all of them on or above the asking price. Although not the highest bid, we accepted an offer from a young couple with no chain involved. Everything seemed to run ultra smoothly, and within a couple of months we had an exchange date just a few weeks or so away.

MAYA

Once we'd accepted an offer, I started getting a list of local removal companies. Over the years we had accumulated so much 'stuff', we decided to take the packing option as it would leave us time to deal with all the administration needed to change address and to finalise mum's estate, and otherwise we knew that we'd be packing stuff that we hadn't seriously looked at for years and this would clearly slow things down. As with the Estate Agents, Craig and I saw the representatives together. I don't know why, but it seemed like we were starting to get back to our old selves in a way. You know, doing things together, discussing options. There was also a flicker of intimacy that was creeping in, that I realised had been totally absent for god knows how long. The odd touches, shared smiles, occasional cuddles made me feel that maybe it really could be the seeds of a new start.

I think we saw four removal companies all of whom seemed to approach things in widely different ways which made it difficult to choose between them. In the end we plumped for a smallish independent outfit. Their representative, Gary Bartlett had seemed more professional than the others. He had taken time to take us through the whole process, explaining how all the various issues, for example how the long distance we were travelling would be dealt with, and ensuring that we would have at least a bed to sleep in for the two nights of the move. Without much need for discussion, we immediately agreed that they were the company we wanted to move us. Later that evening, Craig and I went to a local pub for a celebratory meal and to toast our new future together.

DANNY

It was early one evening when I got the call from Gary. I had worked for him as an HGV driver a few years earlier before branching out and setting up my own transport firm. Despite everything that had happened, I knew Gary still liked me and to be honest the feeling was mutual. He'd still give me odd bits of work, usually long runs that paid well, whether it was plant machinery, raw materials, antiques or very occasionally a domestic move.

After a quick exchange of niceties, 'how are you' etc. he had given me the lowdown. Two day job, moving a middle aged couple from the outskirts of Bristol to Bude in a couple of weeks' time. He'd been let down by one of his drivers and all the agencies said theirs were fully booked. If I could do it he'd said he'd be happy for me to use my truck and give me special rates. I had quickly checked my diary and there was nothing in it that I couldn't move, and the route wasn't far off from my home base at Oakhampton.

We had then worked through all the details and timings, Day one, part packing. Day two, I drive up to assist with packing and loading, and then drive down, part unload, sleep the night in the truck. Day three, complete unload, basic unpacking, drive home. Gary would provide packers at the Bristol end and had arranged for workers from a nearby company to help with the unpack in Bude.

Once we'd finalised the arrangements we had a general chat as we always did. He'd asked how my latest relationship was going so I had to explain the 'relationship' he was referring to was now the one before the one that had just finished a few days ago.

"Usual reasons I guess?" he had asked.

"Afraid so" I replied.

"How do you manage it?" I couldn't help but imagine him shaking his head as he spoke. "Will you never change mate," he had continued half chuckling to himself.

"Guess not" I had replied.

"Listen Danny. They're a really nice couple," his voice now had a serious edge. "Don't let me down okay."

CRAIG

It was late in the afternoon, and we'd more or less done all we could before the packers arrived the next morning. Maya and I were getting along better than we had for ages and I was beginning to entertain the idea that maybe there really was a chance of re-starting our relationship. Gone it seemed, were the verbal skirmishes that had plagued our marriage in recent years, and although our interactions were mainly practical, much of the tension between us seemed to be slowly dissipating.

It was while we were sitting in the kitchen, contemplating what to have for dinner that Maya suggested going into town to our favourite Italian restaurant La Casa, for one last time. Although we hadn't been there together since before covid, I had used it a number of times for business, dining important clients etc. so I knew it had survived the lockdowns. So, while Maya rushed off to find a 'posh frock', I called Luigi, the owner of the restaurant to make a booking.

"La Casa! How can I help you today?" Luigi's warm greeting seemed to flow down the line.

"Hi Luigi. It's Craig, Craig Forbes."

"Signor Forbes! How wonderful to hear from you" he effused. It never ceased to amaze me how Luigi could make you feel like you were the most important person in the world, as if all of his time was spent just waiting for you to call!

"You too Luigi. Look, I know it's short notice, but can I book my favourite table for tonight?"

"That would be the secluded one in the alcove."

"Yes that's the one."

"A romantic evening for you and... perhaps Signora Maya?" he asked.

"Yes, well hopefully anyway."

"I see. There are still... umm... delicate problems, yes?" A few months earlier I had gone to La Casa on my own following yet another row with Kirsty. I'd had a meal and probably a bit too much to drink, a couple of beers and some red wine I think. Anyway, I got chatting with Luigi and he asked how Maya was. I guess the alcohol had loosened my tongue and I found myself explaining that we weren't really getting on too well, that there was no longer any intimacy in our relationship, at least not coming from her.

"We're getting closer Luigi, what with sorting out the move and stuff, but it's still not as good as it once was" I answered.

"I find that this is not an uncommon problem with couples of a certain age. The female sex drive often wanes when they reach this part of their life. Might I suggest that perhaps we could at least try to re-ignite it."

"How would we do that" I answered Luigi, wondering where the conversation was heading.

"I know what I am about to say would probably be frowned upon nowadays, but I truly believe that many women, whether they are married or not, old or young, quite enjoy being flirted with. Look, I have a new young waiter... how can I put it? He is very good at flirting with women. You may find that hard to believe Craig, but I have seen him in action, and he is the best I have ever seen. So much so, that one regular couple are willing to pay extra for his 'special' service, knowing that the results may well transfer later to their bedroom."

"You're joking!" I exclaimed unable to reconcile what he was proposing. "I mean, how far does he... umm... how far is he allowed to go?"

"Well, we try to limit physical contact as much as possible beyond occasional touching," Luigi continued, "although I have heard of some husbands who might have wished things to have gone much further. Beyond that my friend, it is entirely up to the couple themselves. They both have, as it were, a veto. The wife might be one of those women who doesn't wish to be flirted with, who doesn't want or need to feel special, to feel attractive and desired. If that is the case then... well... what you might call our 'normal service' is resumed. Other than that, it is really up to the husband. If at any time he finds himself becoming uncomfortable with the process then he can simply signal my waiter who will know exactly what to do. There are of course no guarantees and often things don't quite work out exactly as maybe hoped. Raising a woman's libido is after all, an art not a science."

I think I was shellshocked by what I had just heard. Did I really want to watch my wife being openly flirted with by some young waiter? And what if she really did start becoming aroused would I want it to stop? If not, was I perhaps one of those men who would like to see it go further? And if so how much further would I want it to go? But then again the plan might work apart from one significant issue that I realised needed resolving.

"Umm Luigi. I'd be grateful if my, umm non business visits aren't mentioned."

"Ahh... the lovely Kirsty! But that was just another business meeting, no?"

"Thanks Luigi."

"What time Craig?"

"Around eight" I finally croaked my pulse rising and my mouth dry.

"We will see you then my friend, and we look forward to entertaining the lovely Maya" and with that the line went dead. I lay back on the sofa my chest thumping and as I reran the conversation over and over again, I suddenly realised that I had an erection.

MAYA

I don't know why I had suddenly suggested going to La Casa, it just sort of came out, almost a gut reaction I guess. I suspect it was partly because Craig and I had been getting on so much better, and the fact that the restaurant reminded me of the times when we were last really happy being together. But that was back then, not now, not after all that had happened. As I had stood in front of the bedroom mirror, holding various outfits up as I pondered what to wear, the past slowly began filtering back into the cracks of our newfound 'togetherness'.

It was during the second wave when I had caught covid again. Craig was staying up at his office as he had a major project he was working on and couldn't afford to catch the virus. While the previous episode didn't affect me much, this one pretty much floored me for about a week. It was during this time that boredom finally got the better of me, and I decided to clear out an old filing cabinet. It was there that I found a pile of receipts and a business card for a Kirsty Watson who it appeared was an Event Coordinator, lying in one corner. The receipts were all Craig's and related to his work but as I went through them a clear pattern emerged. It appeared on Fridays, when he either worked late or went out drinking with his friends there were receipts for restaurant bills always for two covers. The more I delved into the receipts, the angrier I had become. Receipts for flowers, for chocolates, for jewellery, even for some sexy underwear from Ann Summers, items none of which were actually for me.